SCORE International adding three classes to lineup for four-race 2018 SCORE World Desert Championship

SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, dominiccnv@aol.com

February 5, 2018

Four SCORE Baja races

SCORE International adding three classes to lineup

for four-race 2018 SCORE World Desert Championship

 

Internationally televised series includes spotlight on Golden Anniversary

of BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 500 May 30-June 3 in Ensenada, Mexico

     ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico—With all eyes focused intently on the start of another stellar season, SCORE International has announced that it will be offering three new classes for competitors in the four-race 2018 SCORE World Desert Championship. To be held exclusively on Mexico’s majestic Baja California peninsula for the third consecutive year SCORE has created a Pro Class 7F truck division and two new Sportsman Stock UTV classes.

     While the golden spotlight will shine brightly on the 50th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 500 race in Ensenada in early June, the 2018 SCORE World Desert Championship will be launched with the 32nd annual SCORE San Felipe 250 to be held April 5-8 in San Felipe, the quaint fishing village on the Sea of Cortez, 120 miles south of the U.S. border at El Centro.

     Additionally SCORE has announced that it will continue to offer the two Pro Vintage classes for late model cars and trucks that debuted in last November’s 50th annual BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 1000.

THE NEED

     “SCORE is always listening to our racers, sponsors and contingency companies and we believe that there is a market for these new classes that will add even more competition to our ultra-competitive SCORE World Desert Championship”, commented Jose A. Grijalva, SCORE Race Director based in Ensenada. “Detailed information regarding each class is available in the SCORE Rule Book section of the SCORE website. We look forward to some fierce action in each of these classes in 2018.”

CLASS 7F

     The new Class 7F is for two or four-wheel drive mini or mid-size pickups, limited to 4.5 liter normally aspirated engines and 3.5 liter forced induction engines. The vehicle numbers for Class 7F will be 700F to 739F.

     Class 7 and Class 7SX will continue as SCORE competition classes along with the new Class 7F in the 2018 SCORE World Desert Championship.

SPORTSMAN STOCK UTVS

     Keeping up with the ever-increasing demand from racers in the UTV classes, SCORE is adding two Sportsman Stock UTV classes to complement the other Sportsman UTV Unlimited class along with the Pro UTV FI, Pro UTV and Pro UTV Unlimited classes that are already part of the SCORE World Desert Championship.

     The Sportsman Stock UTV FI (Forced Induction) class will use numbers 3900 through 3969 and the Sportsman Stock UTV NA (Normally Aspirated) class will use numbers 3970 through 3999.

SCORE RULE BOOK

     Reviewed and edited by SCORE CEO/President Roger Norman, SCORE Race Director Jose A. Grijalva and SCORE Tech Director Dan Cornwell and additional SCORE personnel, the updated 2018 SCORE Rule Book and the 2018 Rule Book Addendum may be viewed on the SCORE Website on the race info page. The SCORE Rule Book includes detailed rules and regulations for all classes in general as well as updated specific class rules.

VINTAGE CLASSES

     SCORE has decided to keep the Vintage Trailblazer and Vintage Innovator classes for the 2018 season. The two special classes are based on the year they were originally manufactured.

     The Vintage Innovator class is for vehicles made from 1983 to 1992 and the Vintage Trailblazer class is for those cars and trucks made 1982 and earlier.

ANOTHER GOLDEN YEAR

     Following last year’s epic celebration of the 50th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 1000, this year’s SCORE World Desert Championship includes the special tribute to the 50th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 500 when it is held this year in Ensenada on May 30-June 3.

     The SCORE Baja 500 is one of the top motorsports events in the world. It was started originally in 1969 by the NORRA organization. Mickey Thompson and his SCORE International organization were invited by the Mexican government to take over the event in 1974. Sal Fish ran and later owned and produced the SCORE Baja 500 for 39 years until he sold SCORE to Roger and Elise Norman in December of 2012.

     Ensenada is the heart and soul of the SCORE Baja 500 as the popular summertime race will start for the 45th time there and finish for the 41st time there.

SCOREscope

     Below is the four-race 2018 SCORE World Desert Championship schedule. For the third consecutive year all four races are being held in Baja California, Mexico. Here is the complete 2018 SCORE World Desert Championship schedule:

32nd SCORE San Felipe 250, April 4-April 8, San Felipe, Mexico
50th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 500, May 30-June 3, Ensenada Mexico
Tijuana 22nd SCORE Desert Challenge, Sept. 19-23, Tijuana, Mexico
51st SCORE Baja 1000, Nov.14-18, Ensenada, Mexico

SCORE JOURNAL

     The award-winning SCORE Journal, launched in 2015, is published as 12 monthly online digital magazines. It includes four print editions that are available as the SCORE race programs at the four events that comprise the SCORE World Desert Championship along with another print edition for the annual SCORE Awards Night.

    The SCORE Journal Monthly Digital Magazine features exclusive editorial, enhanced race action videos, expanded and interactive race coverage, interactive product reviews, insider interviews with drivers, tech stories, driver and team profiles, race narratives and analysis, exclusive long and short form video programming, race results, updated stats, studio photography, class overviews, unmatched access to SCORE's historical archives and much, much more.

SCORE SPONSORS…

     Official SCORE Sponsors: BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire and official race title sponsor, Monster Energy-Official Energy Drink, King Shocks-Official Shock Absorber, RACELINE Wheels-Official Wheel, 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, 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.

     Tijuana SCORE Desert Challenge Special Partners: XXII Ayuntamiento de Tijuana, Baja California State Secretary of Tourism, Comite de Turismo and Convenciones, Comite de Marcadotecnia Turistica, Asociacion de Hoteles del Noroeste.

     For more information regarding SCORE, visit the official website of the SCORE World Desert Championship at www.SCOREInternational.com.

SCORE World Desert Championship Class Descriptions/Numbers

   The 2018 SCORE World Desert Championship series features 43 Pro and 8 Sportsman Classes for cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads. Class winners are determined along with the overall race winner in Pro Cars/Trucks, Pro Motorcycles and Pro UTVs. General Class descriptions and numbers:

Pro Cars & Trucks                                                                                                    Numbers

SCORE Trophy Truck (Unlimited 2-wheel/4-wheel drive custom Trucks)               1-99

SCORE TT Legend (Drivers over 50, Unlimited custom Trucks)                             1L-99L

Class 1 (Unlimited single or two-seat open-wheel race cars)                                    100-199

Trophy Truck Spec (unlimited trucks/sport utility vehicles, stock, sealed engines)  200-299

Class 10 (Limited, sealed engine, single or two-seat desert race cars)                     1000-1099

Class 2 (Unrestriced cars/trucks including turbo and superchargers)                       2000-2049

Hammer Truck Unlimited (unlimited, custom 4-wheel drive Rock Crawler)             4400-4499

Hammer Truck Limited (limited, production type, 4-Wheel Drive Rock Crawler)     4500-4599

Class 8 (Full-size two-wheel drive truck or SUV. No limit on displacement)             800-899

Class 1/2-1600 (single or two-seat desert race cars to 1600cc VW engines)           1600-1699

SCORE Lites (Limited single-1776cc-or two-seaters-1835cc VW engines)             1200-1299

Class 7 (Unlimited, six-cylinder production appearing trucks or SUVs)                    700-739

Class 7F (Stock frame, 2 or 4-wheel drive mini or mid-size trucks)                          700F-739F

Class 5 (Unlimited Baja Bugs VW concept engines allowed)                                    500-549

Heavy Metal (Open Trucks, SUVs, stock appearing body, open displacement)      8000-8099

Pro UTV FI (two-seat Forced Induction OEM engine UTVs)                                      2900-2999

Pro UTV (two-seat Normally Aspirated OEM engine UTVs)                                    1900-1949

Pro UTV Unlimited (two-seat Unlimited UTV open displacement)                            1850-1899

Class 5-1600 (1600cc VW Baja Bugs)                                                                       550-599

Class 3000 (Short wheelbase open-wheelers car, 2.2/2.4-Liter Ecotec engine)       3000-3099

Trophy Lite (Unlimited mini-truck, 2.2/2.4-Liter Ecotec engine)                                6000-6099

Baja-e (single or two-seat electric powered Unlimited 4-wheel vehicles)                  E400-E424

Baja Challenge (Spec Subaru-powered two-seat open wheel race cars)                 BC1-BC99

Class 3 (Short wheelbase 4X4 based on production vehicles)                                  300-399

Protruck (Spec Production Trucks. V8 engines)                                                       1350-1399

Stock Full (Stock full-sized 2 or 4-wheel drive trucks, SUVs)                                   8100-8199

Class 7SX (2 or 4-wheel drive mini or mid-sized trucks)                                           740-769

Class 3700 (Jeepspeed Outlaw-including Class 4700)                                              3700-3799

Class 2700 (Jeepspeed Intermediate)                                                                        2700-2799

Class 1700 (Jeepspeed Challenge)                                                                            1700-1799

Stock Mini (Stock mini truck, SUV)                                                                           770-799

Vintage Trailblazer (1982 and earlier)                                                                       vNumber

Vintage Innovator (1983-1992)                                                                                   No. v

Class 9 (Short wheelbase, 1600cc VW-powered single or two-seaters)                   900-999

Class 11 (Stock VW Sedans, safety modifications)                                                  1100-1199

Sportsman Cars/Trucks/UTVs                                                                                Numbers

Sportsman Unlimited Truck                                                                                        1400-1499

Sportsman Buggy (unlimited single or two-seat open-wheel cars)                            1500-1599

Sportsman Limited Truck (full frame, leaf springs only)                                            2050-2099

Sportsman UTV (unlimited)                                                                                        1800-1849

Sportsman Stock UTV FI (Forced Induction)                                                            3900-3969

Sportsman Stock UTV NA (Normally Aspirated)                                                       3970-3999

Pro Motorcycles                                                                                                       Numbers

Pro Moto Unlimited (400cc or more)                                                                          1x-99x

Pro Moto 40 (Riders over 40 years old, Open cc)                                                     400x-499x

Pro Moto 30 (Riders over 30 years old, Open cc)                                                     300x-349x

Pro Moto 50 (Riders over 50 years old, Open cc)                                                     500x-599x

Pro Moto Limited (less than 400cc)                                                                            100x-149x

Pro Moto Ironman (Solo, Open cc)                                                                            700x-799x

Pro Moto 60 (Riders over 60 years old, Open cc)                                                     600x-649x

Pro Quads                                                                                                                 Numbers

Pro Quads (open engine displacement)                                                                     1a-49a

Sportsman Motorcycles/Quads                                                                              Numbers

Sportsman Quads (open engine displacement)                                                         100a-149a

Sportsman M/C (open engine displacement)                                                             200x-299x