June 2, 2014
Race to air on CBS Sports Network
Round 3 of 2014 SCORE World Desert Championship being held in Ensenada, Mexico,
Nearly 275 entries from 20 U.S. states, 15 countries celebrating SCORE’s 41st anniversary;
Riviera del Pacific Cultural Center in Ensenada hosting several race activities
LIVE SCORE Dirt LiveHD coverage at score-international.com
ENSENADA, Mexico—SoCal desert racers Larry Roeseler and Jim O’Neal, two of the all-time winningest racers in the history of the sport, each have 16 career class wins in this week’s 46th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 desert race. Entries from around the world are officially entered Round 3 of the 2014 SCORE World Desert Championship, being held this week in Mexico’s Baja California Norte, starting and finishing in Ensenada, the seaside port on the Pacific Ocean, 80 miles south of San Diego.
SCORE is celebrating its 41st year as the world’s foremost desert racing organization in 2014 and this race is traditionally one of the most popular events on the SCORE schedule. Most the world’s best desert racers will be in action at this year’s 46th anniversary of the Tecate SCORE Baja 500, the original desert race produced by SCORE on July 26, 1974.
It is an elapsed-time race with staggered starts as the green flag on Saturday will drop first for the motorcycles and ATVs at 5:45 a.m. and approximately 10 a.m. for the cars, trucks and UTVs. All vehicles will have 18-hour time limits to be an official finisher.
With nearly 275 entries competing in 35 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and ATVs expected at the start line on Saturday, entries to date have come from 20 U.S. States along with Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Great Britain, Guatemala, Italy, Japan, Mexico and the Netherlands. Late entries will be accepted at late, on-site registration through 5 p.m. Friday. There are 74 of the racers who have combined for 204 class wins.
ON CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR
The race will be televised on a delayed basis in the USA, Canada and U.S. Territories as a one-hour special on the CBS Sports Network. The show, being produced by SoCal’s acclaimed BCII TV, will air for one week on the CBS Sports Spectacular show with the initial airing at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 20, 2014. Following a week of airing the CBS Sports Network telecasts, the Tecate SCORE Baja 500 show will air worldwide in over 100 countries through international distribution.
SCORE’s next international broadcast will be the show from April’s Inaugural SCORE Imperial Valley 250 which will air first at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 15 on the CBS Sports Network. Here is the link for the show promo– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SddF8D7_fqY
SCORE DIRT LIVEHD GLOBAL
With viewers in over 100 countries, SCORE Dirt LiveHD will present live internet streaming from the event from pre-green to post-checker. Coverage will include live start and finish line interviews as well as live coverage from the many ancillary events tied to the race. On race day, live satellite tracking of all vehicles in the race will also be broadcast through the SCORE International website.
A BAJA FIESTA…
Colorful race week festivities will include several first-time events for SCORE, starting with qualifying for SCORE Trophy Truck and Class 1 followed by the Monster Energy SCORE Kick Off Party on Thursday from 7 p.m. until Midnight at the start/finish line area in the heart of Ensenada. With donations for La Cruz Roja Mexicana (Mexico’s Red Cross), the event will be include a racer’s autograph party and vehicle display
Friday will see the day-long, pre-race Manufacturer’s Midway and contingency festival in the start finish line area in Ensenada.
On Friday evening, the Monster Energy Papas Y Beer SCORE Street Party will be held from 7 p.m. to Midnight on Avenida Ruiz in downtown Ensenada.
During the race on Saturday the Monster Energy SCORE VIP hospitality area, will be part of the start/finish line compound. The area will also include the massive SCOREvision LED screen broadcasting race festivities along with start and finish line interviews.
All of the week’s festivities will be aired both live and same-day including the race, on the SCORE Dirt LiveHD race week shows, airing via the internet on the SCORE website.
AT THE RIVIERA…
The Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center, in the heart of Ensenada, will again be the site of many of the activities surrounding the Tecate SCORE Baja 500. Racer registration and Media registration will be held in the Red room at the Riviera on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and the SCORE Media Center will be in the Red room during the race with internet access and live race updates including unofficial elapsed times.
In the Cathedral Room at the Riviera will be pre-race media conference as well as the mandatory pre-race racer’s meeting on Friday. The post-race awards celebration will be in the outdoor Riviera amphitheater at noon on Sunday.
The start/finish line for the race will once again be adjacent to the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center as well.
ROESELER, O’NEAL CLASSES
Roeseler, 57, of Boulevard, Calif., is racing again this year as a second driver for Tim Herbst in the No. 19 Monster Energy Terrible Herbst Motorsports Ford F-150 in SCORE Trophy Truck and they finished second in this year’s season-opening Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250.
O’Neal, 67, of Simi Valley, Calif., is racing this year with on the team with rider of record Mark Winkelman, Cedar Hill, Texas, in Class 30 for riders over 30 years old. The team finished second in Class 30 in San Felipe and won their class in Round 2 at the Inaugural SCORE Imperial Valley 250 in April.
BRABEC FIRST START
Ricky Brabec, Oak Hills, Calif., riding on the factory-supported No. 4x THR Motorsports Monster Energy Kawasaki KX450F in the Pro Open motorcycle class will be the first vehicle off the starting line Saturday morning. Sharing riding duties will be teammates David Pearson, Panaca, Nev. and Max Eddy Jr, Barstow, Calif.
QUALIFYING
On Thursday qualifying for starting positions will be held for both the SCORE Trophy Truck and the unlimited Class 1 and will be held over a special course of approximately five miles in length near Ensenada and is not open to the public because of safety considerations.
While most entries in these two top classes are expected to qualify, those who elect not to will be given the remaining start positions in the elapsed-time race based on the original drawing or entry into the race. Taped highlights of qualifying will be shown starting Thursday evening on the SCORE website.
ENTRY LEADERS
While SCORE Trophy Truck with 34 has the most entries of any class in the race, other car/truck/UTV classes with double figure entries to date are Class 10 with 27, Class 1 with 17, Class 1/2-1600 and Class 19 (16 each) and Trophy Truck Spec (10).
Leading the Pro motorcycle classes is Class 30 wwith six and the Pro M/C Open class with five entries today.
In the Sportsman classes , SPT M/C has 12 and SPT ATV has 10.
OVERALL WINNERS RETURN:
Among the overall race winners returning are nine drivers who have combined to win 16 overall car/truck titles and three riders who have combined to win 11 overall motorcycle titles, including drivers and riders from five of the last six 4-wheel overalls and the last two motorcycle overall winners. Leading the way with multiple overall wins in this race are Larry Roeseler with 11 overall victories (including nine on a motorcycle), Robby Gordon with four, Troy Herbst and Bryce Menzies with two in 4-Wheel, and in 2-wheel, Roeseler has nine and David Pearson and Colton Udall with one each.
MULTI-CLASS CHAMPS BACK:
In the field are 74 racers who have combined to win 204 combined class wins in the history of this race. Leading this prestigious group of returning multiple class winners are Larry Roeseler and Jim O’Neal who each have 16 class wins which is the tied for third-most in race history. The other racers with the most multiple class wins in this race who are back to attempt to add to their winning totals are: Troy Herbst and Donald Moss, Mike Cafro (6), Dan Chamlee, Jim Dizney, Robby Gordon, Rick D. Johnson, Rob MacCachren and Clyde Stacy (5 each), Vic Bruckmann, Eizaburo Karasawa and Adam Pfankuch (4 each) and Steven Eugenio, Elias Hanna, Mike Julson, Wayne Matlock, Justin Matney and J. David Ruvalcaba (3 each).
CLASS CHAMPS RETURN:
A total of 19 of the 23 defending Pro class winners (4 classes had no finishers) from last year are entered this year, although seven of them have switched classes. Returning 2013 class winners are Robby Gordon, Charlotte, N.C. (SCORE Trophy Truck, Chevy CK1500), Justin Matney, Bristol, Tenn. (Class 1, Geiser-Chevy), Ernesto Arambula, Ensenada, Mexico (Class 1-2/1600 Romo-VW), Donald Moss, Sacramento, Calif. (Class 3, Ford Bronco), Elias Hanna, Ensenada, Mexico (Class 7SX, Ford Ranger), Derek Fletcher, Abingdon, Va. (Class 8, Chevy Silverado), Mike Johnson, Santa Monica, Calif. (Class 10 Alumi Craft-Chevy), Rafael Navarro IV/Vic Bruckmann, Lemon Grove, Calif. (SCORE Lite, Jimco-VW), Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va. (Class 5-1600, VW Baja Bug), Chelsea Magness, Desert Hot Springs, Calif. (Protruck, Ford F-150), Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va. (Trophy Truck Spec, Chevy Silverado) Matt Parks, Newport Beach, Calif. (Class 19, Polaris XP900-4), Colton Udall, San Clemente, Calif. (Class 22, Honda CRF450X), Francisco Arredondo, Guatemala (Class 30, Honda CRF450X), Sterlyn Rigsby, Bishop, Calif. (Class 40, Honda CRF450X), Marc Prince, Malibu, Calif. (Class 60, Honda CRF450X), Javier Robles Jr, Guadalupe Victoria, Mexico (Class 25, Honda TRX450R) and Mark Winkelman, Cedhill, Texas (Class 30, Honda CRF450X).
Stacy and Hanna have moved to SCORE Trophy Truck, Fletcher has moved to Sportsman Buggy,
Navarro IV has moved to Class 10, Broughton has moved to Class 3000 and Winkelman has moved to
Class 30.
GRAND MARSHAL
Accepting the opportunity to preside over the festivities of this year’s 46th Tecate SCORE Baja 500 is Xavier Gavory, 35, of Paris, France, the head of the competition department and sport coordinator of the Dakar Rally. With 10 years experience in motorsports series FIA GT, ETCC, FIA World Touring Car Championship including six season as General Coordinator of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.
Gavory has been with ASO, promoter and organizer of the Dakar Rally since 2011 where for the last three years he has been in charge of day-to-day relations with the entire field of competitors and manufacturers, as well as managing promotion and marketing worldwide for the Dakar Rally.
CRUZ ROJA READY
A major part of what SCORE does for its race is provide high-quality, well-trained and significant numbers of medical and rescue personnel to provide professional assistance as needed at each event. Directed by Rigoberto Lozoya, Cruz Roja de Mexico (Mexico Red Cross) provides extensive equipment and trained personnel throughout the course. For this year’s Tecate SCORE Baja 500 Cruz Roja will have nine 4X4 rescue vehicle spread out along the course as well as a major command transporter in the start/finish line compound.
Supplementing that crew will be SCORE Medical Director Dr. Jeff T. Grange, who is the Director of Emergency Medicine Services at Loma Linda (California) University and the medical director as well at California Speedway. Dr. Grange will be part of the crew working out of the SCORE A-Star medical helicopter. The Aero-Medi-Vac King Air fixed-wing airplane will again be standing by at the Ensenada Airport as well with a nurse and paramedic on board.
MAIN COURSE
The race will feature a course of 447.86 miles that includes some new or seldom-used areas.
Pre-running on the race course began officially on Saturday, May 24, except for the portion from the start to Ojos Negros (approximately 30 miles), which will be used in both directions during the race. After Ojos Negros, the course will run in a counterclockwise direction, the first time it has done this in a decade. The section from the start and Ojos Negros will be open for outgoing pre-running only on Thursday and Friday.
The historic race course is another memorable example of all that Mexico’s Baja California has to offer, including high-speed dirt trails, sandy, rocky and silty natural terrain, majestic Baja washes and canyons, stretches along the seashore with elevations from sea level to over 4,000 feet. The course is another jewel reflecting the stark beauty of Baja California.
DAKAR CHALLENGE 2014
This year’s Tecate SCORE Baja 500 has been identified as a qualifying race for special entry packages into the 2015 Dakar Rally in South America. Winners in car and truck classes will come from SCORE Trophy Truck, Class 1 and Class 10 along with another winning entry from Pro motorcycles (all with time adjustments). Complete regulations and other information on Dakar Challenge 2014 are available at http://score-international.com/2014-dakar-challenge/.
GRAN HISTORIA
The Tecate 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 asked by Mexican government to take over the event in 1974. Sal Fish ran and later owned and produced the Tecate SCORE Baja 500 for 39 years until he sold SCORE to Roger Norman in December of 2012.
Ensenada has been the heart and soul of the Tecate SCORE Baja 500 as the popular summertime race. This year will mark the 41st time it has started and 37th time it has finished in Ensenada.
RACE DIRECTOR, ASSISTANTS
Race Director for this year’s race is Dick Gray a fulltime SCORE employee who was also the crew chief for Roger Norman Racing prior to Norman’s purchase of SCORE in late 2012. Working with Gray as a committee of three will be Norman, SCORE CEO/President and legendary desert racer Ivan ‘Ironman’ Stewart who had a sterling record of 17 class wins including 10 overall victories in the SCORE Baja 500.
ADDITIONAL TRACKING
Continuing to refine and develop the most capable tracking and security systems for participant vehicles, SCORE has announced that in addition to the required Spot 3 trackers and data loggers, all four-wheel vehicles in the race will be equipped (a no cost) with Iritrack devices from Airbus Events as a test for potential future use. Further, five vehicles will be testing a system designed by SCORE pro motorcycle racer Brad Baker. With a number of innovations being tested, chase crews will also be testing a new text number that will provide updates on any rider or driver competing in the race.
ON THE SCOREscope
In its 41st year as the world’s foremost desert racing organization in 2014, the five-race 2014 SCORE World Desert Championship series, with three special events held in Baja California, Mexico, and two in the United States, started with the Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 on March 1. Starting and finishing in Ensenada, the 46th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 is this week and the third SCORE Baja race, starting in Ensenada and finishing in La Paz, the 47th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 will be held Nov. 12-16.
The two U.S. races on 2014 SCORE World Desert Championship calendar started with the inaugural SCORE Imperial Valley 250 in Plaster City, Calif. (April 25-27) and the two-day, single-race Inaugural SCORE Desert Challenge, location TBA (Sept. 25-28).
CBS SPORTS NETWORK
CBS Sports Network is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, including a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com. CBS Sports Network will run a one-hour special on all five 2014 SCORE World Desert Championship races as well as a sixth show on the special qualifying for select classes for the 2014 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 that will be held Nov. 1-4 in Las Vegas during the annual SEMA automotive industry trade show. All shows are scheduled to air in the next month following the event.
WEEKLY SCORE DIRT LIVEHD
SCORE Dirt LiveHD, SCORE’s weekly Tuesday night internet studio show from El Cajon, Calif., also goes on-site live with expanded event coverage during SCORE events. Live event coverage in 2014 will include week-long live coverage of the entire five-race 2014 SCORE World Desert Championship which includes two races in the United States and three in Baja California, Mexico. The second Mexico event of the inaugural SCORE World Desert Championship will be the upcoming 46th Tecate SCORE Baja 500.
DIRT LIVEHD CREW
Desert racing public address announcer and former racer George Antill is the executive producer and host of the popular show along with special guest host Dianna Dalhgren, Miss Monster Energy Supercross as her schedule permits. A special segment most weeks is SCORE Tech Tips with SCORE Tech co-directors Jake Velasco or Art Savedra or SCORE Trophy Truck racer and prep-shop owner T.J. Flores.
Shaun Sauer, SCORE Media Production Manager, is the coordinating producer of the show. The program is hosted on ustream.com, the world’s largest streaming internet site.
SCORE SPONSORS…
Official Sponsors: Tecate Beer-Official Beer/Official Race Sponsor, Monster Energy-Official Energy Drink, BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire, Rigid Industries LED Lighting-Official Lights, King Shocks-Official Shock Absorber, Polaris-Official UTV, Volaris Airlines-Official Airline, CBS Sports Network-Official Television Partner, Wide Open Excursions- Official Arrive and Drive Company, Coca-Cola-Official Soft Drink, Crystal Bay Casino-Official Casino, Hotel Coral and Marina-Official Hotel.
Associate Sponsors: Graham Watchmakers, SatellitePhoneStore.com, Symons Ambulance Company.
Additional SCORE Partners: Proturismo Ensenada, Visit Baja California Sur, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, Baja California Sur State Government, Mexicali Ayuntamineto, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Cruz Roja Mexicana, Corporate Helicopters, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, GoPro, PCI Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.
For more information, visit the official website of the SCORE World Desert Championship series at www.score-international.com.
SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, dominiccnv@aol.com