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SCORE announces changes for San Felipe course 2.7.12

Fish — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 04:55:57 +0000

February 7, 2012

Over 225 entries expected

SCORE announces exciting course changes for upcoming

26th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250

Drawing for starting positions, by class, Saturday at SCORE Los Angeles headquarters;

Round 3 of five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series to be held March 9-11 in San Felipe, Mexico

LOS ANGELES—Including some never-before-used washes for a desert race, SCORE International has announced significant course changes for next month’s 26th annual MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250. With the drawing for starting positions, by class to be held at the Saturday at the SCORE headquarters in Los Angeles, the race itself will be held March 9-11 along the azure waters of the Sea of Cortez in San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico.

The 249.3-mile race course will utilize two washes that have never before been used for racing – Cuevitas and Amarillas. The Cuevitas Wash will replace the Three Poles to Borrego section of previous courses.

Also for the first time, the second half of the course, that will run in a counter-clockwise direction and start and finish at the landmark San Felipe arches, will use the infamous washes of Matomi, Azufre, Huatamote and Chanate along with Amarillas before heading to the finish line.

With entries accepted up to race morning, over 225 entries from over 15 US States and 10 countries expected to enter the race and competition will be held in 28 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes in the popular race.

Following January’s two rounds at the season-opening SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge, the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Series will be visiting Mexico for the first of three annual SCORE Baja races in 2012.

The start draw for Round 3 of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series will determine the starting order within each of the various classes in the elapsed-time race.

“We think that the races will really enjoy this opportunity to challenge some different areas of the Baja peninsula,” said Sal Fish, SCORE CEO/President since soon after SCORE was founded in 1973. “We have been able to put together some new territory to add to the majestic terrain of our SCORE Baja race course for San Felipe.”

Pre-running will be allowed on the actual race course from Saturday, Feb. 25 through Friday, March 9.

A unique part of Saturday’s drawing will be the special drawing for the top 12 finishers from the nearest previous SCORE Baja race entered in the current race in both SCORE Trophy Truck and the unlimited Class 1. For this race it will be the top 12 finishers in each class from last November’s 44th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. After those groups are drawn, the remainder of the entries in each class will be selected for their respective starting positions after the first group in each class.

The pre-race Manufacturer’s Midway and tech inspection of the vehicles in the race will be held on Friday, March 9 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the picturesque Malecon, flanked by the Sea of Cortez on one side and the popular restaurants and night clubs of San Felipe on the other.

The green flag will drop at 6 a.m. on Saturday, March 10, for the motorcycle and ATV classes, followed three hours after the last Sportsman ATV later by the car and truck classes at approximately 10 a.m. The start line and finish line for the race is scheduled to once again be the landmark San Felipe Arches on Highway 5 on the outskirts of San Felipe. One vehicle will start every 30 seconds in the elapsed-time race, with an 11-hour time limit to become an official finisher.

Round 3 of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series, the MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 annually provides a greater economic impact to San Felipe than the popular six-week-long ‘Spring Break’.

Pre-race festivities on Friday, March 9 will include Contingency row and Tech inspection on the Malecon in San Felipe. Contingency will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tech will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The post-race awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, March 11 at 10 a.m. PDT time. Daylight Savings Time begins in Baja and the United States at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 11.

In addition to season class point championships, the racers are also competing for part of the nearly $400,000 in cash purse and contingency postings each race. Drivers in the Pro car and truck classes are also attempting to earn prestigious SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards given to all car and truck class drivers who complete every required mile of the five-race season. Being presented by Toyota Motorsports for the 27th consecutive year, a total of 61 drivers are still in the hunt for the awards for the 2012 SCORE Desert Series after the first two rounds in the five-race series.

Racers are also competing for the annual SCORE Off-Roadsman of the Year awards, including the MasterCraft Safety SCORE Rookie of the Year award. All categories, except Engine Builder and Original Buggy Chassis Manufacturer, will be determined by public on-line voting while Engine and Buggy awards are determined by season points.

Tecate Beer is the title sponsor of the three SCORE Baja races.

MasterCraft Safety is co-title sponsor of the 26th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250.

Official Sponsors of the SCORE Desert Series are:

-BFGoodrich Tires, Official Tire

-Volkswagen of America, Official Vehicle

-Sunoco Race Fuels, Official Race Fuel

-Slime, Official Tire Sealant

-Symons Ambulance Company, Official Ambulance

-Bilstein, Official Shock Absorber

-Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Official Mexican Auto Insurance

Official Sponsors of the SCORE Baja 1000 are:

-Coca-Cola, Official Soft Drink

-Volaris Airlines, Official Airline

-Lightforce Performance Lighting, Official Driving Light

Additional SCORE Sponsors are – Proturismo Ensenada, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Las Vegas Events, Blue C Advertising, SignPros, PCI Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.

For more information, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.

2012 SCORE Desert Series Race-by-Race Class Winners

18th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

Round 1

Laughlin, Nevada • Jan. 14, 2012

Total Starters: 99 Total Finishers: 78

Pro Cars & Trucks

SCORE TROPHY TRUCK—B.J. Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado

CLASS 1—Steven Eugenio, Alpine, Calif./Adam Pfankuch, Oceanside, Calif., Jimco-Chevy

CLASS 1/2-1600—Cody Robinson, El Centro, Calif., Romo-VW

CLASS 3—Donald Moss, Sacramento, Calif., Ford Bronco

CLASS 5—Kevin Carr, San Diego, VW Baja Bug

CLASS 5-1600—Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va./Tom Fernandez, Ensenada, Mexico, VW Baja Bug

CLASS 6—Eduardo Laguna, Mexicali, Mexico, Chevy Colorado

CLASS 7—Dan Chamlee, Carpenteria, Calif., Ford Ranger

CLASS 7SX—John Holmes, Olivenhain, Calif./Justin Fisher, San Ysidro, Calif., Ford Ranger

CLASS 8—Rodolfo Iribe, San Ysidro, Calif., Chevy Silverado

CLASS 10—Matt Cullen, Long Beach, Calif., AlumiCraft-Honda

SCORE LITES—Rafael Navarro IV, Temecula, Calif., Jimco-VW

STOCK FULL—Wes Bevly III, Corpus Christi, Texas, Ford F-150

STOCK MINI—Andy Bell/Ted Moncure, Long Beach, Calif., Toyota Tacoma

CLASS 7-2—Billy Wilson, Corpus Christi, Texas, BajaLite-Chevy

CLASS 4—Derek Fletcher, Abingdon, Va., PSD-Chevy

CLASS 2—Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va./Steven Arlia, Phoenix, PSD-Chevy

Sportsman

SPT BUGGY—Jim Bunn/John Matney, Bristol, Va., Geiser-Chevy

SPT TRUCK—Nick Tonelli, Huntington Beach, Calif., Ford Ranger

18th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

Round 2

Laughlin, Nevada • Jan. 15, 2012

Total Starters: 92 Total Finishers: 71

Pro Cars & Trucks

SCORE TROPHY TRUCK—Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, Ford F-150

CLASS 1—Cody Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy

CLASS 1/2-1600—Robert S. Archibald, El Cajon, Calif., Mirage-VW

CLASS 3—Donald Moss, Sacramento, Calif., Ford Bronco

CLASS 5—Kevin Carr, San Diego, VW Baja Bug

CLASS 5-1600—Erich Reisen, Canada, VW Baja Bug

CLASS 6—Eduardo Laguna, Mexicali, Mexico, Chevy Colorado

CLASS 7—Dan Chamlee, Carpenteria, Calif., Ford Ranger

CLASS 7SX—Elias Hanna, Ensenada, Mexico, Ford Ranger

CLASS 8—Rodolfo Iribe, San Ysidro, Calif., Chevy Silverado

CLASS 10—Michael LaPaglia, Murrieta, Calif., Racer-Chevy

SCORE LITES—Otoneil Huerta, San Luis, Ariz., Curry-VW

STOCK FULL—Joe Bacal, Anthem, Ariz., Lexus LX570

STOCK MINI—Andy Bell/Ted Moncure, Long Beach, Calif., Toyota Tacoma

CLASS 7-2—Billy Wilson, Corpus Christi, Texas, BajaLite-Chevy

CLASS 4—Derek Fletcher, Abingdon, Va., PSD-Chevy

CLASS 2—Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va./Steven Arlia, Phoenix, PSD-Chevy

Sportsman

SPT BUGGY—Jim Bunn/John Matney, Bristol, Va., Geiser-Chevy

SPT TRUCK—Nick Tonelli, Huntington Beach, Calif., Ford Ranger

SCORE San Felipe 250 Start Draw Saturday

Fish — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:12:01 +0000

February 6, 2012

Over 225 entries expected

Drawing for starting positions this Saturday at SCORE

For 26th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250

Top 12 in SCORE Trophy Truck & Class 1 from 2011 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 to have special primary draw;

Round 3 of five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series to be held March 9-11 in San Felipe, Mexico

LOS ANGELES—Entries from across the globe, including many of the world’s top desert racers are entering in time for Saturday’s start draw for next month’s 26th Annual MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 desert race. With the drawing being held at the SCORE International headquarters in Los Angeles, the race itself will be held March 9-11 along the azure waters of the Sea of Cortez in San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico.

The start draw for Round 2 of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series will determine the starting order within each of the various classes in the elapsed-time race.

“San Felipe has long been a very popular spring race on the SCORE Baja racing schedule and this is our third year with MasterCraft Safety as the co-title sponsor of the race along with Tecate,” said Sal Fish, SCORE CEO/President since soon after SCORE was founded in 1973. “With this year’s race being our third of the season we expect a great race in a superb venue that will launch are three final races of the season in Mexico.”

Pre-running will be allowed on the actual race course from Saturday, Feb. 25 through Friday, March 9 and SCORE CEO/President expects to announce details regarding the 2012 course in the next two weeks.

The top 12 finishers in SCORE Trophy Truck from the 2011 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 were: Andy McMillin/Scott McMillin-National City, Calif., Nick Vanderwey/Mike Vanderwey, Phoenix/Curt LeDuc, Cherry Valley, Calif., Bryce Menzies-Las Vegas, Mark McMillin-El Cajon, Calif., Clyde Stacy-Bristol, Va., Jesse James-Austin, Texas, Ken Losch-Tempe, Ariz., Robby Gordon-Charlotte, N.C., Troy Herbst-Las Vegas, Rick Geiser-Phoenix, Rob MacCachren-Las Vegas and Dave Crinklaw-Reedley, Calif.

In the unlimited Class 1, the top 12 finishers from the 2011 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 were: Justin Davis-Chino Hills, Calif., Ronny Wilson-Long Beach, Calif., Brian Parkhouse-Long Beach, Calif., Mark Hutchins-Henderson, Nev., Damen Jefferies-Apple Valley, Calif., Eric Harp, Panama City Beach, Fla., Brett Lenk-Newport Beach, Calif., David Greenhill/Mike Greenhill-Crowley, Texas, Marco Valdez-Ensenada, Mexico, Conan Barker-Whittier, Calif., Kory Halopoff-Orange, Calif. and Mike Childress-Wrightwood, Calif.

Moving out from the shadow of his father and his uncle’s experienced tracks, Southern California desert racer Cody Parkhouse has assumed the SCORE overall and unlimited Class 1 point lead after the first two rounds of the five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series. With the season’s last three races all to be run in Baja, Mexico, Cody Parkhouse, 24 of Long Beach, Calif., opened the season at the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge in mid-January by finishing second in the first round and winning the second in a Chevy-powered Jimco open-wheeled desert race car the following day.

A second-generation desert racer and the youngest of the three Parkhouse racers, Cody Parkhouse has 103 season points.

With Mexico’s Juan C. Lopez finishing second in both Laughlin races in the No. 18 RPM Off-Road Chevy Silverado to lead the featuring SCORE Trophy Truck division points, RPM leads the point standings in seven classes after the first two races of the five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series. Lopez, of Tecate, Mexico, is also second overall in points with 101 heading into the MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250.

With 11 racers winning their respective classes both days in Laughlin, third in overall points and second in SCORE Trophy Truck after ninth and first place finishes to open the season is Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren, who has 94 points after two races in the No. 20 MasterCraft Racing Ford F-150. An eight-time SCORE season class point champion, MacCachren’s win in Round 2 in Laughlin was his 10th career race win in SCORE Trophy Truck, the marquee SCORE racing division for high-tech, 850-horsepower, unlimited production trucks.

With consistent Laughlin finishes of fourth and third, Steve Strobel, Clarks, Neb., is fourth in SCORE Overall points and third in SCORE Trophy Truck with 90 points in the No. 94 Strobel Motorsports Ford F-150 while rounding out the top five overall and second in Class 1 is Harley Letner, Orange, Calif., who has 90 points after his fourth and second-place finishes in Laughlin.

Cody Parkhouse’s father and uncle are both third in their respective class point standings with Cody’s father Brian racing in Class 1 as well as his son and his uncle Brent racing in SCORE Lites.

The most extensive and impressive team performance in Laughlin was recorded by RPM Off-Road of Bristol, Tenn. While Justin Matney, one of the team’s primary drivers rehabs a bad back, team regular driver Clyde Stacy along with several other drivers, recorded 11 class wins among the nine vehicles RPM had entered in two Laughlin races.

RPM Off-Road earned 11 total class wins among their nine entries in each of the season-opening Laughlin races on the way to leading the points in an unprecedented seven SCORE classes. Besides Lopez in SCORE Trophy Truck, Stacy, Bristol, Va. leads both Class 5-1600 (1600cc VW Baja Bug) and Class 2 (PSD-Chevy), the other RPM class point leaders are Eduardo Laguna, Mexicali, Mexico (Class 6, Chevy Colorado), Rodolfo Iribe, San Ysidro, Calif. (Class 8, Chevy Silverado), Derek Fletcher, Abingdon, Va. (Class 4, PSD-Chevy) and Jim Bunn, Bristol, Va. (Sportsman Buggy, Geiser-Chevy). Stacy, Laguna, Iribe, Fletcher and Bunn each won their respective classes in both of the Laughlin races.

The race began in 1982 and was not held between 1985 and 1989, the first five years of the seven-year combined High Desert Racing Association-HDRA/SCORE Desert Series of US and Baja races. It has been held consecutively each year since 1990.

In its first 25 years, the race has been held in San Felipe all but 2007 when political issues forced a last minute move by SCORE, starting it in Ensenada and finishing it in Santo Tomas. Ironically, 2007 saw a race-record 394 starters and a race record 288 finishers even though the race was moved and the course changed just 10 days before the event. The records when the race actually started and finished in San Felipe are 341 for starters in 2006 and 220 for finishers, also in 2006.

Tecate Beer is the title sponsor of the three SCORE Baja races.

MasterCraft Safety is co-title sponsor of the 26th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250.

Official Sponsors of the SCORE Desert Series are:

-BFGoodrich Tires, Official Tire

-Volkswagen of America, Official Vehicle

-Sunoco Race Fuels, Official Race Fuel

-Slime, Official Tire Sealant

-Symons Ambulance Company, Official Ambulance

-Bilstein, Official Shock Absorber

-Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Official Mexican Auto Insurance

Official Sponsors of the SCORE Baja 1000 are:

-Coca-Cola, Official Soft Drink

-Volaris Airlines, Official Airline

-Lightforce Performance Lighting, Official Driving Light

For more information, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.

MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250

All-Time Overall Champions

Pro Cars & Trucks

Year–Driver(s), Vehicle (Class)

1982–Dan Cornwell, Chenowth-VW (Class 1)

1983–Corky McMillin/Scott McMillin, Chenowth-Porsche (Class 2)

1984–Scott McMillin/Corky McMillin, Chenowth-Porsche (Class 2)

1990–Brian Collins/Jack Johnson, Chenowth-VW (Class 1)

1991–Larry Ragland, Chevy C1500 (Class 8)

1992–Bob Richey/Boyd Cox, Raceco-Porsche (Class 1)

1993–Scott Douglas, Ford Ranger (Class 7)

1994–Ivan Stewart, Toyota SR5 (SCORE Trophy Truck)

1995–Larry Ragland, Chevy C1500 (SCORE Trophy Truck)

1996–Robby Gordon, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy Truck)

1997–Curt LeDuc, Jeep Grand Cherokee (SCORE Trophy Truck)

1998–Mark Post/Jerry Whelchel, Riviera-Chevy (Class 1)

1999–Ed Herbst/Tim Herbst, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy Truck)

2000–Tim Herbst/Ed Herbst, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy Truck)

2001–Tim Herbst/Ed Herbst, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy Truck)

2002–Dan Smith/David Ashley, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy Truck)

2003–Gus Vildosola/Rob MacCachren, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy Truck)

2004–Mark Post/Jerry Whelchel, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy Truck)

2005–Andy McMillin/Scott McMillin, Jimco-Chevy (Class 1)

2006–Garron Cadiente, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy Truck)

2007–Mark Post/Rob MacCachren, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy Truck)

2008–Brian Collins, Dodge Ram1500 (SCORE Trophy Truck)

2009–Brian Collins, Dodge Ram1500 (SCORE Trophy Truck)

2010–Armin Schwarz/Martin Christensen, Jimco-BMW (Class 1)

2011—Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy Truck)

Pro Motorcycles

Year–Rider(s), Vehicle

1982–Bob Balentine, Honda XR500 (Class 22)

1983–Jack Johnson, Honda XR500 (Class 22)

1984–Dan Smith/Dan Ashcraft, Husqvarna CR500 (Class 22)

1990–Dan Smith/Danny Hamel, KTM (Class 22)

1991–Larry Roeseler/Ted Hunnicut Jr, Kawasaki KX500 (Class 22)

1992–Larry Roeseler/Ted Hunnicut Jr, Kawasaki KX500 (Class 22)

1993–Danny Hamel, Kawasaki KX500 (Class 22)

1994–Danny Hamel, Kawasaki KX500 (Class 22)

1995–Danny Hamel, Kawasaki KX500 (Class 22)

1996–Paul Krause, Kawasaki KX500 (Class 22)

1997–Tim Staab, Honda XR650 (Class 22)

1998–Johnny Campbell/Tim Staab, Honda XR650 (Class 22)

1999–Johnny Campbell/Cole Marshall, Honda XR650 (Class 22)

2000–Johnny Campbell/Tim Staab, Honda XR650 (Class 22)

2001–Steve Hengeveld/Jonah Street, Honda XR650R (Class 22)

2002–Steve Hengeveld/Johnny Campbell, Honda XR650R (Class 22)

2003–Steve Hengeveld/Johnny Campbell, Honda XR650R (Class 22)

2004–Steve Hengeveld/Johnny Campbell, Honda XR650R (Class 22)

2005–Chris Blais/Andy Grider/Quinn Cody, KTM MXC525 (Class 22)

2006–Robby Bell/Kendall Norman, Honda CRF450X (Class 22)

2007–Robby Bell/Kendall Norman, Honda CRF450X (Class 22)

2008–Robby Bell/Johnny Campbell, Honda CRF450X (Class 22)

2009–Kendall Norman/Timmy Weigand, Honda CRF450X (Class 22)

2010–Colton Udall/Jeff Kargola, Honda CRF450X (Class 22)

2011–Colton Udall/Jeff Kargola, Honda CRF450X (Class 22)

Sportsman Cars & Trucks

Year–Driver(s), Vehicle (Class)

2008–Peter Lang, Homebuilt-Chevy (SPT Car)

2009–Peter Lang, Homebuilt-Chevy (SPT Car)

2010–Wendell Mortensen, Raceco-VW (SPT Car)

2011–Nick Tonelli, Huntington Beach, Calif., Ford Ranger (SPT Truck)

Sportsman Motorcycles

Year–Rider(s), Vehicle

2008–Bill Gilbert, Honda CRF450X (SPT M/C>250cc)

2009–Jeff Leonard, Bakersfield, Calif., Honda CRF450X (SPT M/C>250cc)

2010–Ron Tolman, Honda CRF450X (SPT M/C<250cc)

2011– Issac Cisneros, San Diego, Yamaha YZF450 (SPT M/C<450cc)

MasterCraft Safety Tecate 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

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)

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)

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)

1999—149 Finishers (234 Starters)

2004—149 Finishers (249 Starters)

The 2012 JCR/Honda pit service is ready to take you racing in Baja!

Fish — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:05:25 +0000

The 2012 Baja race season is here and JCR/Honda pits are ready to support you in the adventure of a lifetime! With the SCORE San Felipe 250 coming up its time to get your team together and make it happen and we are here to help. This year’s pit service fee is $250.00 and is open to all Honda mounted racers.

This is going to be a great season of racing in Baja and the JCR/Honda pit service has your back, so sign up now or give us a call or email and we’ll get you situated.

“The pit service we offer is second to none and is vital to Honda customers. It’s one of the many advantages you get when you ride and race red.” — Johnny Campbell

Download the flyer and sign up sheet here. http://www.mediafire.com/?ojlowpcvauw6me1

You can also find many answers to your FAQ’s www.JCRHonda.com/pits

2012 SCORE Desert Series Point Leaders 1.26

Fish — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:13:38 +0000

January 26, 2012

Lopez leads SCORE Trophy Truck

C. Parkhouse leading SCORE Overall & Class 1 points, Lopez tops

SCORE Trophy Truck after 2 rounds of 2012 SCORE Desert Series

Tennessee’s RPM Off-Road leading seven classes, other leaders include Robinson, O. Huerta, Cullen, Chamlee;

Start draw Feb. 11 for 26th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 to be held in Baja, Mexico March 9-11

LOS ANGELES—Moving out from the shadow of his father and his uncle’s experienced tracks, Southern California desert racer Cody Parkhouse has assumed the SCORE overall and unlimited Class 1 point lead after the first two rounds of the five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series. With the season’s last three races all to be run in Baja, Mexico, Cody Parkhouse, 24 of Long Beach, Calif., opened the season at the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge in mid-January by finishing second in the first round and winning the second in a Chevy-powered Jimco open-wheeled desert race car the following day.

A second-generation desert racer and the youngest of the three Parkhouse racers, Cody Parkhouse has 103 season points to help launch the 39th season of Sal Fish’s SCORE Desert Series, the world’s foremost desert racing series.

The draw of starting positions, by class, will be held Saturday, Feb. 11 at the SCORE headquarters in Los Angeles.

SCORE points are based on starting, finishing, placement and number of official starters within each class.

Cody Parkhouse’s father, Brian Parkhouse is third in Class 1 points while his uncle Brent Parkhouse is third in SCORE Lites points after the first two SCORE races of 2012.

The most extensive impressive team performance in Laughlin was recorded by RPM Off-Road of Bristol, Tenn. While Justin Matney, one of the team’s primary drivers rehabs a bad back, team regular driver Clyde Stacy along with several other drivers, recorded 11 class wins among the nine vehicles RPM had entered in two Laughlin races.

RPM Off-Road earned 11 total class wins among their nine entries in each of the season-opening Laughlin races on the way to leading the points in an unprecedented seven SCORE classes. Besides Lopez in SCORE Trophy Truck, Stacy, Bristol, Va. leads both Class 5-1600 (1600cc VW Baja Bug) and Class 2 (PSD-Chevy), the other RPM class point leaders are Eduardo Laguna, Mexicali, Mexico (Class 6, Chevy Colorado), Rodolfo Iribe, San Ysidro, Calif. (Class 8, Chevy Silverado), Derek Fletcher, Abingdon, Va. (Class 4, PSD-Chevy) and Jim Bunn, Bristol, Va. (Sportsman Buggy, RGBuggy-Chevy). Stacy, Laguna, Iribe, Fletcher and Bunn each won their respective classes in both of the Laughlin races.

Besides RPM’s Stacy, Laguna, Iribe, Fletcher, Bunn, the other racers who won both races in Laughlin to open the season as point leaders in their respective class point standings are Dan Chamlee, Carpenteria, Calif. (Class 7, Ford Ranger), Donald Moss, Sacramento Calif. (Class 3, Ford Bronco), Kevin Carr, San Diego (Class 5, unlimited VW Baja Bug), Andy Bell, Long Beach California (Stock Mini, Toyota Tacoma) and Billy Wilson, Corpus Christi, Texas (Class 7-2, BajaLite-Chevy).

Besides Cody Parkhouse (Class 1) and Stacy (Class 5-1600), the other racers who lead the points in their respective class after winning one of the first two races are Cody Robinson, El Centro, Calif. (Class 1/2-1600, Romo-VW), Matt Cullen, Long Beach, Calif. (Class 10, AlumiCraft-Honda) and Otoneil Huerta, San Luis, Ariz. (SCORE Lites, Curry-VW). Tied for the point lead in Stock Full with one race win each are Wes Bevly III, Corpus Christi, Texas (Ford F-150) and Joe Bacal, Anthem, Ariz., (Lexus LX570).

Besides Bunn, the other Sportsman class point leader, who also won both Laughlin races, is Nick Tonelli, Huntington Beach, Calif. (SPT Truck, Ford Ranger).

Tecate Beer is the title sponsor of the three SCORE Baja races.

MasterCraft Safety is co-title sponsor of the 26th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250.

Official Sponsors of the SCORE Desert Series are:

-BFGoodrich Tires, Official Tire

-Volkswagen of America, Official Vehicle

-Sunoco Race Fuels, Official Race Fuel

-Slime, Official Tire Sealant

-Symons Ambulance Company, Official Ambulance

-Bilstein, Official Shock Absorber

-Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Official Mexican Auto Insurance

Official Sponsors of the SCORE Baja 1000 are:

-Coca-Cola, Official Soft Drink

-Volaris Airlines, Official Airline

-Lightforce Performance Lighting, Official Driving Light

For more information, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.

2012 SCORE Desert Series Point Leaders

(After SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge Rounds 1 and 2, Jan. 14-15; Remaining races: 26th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250-March 9-11—San Felipe, Mexico; 44th Tecate SCORE Baja 500-June 1-3, Ensenada, Mexico; 45th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000-Nov. 17-20, Ensenada to La Paz, Mexico)

Top 20 Overall Cars and Trucks

(Position, Drivers, Vehicle-Engine, Class, Points)

1. Cody Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy (Class 1), 103

2. Juan C. Lopez, Tecate, Mexico, Chevy Silverado (SCORE Trophy Truck), 101

3. Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy Truck), 94

4. Steve Strobel, Clarks, Neb, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy Truck), 90

5. Harley Letner, Orange, Calif., Alpha-Chevy (Class 1), 88

6. Gary Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy Truck), 87

7. Brian Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy (Class 1), 86

8. Brendan Gaughan, Las Vegas, Dodge Ram1500 (SCORE Trophy Truck), 84

8. Eduardo Laguna, Mexicali, Mexico, Chevy Colorado (Class 6), 84

10. Cody Robinson, El Centro, Calif., Romo-VW (Class 1/2-1600), 82

10. Damen Jefferies, Apple Valley, Calif., Jefferies-Chevy (Class 1), 82

12. Mark Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy Truck), 80

12. Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va., PSD-Chevy (Class 2), 80

12. Donald Moss, Sacramento, Calif., Ford Bronco (Class 3), 80

12. Derek Fletcher, Abingdon, Va., PSD-Chevy (Class 4), 80

12. Kevin Carr, San Diego, VW Baja Bug (Class 5), 80

12. Dan Chamlee, Carpenteria, Calif., Ford Ranger (Class 7), 80

12. Billy Wilson, Corpus Christi, Texas, BajaLite-Chevy (Class 7-2), 80

12. Rodolfo Iribe, San Ysidro, Calif., Chevy Silverado (Class 8), 80

12. Andy Bell, Long Beach, Calif., Toyota Tacoma (Stock Mini), 80

2011 SCORE Desert Series Class Point Leaders

(NOTE: Motorcycles, ATVs and SPT UTVs race in the three SCORE Baja races)

(With Class wins in parenthesis)

Pro Cars and Trucks

SCORE TROPHY TRUCK—1. Juan C. Lopez, Tecate, Mexico, Chevy Silverado, 101; 2. Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, Ford F-150 (1), 94; 3. Steven Strobel, Clarks, Neb., Ford F-150, 90; 4. Gary Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150, 87; 5. Brendan Gaughan, Las Vegas, Dodge Ram1500, 84; 6. Mark Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150, 80; 7. Scott Whipple, Norco, Calif., Ford F-150, 76; 8. (Tie) James Bult, Monee, Ill., Dodge Ram2500 and Nick Vanderwey, Phoenix, Chevy Silverado, 70; 10. B.J. Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado (1), 68; 11; (Tie) Tim Herbst, Las Vegas, Ford F-150 and Ryan Arciero, Foothill Ranch, Calif., Chevy C1500, 66.

CLASS 1—Cody Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy (1), 103; 2. Harley Letner, Orange, Calif., Alpha-Chevy, 88; 3. Brian Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 88; 4. Damen Jefferies, Apple Valley, Calif., Jefferies-Chevy, 82; 5. Steve Appleton, Boise, Idaho, Jimco-Chevy, 75; 6. (Tie) Steven Eugenio, Alpine, Calif./Adam Pfankuch, Oceanside, Calif., Jimco-Chevy (1) and Pete Sohren, Glendale, Calif., Geiser-Ford, 71; 8. Monica Greenhill, Crowley, Texas, Jimco-Chevy, 65; 9. Ronny Wilson, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 59; 10. Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va., Geiser-Chevy, 51; 11. (Tie) Conan Barker, Whitter, Calif., Porter-Ford, Eric Hardin, Garden Grove, Calif., RPS-Chevy and Jaime Huerta, San Luis, Ariz., Porter-Chevy, 50.

CLASS 1/2-1600—1. Cody Robinson, El Centro, Calif., Romo-VW (1), 82; Robert Archibald, El Cajon, Calif., Mirage-VW (1), 78; 3. Brad Wilson, Long Beach, Calif., Kreger-VW, 65; 4. Jason Markham, Ventura, Calif., Lothringer-VW, 58; 5. (Tie) George Peters, Newbury Park, Calif., Lothringer-VW and Brian Wilson, Long Beach, Kreger-VW, 57.

CLASS 3—1. Donald Moss, Sacramento, Calif., Ford Bronco (2), 80.

CLASS 5—1. Kevin Carr, San Diego, VW Baja Bug (2),80.

CLASS 5-1600—1. Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va., VW Baja Bug (1), 74; 2. Erich Reisen, VW Baja Bug (1), 59.

CLASS 6—1. Eduardo Laguna, Mexicali, Mexico, Chevy Colorado (2), 84; 2. Rene Brugger, San Diego, Ford Ranger 64; 3. Dan Holtz, Los Angeles, Ford Ranger, 63.

CLASS 7—1. Dan Chamlee, Carpenteria, Calif., Ford Ranger (2), 80; 2. Brandon Walsh, Encinitas, Calif., Toyota Tacoma, 49.

CLASS 7SX—1. (Tie) Jon Anderson, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., Toyota Tacoma, and Rich Severson, Tucson, Ariz., Ford Ranger, 64; 3. Elias Hanna, Ensenada, Mexico, Ford Ranger (1), 40.

CLASS 8—1. Rodolfo Iribe, San Ysidro, Calif., Chevy Silverado (1), 80.

CLASS 10—1. Matt Cullen, Long Beach, Calif., AlumiCraft-Honda (1), 71; 2. Peter Hajas, Wayzata, Minn., Kreger-Chevy, and Perry McNeil, Lemon Grove, Calif., Lothringer-VW, 62; 4. Mark Lawrence, El Monte, Calif., Lothringer-VW, 55; 5. Mike Lawrence, El Monte, Calif., Chenowth-Honda, 51; 6. Michael LaPaglia, Murrieta, Calif., Jimco-Chevy (1), 41.

SCORE LITES—1. Otoneil Huerta, San Luis, Ariz., Curry-VW (1), 76; 2. Rafael Navarro IV, Temecula, Calif./Vic Bruckmann, Lemon Grove, Calif., Jimco-VW (1), 72; 3. Brent Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif./Brian Burgess, Riverside, Calif., Moulton-VW, 61; 4. Matt Laughlin, Laughlin, Nev., Penhall-VW, 59; 5. Jeff Sanca, Canada, Porter-VW, 54; 6. Lobsam Yee, Tijuana, Mexico, Curry-VW, 50.

STOCK FULL—1. (Tie) Wes Bevly III, Corpus Christi, Texas, Ford F-150 (1) and Joe Bacal, Anthem, Ariz., Lexus LX570 (1), 74; 3. Marc Stein, San Diego, Ford F-150, 60.

STOCK MINI—1. Andy Bell/Ted Moncure, Long Beach, Calif., Toyota Tacoma (2), .

CLASS 7-2—1. Billy Wilson/Wes Bevly IV, Corpus Christi, Texas, BajaLite-Chevy (2), 80; 2. (Tie) Dana Dague, Huntington Beach, Calif., Mason-Chevy, and Reid Rutherford, Montrose, Colo. Mason-Chevy, 64.

CLASS 4—1. Derek Fletcher, Abingdon, Va., PSD-Chevy (2), 370; 2. Mike Shaffer, Oakland, Calif., Custom-Chevy, 68.

CLASS 2—1. Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va., PSD-Chevy (2), 80; 2. Jon Anderson, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., Toyota Tacoma, 68.

Sportsman

SPT TRUCK—1. Nick Tonelli, Huntington Beach, Calif., Ford Ranger (2), 80.

SPT BUGGY—1. Jim Bunn, Bristol, Va., RGBBuggy-Chevy (2), 80.

2012 SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge – Monster Energy Off Road Race Team

Kilian Hamlin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:59:25 +0000

The SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge; the season opener for 2012. Get a first-hand view of this sick loop course as the team battles through the short course style turns and high-speed sections to make some moves on the competition!

Directed by The Martelli Brothers – Produced by Mad Media

“Hot” and turbulent season-opener for the AGM-Jimco X6 SCORE Trophy Truck

Fish — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:50:14 +0000

Adversities thrown at Armin Schwarz and All German Motorsports at the Laughlin Desert Challenge.

Laughlin/Nevada (USA), 17 January 2012. The season-opening round of the 2012 US SCORE Championship did not run to plan for Armin Schwarz and All German Motorsports. At the two races of the Laughlin Desert Challenge, they aimed to earn as many points as possible with their brand new AGM-Jimco X6 SCORE Trophy Truck to set themselves up for the rest of the season. But things turned out differently. In the first race on Saturday, Schwarz had to throw in the towel. In Sunday’s second race, teammate Martin Christensen faced several difficulties, but managed to bring the Trophy Truck home in tenth place.

“We actually experienced the same difficult start in Laughlin as we’ve had every year. We’ve never had much luck here,” explains Schwarz. “We’ve never achieved a good result to start the season, but then we’ve gone strong for the rest of the year with good results. So obviously that’s what I’m hoping for now.”

The difficulties already began in the days leading up to the race when Schwarz and AGM went testing in Mexico. The team made great progress in the set-up of the Trophy Truck, but an oil leak caused the vehicle to catch fire. “Luckily we were able to limit the damage and not lose the entire vehicle in flames,” said Schwarz. AGM worked day and night to repair the Trophy Truck in time for the race weekend and lost crucial time in preparing specifically for the Laughlin Desert Challenge.

Moreover, during the tests it became apparent that the springs were still too short. Partner Eibach is now working on supplying longer springs – but in the limited time to the race this was not possible. “The shorter springs have the effect of kicking the back of the car up strongly and this is a major disadvantage on the bumpy track around Laughlin. But that was just a minor aspect, because our goal was actually to finish the race,” explains Schwarz.

But this was not to be for the team in the first race on Saturday. After just two miles the halfshaft – the shaft that goes from the rear differential to the wheel – broke. “Then we only had one-wheel drive, so you may as well park the car on the side of the road. Otherwise you have many small components flying around that would pulverise everything else,” describes Schwarz. The damages were fixed in time for Sunday’s race. AGM team boss Christensen piloted the Trophy Truck for the second event. For an as yet unknown reason, he lost second gear but managed to fight his way through to finish tenth.

“Through this defect we’ve learned a number of things when working with our brand new car. For instance, about the life expectancy of individual components like the halfshaft,” says Schwarz positively. “The whole week was anything but good, other than our very promising test results. But we can utilise the negative feedback to prepare for the next race, the Baja 250. Like last year there, we’ll try to bring home another good result.”

The Baja 250 runs from 9 to 11 March in the Mexican city of San Felipe. The squad now conducts a detailed analysis of individual components with partner Fortin. In addition, the crew will be looking at why the second gear didn’t work on Sunday. Based on the test results, Eibach are developing springs of the needed length. Just before the Baja 250 heads off, AGM will again go testing in San Felipe.

Joe Bacal Takes New Lexus to Victory in SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

Fish — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:09:31 +0000

For Immediate Release

Joe Bacal Takes New Lexus to Victory in SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

Just Misses Sweep of Twin Weekend Races to Kick Off 2012 Campaign

LAUGHLIN, Nevada, January 16, 2012 – Having endured a challenging 2011 off-road racing season, Joe Bacal brought his oven-fresh, factory-backed Lexus LX 570 to the 18th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge looking for a bit of redemption. After narrowly missing victory on Saturday “by one corner,” Bacal set a marker on Sunday with an emphatic win in the Stock Full class against a feisty 2011 class champion.

“We did a lot of work on the new LX to address issues we uncovered in our first two seasons,” said Bacal. “It paid off big in Laughlin–the truck really flies! A lot of the new speed comes from an improved suspension, courtesy of King Shocks.”

Bacal had just completed the new LX 570, a badly needed replacement for his battle-scarred first generation racer. It had virtually zero test time before the Laughlin races and Bacal faced a problem early on. But once the big LX cleared its throat, Bacal realized he had a very quick racer.

“We had teething electrical problems that slowed the new rig at the start of the first race,” said the 2010 Stock Full class champion. “It caused the engine to run in limp mode intermittently, but it cleared up long enough that I was able to reel in the leader and nearly got him at the end.”

Although the new Lexus was quick out of the box, Bacal’s rivals in the Stock Full class weren’t making life easy for him, and the race format of multiple laps around a short course made for a lot of wheel-to-wheel racing.

“We diced with the leaders and had to race guys in other classes that we normally wouldn’t run into,” said Bacal. “The racing was close and we also had some pretty big jumps that kept things interesting.”

In addition to the suspension changes, Bacal’s JT Grey Racing team and his vehicle builder, Geiser Brothers Racing, made further improvements to the big LX 570 in the off season with an eye toward weight reduction and more favorable weight distribution. The results were encouraging to the team as they look forward to a highly competitive 2012 racing season.

“It’s important for us to start strong this year after the difficulties we faced in 2011,” noted Bacal. “The competition has also intensified considerably, so we feel really good about our position so far. Fortunately, our sponsors such as King Shocks, BF Goodrich, KC HiLiTEs and ARB are stepping up to the challenge with us.”

BJ Baldwin Takes Round 1 at SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge; Round 2 DNF

Kilian Hamlin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:16:20 +0000

The opening race of the 2012 SCORE International series kicked off in Laughlin, NV next to the raging Colorado River. The Laughlin Desert Challenge was broken in to two races, giving racers the opportunity to score points both days. The course consisted of a 6.25 mile loop, featuring high speed jumps, sandy banked turns, rocky washes, and massive ruts known for crippling even the most capable of off road vehicles. This spectator friendly course featured 8 laps of hardcore off-road action with tons of bumping and passing.

Not only did the Friday qualifying lap earn racers spots for the first race on Saturday, but it ended BJ Baldwin tire hysteria as well. Finally, BJ ran his much-anticipated new Toyo tires in competition; and he did it well. With this quick and testing course in front of him, it was a perfect preview at what to expect from BJ in the longer races of 2012.

One lap was run on Friday to choose the started order for Round 1. SCORE sent racers off every 4 minutes so each racer had a clear path ahead of them. Top qualifier was none other than Baldwin, with an impressive time of 6 minutes and 23.99 seconds. Recent Off Road Hall of Fame inductee, Rob MacCachren, qualified second, a mere 10 seconds behind BJ. Needless to say, that’s a hell of a way to open 2012. Greg Nunley, Loyd Sproule, and Monster Energy’s Cameron Steele rounded out the top five.

Race day brought a calm and collected BJ, something not seen in 2011. “This year I am committed to wining races. I am not going to let anything get in the way of victory,” said Baldwin, “I want to focus on smarter driving and finishing races, keeping my eyes on the another championship.” The race, however, was a little different than the previous days qualifying, as BJ had to constantly fight off off-road race legend Rob Mac for the lead. “Our plan was to take it easy on the first few laps, but right after the start the pace was quick and we were being pressured by MacCachren. He started catching us on the second lap so we had to turn it up. Losing to a legend like Rob doesn’t bother me, he is an amazing driver, but beating him is awesome!” commented Baldwin.

BJ further separated from Rob when Rob had to pull over and change a flat on the sixth lap. From there, it was smooth sailing to the finish. Juan Carlos Lopez, from Tecate, Mexico, crossed the finish line over a minute after BJ, claiming second place in the Trophy Truck class. Cameron Steele entered three Dessert Assassins trucks to the race, including two Trophy Trucks. Josh Daniel, in the #14 Truck, did not finish the race and after a promising start in the early laps of the race, Steele’s #16 truck transmission blew, sending shrapnel towards the passenger seat. Co-driver Cody Stuart suffered a severe leg injury and was taken to Las Vegas for a nightlong surgery. Cody will have a long recovery and we wish him the best. Cameron attended Stuarts trip to Las Vegas and was with him throughout the night. With him in mind, he booked it back to Laughlin in time for Sundays race.

Starting from the back, Cameron was able to battle through the field of 22 to finish his #16 truck 7th. Truck #14 finished 5th, with Josh Daniel behind the wheel. BJ ran in to mechanical issues that forced him to limp through the course by lap 3. On board computer issues shut down 3 cylinders when he was 14 seconds ahead of Rob Mac. BJ made it through the 4th lap but after hearing about medical issues concerning teammate and father, Bobby Baldwin, he cut straight to him. Bobby suffered a heavy concussion and blurred vision in his left eye after a cruel landing off a jump. Race officials called for SCORE rescue over the radio and took the two to medical facilities. We are happy to report after a night in the hospital and several tests, Bobby has been released yesterday morning. Both co-drivers took over the vehicles and neither would finish.

This weekend we saw two race extremes of the new era of BJ Baldwin. Will the new tires make a significant difference, as seen on Saturday? Will mechanical issues continue to haunt him like on Sunday? Your guess is as good as ours. I guess we’ll see at the BITD Parker 425 in early February.

Photos by Art Eugenio for Mad Media

[Show as slideshow]

Laughlin Desert Challenge Day 2

Art Eugenio — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:55:18 +0000

Day 2 of the Laughlin Desert Challenge found Rob MacCachren at the top of the podium after a tough battle with Juan Carlos Lopez. “Last year we were close and we ended up second, but this a great way to start the new season,” said MacCachren. “Last year we swept both rounds in San Felipe and the shocks have really come a long way over the years and these little shock coolers up on top; that’s our secret weapon for San Felipe.” “There was some great racing today. I can’t wait to do it some more.”

Rob Mac on his way to winning the LDC

The hired gun from Tecate brought the RPM/Clyde Stacy truck across the line in 2nd position. This solidifies Juan Carlos Lopez’s promise to be a threat in the 2012. “It was very hard and technical out there, lots of whoops,” said a very happy Juan Carlos. “It was either too soft or too hard, but it was a lot of fun. The truck ran great and we had no problems.”

"PIN" at LDC

Taking home third was Steven Stroble who just came off a stellar year nearly pulling off a championship in a rival race series. “The course changed as the race went on and we lost some right at the end,” said Stroble. “The motor started to go a little bit soft and something in the suspension too.” “It was chewed up out there but we came home with a good finish.” “Right at the end, Rob (MacCachren) caught us so we let him by and we chased him on in to the finish line. I didn’t want to hold him up. We weren’t going to be able to get the win but it’s a great way to start the season. We’re going to San Felipe; we’re running for the points and everything counts to get these things across the finish line.”

Top honors in Class 1 was Cody Parkhouse. “It is a brutal, brutal track. Everything is more squared off and twice as big – which suits this car well, but it beats you up,” said Cody. “We had no issues at all; we ran clean and ran fast. We got it (the win), but we’ll have to wait until it is official. Once again, I ran around with my dad for a lap or two, and it was fun.”

Cody Parkhouse

Second in Class 1 was Harley Letner. “It was a flawless run but I had to put a backup motor in after Friday, so it’s a little low on power but what it lacks in power, I make up on suspension” said Harley. “Our crew sets it up so great and it just works great. It was rough out there. Yesterday was a freeway compared to now; it was insane!”

And rounding out the top three in Class 1 was Brian Parkhouse. “We had no problems; it was just rough and I couldn’t keep up with the young kids.” said Brian. “I was pretty close to Harley (Letner) on splits, but we’ll take third just the same.” “The car worked great and the setup was good. The course got a lot rougher today. We expected that and made some adjustments on our shock package and compensated for it pretty well.”

Brian Parkhouse

The racing at the LDC was great as always but the overall atmosphere left something lacking compared to years past. What once was a exciting, action packed weekend of watching your favorite racers in door to door combat for the win is now just a shell of its former glory. Over the years, the race has been put through the ringer, shrinking in size and becoming less and less of a spectator sport. Many have speculated why, but from this writer’s point of view, the blame falls directly on the BLM and their questionable interpretation of the law. We keep loosing more and more and becoming less and less free to do what we enjoy doing. The days of treking out with the family, finding a nice spot, setting up a barbeque and watching a race are quickly going away, maybe even gone, and now given way to watching from behind a 6ft fence 300 yards away from a flat section of dirt. Where will it end? This race is a perfect example of why we need to get our asses in gear and fight for our sport. It’s time! Let’s do it!

Official Finishers:

SCORE TROPHY TRUCK (Unlimited Production Trucks, 8 laps, 50 miles)—1. Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, Ford F-150, 54:16 (55.28 miles per hour); 2. Juan Carlos Lopez, Tecate, Mexico, Chevy Silverado, 55:28; 3. Steven Strobel, Clarks, Neb., Ford F-150, 55:40; 4. Brendan Gaughan, Las Vegas, Dodge Ram1500, 55:58; 5. Josh Daniel, Canyon Country, Calif., (Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif., driver of record) GMC Sierra, 56:11; 6. Gary Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150, 57:11; 7. Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif., GMC Sierra, 57:16; 8. Mark Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150, 59:20; 9. Scott Whipple, Norco, Calif., Ford F-150, 59:40; 10. Armin Schwarz, Germany/Martin Christensen, Escondido, Calif. (Denmark), Chevy Silverado, 1:00:30; 11. Nick Vanderwey, Phoenix/Larry Vanderwey, Litchfield Park, Ariz., Chevy Silverado, 1:01:36; 12. James Bult, Monee, Ill, Dodge Ram2500, 1:01:37;   13. Ryan Arciero, Foothill Ranch, Calif., Chevy CK1500, 1:12:05; 14. Tim Herbst, Las Vegas, Ford F-150, 1:15:50. (21 Starters, 14 Finishers)
CLASS 1 (Unlimited single or two-seaters, 8 laps, 50 miles)—1. Cody Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 57:10 (52.48 mph); 2. Harley Letner, Orange, Calif., Alpha-Chevy, 57:16; 3. Damen Jefferies, Apple Valley, Calif., Jefferies-Chevy, 58:30; 4. Brian Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 59:13; 5. Jaime Huerta, San Luis, Ariz., Porter-Chevy, 59:47; 6. Jeff Geiser, Phoenix (Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va., driver of record) Geiser-Chevy, 59:58; 7. Pete Sohren, Glendale, Ariz., Geiser-Ford, 1:00:01; 8. Steve Appleton, Boise, Idaho/Mike Julson, Santee, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 1:00:52;
9. Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif., Geiser-Chevy, 1:02:53; 10. Jeff Quinn, Irvine, Calif., (Monica Greenhill, Crowley, Texas, driver of record) Jimco-Chevy, 1:04:48; 11. Tony Miglini, Dallas, Jimco-Chevy, 1:11:41. (19 Starters,      11 Finishers)
CLASS 1/2-1600 (VW-powered, single or two-seaters to 1600cc, 6 laps, 37.5 miles)—1. Robert S. Archibald, El Cajon, Calif., Mirage, 50:11 (44.84 mph); 2. Cody Robinson, El Centro, Calif., Romo, 50:17; 3. Justin Munyon, San Clemente, Calif., (Brad Wilson, Long Beach, Calif., driver of record) Kreger, 51:26; 4. Jake Wreesman, Ventura, Calif., (Jason Markham, Ventura, Calif., driver of record) Lothringer, 51:33; 5 Ignacio King, Ensenada, Mexico (George Peters, Newbury Park, Calif., driver of record), Penhall, 53:20; 6. Kyle Quinn, Irvine, Calif., (Brian Wilson, Irvine, Calif., driver of record) Kreger, 53:31; 7. Jesus Velez, Mexicali, Mexico, Curry, 58:32. (9 Starters, 7 Finishers)
CLASS 3 (Short wheelbase 4X4, 5 laps, 31.25 miles)—1. Donald Moss, Sacramento, Calif., Ford Bronco, 44:02 (42.58 mph); 2. Tareck Karam, La Quinta, Calif. (Billy Bunch, La Quinta, Calif., driver of record) Jeep Wrangler, 44:05. (2 Starters, 2 Finishers)
CLASS 5 (Unlimited VW Baja Bugs, 7 laps, 43.75 miles)—1. Kevin Carr, San Diego, 1:01:14 (42.87 mph) (1 Starter, 1 Finisher)
CLASS 5/1600 (1600cc VW Baja Bugs, 6 laps, 37.5 miles)—1. Erich Reisen/Ross Burden, Canada, 59:30 (37.82 mph); 2. Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va./Thomas Fernandez, Ensenada, Mexico, 1:04:10.
(2 Starters, 2 Finishers)
CLASS 6 (Unlimited, production mini trucks, 6 laps, 37.5 miles)—1. Eduardo Laguna, Mexicali, Mexico/Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va., Chevy Colorado, 44:23 (50.69 mph); 2. Dan Holtz, Los Angeles/Rick McGeorge, Garden Grove, Calif., Ford Ranger, 53:54; 3. Rene Brugger, San Diego, Ford Ranger, 54:59;
4. Elias Canchola Jr, Mexicali, Mexico, Ford Ranger, 1:00:05. (5 Starters, 4 Finishers)
CLASS 7 (Open, production mini trucks, 6 laps, 37.5 miles)—1. Dan Chamlee, Summerland, Calif.,   Ford Ranger, 1:06:40 (33.75 mph). (3 Starters, 1 Finisher)
CLASS 7SX (Modified, open mini trucks, 6 laps, 37.5 miles)—1. Elias Hanna, Ensenada, Mexico, Ford Ranger, 54:56 (40.96 mph); 2. Jon Anderson, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., Toyota Tacoma, 58:41;
3. Rich Severson, Tucson, Ariz., Ford Ranger, 1:05:20. (4 Starters, 3 Finishers)
CLASS 8 (Full-sized two-wheel drive trucks, 6 laps, 37.5 miles)—1. Rodolfo Iribe, San Ysidro, Calif., Chevy Silverado, 48:08 (46.75 mph). (1 Starter, 1 Finisher)
CLASS 10 (Single or two-seaters to 1650cc, 7 laps, 43.75 miles)—1. Michael LaPaglia, Murrieta, Calif., 54:38 (48.05 mph); 2. Peter Hajas, Wayzata, Minn., Kreger-Chevy, 56:20; 3. Chuck Sacks, Canyon Lake, Calif., (Matt Cullen, Long Beach, Calif., driver of record) AlumiCraft-Honda, 56:26; 4. Perry McNeil, Lemon Grove, Calif., Lothringer-VW, 57:28; 5. Mike Lawrence, El Monte, Calif., Chenowth-Honda, 58:35; 6. Mark Lawrence, El Monte, Calif., Lothringer-VW, 59:40. (6 Starters, 6 Finishers)
SCORE LITES (VW-powered, Limited single-1776cc-or two-seaters-1835cc, 7 laps, 43.75 miles)— 1. Otoneil Huerta, San Luis, Ariz., Curry, 55:08 (47.61 mph); 2. Brian Burgess, Riverside, Calif., (Brent Parkhouse, Long Beach, driver of record) Moulton, 55:27; 3. Vic Bruckmann, Lemon Grove, Calif.,(Rafael Navarro IV, Temecula, Calif., driver of record) Jimco, 56:03; 4. Matt Laughlin, Laughlin, Nev., Penhall, 57:28; 5. Jeff Sanca, Canada, Porter, 59:18; 6. Lobsam Yee, Tijuana, Mexico, Curry, 1:12:13. (6 Starters, 6 Finishers)
STOCK FULL (Stock, Full-sized trucks, 5 laps, 31.25 miles)—1. Joe Bacal, Anthem, Ariz., Lexus LX570, Lexus, 46:30 (40.32 mph); 2. Chad Bunch, Corpus Christi, Texas (Wes Bevly III, Corpus Christi, Texas, driver of record) Ford F-150, 47:05; 3. Marc Stein, San Diego, Ford F-150, 48:52. (3 Starters, 3 Fiinishers)
STOCK MINI (Stock, mini trucks, 5 laps, 31.25 miles)—1. Andy Bell/Ted Moncure, Long Beach, Calif., Toyota Tacoma, 1:06:42 (28.11 mph). (1 Starter, 1 Finisher)
CLASS 7-2 (Unlimited Mini-Truck, 2.2/2.4-Liter Ecotec engine, 5 laps, 31.25 miles)—1. Billy Wilson/Wes Bevly IV, Corpus Christi, Texas, BajaLite-Chevy, 49:13 (45.72 mph); 2. Reid Rutherford, Montrose, Colo., Mason-Chevy, 51:00; 3. Dana Dague, Huntington Beach, Calif./Harley Letner, Orange, Calif., Mason-Chevy, 57:59. (3 Starters, 3 Finishers)
CLASS 4 (Unlimited open-wheel car, 2.2/2.4-Liter Ecotec engine, 7 laps, 43.75 miles)—1. Derek Fletcher, Abingdon, Va., PSD-Chevy, 1:00:02 (43.73 mph); 2. Shawn Twitchell, Nampa, Idaho (Mike Shaffer, Oakland, Calif., driver of record) Custom-Chevy, 1:01:11. (2 Starters, 2 Finishers)
CLASS 2 (Unlimited open-wheel, car/truck, 3.5-Liter Turbo or supercharged, 6 laps, 37.5 miles)— 1. Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va./Steven Arlia, Phoenix, PSD-Chevy, 54:55 (40.97 mph); 2. Jon Anderson, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., Toyota Tacoma, 1:04:30. (2 Starters, 2 Finishers)
SPORTSMAN
SPT BUGGY, 6 laps, 37.5 miles—1. Jim Bunn, Bristol, Va., RGBuggy-Chevy, 55:33 (40.50 mph).        (1 Starter, 1 Finisher)
SPT TRUCK, 5 laps, 31.25 miles—1. Nick Tonelli, Huntington Beach, Calif., Ford Ranger, 46:57 (39.94 mph). (1 Starter, 1 Finisher)

[Show as slideshow]

SCORE Laughlin Sunday Post-Race Quotes, 1.15.12

Fish — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:10:22 +0000

January 15, 2012

18th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge
Round 2 of 2012 SCORE Desert Series
January 15, Laughlin, Nevada
Post-race driver quotes – Sunday, January 15

SCORE TROPHY TRUCK
ROB MacCACHREN, No. 20 (First in class and first overall.) – Last year we were close and we ended up second but this year is going to be a great year. Last year we swept both rounds in San Felipe and the shocks have really come a long way over the years and these little shock coolers up on top, that’s our secret weapon for San Felipe. The whoops down there are super rough, a lot like here in Laughlin. There was some great racing today; I can’t wait to do it some more. I went out of here and I knew we had the lead and I was just getting roosted by (Steven Strobel’s) rocks. About the time I decided to back off, he checked up and moved over for me because we were in his mirror. We got by him at about mile two on that lap. We got in front of him and then I just wanted to keep him right behind me. He started pressuring me. The truck was flawless. Yesterday was teeing up to be a great battle with B.J. (Baldwin) and I don’t know what happened. I just probably threw it into a berm too hard and debeaded the tire. Today we made a little adjustment to that to make sure it didn’t happen so we came away with some success.
JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, No. 18 (Second in class and second overall.) – It was very hard out there; lots of whoopty-doops. It was either too soft or too hard. It was a lot of fun. The truck ran great and we had no problems.
STEVEN STROBEL, No. 94 (Third in class and third overall.) – The course changed as the race went on and we lost some right at the end and I’m not sure what it was. The motor started to go a little bit soft and something in the suspension too, but I’m not sure what. It was chewed up out there today but we came home with a finish and going to San Felipe. Right at the end, Rob (MacCachren) caught us and I didn’t want to hold him up. He was faster than us and caught us through the traffic so we let him by and we chased him on in to the finish line. I didn’t want to hold him up. We weren’t going to be able to get the win so we’re all good. It’s a great way to start the season. We’re going to San Felipe, we’re running for the points and everything counts to get these things across the finish line.
BRENDAN GAUGHAN, No. 12 (Fourth in class and fourth overall.) – I’m having the greatest time. This is probably the best idea for a truck for me to race in again; it is tried and tested. It wasn’t me coming out here trying to figure out what I had to do or what I needed to do. Brian Collins and his crew knew what it should do and I just got to drive. It was fantastic. In talking about pavement racing vs. desert racing, there’s never been an interview that I’ve ever given where I did not say that desert racing was more fun. NASCAR is where the career is at. I don’t care what I do for a living, I will always have a home in the desert and I will always race in the SCORE series as long as I’m capable. Even my dad comes back and races. This is where I’m from and this is where I was born and raised and I couldn’t ask for anything better but to come out and play.
CAMERON STEELE, No. 16 (Fifth in class and fifth overall.) – It would have been pretty easy to not go racing but (co-driver Cody Stuart, who was injured on Saturday) told us to go race. It’s just tragic. We are all out here to have fun. We were looking to come out and just have a good, fun weekend at Laughlin. We didn’t come out to get totally crazy; we came out to run for the SCORE championship and race Class 1 for fun. It’s not fun when somebody gets hurt. We are a big family. Cody and I have been in the truck together since 2005 and we share a lot. We are very close and it is just crushing. Obviously, it is harder for Cody but for us, it is hard. We just love him and we’re praying and hoping for a great recovery. The doctors were really good and he had a good orthopedic surgeon and a good vascular surgeon. We are going to go back and research it and see what can be done to prevent the accident from happening again. We want to do anything we can to keep everybody safe. I’m praying that God is watching over him.
Co-driver Josh Daniel said: It went well but it was really, really rough. We were trying to have a good finish today because Cody hurt his leg yesterday. We tried to keep the truck together and keep it moving along. We did a good job of it, I think. It is a little torn up but not too bad – but it made it. Getting around some of the slower traffic cost us some time. If we are in the top five, I think that is a great finish. No problems today but the rear end was feeling a little loose and we tried to take it easy but the track just got rougher and rougher so I wanted to make sure we didn’t break anything or crash. We hit a couple little hairy bumps but we just tried to keep it straight. This is the new truck that had the transmission blow up on Saturday. It is pretty rare but it does happen. The whole top of the transmission blew off right into (Cody’s) leg. It was like a bomb going off. There was shrapnel in his leg and it was terrible. He just had surgery but he’s going to have to have a lot more. They were worried about getting all the metal out of his leg and worried about infection.
GARY WEYHRICH, No. 98 (Sixth in class and seventh overall.) – We made a shock change and I don’t know if the shock change was wrong or if we started losing our shocks. After a couple of laps the truck went away and after getting third yesterday I just persevered to get points. Considering what I had I was probably lucky to even get it back here. It wasn’t a huge adjustment and I don’t know if the adjustment did it or if it was the track. In some areas I thought the track was worse but some areas weren’t as bad where they graded it. The very top by the school was squared off like hitting ledges. It would push you back in the seat. We’ll get out of here hopefully in the top three in points and go race the long races.
CLASS 1
CODY PARKHOUSE, No. 105 (First in class and sixth overall.) – It is a brutal, brutal track today. Everything is more squared off and twice as big – which suits this car well, but it beats you up. We had no issues at all; we ran clean and ran fast. According to our timing, we got (the win), but we’ll have to wait until it is official. Once again, I ran around with my dad for a lap or two and it was fun.
HARLEY LETNER, No. 112 (Second in class and eighth overall.) – It was a flawless run but I had to put a backup motor in after Friday, so it’s a little low on power but what it lacks in power, I make up on suspension. Our crew sets it up so great and it just works great. It was rough out there. Yesterday was a freeway compared to today; today was insane.
BRIAN PARKHOUSE, No. 102 (Fourth in class.) – We had no problems; it was just rough and I couldn’t keep up with the young kids. But we’re right there, probably third or fourth. I was pretty close to Harley (Letner) on splits, but we’ll see how it shakes out. The car worked great and the setup was good. The course got a lot rougher today. We expected that and made some adjustments. We bumped up some of the settings on our shock package and compensated for it pretty well.
CLYDE STACY, No. 114 (Sixth in class.) – Co-driver Jeff Geiser said: The truck ran good and we are fresh out of the box this weekend so we are kind of using this for testing but the 42-inch tires are a little harder on equipment. We got a lot of feedback in the steering and we’ve got more shock work to do. Of course, this is Laughlin so it’s rougher than anything. We are trying to get it ready for San Felipe and go tear it up there. It should definitely be something to be reckoned with but we’ve got to get it dialed in a little more and get more time on it. We broke a wheel yesterday and flipped it twice. We had no problems today; it’s just beating me up.
PETE SOHREN, No. 118 (Seventh in class.) – It was a hell of a drive today. We had some problems all day with the power steering and the motor isn’t running to full song yet. We’ve got a new motor builder and we’re getting him up to speed. It ran a lot better today than yesterday but not enough to win. It (the loss of the power steering) just beats the blood out of underneath your nails. We were just cruising for a few laps and when people started dropping out, we picked it up on the last lap.
CLASS 1/2-1600
ROBERT S. ARCHIBALD, No. 1606 (First in class.) – I started third and I got around the second car on the first lap and then I just tried to reel him in the whole rest of the race. I tried to get more efficient every lap. My shifter is messed up and I couldn’t put it into second gear a few times which cost me some time here and there. I had to set up before the turns to get it into second gear. I would come into a turn hot and I would be in neutral. It has a push down reverse with a spring and it’s broken. I drove the whole race with no reverse. We just adjusted it over so that it wouldn’t be able to go into reverse. I should have taken the time to replace it or do something with it because we tried to fix it and couldn’t do it. That cost me some time for sure but I drove around that issue. I think it is going to be a good season between Cody (Robinson) and me. I’m going to try and run the whole season because I think the two of us can have a good rivalry.
CODY ROBINSON, No. 1601 (Second in class.) – It was a little rougher than yesterday but nothing crazy. It was pretty much the same as yesterday but the straights were whooped out a bit. There is a little more water in the turns but besides that it was about the same. The car ran good but the last two or three laps the clutch started slipping. We had a main seal that was leaking yesterday.
BRAD WILSON, No. 1602 (Third in class.) – Co-driver Justin Munyon said: It was pretty good but it was really hard to stay with the fast single seat guys in a 1700 pound two-seater. We are carrying about 500 more pounds than them. I think this car has better advantage at the Baja 500 and Baja 1000 and that’s where the good points are. We come here and get points and I’m pretty stoked. We ran a good race and I tried to stay with them. We ended up rolling it in a corner but it landed on its wheels. That was the only issue all day. The car ran flawlessly all weekend.
JASON MARKHAM, No. 1607 (Fourth in class.) – Co-driver Jake Wreesman said: Things went very well. This is the first time I’ve driven this car so I just went out there and put the hammer down and we did good. The car drove flawlessly. The course is fun. It’s a little rough in sections compared to practice on Friday but the turns were great and everything was fun. It’s a brand new car for us and I had a blast.
GEORGE PETERS, No. 1610 (Fifth in class.) – Co-driver Ignacio King said: It was a great race and we had a lot of fun. The track is a little bit slippery. We had a little engine trouble getting off of the corners but everything went great. We were with (Brian) Wilson most of the time. It was bumper to bumper and it was a cool race. It is difficult when the mud gets in your face though.
BRIAN WILSON, No. 1604 (Sixth in class.) – Co-driver Kyle Quinn said: We were running pretty good and then every left turn the motor would cut out so we getting caught by everyone in left turns. If you multiply all the left turns by six then there is a lot of lost time. Other than that it was good and we had a lot of fun and we made it around. Last year I only made it two miles. It was a good day. We had the same problem yesterday though it was a little worse and we had our motor guy check it out and did some tweaks on it. It didn’t seem to help too much but at least it wasn’t doing it on the straightaways this time.
CLASS 3
DONALD MOSS, No. 300 (First in class.) – The course was a lot tougher and that was by far the closest run we’ve ever had. We had two good days of racing. We traded it back and forth (with Billy Bunch in the No. 349). We actually hit each other. He didn’t see us as we were behind another truck that was faster and was passing and he shot across the track and went right into our right front. We thought he had some problems when he pulled over for a second. Good, fun racing.
BILLY BUNCH, No. 349 (Second in class.) – Co-driver Tareck Karam said: It was fun. (Donald) Moss and I battled it. It was pretty exciting, he got up and I thought we were going to roll him when he smashed right up against us when I didn’t see him while he was trying to make the pass on the last move. I’m just glad he didn’t roll. I hit the brakes and let him pass me because he was in front of us. The car ran great. I would like to run the bump stops but we can’t in Class 3 because they are inside the frame so we had to put the urethanes in which does make a big difference, for us at least.
CLASS 5
KEVIN CARR, No. 500 (First in class.) – It’s getting rough out there so what was round yesterday is more square today. A portion of the backstretch near the high school has turned into a big ditch and we hit that pretty hard one time. Nothing fell off and no problems. It’s a good way to start the year.
CLASS 5-1600
ERICH REISEN, No. 551 (First in class.) – It was awesome out there – a lot better than yesterday. We lost our throttle cable on the first two turns yesterday and then we wired it wide open and the engine seized on lap three. Unfortunate, but we did okay today. We ran solid the whole way through. It needs a little tweaking but it was great. We drove from Canada down here so it took us a bit of a run to get it all organized. We worked on it both nights straight through. After yesterday, knowing we were so far behind in the points we needed the win. Our plan is to win the championship. That would be the first Canadian team to win.
CLYDE STACY, No. 552 (Second in class.) – I did one lap in this car and one in the Class 2 car. I’m so sore. My co-pilot is completely down and he’s not able to go so we are going to have a rough time. I think we are going to have our Class 1 car fixed for the next run but we are going to have a rough time driving it because we are both beat up pretty bad. The second wreck (yesterday) was pretty bad when the wheel broke. It’s just pretty tough. Overall we had a great day yesterday. All the guys did well. We had several new cars here. The Class 6 performed great and Eduardo (Laguna) did a good job. Juan (Carlos Lopez) did a super job with the Trophy Truck and he’ll do a good job today as well. We had to put a new motor in the Trophy Truck last night. It was giving out right at the end of the race.
CLASS 6
EDUARDO LAGUNA, No. 618 (First in class.) – We found the course to be worse than yesterday. We tried to take care of the car in the first laps and then I saw another Class 6 car behind me so I needed to push a little bit more to gain advantage. It all went well.
CLASS 7
DAN CHAMLEE, No. 700 (First in class.) – We were laying down good lap times as long as we weren’t broken. We bent a tie rod on the first lap and had to change it out on the course so we had to take a tire off and change a tie rod and get back going again. It put us down a couple of laps but we knew we could were able to run lap times fast enough that we could make a finish. We figured whatever happened to the guys in front of us, we knew we were going to run them down from two laps, so we just waited for them to both break which they did. It’s kind of like winning a drag race because the other guy red lights. If you laid a good lap time down you really only won because the other guy is out.
CLASS 7SX
ELIAS HANNA, No. 740 (First in class.) – Yesterday, we ran the Class 6. I decided to race the Class 7SX today so I would be able to fight for my third championship in a row. We had fun, but you know it’s Laughlin and the track was rough. We started last and at mile four we passed the first-place truck. We took our pace today. Yesterday was full speed and full throttle. My co-pilot said the course was worse today but I say it was better. The turns were looser but the traction was good. This is my third year in a row winning Laughlin.
CLASS 8
RODOLFO IRIBE, No. 839 (First in class.) – It’s another great day. It is a lot of fun. The RPM team has done a wonderful two days of racing. We’re not done yet but we’ve got some good trucks and some good people. The course today is much rougher and there are a lot of square edges which has really taken a toll on everybody. There are some hard hitting bumps out there. Like a sledgehammer. I think the truck ran a little bit better than yesterday. We did a little tweaking and everything is just running good and strong.
CLASS 10
MICHAEL LaAPAGLIA, No. 117 (First in class.) – I think something must have broken in the shock because there was a really hard banging during the race from lap two on. It must have taken its toll and broken something in the frame. We struggled with it the whole race but we had to limp it in the last five miles. It’s a good thing we got a big lead early. We tried to put in consistent laps. The track was great and we had great lines. We were able to establish a huge lead so we could have a problem like this and still pull off the win. I’m very happy we were able to do it. We ran in Class 1 yesterday because we wanted to try something different. Originally there were only two or three cars signed up for Class 10 and we come out here to have fun. It’s not all about winning for us and we just wanted to complete in Class 1. Obviously we are a huge disadvantage having only 120 horsepower but we just wanted to have some fun. We were able to race Class 10 today to keep our name up there and make sure we are the baddest Class 10 car in the world still.
PETER HAJAS, No. 1001 (Second in class.) – We had a fun run. We got pulled over for about 15 seconds because our roof latch wouldn’t stay shut. We just had passed two or three guys so we had to pass them again. That hurt us a little bit. The course was definitely rougher than yesterday but not as rough as something like San Felipe. It is a big change day over day but you drive a little harder than during a long race like San Felipe so it’s probably harder on the cars.
MATT CULLEN, No. 1003 (Third in class.) – Co-driver Chuck Sacks said: We lost our power steering halfway through the third lap and it was just a handful from then on to hang onto it. The turning brake was getting stuck on the shifter and we thought we had a flat tire and then I felt the hard brake pedal and realized it was hung up on that so we moved it over. We had to bend it out of the way. We lost all of our power steering halfway through the third lap and it was a handful to take it around from there. Other than that it was working great while the steering was good, but when that steering went away I just couldn’t hold onto it through the rough stuff.
PERRY McNEIL, No. 1002 (Fourth in class.) – I’m racing my Class 12 against a Class 10 so it’s a really small motor but we got second yesterday and we were fortunate. I drove harder today than I did yesterday and I still couldn’t pull off more than fourth. There’s a long straightaway on the course with really soft sand and I’m doing 40 miles per hour and they are doing 60 or 70. There are so many square holes out there that you hit so hard it goes from fourth to neutral. Twice it went from fourth to third, which I wanted to be in anyway. It is so rough today, a lot worse than yesterday.
SCORE LITE
OTONIEL HUERTA, No. 1205 (First in class.) – It was a really good race with no problems. The track was good. It was a very good race and I had a lot of fun.
BRENT PARKHOUSE, No. 1202 (Second in class.) – Do-driver Brian Burgess said: It went good. We pushed hard. The points championship starts here so we’ve got to be halfway conservative because we need a finish for sure. The course isn’t rough with big holes, it’s just chewed up rough with tall divots and square edges. It’s a good, rough course.
RAFAEL NAVARRO IV, No. 1200 (Third in class.) – Co-driver Vic Bruckman said: We heard a noise twice and I didn’t know what the heck it was and we don’t have a spare on the car or a jack on the car so if the wheel falls off, I’m done. I pulled into the hot pit to have them check it and they said everything was fine. I don’t know if it was and axle or if we were losing a wheel bearing or what, but we heard that noise the whole race. I think we are going for points so we have to finish. We didn’t have much time to prep this car so it’s always going through your head that ‘I forgot this or I forgot that.’
STOCK FULL
JOE BACAL, No. 862 (First in class.) – This thing is pretty fast. We are getting closer and I tweaked the shocks a little bit. I bent my rear trailing link and it looked like a U-shape yesterday and I know I bent this one. It is what it is. I had to go as fast as I could go. It was a very clean race and that’s what you ask for and hope for. The full-time four-wheel drive helps a little bit for sure but I’m still not running manual mode. It works better when you’ve got the RPMs but automatic mode seemed to work okay but this is the second time in the truck for me. It’s this stock class; you never know what is going to happen. We did not have a very good year last year and we’re hoping to redeem ourselves this year.
STOCK MINI
ANDY BELL, No. 779 (First in class.) – The first lap – about halfway through – our center support bearing failed. It took 12 minutes to change the driveshaft in the hot pit. Our team was on top of things in there. We are stoked to finish. It was a little scary being about a quarter of the way in and having a major problem.
CLASS 7-2
BILLY WILSON, No. 722 (First in class.) – I had to drive a little harder today but I made it work. No problems whatsoever. Everything worked great. I started first and got passed on the first lap and on the second lap I had to make up time. I ended up catching (Reid Rutherford in the No. 720) and putting about 20 seconds on him. I made up the time everywhere I could.
CLASS 4
DEREK FLETCHER, No. 419 (First in class.) – We’re having a really great weekend (with RPM Motorsports). It was my first race in this car and I was pretty nervous but I loved it and it drove great. I raced Stock Mini in the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, so this is my second race. It’s my first race in the Class 4 car and it is a lot different than the Stock Mini. Racing for RPM this weekend, I put a lot of pressure on myself; they didn’t put any pressure on me.
MIKE SHAFFER, No. 401 (Second in class.) – Co-driver Shawn Twitchell said: It was a good day. We’ve got a little more suspension tuning that we can do on this car. I took a couple of test laps on Friday and I would say right now that the course is where it was at when we took the test lap. There are some holes showing up with some rough stuff on the back side. It is really soft in a couple of places but all in all a pretty good course this year. We had fun and enjoyed it.
CLASS 2
CLYDE STACY, No. 202 (First in class.) – Co-driver Steven Arlia said: Clyde drove one lap and got out at the hot pit and he’s going to spend more time in the truggy today and hopefully more time on the ground than in the air. Things went really well. It was very uneventful out there. The car ran perfect. The course was good and it wasn’t as rough as I figured it would be, so they did some work last night. In the morning, when the sun is low, you don’t see the corner until you are in it. It’s a good thing we know where it is. Until you get into the berm, the berm blocks the sun, and then you can see.

SCORE Laughlin Official Finishers, Sunday 1.15.12

Fish — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:09:49 +0000

January 15, 2012

18th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge
Round 2 of five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series

Sunday, Jan. 15 — Laughlin, Nevada
6.25-miles per lap
TOTAL STARTERS: 92, TOTAL FINISHERS: 71 (77.2 PERCENT)

TOP OVERALL FINISHERS, Jan. 15, 2012

1. Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, Ford F-150, SCORE Trophy Truck, 54 minutes, 16 seconds (55.28 miles per hour)
2. Juan Carlos Lopez, Tecate, Mexico, Chevy Silverado, SCORE Trophy Truck, 55:28 (54.09 mph)
3. Steven Strobel, Clarks, Neb., Ford F-150, SCORE Trophy Truck, 55:40 (53.89 mph)
4. Brendan Gaughan, Las Vegas, Dodge Ram1500, SCORE Trophy Truck, 55:58 (53.60 mph)
5. Josh Daniel, Canyon Country, Calif., (Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif., driver of record) GMC Sierra, SCORE Trophy Truck, 56:11 (53.40 mph)
6. Cody Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, Class 1, 57:10 (52.48 mph)
7. Gary Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150, SCORE Trophy Truck, 57:11 (52.46 mph)
8. (Tie) Harley Letner, Orange, Calif., Alpha-Chevy, Class 1, 57:16 (52.39 mph)
8. (Tie) Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif., GMC Sierra, SCORE Trophy Truck, 57:16 (52.39 mph)
10. Damen Jefferies, Apple Valley, Calif., Jefferies-Chevy, Class 1, 58:30 (51.28 mph)
11. Brian Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, Class 1, 59:13 (50.66 mph)
12. Mark Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150, SCORE Trophy Truck, 59:20 (50.56 mph)13. Scott Whipple, Norco, Calif., Ford F-150, SCORE Trophy Truck, 59:40 (50.28 mph)
14. Jaime Huerta, San Luis, Ariz., Porter-Chevy, Class 1, 59:47 (50.18 mph)
15. Jeff Geiser, Phoenix (Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va., driver of record) Geiser-Chevy, Class 1, 59:58 (50.03 mph)
16. Pete Sohren, Glendale, Ariz., Geiser-Ford, Class 1, 1:00:01 (49.99 mph)
17. Armin Schwarz, Germany/Martin Christensen, Escondido, Calif. (Denmark), Chevy Silverado, SCORE Trophy Truck, 1:00:30 (49.59 mph)
18. Steve Appleton, Boise, Idaho/Mike Julson, Santee, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, Class 1, 1:00:52 (49.29 mph)
19. Nick Vanderwey, Phoenix/Larry Vanderwey, Litchfield Park, Ariz., Chevy Silverado, SCORE Trophy Truck, 1:01:36 (48.70 mph)
20. James Bult, Monee, Ill, Dodge Ram2500, SCORE Trophy Truck, 1:01:37 (48.69 mph)

OFFICIAL FINISHERS BY CLASS

SCORE Laughlin Results Story, Sunday 1.15.12

Fish — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:08:32 +0000

January 15, 2012

C. Parkhouse wins Class 1

Las Vegas’ MacCachren roars to Overall, SCORE Trophy Truck win
Sunday during Round 2 of 18th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

RPM Off Road of Bristol, Tenn. wins five classes; others class winners include

Archibald, Moss, Chamlee, Hanna, Bacal, LaPaglia, Huerta;
Entries from 15 U.S. states and six countries conclude Rounds 2 of 2012 SCORE Desert Series;

LAUGHLIN, Nev.—Six-time All-America racer Rob MacCachren of Las Vegas bounced back from a flat tire yesterday to patiently master the field of challengers and the rugged Southern Nevada desert Sunday to capture the overall and SCORE Trophy Truck victory in Round 2 of the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge. In earning his 10th career SCORE Trophy Truck race win, MacCachren carefully cruised to a winning time Sunday of 54 minutes, 16 seconds averaging 55.28 miles per hour over eight laps of the rugged 6.25-mile desert race course.
With entries from 15 U.S states along with Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany and Mexico, Round 2 of the five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series was held Sunday along the banks of the Colorado River in the Southern Nevada resort destination of Laughlin. Competition was held for 20 Pro and three Sportsman classes for race buggies and trucks.
The classes were divided into groups for five multi-lap races as this year’s SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge featured individual races on both Saturday and Sunday. With the start/finish line area and main pits once again located at the Laughlin Events Park, Las Vegas’ B.J. Baldwin was the overall winner Saturday, earning his third SCORE Trophy Truck race win in Laughlin and the fourth career race win in SCORE’s premier racing division for high-tech unlimited production trucks.
Launching its 39th year as the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization in 2012, Sal Fish’s SCORE International held the first major motorsports events of the year in the United States in Laughlin, 90 miles Southeast of Las Vegas.
Finishing second overall and in SCORE Trophy Truck for the second consecutive day was RPM Off Road driver Juan Carlos Lopez, Tecate, Mexico, who crossed the finish line1:12 behind MacCachren in 55:28, averaging 54.09mph in the No. 18 Chevy Silverado while third, 12 seconds behind Lopez and 1:24 behind MacCachren was Steven Strobel, Clarks, Nebraska, who finished third overall and in SCORE Trophy Truck in the No. 94 Strobel Motorsports Ford F-150 in 55:40 with an average speed for the eight laps of 53.89mph. On Saturday, Strobel finished fourth in 55:38.
After a flat tire cost him a chance for the win on Saturday when he ended up in ninth place, MacCachren took charge on Sunday during the first lap when he ran a race-best of 6:39 to take the lead on corrected time although he was still sixth physically on the road after starting ninth. MacCachren continued to pick off racers running third until the last lap when he past Strobel and finishing physically shortly after Lopez who had started second in the 24-truck field.
“Last year we were close and we ended up second but this year is going to be a great year,” said MacCachren, an eight-time SCORE season class point champion who now has eight class win in the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge. “Last year we swept both rounds in San Felipe and the shocks have really come a long way over the years and these little shock coolers up on top, that’s our secret weapon for San Felipe. The whoops down there are super rough, a lot like here in Laughlin.”
“It was great racing going on today. I can’t wait to do it some more. I went out of here and I knew we had the lead and I was just getting roosted by his (Steven Strobel) rocks. About the time I decided to back off he checked up and moved over for me because we were in his mirror. We got by him at about mile two on the last lap. We got in front of him and then I just wanted to keep him right behind me. He started pressuring me. The truck was flawless. Yesterday was teeing up to be a great battle with B.J. (Baldwin) and I don’t know what happened I just probably threw it into a berm too hard and debeaded the tire. Today we made a little adjustment to that to make sure it didn’t happen so we came away with some success.”
With SCORE Trophy Trucks earning seven of the top 10 overall finishing positions, winning the unlimited Class 1 for open-wheel desert race cars and finishing sixth overall was Cody Parkhouse, Calif., who drove a Chevy-powered Jimco to the class win in 57:10 while averaging 52.48mph. While earning his first career SCORE Class 1 victory, Cody Parkhouse, 24, was shadowed to the finish line by his father Brian Parkhouse, who finished fourth in Class 1, 2:03 behind his son in another Jimco-Chevy.
Finishing fourth overall and in SCORE Trophy Truck was Las Vegas’ Brendan Gaughan, a NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Truck Series driver who improved two positions from Saturday’s race with a time of 55:58 while averaging 53.60mph in Collins Motorsports No. 12 South Point Racing Dodge Ram1500.
ESPN action sports announcer Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif., saw both of his SCORE Trophy Trucks finish in the top seven in class Sunday. Josh Daniels, Canyon Country, Calif., drove the No. 14 Desert Assassins GMC Sierra to fifth place overall and in SCORE Trophy Truck in 56:11 (53.40mph) while Steele piloted his No. 16 Desert Assassins GMC Sierra in eighth place overall and seventh place in SCORE Trophy Truck in 57:16 (52.39mph).
Sandwiched between the two Desert Assassins trucks in seventh overall and sixth in SCORE Trophy Truck was Gary Weyhrich, Troutdale in the No. 98 TSCO Racing Ford F-150 who completed the course 57:11 (52.46mph). Gary Weyhrich’s younger brother Mark Weyhrich drove the No. 9 TSCO Racing Ford F-150 to 12th place overall and eighth place SCORE Trophy Truck finish in 59:20 (50.56mph).
On Saturday, Gary Weyhrich finished third overall and in SCORE Trophy Truck while Mark Weyhrich was fifth overall and in SCORE Trophy Truck.
With nine entries in this year’s SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge, RPM Off Road of Bristol, Tenn. won five classes in addition to Lopez’s second place in SCORE Trophy Truck. With six class wins on Saturday, RPM Off Road leaves Laughlin with 11 class wins and two second places in SCORE Trophy Truck to start the 2012 SCORE Desert Series.
Mexico’s Eduardo Laguna and Rodolfo Iribe won Class 6 (Chevy Colorado) and Class 8 (Chevy Silverado) respectively for RPM Off Road for the second consecutive day. Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va. won again in Class 2 (PSD-Chevy) and was second in Class 5-1600 (VW Baja Bug). Also on Sunday, Derek Fletcher, Abingdon, Va., won in Class 4 in another PSD-Chevy for the second straight day while RPM’s fifth class win Sunday was recorded by Jim Bunn, Bristol, Va., RGBuggy-Chevy who won for the second straight day in the Sportsman Buggy class.
“I did one lap in the 5-1600 car and one in the Class 2 car today,” said Stacy, 66. “I’m so sore. Overall we had a great day yesterday with six class wins. We backed that up with five wins today so that gives us a great start to the 2012 SCORE Desert Series. All the guys did well. We had several new cars here. The Class 6 performed great and Eduardo (Laguna) did a good job. Juan (Carlos Lopez) did a super job with the SCORE Trophy Truck. We had to put a new motor in the SCORE Trophy Truck Friday night. It was giving out right at the end of the race. We are having so much fun, especially being from the South were desert racing isn’t as big and we can’t wait until the next SCORE race in March in San Felipe.
Adding to his race record of most class wins was Donald Moss of Sacramento, Calif. who capped off a twin-win weekend by wing Class 3 for the 10th time in in Laughlin in his Moss Brothers Racing Ford Bronco.
Earning his sixth class win and second of the weekend in Laughlin was San Diego’s Kevin Carr (Class 5, unlimited VW Baja Bug).
Dan Chamlee, Carpenteria, Calif. (Class 7) won his class in Laughlin for the fourth time and second straight day.
Elias Hanna, Ensenada, Mexico, won for the third time in Class 7SX in Laughlin in his Ford Ranger and Otoneil Huerta, San Luis, Ariz., racing in a Curry-VW, captured SCORE Lites with a 19-second win over the Moulton-VW of Brent Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif. and 55 seconds over Saturday’s winning team of Rafael Navarro IV, Temecula, Calif./Vic Bruckmann, Lemon Grove, Calif. Navarro defeated Huerta by just two seconds on Saturday and Bruckmann drove the team’s Jimco-VW on Sunday.
After a third place finish in Saturday’s race in his class, driver of record Robert S. Archibald, El Cajon, Calif., earned a narrow two-second victory in a Mirage-VW over Saturday’s race winner Cody Robinson, El Centro Calif., who drove a Romo-VW to a 1-2 finish for the weekend’s two races. It was the closest finish of the race.
Earning his first SCORE race win, capturing Class 5-1600 Sunday was Canada’s Erich Reisen in a 1600cc VW Baja Bug.
Other class winners Sunday included Michael La Paglia, Murrieta, Calif. (Class 10, Racer-Chevy), Joe Bacal, Anthem, Ariz. (Stock Full, Lexus LX570), Andy Bell, Long Beach, Calif. (Stock Min, Toyota Tacoma) and Billy Wilson, Corpus Christi, Texas (Class 7-2, BajaLite Chevy). Bell and Wilson won both races in Laughlin this weekend.
Winning for the second straight day in Sportsman Truck was Nick Tonelli, Huntington Beach, Calif. in a Ford Ranger.
A total of 71 vehicles of the 92 starters in the race finished their required laps, a finishing rate of a very strong 77.2 percent.
For the first time in the nearly two-decade history of the event, each day of the two-day Laughlin gathering had separate races for purposes of championship points, prize money and trophies.
Round 3 of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series will be the 26th Annual MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250, March 9-11 in Baja California, Mexico.
Tecate Beer is the title sponsor of November’s 45th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 which will be a peninsula run starting in Ensenada, Baja California and finishing in La Paz, Baja California Sur.
Official Sponsors of the SCORE Desert Series are:
-BFGoodrich Tires, Official Tire
-Volkswagen of America, Official Vehicle
-Sunoco Race Fuels, Official Race Fuel
-Slime, Official Tire Sealant
-Symons Ambulance Company, Official Ambulance
-Bilstein, Official Shock Absorber
-Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Official Mexican Auto Insurance
Official Sponsors of the SCORE Baja 1000 are:
-Coca-Cola, Official Soft Drink
-Volaris Airlines, Official Airline
-Lightforce Performance Lighting, Official Driving Light
Additional SCORE Sponsors are – Las Vegas Events, Proturismo Ensenada, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Blue C Advertising, SignPros, PCI Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.
For more information, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.

SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge
All-Time Overall Winners

1995—Ivan Stewart, SCORE Trophy Truck
Ed/Tim Herbst, Class 1
1996—Rob MacCachren, SCORE Trophy Truck
Ryan Thomas, Class 1
1997—Ed/Tim Herbst, SCORE Trophy Truck
Mark Post, Class 1
1998—David Ashley/Dan Smith, SCORE Trophy Truck
1999—Troy Herbst, Class 1
2000—Gary/Mark Weyhrich, Class 1
2001—Steve Sourapas, Class 1
2002—Dale/Mike Dondel, Class 1
2003—Dale Ebberts, Class 1
2004—Gary Dircks, SCORE Trophy Truck
2005—Dale Ebberts, Class 1
2006—B.J. Baldwin, SCORE Trophy Truck
2007—B.J. Baldwin, SCORE Trophy Truck
2008—Pat Dean, Class 1
2009—Robby Gordon, SCORE Trophy Truck
2010—Andy McMillin, SCORE Trophy Truck
2011—Bryce Menzies, SCORE Trophy Truck
2012, Round 1—B.J. Baldwin, SCORE Trophy Truck
2012, Round 2—Rob MacCachren, SCORE Trophy Truck

2012 Desert Racing Season Opener Laughlin

RDC — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:07:17 +0000

Today SCORE opened the off-road racing season with round 1 in Laughlin.

This race course is known for its harshness despite the very short laps. Things started out unscheduled for Jimmy Knuckles and Robby Pierce as they both yard sales after one of the large and high speed jumps alongside the Laughlin High School.

All drivers and co-drievrs are reported ok.

Also noteworthy is one incident involving Trophy Truck #16 of Cameron Steele. The transmission let go and exploded shooting parts into the driver compartment and injuring co-driver Cody Stuart. Cody was sent via helicopter into a Las Vegas hospital for treatment. To follow Cody’s recovery check our forum discussions HERE.

Cody Stuart on his flight to Las Vegas for treatment. He waves the camera an upbeat salut.

Sunday will be another day of racing and hopefully with less carnage.

Youtube video: Isaac Chapluk

SCORE Laughlin Post Race Quotes 1.14.12

Fish — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 03:44:27 +0000

January 14, 2012

18th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

Round 1 of 2012 SCORE Desert Series

Jan. 14, Laughlin, Nevada

Driver Post-Race quotes

SCORE TROPHY TRUCK

B.J. BALDWIN, No. 97 (First overall and first in class.) – I made a personal commitment to myself and my team at the end of 2011 to never let anything get in the way of pursuit of a victory. Running our race team like a business has sometimes gotten in the way of that and I’m over it, my team’s over it and we are done losing. 2012 is going to be our best year. I’d like to thank everybody that lives here in Laughlin and everybody that lets us race down here. This is a wonderful place to put on an event. We were going to try and go slow for the first three laps because it is so hard on equipment but Rob MacCachren just wouldn’t let us do that. He was pushing the pace and I was trying to go as slow as I can but still go fast. He was catching me a second a lap and then on one of the laps I put three seconds on him and then the next lap he got a flat. To lose to Rob would be awesome but to beat him is even better.

JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, No. 18 (Second in class.) – It was a lot of fun and very competitive. At the end we had a problem with the motor and lost some speed.

GARY WEYHRICH, No. 98 (Third in class.) – It went pretty good but I think we’ve got to stiffen up the shocks up a bit. As the run kept going we started getting loose in the rear end and it was hard to control it. I think we’ve got to stiffen up our general setup. It was frustrating because I was pushing and most of the guys I usually run with were pulling away from me. I think we’ll be fine tomorrow but we’ve got to stiffen the whole truck up. There were a couple of guys broken down and a couple on their side. Typical Laughlin: It’s crazy. The first lap wasn’t bad but every other lap it went away farther and farther.

STEVEN STROBEL, No. 94 (Fourth in class.) – It was awesome. It’s a fun ride out there. I love the course, but it’s going to be rougher tomorrow. I couldn’t be happier with the truck. We’ll go back and do a good prep job tonight and go racing again tomorrow. Our strategy was to keep it right side up and get a strong finish. We’re running for the points this year so it starts right now.

MARK WEYRICH, No. 9 (Fifth in class.) – There wasn’t too much dust until the end of the race. Pete Sohren blew out our visors so every time we would go into the sun we couldn’t pick up any of our braking points or anything. There were like four turns on the course that we couldn’t go into deep enough so we lost a ton of time on those turns. I don’t know that we had the truck today to go up and compete with those guys. It had too much push in it and the suspension started fading on us. We’ll do some homework tonight and get it quicker for tomorrow. This one is the oldest trucks in the fleet and pretty reliable so that’s why we brought it. It just didn’t work out for us.

BRENDAN GAUGHAN, No. 12 (Sixth in class.) – It was a great time. It has been close to a decade since I’ve driven a Trophy Truck. I was happy but it was kicking over some of these infield jumps and it wasn’t happy. We pulled the shocks off last night and re-valved them and rebuilt them. We’ve got it close to right and not bad after a decade. I love my buggy racing but I’ll jump in a Trophy Truck any day of the week. I’m hopefully going to guilt trip my father into starting the Baja 1000 with me because I never got to race with him.

ROB MacCACHREN, No. 20 (Ninth in class.) – We ran as hard as we could. There are a lot of berms out there that you’re really driving hard so you are bouncing and banking of them. There’s some pretty square-edged stuff out there too. I was driving really, really hard and just had a tire go down on the sixth lap or so. We tried to limp it around but it was better to stop and get it changed. The truck was awesome and I think this is the first one (flat tire) that we’ve had with this truck. We’ll go back and work on the truck tonight and come back tomorrow. I feel good. The truck is fast.

CLASS 1

STEVEN EUGENIO, No. 113 (First in class.) – Co-driver Adam Pfankuch said: We brought it down a notch because we wanted to save the car for tomorrow. It was fun. We just cruised and went around all of the big bumps and helped make the car hold up for tomorrow. This thing is a rocket ship but once it gets a little rough out there it comes to our disadvantage so we took advantage of what we have today.

CODY PARKHOUSE, No. 105 (Second in class.) – It was awesome. We’ve got this thing dialed in so good right now. It might have been a little soft but other than that it was as fast as we could go, foot to the floor everywhere.

BRIAN PARKHOUSE, No. 102 (Third in class.) – Cody (Parkhouse) put some time on me the first couple of laps but we were running pretty much nose to tail for the last six laps. It takes us old guys a little longer to get warmed up. He (Damen Jefferies) pulled a little bit of time on us right away but we slowed reeled him back in over the next couple of laps. It was fun. It was a good time.

RONNY WILSON, No. 107 (Fourth in class.) – I had a couple of slow laps and got out of the groove. Our goal is to come here and maybe get on the podium or get a couple top five finishes and get to San Felipe. Our cars are set up for Mexico.

HARLEY LETNER, No. 112 (Fifth in class.) – We had a broken brake line and it made it really hard to stop. It was a good race up until that happened on the third or fourth lap and we still caught a couple of guys. We tried not to overshoot turns and make it to the end and get a finish. I was going for a win but I guess we’ll try again tomorrow.

STEVE APPLETON, No. 108 (Sixth in class.) – Co-driver Mike Julson said: I got behind Ronny (Wilson) and there was too much mud and I couldn’t see the road. It was a battlefield for sure and I think I got the short end of it. I got in a lot of traffic and a couple of guys here, after they get hit, don’t know how to move.

CONAN BARKER, No. 109 (Eighth in class.) – We had a wonderful day. It was fun and everything was good. We had a little mechanical problem where we arrived at a couple of turns without brakes and that was interesting. Once we figured that out and pumped them up on the way in and got things under control then we started to settle down and have a good time. We were picking up our pace and feeling more and more comfortable today and we actually started catching people that passed us early in the race while we were getting the feel of it. I think tomorrow we are going to come out swinging and have some fun. Tomorrow is a different race. It’s already starting to get pretty rough and tomorrow will be interesting.

CLASS 1-2/1600

CODY ROBINSON, No. 1601 (First in class.) – I like it (the two day format) a lot because I have had years where I came out here the first day and had a flat or hit some water and killed the motor and it ruins the whole weekend so I think it (having two races) is a great deal. I’ll be back tomorrow so hopefully I can win again. The course was fast because they bladed the whole thing. I like it but I would rather it be rough. They come out and blade all of it and put the water down and it can really knock you out for the weekend because when you go through the water with VWs the water gets in the coils and kills the motor. So I’m crossing my fingers that they don’t blade tonight and they let it get dusty.

ANDREW MEYERS, No. 1603 (Second in class.) – The course was fun. It was flat for the start and it got chewed up a little bit at the end but it was pretty consistent and it was fun to run around. I wish it was a little longer though.

ROBERT S. ARCHIBALD, No. 1606 (Third in class.) – Co-driver Mike Meecham said: Our game plan today was to move a little farther forward and that’s what we did. The course was fun. I was waiting for some big bumps and there were none there. We made a few bad decisions in some corners but other than that it was really good.

BRAD WILSON, No. 1602 (Fourth in class.) – I wasn’t too fond of it (racing over two days and combining the points) at the beginning but now that we finished I’m happy. Hopefully we can come out with a good weekend and head into San Felipe with some points. Just seeing what we did out there with maybe 15 cars, the course is going to be a whole new thing tomorrow. After the Trophy Trucks and Class 1 cars today the course is going to be chewed up. If we keep it on all fours wheels, we’ll have a good day.

GEORGE PETERS, No. 1610 (Sixth in class.) – It’s great to have a fun race like this with SCORE. It’s not too rough but it is exciting and everybody is wheel-to-wheel racing. We were passing guys in the air and it was awesome. We had mechanical issues. The thing was falling on its face. Every time I came into a tight turn and downshift and try and ask for throttle it would fall on its face. It wouldn’t go. It wouldn’t pick up and then I would have to clutch it, clutch it, clutch it to get it back on top.

CLASS 3

DONALD MOSS, No. 300 (First in class.) – It was a good run. They wetted the course down last night so it was pretty good for a couple of laps. We had not problems and maintained a nice steady pace.

CLASS 5

KEVIN CARR, No. 500 (First in class.) – It was good but starting to get a little bit rough at the end. We had a few small problems. A coil wire came loose and we had to get out and put that back in. For some reason the clutch stopped working but we ended up finishing. The course will be more torn up tomorrow and what’s round today will be square tomorrow. A lot of the curves are getting really dug in and down to where the rocks are.

CLASS 5-1600

CLYDE STACY, No. 552 (First in class.) – Co-driver Thomas Fernandez said: It was fun but a little muddy. Tomorrow after the Trophy Trucks run it is going to be bad.

CLASS 6

EDUARDO LAGUNA, No. 618 (First in class.) – This truck is new. I just made the truck on Friday and it is awesome.

JAVIER MANZO, No. 606 (Second in class.) – Co-driver Alex Almaraz said: It was a good race and a nice course. This is the first time I’ve raced this course. It was rough out there and will probably be worse tomorrow. We are expecting it to be hard tomorrow.

CLASS 7

DAN CHAMLEE, No. 700 (First in class.) – I didn’t want to push too hard because I knew I was leading. I backed down so I wouldn’t tear the truck up. The course is getting rougher, but not rough enough. The rougher the better. We started the truck this morning and exploded the intake manifold so we had to change it before we got to the start line. It only took us five minutes.

CLASS 7SX

JUSTIN FISHER, No. 758 (First in class.) – Co-driver John Holmes said: It is kind of slippery out there. Last year we had no brakes so this year was a lot safer. The shocks worked great and this course is all about shocks which gave us a few seconds on the guys behind us. They were nipping at our tail though.

RICH SEVERSON, No. 742 (Second in class.) – The first few laps was really smooth and fast and then as always it got a little softer and more whooped out. We’re the limited suspension and horsepower class so it just slows us down a little bit. All the trucks in our class are very even so it is just a little bit quicker here and there. We are probably where we expected to be: right in the middle of the pack.

CLASS 8

RODOLFO IRIBE, No. 839 (First in class.) – We had no problems whatsoever. The course isn’t bad but I think obviously tomorrow there will be some big hits. Today there are some big hits but you can go around them. There is an alternate line and I think it is a little bit faster. Other than that I think the course is nice and no dust.

CLASS 10

MATT CULLEN, No. 1003 (First in class.) – It was a great day. The car worked beautiful, the track was good and we got by the first few guys and had clean air the whole time. We were up one minute and 15 seconds on lap four and just dialed it back a little bit and drove it home. It was awesome.

PERRY MCNEIL, No. 1002 (Second in class.) – We are a Class 12 that we raced as a Class 10. We’ve got a brand new Class 10 built, but it wasn’t done in time so we raced this one in Class 10 so we are underpowered and everything else but we wanted to go for the points. That’s a rough course out there. I got much worse from the first lap to the seventh lap. There was a big change from lap to lap.

SCORE LITE

RAFAEL NAVARRO IV, No. 1200 (First in class.) – It was pretty good but it got rougher as the race went on and we had to change up our lines a little bit. Other than that, the course was pretty straightforward.

MATT LAUGHLIN, No. 1203 (Third in class.) – It was surprisingly smoother than I thought it was going to be. It will definitely be rough tomorrow though. It started to get more and more chewed up but after the big guys go it’s going to be a war zone out there. The car ran perfect. The strategy was to drive it hard as we could and keep it on all fours.

STOCK FULL

JOE BACAL, No. 862 (Second in class.) – It is a new truck and we are just trying to get the bugs out. I haven’t even driven it until today. It is a work in progress. The truck hasn’t been running well at all. It is in limp mode and is running on four cylinders. We’re not sure what is going on. We’ve got a Lexus engineer here trying to figure out what is going on. This is exactly what happened to me last year. Surprisingly it just started to run. I kept messing with the paddle shifters which would seem to get it to run and then it would die. The suspension is better than the last truck. We will see what we can do tomorrow. It is what it is. I was expecting to start (the race) and then stop and that’s it. We’ve got Brian Stordahl who is currently undergoing treatment for cancer and he flew out here from Tulsa just to ride in this truck. He’s never been in a race car and it is something I wanted to do. I was about ready to cry when the truck didn’t run because he came all the way out here. The shocks weren’t tuned and we just went out there and raced it. We had no idea what to expect.

MARC STEIN, No. 861 (Third in class.) – We had a fuel problem on the first lap which took me seven minutes to fix and allowed the whole class get a lap on me. I took the lap back and won the class. It was foot to the floor baby. The first day is so much easier because it (the course) isn’t as tough. The fuel pump disconnected and I had to strip the wires and put it back together.

STOCK MINI

ANDY BELL, No. 779 (First in class.) – Co-driver Ted Moncure said: Things went beautifully. All we did was take a Sunday drive pre-running and click off consistent laps and get a finish with no problems. We’re going to wash it, and Lord willing, not having anything to fix and be able to come out tomorrow and do the same thing. We didn’t push it and tried to stay out of the racing line when the fast guys came by. Only one guy nerfed us, we thought unnecessarily, but that’s life. The truck ran like a Toyota and just clicked off laps.

CLASS 7-2

BILLY WILSON, No. 722 (First in class.) – The truck ran great and there was a lot of competition. The course was bumpy and rough. The racing was head to head.

CLASS 4

DEREK FLETCHER, No. 419 (First in class.) – We had a great day. The course is getting rougher but it’s still not bad.

CLASS 2

CLYDE STACY, No. 202 (First in class.) – Co-driver Steven Arlia said: It was a good course, a simple course. It is still relatively smooth but it is going to get bad. Tomorrow will be interesting after the trucks. We didn’t have any issues. It was a Saturday drive. I love the course. It is similar to a short course. I wish it was a little longer or had more laps would be good. Anything is fun.

JON ANDERSON, No. 201 (Second in class.) It was a nice course and it was really a lot of fun. I was disappointed that we had a competitor. My goal was to finish and not get hurt. The course is really nice. They did a lot of work on it last night.

SCORE Laughlin Sunday, Jan. 15 (Rd 2) Start Order

Fish — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 03:43:27 +0000

January 14, 2012

18th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

Round 2 of five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series Jan. 15 — Laughlin, Nevada

Total Entries–102

(from 15 States, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany & Mexico) (as of 1/14/12)

(Starting Order, By Class)

Pro Cars and Trucks

SCORE TROPHY TRUCK (24)

97 B.J. Baldwin

18 Juan Carlos Lopez

98 Gary Weyhrich

94 Steven Strobel

9 Mark Weyhrich

12 Brendan Gaughan

96 Bobby Baldwin

95 Scott Whipple

20 Rob MacCachren

2 Pete Sohren

47 James Bult

84 Nick Vanderwey

19 Tim Herbst

49 Ryan Arciero

34 Ken Losch

65 Lloyd Sproule

10 Greg Nunley

48 Jimmy Knuckles

30 Robbie Pierce

16 Cameron Steele

14 Cameron Steele

15 Armin Schwarz

68 Marc Ewing

35 Jason Voss

CLASS 1 (20)

101 Damen Jefferies

106 Eric Hardin

102 Brian Parkhouse

107 Ronny Wilson

109 Conan Barker

117 Michael LaPaglia

113 Steven Eugenio

112 Harley Letner

108 Steve Appleton

105 Cody Parkhouse

118 Pete Sohren

149 Louie Serna

148 Kevin Thompson

115 Robert Archibald

110 Monica Greenhill

111 Grant Lenk

114 Clyde Stacy

100 Justin Davis

116 Tony Miglini

119 Jaime Huerta

CLASS 1/2-1600 (9)

1601 Cody Robinson

1603 Andrew Myers

1606 Robert S. Archibald

1602 Brad Wilson

1604 Brian Wilson

1610 George Peters

1607 Jason Markham

1609 Jesus Velez

1605 J.J. Schnarr

CLASS 3 (3)

300 Donald Moss

349 Billy Bunch

303 Dan Moore

CLASS 5 (2)

500 Kevin Carr

501 Victor Cesena

CLASS 5-1600 (2)

552 Clyde Stacy

551 Erich Reisen

CLASS 6 (10)

618 Eduardo Laguna

606 Javier Manzo

600 Rene Brugger

740 Elias Hanna

616 Dan Holtz

605 Elias Canchola Jr.

603 Jeffery Holmes

619 Josh Quintero

601 Jose Grijalva

604 Peter Lang

CLASS 7 (3)

700 Dan Chamlee

702 Brandon Walsh

701 Jose Gonzalez V.

CLASS 7SX (4)

758 Justin Fisher

742 Rich Severson

759 Jon Anderson

740 Elias Hanna

CLASS 8 (1)

839 Rodolfo Iribe

CLASS 10 (5)

1003 Matt Cullen

1002 Perry McNeil

1048 Mark Lawrence

1001 Peter Hajas

1049 Mike Lawrence

SCORE LITE (6)

1200 Rafael Navarro IV

1206 Otoniel Huerta

1203 Matt Laughlin

1201 Jeff Sanca

1202 Brent Parkhouse

1204 Lobsam Yee

STOCK FULL (3)

860 Wes Bevly III

862 Joe Bacal

861 Marc Stein

STOCK MINI (1)

779 Andy Bell

CLASS 7-2 (3)

723 Billy Wilson

721 Dana Dague

720 Reid Rutherford

CLASS 4 (2)

419 Derek Fletcher

401 Mike Shaffer

CLASS 2 (2)

202 Clyde Stacy

201 Jon Anderson

Sportsman

SPT BUGGY (1)

1419 Jim Bunn

SPT TRUCK (1)

1549 Nick Tonelli

1512 Brendan Gaughan

SCORE Laughlin Official Finishers 1.14.12

Fish — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 03:11:17 +0000

January 14, 2012

18th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

Round 1 of five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series, Jan. 14 — Laughlin, Nevada

6.25 miles per lap

TOTAL STARTERS: 99, TOTAL FINISHERS: 78 (78.8 PERCENT)

TOP OVERALL FINISHERS

Position, Driver(s), Manufacturer, Class, 8-lap, 50-mile time (miles per hour)

1. B.J. Baldwin/Bobby Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado, SCORE Trophy Truck, 53 minutes, 45 seconds (55.81 miles per hour)

2. Juan Carlos Lopez, Tecate, Mexico/Justin Matney, Bristol, Tenn., Chevy Silverado, SCORE Trophy Truck, 54:51 (54.69 mph)

3. Gary Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150, SCORE Trophy Truck, 55:16 (54.28 mph)

4. Steven Strobel, Clarks, Neb., Ford F-150, SCORE Trophy Truck, 55:38 (53.92 mph)

5. Steven Eugenio, Alpine, Calif./Adam Pfankuch, Oceanside, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, Class 1, 56:12 (53.38 mph)

6. Mark Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150, SCORE Trophy Truck, 56:18 (53.29 mph)

7. Brendan Gaughan/Brian Collins, Las Vegas, Dodge Ram1500, SCORE Trophy Truck, 56:18 (52.79 mph)

8. Cody Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, Class 1, 57:22 (52.30 mph)

9. Bobby Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado, SCORE Trophy Truck, 57:38 (52.05 mph)

10. Scott Whipple/Scott Gailey, Norco, Calif., Ford F-150, SCORE Trophy Truck, 57:51 (51.86 mph)

11. Brian Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, Class 1, 58:00 (51.72 mph)

12. Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, Ford F-150, SCORE Trophy Truck, 58:03 (51.68 mph)

13. Pete Sohren, Glendale, Ariz., Ford F-150, SCORE Trophy Truck, 58:51 (50.98 mph)

14. (Tie) Ronny Wilson, Long Beach, Calif./Randy Wilson, Lakewood, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, Class 1, 59:17 (50.60 mph)

14. (Tie) Harley Letner, Orange, Calif., Alpha-Chevy, Class 1, 59:17 (50.60 mph)

16. Steve Appleton, Boise, Idaho/Mike Julson, Santee, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, Class 1, 59:30 (50.42 mph)

17. Damen Jefferies, Apple Valley, Calif./Rob Bruce, Turner, Ore.., Jefferies-Chevy, Class 1, 1:00:09 (49.88 mph)

18. (Tie) Conan Barker, Whittier, Calif./Scott Zeppenfeldt, Brea, Calif., Porter-Chevy, Class 1, 1:00:12 (49.83 mph)

18. (Tie) James Bult, Monee, Ill/Jacob Bult, Sand Point, Idaho, Dodge Ram2500, SCORE Trophy Truck, 1:00:12 (49.83 mph)

20. Eric Hardin/Jared Hardin, Garden Grove, Calif., RPS-Chevy, Class 1, 1:01:29 (48.79 mph)

18th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

OFFICIAL FINISHERS

SCORE TROPHY TRUCK (Unlimited Production Trucks, 8 laps, 50 miles)—1. B.J. Baldwin/Bobby Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado, 53 minutes, 45 seconds (55.81 miles per hour); 2. Juan Carlos Lopez, Tecate, Mexico/Justin Matney, Bristol, Tenn., Chevy Silverado, 54:51; 3. Gary Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150, 55:16; 4. Steven Strobel, Clarks, Neb., Ford F-150, 55:38; 5. Mark Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150, 56:18; 6. Brendan Gaughan/Brian Collins, Las Vegas, Dodge Ram1500, 56:50; 7. Bobby Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado, 57:38; 8. Scott Whipple/Scott Gailey, Norco, Calif., Ford F-150, 57:51; 9. Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, Ford F-150, 58:03; 10. Pete Sohren, Glendale, Ariz., Ford F-150, 58:51; 11. James Bult, Monee, Ill/Jacob Bult, Sand Point, Idaho, Dodge Ram2500, 1:00:12; 12. Nick Vanderwey, Phoenix/Larry Vanderwey, Litchfield Park, Ariz., Chevy Silverado, 1:03:38; 13. Tim Herbst, Las Vegas, Larry Roeseler, Boulevard, Calif., Ford F-150, 1:08:39;

14. Ryan Arciero, Foothill Ranch, Calif., Chevy CK1500, 1:16:48; 15. Ken Losch, Tempe, Ariz./John Pickett, Tulare, Calif., Chevy Silverado, 1:22:45. (22 Starters, 15 Finishers)

CLASS 1 (Unlimited single or two-seaters, 8 laps, 50 miles)—1. Adam Pfankuch, Oceanside, Calif., (Steven Eugenio, Alpine, Calif., driver of record) Jimco-Chevy, 56:12 (53.38 mph); 2. Cody Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 57:22; 3. Brian Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 58:00; 4. (Tie) Ronny Wilson, Long Beach, Calif./Randy Wilson, Lakewood, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, and Harley Letner, Orange, Calif., Alpha-Chevy, 59:17; 6. Mike Julson, Santee, Calif., (Steve Appleton, Boise, Idaho, driver of record) Jimco-Chevy, 59:30; 7. Damen Jefferies, Apple Valley, Calif./Rob Bruce, Turner, Ore.., Jefferies-Chevy, 1:00:09; 8. Conan Barker, Whittier, Calif./Scott Zeppenfeldt, Brea, Calif., Porter-Chevy, 1:00:12; 9. Eric Hardin/Jared Hardin, Garden Grove, Calif., RPS-Chevy, 1:01:29; 10. Michael LaPaglia, Murrieta, Calif., 1:02:05; 11. Pete Sohren, Glendale, Ariz., Geiser-Ford, 1:05:58; 12. Louie Serna/Antoinette Serna, Grand Canyon, Ariz., Tatum-Chevy, 1:06:13; 13. Kevin Thompson, Seguin, Texas/Dana Pearce, Thousand Oaks, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 1:13:40; 14. Monica Greenhill/David Greenhill, Crowley, Texas, Jimco-Chevy, 1:20:52.

(20 Starters, 14 Finishers)

CLASS 1/2-1600 (VW-powered, single or two-seaters to 1600cc, 6 laps, 37.5 miles)—1. Cody Robinson, El Centro, Calif./Roberto Romo, Mexicali, Mexico, Romo, 49:40 (45.30 mph); 2. Andrew Myers/Steve Myers, Newport Beach, Calif., Lothringer, 50:38; 3. Mike Meecham, El Cajon, Calif., (Robert S. Archibald, El Cajon, Calif.,driver of record) Mirage, 50:46; 4. Brad Wilson, Long Beach, Calif./Justin Munyon, San Clemente, Calif., Kreger, 51:26; 5. Brian Wilson/Kyle Quinn, Irvine, Calif., Kreger, 52:03; 6. George Peters, Newbury Park, Calif./Ignacio King, Ensenada, Mexico, Penhall, 53:48; 7. Jason Markham, Ventura, Calif., Lothringer, 54:22; 8. Jesus Velez, Mexicali, Mexico, Curry, 54:38; 9. J.J. Schnarr, Reno, Nev.,Levco, 55:14. (9 Starters, 9 Finishers)

CLASS 3 (Short wheelbase 4X4, 5 laps, 31.25 miles)—1. Donald Moss, Sacramento, Calif., Ford Bronco, 44:45 (41.90 mph); 2. Billy Bunch, La Quinta, Calif., Jeep Wrangler, 45:17.

(3 Starters, 2 Finishers)

CLASS 5 (Unlimited VW Baja Bugs, 7 laps, 43.75 miles)—1. Kevin Carr, San Diego, 1:00:48 (43.17 mph) (2 Starters, 1 Finisher)

CLASS 5/1600 (1600cc VW Baja Bugs, 6 laps, 37.5 miles)— 1. Thomas Fernandez, Ensenada, Mexico (Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va., driver of record) 1:02:23 (36.07 mph). (2 Starters, 1 Finisher)

CLASS 6 (Unlimited, production mini trucks, 6 laps, 37.5 miles)—1. Eduardo Laguna, Mexicali, Mexico/Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va., Chevy Colorado, 43:25 (51.82 mph); 2. Alex Almaraz, Tijuana, Mexico (Javier Manzo, Tijuana, Mexico, driver of record) Ford Ranger, 47:28; 3. Rene Brugger, San Diego, Ford Ranger, 47:38; 4. Elias Hanna, Ensenada, Mexico, Ford Ranger. 50:48; 5. Dan Holtz, Los Angeles/Rick McGeorge, Garden Grove, Calif., Ford Ranger, 53:41; 6. Elias Canchola Jr, Mexicali, Mexico, Ford Ranger, 56:46. (9 Starters, 6 Finishers)

CLASS 7 (Open, production mini trucks, 6 laps, 37.5 miles)—1. Dan Chamlee, Summerland, Calif./Tom Chamlee, Carpenteria, Calif., Ford Ranger, 48:48 (46.11 mph); 2. Brandon Walsh, Encinitas, Calif., Toyota Tacoma, 52:36. (3 Starters, 2 Finishers)

CLASS 7SX (Modified, open mini trucks, 6 laps, 37.5 miles)—1. John Holmes, Olivenhain, Calif., (Justin Fisher, San Ysidro, Calif., driver of record) Ford Ranger, 53:54 (41.74 mph); 2. Rich Severson, Tucson, Ariz., Ford Ranger, 56:22; 3. Jon Anderson, San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Brandt Anderson, Ladera Ranch, Calif./Mike Horner, Mission Viejo, Calif., Toyota Tacoma, 57:16. (3 Starters, 3 Finishers)

CLASS 8 (Full-sized two-wheel drive trucks, 6 laps, 37.5 miles)—1. Rodolfo Iribe, San Ysidro, Calif./Justin Matney, Bristol, Tenn., Chevy Silverado, 47:10 (47.70 mph). (1 Starter, 1 Finisher)

CLASS 10 (Single or two-seaters to 1650cc, 7 laps, 43.75 miles)—1. Matt Cullen, Long Beach, Calif./Chuck Sacks, Canyon Lake, Calif., AlumiCraft-Honda, 53:48 (48.79 mph); 2. Perry McNeil, Lemon Grove, Calif., Lothringer-VW, 56:16; 3. Mark Lawrence, El Monte, Calif., Lothringer-VW, 58:31; 4. Peter Hajas, Wayzata, Minn./Steven Hajas, Delano, Minn., Kreger-Chevy, 1:00:35; 5. Mike Lawrence, El Monte, Calif., Chenowth-Honda, 1:00:55. (5 Starters, 5 Finishers)

SCORE LITES (VW-powered, Limited single-1776cc-or two-seaters-1835cc, 7 laps, 43.75 miles)— 1. Rafael Navarro IV, Temecula, Calif./Vic Bruckmann, Lemon Grove, Calif., Jimco, 54:25 (48.24 mph); 2. Otoneil Huerta, San Luis, Ariz., Curry, 54:27; 3. Matt Laughlin, Laughlin, Nev., Penhall, 57:00; 24. Jeff Sanca/Herb Ruppe, Canada, Porter, 59:01; 5. Brent Parkhouse, Long Beach/Brian Burgess, Riverside, Calif., Moulton, 1:02:28; 6. Lobsam Yee, Tijuana, Mexico, Curry, 1:09:17. (6 Starters, 6 Finishers)

STOCK FULL (Stock, Full-sized trucks, 5 laps, 31.25 miles )—1. Wes Bevly III, Corpus Christi, Texas, Ford F-150, 48:10 (38.93 mph); 2. Joe Bacal, Anthem, Ariz., Lexus LX570, Lexus, 48:50; 3. Marc Stein, San Diego, Ford F-150, 57:32. (3 Starters, 3 Finishers)

STOCK MINI (Stock, mini trucks, 5 laps, 31.25 miles)—1. Ted Moncure, Long Beach, Calif., Andy Bell, Long Beach, Calif., driver of record)/ Toyota Tacoma, 1:09:20 (27.04 mph) (1 Starter, 1 Finisher)

CLASS 7-2 (Unlimited Mini-Truck, 2.2/2.4-Liter Ecotec engine, 5 laps, 31.25 miles)—1. Billy Wilson/Wes Bevly IV, Corpus Christi, Texas, BajaLite-Chevy, 49:23 (45.56 mph); 2. Dana Dague, Huntington Beach, Calif./Harley Letner, Orange, Calif., Mason-Chevy, 49:43; 3. Reid Rutherford, Montrose, Colo., Mason-Chevy, 51:29. (3 Starters, 3 Finishers)

CLASS 4 (Unlimited open-wheel car, 2.2/2.4-Liter Ecotec engine, 7 laps, 43.75 miles)—1. Derek Fletcher, Abingdon, Va., PSD-Chevy, 56:20 (46.60 mph); 2. Mike Shaffer, Oakland, Calif./Shawn Twitchell, Nampa, Idaho, Custom-Chevy, 1:00:40. (2 Starters, 2 Finishers)

CLASS 2 (Unlimited open-wheel, car/truck, 3.5-Liter Turbo or supercharged, 6 laps, 37.5 miles)— 1. Steven Arlia, Phoenix (Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va., driver of record) PSD-Chevy, 50:00 (45.0 mph); 2. Jon Anderson, San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Scott Anderson, Sandy, Utah/Brandt Anderson, Ladera Ranch, Calif., Toyota Tacoma, 1:05:25. (2 Starters, 2 Finishers)

SPORTSMAN

SPT BUGGY, 6 laps, 37.5 miles—1. Jim Bunn/John Matney, Bristol, Va., RGBuggy-Chevy, 50:24 (44.64 mph) (1 Starter, 1 Finisher)

SPT TRUCK, 5 laps, 31.25 miles—1. Nick Tonelli, Huntington Beach, Calif., Ford Ranger, 43:25 (43.19 mph) (2 Starters, 1 Finisher)

SCORE Laughlin Results Story 1.14.12

Fish — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 02:49:46 +0000

January 14, 2012

Round 2 on Sunday

B.J. Baldwin wins overall, SCORE Trophy Truck, Pfankuch Class 1

During Saturday’s Rd 1 at 18th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

RPM Off Road wins five classes; other class winners include Robinson, Moss, Chamlee, Bevley III

Entries from 15 U.S. states and six countries in Laughlin Rounds 1 & 2 of 2012 SCORE Desert Series

LAUGHLIN, Nev.—With fire in his eyes, hunger in his belly and new tires on his race truck, Las Vegas’ B.J. Baldwin was able to keep his new year’s resolution by winning the overall and SCORE Trophy victory at Saturday’s season-opening SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge by diligently racing his No. 97 Baldwin Motorsports Chevy Silverado to a winning time of 53 minutes, 45 seconds averaging 55.81 miles hour over eight laps of the rugged 6.25-mile desert race course.

With entries from 15 U.S states along with Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany and Mexico, Round 2 of the five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series will be held Sunday along the banks of the Colorado River in the Southern Nevada resort destination of Laughlin. Competition is being held for 20 Pro and three Sportsman classes for race buggies and trucks.

The classes are divided into groups for five multi-lap races each day. The start/finish line area and main pits will once again be located at the Laughlin Events Park just off of Casino Drive in Laughlin. The day-long second race of the weekend will start Sunday at 7 a.m.

Launching its 39th year as the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization in 2012, Sal Fish’s SCORE International is holding the first major motorsports events of the year in the United States in Laughlin, 90 miles Southeast of Las Vegas.

For the first time in the history of the event, each day of the two-day Laughlin gathering has separate race events for purposes of championship points, prize money and trophies.

Baldwin, who won both the 2006 and 2008 SCORE Trophy Truck season point titles, survived a tight battle for the five laps with fellow Las Vegas Rob MacCachren, finally pulling away on the sixth lap when MacCachren was had to stop to change a flat tire. Baldwin, who was also the fast qualifier for the race and started first Saturday, led physically the entire race although on corrected time he was in a dead heat with MacCachren after three laps and had a 10-second lead after five laps before MacCachren had to stop to change a tire.

Winning the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge for the third time in the last seven years, Baldwin did not finish any of the four races he ran in last year’s SCORE Desert Series and made a strong commitment to himself and his team to changes things in 2012.

“I made a personal commitment to myself and my team at the end of 2011 to never let anything get in the way of pursuit of a victory,” said Baldwin 32. “Running our race team like a business has sometimes gotten in the way of that and I’m over it, my team’s over it and we are done losing. 2012 is going to be our best year. I’d like to thank everybody that lives here in Laughlin and everybody that lets us race down here. This is a wonderful place to put on an event.”

“We were going to try and go slow for the first three laps because it is so hard on equipment but Rob MacCachren just wouldn’t let us do that. He was pushing the pace and I was trying to go as slow as I can but still go fast. He was catching me a second a lap and then on one of the laps I put three seconds on him and then the next lap he got a flat. To lose to Rob would be awesome but to beat him is even better.”

With SCORE Trophy Trucks, the premier SCORE racing division for high-tech, 850-horsepower unlimited production trucks earning eight of the top 10 overall finishing positions, winning the unlimited Class 1 for open-wheel desert race cars and finishing fifth overall was Adam Pfankuch, Oceanside, Calif., teammate of driver of record Steven Eugenio, El Centro, Calif., drove a Chevy-powered Jimco to the class win in 56:12 while averaging 53.38mph.

Finishing second over and in SCORE Trophy-Truck was RPM Off Road driver Juan Carlos Lopez, Tecate, Mexico, who crossed the finish line1:06 behind Baldwin in 54:51, averaging 54.69 in the No. 18 Chevy Silverado while third, 25 seconds behind Lopez and 1:31 behind Baldwin was Gary Weyhrich, Troutdale in the No. 98 TSCO Racing Ford F-150.

Steven Strobel, Clarks, Nebraska, finished fourth overall and in SCORE Trophy Truck in the No. 94 Strobel Motorsports Ford F-150 in 55:38 with an average speed for the eight laps of 53.92mph.

Gary Weyhrich’s younger brother Mark Weyhrich finished sixth overall and fifth in SCORE Trophy Truck in the No. 9 TSCO Racing Ford F-150 with a time of 56:18 and an average speed of 53.29mph.

With nine entries in this year’s SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge, RPM Off Road of Bristol, Tenn. won five classes in addition to Lopez’s second in SCORE Trophy Truck.

Mexico’s Eduardo Laguna and Rodolfo Iribe won Class 6 (Chevy Colorado) and Class 8 (Chevy Silverado) respectively for RPM Off Road while driver of record Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va. was credited with two class wins (Class 2-PSD-Chevy and Class 5-1600-VW Baja Bug) although Steve Arlia, Phoenix and Thomas Fernandez, Ensenada, Mexico, both drive Saturday and Stacy will drive both on Sunday to remain eligible for season points. RPM’s fifth class win Saturday was earned by Derek Fletcher, Abingdon, Va., in Class 4 in another PSD-Chevy.

In the closest class race of the race, Clemson University freshman Rafael Navarro IV, the defending season class champ in his class defeated Otoniel Huerta, San Luis, Ariz., in SCORE Lites by just two seconds in his Jimco-VW.

Adding to his record of most class winners in the this race was Donald Moss of Sacramento, Calif. who won Class 3 for the ninth time in a Ford Bronco.

Earning his fifth class win in Laughlin was San Diego’s Kevin Carr (Class 5, unlimited VW Baja Bug).

Besides Baldwin, also winning his class for a third time in Laughlin was Dan Chamlee, Carpenteria, Calif. (Class 7).

A total of 78 vehicles of the 99 starters in the race finished their required laps, a finishing rate of an astonishing 78.8 percent.

The featured SCORE Trophy Trucks and the unlimited Class 1 open-wheel desert race cars will both race eight laps Sunday with SCORE Trophy Trucks starting at 1 p.m. followed by Class 1 at 3 p.m. With vehicles starting one every 15 seconds in the elapsed-time race, all vehicles will have 85 minutes each day to complete their required laps to become an official finisher in the race.

General admission tickets available at the event for the three spectator areas–the start/finish line area at the Laughlin Events Park, the SCORE Hill overlooking the infield area of the start/finish line area, and the ‘Cougar Corral’ located adjacent to the west end of the course by Laughlin High School.

General admission, per person, per day, IS $10 for the start/finish and infield area, $5 for the SCORE Hill and $5 for the ‘Cougar Corral’.

Tecate Beer is the title sponsor of November’s 45th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 which will be a peninsula run starting in Ensenada, Baja California and finishing in La Paz, Baja California Sur.

Official Sponsors of the SCORE Desert Series are:

-BFGoodrich Tires, Official Tire

-Volkswagen of America, Official Vehicle

-Sunoco Race Fuels, Official Race Fuel

-Slime, Official Tire Sealant

-Symons Ambulance Company, Official Ambulance

-Bilstein, Official Shock Absorber

-Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Official Mexican Auto Insurance

Official Sponsors of the SCORE Baja 1000 are:

-Coca-Cola, Official Soft Drink

-Volaris Airlines, Official Airline

-Lightforce Performance Lighting, Official Driving Light

Additional SCORE Sponsors are – Las Vegas Events, Proturismo Ensenada, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Blue C Advertising, SignPros, PCI Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.

For more information, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.

SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

All-Time Overall Winners

1995—Ivan Stewart, SCORE Trophy Truck

Ed/Tim Herbst, Class 1

1996—Rob MacCachren, SCORE Trophy Truck

Ryan Thomas, Class 1

1997—Ed/Tim Herbst, SCORE Trophy Truck

Mark Post, Class 1

1998—David Ashley/Dan Smith, SCORE Trophy Truck

1999—Troy Herbst, Class 1

2000—Gary/Mark Weyhrich, Class 1

2001—Steve Sourapas, Class 1

2002—Dale/Mike Dondel, Class 1

2003—Dale Ebberts, Class 1

2004—Gary Dircks, SCORE Trophy Truck

2005—Dale Ebberts, Class 1

2006—B.J. Baldwin, SCORE Trophy Truck

2007—B.J. Baldwin, SCORE Trophy Truck

2008—Pat Dean, Class 1

2009—Robby Gordon, SCORE Trophy Truck

2010—Andy McMillin, SCORE Trophy Truck

2011—Bryce Menzies, SCORE Trophy Truck

2012, Round 1—B.J. Baldwin, SCORE Trophy Truck

2012, Round 2 (Sunday, Jan. 15)—TBD

SCORE Laughlin-SCORE Trophy Truck Qualifying 1.13.12

Fish — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 20:48:15 +0000

January 13, 2012

Rounds 1& 2, 2012 SCORE Desert Series Saturday and Sunday in Laughlin, Nev.

B.J. Baldwin qualifies No. 97 Baldwin Motorsports Chevy Silverado fastest

To earn pole for Saturday’s first round of SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

LAUGHLIN, Nev.–Las Vegas champion desert racer B.J. Baldwin, a two-time SCORE Trophy Truck season point champion, earned the pole position for Saturday’s first of two races at the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge Friday as he maneuvered his No. 97 Baldwin Motorsports Chevy Silverado to a fast time of six minutes, 23.99 seconds during qualifying for SCORE Trophy Trucks averaging 58.59 miles per hour over one lap around the 6.25-mile race loop.

Launching its 39th year as the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization in 2012, Sal Fish’s SCORE International will hold the first major motorsports events of the year in the United States in Laughlin, 90 miles Southeast of Las Vegas.

With entries so far from 15 U.S states along with Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany and Mexico, Rounds 1 and 2 of the five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series will be held Friday through Sunday along the banks of the Colorado River in the Southern Nevada resort destination of Laughlin. Competition will be held for 20 Pro and three Sportsman classes for race buggies and trucks.

For the first time in the history of the event, each day of the two-day Laughlin gathering (Saturday and Sunday) will be separate race events for purposes of championship points, prize money and trophies.

The course is 6.25 miles long with the classes divided into groups for five multi-lap races each day. The start/finish line area and main pits will once again be located at the Laughlin Events Park just off of Casino Drive in Laughlin. The day-long races will start each day at 7 a.m. One vehicle will start every 15 seconds in the elapsed-time race.

Baldwin will lead a field of 100 official entries, which includes 24 vehicles in the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck division for high-tech, 850 horsepower, unlimited production trucks.

“We improved our lap time by nearly nine seconds over last year, so we are very stoked,” said Baldwin, who won this race in both 2006 and 2007 and was second in qualifying last year in Laughlin. “This was our first time running with Toyo Tires and they were hooked up just perfect on this rugged little race course. Our Chevy Silverado is ready to roar on the river and I have to be calm enough to keep from pushing it over the edge.”

Qualifying second was Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren, who ran a qualifying lap of 6:33.00 at 57.25mph in the No. 20 MasterCraft Racing Ford F-150.

The four trucks that elected not to qualify on Friday will start Saturday’s race behind the other 20 SCORE Trophy Trucks.

With general admission tickets available at the event, the three spectator areas for the event will be the start/finish line area at the Laughlin Events Park, the SCORE Hill overlooking the infield area of the start/finish line area, and the ‘Cougar Corral’ located adjacent to the west end of the course by Laughlin High School.

General admission, per person, per day, is $10 for the start/finish and infield area, $5 for the SCORE Hill and $5 for the ‘Cougar Corral’.

18th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

Rounds 1 & 2 of five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series

Jan. 13-15 Laughlin, Nevada

Friday’s SCORE Trophy Truck Qualifying Results

(With starting positions for Saturday’s race. Start order for Sunday’s race will be determined by a drawing of Saturday’s top 10 finishers with the balance of the class starting in the placement order from Saturday.)

Position, Vehicle Number, Driver of Record, Hometown, Vehicle, time for one lap of 6.25-mile course

TOP QUALIFIER: 97 B.J. Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado, 6 minutes, 23.99 seconds (58.59 miles per hour)

2. 20 Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, Ford F-150, 6:33.00 (57.25mph)

3. 10 Greg Nunley, Tulare, Calif., Chevy Silverado, 6:38.48 (56.48mph)

4. 65 Lloyd Sproule/Derrick Sproule, Canada, Ford F-150, 6:42.16 (55.95mph)

5. 14 Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif./Cody Stuart, Capistrano Beach, Calif., GMC Sierra, 6:42.30 (55.93mph)

6. 94 Steven Strobel, Clarks, Neb., Ford F-150, 6:45.60 (55.47mph)

7. 16 Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif./Cody Stuart, Capistrano Beach, Calif., GMC Sierra, 6:49.39 (54.96mph)

8. 98 Gary Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150, 6:49.63 (54.93mph)

9. 18 Juan Carlos Lopez, Tecate, Mexico/Justin Matney, Bristol, Tenn., Chevy Silverado, 6:51.01 (54.74mph)

10. 2 Pete Sohren, Glendale, Ariz., Ford F-150, 6:51.48 (54.68mph)

11. 9 Mark Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150, 6:51.78 (54.64mph)

12. 12 Brendan Gaughan/Brian Collins, Las Vegas, Dodge Ram1500, 6:53.00 (54.48mph)

13. 15 Armin Schwarz, Germany/Martin Christensen, Escondido, Calif. (Denmark), Chevy Silverado, 6:54.98 (54.22mph)

14. 30 Robbie Pierce, Santee, Calif., Ford F-150, 6:56.56 (54.01mph)

15. 95 Scott Whipple/Scott Gailey, Norco, Calif., Ford F-150, 6:58.39 (53.78mph)

16. 48 Jimmy Knuckles, Brawley, Calif., Sean McCallum, Imperial, Calif., Ford F-150, 7:00.50 (53.51mph)

17. 84 Nick Vanderwey, Phoenix/Larry Vanderwey, Litchfield Park, Ariz., Chevy Silverado, 7:01.13 (53.42mph)

18. 34 Ken Losch, Tempe, Ariz./John Pickett, Tulare, Calif., Chevy Silverado, 7:07.42 (52.64mph)

19. 96 Bobby Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado, 7:22.40 (50.86mph)

20. 68 Marc Ewing, Henderson, Nev./Bryce Menzies, Las Vegas, Ford F-150 (DNF)

21. 19 Tim Herbst, Las Vegas, Ford F-150 (DNS)

22. 47 James Bult, Monee, Ill/Jacob Bult, Sand Point, Idaho, Dodge Ram2500 (DNS)

23. 49 Ryan Arciero, Foothill Ranch, Calif., Chevy CK1500 (DNS)

24. 35 Jason Voss/Rich Voss, Cupertino, Calif., Ford F-150 (DNS)

SCORE Laughlin 1997-2004

Curtis Guise — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:15:48 +0000

Take a look back at some of my favorite moments from the SCORE Laughlin race back in 1997 to 2004. All footage was pulled from Dezert People 1-3.

SCORE Laughlin Expanded Entries 1.10.12

Fish — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:07:25 +0000

January 10, 2012

NOTE: With late entries accepted until the morning of each race (Saturday and Sunday), here is the current expanded entry list for this weekend’s 18th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge, Rounds 1 & 2 of the five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series being held in Laughlin, Nevada.

18th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

Rounds 1 & 2 of five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series

Jan. 13-15 — Laughlin, Nevada

Total Entries–90

(from 15 States, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany & Mexico) (as of 1/10/12)

(By Class Starting Order)

Pro Cars & Trucks

SCORE TROPHY TRUCK (Unlimited Production Trucks)—

(Starting order for SCORE Trophy Truck to be determined by Friday’s pre-race qualifying)

2 Pete Sohren, Glendale, Ariz., Ford F-150

9 Mark Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150

10 Greg Nunley, Tulare, Calif., Chevy Silverado

12 Brendan Gaughan/Brian Collins, Las Vegas, Dodge Ram1500

14 Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif./Cody Stuart, Capistrano Beach, Calif., GMC Sierra

15 Armin Schwarz, Germany/Martin Christensen, Escondido, Calif. (Denmark), Chevy Silverado

16 Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif./Cody Stuart, Capistrano Beach, Calif., GMC Sierra

18 Juan Carlos Lopez, Tecate, Mexico/Justin Matney, Bristol, Tenn., Chevy Silverado

19 Tim Herbst, Las Vegas, Larry Roeseler, Boulevard, Calif., Ford F-150

20 Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, Ford F-150

30 Robbie Pierce, Santee, Calif., Ford F-150

34 Ken Losch, Tempe, Ariz./John Pickett, Tulare, Calif., Chevy Silverado

35 Jason Voss/Rich Voss, Cupertino, Calif., Ford F-150

47 James Bult, Monee, Ill/Jacob Bult, Sand Point, Idaho, Dodge Ram2500

65 Lloyd Sproule/Derrick Sproule, Canada, Ford F-150

68 Marc Ewing, Henderson, Nev./Bryce Menzies, Las Vegas, Ford F-150

84 Nick Vanderwey, Phoenix/Larry Vanderwey, Litchfield Park, Ariz., Chevy Silverado

94 Steven Strobel, Clarks, Neb., Ford F-150

95 Scott Whipple/Scott Gailey, Norco, Calif., Ford F-150

96 Bobby Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado

97 B.J. Baldwin/Bobby Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado

98 Gary Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150

CLASS 1 (Unlimited single or two-seaters)—

101 Damen Jefferies, Apple Valley, Calif./Rob Bruce, Turner, Ore.., Jefferies-Chevy

102 Brian Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy

103 Derrick Sproule/Lloyd Sproule, Canada, Racer-Chevy

100 Justin Davis, Chino Hills, Calif., ESM-Chevy

105 Cody Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy

106 Eric Hardin/Jared Hardin, Garden Grove, Calif., RPS-Chevy

107 Ronny Wilson, Long Beach, Calif./Randy Wilson, Lakewood, Calif., Jimco-Chevy

108 Steve Appleton, Boise, Idaho/Mike Julson, Santee, Calif., Jimco-Chevy

109 Conan Barker, Whittier, Calif./Scott Zeppenfeldt, Brea, Calif., Porter-Chevy

110 Monica Greenhill/David Greenhill, Crowley, Texas, Jimco-Chevy

111 Grant Lenk, Newport Beach, Calif./Brent Lenk, Costa Mesa, Calif., Penhall-Chevy

112 Harley Letner, Orange, Calif., Alpha-Chevy

113 Steven Eugenio, Alpine, Calif./Adam Pfankuch, Oceanside, Calif., Jimco-Chevy

114 Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va./Justin Matney, Bristol, Tenn., Geiser-Chevy

115 Robert Archibald, El Cajon, Calif., Porter-Chevy

116 Tony Miglini, Dallas, Jimco-Chevy

117 Michael LaPaglia, Murrieta, Calif.

118 Pete Sohren, Glendale, Ariz., Geiser-Ford

148 Kevin Thompson, Seguin, Texas/Dana Pearce, Thousand Oaks, Calif., Jimco-Chevy

149 Louie Serna/Antoinette Serna, Grand Canyon, Ariz., Tatum-Chevy

CLASS 1/2-1600 (VW-powered, single or two-seaters to 1600cc)—

1601 Cody Robinson, El Centro, Calif./Roberto Romo, Mexicali, Mexico, Romo

1602 Brad Wilson, Long Beach, Calif./Justin Munyon, San Clemente, Calif., Kreger

1603 Andrew Myers/Steve Myers, Newport Beach, Calif., Lothringer

1604 Brian Wilson/Kyle Quinn, Irvine, Calif., Kreger

1605 J.J. Schnarr, Reno, Nev.,Levco

1606 Robert S. Archibald, El Cajon, Calif., Mirage

1607 Jason Markham, Ventura, Calif., Lothringer

1608 Kevin J. Walsh, Manchester, Mo./Luke Babb, Monrovia, Calif., Penhall

1609 Jesus Velez, Mexicali, Mexico, Curry

CLASS 3 (Short wheelbase 4X4)—

300 Donald Moss, Sacramento, Calif., Ford Bronco

349 Billy Bunch, La Quinta, Calif., Jeep Wrangler

CLASS 5 (Unlimited VW Baja Bugs)—

500 Kevin Carr, San Diego

501 Victor Cesena, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

CLASS 5/1600 (1600cc VW Baja Bugs)—

551 Erich Reisen/Ross Burden, Canada

CLASS 6 (Unlimited, production mini trucks)—

601 Jose Grijalva, Ensenada, Mexico/Chris Cummings, Brentwood, Tenn., Chevy Colorado

603 Jeffery Holmes, Monte Sereno, Calif., Ford Ranger

604 Peter Lang, Santa Rosa, Calif.

616 Dan Holtz, Los Angeles/Rick McGeorge, Garden Grove, Calif., Ford Ranger

600 Rene Brugger, San Diego, Ford Ranger

618 Eduardo Laguna, Mexicali, Mexico/Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va., Chevy Colorado

619 Josh Quintero, El Centro, Calif., Ford Raptor

CLASS 7 (Open, production mini trucks)—

700 Dan Chamlee, Summerland, Calif./Tom Chamlee, Carpenteria, Calif., Ford Ranger

701 Jose Gonzalez, Mexicali, Mexico, Ford Ranger

CLASS 7SX (Modified, open mini trucks)—

741 Justin Fisher, San Ysidro, Calif., Ford Ranger

742 Rich Severson, Tucson, Ariz., Ford Ranger

759 Jon Anderson, San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Brandt Anderson, Ladera Ranch, Calif./Mike Horner, Mission Viejo, Calif., Toyota Tacoma

CLASS 8 (Full-sized two-wheel drive trucks)—

839 Rodolfo Iribe, San Ysidro, Calif./Justin Matney, Bristol, Tenn., Chevy Silverado

CLASS 10 (Single or two-seaters to 1650cc)—

1001 Peter Hajas, Wayzata, Minn./Steven Hajas, Delano, Minn., Kreger-Chevy

1002 Perry McNeil, Lemon Grove, Calif., Lothringer-VW

1003 Matt Cullen, Long Beach, Calif./Chuck Sacks, Canyon Lake, Calif., AlumiCraft-Honda

SCORE LITES (VW-powered, Limited single-1776cc-or two-seaters-1835cc)—

1200 Rafael Navarro IV, Temecula, Calif./Vic Bruckmann, Lemon Grove, Calif., Jimco

1201 Jeff Sanca/Herb Ruppe, Canada, Porter

1202 Brent Parkhouse, Long Beach/Brian Burgess, Riverside, Calif., Moulton

1203 Matt Laughlin, Laughlin, Nev., Penhall

1204 Lobsam Yee, Tijuana, Mexico, Curry

STOCK FULL (Stock, Full-sized trucks)—

861 Marc Stein, San Diego, Ford F-150

862 Joe Bacal, Anthem, Ariz., Lexus LX570, Lexus

860 Wes Bevly III, Corpus Christi, Texas, Ford F-150

STOCK MINI (Stock, mini trucks)—

779 Andy Bell/Ted Moncure, Long Beach, Calif., Toyota Tacoma

CLASS 7-2 (Unlimited Mini-Truck, 2.2/2.4-Liter Ecotec engine)—

721 Dana Dague, Huntington Beach, Calif./Harley Letner, Orange, Calif., Mason-Chevy

720 Reid Rutherford, Montrose, Colo., Mason-Chevy

723 Billy Wilson/Wes Bevly IV, Corpus Christi, Texas, BajaLite-Chevy

CLASS 4 (Unlimited open-wheel car, 2.2/2.4-Liter Ecotec engine)—

401 Mike Shaffer, Oakland, Calif./Shawn Twitchell, Nampa, Idaho, Custom-Chevy

419 Derek Fletcher, Abingdon, Va., PSD-Chevy

CLASS 2 (Unlimited open-wheel, car/truck, 3.5-Liter Turbo or supercharged)—

201 Jon Anderson, San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Scott Anderson, Sandy, Utah/Brandt Anderson, Ladera Ranch, Calif., Toyota Tacoma

SPORTSMAN

SPT BUGGY—

1419 Jim Bunn/John Matney, Bristol, Va., RGBuggy-Chevy

SPT TRUCK—

1549 Nick Tonelli, Huntington Beach, Calif., Ford Ranger

SPT 5-1600–

599 Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va./Thomas Fernandez, Ensenada, Mexico, VW Baja Bug

SCORE Laughlin Final Advance 1.10.12

Fish — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:51:39 +0000

January 10, 2012

This weekend in Laughlin, Nev.

Moss, MacCachren, Pfankuch, Carr, Collins, Tim Herbst lead
Multi class winners to 18th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

Entries from 15 U.S. states and six countries entered for Rounds 1 & 2 of 2012 SCORE Desert Series;
SCORE Trophy Truck qualifying Friday at 2 p.m. at Laughlin Events Park

LAUGHLIN, Nev.—Starting off the new year and new racing season like it has for nearly two decades, this weekend’s 18th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge is an extremely popular three-day event for fans and racers, but no racers enjoy it more than six drivers who have combined for 33 classes wins in Laughlin, Nev.
Launching its 39th year as the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization in 2012, Sal Fish’s SCORE International will hold the first major motorsports events of the year in the United States in Laughlin, 90 miles Southeast of Las Vegas.
With entries so far from 15 U.S states along with Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany and Mexico, Rounds 1 and 2 of the five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series will be held Friday through Sunday along the banks of the Colorado River in the Southern Nevada resort destination of Laughlin. Competition will be held for 20 Pro and three Sportsman classes for race buggies and trucks.
For the first time in the history of the event, each day of the two-day Laughlin gathering (Saturday and Sunday) will be separate race events for purposes of championship points, prize money and trophies.
The course is 6.25 miles long with the classes divided into groups for five multi-lap races each day. The start/finish line area and main pits will once again be located at the Laughlin Events Park just off of Casino Drive in Laughlin. The day-long races will start each day at 7 a.m.
Leading the parade of multi-class winners in the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge entered this year is eight-time Class 3 winner Donald Moss of Sacramento, Calif. Las Vegas SCORE Trophy Truck racer Rob MacCachren has seven class wins in Laughlin while Adam Pfankuch, Oceanside, Calif., has six class wins and will be racing one of the two days in the unlimited Class 1 for driver of record Steven Eugenio, El Centro, Calif.
Returning this year with four class wins in Laughlin are San Diego’s Kevin Carr (Class 5) and Las Vegas racers Brian Collins (SCORE Trophy Truck) and Tim Herbst (SCORE Trophy Truck).
San Diego’s three-time winner Marc Stein returns in Stock Full while two-time class winners entered are B.J. Baldwin, Las Vegas (SCORE Trophy Truck), Vic Bruckmann, El Cajon, Calif. (SCORE Lites), Dan Chamlee, Carpenteria, Calif. (Class 7), Troy Herbst, Las Vegas (SCORE Trophy Truck), Justin Matney, Bristol, Tenn. (SCORE Trophy Truck and Class 1) and Gary Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore. (SCORE Trophy Truck).
The featured SCORE Trophy Trucks, the marquee SCORE racing division for high-tech, 850 horsepower unlimited production trucks, and the unlimited Class 1 open-wheel desert race cars will both race eight laps on Saturday and Sunday with SCORE Trophy Trucks starting at 1 p.m. each day followed by Class 1 a 3 p.m. With vehicles starting one every 15 seconds in the elapsed-time race, all vehicles will have 85 minutes each day to complete their required laps to become an official finisher in each race.
The exciting event once again kicks off the 2012 desert racing season and the Martin Luther King birthday weekend.
The Laughlin event includes course practice sessions for all classes and qualifying for SCORE Trophy Truck on Friday followed by two separate and independent races, the first on Saturday and the second on Sunday.
Starting at 2 p.m. on Friday, SCORE Trophy Truck qualifying will see each entry making one timed lap over the course to determine Saturday’s starting positions. General admission is free to Friday’s SCORE Trophy Truck qualifying. Practice sessions will be held on the course Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Also on Friday, contingency and safety inspection of the entries will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in front of the Edgewater and Colorado Belle Hotels on Casino Drive in the heart of the Laughlin resort area. Racer registration will be held at the River Palms Hotel from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday. Media registration will also be at the River Palms on Friday, from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.
With general admission tickets available at the event, the three spectator areas for the event will be the start/finish line area at the Laughlin Events Park, the SCORE Hill overlooking the infield area of the start/finish line area, and the ‘Cougar Corral’ located adjacent to the west end of the course by Laughlin High School.
General admission, per person, per day, IS $10 for the start/finish and infield area, $5 for the SCORE Hill and $5 for the ‘Cougar Corral’.
While Southern California desert racer Cameron Steele received the first qualifying spot in the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division, SoCal’s Damen Jefferies got a nice New Year’s gift as he received the first starting slot in the unlimited Class 1 in the drawing for starting positions last Monday for the 2012 SCORE season-opener.
Steele, an ESPN TV action sports announcer who lives in San Clemente, Calif., has two vehicles entered in SCORE Trophy Truck and will be the first truck to qualify, driving his new No. 14 Geiser Brothers-built GMC Sierra.
Jefferies, of Apple Valley, Calif. and a three-time SCORE season point champion including the 1998 SCORE Overall point titlist, will start first on Saturday in Class 1 in his Chevy-powered Jefferies race car.
While the starting positions for the first race (Saturday) are based on the drawing (except qualifying for SCORE Trophy Truck), starting positions for the second race (Sunday) will be based of Saturday’s placement order for classes with less than 10 finishers. For classes with 10 or more finishers there will be a random drawing of the top 10 finishers on Saturday to determine the race two starting order on Sunday. The remaining participants after 10th place will start Sunday in the order they finished on Saturday.
With entries late entries accepted up to race mornings, among the desert racing stars entered to date are 15 of the 2011 SCORE class champions Bryce Menzies, Las Vegas (SCORE Trophy Truck), Justin Davis, Chino Hills, Calif. (Class 1), Moss (Class 3), Carr (Class 5), Rene Brugger, San Diego (Class 6), Chamlee, (Class 7), Rafael Navarro IV, Temecula, Calif. (SCORE Lites),West Bevly III, Corpus Christi, Texas (Stock Full) and Reid Rutherford, Montrose, Colo. (Class 7-2).
Entered in different classes this year, Justin Matney won the 2011 SCORE season point championships in both Class 11 and Stock Mini while his RPM Offroad teammate Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va., is entered in different classes as well this year after winning the 2011 SCORE season point titles in Class 17 and Class 4. Luke Babb, Monrovia, Calif. (Class 9) and Peter Lang, Santa Rosa, Calif. (Sportsman Buggy) are also entered in different classes this year, Babb as a second driver in Class 1/2-1600 and Lang as driver of record in Class 6.
With a variety of drivers and co-drivers, RPM Offroad has a race-record eight official entries in this year’s SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge.
Last year’s SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge event overall winner, Menzies is entered as a second driver for Marc Ewing, Henderson, Nev., in the No. 68 SCORE Trophy Truck.
Returning to the desert for the first time in several years in a SCORE race is NASCAR driver Brendan Gaughan of Las Vegas. Gaughan, 36, of Las Vegas, is a veteran of all three of NASCAR’s elite series and this year has signed a deal to drive 10 NASCAR Nationwide Series races and eight NASCAR Truck races for Richard Childress Racing. In the 2012 SCORE Desert Series, he will be the driver of record in the Collins Motorsports No. 12 South Point Racing Dodge Ram150 with Las Vegas’ Brian Collins as the team’s second driver.
Tecate Beer is the title sponsor of November’s 45th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 which will be a peninsula run starting in Ensenada, Baja California and finishing in La Paz, Baja California Sur.
Official Sponsors of the SCORE Desert Series are:
-BFGoodrich Tires, Official Tire
-Volkswagen of America, Official Vehicle
-Sunoco Race Fuels, Official Race Fuel
-Slime, Official Tire Sealant
-Symons Ambulance Company, Official Ambulance
-Bilstein, Official Shock Absorber
-Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Official Mexican Auto Insurance
Official Sponsors of the SCORE Baja 1000 are:
-Coca-Cola, Official Soft Drink
-Volaris Airlines, Official Airline
-Lightforce Performance Lighting, Official Driving Light
Additional SCORE Sponsors are – Las Vegas Events, Proturismo Ensenada, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Blue C Advertising, SignPros, PCI Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.
For more information, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.

18th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge
Rounds 1 & 2 of five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series

Jan. 13-15 — Laughlin, Nevada
Total Entries–90
(from 15 States, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany & Mexico) (as of 1/10/12)

SCORE TROPHY TRUCK (Unlimited Production Trucks)–
(Starting order for SCORE Trophy Truck to be determined by Friday’s pre-race qualifying)
2 Pete Sohren, Glendale, Ariz., Ford F-150
9 Mark Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150
10 Greg Nunley, Tulare, Calif., Chevy Silverado
12 Brendan Gaughan/Brian Collins, Las Vegas, Dodge Ram1500
14 Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif./Cody Stuart, Capistrano Beach, Calif., GMC Sierra
15 Armin Schwarz, Germany/Martin Christensen, Escondido, Calif. (Denmark), Chevy Silverado
16 Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif./Cody Stuart, Capistrano Beach, Calif., GMC Sierra
18 Juan Carlos Lopez, Tecate, Mexico/Justin Matney, Bristol, Tenn., Chevy Silverado
19 Tim Herbst, Las Vegas, Larry Roeseler, Boulevard, Calif., Ford F-150
20 Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, Ford F-150
30 Robbie Pierce, Santee, Calif., Ford F-150
34 Ken Losch, Tempe, Ariz./John Pickett, Tulare, Calif., Chevy Silverado
35 Jason Voss, 25/Rich Voss, 54, Cupertino, Calif., Ford F-150
47 James Bult, Monee, Ill/Jacob Bult, Sand Point, Idaho, Dodge Ram2500
65 Lloyd Sproule/Derrick Sproule, Canada, Ford F-150
68 Marc Ewing, Henderson, Nev./Bryce Menzies, Las Vegas, Ford F-150
84 Nick Vanderwey, Phoenix/Larry Vanderwey, Litchfield Park, Ariz., Chevy Silverado
94 Steven Strobel, Clarks, Neb., Ford F-150
95 Scott Whipple/Scott Gailey, Norco, Calif., Ford F-150
96 Bobby Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado
97 B.J. Baldwin/Bobby Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado
98 Gary Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150

SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

All-Time Multiple Pro Class Champions (thru 2011)

Total Driver, Years
8
Donald Moss-2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011
7
George Seeley Jr.-1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007
Rob MacCachren-1996, 2001, 2004(2), 2006, 2007, 2010
6
Adam Pfankuch-2003, 2005, 2008, 2009(2)
4
Kevin Carr-2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Brian Collins-1996, 1999, 2000, 2001
Ed Herbst-1995, 1997, 1999, 2000
Tim Herbst-1995, 1997, 1999, 2000
John Holmes-1995, 2005, 2007, 2009
Eric Solorzano-1998, 1999, 2004, 2006
3
Danny Anderson-2000, 2001, 2009
Jeff Dickerson-2003, 2004, 2005
Dale Dondel-1998, 2002, 2005
Dale Ebberts-2000, 2003, 2005
Manny Esquerra-1997, 1999, 2000
Dr. Macrae Glass-2000, 2001, 2002
Brian Jeffrey-1995, 1996, 1997
Scott Pellerin-2002, 2003, 2005
Darren Skilton-1997, 1998, 1999
Dan Smith-1997, 1998, 2002
Marc Stein-1996, 2001, 2003
Steve Williams-1995, 1996, 1997
2
David Ashley-1997, 1998
B. J. Baldwin-2006, 2007
Victor Barajas-1996, 1997
Steve Barlow-2001, 2002
Vic Bruckmann-1999, 2002
David Callaway-1997, 1998
David Caspino-2010, 2011
Dan Chamlee-2009, 2011
Mike Dondel-1998, 2002
Eric Fisher-2004, 2005
Todd Gattrell-1995, 1996
Allan Gregory-2001, 2002
Rod Hall-2007, 2008
Elias Hanna-2010, 2011
Chris Harrold-1999, 2008
Jason Hatz-1996, 1998
Troy Herbst-1999, 2004
John Herder-1998, 2007
Carlos Iribe-1997, 1999
Gerardo Iribe-1997, 2004
Jason Jernigan-2004, 2007
Rick D. Johnson-1995, 1998
Jeff Lewis-1999, 2000
Justin Matney-2011(2)
Jim Nuckles-2003, 2005
Mark Post-1997, 2003
Joel Stankavich-1999, 2001
Rick St. John-2008, 2009
Dave Sykes-1998, 2002
Ryan Thomas-1996, 1997
Craig Turner-2002, 2005
Andrew Wehe-1996, 1997
Gary Weyhrich-2000, 2006
Chris Woodward-2000, 2001

AGM-Jimco X6 SCORE Trophy Truck: The heat is on!

Fish — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:49:07 +0000

Armin Schwarz and All German Motorsports take off into their
first SCORE season with the Trophy Truck: Season-opening
at the Laughlin Desert Challenge in Nevada
Laughlin/Nevada (USA), 8 January 2012. The new year has only just begun, and already things get serious for Armin Schwarz and the All German Motorsports squad. The Laughlin Desert Challenge (13 to 15 January 2012) in the Nevada desert kicks off the 2012 US Score Championship. It marks the first season where Schwarz and his teammates compete with the brand new AGM-Jimco X6 SCORE Trophy Truck. Last November, All German Motorsports put the 725 hp desert monster through its paces at the Baja 1000. Now, the preparations are done – it’s time to go for victory and the title.

“We will be going for the championship title, but our main focus is on the Baja 1000 this year. Our objective of this season is to win there,” says Schwarz. The legendary Baja 1000 is run for the 45th time in November, an anniversary that will be hugely celebrated. Four races in total make up the SCORE season: the Laughlin Desert Challenge, the San Felipe 250 (9 to 11 March), the Baja 500 (1 to 3 June) and the Baja 1000 (14 to 17 November).

The season-opener promises to be a true test of grit. At the Laughlin Desert Challenge, ten laps are turned on a sandy seven mile circuit. “Because all classes drive in this sandpit, the circuit becomes extremely rough. Towards the end you get these massive bumps that are so deep your car virtually disappears into them. On top of that there are differences in altitude of up to 250 metres. That’s often underestimated and it’s why the retirement rate is so high,” explains Schwarz.

To prepare for this, Schwarz and the AGM crew are testing with the Trophy Truck in Mexico prior to the race weekend. These tests include working on the suspension set-up. The Baja 1000 in November showed that the more lightweight AGM Truck performed better than its heavier opponents on the twisty passages but not on the long straights.

One of the special characteristics of the Laughlin Desert Challenge it that there is the usual draw for starting positions, but this only applies for the qualifying. This qualifying determines the start positions for the actual race. Moreover, at the Laughlin, two cars start alongside each other. “So it’s important that you get a good starting place and you get away at the start cleanly. Otherwise you end up driving in the dust of the guy in front and afterwards it looks as if you’ve been playing in the sandpit,” states Schwarz.

The Laughlin Desert Challenge motto: Many enemies, much honour. In addition to the usual championship points, extra so-called start and finish points are awarded. Each participant receives further points for each vehicle in his class that starts, and even more points for the vehicles that reach the finish line. This means, the more competition you have in your class, the more points there are to be earned.

And what is the goal of Schwarz and AGM at the season-opener? “The time for testing is over, now it counts,” says Schwarz. “We don’t necessarily have to win in Laughlin, but we’d like to earn as many points as possible towards the championship.”

One thing is already certain: The AGM-Jimco X6 SCORE Trophy Truck has again made headlines in the US scene. The press are champing at the bit to see the car up close – and are even more eager to get a ride in this innovative vehicle. For this reason, in the lead up to the race, the team runs a special day for the media on Thursday (12 January) close to Las Vegas.

SCORE Laughlin Spectator Info 1.07.12

Fish — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:45:55 +0000

January 7, 2012

Jan. 13-15 in Laughlin, Nev.

SCORE announces ticket info for three spectator areas
For upcoming 18th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

Entries from 15 U.S. states and six countries expected for Rounds 1 & 2 of 2012 SCORE Desert Series

LOS ANGELES—Acting in response to the restructuring of the popular season-opening event, SCORE International has announced that it has taken over the spectator ticketing portion of the event as well as the racing for this coming weekend’s 18th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge. Always producing the racing portion of the event, SCORE was forced into this position when the Laughlin Tourism Commission elected this year to not continue the management of the spectator areas of the event.
SCORE has decided to use the all three of the spectator areas as the last several years—the start/finish line area at the Laughlin Events Park, the SCORE Hill overlooking the infield area of the start/finish line area, and the ‘Cougar Corral’ located adjacent to the west end of the course by Laughlin High School.
General admission, per person, per day, will be $10 for the start/finish and infield area, $5 for the SCORE Hill and $5 for the ‘Cougar Corral’.
Launching into its 39th year as the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization in 2012, Sal Fish’s SCORE International will hold the first major motorsports events of the year in the United States in Laughlin, 90 miles Southeast of Las Vegas.
With entries accepted so far from 13 U.S states along with Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany and Mexico, Rounds 1 and 2 of the five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series will be held this coming Friday through Sunday (Jan. 13-15) along the banks of the Colorado River in the Southern Nevada resort destination of Laughlin. Competition will be held for 20 Pro and three Sportsman classes for race buggies and trucks.
For the first time in the history of the event, each day of the two-day Laughlin gathering (Jan. 14, Jan. 15) will be separate race events for purposes of championship points, prize money and trophies.
The exciting event will once again kick off the 2012 desert racing season on the Martin Luther King birthday weekend.
The Laughlin event includes course practice sessions for all classes and qualifying for SCORE Trophy Truck on Friday followed by two separate and independent races, the first on Saturday and the second on Sunday.
Starting at 2 p.m. on Friday, SCORE Trophy Truck qualifying will see each entry making one time lap over the course to determine Saturday’s starting positions. General admission is free to Friday’s SCORE Trophy Truck qualifying. Practice sessions will be held on the course Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The course, used for the last several years, will be 6.25 miles long with the classes divided into groups for five multi-lap races each day. The start/finish line area and main pits will once again be located at the Laughlin Events Park just off of Casino Drive in Laughlin. The day-long races will start each day at 7 a.m.
Also on Friday, contingency and safety inspection of the entries will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in front of the Edgewater and Colorado Belle Hotels on Casino Drive in the heart of the Laughlin resort area. Racer registration will be held at the River Palms hotel from 1p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12 and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13. Media registration will also be at the River Palms on Friday, Jan. 13, from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.
The featured SCORE Trophy Trucks, the marquee SCORE racing division for high-tech, 850 horsepower unlimited production trucks, and the unlimited Class 1 open-wheel desert race cars will both race eight laps on Saturday and Sunday with SCORE Trophy Trucks starting at 1 p.m. each day followed by Class 1 a 3 p.m. With vehicles starting one every 15 seconds in the elapsed-time race, all vehicles will have 85 minutes each day to complete their required laps to become an official finisher in each race.
While Southern California desert racer Cameron Steele received the first qualifying spot in the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division, SoCal’s Damen Jefferies got a nice New Year’s gift as he received the first starting slot in the unlimited Class 1 in the drawing for starting positions last Monday for the 2012 SCORE season-opener.
Steele, an ESPN TV action sports announcer who lives in San Clemente, Calif., has two vehicles entered in SCORE Trophy Trucks and will be the first truck to qualify, driving his new No. 14 Geiser Brothers-built Chevy Silverado.
Jefferies, of Apple Valley, Calif. and three-time SCORE season point champion including the 1998 SCORE Overall point titlist, will start first on Saturday in Class 1 in his Chevy-powered Jefferies race car.
While the starting positions for the first race (Jan. 14) are based on the drawing (except qualifying for SCORE Trophy Trucks), starting positions for the second race (Jan. 15) will be based of Saturday’s placement order for classes with less than 10 finishers. For classes with 10 or more finishers there will be a random drawing of the top 10 finishers to determine the race two starting order. The remaining participants after 10th place will start Sunday in the order they finished on Saturday.
With entries late entries accepted up to race morning, among the desert racing stars entered in time for the drawing were eight-time Laughlin class winner Donald Moss, Sacramento, Calif. (Class 3), seven-time Laughlin class winner Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas (SCORE Trophy Truck) and five-time Laughlin class winner Kevin Carr, San Diego (Class 5) as well as 2011 SCORE class champions. Justin Davis, Chino Hills, Calif. (Class 1), Donald Moss (Class 3), Kevin Carr (Class 5), Dan Chamlee, Carpenteria, Calif. (Class 7), Rafael Navarro IV, Temecula, Calif. (SCORE Lites) and Reid Rutherfort, Montrose, Colo. (Class 7-2).

The five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series, which features 36 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, buggies, motorcycles and ATVs, will kick off January 13-15 with the 18th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge in the Southern Nevada resort city of Laughlin on the banks of the Colorado River. The season will conclude November 14-17 with the 45th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, the granddaddy of all desert races, which will start in Ensenada, Baja California and finish in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series will both be held in Mexico. The 26th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 is set for March 9-11 in San Felipe, followed by the vastly popular 44th Tecate SCORE Baja 500, June 1-3, in Ensenada.
Tecate Beer is the title sponsor of November’s 45th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 which will be a peninsula run starting in Ensenada, Baja California and finishing in La Paz, Baja California Sur.
Official Sponsors of the SCORE Desert Series are:
-BFGoodrich Tires, Official Tire
-Volkswagen of America, Official Vehicle
-Sunoco Race Fuels, Official Race Fuel
-Slime, Official Tire Sealant
-Symons Ambulance Company, Official Ambulance
-Bilstein, Official Shock Absorber
-Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Official Mexican Auto Insurance
Official Sponsors of the SCORE Baja 1000 are:
-Coca-Cola, Official Soft Drink
-Volaris Airlines, Official Airline
-Lightforce Performance Lighting, Official Driving Light
Additional SCORE Sponsors are – Las Vegas Events, Proturismo Ensenada, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Blue C Advertising, SignPros, PCI Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.
For more information, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.

SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge
Rounds 1 & 2 – 2012 SCORE Desert Series
Jan 13-15 — Laughlin, Nevada

Schedule of Events

Thursday, January 13, 2012
1 p.m. – 6 p.m. Driver Registration 2700 Club, River Palms Hotel

Friday, January 13, 2012
8 a.m. – 1 p.m.  Race Course Practice Sessions  Official Race Course-Laughlin Events Park
9 a.m. – 10 a.m.  Express Driver Registration  2700 Club, River Palms Hotel
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.  Regular Driver Registration  2700 Club, River Palms Hotel
9 a.m. – 6 p.m.  Media Registration   River Room, River Palms Hotel
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.  Contingency & Technical Inspection Edgewater & Colorado Belle Hotels
2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Qualifying-SCORE Trophy-Truck  Official Race Course-Laughlin Events Park

Saturday, January 14, 2012
6 a.m. Late Registration & Tech Inspection Start/Finish Line area-Laughlin Events Park
6:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Media Center Open Start/Finish Line area-Laughlin Events Park

Sunday, January 15, 2012
6 a.m. Late Registration & Tech Inspection Start/Finish Line area-Laughlin Events Park
6:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. Media Center Open Start/Finish Line area-Laughlin Events Park

DAILY RACING SCHEDULE (Subject to Change)
7 a.m. RACING STARTS (5 groups each day) Start/Finish Line-Laughlin Events Park
85-minute time limit for each group
Starting intervals–one vehicle every 15 seconds

7 a.m.–Group 1

Classes 1/2-1600 (6 laps), 5-1600 (6), 2 (6), SPT Buggy (6), SPT 5-1600 (6), 9 (4), 11 (3)
9 a.m.–Group 2

Classes 8 (6 laps), Protruck (6), 6 (6), 7-2 (6), 7 (6), 7SX (6), Stock Full (5), Stock Mini (5), Class 3 (5), SPT Truck (5)
11 a.m.–Group 3

Class 10 (7 laps), SCORE Lites (7), Class 5 (7), 4 (7)
1 p.m.–Group 4

SCORE Trophy Truck (8 laps)
3 p.m.–Group 5

Class 1 (8 laps)

The Start/Finish Line area is located at the Laughlin Events Park
At the corner of Thomas Edison Drive and Bruce Woodbury Drive

2012 SCORE Laughlin draw results story 1.03

Fish — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:32:04 +0000

January 3, 2012

Jan. 13-15 in Laughlin, Nev.

SCORE Trophy Trucks to qualify for starting slots; Jefferies draws
First Class 1 start two-race 18th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

LOS ANGELES—While Southern California desert racer Cameron Steele received the first qualifying spot in the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division, SoCal’s Damen Jefferies got a nice New Year’s gift as he received the first starting slot in the unlimited Class 1 in Monday’s drawing for starting positions for the upcoming 18th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge.
Launching into its 39th year as the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization in 2012, Sal Fish’s SCORE International will hold the first major motorsports events of the year in the United States.
With entries accepted so far from 11 U.S States along with Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany and Mexico, Rounds 1 and 2 of the five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series will be held January 13-15 along the banks of the Colorado River in the Southern Nevada resort destination of Laughlin.
For the first time in the history of the event, each day of the two-day Laughlin event (Jan. 14, Jan. 15) will be separate race events for purposes of championship points, prize money and trophies.
The popular event will once again kick off the 2012 desert racing season on the Martin Luther King birthday weekend.
The Laughlin event includes course practice sessions for all classes and qualifying for SCORE Trophy Truck on Friday followed by two separate and independent races, the first on Saturday and the second on Sunday. The course, used for the last several years, will be approximately six miles with the classes divided into groups for several multi-lap races each day. The start/finish line area and main pits will once again be located at the Laughlin Events Park just off of Casino Drive in Laughlin. The day-long races will start each day at 7 a.m.
Starting at 2 p.m. on Friday, SCORE Trophy Truck qualifying will see each entry making one time lap over the course to determine Saturday’s starting positions.
Also on Friday, contingency and safety inspection of the entries will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in front of the Edgewater and Colorado Belle Hotels on Casino Drive in the heart of the Laughlin resort area. Racer registration will be held at the River Palms hotel from 1p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12 and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13.
The featured SCORE Trophy Trucks and the unlimited Class 1 open-wheel desert race cars will both race eight laps on Saturday and Sunday with SCORE Trophy Trucks starting at 1 p.m. each day followed by Class 1 a 3 p.m. With vehicles starting one every 15 seconds in the elapsed-time race, all vehicles will have 85 minutes each day to complete their required laps to become an official finisher in each race.
Steele, an ESPN TV action sports announcer who lives in San Clemente, Calif., has two vehicles entered in SCORE Trophy Trucks and will be the first truck to qualify, driving his new No. 14 Geiser Brothers-built Chevy Silverado.
Jefferies, of Apple Valley, Calif. and three-time SCORE season point champion including the 1998 SCORE Overall point titlist, will start first on Saturday in Class 1 in his Chevy-powered Jefferies race car.
While the starting positions for the first race (Jan. 14) are based on the drawing (except qualifying for SCORE Trophy Trucks), starting positions for the second race (Jan. 15) will be based of Saturday’s placement order for classes with less than 10 finishers. For classes with 10 or more finishers there will be a random drawing of the top 10 finishers to determine the race two starting order. The remaining participants after 10th place will start Sunday in the order they finished on Saturday.
With entries late entries accepted up to race morning, among the desert racing stars entered in time for the drawing were eight-time Laughlin class winner Donald Moss, Sacramento, Calif. (Class 3), seven-time Laughlin class winner Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas (SCORE Trophy Truck) and five-time Laughlin class winner Kevin Carr, San Diego (Class 5) as well as 2011 SCORE class champions. Justin Davis, Chino Hills, Calif. (Class 1), Donald Moss (Class 3), Kevin Carr (Class 5), Dan Chamlee, Carpenteria, Calif. (Class 7), Rafael Navarro IV, Temecula, Calif. (SCORE Lites) and Reid Rutherfort, Montrose, Colo. (Class 7-2).
The five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series, which features 36 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, buggies, motorcycles and ATVs, will kick off January 13-15 with the 18th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge in the Southern Nevada resort city of Laughlin on the banks of the Colorado River. The season will conclude November 14-17 with the 45th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, the granddaddy of all desert races, which will start in Ensenada, Baja California and finish in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series will both be held in Mexico. The 26th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 is set for March 9-11 in San Felipe, followed by the vastly popular 44th Tecate SCORE Baja 500, June 1-3, in Ensenada.
Tecate Beer is the title sponsor of November’s 45th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 which will be a peninsula run starting in Ensenada, Baja California and finishing in La Paz, Baja California Sur.
Official Sponsors of the SCORE Desert Series are:
-BFGoodrich Tires, Official Tire
-Volkswagen of America, Official Vehicle
-Sunoco Race Fuels, Official Race Fuel
-Slime, Official Tire Sealant
-Symons Ambulance Company, Official Ambulance
-Bilstein, Official Shock Absorber
-Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Official Mexican Auto Insurance
Official Sponsors of the SCORE Baja 1000 are:
-Coca-Cola, Official Soft Drink
-Volaris Airlines, Official Airline
-Lightforce Performance Lighting, Official Driving Light
Additional SCORE Sponsors are – Las Vegas Events, Proturismo Ensenada, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Blue C Advertising, SignPros, PCI Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.
For more information, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.

SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge
Total Entries–66 (as of 1/03/12)
(from 11 States, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany & Mexico)
(Starting Order, By Class)
Pro Cars and Trucks

SCORE TROPHY TRUCK (17)
(Qualifying Order)
14 Cameron Steele
30 Robbie Pierce
95 Scott Whipple
2 Pete Sohren
24 Adam Householder
97 B.J. Baldwin
20 Rob MacCachren
65 Lloyd Sproule
94 Steven Strobel
18 Juan Carlos Lopez
84 Nick Vanderwey
47 James Bult
96 Bobby Baldwin
16 Cameron Steele
15 Armin Schwarz
68 Marc Ewing
19 Tim Herbst

CLASS 1 (16)
101 Damen Jefferies
102 Brian Parkhouse
103 Derrick Sproule
100 Justin Davis
105 Cody Parkhouse
106 Eric Hardin
107 Ronny Wilson
108 Steve Appleton
109 Conan Barker
110 Monica Greenhill
111 Grant Lenk
112 Harley Letner
113 Steven Eugenio
114 Clyde Stacy
115 Robert Archibald
149 Louie Serna

CLASS 1/2-1600 (7)
1601 Cody Robinson
1602 Brad Wilson
1603 Andrew Myers
1604 Brian Wilson
1605 J.J. Schnarr
1606 Robert S. Archibald
1607 Jason Markham

CLASS 3 (2)
301 Billy Bunch
300 Donald Moss

CLASS 5 (1)
500 Kevin Carr

CLASS 6 (6)
601 Jose Grijalva
602 Dave Caspino
603 Jeffery Holmes
617 Rene Brugger
618 Eduardo Laguna
619 Josh Quintero

CLASS 7 (1)
700 Dan Chamlee

CLASS 7SX (2)
741 Justin Fisher
742 Rich Severson

CLASS 8 (1)
839 Rodolfo Iribe

CLASS 10 (3)
1001 Peter Hajas
1002 Perry McNeil
1003 Matt Cullen

SCORE LITE (5)
1200 Rafael Navarro IV
1201 Jeff Sanca
1202 Brent Parkhouse
1203 Matt Laughlin
1204 Lobsam Yee

STOCK FULL (1)
861 Marc Stein

CLASS 7-2 (2)
721 Dana Dague
720 Reid Rutherford

CLASS 4 (1)
Mike Shaffer

Sportsman

SPT BUGGY (1)
1419 Jim Bunn

SCORE Laughlin Start Drawing Monday

Fish — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:50:16 +0000

December 31, 2011

Jan. 13-15 in Laughlin, Nev.

Monday’s start drawing has entries from 11 States, five countries
For upcoming two-race 18th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

LOS ANGELES—Launching into its 39th year as the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization in 2012, Sal Fish’s SCORE International will hold the start drawing Monday for the season-opening two-race 18th annual SCORE Desert Challenge.
With entries accepted so far from 11 U.S State along with Austria, Denmark, Germany and Mexico, Rounds 1 and 2 of the five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series will be held January 13-15 along the banks of the Colorado River in the Southern Nevada resort destination of Laughlin.
For the first time in the history of the event, each day of the two-day Laughlin event (Jan. 14, Jan. 15) will be separate race events for purposes of championship points, prize money and trophies.
The popular event will once again kick off the 2012 desert racing season on the Martin Luther King birthday weekend.
The drawing for starting positions, by class, will be held on Monday, Jan. 2 at SCORE headquarters in Los Angeles.
The Laughlin event will include course practice sessions for all classes and qualifying for SCORE Trophy Truck on Friday followed by two separate and independent races, the first on Saturday and the second on Sunday. The course, used for the last several years, will be approximately six miles with the classes divided into groups for several multi-lap races each day. The start/finish line area and main pits will once again be located at the Laughlin Events Park just off of Casino Drive in Laughlin.
While entries will be accepted up to race morning, among the early entries are several former class winners in the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division. All from Las Vegas, overall race winners entered so far are Rob MacCachren (1996), Tim Herbst (1995, 1997) Troy Herbst (1999) and B.J. Baldwin (2006, 2007) along with brothers Gary and Mark Weyhrich (2000). They will all be entered in SCORE Trophy truck this year.
Donald Moss, with a race-high eight class wins in this race, will again be racing in Class 3 while MacCachren has seven class wins in Laughlin. Among the others entered so far with multiple class wins is Kevin Carr, San Diego who has five Class 5 wins in Laughlin.
The five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series, which features 36 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, buggies, motorcycles and ATVs, will kick off January 13-15 with the 18th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge in the Southern Nevada resort city of Laughlin on the banks of the Colorado River. The season will conclude November 14-17 with the 45th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, the granddaddy of all desert races, which will start in Ensenada, Baja California and finish in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series will both be held in Mexico. The 26th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 is set for March 9-11 in San Felipe, followed by the vastly popular 44th Tecate SCORE Baja 500, June 1-3, in Ensenada.
Tecate Beer is the title sponsor of November’s 45th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 which will be a peninsula run starting in Ensenada, Baja California and finishing in La Paz, Baja California Sur.
Official Sponsors of the SCORE Desert Series are:
-BFGoodrich Tires, Official Tire
-Volkswagen of America, Official Vehicle
-Sunoco Race Fuels, Official Race Fuel
-Slime, Official Tire Sealant
-Symons Ambulance Company, Official Ambulance
-Bilstein, Official Shock Absorber
-Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Official Mexican Auto Insurance
Official Sponsors of the SCORE Baja 1000 are:
-Coca-Cola, Official Soft Drink
-Volaris Airlines, Official Airline
-Lightforce Performance Lighting, Official Driving Light
Additional SCORE Sponsors are – Las Vegas Events, Proturismo Ensenada, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Blue C Advertising, SignPros, PCI Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.
For more information, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.

SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge
All-Time Overall Winners

1995-Ivan Stewart, SCORE Trophy Truck
Ed/Tim Herbst, Class 1
1996-Rob MacCachren, SCORE Trophy Truck
Ryan Thomas, Class 1
1997-Ed/Tim Herbst, SCORE Trophy Truck
Mark Post, Class 1
1998-David Ashley/Dan Smith, SCORE Trophy Truck
1999-Troy Herbst, Class 1
2000-Gary/Mark Weyhrich, Class 1
2001-Steve Sourapas, Class 1
2002-Dale/Mike Dondel, Class 1
2003-Dale Ebberts, Class 1
2004-Gary Dircks, SCORE Trophy Truck
2005-Dale Ebberts, Class 1
2006-B.J. Baldwin, SCORE Trophy Truck
2007-B.J. Baldwin, SCORE Trophy Truck
2008-Pat Dean, Class 1
2009-Robby Gordon, SCORE Trophy Truck
2010-Andy McMillin, SCORE Trophy Truck
2011-Bryce Menzies, SCORE Trophy Truck

THE JCR INSTITUTE – Shop Tour

Scotty Breauxman — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:00:31 +0000

The boys in the shop "Hamm" it up pretty good but its all business at JCR before the BAJA 1000

Johnny Campbell Racing is more than just a featured shop in San Clemente; it is an institution and arguably the most important headquarters in the sport of off-road. This is primarily because of Campbell’s pedigree of 11 Baja 1000 championships to his name alone and the legacy he has established by grooming today’s fastest desert racers to follow in his footsteps. But more recently, the JCR Institute title is due to Campbell’s being tapped on the shoulder by the off-road greatness of Robby Gordon, who handpicked Campbell to be his co-pilot in the upcoming 2012 DAKAR Rally. Not only will Campbell have Baja 1000 co-champ Quinn Cody entered in the elite pro motorcycle class in this DAKAR but Campbell himself is one of the favorites to win the OA DAKAR title this year.

Johnny is 100% into JCR everyday but as of press time he'll be in Argentina getting ready to help Robbie Gordon win the DAKAR Rally

JCR carries on the rich tradition of its origins with Bruce Ogilvie at the helm of to American Honda’s famed desert racing legacy. Johnny Campbell took over operations and moved the shop from Torrance to San Clemente early in 2008.

RDC took an unobstructed tour of the JCR facilities in San Clemente as the entire team prepares for what is perhaps the most important motor sports event on the planet, at least from an international perspective. We get the scoop right from Eric Siraton, the chief technician at JCR and the one man who is responsible for all of JCR’s machines.

The Man Behind the Bikes- Eric Siraton

The shop is tucked away between other industrial buildings in the hills east of San Clemente CA but there is no giant JCR signage on the building, only an 18 inch JCR sticker on the door.

Jeff Kargola's 6x Bike Has Become a Standing Tribute to "Ox"

Upon entering the institute, visitors are welcomed into a lobby area filled with posters and giant re-prints of various ads and promotional materials, awards and trophies. Beyond the lobby are several executive office suites, a showroom, boardroom, kitchen and bath area. The inside bathroom at JCR rivals 4-star hotels and nicer than any other we have seen in an off-road shop.

Just picture ambient sounds and the scent of a fresh spring meadow and spa-like amenities.

Beyond the interior is the meat of JCR: the shop itself. Two main work bays are dedicated to each of the BAJA champions bike teams A and B and Eric Siraton oversees the entire program even though San Clemente local and 1x plate holder Colton Udall is a full-time shop employee. Colton started off at JCR building bikes and now has Eric Siraton as a mentor and coach.

Siraton's bay- in process of building 1x for Kendall Norman and Quinn Cody's Baja 1000

There is a mezzanine area with selves of every conceivable motorcycle part, all high-end. Tire’s, wheels, sprockets, pipes, and suspension gear line the shelves and, from up here, visitors get a nice view of the work bays.

JCR's shop has a built-in "llantera"

Self-Contained Machine Shop

Plenty of spare bikes around

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ERIC SIRATON AND QUINN CODY’S DAKAR BIKE BUILD

The Final Product- Quinn's CRF450x arriving in a crate in Argentina anytime now.

As Siraton and his crew prepare Quinn Cody’s CRF450x for a 14-day battle in South America, it is crunch time at JCR and so much has to be done to prepare Cody’s machine for the world-famous rally. It is Siraton’s first crack at building a DAKAR bike from the ground up and he took a few minutes to share some details with RDC.

RDC: What are the key differences in building a machine for DAKAR vs. BAJA? What are some of the spec differences: weight, HP, etc.?

ES: There are more similarities than differences. Both start with our Baja 1000 chassis and motor configuration. Factory stator and ECU. Varies other part that we use for Baja. Differences are on subframe that becomes a fuel tank and we use 4 gal IMS front tank. About 9 gallons of fuel. We also add all the navigation equipment to the front of the bike. And I custom make a wire harness as well as using one provided from HT Rally Raid. All Dakar specific parts were provided from HT Rally Raid. The bike weights somewhere in the 300-pound range. HP is 55+.

RDC: Quinny rocked DAKAR last year with 9th in his first run and a fractured thumb as early as stage 5, did you have a hand on that bike? Your first time?

ES: Last year I didn’t play a part in Quinn’s rally. So this is my first Dakar. So excited.

RDC: When did you realize that you’d be a pro race mechanic?

ES: I never thought I would be a mechanic. I fell into it because of my brother Marc Behnke. He worked at Precision Concepts and he asked if I wanted to work part-time because I had another job. So after work I would go to the shop and pull suspension off a bike and put it back on. After a little while they needed someone full time so I quit my other job to work there.

RDC: When did you get your first decent break?

ES: Bob Bell owner of Precision Concepts was working with Johnny and building the B team XR 650R for Baja and BITD so I kept on asking to help build the bike and go to Mexico. I got my chance building the bikes and help in the chase in Mexico. With help from Jim Green I learn a lot about detail and looks are everything, because if it looks good chances are you did a good job building the bike. In 2001 I started building both bike for Honda and the story rolls on from there.

RDC: How have you progressed in your career so far? Fast or slow?

ES: I believe that my career moved rapidly. Within a year of joining Precision Concepts I was building race bikes.

RDC: You’re on quite the roll with your bikes having this incredible streak until this past March with the “old branch through the radiator trick” on Kendall’s 1x. Before that, how long has it been since you’ve lost a bike in the middle of a race?

ES: In Baja that would be the first failure I’ve ever had. The only other race that we had a failure in was the 2005 Glen Helen 24hr race and I rebuilt the motor to finish the race.

RDC: Walk us through how you felt and what goes through your mind after losing a bike in the desert? Is it heavy for you, considering your record?

ES: When we DNF in San Felipe I was very disappointed knowing that I have never had a failure in Baja. My first concern was: “Is it a mechanical failure or something else?” So when I found out what happened I was somewhat relieved, nothing could have stopped that issue. My record might have a blemish on it but I will still keep building the best machines for my rider and hopefully keep my reputation moving forward.

RDC: Colton’s got the El Plato 1x and he credited you with lots of thanks for helping him out in 2011. Did you have a pretty big hand on the bike or are you more like a mentor.

ES: Colton and I work closely with each other to make sure his bike is solid. He builds his bike then I take it over after it is tested. So I go back over it and check everything to make sure it is perfect. Colton is a great mechanic in his own right, I just helped him step his game up a little bit.

RDC: Who do you look up to?

ES: The following people who have influenced my career: Bob Bell, Bruce Ogilvie, Johnny Campbell, Marc Behnke and my wife Cherlene Siraton.

RDC: How do you like your shop and what makes it special?

ES: JCR Honda is my home away from home. It is like a family, we are all very close to each other. Each year we try to improve the shop in one way or another, to make it more efficient.

Alas, Siraton is at the helm in the shop and on his way to his first DAKAR, Campbell will ride to right of Robby Gordon and Quinn Cody will attempt to podium in his sophomore rally. When you think of JCR, don’t think of it as another shop. It is an institution.

CODY’S DAKAR BIKE

After starting with a new CRF450X they take it all the way down and decide which parts to keep.

This looks like most everything off the stock bike they can't use on Cody's Dakar bike

The rear end carries lots of gas and acts as a ballast for the heavy front end. 9 gallons is like racing with a full tank and carrying a 5-gallon bucket of paint

DAKAR is such different race, barely comparable to any other on earth

This ain't playtime now. Its time to do work.

Just a day before testing in the high desert.

Here she is at testing, what a beast. She passed the test, prettied up and shipped away to Argentina. Quinn and Eric are 100% ready to do work.

BULLETIN-SCORE announces Laughlin Course Change 12.20

Fish — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:23:31 +0000

December 20, 2011

BULLETIN–

Jan. 13-15 in Laughlin, Nev.

SCORE announces course change

for 18th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

NOTE: SCORE has issued the following Official statement relative to the 2012 SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge…

OFFICIAL SCORE STATEMENT—
SCORE previously announced that the 2012 Laughlin race would utilize a longer course and expand from the 6 mile course loop that has been used for the past five years to the 12 mile course loop that we last used in 2005.

After a complete review of the Bureau of Land Management and Las Vegas Metro Police event stipulations, SCORE has determined that expanding to the 12 mile course loop will negatively impact the race in the following ways:

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT STIPULATIONS:
1 – No passing zones to prevent new disturbance to existing vegetation.
2 – Mandatory penalty for racers that create new vegetation disturbance.
3 – Severe financial penalties imposed on SCORE for new vegetation disturbance.
4 – Cancellation of the remaining parts of the event if harm occurs to desert tortoise.
5 – Prohibition against watering the expanded course will create severe dust conditions.

LAS VEGAS METRO POLICE:
1 – Prohibition against crossing the Needles Highway on Friday to prevent a traffic delay inconvenience at the High School means that racers will be unable to practice on the expanded course and the SCORE Trophy Trucks will be unable to qualify on the expanded course.

SCORE strongly believes that the Friday practice sessions on the entire traditional 6 mile course has created a safer racing environment at Laughlin over the past five years and we are not willing to move backwards from this safety aspect.

SCORE’s ability to water the entire traditional 6 mile course has allowed for five years of dust free racing and we are not willing to move backwards from a dust control standpoint because this will clearly have a negative impact on safety. Increased dust will also have a negative impact on the highly competitive nature of SCORE racing in Laughlin.

SCORE is proud of the excellent relationships we have established with both the Bureau of Land Management and the Las Vegas Metro Police. We respect the stipulations they have imposed on the 12 mile loop because we realize these governmental agencies are merely following the current applicable laws by imposing these stipulations.

The highly competitive world-class level of racing that occurs at our Laughlin event demands that SCORE recognize what impact certain governmental stipulations will have on the SCORE style of racing and it also demands that we act accordingly to minimize or eliminate those impacts by selecting the most racer friendly event format allowed by the government.

As a result, SCORE has made the decision to use the traditional 6 mile loop and firmly believes this format will create a much better overall racing experience than the 12 mile loop.
END OF SCORE OFFICIAL STATEMENT

December 20, 2011

Drawing for starting positions to be held Monday, Jan. 2nd
For season-opening 18th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

LOS ANGELES—With Las Vegas Events approving SCORE to produce the 18th annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge, SCORE has announced plans to make each day of the two-day Laughlin event separate race events for purposes of championship points, prize money and trophies.
The SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge will once again be held on the Martin Luther King birthday weekend which in 2012 will be January 13-15.
The drawing for starting positions, by class, will be held on Monday, Jan. 2 at SCORE headquarters in Los Angeles.
“SCORE International is the premier desert racing organization in the world and Las Vegas Events has a great working relationship with Sal Fish and his dedicated team,” commented Pat Christenson, president of Las Vegas Events, the entity which will sponsor the January two-race format in Laughlin.
The Laughlin event will include course practice sessions for all classes and qualifying for SCORE Trophy Truck on Friday followed by two separate and independent races, the first on Saturday and the second on Sunday.
There will not be a Laughlin Leap competition prior to the race. While there will be two spectator areas, there will not be grandstand seating. The Laughlin Tourism Commission will manage the two spectator areas. One will be located on “The Hill” overlooking the entire infield area, and the other will be adjacent to the start/finish area. Admission is $5 per person for each area.
The five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series, which features 36 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, buggies, motorcycles and ATVs, will kick off January 13-15 with the 18th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge in the Southern Nevada resort city of Laughlin on the banks of the Colorado River. The season will conclude November 14-17 with the 45th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, the granddaddy of all desert races, which will start in Ensenada, Baja California and finish in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series will both be held in Mexico. The 26th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 is set for March 9-11 in San Felipe, followed by the vastly popular 44th Tecate SCORE Baja 500, June 1-3, in Ensenada.
SCORE International, founded in 1973 by the late Mickey Thompson and headed by Sal Fish since 1974, continues today as the premier sanctioning body in the sport of desert racing.
Tecate Beer is the title sponsor of the 45th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000.
Official Sponsors of the SCORE Desert Series are:
-BFGoodrich Tires, Official Tire
-Volkswagen of America, Official Vehicle
-Sunoco Race Fuels, Official Race Fuel
-Slime, Official Tire Sealant
-Symons Ambulance Company, Official Ambulance
-Bilstein, Official Shock Absorber
-Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Official Mexican Auto Insurance
Official Sponsors of the SCORE Baja 1000 are:
-Coca-Cola, Official Soft Drink
-Volaris Airlines, Official Airline
-Lightforce Performance Lighting, Official Driving Light
Additional SCORE Sponsors are – Las Vegas Events, Proturismo Ensenada, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Blue C Advertising, SignPros, PCI Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.
For more information, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.

FOX and McMillin Racing Capture 2011 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000

Fish — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:48:47 +0000

Santee, CA December 14, 2011– FOX has secured an unprecedented eleventh consecutive SCORE trophy truck win with McMillin Racing’s overall four-wheel vehicle and trophy truck class win at the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. This year’s Baja 1000 course combined the traditionally technical Baja 500 and the ever-brutal San Felipe 250.

Andy and Scott McMillin instituted a new era with a commanding performance at the 2009 Baja 1000, and have contributed again with their conquest of the 2011 Baja 1000. Since entering the premier trophy truck division as a team, Andy and Scott McMillin have been in the winner’s circle more times than not — with FOX race support as an integral part of their success.

“We are constantly making changes, trying to better our suspension setup, and our setup for the Baja 1000 was the best I’ve ever had,” explained Andy McMillin. “My co-driver, Todd Tenbroek, is a suspension-tuning specialist at FOX and he is constantly making changes trying to better our suspension setup. Our setup for this Baja 1000 was the best I’ve ever had in Mexico, or any race for that matter. It says a lot that the shocks can get better and better with proper tuning and determination.”

“This is an incredible third Baja 1000 win in a row for us,” said John Marking, VP of Offroad at FOX. “Even more incredible is that our win streak for SCORE trophy truck races is now eleven in a row.”

Eleven SCORE trophy truck race wins in a row is no accident. For over three decades, FOX’s dedicated team of enthusiasts and professional athletes have been working closely with its athletes to improve their suspension performance — trackside and in private test sessions.

Bryce Menzies, despite the disappointment of losing the battle, won the war by edging out Rob MacCachren in their year-long points championship battle with a third place finish at the 1000. Menzies Motorsports worked hand-in-hand with FOX this season to optimize the handling of all their vehicles, and the hard work and fine-tuning of their suspension paid off with the capture of both a SCORE Trophy Truck championship and a TORC Pro-2 championship.

2011 SCORE Baja 1000 Class Winners
Trophy Truck & OA    Andy McMillin, Scott McMillin
Class 1/2 1600    Luke McMillin, Justin Smith
Class 5/1600             Jeffrey Smith, Justin Herrmann, Eric Sheets
Class 6                        Josh Quintero, Chris Taylor
Class 8                        Kent Kroeker, Alan Roach
Class 12                      Lee Banning, Lee Banning Jr.
Class 7-2                     Reid Rutherford, Danny Thompson
Class 11                      Justin Matney

11 Consecutive SCORE Trophy Truck Wins
2009 Baja 1000           Andy McMillin
2010 Laughlin              Andy McMillin
2010 San Felipe          Jesse Jones
2010 Baja 500             Andy McMillin
2010 Primm                 Jesse Jones
2010 Baja 1000           Tavo Vildosola
2011 Laughlin              Bryce Menzies
2011 San Felipe          Rob MacCachren
2011 Baja 500             Bryce Menzies
2011 San Felipe COC Rob MacCachren
2011 Baja 1000           Andy McMillin

2011 SCORE Awards Night Results 12.10

Fish — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:16:46 +0000

December 10, 2011

BFG Tires, Honda, Campbell, Menzies, J. Geiser
All big winners at 2011 SCORE Desert Series Awards

Baja Pits earns Pit Support Team of the Year,
Jimco repeats in Chassis points, Kroyer repeats in Engine Builder points

IRVINE, Calif.—BFGoodrich Tires, Honda and racer Bryce Menzies and team owner/rider Johnny Campbell were all big winners Saturday as SCORE International officially concluded the five-race 2011 SCORE Desert Series with the annual SCORE Awards Night in SoCal at the Atrium Hotel in Irvine. Among the others earning SCORE Off-Roadsman of the Year awards were, Geiser Brothers, Baja Pits and Jeff Geiser.
In front of a festive holiday standing-room-only crowd of nearly 400, the evening was also a celebration of 38 years of SCORE championship desert racing. While saluting the stars of the 2011 SCORE Desert Series, SCORE President/CEO Sal Fish also previewed the 45th anniversary of the legendary Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 that will be a challenging run next November down Mexico’s majestic Baja California peninsula starting in Ensenada, Baja California Norte and finishing in La Paz in Baja California Sur.
BFG Tires, the official tire of SCORE for 36 years was honored as the 2011 SCORE Contingency Company of the Year. It was the 21st time BFG Tires has been voted the SCORE Contingency Company of the Year.
The SCORE Off-Roadsman awards were determined for the first time by a public, online vote for the organization based in Los Angeles. Among the other honorees were the top point leaders from the 2011 SCORE Desert Series, the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Series. Several thousand votes were cast in the week-long voting window in late November following the season-ending 44th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000.
Menzies, of Las Vegas, was voted as the 2011 MasterCraft Safety SCORE Rookie of the Year after winning the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck division with two win and four podium finishes in five races in the No. 70 Menzies Motorsports Ford F-150.
Campbell, of San Clemente, Calif., who owns and rides part-time for the prominent JCR Honda racing team and is an 11-time overall motorcycle winner of the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 was honored for the first time as the SCORE Person of the Year.
“What Bryce Menzies accomplished this year, his first full season in the SCORE Desert Series, winning the SCORE overall point championship and the SCORE Trophy Truck title while competing against the world’s best desert racers was nothing less than phenomenal and honoring Johnny Campbell in this way is a very well-earned award for all he means and hast meant to this sport, especially on the motorcycle side,” commented SCORE’s Sal Fish.
American Honda was voted SCORE Motorcycle Manufacturer of the Year for the 24th time and the 15th consecutive year.
Jeff Geiser, recognized along with his brother Rick and the entire Geiser Bros shop in Phoenix, as the top SCORE Trophy Truck builders in the world, was selected the SCORE Mechanic of the Year for the first time. Rick Geiser received this honor both in 2006 and 2010..
“BFGoodrich Tires has been supporting all of desert racing, especially SCORE, for 36 years,” said Fish, “To win the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 once is a major feat, but to capture the world’s most prestigious desert race 20 straight years (1986-2005) and 25 times all together is unbelievable. BFG Tires are the most dominant desert racing tires in the world and we are privileged to be able honor them. They have also started a new streak currently with five consecutive Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 overall victories. BFG’s grassroots support of desert racers is unparalleled. SCORE is deeply humbled to have the relationship with BFG Tires that we have had for over three and a half decades. No motorsport has a more involved nor a more committed sponsor and contingency donor than we have in BFG Tires.”
Mike Julson, of Santee, Calif., who is a SCORE regular co-driver in both SCORE Trophy Truck and the unlimited Class 1, saw his Jimco open-wheel desert race cars win the 2011 SCORE Original Buggy Chassis Manufacturer point championship for the 18th time and 17th straight.
Kroyer Racing Engines of Las Vegas captured the 2011 Engine Builder point championship for the second straight year.
A rugged group of 21 SCORE racers were also honored as 2011 SCORE Toyota Milestone Award winners after finishing all 1,762.02 race miles during the season. Joining Fish in presenting the prestigious awards was Les Unger, Toyota’s National Motorsports manager. It the 26th consecutive year that Toyota has presented this unique awards.
Mexico’s Gabriel Garcia, the motorsports editor of the El Vigia newspaper in Ensenada, was honored for the first time as the Judy Smith SCORE Journalist of the Year, while My Baja Photo (Alexander Ponce) earned the Jim Ober SCORE Photographer of the Year honors for the first time. Presented for this first time this year, winning the new Blue C SCORE Videographer of the Year award was Mexico’s Cactus Films (Esteban Flores).
Baja Pits was honored for the second time in the last three years as the SCORE Pit Support Team of the Year.
Leading the parade of 2011 SCORE Desert Series point champions were the three overall titlists—Las Vegas’ Menzies. (Overall and SCORE Trophy Truck), Mike Johnson, El Paso, Texas (Overall motorcycle and Class 30) and Brandon Brown, Umatilla, Ore. (Overall ATV and Class 24).
Sal Fish also announced Saturday night that November’s 44th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 will be featured Sunday (Dec. 11) in a special segment on the World of Adventure Sports on NBC TV. Airtime is 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and 11 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.
SCORE opens its five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series Jan. 13-15 in Southern Nevada with the first two round of the season at the 18th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge.
SCORE International, founded in 1973 by the late Mickey Thompson and headed by Sal Fish since 1974, continues today as the premier sanctioning body in the sport of desert racing. SCORE races feature 29 Pro and two Sportsman classes for cars and trucks in the U.S. with seven additional Pro and four more Sportsman classes for motorcycles and ATVs competing in the races in Mexico. SCORE races in the U.S. average 150 entries while the average in Mexico, with motorcycle and ATV classes running as well as the cars and trucks is nearly 300.
Tecate Beer was the title sponsor of the 44th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000.
Official Sponsors of the SCORE Desert Series are:
-BFGoodrich Tires, Official Tire
-Volkswagen of America, Official Vehicle
-Sunoco Race Fuels, Official Race Fuel
-Slime, Official Tire Sealant
-Symons Ambulance Company, Official Ambulance
-Bilstein, Official Shock Absorber
-Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Official Mexican Auto Insurance
Official Sponsors of the SCORE Baja 1000 are:
-Coca-Cola, Official Soft Drink
-Volaris Airlines, Official Airline
-Lightforce Performance Lighting, Official Driving Light
Additional SCORE Sponsors are – Proturismo Ensenada, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Las Vegas Events, Blue C Advertising, SignPros, PCI Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.
For more information, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.
2011 SCORE Off-Roadsman of the Year Award Winners
SCORE Contingency Company of the Year—BFGoodrich Tires
SCORE Motorcycle Manufacturer of the Year—American Honda
SCORE Mechanic of the Year—Jeff Geiser, Geiser Bros.
SCORE Pit Support Team of the Year—Baja Pits
Judy Smith SCORE Journalist of the Year—Gabriel Garcia, El Vigia
Jim Ober SCORE Photographer of the Year—My Baja Photo (Alexander Ponce
Blue C SCORE Videographer of the Year—Cactus Films (Esteban Flores)
SCORE Rookie of the Year—Bryce Menzies, SCORE Trophy Truck
Person of the Year—Johnny Campbell, JCR Honda Racing
*Original Buggy Chassis Manufacturer—Jimco
*Engine Builder—Kroyer Racing Engines

*Determined by points, others open, on-line voting

All-time SCORE Off-Roadsman Award Winners

Current Awards

(1974 thru 2010, voted by SCORE membership, 2011 open, on-line voting)

SCORE CONTINGENCY COMPANY of the Year
1977—NGK Spark Plugs
1978—Pennzoil
1979—BFGoodrich Tires
1980—Rough Country
1981—Bridgestone
1982—BFGoodrich Tires
1983—BFGoodrich Tires
1984—BFGoodrich Tires
1985—TIE-BFGoodrich Tires
& Yokohama Tires
1986—Yokohama Tires
1987—BFGoodrich Tires
1988—Yokohama Tires
1989—Yokohama Tires
1990—Yokohama Tires
1991—Yokohama Tires
1992—Yokohama Tires
1993—BFGoodrich Tires
1994—BFGoodrich Tires
1995—BFGoodrich Tires
1996—BFGoodrich Tires
1997—BFGoodrich Tires
1998—Duralast Batteries
1999—BFGoodrich Tires
2000—BFGoodrich Tires
2001—BFGoodrich Tires
2002—BFGoodrich Tires
2003—BFGoodrich Tires
2004—BFGoodrich Tires
2005—BFGoodrich Tires
2006—BFGoodrich Tires
2007—BFGoodrich Tires
2008—Volkswagen of America
2009—BFGoodrich Tires
2010—Sunoco
2011—BFGoodrich Tires

SCORE MOTORCYCLE MANUFACTURER of the Year
1974—Husqvarna
1975—American Honda
1976—Husqvarna
1977—Husqvarna
1978—Husqvarna
1979—Husqvarna
1980—Yamaha
1981—American Honda
1982—American Honda
1983—American Honda
1984—American Honda
1985—American Honda
1986—American Honda
1987—American Honda
1988—American Honda
1989—Kawasaki
1990—Kawasaki
1991—Kawasaki
1992—Kawasaki
1993—Kawasaki
1994—Kawasaki
1995—Kawasaki
1996—Kawasaki
1997—American Honda
1998—American Honda
1999—American Honda
2000—American Honda
2001—American Honda
2002—American Honda
2003—American Honda
2004—American Honda
2005—American Honda
2006—American Honda
2007—American Honda
2008—American Honda
2009—American Honda
2010—American Honda
2011—American Honda

SCORE MECHANIC of the Year
1974—Scott McKenzie
1975—Dick Russell
1976—Jim Fueling
1977—Scott McKenzie
1978—Scott McKenzie
1979—Scott McKenzie
1980—Bill Stroppe
1981—Tom Strong
1982—Bill Stroppe
1983—Bill Stroppe
1984—Bill Stroppe
1985—Bill Stroppe
1986—Randy Anderson
1987—NONE SELECTED
1988—Jon Nelson
1989—Russ Wernimont
1990—Call Wells III
1991—Ivan Scoppertone
1992—Russ Wernimont
1993—Russ Wernimont
1994—Russ Wernimont
1995—Curt LeDuc
1996—Steve Silverthorn
1997—NONE SELECTED
1998—Mike Smith
1999—Mike Smith
2000—Mike Smith
2001—Mike Stapleton
2002—Barry Beacham
2003—Mike Smith
2004—John Hoffman
2005—Mark Cowan
2006—Rick Geiser
2007—Jim Blackmore
2008—Andy McGaw
2009—Mike Stapleton
2010—Rick Geiser
2011—Jeff Geiser

SCORE PIT SUPPORT TEAM of the Year
(PIT CREW CHIEF—1974-76)
1974—Bill Mears
1975—Jack Miller
1976—Steve Kassanyi
1977—Checkers
1978—F.A.I.R.
1979—Checkers
1980—Budweiser
1981—Budweiser
1982—BFGoodrich Tires
1983—Checkers
1984—BFGoodrich Tires
1985—TIE-Checkers & F.A.I.R.
1986—Spirit Racing
1987—BFGoodrich Tires
1988—BFGoodrich Tires
1989—BFGoodrich Tires
1990—Sage Council
1991—BFGoodrich Tires
1992—BFGoodrich Tires
1993—Checkers
1994—BFGoodrich Tires
1995—BFGoodrich Tires
1996—BFGoodrich Tires
1997—BFGoodrich Tires
1998—BFGoodrich Tires
1999—BFGoodrich Tires
2000—BFGoodrich Tires
2001—BFGoodrich Tires
2002—BFGoodrich Tires
2003—BFGoodrich Tires
2004—BFGoodrich Tires
2005—BFGoodrich Tires
2006—BFGoodrich Tires
2007—BFGoodrich Tires
2008—BFGoodrich Tires
2009—Baja Pits
2010—BFGoodrich Tires
2011—Baja Pits

MASTERCRAFT SAFETY SCORE ROOKIE of the Year
1974—Frank Vessels
1975—Carroll Ditson
1976—Jackie Thomison
1977—Jerry Boone
1978—Jim Jacobus
1979—Dixie Hawkins
1980—Ray Encabo
1981—Malcolm Vinje
1982—Roger Mortenson
1983—Mike Falkosky
1984—John Clark Gable
1985—Rob Tolleson
1986—Brian Stewart
1987—Robby Gordon
1988—Doug Fortin
1989—Scott Reams
1990—Charlie Townsley
1991—Dan Smith
1992—Brian Goodrich
1993—Ricky Johnson
1994—Tom Rusich
1995—Jimmie Johnson
1996—TIE-Chuck Harris
& Tom Dittfield
1997—John Herder
1998—Bekki Freeman
1999—Jared Hardin
2000—Jeremy Spirkoff
2001—Jason Hunter
2002—Alan Pflueger
2003—Brian Ickler
2004—Andy McMillin
2005—Caleb Gaddis
2006—Garron Cadiente
2007—Eric Chase
2008—Lee Banning
2009—Brian Wilson
2010—Luke McMillin
2011—Bryce Menzies

SCORE PERSON of the Year
1974—Walt Lott
1975—Doc Sauers
1976—Ivan Stewart
1977—Jim McCullick
1978—Quico Santana
1979—Hal Harris
1980—Malcolm Smith
1981—Joe MacPherson
1982—Athene Karis
1983—Walker Evans
1984—Ivan Stewart
1985—Frank DeAngelo
1986—Walker Evans
1987—Bob Steinberger
1988—Walt Lott
1989—Evans Evans
1990—Michael Gaughan
1991—Peri Comb
1992—Dan Newsome
1993—Michael Gaughan
1994—Jimmy Smith
1995—Danny Hamel
1996—Dan Newsome
1997—Joe MacPherson
1998—Dan Newsome
1999—Larry Roeseler
2000—Bob Steinberger
2001—Debbie Dickerhoof
2002—Jeff Quinn
2003—TIE-Mike Julson
& Corky McMillin
2004—Ed Herbst
2005—Corky McMillin (posthumously)
2006—Cameron Steele
2007—Cameron Steele
2008—Rob MacCachren
2009—Robby Gordon
2010—Robbie Pierce
2011—Johnny Campbell

JUDY SMITH SCORE JOURNALIST of the Year
1975—Jean Calvin
1976—Sam Wilshire
1977—Sam Wilshire
1978—Judy Smith
1979—Steve Kassanyi
1980—Judy Smith
1981—Jean Calvin
1982—Judy Smith
1983—Jean Calvin
1984—Jean Calvin
1985—Jean Calvin
1986—Jean Calvin
1987—Jim Short
1988—Jean Calvin
1989—Jean Calvin
1990—Jean Calvin
1991—Judy Smith
1992—Judy Smith
1993—Tony Tellier
1994—Jean Calvin
1995—NONE SELECTED
1996—Judy Smith
1997—Jean Calvin
1998—Judy Smith
1999—Judy Smith
2000—Judy Smith
2001—Judy Smith
2002—Judy Smith
2003—Judy Smith
2004—Judy Smith
2005—Judy Smith
2006—Marty Fiolka
2007—Judy Smith
2008—John Calvin
2009—Tim Sanchez
2010—Tim Sanchez
2011—Gabriel Garcia

JIM OBER SCORE PHOTOGRAPHER of the Year
1975—Dave Cody
1976—Trackside
1977—Ariz. Comp. Photos
1978—Trackside
1979—Trackside
1980—Trackside
1981—Action Photo
1982—Trackside
1983—Trackside
1984—Trackside
1985—Trackside
1986—Trackside
1987—ESPN
1988—Trackside
1989—Trackside
1990—Carrera
1991—Carrera
1992—Carrera
1993—Carrera
1994—Carrera
1995—NONE SELECTED
1996—Carrera
1997—Carrera
1998—Carrera
1999—Carrera
2000—Trackside
2001—Carrera
2002—Trackside
2003—Trackside
2004—Trackside
2005—Trackside
2006—HighRev Photo
2007—Trackside Photo
2008—Durka Durka Photo
2009—HighRev Photo
2010—HighRev Photo
2011—My Baja Photo

Blue C SCORE Videographer of the Year
2011—Cactus Films

SCORE ORIGINAL BUGGY CHASSIS MANUFACTURER of the Year
1974—Funco
1975—Hi-Jumper
1976—Chenowth
1977—Chenowth
1978—Chenowth
1979—Funco
1980—Funco
1981—Funco
1982—Raceco
1983—TIE-Chenowth & Raceco
1984—Raceco
1985—Raceco
1986—Raceco
1987—Raceco
1988—Chenowth
1989—Chenowth
1990—Chenowth
1991—Chenowth
1992—Jimco
1993—Mirage
1994—Chenowth
1995—Jimco
1996—Jimco
1997—Jimco
1998—Jimco
1999—Jimco
2000—Jimco
2001—Jimco
2002—Jimco
(By Points since 2003)
2003—Jimco
2004—Jimco
2005—Jimco
2006—Jimco
2007—Jimco
2008—Jimco
2009—Jimco
2010—Jimco
2011—Jimco

SCORE ENGINE BUILDER of the Year
1974—Lee Leighton
1975—Brian Skipper
1976—Lee Leighton
1985—FAT Performance
1986—Keith Black
1987—Louis Unser
1988—Mike Evans
1989—Mike Evans
1990—FAT Performance
1991—FAT Performance
1992—Major Performance
1993—FAT Performance
1994—Wik’s Racing
1995—FAT Performance
1996—FAT Performance
1997—FAT Performance
1998—Wik’s Racing
1999—Wik’s Racing
2000—Wik’s Racing
2001—Wik’s Racing
2002—Dave Bonner
(By Points since 2003)
2003—Major Performance
2004—FAT Performance
2005—FAT Performance
2006—Major Performance
2007—Major Performance
2008—Major Performance
2009—FAT Performance
2010—Kroyer Racing Engines
2011—Kroyer Racing Engines

The Biggest Payday in Short Course is Here!

Jason — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:29:27 +0000

One might assume that racers would try to preserve their vehicles for the big money on the line for Sunday’s Lucas Oil Challenge Cup races, but that was not the case on Saturday. Crews were burning the midnight oil getting their vehicles back together for the $100,000 that was on the line on Sunday. The first truck race was Super Lite, and with the normal car count (unlike the other cup races where classes were combined) they actually had a cleaner race than Saturday!

Austin Kimbrell started on the pole and jumped out to an early lead ahead of Kyle Lucas and RJ Anderson before Mike McCarthy ended up on his lid at Turn 1 on the second lap. They restarted the race and only one more lap went by before Kyle Lucas took the lead from Kimbrell, but he bicycled in Turn 3 and RJ Anderson capitalized in his Walker Evans Racing truck. Once he had a clean track RJ walked away from the rest of the chaos unfolding behind him on his way to a $10,000 pay day. Jesse Johnson rolled and was t-boned by Jason Ellis and Chad George got put into the fence when going three wide through the last turn on the truck. Despite getting bunched up no one had anything for RJ Anderson, and Austin Kimbrell battled with Patrick Clark but eventually had to settle for third.

The next race combined the Pro Lite and Pro Buggy classes. The trucks started in front of the buggies, and despite the disadvantage Cameron Steele showed his true colors running his buggy. The starting order inverted season standings for the top ten in each class and then put the remaining vehicles at the back of the pack. 27 vehicles took the track with Matt Cook and Jacob Pearson starting in the pressure cooker on the first row. Corey Sisler jumped out to an early lead ahead of Kyle LeDuc until the yellow came out when Austin Kimbrell rolled on the step up jump after Turn 3.

Kyle put some distance between the rest of the field and his Rockstar Energy Drink / Toyo Tires truck with Sisler, Brandt, Deegan, and Casey Currie following. It was looking like the trucks were going to walk away with all of the podium spots early on, but Justin “Bean” Smith was methodically working his way through the crowd. On Turns 4 and 5 in particular, Bean was able to carry speed in his Competitive Metals / Metal Mulisha AlumiCraft and pick off trucks like a short course assassin. Pro Lite Unlimiteds started dropping out at the race went on, first with Deegan, then LeDuc experience suspension failure after hard contact, and the engine in Sisler’s AEM Electronics truck going away with a huge James Bond-style smokescreen. This paved the way for Bean to take the $20,000 victory with Brandt in second and Casey Currie somehow finishing in third despite hood covering the entire windshield and blocking visibility out of his Monster Energy truck. On the podium Brandt had some words for Deegan, but the animosity on and off the track was not limited to just these two.

The grand finale of the season was the Pro2 Unlimited versus Pro4 Unlimited Lucas Oil Cup presented by Toyota. Robby Woods started on the pole next to Jeff Geiser. Carl Renezeder chose to drive his 2WD Lucas Oil / General Tires Ford, feeling that the starting position was a bigger advantage than 4WD. On Saturday, the Pro4 Unlimiteds ran about two seconds faster than the Pro2 Unlimiteds with lap times around 45 seconds. The Pro4s started half a lap back from the Pro2s, with Curt LeDuc starting next to rival Adrian Cenni.

Robby Woods jumped out to an early lead in the Lucas Slick Mist /Superchips Chevy and held it through the first half of the race ahead of Carl Renezeder. It took a few laps for the fastest Pro4s to catch the Pro2s, but the caution came out when Rodrigo Ampudia rolled the Papas and Beer Ford multiple times on Turn 4. While the tight right hand Turn 3 claimed most the victims on Saturday, Turn 5 was the killer on Sunday. It was the final turn on the track after the either / or section when the two lines converged before the main straight.

The caution bunched up the field, and Kyle LeDuc and Adrian Cenni were taking advantage of the situation and chewing through the Pro2s. Kyle seemed to pass a competitor in every corner in his Rockstar Energy Drink / Makita Tools Ford and set the fast lap for the race. Unfortunately right after taking the lead, Kyle lost a right rear wheel, ending his chances for victory and causing Evan Evans to roll in the same spot Ampudia has tossed his truck just a few laps prior. This put Robby Woods back up front until Todd LeDuc rolled Woods on Turn 3, causing him to get black flagged. That put Carl Renezeder and Adrian Cenni up front, but a questionable call saw Cenni black flagged for contact with Carl. Instead of going to the back of the field Cenni just drove off the track in disgust!

All of the drama opened the door for Robert “Fig” Naughton to take the lead late in the race in his Stronghold Motorsports Pro2. He was followed by Stronghold teammate Jeremy McGrath, Carl Renezeder, and Brian Deegan with one lap to go. On the final turn Carl got into the back of McGrath and unsettled his truck, but got by to finish second. McGrath was fuming and drove right up to Carl’s door while the officials scrambled to make a decision on the contact. Once the smoke had cleared Carl was pushed back to 9th and Deegan took second for $20,000 with McGrath in third for $10,000 and Naughton taking home the big $30,000 paycheck.

That wrapped up the 2011 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series with action and drama up to the very end. We don’t expect any of these guys to forgive or forget in the off season, so expect even more trash talking, banging, and wide open racing in 2012.

Words by Harry Wagner

Photos by Jason Zindroski at HighRev Photography

[Show as slideshow]