Racer registration now open online for special, unique-format  Lucerna Hotels & Resorts Tijuana 22nd SCORE Desert Challenge

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

August 6, 2018

 

September 20-23

Racer registration now open online for special, unique-format

 Lucerna Hotels & Resorts Tijuana 22nd SCORE Desert Challenge

Round 3 of 4-race 2018 SCORE World Desert Championship is split-format, two-lap SCORE Baja race;

colorful pre-race Contingency Friday (Sept. 21)--Avenida Paseo de los Heroes in Zona Rio area of Tijuana,

motos, quads, some 4-wheel classes race in Group 1; cars, trucks, pro UTVs in Group 2 with first half on Saturday,

(Sept. 22) second half Sunday (Sept. 23) for two total laps over 68.0-mile loop course for 136 total race miles;

start/finish line at Rancho Casian in Southeast Tijuana, more info at www.SCOREInternational.com

 

    ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico — Racer registration has now opened online for the next month’s Lucerna Hotels & Resorts Tijuana 22nd SCORE Desert Challenge. Registration for Round 3 of the four-race 2018 SCORE World Desert Championship is being accepted on the SCORE website at www.SCOREInternational.com. Race dates and race-week festivities are Sept. 20-23.

     Moving to the largest city on the Baja California peninsula last year, this race will again utilize a special-split format two-lap event as the Lucerna Hotels & Resorts Tijuana 22nd SCORE Desert Challenge.

    Lucerna Hotels & Resorts Tijuana on Avenida Paseo de los Heroes in the Zona Rio area of Tijuana is the official event hotel and the hospitality group is also the SCORE Official Hotel for the SCORE World Desert Championship.

START/FINISH

     The unique-format race will be held at a spectator-friendly start/finish line and ‘hot pit’ area located on the southeast outskirts of Tijuana at the popular Rancho Casian off of Boulevard 2000 (Highway No. 201) at Km 22.

START DRAW

     With no qualifying for any classes in this race, the drawing for starting positions within each class will be held on Friday, Sept. 14. To be included in the start draw, online racer registration will close at 8 p.m. PT on Wednesday, Sept. 12. Late, on-site racer registration will be held at the host hotel on Thursday and Friday (Sept. 20 and 21).

PRE-RUNNING

     Pre-running exclusively for all car, truck and UTV classes will be held on Friday (Sept. 14) and Saturday (Sept. 15) and pre-running exclusively for motorcycle and quad classes will be held on Sunday (Sept. 16).

RACE HQ/CONTINGENCY

     Race headquarters will be the Hotel Lucerna in the heart of the Rio Zona area of Tijuana on Avenida Paseo de los Heroes. Racer registration will be held in the hotel on Thursday, Sept. 20 (2 p.m. to 8 p.m. PT) and Friday, Sept. 21 (9 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT).

     Media registration will be held at the Hotel Lucerna on Thursday, Sept. 20, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. PT and on Friday, Sept. 21 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT.

     Contingency will be held in directly in front of the headquarters hotel on the historic Avenida Paseo de los Heroes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT on Friday (Sept. 21) with tech inspection lasting one hour longer until 6 p.m.

     Both being held at the Hotel Lucerna on Friday (Sept. 21), the mandatory aircraft pilot safety meeting will be held at 6 p.m. PT followed by the mandatory racer meeting will be held at 7 p.m. PT

RACE DAYS

     The event features two days of racing scored as one race. SCORE Race Director Jose Grijalva has put together a 68-mile loop course through the challenging hills in the area that each class will run a total of two laps over for 136 total race miles.

     In the elapsed-time race with a three-hour time limit each day, starting at 7 a.m. PT each day, motorcycles, quads and several car classes will race their two sessions first on Saturday (Sept. 22) and second half on Sunday (Sept. 23).

     The other car and truck classes, including the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck and SCORE TT Legend divisions will run the first half of their race (one lap) on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 22) and final half (one lap) on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 23).

     Racing for those classes will start each day at 12:15 p.m. PT and racing will finish each day at approximately 5 p.m.

     Celebrating its 25th year as the featured SCORE racing division for high-tech, 950 horsepower unlimited trucks, SCORE Trophy Trucks, the post-race awards celebration will be held in the start/finish line area on Sunday (Sept. 23), starting at 6:30 p.m.PT.

TIJUANA

     Tijuana is one of the five largest and fastest-growing metropolitan areas in all of Mexico. The city has also experienced tremendous growth in recent years, attracting investments by electronics, aerospace and medical tourism firms and is also regarded as one of the top cuisine destinations in the world, including craft beer production.

     Tijuana has also recorded its best hotel occupancy rate in the last 15 years and has attracted additional hotel chains like City Express, Holiday Inn and the Hyatt Hotels among others.

     Prior to last year’s SCORE Desert Challenge, only two races in SCORE history had started in Tijuana. The first was the inaugural SCORE Baja 1000 (then called Mexican 1000) in 1967 and then again in 1995.  In both of those years the SCORE Baja 1000 finished in La Paz.

SCOREscope

2018 REMAINING SCHEDULE

Lucerna Hotels & Resorts Tijuana 22nd SCORE Desert Challenge, Sept. 19-23, Tijuana, Mexico
51st SCORE Baja 1000, Nov.14-18, Ensenada, Mexico

2019 SCHEDULE

     Here is the four-race 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship and for the fourth consecutive year all races are being held in Baja California, Mexico:

33rd SCORE San Felipe 250, April 3-7, San Felipe, Mexico
51st SCORE Baja 500, May 29-June 2, Ensenada, Mexico
Inaugural Lucerna SCORE Baja 400, Sept. 19-23, Ensenada, Mexico
52nd SCORE Baja 1000, Nov.12-17, Ensenada, Mexico

EL REY NETWORK

     The four-race 2018 SCORE World Desert Championship in Baja California, Mexico is airing domestically on El Rey Network in the United States. International distribution is by way of syndication. The season-ending 51st SCORE Baja 1000 will have a two-hour show produced while the three other race shows are each one-hour telecasts.

     El Rey Network is a 24-hour, English-language lifestyle network and 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 visithttp://elreynetwork.com.

--AIR DATE

     Next on the air for SCORE, the BFGoodrich Tires 50th SCORE Baja 500 race coverage show is scheduled to debut on the El Rey Network at 3 p.m. PT on Sunday, Sept. 9.

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, Lucerna Hotels & Resorts-Official Hotel and official race title sponsor, 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.

     Additional SCORE Associate Partners: Proturismo Ensenada, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, Mexicali Ayuntamiento, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Cruz Roja Mexicana, Corporate Helicopters, McKenzie’s Performance Products, Advanced Color Graphics.

     Lucerna Hotels & Resorts 22nd 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, Lucerna Hotels and Resorts, 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 Desert Challenge

All-Time Overall Winners

(Held in Laughlin, Nev. from 1995-2012, Plaster City, Calif.-2014, Rosarito Beach, Mexico-2016, Tijuana, Mexico-2017)

 

1995-Ivan Stewart, SCORE Trophy Truck

Ed/Tim Herbst, Class 1

1996-Rob MacCachren, SCORE Trophy Truck

Ryan Thomas, Class 1

1997-Ed/Tim Herbst, SCORE Trophy Truck

Mark Post, Class 1

1998-David Ashley/Dan Smith, SCORE Trophy Truck

1999-Troy Herbst, Class 1

2000-Gary/Mark Weyhrich, Class 1

2001-Steve Sourapas, Class 1

2002-Dale/Mike Dondel, Class 1

2003-Dale Ebberts, Class 1

2004-Gary Dircks, SCORE Trophy Truck

2005-Dale Ebberts, Class 1

2006-B.J. Baldwin, SCORE Trophy Truck

2007-B.J. Baldwin, SCORE Trophy Truck

2008-Pat Dean, Class 1

2009-Robby Gordon, SCORE Trophy Truck

2010-Andy McMillin, SCORE Trophy Truck

2011-Bryce Menzies, SCORE Trophy Truck

2012, Rd 1-B.J. Baldwin, SCORE Trophy Truck

2012, Rd 2-Rob MacCachren, SCORE Trophy Truck

2014-Steven Eugenio, SCORE Trophy Truck

Cody Parkhouse, Class 1

2016-Juan C. Lopez, SCORE Trophy Truck

Colton Udall, Pro Moto Unlimited

2017-Josh Daniel (DOR-Justin Matney), SCORE Trophy Truck

Shane Esposito/Justin Morgan (ROR-Francisco Arredondo), Pro Moto Unlimited