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Ebberts hopes to stop Terrible Herbst streak
21 champions, with 45 combined Overall wins, among over
270 entries in this week's 36th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000
SCORE's 30th anniversary concludes with 28 States, 10 countries
in legendary granddaddy of all desert races in Ensenada, Mexico
 LOS
ANGELES (November 17, 2003) -- With a starting grid jammed with former
overall and individual class champions, dramatic racing action will cover the
northern part of the foreboding Baja California peninsula Friday and Saturday
during the 36th running of the legendary Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, the granddaddy
of all desert races. The historic motorsports tradition will add to its glorious
legacy by starting and finishing in Ensenada, Mexico, the Pacific Ocean port
city 65 miles south of San Diego.
Celebrating its
30th anniversary this year as the world's foremost desert racing series, the
SCORE Desert Series is returning to Mexico for the last of its three annual
races in Baja California. With pre-race festivities starting on Wednesday, 272
entries have come from 28 U.S. States, Washington, D.C., Mexico, Brazil, Canada,
France, Guatemala, Israel, Japan and Uruguay.
They will compete
in the classic race that features 24 Pro and 5 Sportsman classes for cars/trucks,
motorcycles and ATVs.
Grand Marshall for this year's race, is legendary motorsports figure Mario Andretti.
Attempting to
complete the rugged single loop race course of 805 miles, motorcycle/ATV classes
will be first off the starting line at 6:30 a.m. on Friday, followed two hours
later by the car/truck classes. In the elapsed-time  race,
vehicles will leave the start line adjacent to the Riviera del Pacifico convention
center in downtown Ensenada, one every 30 seconds. All vehicles will have a
32-hour time limit to become an official finisher. The fastest finishers in
the elapsed-time race are expected to finish in approximately 15-16 hours.
No less than 21
former overall race champions, who have combined for a phenomenal 45 titles
in either the four-wheel or two-wheel divisions, are entered along with a total
(including this group) of 94 racers who have combined for an amazing 262 class
wins. On the family side, are 35 fathers who will race either with or against
their sons and there are a total of 55 brothers competing alongwith 71 second-generation
racers and even two third-generation drivers. All will attempt to etch their
individual names into the lore of the most famous of all desert races.
In the record
21-vehicle starting grid for the marquee SCORE Trophy-Truck division will be
the winners of eight of the first nine season championships and 47 of the first
61 races in the nearly 10 year history of the class for high-tech, 750-horsepower
unlimited production trucks.
Pre-race festivities
for the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 will center around the Riviera del Pacifico convention
center in downtown Ensenada on Thursday.
 Traditionally
drawing upwards of 50,000 spectators on Mexico's Revolution Day national holiday,
the pre-race SCORE Manufacturer's Midway and display of all the race vehicles
will be held adjacent to the San Nicolas Hotel, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday.
A highlight of
the SCORE Manufacturer's Midway will be special performances by motorcycle acrobat
Jorge Ruiz. An extremely popular daredevil artist all over Mexico, Ruiz will
have two shows, at Noon and 4 p.m.
For the first
time in SCORE's history, the finish line for this year's event will be inside
of a baseball stadium, which will be open from 4 p.m. on Friday until the course
closes at approximately 6 p.m. on Saturday. The SCORE Survivor's Fiesta, featuring
live bands, vendors, concessions, SCOREvision jumbo screen and a special finisher's
area for the fans to be up close with the SCORE racers will be held in the Deportivo
Antonio Palacios stadium at 9th Street and Guadalupe Avenue in Ensenada. It
is located approximately 1.5 miles east of the start line area. The admission
will be free to this special tribute event to 30 years of SCORE desert racing.
The post-race
awards ceremony will be held at the Riviera del Pacifico on Saturday at 8:30
p.m.
Drawing the first
start for the motorcycle and ATV classes was John Morrison, an Information Technology
specialist from Easton, Mass., who will race in Class 22 on a Honda XR650R.
It will be his first SCORE race, although he is a veteran competitor in cross-country
racing in New England.
 Honolulu's
Alan Pflueger drew the first start for the car and truck classes where he will
make his debut in the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division in his new No. 28
Chevy Silverado. Pflueger, the 2002 SCORE Rookie of the Year, has already clinched
the Protruck season championship and decided to make his move up in classes
one race early.
The classes with
the most entries to date are Class 1 (29), Class 1-2/1600 (28) and SCORE Trophy-Truck
(21). Drawing first start in Class 1 was Ron Brant, Torrance, CA, in a Chevy-powered
Jimco desert race car, while first off in Class 1-2/1600 will be Jose Estolano,
Imperial Beach, CA, in a VW-powered Jimco.
Leading the motorcycle
field will be the American Honda Class 22 team of Steve Hengeveld, Oak Hills,
CA and Johnny Campbell, San Clemente, CA, on the No. 1x Honda XR650R. The pair
have won six straight overall motorcycle crowns in SCORE races and Campbell
has also captured six straight SCORE Baja 1000 overall wins. A third rider,
Andy Grider of Los Olivos, CA, has been added again this year to the team to
ride of portion of this year's race.
The three are the defending champions in this race.
Legendary motorcycle
racer Larry Roeseler, Hesperia, CA, is one of a few 'bravehearts' who will compete
in two classes and the only one set to race on both a motorcycle and a racecar.
Roeseler, who
has 12 class wins in this race including 10 overall victories on a motorcycle,
will co-drive in both the unlimited Class 1 for open-wheel desert race cars
and in Class 30 for motorcycle riders over 30.
 In
Class 1, he will split time with Las Vegas' Troy Herbst in the No. 100 Ford-powered
Smith built open-wheel desert race car. In Class 30, he will prep for January's
Dakar Rally with factory KTM teammates Paul Krause, Irvine, CA, Casey McCoy,
Bishop, CA, and Scot Harden, Menifee, CA, on a KTM 950 Rally bike. Krause has
won three overall motorcycle titles and Harden two in the SCORE Baja 1000.
Among the other
special entries is venerable Rod Hall, Reno, Nev., and Ron Bishop, Escondido,
CA, the only two individuals who have raced in all 35 previous Tecate SCORE
Baja 1000 races.
Hall, the all-time
winningest driver in this race with 17 class wins, is driver of record in an
AM General Hummer in the Stock Full class. Bishop will co-ride on a KTM 625SXE
in Class 50 for motorcycle riders over 50 years old with rider of record Stephen
Doane, Gresham, Ore. Besides Roeseler and Campbell, the top returning overall
champs are Mark McMillin, Bonita, CA, and Larry Ragland, Cave Creek, Ariz, who
both have won this race five times in 4-wheel vehicles.
In the family
ties department, Mark McMillin along with his brother Scott, their father Corky
and Scott's son Andy, will become the first three-generation team to compete
in the event. Mark, Scott and Corky are all drivers of record in three separate
Class 1 entries while Andy, 17, will split driving with his father.
Teammates Dan Smith
& David Ashley, brothers Tim and Ed Herbst and NASCAR's Robby Gordon, lead
the talented, record-setting field in the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division.
Between them,
the Smith/Ashley, the Herbsts and Gordon teams have won 24 of the 61 SCORE Trophy-Truck
races and six of nine season championships.
Smith and Ashley,
both of Riverside, CA, have won nine total SCORE Trophy-Truck races in their
No. 8 Enduro Racing Ford F-150, including an impressive three straight in the
legendary SCORE season finale. They have also won two SCORE Trophy-Truck season
crowns (1998, 2001).
 The
Herbst brothers, of Las Vegas, split the driving time in their No. 1 Terrible
Herbst Motorsports Ford F-150. They are the winningest team in SCORE Trophy-Truck
history with 11 race victories and three season point titles (1999, 2000, 2002).
Neither the Herbst
brothers nor Gordon have won this class in this race.
Last year the
Herbsts finished second to Smith/Ashley while Gordon was third.
Ironically, Gordon
drew the 20th start among a class-record 21 SCORE Trophy-Trucks that have entered
so far. Gordon has built a new No. 31 Chevy CK1500 at his Team Gordon desert-racing
shop in Anaheim, CA. The truck features an engine from his NASCAR team owner
Richard Childress Racing.
Smith/Ashley,
the Herbsts and Gordon aren't the only former champions in this class entered.
Las Vegas' Rob
MacCachren, the winner of the inaugural SCORE Trophy-Truck crown in 1994, will
split the driving this year in the No. 4 Vildosola Racing Ford F-150 with team
owner Gus Vildosola of Mexicali, Mexico.
The fifth former
season class champ entered is 1997 winner Curt LeDuc, Cherry Valley, CA He is
entered this year in the No. 43 LeDuc Racing Ford F-150 that he will sharing
driving duties in with his sons Todd and Kyle.
Larry Ragland,
a four-time winner in this class in the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 (1995, 1996,1997,
1999), is entered this year with his son Chad in the No. 80 Ragland Racing Chevy
Silverado.
Class championship
point crowns will also be decided in this race for the 2003 SCORE Desert Series,
as well as the coveted overall point crowns for cars/trucks, motorcycles and
ATVs.
Leading the overall
and unlimited Class 1 point standings heading into Mexico is the team of Dale
Ebberts, Canyon Lake, CA, and Ernie Castro Jr., Newport Beach, CA, who will
be joined this race by Ebberts younger brother Darren in the team's Jimco-Chevy.
Ebberts has 360 points, one more than Class 1-2/1600 point leaders Eric Allen,
San Marcos, CA and Adam Pfankuch of Vista, CA Ebberts is also looking to become
the first racer to defeat six-year reigning Class 1 season point champion Troy
Herbst of Las Vegas. Ebberts was the last person besides Troy Herbst to win
the class, when he did it back in 1996 with Brent Grizzle of Holtville, CA.
Leading the ATV
competitors is defending Class 25 season champ Jimmy Stephensen, Las Vegas and
new co-rider Allen Knowles, Santa Fe Springs, CA, on a new Kawasaki V Force
700. Among the other top teams in the 15-vehicle class is the Factory Honda
team of John Gregory, Chula Vista, CA/Doug Eichner, El Cajon, CA, and
Tim Farr, Canton, Ohio, on a new Honda TRX450R.
In addition to
the sport's biggest names, cross-over drivers and riders including NASCAR's
Gordon and Brendan Gaughan, CART's Jimmy Vasser and Michel Jordain Jr., Supercross
and motocross legend Ricky Johnson, SCCA's Jeff Zwart, Rally racer Rod Millen
along with former open wheel racers Mike and Robbie Groff, Roberto Guerrero,
Stefan Johansson and Johnny Unser have entered this year's version of the legendary
granddaddy of all desert races. Also among the other entries for this year's
classic are TV star Jesse James (Monster Garage), snowboarding champion Tara
Takides and TV sportscasters Paul Page and Cameron Steele.
Las Vegas' Bekki
Freeman, a three-time Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 class champion, has entered an
all-female team in the special Centrix Financial Baja Challenge class for identically-equipped,
Porsche-powered Baja touring cars.
Leading the unknown
racing hero category in this race may well be veteran motorcycle rider Craig
Adams, San Clemente, CA Adams has been the co-rider on a class-winning motorcycle
team at least six times, dating back to 1978.
SCORE records show
him as a co-rider for the winning Class 21 team in 1978 and 1983 and the Class
40 team led by rider of record Chris Haines the last four straight years. Unfortunately
for Adams, in order to be included in the official SCORE records for multiple
class wins, a driver or rider must have been the driver or rider of record at
least once in his or her career. Adams, alas, remains as the winningest unknown
co-rider in the history of the race. In the manufacturer's 'beat the Baja' battle
of research and development, Ford leads the way with nine overall wins in the
4-wheel division with Chevy in second with five overalls. Ford trucks have won
five times, including the last three, and the Ford Bronco has four wins. In
the two-wheel division, Honda is on top with 13 overall titles, followed by
Husqvarna with 11 and Kawasaki with 9.
It's much more
one-sided on the tire side of things, as BFGoodrich Tires have been on the overall
winning vehicle in the four-wheel division for 17 consecutive years. For the
first time in the SCORE Baja 1000, two teams among the pre-race favorites will
race on BFG's new 39-inch Baja T/A KR race tire.
Troy Herbst and
Larry Roeseler will run the new tires in the unlimited Class 1 while Tim and
Ed Herbst will use the tires in the premier SCORE Trophy-Truck division.
Also being decided
at the race will be the winners of the $12,000 Toyota True Grit and Milestone
Awards. The purse is split among four non-factory class point champs who complete
every required mile of the season to join the Toyota Milestone Award winners.
Last year, Brian Jeffrey in Class 1-2/1600, won the entire purse.
The race will
also be the subject of a new sports documentary film, 'Dust to Glory,' being
filmed this week with a crew of over 80 by critically acclaimed director Dana
Brown. It is being shot with Brown's father Bruce Brown as the creative consultant.
Bruce Brown is responsible for such notable specialty films as 'On Any Sunday',
and 'Endless Summer'. This year, Dana Brown released the popular 'Step Into
Liquid' surfing documentary. 'Dust to Glory' is scheduled for release internationally
next June.
SCORE official
sponsors for 2003 are: BFGoodrich Tires-official tire, Southern California Ford
Dealers-official vehicle, 76 Racing Fuel-official fuel and Rental Service Corporation-official
equipment supplier. Associate sponsors are: Tecate Beer, Coca-Cola of Mexico,
Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Bilstein, Signpros, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie's,
Off Road Innovations and Advanced Color Graphics.
Additional associate
sponsors of this year's Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 are: Cotuco, Fideicomiso Publico
para la Promocion Turistica de Ensenada and Centrix Financial of Denver.
For information contact:
SCORE International at its Los Angeles headquarters
(818) 225-8402 or visit
the official Optima SCORE Desert Series website at:
www.score-international.com
For
Sponsorship Information, contact:
Mark Handley
(760) 750-1905
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