SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, dominic@score-international.com
May 18, 2022
Race week June 1-5

Round 2 of four-race 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship
in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico; Airing on ESPN2 World of X Games;
#scorebaja500; More race info at www.score-international.com

     ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico—History is the foundation for the present, the present is structure for the future and echoes from the past resonate resoundingly as racers from around the globe are anxiously awaiting next month’s memorable internationally-televised BFGoodrich Tires 54th SCORE Baja 500, presented by 4 Wheel Parts.
Round 2 of the four-race 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship will be held June 1-5 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.
SHOWTIME
Most the world’s best desert racers will be in action at this year’s celebration of one of the top 10 motorsports events in the entire world.
With over 250 entries expected 45 competition classes are offered for cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads. The current total of 220 entries includes racers from 30 U.S. States, U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico and 12 total countries. Besides the U.S.A. are host country Mexico, along with Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, England, France, New Zealand and Peru.
An elapsed-time race with staggered starts, the green flag on Saturday (June 4) will drop first for the motorcycles and quads at 4 a.m. (PT) and 9 a.m. (PT) for the cars, trucks and UTVs. While the fastest vehicles will complete the rugged 463.72-mile course in around nine hours, all vehicles will have a 20-hour time limit to become an official finisher.
All four 2022 SCORE races are being held on Mexico’s magnificent Baja California peninsula for the seventh consecutive year. SCORE is in its 49th year as the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization.
LIVE STREAMING
There will be extensive live streaming from pre-race contingency (June 3) and the start/finish line compound broadcasting the start, live action around the course and finish line interviews.
Popular Rat Sult is in his seventh year as primary host and lead announcer of the SCORE live streaming which will also air on the new SCORE TV app. Sult will be assisted again by the veteran voice Dave Arnold.
ECHOES FROM THE PAST
      Here’s a brief look back at some of the plethora of prolific poignant race notes, superlative stats, notable numbers that this legendary desert race has etched indelibly into the dusty desert sands of time…
ECHO 1—SCORE Baja 500
The legendary Baja 500 is celebrating its 54th anniversary next month in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. The race was first held in Ensenada in 1969, organized by the NORRA racing organization for four years.
In the inaugural Baja 500 in 1969 winning the overall 4-wheel vehicle title was the team of Bud Ekins/Guy Jones in an Oldsmobile-powered Baja Boot open wheel desert race car and the fastest motorcycle was the Ducati ridden by Doug Douglass and Jim McClurg.
ECHO 2—SCORE Baja 500
In 1973 the Baja Sports Committee, local tourism group in Ensenada, produced the event.
Later in 1973 after the NORRA group was no longer sanctioned by the State government to produce events in Mexico, Baja California tourism advocate and prominent Ensenada hotelier Nico Saad introduced Mickey Thompson to the governor of Baja California that resulted in SCORE being named as the official non-Mexican promoter authorized and sanctioned by the Baja California government to produce events in this Mexican state.
ECHO 3—SCORE Baja 500
Thus came the birth of the SCORE Baja Internacional (legal issues precluded SCORE from gaining the rights to use the name Baja 500 until 1991). The first SCORE Baja Internacional (produced by Mickey Thompson and Sal Fish) was held on July 26, 1974 in Ensenada with 279 official starters and 173 official finishers.   But fans, media and racers alike have always called it the Baja 500.
Noted Hollywood stunt driver Bobby Ferro won the overall 4-wheel vehicle title for the third of four times in his career in 1974, this time in a VW-Sandmaster open-wheel desert race car. The fastest overall motorcycle in this race was the Husqvarna with Mitch Mayes and A.C. Bakken sharing the riding duties.
ECHO 4—SCORE Baja 500
Racers like Ivan Stewart, Larry Roeseler, Bobby Ferro, Parnelli Jones, Larry Ragland, Robby Gordon, Malcolm Smith, Dr. Bud Feldkamp, Troy Herbst, Rob MacCachren, Bryce Menzies, Steve Hengeveld, Johnny Campbell, Bruce Ogilvie, Justin Morgan, Mark Samuels and McMillin family racers—Corky, Scott, Mark, Andy and Daniel—are all part of the legacy of all-time multiple overall four-wheel and multiple two-wheel vehicle winners of the SCORE Baja 500.
Also on the iconic overall winner’s list with one 4-wheel victory each are active racers B.J. Baldwin (2008), Mike Julson (1995), Curt LeDuc (1995), Harley Letner (2009), Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez (2015), Gustavo ‘Tavo’ Vildosola Jr (2016) and Daniel McMillin (2020).
With four motorcycle overall wins is active racer Justin Morgan (2015, 2017, 2018, 2019), with three wins each on two-wheels are and Mark Samuels (2016, 2018, 2019) and with two are Max Eddy Jr (2014, 2015) and Justin Jones (2018, 2019).
With one motorcycle overall win each are active racers Mike Childress (2005), Shane Esposito (2017) and Jason Alosi (2021).
ECHO 5—SCORE Baja 500
Governors of the Mexican State of Baja California during the years of the SCORE Baja 500—Raúl Sánchez Díaz...1965-1971; Milton Castellanos Everado...1971-1977; Roberto De la Madrid Romandia...1977-1983; Xicontecatl Leyva Mortera...1983-1989; Oscar Baylon Chacón...Interim for eleven months in 1989; Ernesto Ruffo Appel...1989-1995; Héctor Terán...1995-1998 (Died while in office); Alejandro González Alcocer...1998-2001 (Interim); Eugenio Elorduy Walther...2001-2007; José Guadalupe Osuna Millán…2007-2013, Francisco Arturo Vega De la Madrid...2013-2019, Jaime Bonilla Valdez…2019-2021 and Marina del Pilar Avila Olmeda…2021-present.
ECHO 6—SCORE Baja 500
When it comes to desert racing there is only one ‘Ironman’ standing at the top of the list of solo drivers/riders. San Diego’s iconic Ivan ‘Ironman’ Stewart has accepted SCORE’s invitation to be the Grand Marshal for the upcoming BFGoodrich Tires 54th SCORE Baja 500, presented by 4 Wheel Parts.
The legendary ‘Ironman’ will be celebrating his 77th birthday on June 4, the day that this year’s SCORE Baja 500 will start. Being the Grand Marshal is just some more icing on his championship cake.
Racing since 1973, Stewart, who retired in 2000, joined the Toyota factory team in 1983 for Cal Wells at Precision Preparation Inc. (PPI). He had a total of 84 career off-road race victories in stadium, short course and desert.
The legendary Stewart has been inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame (2006), the San Diego Hall of Champions Breitbard Hall of Fame (2009) and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2020).
ECHO 7—SCORE Baja 500
Among the drivers from other arenas who have tested the Baja 500 have been Indy Car racers Rick and Roger Mears, Parnelli Jones, Danny Ongias, Danny Sullivan, Jimmy Vasser, Roberto Guerrero, Michel Jourdain Jr., Johnny Unser and Mike and Robbie Groff, NASCAR’s Robby Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Boris Said and Brendan Gaughan, SCCA legend Elliot Forbes-Robinson, Pike’s Peak Hill Climb record holder Rod Millen, Drifting and Pike’s Peak champion Rhys Millen, World Rally Championships’ Armin Schwarz, Armin Kremer, Andreas Aigner and Harri Pavanpera, world motorcycle champions Malcolm Smith, Larry Roeseler and Destry Abbott, Motocross legends Ricky Johnson and Jeremy McGrath, Dakar Rally Champions Ricky Brabec, Cyril Despres and Marc Coma, XGames star Travis Pastrana, Sports Car champion Larry Connor, drag racers Don Prudhomme and Larry Minor and legendary SCORE founder and motorsports innovator Mickey Thompson.
ECHO 8—SCORE Baja 500
Part of the legacy of this iconic race, SCORE presents the racers who have been overall winners of the SCORE San Felipe 250, SCORE Baja 500 and SCORE Baja 1000—the SCORE Baja Triple Crown Award.
The nine individuals who have earned this amazing honor are: Dave Ashley, Robby Gordon, Rob MacCachren, Andy McMillin, Scott McMillin, Larry Ragland, Dan Smith, Ivan Stewart and Gustavo ‘Tavo’ Vildosola Jr.
ECHO 9—SCORE Baja 500
Ensenada has hosted nearly all of the Baja 500 races.  The race officially became the SCORE Baja Internacional in 1974 and Sal Fish was finally able to negotiate the use of the name it was always called and it became the SCORE Baja 500 in 1991.
Overall, one of the world’s most well-known desert races has started 47 times in Ensenada, three times in Ojos Negros, twice in San Felipe and once in Barstow, Calif. (USA).
Overall, the SCORE Baja 500 has finished in 43 times in Ensenada, five times in Santo Tomas, twice in Ojos Negros, twice in San Felipe and once in Barstow, Calif. (USA).
Motorcycle classes have run in this race every year but 1989 when the race was moved to San Felipe very close to the race date.
ECHO 10—SCORE Baja 500
Legends are born at the SCORE Baja 500.  Driver with the most overall wins in the race, Larry “Mr. Baja’ Roeseler is on top with 12 (including nine on a motorcycle, two in an open-wheel desert race car and one in SCORE Trophy Truck).
Second is Ivan ‘Ironman’ Stewart with the most overall 4-wheel victories by far with 10 (and he also has 17 total class wins including the 10 overalls).
Third in overall wins with five overall 4-wheel wins is ‘Lightning’ Larry Ragland.
With four overall 4-wheel wins each are Bobby Ferro, Robby Gordon and Malcolm Smith (including one on a motorcycle).
With three overall 4-wheel wins each are Dr. Bud Feldkamp, Troy Herbst, Mark McMillin, Mark’s brother Scott McMillin, Scott’s son Andy McMillin and Bryce Menzies.
With two overall 4-wheel wins each are Brian Collins, Bob Gordon (Robby’s father), Parnelli Jones, Rob MacCachren, Corky McMillin (McMillin family patriarch) and Dan Smith (including one on a motorcycle).
Besides Roeseler with nine, the leaders in overall motorcycle wins are Steve Hengeveld (7), Johnny Campbell, Paul Krause, Bruce Ogilvie, Kendall Norman and Justin Morgan with five each.
With four each are Robby Bell and Ted Hunnicutt Jr and with three each are Scot Harden, Jonah Street and Mark Samuels.
ECHO 11—SCORE Baja 500
     In the battle of manufacturers, several categories are presented.
Leaders in overall car/truck wins are Ford Truck (13), Chevy Truck (10), Toyota Truck (8), Funco and Chenowth with seven each and Jimco and Smithbuilt with three each.
Leaders in overall Tire manufacturers’ wins for cars/trucks are BFGoodrich Tires (34), Western Auto (5), Toyo Tires (4) and tied with two each are Firestone Tires, Goodyear Tires and Yokohama Tires.
     The leaders in overall motorcycle wins are Honda (22), Husqvarna (13), Kawasaki (11) and Yamaha (4).
The leaders in overall engine wins for cars and trucks are Ford (15), Chevy (14),Volkswagen (13), Toyota (8) and Porsche (5).
ECHO 12—SCORE Baja 500
There are 12 racers who have overall victories in both the SCORE Baja 500 and the SCORE Baja 1000, which celebrated its 54th race last November.
Clearly leading with way is legendary Larry Roeseler who has 13 overall wins in the SCORE Baja 1000 and 12 in the SCORE Baja 500. Second is Larry Ragland who has five in each of the iconic SCORE races.
The other racers who have overall victories in both races along with their overall wins in each race are Andy McMillin (3 SCORE Baja 500, 5 SCORE Baja 1000), Robby Gordon (4, 3), Rob MacCachren (2, 5), Troy Herbst (3, 2), Scott McMillin (3, 2), B.J. Baldwin (1, 2), Gustavo ‘Tavo’ Vildosola Jr (1, 1), Mark Samuels (4, 6), Justin Morgan (5, 4) and Justin Jones (3, 5).
ECHO 13—SCORE Baja 500
In 53 years of this great race, non-U.S. drivers have been the fastest overall 4-wheel winners in this race twice and once in the motorcycle division. Both Mexican nationals, Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez of Tecate was the first non-American winner in 2015 in a Chevy SCORE Trophy Truck and Gustavo ‘Tavo’ Vildosola Jr of Mexicali followed up in 2016 by winning in a Ford SCORE Trophy Truck.
In 2017, Francisco Arredondo of Guatemala became the first non-U.S. racer to win the overall motorcycle title as he was rider of record on the winning team of Americans—Shane Esposito/Justin Morgan and Mexico’s Roberto Villalobos of Tijuana.
ECHO 14—SCORE Baja 500
Looking at some overall stats from this legendary race, a total of 13,707 vehicles have started the first 53 races for an average of 259 starters per race. A total of 7,602 vehicles have finished the first 53 races for an average of 143.5 finishers per race. Percentage-wise, 55.5% is the average finishing rate for this legendary race.
In the first 53 years, the most ever starters came in 2007 when 492 vehicles left the start line and the second most starters were in 2006 when 438 started the race.
In the first 53 years, the most ever finishers came in 2007 when 228 finished race and the second most finishers were in 2006 when 221 vehicles finished the race.
In the first 53 years of the world-famous desert race, the fewest number of starters was in 2020 when there were 129 (World-wide pandemic impacted race moved to San Felipe) and the fewest number of finishers was the first year in 1969 when there were 73 finishers.
Overall, there have been 10 SCORE Baja 500 races with 300 or more starters.
ECHO 15—SCORE Baja 500
In the 2018 Golden Anniversary of the SCORE Baja 500, held over a race-record long race course of 542.12 miles, Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee Rob MacCachren, the G.O.A.T. of off-road racing, earned the overall and SCORE Trophy Truck victory in his No. 11 Ford F-150 in a time of 11 hours, 21 minutes and 15 seconds.
Leading the motorcycles overall in the 50th anniversary of this race while winning the Pro Moto Unlimited Class was the three-rider team of rider of record Justin Morgan, Mark Samuels and Justin Jones with a time of 11:54:58 on the No. 7x Honda CRF450X.
ECHO 16—SCORE Baja 500
In the 2020 SCORE Baja 500, Daniel McMillin became the fifth member of San Diego’s legendary McMillin Racing family to capture an overall victory in this race. Daniel, joined his late grandfather Corky McMillin (2 overall wins), uncle Scott McMillin (3), father Mark McMillin (3) and his cousin Andy McMillin (Scott’s son-3) as overall winners of this famous race. This win gave the McMillin family a SCORE-record 12 overall wins in this popular early summer event.
Last year, Larry Roeseler won the Overall in the race in a Toyota Tundra originally built by Robby Gordon while second was Andy McMillin in his Mason-built Chevy.
ECHO 17—SCORE Baja 500
While the magnificent mystery of Baja California is infamous, the masters of SCORE Baja 500 have etched their names in the lasting legacy with their class wins in this legendary race.
There are 20 racers who have earned seven or more class wins in this event. History shows that the masters of this race are age-group motorcycle racer Jim O’Neal with 23 class wins, the late great Rod Hall and Larry Roeseler with 18 each, Ivan ‘Ironman’ Stewart with 17 and age-group motorcycle legend Richard Jackson with 15 class wins.
While Roeseler leads with 12 overall wins (including nine on motorcycles), Stewart is right behind him with 10 overall victories (all in four-wheel vehicles and seven in PPI Toyota Trucks).
Tied with nine class wins each in this race are 4-wheel vehicle drivers Marcos Nunez and Donald Moss while tied with eight class wins each are Mike Cafro, Nick Vanderwey, veteran age-group motorcycle racer Lou Franco and Steve Hengeveld (with seven of his being overall motorcycle wins as well).
Nine racers are tied with seven class wins each—Shane Esposito, Sergio Gutierrez, Troy Herbst, Rick D. Johnson, Jeff Kaplan, Larry Ragland, Arnoldo Ramirez, Francisco Septien and Eric Solorzano.
Of this illustrious group of class winners, expected to race in the 54th anniversary race and add to their legacy are O’Neal, Roeseler, Cafro, Esposito, Franco, Septien and Solorzano.
Of the 19 racers tied with six class wins each, expected in this year’s race are Cisco Bio, Ramon Fernandez, Rob McCachren and Felipe Velez.
ECHO 18—SCORE Baja 500
SCORE Trophy Truck, which debuted in 1994, is celebrating its 29th season as the marquee racing division in the sport. It is the marquee racing division for high-tech, 950-horsepower, unlimited custom trucks.
The SCORE Baja 500 has seen the second largest fields of SCORE Trophy Truck in SCORE history, have 39 starters both in 2007 and in 2010.
Winning SCORE Trophy Truck and the overall in 2007 was the team of Larry Ragland/Brian Collins and in 2010, the SCORE Trophy Truck and overall winners were the son/father team of Andy McMillin/Scott McMillin.
The next highest total of SCORE Trophy Truck starters in SCORE history was in this race that had 37 starters in 2006, 2013 and 2014. The team of Brian Collins/Larry Ragland won the class and the race in 2006, Robby Gordon won in 2013 and Bryce Menzies won in 2014, his third SCORE Trophy Truck win in this race in a four-year period.
ECHO 19—SCORE Baja 500
SCORE Trophy Truck Take 2. SCORE Trophy Truck racers have won the overall in 17 out of the last 18 years in the SCORE Baja 500, including the last 12 consecutive years.
The last overall winner in this race not driving a SCORE Trophy Truck was the team of cousins Harley Letner and the late Kory Halopoff who won the overall and the unlimited Class 1 in 2009 in a Chevy-powered Tatum open-wheel desert race car.
ECHO 20—SCORE Baja 500
With pre-running opening on Saturday, SCORE President/Race Director Jose A. Grijalva has put together another memorable race course to challenge the world’s best desert racers. The final distance is 463.72 miles.
It will be starting and finishing for the first time in four years (since 2018) on fan-friendly Blvd. Costero adjacent to the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center in the heart of Ensenada. Pre-race Contingency will also be held on Blvd. Costero on Friday, June 3 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT.
The course will run in a clockwise direction out of and back to the start/finish in Ensenada, traveling through such noted areas as Cordillera de Molina, Coabuso, La Ventana, Chinero, Mikes Sky Ranch, La Lagrima and Ojos Negros.
The course will have two complete stop physical checkpoints, 175 total virtual checkpoints and 10 speed zones for a total of 34.59 miles.
Checkpoint 1 will be located at race mile 240.07 (San Matias Pass) and Checkpoint 2 will be at rm360.64 (El Alamo access road).
All Sportsman classes, Class 11 and Class 7SX will run a reduced course of a total of 452.92 miles.
ECHO 21—SCORE Baja 500
When it comes to desert racing there is only one ‘Ironman’ standing at the top of the list of solo drivers/riders. San Diego’s iconic Ivan ‘Ironman’ Stewart has accepted SCORE’s invitation to be the Grand Marshal for the upcoming BFGoodrich Tires 54th SCORE Baja 500, presented by 4 Wheel Parts.
The legendary ‘Ironman’ will be celebrating his 77th birthday on June 4, the day that this year’s SCORE Baja 500 will start. Being the Grand Marshal is just some more icing on his championship cake.
Racing since 1973, Stewart, who retired in 2000, joined the Toyota factory team in 1983 for Cal Wells at Precision Preparation Inc. (PPI). He had a total of 84 career off-road race victories in stadium, short course and desert.
The legendary Stewart has been inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame (2006), the San Diego Hall of Champions Breitbard Hall of Fame (2009) and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2020).
ECHO 22—SCORE Baja 500
BFGoodrich Tires, the official tire of SCORE for 46 years, received two awards for the 2021 SCORE World Desert Championship. BFGoodrich Tires was honored after the 2021 season as the SCORE Contingency Company of the year for the 31st time as well as being voted the SCORE Pit Support Team of the Year for the 33rd time.
BFGoodrich Tires has been the choice of 34 of the 53 overall winners of the popular SCORE Baja 500 and 32 of the 54 overall winners of the legendary SCORE Baja 1000. BFGoodrich Tires is also the title sponsor of both of the iconic races again in 2022.
BFGoodrich Tires also has been the choice of 29 of the 35 overall winners of the SCORE San Felipe 250, all three SCORE Desert Challenge races, the lone SCORE Challenge of Champions in San Felipe, the one SCORE Baja Sur 500 and one of the two overall winners in the SCORE Baja 400.
This year’s SCORE San Felipe 250 overall victory by San Diego’s Luke McMillin marked the 100th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja overall race win.
BFGoodrich Tires has posted a contingency bonus for the overall winner of this race of US$20,000.
ECHO 23—SCORE Baja 500
Presenting sponsor for this year’s BFGoodrich Tires 54th SCORE Baja 500 is once again 4 Wheel Parts, the Official Off-Road Retailer and Race Presenting Partner of SCORE and the SCORE World Desert Championship. Company administrative executive Craig Scanlon will be racing as one of the favorites in the popular Pro UTV FI (Forced Induction) class.
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