7 of 9 ORMHOF Inductees have strong ties to SCORE

SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, Dominic@SCORE-International.com June 13, 2023 Induction Dinner Sept. 9

Seven people with close ties to SCORE among nine

2023 Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees

 

Tickets on sale for ORMHOF Induction Gala at South Point Hotel in Las Vegas;

more ORMHOF information and tickets are available at www.ormhof.org;

Next up: 4th SCORE Baja 400, presented by VP Racing Fuels, in Ensenada

     ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico—With significant, close ties to SCORE desert racing, seven of the nine new inductees for the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame (ORMHOF). The ORMHOF Class of 2022 will be honored during an elaborate gala on Saturday, Sept. 9 at Michael Gaughan’s South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in Las Vegas. Announced by ORMHOF recently, the 2023 class that will be inducted into the ORMHOF in Las Vegas are Jeff Cummings, Scott Douglas, Evan Evans, Helen Fields, Scot Harden, Mary McGee, Tommy Morris, Lee Sieck, and Russ Wernimont. All but Fields and Sieck have had extensive direct ties during their illustrious careers to SCORE International and the annual SCORE World Desert Championship as champion racers, vehicle builders, crew chiefs, and team managers. With these nine to be enshrined in September, it will bring the number of inductees in the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame to 148 total. Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees represent excellence and achievement in many areas of off-road, including advocacy, journalism, industry, rock sports, desert racing, short course, and rally racing. SCORE Baja 400 With the 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship having reached the midpoint of the four-race series, SCORE is current finalizing details for September’s 4th SCORE Baja 400, presented by VP Racing Fuels. Round 3 of the four race 2023 SCORE Baja racing season will be held Sept. 12-17 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. SCORE is celebrating its 50th year in 2023 as the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization. SCORE COMMENT      “We salute all of these new members of the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame and especially congratulate those that have been so closely involved with SCORE during their careers,” praised Jim Ryan, SCORE Vice-President of Sales and Marketing. “The work of ORMHOF is immeasurable in preserving the history and lasting legacy of off-roading. We will be among their first to shake the hands of the new inductees in Las Vegas on Sept. 9.” CLASS OF 2023 Here’s a brief look at the seven ORMHOF inductees and their ties to SCORE… Cummings started his career with BFGoodrich Tires in 1979. For 43 years, he lived and breathed his #DirtyTiresHappyTires hashtag with the BFGoodrich brand. He retired from ‘active duty’ in 2022. Cummings was selected into the Industry Pioneer category as part of the ORMHOF Class of 2023. “Jeff personifies the spirit and character of what the Hall of Fame stands for.” – Harold Phillips, Global General Manager, BFGoodrich Tires. ORMHOF inductee Frank DeAngelo said, “Jeff Cummings has been heavily involved in the industry since 1979 behind the scenes and has made BFGoodrich Tires the brand it’s known for today.” Jeff Cummings was also recognized with a 2022 ORMHOF Impact Award in the Industry category. Among his other well-deserved honors was his selection as the 2012 SCORE Person of the Year. Douglas is entering the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in the Competition category following an impressive career in the desert and in short-course off-road racing. Over the years, Douglas successfully drove everything from stock classes to unlimited trucks, including Short Course Pro 4s. Scott Douglas Career Highlights: With over 95 career race wins, Douglas was a three-time SCORE season Class point champion (1990, 1992, and 1993) with nearly 100 race wins in his legendary career in the desert and short-course racing careers. Included in his SCORE race victories were four career class wins in the iconic SCORE Baja 1000, Class 7S in 1986 and 1987 and in Class 7 in 1992 and 1993. In the 1993 SCORE San Felipe 250 he set a SCORE record that still stands as the only Class 7 (Ford Ranger) to win the overall title in a SCORE race. Evans has been honored as a competition category selection into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame as a second-generation desert racing and short-course off-road racer. Son of the legendary Hall of Famer Walker Evans, Evan Walker Evans enjoyed a championship career, Evan Evans saw his promising racing career potentially come to an abrupt end when he was paralyzed below the chest in a 1989 motorcycle crash. However, he instead made his return in time to secure the SCORE Class 6 title. Racing with hand controls, he became a star in short course racing that included Mickey Thompson, SODA, CORR, and the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series until his retirement in 2012. In 1989 Evan Evans was selected the SCORE Person of the Year, an honor his famous father received in 1983. The last time Evan Evans drove in the SCORE Baja 1000 (1989), he was only three days out of a hospital, where he had been told he was paralyzed from the chest down from a motorcycle accident. He was helped into a Jeep Cherokee specially prepared with hand controls by his father, so he could at least start the world's most famous off-road race. Evans, then 24, drove the first 72 miles before turning the Jeep over to Brian Stewart, who finished the 1989 race. It was enough to assure Evans of the HDRA/SCORE class championship in Class 6, one for production sedans. Harden is being honored by ORMHOF in the Industry Pioneer category because of his amazing career. As a desert racer, OEM executive, event promoter, land use advocate, desert racing historian, brand ambassador, published author, and now a member of four motorsports Halls of Fame, Scot Harden impacts off-road. With 14 overall wins and 38 class championships at the SCORE Baja 1000, SCORE Baja 500, SCORE Las Vegas 400, SCORE Parker 400, SCORE, SNORE, HDRA, and other major Baja/off-road events to pioneering Rally competitions in North Africa, to leading the first serious U.S. motorcycle team effort at the grueling Dakar Rally to building companies, and brands, Harden has impacted an entire generation of off-road enthusiasts. His contributions to iconic off-road companies like KTM, Husqvarna, and a whole host of aftermarket companies as race team manager, factory rider, sales and marketing executive, spokesperson, and brand ambassador, Harden has left a huge mark on the industry and sport. Already a member of several other prestigious Halls of Fame including the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), Trailblazers, Motorcycle Racing Association of Nevada (MRAN), and Hot Shoe Hall of Fames, Harden has been named by SCORE Journal digital magazine as one of the “All Time Baja Moto Greats” and one of the “Top 10 Riders” in the history of U.S. off-road motorcycle competition by Dirt Rider Magazine. McGee, another new inductee in the Competition category, while a tall 5’11”, Mary always described herself as "fast on my feet, fast with my brain, self-conscious and lacking confidence", however, she had "no trouble with confidence on the racetrack." A pioneer in the sport of desert racing and motocross, McGee broke down many barriers for female racers. She has achieved many firsts and has been a great role model for the sport. McGee started her desert racing career by riding a 250cc Honda Scrambler in an AMA District 37 enduro. She raced a Datsun 510 in the very first Mexican 1000 in 1967. She then became the first woman to finish the Mexican 1000 in 1968, and in 1975, she rode a 250 Husqvarna solo in the SCORE Baja 500, passing 17, two-man teams, becoming the first person -- man or woman -- to solo the SCORE Baja 500 on a motorcycle. McGee has always said that the hardest thing she ever did was racing in Baja. "It was very barren, no electricity, no doctors, no phone,” she remembers. When she got a call from three-time motocross world champion Rolf Tibblin, who asked if she would ride the SCORE Baja 500 solo in 1975, she replied, “I can’t do that Rolf.” Rolf responded in his Swedish accent “You will do it, Mary.” So, she accepted the challenge. “We all get one life,” says McGee. “But you are not living if you aren’t having fun.” McGee was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 2018. Morris joins the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in the Industry Pioneer category. Morris’ career spans 40 years in off-road, including driving, team management, vehicle and component engineering and military training experience, primarily for Call Wells’ PPI Toyota teams. Under his management Morris provided Ivan Stewart, Frank Arciero, Robby Gordon, Steve and Rod Millen, and so many more with off-road racing Toyotas that carried these extraordinary athletes to unrivaled success throughout the 1980s and 90s. Stewart, Gordon and Rod Millen all won SCORE championships in their racing careers. Cal Wells sums up Tommy Morris’ induction into ORMHOF this way: “There are few that have contributed more to the first principles of off-roading that include but are not limited to passion, ingenuity, engineering excellence, athletic achievement, social responsibility and, most importantly, freedom, than Tommy Morris.” Wernimont joins ORMHOF in 2023 in the Industry Pioneer category. On his 19th birthday, Wernimont moved from Toledo, Ohio to Southern California to pursue his dream of building off-road vehicles. He started his career sweeping the floor of Cal Well’s PPI shop and within a year became the crew chief of Michael Nesmith’s Class 8 truck, starting his own shop and building pre-runner trucks for the likes of Parnelli Jones and Roger Mears. In the late 1980s, Russ got the attention of Jim Venable, and was given the opportunity to build a new Ford Class 8 truck, putting young Robby Gordon behind the wheel. They would go on to be the first 4-wheel vehicle to overall the SCORE Baja 1000 in 1989. In 1990, Russ would take one step further by building the first tube frame, purpose-built, off-road vehicle which we now know as the modern-day SCORE Trophy Truck. Wernimont was recognized as the SCORE Mechanic of the Year in 1989, 1992, 1993, and 1994. Russ Wernimont Design (RWD) is based out of Murrieta, Calif. ORMHOF The Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame was established in 1978 to recognize and honor those individuals and organizations whose lifelong contributions to off-road motorsports have set a standard for others to follow. In 1995, the late legendary off-road racer Rod Hall became ORMHOF chairman, a position he held for more than twenty years, before selecting current chairman Mark McMillin as his successor. The mission of the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame is to educate and inspire present and future generations of the off-road community by celebrating the achievements of those who came before. ORMHOF maintains a collection of vintage off-road vehicles that are displayed at museums around the country, as well as an extensive online archive of print, images, and videos, with more content added as funds become available. For more information, or to purchase tickets for Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame Induction & Awards Gala presented by 4 Wheel Parts visit www.ormhof.org. SCORE BAJA 400 FIELD Over 200 vehicles are expected at the start line for this third-time SCORE Baja race with racers from as many as 20 U.S. States and 10 countries anticipated. Online racer registration will open on Wednesday, July 26 on the SCORE website. START GRID-SCORE BAJA 1000 The results of the SCORE Baja 400 also will determine the start order within each class for November’s iconic season-ending BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 1000. For the first time, the race will start in La Paz and finish in Ensenada. QUALIFYING      Qualifying for starting positions within their respective classes will be held on Wednesday (Sept. 13), starting at 8 a.m. PDT. Classes that will be qualifying for the SCORE Baja 400 are SCORE Trophy Truck, SCORE TT Legend, and the Trophy Truck Spec class. SCOREscope 2023 GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY SCHEDULE Here are the dates for the remaining two races in the four-race 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship Golden Anniversary season, ‘Celebrating 50 Years of SCORE Desert Racing Excellence’, which are being held totally in Baja California, Mexico for the eighth consecutive year: ·       4th SCORE Baja 400, presented by VP Racing Fuels— September 12-17, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico ·       BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 1000— November 13-18, La Paz, Baja California Sur to Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico SCORE SPONSORS… Official SCORE Sponsors: BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire and Race Title Sponsor, Ford-Official Truck and SUV, King Shocks-Official Shock Absorber and Race Title Sponsor, Polaris RZR-Official UTV, VP Racing Fuels-Official Fuel and race presenting sponsor, Baja Vida-Official Snacks and race presenting sponsor, Optima Batteries-Official Batteries, Rugged Radios-Official Radio Communications, Wide Open Excursions-Official Arrive and Drive Company, Crystal Bay Casino-Official Casino. SCORE Official Partners: The Satellite Phone Store, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance. Additional SCORE Associate Partners: Baja California Secretary of Tourism, MEXICO Secretary of Tourism, San Felipe Foundational Municipal Council, Ensenada Municipal Government, San Felipe Marketing Tourism Committee, Ensenada Marketing Tourism Committee, Ensenada Hotel and Motel Association, Proturismo Ensenada and Cruz Roja Mexicana. For more information regarding SCORE, visit the official website of the SCORE World Desert Championship at www.SCORE-International.com.