Pre-running opens Saturday on rugged, record long Race Route for 32nd annual SCORE San Felipe 250

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

March 12, 2018

Race Dates April 4-8

Pre-running opens Saturday on rugged, record long

Race Route for 32nd annual SCORE San Felipe 250

 

Entries to date from 20 States, 6 countries, Start/finish along Sea of Cortez on Malecon

in San Felipe; to be televised internationally; Start Position Draw on Tuesday, March 27

    ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico – Allowing three full weeks of practice on the longest course in the history of this race, pre-running opensSaturday at 8 a.m. PDT for the upcoming 32nd annual SCORE San Felipe 250. The season-opener of the four-race internationally televised 2018 SCORE World Desert Championship, the ever-popular ‘spring break’ race expects over 250 entries in Pro and Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads.

     Featuring a rugged Baja race-record route of 315.2 miles, the race will start and finish for the second straight year on the Malecon beach walk along the water’s edge in the heart of town, the event will be held April 4-8 in San Felipe, the peaceful fishing village on the Sea of Cortez, 125 miles south of the U.S. Border at Calexico, Calif.

     With many of the sport’s top stars among the first 101 official entries as of today, the racers are from 20 U.S. States along with the additional countries of Austria, Canada, Germany, Italy and host Mexico.

FAB FIFTY

     All four 2018 races will be held on Mexico’s magnificent Baja California peninsula for the third consecutive year. The year of 2018 also marks the 50th anniversary celebration of the legendary BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 500 to be held the end of May and beginning of June. The SCORE Baja 500 is one of the top 10 motorsports events held annually in the world.

A COURSE WITH ‘NO NAME’

     SCORE President Roger Norman and SCORE Race Director Jose A. Grijalva have worked with the government officials and ejidos of the Mexicali and San Felipe areas to develop a memorable SCORE San Felipe 250 race course of 315.2 miles, the longest in the history of this popular desert race.

     This year’s grueling race course will be another beauty to behold but a tough challenge to race on. It runs in a counter clockwise direction running over high-speed dry lake beds, through low-speed winding, rock-strewn, twisting canyons and trails, along quick-paced dirt roads and through four of Baja’s most infamous washes in Las Cuevitas, Matomi, Huatamote and Amarillo.

     There will be three full stop checkpoints in addition to the start/finish line which will be located for the just the second time in the history of this race on the Malecon in the heart of San Felipe. Checkpoint 1 will be located at El Chinero (race mile 74.2), the second at La Providencia (rm 185.5) and the third will be at Old Puertecitos Road (rm 270.33).

     The course goes north to Zoo Road, west to Morellia Junction then heading back north, east, north again, south, west and back north to the finish line on the Malecon.

     For the first time there will be a speed zone from rm 10 to rm 14 in the Zoo Road area for safety reasons. There are a total of only three speed zones on this course for a total of just 5.2 miles.

     The course will use a few new trails then goes through Las Cuevitas wash to go back to the east side near 3 Poles. It then goes north to checkpoint 1 running up to La Ventana, back south to Laguna Amarga (Borrego). From there it will go across Matomi, Old Puertecitos Road, through Huatamote and Amarillo before heading back to the finish line on the Malecon.

     There will be two road crossings, both on Highway 3. The first will be going north at km 192 after checkpoint 1 and the second one coming south near Laguna Amarga (Borrego), crossing at km 179 on the highway.

     The start line and celebratory finish area will be on the SCORE ramps in front of the Rockodile night club on the Malecon.

COURSE MAP/GPS

     The 32nd Annual SCORE San Felipe 250 racer brief, course map and GPS files will be available by 8 p.m. PDT this Thursday on the SCORE website on the race page under the Race Info tab.

SCORE RULE BOOK UPDATE NOW ONLINE

     Under the supervision and direction of SCORE CEO/President Roger Norman, SCORE Race Director Jose A. Grijalva and SCORE Tech Director Dan Cornwell with editing and updating by SCORE Ops personnel Lawton Shank and Christine Wait, the 2018 SCORE Rule Book has been updated along with the 2018 Rule Book Addendum and is now online.

     All relevant items are available on the SCORE website under the race info page and the Addendum summarizes the additions and changes to the SCORE rule book starting with the 2018 SCORE World Desert Championship.

THREE DECADES-PLUS

     Celebrating the 32nd anniversary of the youngest of the three legendary SCORE Baja races, sometimes referred to as the SCORE ‘baby Baja’, entries are being accepted on the SCORE website under Race Info at www.SCOREInternational.com for Pro and Sportsman entries for cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads.

SAN FELIPE SKED

     Pre-race festivities will be held in San Felipe on April 4, 5 and 6 with race days on Saturday, April 7-8 concluding with the post-race awards fiesta at 10 a.m. PDT on Sunday, April 8.

     The colorful pre-race contingency and Manufacturer’s Midway, the starting line and the finish line will be on the Malecon in the heart of San Felipe for the second straight year.

     The deadline to enter in time to be in the drawing for starting positions within each class is 8 p.m. PT on Tuesday, March 27.

     Motorcycles and quads will leave the start line first in the elapsed-time race, starting at 6:20 a.m. PDT on Saturday. The car, truck and UTV classes will begin their journey at approximately 9:30 a.m. PDT, at least two and one-half hours after the last Sportsman Quad starts.

     While the fastest vehicles are expected to complete the course in just over five hours, all vehicles will have 16 hours from the time each starts to become an official finisher.

FAB FIVE

    While three racers have three overall victories in the SCORE San Felipe 250, Las Vegas’ Hall of Fame racer Rob MacCachren might have set a standard that will last for awhile, unless he breaks his own record of five overall and SCORE Trophy Truck wins this year.

     MacCachren, who won the overall in San Felipe last year to give him nine class wins in this race, earned his first SCORE Trophy Truck overall in this race in 2003 when he split the driving with Mexico’s Gustavo Vildosola Sr and his second in 2007 when he split the driving with Mark Post.

     MacCachren earned back-to-back wins in 2011 and 2012 driving solo and won his fifth last year driving solo again in his No. 11 MacCachren Motorsports Rockstar Ford F-150.

MORE SCORE TROPHY TRUCKS & SCORE TT LEGENDS

     SCORE Trophy Truck, the marquee SCORE racing division, continues to lead the early entry list with 22 trucks (including four SCORE TT Legend entries) in the lineup so far. In addition to MacCachren, the other early SCORE Trophy Truck entries are Apdaly Lopez, Tecate, Mexico (No. 1 Chevy Rally Truck), Justin Matney, Bristol, Tenn. (No. 4 Chevy 4WD Rally Truck, Juan C. Lopez, Tecate, Mexico (No. 18 Chevy Silverado), Andy McMillin, National City, Calif. (No. 31 Chevy Silverado), Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif. (No. 16 Chevy Silverado), Billy Wilson, Corpus Christi, Texas (No. 15 Chevy Silverado), Dan McMillin, San Diego (No. 23 Ford F-150), B.J. Baldwin, Las Vegas (No. 97 Toyota Tundra), Luke McMillin, San Diego (No. 83 Ford F-150), Ricky Johnson, Trabuco Canyon, Calif./Larry Connor, Miamisburg, Ohio (No. 6 Chevy Silverado), Zak Langley, Santa Monica, Calif. (No. 50 Ford F-150), Robbie Pierce/Mike Julson, Alpine, Calif. (No. 30 Ford Raptor), Mark Post, Las Vegas (No. 3 Ford -150), Mike Lawrence, Banning, Calif. (No. 85 Ford F-150), Chas Dana, Mesa, Ariz. (No. 39 Ford F-150) and Steve Olliges, Las Vegas (No. 27 Ford Raptor).

     The SCORE TT Legend field includes to date Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va./Armin Schwarz, Austria (Germany) in the No. 5L Chevy Rally Truck, Gustavo Vildosola Sr, Mexicali, Mexico (No. 12L Ford Raptor), Rob Reinertson, Woodside, Calif. (No. 72L Ford F-150) and Sandy Hall, Culpeper, Va. (No. 90L Chevy Silverado).

BIG DEAL

     For over three decades, the annual motorsports festival that has brought the largest economic impact of any single event held annually in this lightly-populated portion of the rugged, rough and bountifully beautiful Baja peninsula has been the SCORE San Felipe 250.

ANOTHER GOLDEN YEAR

     Following last year’s epic celebration of the 50th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 1000, this year’s SCORE World Desert Championship includes the special tribute to the 50th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 500 when it is held this year in Ensenada on May 30-June 3. Like all SCORE races, there will be classes for cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads.

     The 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 invited by the Mexican government to take over the event in 1974. Sal Fish ran and later owned and produced the SCORE Baja 500 for 39 years until he sold SCORE to Roger and Elise Norman in December of 2012.

     The first Baja 500 organized and produced by SCORE was held on July 26, 1974 as the first of over 150 SCORE Baja races that have been held to date.

     Ensenada is the heart and soul of the SCORE Baja 500 as the popular summertime race. It will start in Ensenada for the 45th time and finish in Ensenada for the 41st time.

     BFGoodrich Tires, the SCORE official tire for over 40 years, has posted a $25,000 contingency bonus for the overall winner of the golden anniversary race.

SCOREscope

     Below is the four-race 2018 SCORE World Desert Championship schedule. For the third consecutive year all four races are being held in Baja California, Mexico. Here is the complete 2018 SCORE World Desert Championship schedule:

• 32nd SCORE San Felipe 250, April 4-April 8, San Felipe, Mexico
• 50th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 500, May 30-June 3, Ensenada Mexico
• Tijuana 22nd SCORE Desert Challenge, Sept. 19-23, Tijuana, Mexico
• 51st SCORE Baja 1000, Nov.14-18, Ensenada, Mexico

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, 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 State Secretary of Tourism, Comite de Turismo and Convenciones, Comite de Marcadotecnia Turistica, 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 San Felipe 250 All-Time Starters/Finishers by Year

1982

Total Starters: 232    Total Finishers: 133

1983

Total Starters: 194   Total Finishers: 107

1984

Total Starters: 200   Total Finishers: 113

1990 Total Starters: 264    Total Finishers: 164

1991

Total Starters: 214    Total Finishers: 136

1992

Total Starters: 192    Total Finishers: 117

1993

Total Starters: 82    Total Finishers: 56

1994

Total Starters: 180   Total Finishers: 120

1995

Total Starters: 231    Total Finishers: 130

1996

Total Starters: 200   Total Finishers: 122

1997

Total Starters: 194    Total Finishers: 106

1998

Total Starters: 227   Total Finishers: 143

1999

Total Starters: 234    Total Finishers: 149

2000

Total Starters: 227   Total Finishers: 148

2001

Total Starters: 208    Total Finishers: 135

2002

Total Starters: 235   Total Finishers: 147

2003

Total Starters: 249   Total Finishers: 164

2004

Total Starters: 249   Total Finishers: 149

2005

Total Starters: 269   Total Finishers: 159

2006

Total Starters: 341   Total Finishers: 220

2007

Ensenada to Santo Tomas

Total Starters: 394   Total Finishers: 288

2008

Total Starters: 263   Total Finishers: 181

2009

Total Starters: 226   Total Finishers: 161

2010

Total Starters: 257   Total Finishers: 158

2011

Total Starters: 220   Total Finishers: 145

2012

Total Starters: 207   Total Finishers: 150

2013

Total Starters: 250   Total Finishers: 178

2014

Total Starters: 183   Total Finishers: 142

2015

Total Starters: 149   Total Finishers: 103

2016

Total Starters: 164   Total Finishers: 118

2017

Total Starters: 204   Total Finishers: 143

Top Total Starters

Year, Number (Finishers)

2007—394 Starters (288 Finishers)

2006—341 Starters (220 Finishers)

2005—269 Starters (159 Finishers)

1990—264 Starters (164 Finishers)

2008—263 Starters (181 Finishers)

2010—257 Starters (158 Finishers)

2013—250 Starters (178 Finishers)

2003—249 Starters (164 Finishers)

2004—249 Starters (149 Finishers)

2002—235 Starters (147 Finishers)

1999—234 Starters (149 Finishers

Top Total Finishers

Year, Number (Starters)

2007—288 Finishers (394 Starters)

2006—220 Finishers (341 Starters)

2008—181 Finishers (263 Starters)

2013—178 Finishers (250 Starters)

1990—164 Finishers (264 Starters)

2003—164 Finishers (249 Starters)

2009—161 Finishers (226 Starters)

2005—159 Finishers (269 Starters)

2010—158 Finishers (257 Starters)

2012—150 Finishers (207 Starters)

1999—149 Finishers (234 Starters)

2004—149 Finishers (249 Starters)