Racing in Baja California, Mexico: El Rey Network to launch SCORE World Desert Championship TV coverage with pair of one-hour specials on May 31, June 18

SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, dominiccnv@aol.com
 
May 11, 2017
 
Racing in Baja California, Mexico
El Rey Network to launch SCORE World Desert Championship
TV coverage with pair of one-hour specials on May 31, June 18
 
May 31 intro to SCORE racing and family bonds; June 18 coverage of 31st SCORE San Felipe 250;
271.9-mile ‘sprint’ race included Pro and Sportsman cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads
 
    ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico—Celebrating its first year as the television broadcast partner of SCORE International, the El Rey Network has announced two one-hour specials to launch its coverage of the four-race 2017 SCORE World Desert Championship. The first show, to air on May 31, will introduce audiences to the sizzling speeds and daring drama that bond the multi-generational families who race in the world’s foremost desert racing organization and the second show on June 18 will spotlight race coverage of the season-opening 31st SCORE San Felipe 250.
The Wednesday, May 31st show will air at 9 p.m. (ET) while the Sunday, June 18th show will be broadcast at 5:30 p.m. (ET).
Hosts of the first ERN shows from the SCORE World Desert Championship will be SCORE champion racer Gustavo ‘Tavo’ Vildosola Jr, professional BMX rider Mike Escamilla and car artist Cherry Martini.
Working with ERN to produce these shows for SCORE is award-winning BCII TV of Los Angeles.
RACE REWIND
Returning after a one-year absence to a race he relishes so much, Las Vegas’ Rob MaCachren masterfully and methodically manipulated and succinctly stormed his way past the competition and through the relentless desert race course to the overall and SCORE Trophy Truck victory on April 1 at the 31st annual SCORE San Felipe 250.
Round 1 of the four-race 2017 SCORE World Desert Championship was held on a super-challenging, technical 271.9-mile course during a sensationally stunning sunny Saturday in Mexico that started and finished in quaint San Felipe on the northeast portion of Mexico’s majestic Baja California peninsula along the tranquil waters of the Sea of Cortez, 125 miles south of the U.S. Border in Calexico, Calif.
The race started and finished on the picturesque malecon in the heart of San Felipe for the first time in the 31-year history of the SCORE San Felipe 250.
A total of 204 official starters raced in Pro and Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, utvs, motorcycles and quads. Entries came from 25 U.S. States, host Mexico, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, Egypt, Germany and Guatemala. The race had 143 official finishers and a very high finishing rate of 70.9 percent in the very challenging elapsed time race that had a 13.5-hour time limit.
GOLDEN SCORE 2017
The 2017 season also marks the golden 50th anniversary celebration of the legendary season-ending SCORE Baja 1000, the iconic Granddaddy of all Desert Races to be held November 14-18. The SCORE Baja 1000 is the oldest and longest continuously held desert race in the world.
The El Rey Network will air two shows around the iconic race. The first will be a one hour show on the SEMA SCORE Baja 1000 Experience at qualifying for the SCORE Baja 1000 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The second will be the two-hour race show covering the historic event in detail.
MAC ATTACK
A Hall of Fame desert and short-course off-road champion, MacCachren, 52, backed up his top-qualifying effort on Thursday of race week to capture his ninth class win and his fifth overall and fifth in SCORE Trophy Truck in the SCORE San Felipe 250. MacCachren stormed strategically to a penalty-free winning time of four hours, 20 minutes, 15 seconds at a sterling 62.69 miles per hour in his No. 11 Rockstar MacCachren Motorsports Ford F-150.
Prior to this year, MacCachren’s Overall and SCORE Trophy Truck victories in the SCORE San Felipe 250 have been in 2003 (with Gustavo Vildosola Sr), 2007 (with Mark Post) and driving solo  in 2011 and 2012.
Among his nearly 250 career race wins, MacCachren has also won the overall title at the legendary season-ending SCORE Baja 1000 for the last three consecutive years.
PODIUM
While MacCachren clearly dominated a field of 24 SCORE Trophy Trucks, the remaining podium placements represented great racing efforts as well. Finishing second overall and in SCORE Trophy Truck three minutes, 55 seconds behind MacCachren in 4:24:11 (61.75mph) was defending race champion Billy Wilson, Corpus Christi, Texas, in the No. 15 Bevly Wilson Racing Chevy Silverado.
Placing third overall and in the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division for high-tech, 850-horsepower, unlimited production trucks five minutes, 36.53 seconds behind MacCachren was Mexico’s two-time defending SCORE season point champion Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez with a time of 4:25:52 (61.36mph) in the No. 1 RPM Racing Chevy Rally Truck. Lopez is from Tecate, Mexico.
OVERALL MOTORCYCLE WINNERS
The overall motorcycle and Pro Moto Unlimited winner was the team of Mark Samuels, Yucca Valley, Calif., on the No. 1x Ox Motorsports Honda CRF450X. Samuel is rider of record this year as normal rider of record Colton Udall is out indefinitely with injuries.
It was the second straight overall win for Samuels in the SCORE San Felipe 250. Samuels and co-riders Daymon Stokie, Australia, and Ryan Penhall, Laguna Niguel, Calif. teamed up to finish in 5:12:38 (52.18mph) to win the Pro Moto Unlimited class on a Honda CRF450X.
SCOREscope
The four-race 2017 SCORE World Desert Championship and for just the second time all four are being held in Baja California, Mexico. Here is the 2017 SCORE World Desert Championship schedule:
31st SCORE San Felipe 250, March 29-April 2, San Felipe, Mexico
49th SCORE Baja 500, June 1-4, Ensenada Mexico
Rosarito Beach 21st SCORE Desert Challenge, Sept. 14-17, Rosarito Beach, Mexico
50th SCORE Baja 1000, Nov.14-18, Ensenada, Mexico to La Paz, Mexico
EL REY NETWORK
The four-race 2017 SCORE World Desert Championship in Baja California, Mexico along with the SEMA SCORE Baja 1000 Experience/SCORE Baja 1000 Qualifying in Las Vegas will all air on El Rey Network in the United States. International distribution is by way of syndication. The season-ending 50th SCORE Baja 1000 will have a two-hour show produced while the other race shows will each be one-hour telecasts.
El Rey Network is a 24-hour, English-language lifestyle network targeting "Strivers," viewers who hold strong core beliefs about the importance of family, independence, hard work, craftsmanship, and legacy.
Founded by maverick filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, and curated by Rodriguez and his artistic collective, the network features action-packed programming, relatable heroes and aspirational stories that embrace today's America. El Rey's slate is anchored by signature series including the original drama "From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series," the one-on-one interview program "El Rey Network Presents: The Director's Chair," and "Lucha Underground," a lucha libre wrestling series produced by Mark Burnett.
El Rey Network's lineup also showcases a wide range of iconic feature films and television series including genre, action, and sci-fi/ horror. El Rey Network LLC is jointly owned by Robert Rodriguez and FactoryMade Ventures, with a minority stake held by Univision Networks & Studios, Inc.
El Rey Network is available in 45 million homes across the country through cable and OTT providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 341 and Dish Network Channel 253. For more information on how to watch El Rey visit http://elreynetwork.com.
SCORE SPONSORS…
Official SCORE Sponsors: BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire, Monster Energy-Official Energy Drink, King Shocks-Official Shock Absorber, Raceline Wheels-Official Wheel, Axial R/C-Official R/C Vehicle, El Rey Network-Official Television Partner, Wide Open Excursions-Official Arrive and Drive Company, Crystal Bay Casino-Official Casino.
SCORE Official Partners: PCI Race Radios, 4 Wheel Parts, Coca Cola, The Satellite Phone Store, Satellite Del Norte, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, CETTO Vineyards.
Additional SCORE Associate Partners: Proturismo Ensenada, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, Baja California Sur State Government, Baja California Sur Secretary of Tourism, Mexicali Ayuntamiento, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Cruz Roja Mexicana, Corporate Helicopters, McKenzie’s Performance Products, Advanced Color Graphics.
Rosarito Beach SCORE Desert Challenge Special Partners: Ayuntamiento de Playas de Rosarito, Cotuco de Playas de Rosarito, Comite de Mercadatecnia Playas de Rosarito.
For more information regarding SCORE, visit the official website of the SCORE World Desert Championship atwww.SCOREInternational.com.