Nearly US$500,000 posted from Contingency Donors For November's 41st annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000
General Tire posts SCORE race-record $170,000; Volkswagen of America
offering $14,000 regular & $5,000 bonus as over 60 companies post
contingency for Nov. 19-23 Granddaddy of all desert races in Mexico
LOS ANGELES--Contingency, the program where companies post cash
and/or products for race teams, has been at the foundation of motorsports
for decades and November's 41st annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 race
will see one of the largest postings in desert racing history as over 60
companies have posted almost $500,000 for this year's version of the
Grandaddy of all desert races.
With nearly 375 entries expected to compete in 28 Pro and 7
Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs, the granddaddy
of all desert races will be held Nov. 19-23 in Ensenada, Mexico.
Completing its 35th year as the World's foremost desert racing
sanctioning body, the event is the finale of the five-race 2008 SCORE
Desert Series. To date entries have come from 38 U.S. States and 19
countries.
With a cash purse of nearly $150,000, the combined total of nearly
$650,000 in cash and contingency postings, this year's race will have
one of the largest totals in the history of the popular grassroots
motorsport.
General Tire (GeneralTire.com) is posting a SCORE race-record
$170,000 contingency program for this race while Volkswagen of America
(VW.com), the SCORE Official Vehicle, has posted nearly $20,000 as part
of their season-long contingency posting of $100,000 to eligible racers.
"Contingency has always been a major component for desert racing
and the commitment from donors for the 41st Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000
is absolutely amazing," commented Sal Fish, SCORE President/CEO since
soon after it was founded in 1973 and the innovator who brought the
contingency concept to desert racing from his experience with the NHRA as
the publisher of Hot Rod Magazine. "Contingency is at the backbone of
our sport and this year's posting adds even more incentive for our
courageous racers."
As with all contingency postings, eligible vehicles must use the
product and display decals and some have additional requirements as well.
Part of the General Tire posting includes, based on eligibility for
the award, a $30,000 bonus to the overall 4-wheel winner of the race, in
addition to their class award (which is $20,000 each for SCORE
Trophy-Truck and Class 1).
Part of the VW of America posting is a $5,000 bonus to the highest
finishing VW-powered 4-wheel vehicle in the race.
Current SCORE official annual sponsors who are also SCORE
Contingency donors for the season are: BFGoodrich Tires-official tire,
Volkswagen of America-official vehicle, Sunoco Race Fuels -official fuel
supplier, Bilstein-official shock, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance-official
Mexican auto insurance, Slime-official tire sealant, SignPros, P.C.I.
Race Radios, and McKenzie's Performance Products.
In addition to the massive General Tire posting, the other company
making its first SCORE Contingency donor posting of the year is Ride-On
(Ride-On.com) tire protection system which has a cash contingency posting
worth nearly $4,000.
Pre-running on the 629.74-mile loop course will officially begin on
Saturday.
While late entries are accepted up to race day, a total of 353
entries have officially registered for the race as of today which will
put the starting field in the top five in the 41-year history of the
storied event.
With massive crowds reaching nearly 300,000 anticipated to again be
spread out along the rugged course that travels through the Pine Forest
over the infamous La Rumorosa grade to near Tecate and Mexicali, down
through Laguna Salada to San Felipe and back through El Borregoto the
Pacific Coast through Santo Tomas covering much of the northern half of
the majestic Baja California peninsula.
Pre-race festivities on Thursday, Nov. 20, for the Tecate SCORE
Baja 1000, including the vastly popular tech and contingency of all
vehicles and the SCORE Manufacturer's Midway will be held from 10
a.m. to 6 p.m. on Boulevard Costero in front of the Riviera del Pacifico
Cultural Center. The pre-race mandatory driver/rider briefing will be
held Thursday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Cathedral Room at the Riviera del
Pacifico Cultural Center. Racer and media registration will be held at
the San Nicolas Resort Hotel from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19
and from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20.
The post-race Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 Survivor's Celebration will
be held poolside at the San Nicolas Resort Hotel at 10 a.m. on Sunday,
Nov. 23.
The car and truck classes with the most entries to date are the
unlimited Class 1 (30), SCORE Trophy-Truck (29), Class 5/1600 and SCORE
Lite (15 each) along with Class 1-2/1600 and Class 10 (14 each) and Baja
Challenge Class (13).
Among the motorcycle and ATV classes, Class 22 has the most entries
to date with 15, followed by Class 30 with 11.
Leading the seven Sportsman classes in the race to date is Sportsman
Motorcycle over 250cc with 41 entries, Sportsman ATV (17) and Sportsman
Motorcycle under 250cc (16).
This year's Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race will be televised
on a delayed basis as a one-hour NBC Sports special for the fifth
consecutive year, scheduled to air at 1 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, Dec. 14 on
the NBC Television Network. It will also air on a delayed basis outside
of the U.S. on ESPN International. It will mark the seventh time in race
history that this legendary adventure has been televised on a major
national network.
The 2008 SCORE Desert Series also includes the chase for the $20,000
Volkswagen of America Point Leader Bonus and the run for the Toyota
Milestone Awards for car and truck racers who complete every required
mile of the season.
Among the other special awards at the event will be the Sal Fish
SCORE IronRider award presented to all declared motorcycle and ATV riders
who are official finishers of the race while riding solo. As an added
bonus will be $150 for the fastest SCORE IronRider, $100 for the second
fastest and $50 for the third fastest posted by German attorney Michael
Ott-Eulberg, who will be making the attempt himself. Ott-Eulberg's
posting has been matched by Tom Wimberly of Bakersfield, Calif. To date,
a total of 30 riders (27 motorcycles and 3 ATVs) have official declared
that the will be riding solo in the race.
-credit: www.score-international.com.
