Author: Dominic Clark - SCORE
Following the third of four races in the 2017 SCORE World Desert Championship, 40 of the toughest racers in the world remain in the hunt to earn 2017 SCORE Milestone Awards. In late September in Baja California, Mexico, Round 3 was held at the Tijuana 21st SCORE Desert Challenge. Starting and finishing for the first time in SCORE history, in Tijuana, it was run as six total laps split over two sessions on a brutally rugged 23-mile loop course (138 total miles) that started and finished east of Rancho Casian on the Southeast outskirts of Tijuana.
SCORE MILESTONE AWARDS
SCORE is presenting these prestigious awards to the world’s toughest desert racers for the 32nd consecutive year. The SCORE Milestone awards will be presented to the car, truck, UTV drivers and motorcycle, quad riders who finish every required mile in the 2017 SCORE World Desert Championship.
TOP CLASSES
Leading the way in the chase for 2017 SCORE Milestone Awards are three superlative stallions in the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division, one in the new SCORE TT Legend class, two in the unlimited Class 1, three in Trophy Truck Spec, three in Class 10, three in Pro UTV FI (Forced Injection), four in Pro Moto Unlimited, three in Pro Moto Limited, three in Pro Moto 30 (riders over 30 years old) and four in Pro Moto 50 (riders over 50 years old).
ROGER’S PRAISE
“SCORE is privileged to honor the world’s best desert racing drivers and riders,” said Roger Norman, SCORE CEO/President. “For over three decades, SCORE has been very humbled to honor racers with the SCORE Milestone Awards. SCORE racers are the toughest, most rugged racers on the planet. This most prestigious award has become iconic in our sport.”
GOLDEN RACE
Nearly 350 entries, from 40 U.S. States and 30 countries are expected to compete in this year’s 50th anniversary celebration of the BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 1000. There are multiple Pro and Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, utvs, motorcycles and quads. The world’s most iconic, oldest, prestigious and longest continuously held desert race, this year’s 50th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 1000 will be held over a 1,134.40-mile race course down Mexico’s majestic Baja California peninsula, starting in Ensenada, Baja California Norte and finishing in La Paz, Baja California Sur. Race week is Nov. 12-18.
Advance racer-registration continues until 11 p.m. (PT) Friday Oct. 27 at www.score-international.com for this year’s legendary competition. The event and race-week festivities will be held Nov. 12-18 in Baja California, Mexico. The race is annually the finale of the four-race SCORE World Desert Championship, held exclusively for the past two years in Baja California.
With a total time limit of 48 hours in the elapsed-time race, the motorcycle and quad classes will start at 12 midnight (PT) on Wednesday, Nov. 15 and the car, truck and UTV classes will follow with start on Thursday Nov. 16 at 10 a.m. (PT).
SCORE BAJA 1000 QUALIFYING
For the fourth consecutive year, SCORE Trophy Truck, the marquee SCORE racing division for high-tech, 900-horsepower, unlimited production trucks will have a special qualifying session for start positions at 6 p.m. PT on Tuesday, Oct. 31 on the Off-Road Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The marquee SCORE racing class will be featured that week in the massive SEMA SCORE Baja 1000 Experience at the SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Both the Experience (Oct. 30-Nov.3) and Qualifying are being presented by BFGoodrich Tires.
SCORE TROPHY TRUCK/SCORE TT LEGEND/CLASS 1/CLASS 10
The three SCORE Trophy Truck thoroughbreds who have galloped through every challenging race mile so far this season are: Justin Matney, Bristol, Tenn. (No. 4 RPM Racing Chevy Rally Truck), Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez, Tecate, Mexico (No. 1 RPM Racing Chevy Rally Truck) and Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif. (No. 16 Monster Energy Desert Assassins Chevy Silverado). Created by SCORE in 1994, SCORE Trophy Truck is the sport’s marquee racing division for high-tech, 900 horsepower unlimited production trucks.
The lone racer still chasing the award in the new SCORE TT Legend class for SCORE Trophy Truck racers over 50 years old is Clyde Stacy, 72, of Bristol, Va. (No. 5L RPM Racing Rally Diesel-Dodge). Racers still in the hunt for the coveted awards from Class 1 for unlimited open-wheel desert race cars are Bian Wilson, Lakewood, Calif. (No. 138, Jimco-Chevy) and Al Torres, El Centro, Calif. (No. 114, Jimco-Chevy).
Still in the chase for these awards are three drivers from the super-competitive Class 10 for single or two-seat open wheel desert race cars with limited engines. The racers are Broc Dickerson, Brawley, Calif. (No. 1023 Alumi Craft-Chevy), Cody Reid, Apple Valley, Calif. (No. 1068 Jefferies-Chevy) and Reinaldo Varela, Sao Paolo, Brazil (No. 1092 ESM-Honda).
PRO MOTO UNLIMITED
Leading the motorcycle classes, Pro Moto Unlimited has four racers still pursuing 2017 SCORE Milestone Awards. These sturdy riders are Francisco Arredondo, Guatemala (No. 45x Honda CRF450X), Mark Samuels, Yucca Valley, Calif. (No. 1x Honda CRF450X), Mark Winkelman, Cedar Hill, Texas (No. 23x Husqvarna 501) and Garrett Poucher, Valencia, Calif. (No. 33x Honda CRF450X).
EL REY NETWORK
The four-race 2017 SCORE World Desert Championship in Baja California, Mexico along with the SEMA SCORE Baja 1000 Experience and the SCORE Baja 1000 Qualifying in Las Vegas are all airing on El Rey Network in the United States. International distribution is by way of syndication. The season-ending 50th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 1000 will have a two-hour show produced while the other race shows are each one-hour telecasts.
El Rey Network is available in 45 million homes across the country through cable and OTT providers and via satellite on DirectTV Channel 341 and Dish Network Channel 253. For more information on how to watch El Rey visit elreynetwork.com.
DUST 2 GLORY
From award-winning documentary filmmaker Dana Brown, ‘Dust 2 Glory,’ scheduled to premiere nationwide on Dec. 6, chronicled each of the four races in the 2016 SCORE World Desert Championship. Brown’s original Dusty to Glory, released in 2005, became an iconic classic showcasing the legendary SCORE Baja 1000. D2G, which began shooting at the 2015 SCORE Baja 1000, continued up close and personal coverage capturing the robust racers in their amazing adventures in Mexico’s majestic Baja California peninsula through all four spectacular 2016 races. Executive Producer is BCII’s Bud Brutsman.
Tickets for the special, one-night Dec. 6 nationwide premiere are scheduled to go on sale on Oct. 23. For information regarding tickets and theater locations, visit www.fathomevents.com/events/dust-2-glory.
SCORE SPONSORS…
Official SCORE Sponsors: BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire & Official Race Title Sponsor, Monster Energy-Official Energy Drink, King Shocks-Official Shock Absorber, RACELINE Wheels-Official Wheel, Axial R/C-Official R/C Vehicle, 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 Secretary of Tourism, Tijuana Comite de Turismo and Convenciones, Comite de Marcadotecnia Turistica, Asociacion de Hoteles del Noroeste.
2017 SCORE Milestone Awards
(40 car, truck, UTV, M/C and quad racers who completed every required mile of the four-race 2017 SCORE World Desert Championship)
SCORE Trophy Truck
Justin Matney, Bristol, Tenn.
Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez, Tecate, Mexico
Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif.
SCORE TT Legend
Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va.
Class 1
Brian Wilson, Lakewood, Calif.
Al Torres, El Centro, Calif.
Trophy Truck Spec
Elias Hanna, Ensenada, Mexico
Chad Broughton, Scotts Valley, Calif.
Brian Goldstein, Beverly Hills, Calif.
Class 10
Broc Dickerson, Brawley, Calif.
Cody Reid, Apple Valley, Calif.
Renaldo Varela, Brazil
Class 8
Noah Ostanik, Carlsbad, Calif.
Class 1/2-1600
Roberto Romo, Mexicali, Mexico
Oscar Alvarez, McAllen, Texas
SCORE Lites
Javier Buelna, Mexicali, Mexico
Pro UTV FI
Marc Burnett, Lakeside, Calif.
Brandon Schueler, Phoenix
Cory Sappington, Peoria, Ariz.
Class 5-1600
Tomas Fernandez, Laredo, Texas
Hector Hurtado, Tijuana, Mexico
Pro Moto Unlimited
Francisco Arredondo, Guatemala
Mark Samuels, Yucca Valley, Calif.
Mark Winkelman, Cedar Hill, Texas
Garrett Poucher, Valencia, Calif.
Pro Moto Limited
Jim O’Neal, Simi Valley, Calif.
Fernando Beltran, Ensenada, Mexico
Santiago Creel, Mexico City
Pro Moto 30
Ryan Liebelt, Reedley, Calif.
Luis M. Gomez, Obregon, Mexico
Rogelio Buelna, Ensenada, Mexico
Class 40
Jano Montoya, , Winter Garden, Fla.
Colie Potter, Las Vegas
Pro Moto 50
Giovanni Spinali, El Cajon, Calif.
Robert Gates, Victorville, Calif.
Marty Gomez, Long Beach, Calif.
Bill Sekeres, Santa Clarita, Calif.
Pro Moto Ironman
Jose Carrasco, Rosarito Beach, Mexico
Pro Moto 60
Donald Lewis, Manchester, Conn.
Pro Quad
Said Sanchez, Tijuana, Mexico
For more information regarding SCORE, visit the official website of the SCORE World Desert Championship at www.SCOREInternational.com.
Author: Dominic Clark - SCORE
