Pre-running continues as racers from around the world prepare for season-opening 32nd SCORE San Felipe 250

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

March 19, 2018

Race week Dates April 4-8

Pre-running continues as racers from around the world

prepare for season-opening 32nd SCORE San Felipe 250

 

170 entries to date from 24 States, 8 countries, Start/finish along Sea of Cortez on Malecon

in San Felipe; to be televised internationally; Start Position Draw on Tuesday, March 27;

Season Opener of four-race 2018 SCORE World Desert Championship

    ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico – Official entries from all across the United States, host country Mexico and several other countries from around the globe continue to arrive as racers pre-run the course and teams tweak their racing machines while finalizing their strategies for next month’s launch the new season at the 32nd annual SCORE San Felipe 250 in Baja California, Mexico. The popular event will be Round 1 of the four-race SCORE World Desert Championship.

     Over 250 entries in Pro and Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads are expected in the race. Many of the sport’s top stars are among the first 170 official entries as of today from 24 U.S. States along with the additional countries of host Mexico, Austria, Canada, Finland, Germany, Italy and New Zealand.

     Featuring the longest course in race history of 319 miles, the race will start and finish for the second straight year and just the second time in race history on the Malecon beach walk along the edge of the water in the heart of town. The event will be held April 4-8 in San Felipe, the peaceful fishing village on the Sea of Cortez, 125 miles south of the U.S. Border at Calexico, Calif.

FAB 50

     The year of 2018 also marks the 50th anniversary celebration of the legendary BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 500 to be held the end of May and beginning of June.

GROWING FIELD

     While the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck division is in the center of the spotlight at this point, many of the other classes already have significant numbers of racers entered promising another exciting and challenging season opener in many classes for the SCORE World Desert Championship.

      The other Pro car, truck and UTV classes with double-figure entries so far are the unlimited Class 1 with 12 entries, Trophy Truck Spec with 11, Class 10 (13) and Pro UTV FI (Forced Induction) with 16 entries.

      The leading Pro motorcycle class in terms of entries is Pro Moto Ironman with 10 entries of racers who will attempt to complete the race while riding solo.

     Among the Sportsman classes, Sportsman motorcycle has the most entries to date with 12 racers so far.

’17 SEASON CHAMPS ENTERED

     A dozen of the 2017 SCORE World Desert Championship season class champions are entered so far in San Felipe.  Leading the car, truck and UTV champs already among the field is ‘Apdaly’ Lopez, Tecate, Mexico, in SCORE Trophy Truck.

     Also entered already are SCORE TT Legend season champ Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va., Class 1 champion Brian Wilson, Lakewood, Calif., Broc Dickerson, Brawley, Calif. (Class 10), Roberto Romo, Mexicali, Mexico (Class 1/2-1600), Rafael Aguirre, Monterrey, Mexico (SCORE Lites), Dan Chamlee, Santa Barbara, Calif. (Class 7) and Dennis Hollenbeck, Ensenada, Mexico (Class 11).

     Among the motorcycle and quad classes, reigning season point champions already entered are Shane Esposito, Murrieta, Calif. (Pro Moto Unlimited), Santiago Creel, Mexico City (Pro Moto Limited), Jose Carrasco, Rosarito Beach, Mexico (Pro Moto Ironman) and Said Sanchez, Tijuana, Mexico (Pro Quad).

SCORE TROPHY TRUCKS & SCORE TT LEGENDS

     SCORE Trophy Truck, the featured SCORE racing division for high-tech, 900-horsepower, unlimited production trucks, continues to lead the growing entry list for the race with 36 trucks (including five SCORE TT Legend entries) in the lineup so far.

     Leading the way is Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren, last year’s overall and SCORE Trophy Truck winner in the No. 11 MacCachren Motorsports Rockstar Ford F-150 who has five overall and SCORE Trophy Truck wins in this race and nine class wins total in San Felipe.

     Among the other SCORE Trophy Truck entries is Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez, Tecate, Mexico in the No. 1 RPM Racing Chevy Rally Truck. Apdaly Lopez has won three consecutive SCORE Trophy Truck season point championships while finishing third in his class each of the last three years.

     Also in SCORE Trophy Truck are two other RPM Racers in Justin Matney, Bristol, Tenn. (No. 4 Chevy 4WD Rally Truck and Juan C. Lopez, Tecate, Mexico (No. 18 Chevy Silverado).

     Entries in the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division also include Andy McMillin, National City, Calif. (No. 31 Chevy Silverado), Robby Gordon, Charlotte, N.C. (No. 77 Chevy Silverado), Bryce Menzies, Las Vegas (No. 7 Ford Raptor), Gus ‘Tavo’ Vildosola Jr (No. 21 Ford Raptor), Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif. (No. 16 Chevy Silverado) and Billy Wilson, Corpus Christi, Texas (No. 15 Chevy Silverado).

     Also entered are Dan McMillin, San Diego (No. 23 Ford F-150), Tim Herbst, Las Vegas (No. 19 Ford F-150), B.J. Baldwin, Las Vegas (No. 97 Toyota Tundra), Luke McMillin, San Diego (No. 83 Ford F-150), Larry Connor, Miamisburg, Ohio/Ricky Johnson, Trabuco Canyon, Calif. (No. 6 Chevy Silverado), Zak Langley, Santa Monica, Calif. (No. 50 Ford F-150), Robbie Pierce/Mike Julson, Alpine, Calif. (No. 30 Ford Raptor), Mark Post, Las Vegas (No. 3 Ford -150), Damen Jefferies, Apple Valley, Calif. (No. 13 Chevy Silverado), Troy Herbst, Las Vegas (No. 91 Ford F-150), Mike Lawrence, Banning, Calif. (No. 85 Ford F-150), Chas Dana, Mesa, Ariz. (No. 39 Ford F-150) and Steve Olliges, Las Vegas (No. 27 Ford Raptor).

     The SCORE TT Legend field includes to date Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va./Armin Schwarz, Austria (Germany) in the No. 5L Chevy Rally Truck, Gustavo Vildosola Sr, Mexicali, Mexico (No. 12L Ford Raptor), Russell Buehler, Liberty, Mo. (No. 79L Chevy Silverado), Rob Reinertson, Woodside, Calif. (No. 72L Ford F-150) and Sandy Hall, Culpeper, Va. (No. 90L Chevy Silverado).

THREE-PLUS DECADES

     Celebrating the 32nd anniversary of the youngest of the three legendary SCORE Baja races, sometimes referred to as the SCORE ‘baby Baja’, entries are being accepted on the SCORE website under Race Info at www.SCOREInternational.com for Pro and Sportsman entries for cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads.

SAN FELIPE SKED

     Pre-race festivities will be held in San Felipe on April 4, 5 and 6 with race days on Saturday, April 7-8 concluding with the post-race awards fiesta at10 a.m. PDT on Sunday, April 8.

     The colorful pre-race contingency and vehicle tech inspection will be held on Friday, April 6 starting at 9 a.m., the starting line and the finish line will be on the Malecon in the heart of San Felipe for the second straight year.

     The RACELINE Wheels SCORE Kick-Off Beach Party will be held on the Malecon on Friday, April 6 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. PDT

     The deadline to enter in time to be in the drawing for starting positions within each class is 8 p.m. PT on Tuesday, March 27.

     Motorcycles and quads will leave the start line first in the elapsed-time race, starting at 6:20 a.m. PDT on Saturday. The car, truck and UTV classes will begin their journey at approximately 9:30 a.m. PDT with a minimum two and one-half hour gap between the last SPT quad and first SCORE Trophy Truck.

     While the fastest vehicles are expected to complete the course in just over five hours, all vehicles will have 16 hours from the time each starts to become an official finisher.

RECORD-LONG COURSE

     SCORE President Roger Norman and SCORE Race Director Jose A. Grijalva have worked with the government officials and ejidos of the Mexicali and San Felipe areas to develop a memorable SCORE San Felipe 250 race course of 319 miles, the longest in the history of this popular desert race.

     This year’s grueling race course will be another beauty to behold but a tough challenge to race on. It runs in a counter clockwise direction running over high-speed dry lake beds, through low-speed winding, rock-strewn, twisting canyons and trails, along quick-paced dirt roads and through four of Baja’s most infamous washes in Las Cuevitas, Matomi, Huatamote and Amarillo.

     There will be three full stop checkpoints in addition to the start/finish line which will be located for the just the second time in the history of this race on the Malecon in the heart of San Felipe. Checkpoint 1 will be located at El Chinero (race mile 74.2), the second at La Providencia (rm 185.5) and the third will be at Old Puertecitos Road (rm 270.33).

     The course goes north to Zoo Road, west to Morellia Junction then heading back north, east, north again, south, west and back north to the finish line on the Malecon.

     For the first time there will be a speed zone from rm 10 to rm 14 in the Zoo Road area for safety reasons. There are a total of only three speed zones on this course for a total of just 5.2 miles.

     The course will use a few new trails then goes through Las Cuevitas wash to go back to the east side near 3 Poles. It then goes north to checkpoint 1 running up to La Ventana, back south to Laguna Amarga (Borrego). From there it will go across Matomi, Old Puertecitos Road, through Huatamote and Amarillo before heading back to the finish line on the Malecon.

     There will be two road crossings, both on Highway 3. The first will be going north at km 192 after checkpoint 1 and the second one coming south near Laguna Amarga (Borrego), crossing at km 179 on the highway.

     The start line and celebratory finish area will be on the SCORE ramps in front of the Rockodile night club on the Malecon.

COURSE MAP/GPS

     The 32nd Annual SCORE San Felipe 250 racer brief, course map and GPS files are available on the SCORE website on the race page under the Race Info tab.

BIG DEAL

     For over three decades, the annual motorsports festival that has brought the largest economic impact of any single event held annually in this lightly-populated portion of the rugged, rough and bountifully beautiful Baja peninsula has been the SCORE San Felipe 250.

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. Like all SCORE races, there will be classes for cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads.

     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.

     The first Baja 500 organized and produced by SCORE was held on July 26, 1974 as the first of over 150 SCORE Baja races that have been held to date.

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

     BFGoodrich Tires, the SCORE official tire for over 40 years, has posted a $25,000 contingency bonus for the overall winner of the golden anniversary race.

     The SCORE Baja 500 is considered one of the top 10 motorsports events held annually in the world.

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 SPONSORS…

     Official SCORE Sponsors: BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire and official race title sponsor, Monster Energy-Official Energy Drink, King Shocks-Official Shock Absorber, Polaris RZR-Official UTV, RACELINE Wheels-Official Wheel, VP Racing Fuels-Official Fuel, 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.