SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, dominic@score-international.com
November 12, 2020
Race presented by 4 Wheel Parts


     ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico—While many of the start positions were determined by the finishing order from the previous race, the balance of the starting positions for the first 179 entries were decided by a live drawing this week as racers from around the world are heading to Baja California, Mexico for next week’s iconic BFGoodrich Tires 53rd annual SCORE Baja 1000, presented by 4 Wheel Parts.
    Starting and finishing under strict BioSecurity health and safety protocols in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, race-week activities and the Granddaddy of All Desert Races itself will be held next Tuesday through Sunday (Nov. 17-22).
The SCORE Baja 1000 is at the pinnacle of motorsports as the most iconic, oldest, prestigious, toughest and longest continuously held desert race in the world.
Because of the Pandemic BioSecurity protocols, all race-week activities and the start/finish line area will be closed to the public. The start/finish line compound will be located East of downtown Ensenada at at the end of the extension of Avenida Ruiz on the highway overpass.  Over 20 more entries are expect to come in next Tuesday through Thursday at late, onn-site racer registration in the Registration Tent at the SCORE Compound.
Spectators, adhering to the protocols, will be allowed to watch the race from around the race course.
FIRST TO START
As a result of their podium finishes in September’s SCORE Baja 500 in San Felipe, SCORE Trophy Truck racers Daniel McMillin (No. 23), Tim Herbst (No. 19) and Luke McMillin (No. 83) will be the first three 4-wheel vehicles to start on Nov. 20 and Mark Samuels (No. 1x) in Pro Moto Unlimited will be the first 2-wheel vehicle to leave the line. This week’s start draw was held for all of the racers who have entered to so far who didn’t participate in the SCORE Baja 500.
53rd SCORE BAJA 1000
Many of the world’s best desert racers will be in action at this year’s massive BFGoodrich Tires 53rd SCORE Baja 1000, presented by 4 Wheel Parts. The race will be televised on a delayed basis as a one-hour special on the ABC TV Network’s World of X Games programming.
Ensenada, “The Off-Road Capital of the World” is a coastal city on the Bahia de Todos Santos area of the Pacific Ocean, 80 miles south of the U.S. border at San Diego.
Over 200 vehicles are expected at the start line with racers from nearly 30 U.S. States and as many as 15 countries anticipated. Long-time SCORE sponsor and race title sponsor BFGoodrich Tires has also posted a US$25,000 contingency bonus for the overall 4-wheel winner to help commemorate the renewal of this legendary SCORE race.
This year’s SCORE Baja 1000 will be a loop race of a spectacular 898.40 miles in the northern state of Mexico’s majestic Baja California peninsula. The distance is a race-record for a SCORE Baja loop race.
It will start for the 46th time and finish for the 27th time in Ensenada and the race is annually the finale of the SCORE World Desert Championship, which has been held exclusively for the past five years in Baja California.
With a total time limit of 40 hours in the elapsed-time race, the motorcycle and quad classes will start at 4 a.m. (PT) on Friday, Nov. 20 and the car, truck and UTV classes will follow with their start on at 10 a.m. (PT).  While the fastest vehicles are expected to cover the course in approximately 18 hours, all vehicles will have 40 hours from the time each starts to become an official finisher.
1x ALL-STAR TEAM
Among the motorcycle classes, starting first with a large bullseye on their backs, Mark Samuels and his three-rider team are the motorcycle racers everyone is looking to beat, but for nine consecutive races it has been the ‘impossible dream.’
Samuels, 31, Yucca Valley, Calif., Justin Morgan,30, El Cajon, Calif. and Justin Jones, 29, Murrieta, Calif. are the team to beat as the charge through the Baja desert on their No. Slam Life Racing 1x Honda CRF450R in the Pro Moto Unlimited Class. Obviously the won this year’s SCORE Baja 500 to earn this first start.
The talented trio enters this year’s SCORE Baja 1000 with a total of 10 career overall motorcycle victories in the Granddaddy of All Desert Races. Samuels has four while Morgan and Jones each have three overall crowns in this race.
With both Samuels and Jones sidelined with injuries, Morgan won the overall motorcycle title in last year’s SCORE Baja 1000 with the help of co-riders David Kamo, Max Eddy Jr and Shane Esposito.
STATES, COUNTRIES
     Included in the 179 official entries of the more than 200 anticipated for this year’s renewal of the world’s most iconic desert race are racers from 26 U.S. States and 13 countries.
U.S. States represented in the field of competitors to date are from Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
Besides the United States and host Mexico, countries represented to date in the total entry field are from Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru and South Africa.
MORE FIRST STARTS
Besides third-generation racer Daniel McMillin and four-time SCORE Baja 1000 winner Mark Samuels, among the other racers starting first in their respective classes based on the class wins at the SCORE Baja 500 are Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va./Nick Vanderwey, Phoenix (No. 5L SCORE TT Legend), Santiago Creel, Mexico City/Jorge Sampietro, Ensenada, Mexico (No. 260 Trophy Truck Spec), Jeff Proctor, Glendora, Calif. (No. 709 Class 7),  Matt Bouroughs, Norco, Calif. (No. 2948 Pro UTV FI), Kristen Matlock, Alpine, Calif. (No. 1954 Pro UTV NA), Chris Racan, Oceanside, Calif. (No. 1696 Class 1/2-1600), Edward Muncey, San Diego (No. BC4 Baja Challenge), Mike Cafro, Fallbrook, Calif. (No. 3955 Pro UTV Stock), Mike Hales, Rogers, Ark. (No. 4421 Hammer Truck Unlimited), Mike Lesle, Wildomar, Calif. (No. 1869 Pro UTV Unlimited), Francisco Septien, Ensenada, Mexico (No. 370x Pro Moto 30) and Juan Carlos Salvatierra, Boliva (No. 725x Pro Moto Ironman).
CHALLENGING COURSE
The official loop-race record 898.40-mile race course runs in a counter-clockwise direction after the two-way section to the Ojos Negros area and down along the Pacific Ocean and around San Felipe and the Sea of Cortez before heading back up through Cordillera de Molina and back to Ojos Negro and the finish in Ensenada.
The continuing pre-running starts at race-mile 34.23 and finishes at rm864.87. The first 34.23 miles of the course, which will be run in both directions during the race, will be open for pre-running outbound only on next Wednesday and Thursday of race week (Nov. 18-19) from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The challenging race course then winds its way through four of Baja California’s infamously magnificent washes: Amarillas, Chanate, Huatamote and Matomi before heading through the San Felipe area along the Sea of Cortez and West through Cordillera de Molina and then back to Ojos Negros to the finish just on the Eastern outskirts in Ensenada.
The start/finish line compound, closed to the public because of established safety and health protocols, will be located on the outskirts of Ensenada, east of downtown, at the end of the extension of Avenida Ruiz on the highway overpass.
There are four physical full-stop checkpoints and 359 virtual checkpoints. Physical checkpoints: CP1-El Socorro (race mile 206.60), CP2-Valle de Trinidad (rm407.95), CP3-End of Matomi Wash (rm602.85) and CP 4-El Alamo (rm838.50). The race route also has 20 Speed Zones for a total of 106.13 miles.
All Sportsman classes along with Pro classes 7SX, 11 and 9 will run a reduced course of 767.06 miles.
This year’s course map, GPS files, racer’s brief and schedule of events are available on the SCORE website under race info on the SCORE Baja 1000 page at www.SCORE-International.com.
GRAND MARSHAL
Having been a significant part of the desert-racing nation for well over 40 years, SCORE International has selected Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame Special Achievement inductee and renown motorsports business executive Frank DeAngelo as the Grand Marshal for this year’s iconic race.
DeAngelo is clearly not only a pillar in the history of SCORE Baja racing, but also a critical part of its foundation. No history of desert racing in North America would be complete without continuous references to the impact that he has had on the sport and the industry. Both in the forefront and even more significantly behind the scenes as well. DeAngelo is one of the most trusted and respected individuals in the off-road industry.
With a tenure of over 40 years in the sport, DeAngelo, an Ohio native who is also an accomplished horseman, has ‘somewhat’ departed from the desert starting this year as he is now the Series Director for the Championship Off-Road short-course series. Prior to that, he identified and plotted more desert race courses than anyone possibly other than the legendary former SCORE owner Sal Fish, himself a member of the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame. Not unexpectedly, he will be assisting BFGoodrich Tires at this year’s SCORE Baja 1000 with the myriad support elements that BFG brings to SCORE events.
SCOREscope
2020 SCORE SKED
BFGoodrich Tires 53rd SCORE Baja 1000, presented by 4 Wheel Parts—
November 17-22, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
2021 SCORE SKED
Here are the dates for the four-race 2021 SCORE World Desert Championship which will be held in Baja California, Mexico for the sixth consecutive year:
34th SCORE San Felipe 250—
February 9-14, San Felipe, Mexico
BFGoodrich Tires 53rd SCORE Baja 500, presented by 4 Wheel Parts—
April 14-18, Baja California, Mexico
2nd SCORE Baja 400—
September 14-19, Baja California, Mexico
BFGoodrich Tires 54th SCORE Baja 1000, presented by 4 Wheel Parts—
November 15-20, Baja California to La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
ABC TV NETWORKS AGAIN IN 2020
For the second straight year, the 2020 SCORE World Desert Championship will air on the ABC family of networks. The two-races will air as specials on ABC TV Network’s World of X Games program.
ABC first covered the 1967 and 1968 Baja 1000 races on the old ABC Wide World of Sports show with Jim McKay and again in the late 1980s with veteran motorsports journalist Sam Posey.
All of the SCORE race coverage shows also continue to air internationally in nearly 25 countries in Europe, Asia, Latin America and South America via syndication and ESPN International. The shows are co-produced by SCORE International and SoCal’s award-winning BCII TV.
SCORE SPONSORS…
Official SCORE Sponsors: BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire and Race Title Sponsor, Monster Energy-Official Energy Drink, 4 Wheel Parts-Official Off-Road Retailer and Race Presenting Partner, Ford-Official Truck and SUV, King Shocks-Official Shock Absorber, Polaris RZR-Official UTV, RACELINE Wheels-Official Wheel, VP Racing Fuels-Official Fuel, Wide Open Excursions-Official Arrive and Drive Company, Crystal Bay Casino-Official Casino.
SCORE Official Partners: PCI Race Radios, The Satellite Phone Store, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Lucerna Hotel.
Additional SCORE Associate Partners: Baja California Secretary of Sustainable Economy and Tourism, XXIII Ensenada Municipal Government, XXIII Mexicali Municipal Government, Mexicali and San Felipe COTUCO, Cruz Roja Mexicana.
For more information regarding SCORE, visit the official website of the SCORE World Desert Championship at www.SCOREInternational.com.

Finale of the two-race 2020 SCORE World Desert Championship
Nov. 17-22, 2020—898.40 miles–Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
Total Entries: 179 (as of 11/12/20)
(from 26 U.S. States, host Mexico, Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador,
Guatemala, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, So. Africa)
Pro Cars/Trucks/UTVs