Round 3, 2004 SCORE Desert Series
Sixty-eight racers who have combined for 183 class victories
Among nearly 300 entries in next week's 36th Tecate SCORE Baja 500
Herbst/Roeseler, Hengeveld/Campbell, Miller/Arciero
All looking for 3-peats in Ensenada on June 5

LOS ANGELES (May 24, 2004) -- With entries skyrocketing to the highest level in nearly two decades, 68 of these sturdy desert racers with a combined 183 class victories have officially entered next week's 36th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 in Ensenada, Mexico. Moving rapidly close to the magical 300 total-entry mark, racers from across the U.S., Canada, Japan and Mexico are completing pre-running and logistic plans to challenge the bone-jarring, metal-mashing, tire-testing, 428.52-mile course that covers much of the northern part of the foreboding Baja California peninsula.

From high school student to NASCAR team owner, from 14 years young to 75 years of age, weekend warriors from all backgrounds and experience levels are set to try and stop the three-peat attempts of the teams of Troy Herbst/Larry Roeseler (unlimited Class 1, Overall 4-wheel vehicle), Steve Hengeveld/Johnny Campbell (Class 22, Overall motorcycle) and Mark Miller/Ryan Arciero (featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division). They're coming from as far away as Putney, Vermont, in the Northeast, to Honolulu, Hawaii, in the Pacific in the U.S., and Tokyo, Japan in the Far East.

Round 3 of the five-race 2004 SCORE Desert Series, the world's foremost desert racing series, will be held June 4-6, in Ensenada, Mexico, 65 miles south of San Diego, on the Pacific Ocean side of the majestic Baja peninsula.

To date, the talent-rich, veteran-laden field also includes six drivers who have combined to win 15 of the Overall 4-wheel vehicle crowns as well as four riders who together have earned 18 of the Overall motorcycle titles in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500.

"The Tecate SCORE Baja 500 is a great race in so many ways, many people race it for a lot of different reasons," said SCORE veteran racer Dave Ashley, who with SCORE Trophy-Truck teammate Dan Smith have 10 total combined class wins in this race.

"It's a great distance to make the investment of time, manpower, finances and other resources just right. In San Felipe, you have the sprinters, and the SCORE Baja 1000 is for marathoners, but the SCORE Baja 500 is the middle distance challenge just right for everybody."

"Our Enduro Racing teams loves the SCORE races in Mexico. We'll spend 10 days in Baja with a crew of nearly 40 for this race-- camping out, meeting the people and experiencing the incredibly beautiful natural environment while pre-running the course several times before we ever step foot in Ensenada next Thursday night. The SCORE Baja 500 is just an awesome way to start summer."

With over 300 entries expected from 15 U.S. States, Mexico, Canada and Japan, the green flag will drop at 6 a.m. on Saturday (June 5) for the seven Pro and three Sportsman motorcycle and ATV classes, followed by the 17 Pro and two Sportsman car and truck classes two hours later at approximately 8:30 a.m.

Pre-race festivities for the 36th Tecate SCORE Baja 500 will center around the Riviera del Pacifico convention center in downtown Ensenada on Friday (June 4). Traditionally drawing thousands of spectators, the pre-race Manufacturer's Midway and display of all the race vehicles will be held adjacent to the San Nicolas Hotel, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday (June 4). The post-race awards celebration will be held poolside at the San Nicolas Hotel on Sunday (June 6) at 10 a.m.

The starting line area will once again be adjacent to the Riviera del Pacifico Convention Center in downtown Ensenada. The finish line for the first time will be inside the Deportivo Antonio Palacios baseball stadium at 9th Street and Guadalupe Avenue in Ensenada. It is located approximately 1.5 miles east of the start line area. The admission will be free to this special SCORE finish line celebration. Vehicles will start in 30-second intervals in the elapsed-time race and have 17 hours to complete the rugged 428.52-mile course.

For the first time in several years, the vehicles will travel in a counter-clockwise direction after the first 51.6 miles from the start to Tres Hermanos, which will be used both directions. The race route also includes a beautiful 90-mile sprint along the Pacific Ocean before winding up through the mountains near Mike's Sky Rancho, down to Valle de Trinidad and back to Tres Hermanos.

Leading the group of former Overall 4-wheel champions is Larry Roeseler, 47, Hesperia, CA, who is tied with Ivan Stewart for the most overall wins in this race with 11. Roeseler has nine overall wins on a motorcycle and the last two overall 4-wheel crowns with Las Vegas' Troy Herbst in the unlimited Class 1. Roeseler's 13 total class wins in this race are second only two Stewart's 17.

Larry Ragland and Bud Feldkamp each have three overall 4-wheel titles while Herbst , Corky McMillin and his sons Mark and Scott each have two titles. Ragland, 61, Cave Creek, Ariz., will drive the No. 12 Collins Motorsports Chevy Silverado in the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division while Feldkamp, 59, Redlands, CA, will split time in a Penhall-Chevy with his son Buddy, 26.

Herbst will race again with Roeseler in the Terrible Herbst Motorsports Smithbuilt-Ford while the three-generation McMillin Racing team of San Diego has entered three vehicles in Class 1. Between them, the McMillins have 13 class wins in this race.

The two other former overall motorcycle winners entered (besides Roeseler) are American Honda factory racing teammates Steve Hengeveld, 28, Oak Hills, CA, and Johnny Campbell, 33, San Clemente, Calif. They each have four overall motorcycle wins, including the last two years together. The nearly-invincible pair have won eight consecutive SCORE races together, dating back to 2002.

Richard Jackson, 58, Acton, CA, has 11 class wins, all on a motorcycle, and he is racing again this year in Class 50 (motorcycle riders over 50 years old), the class he has won the last four consecutive years.

In the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division, teammates Dan Smith, 40, and David Ashley, 47, of Riverside, CA, have a total of 10 class wins (six for Smith and four for Ashley). Smith and Ashley, the all-time SCORE multiple season class point champions with 24 (Smith-14, Ashley-10), most recently won SCORE Trophy-Truck in the 2001 Tecate SCORE Baja 500 in the Enduro Racing No. 8 Ford F-150.

Four-time motorcycle class winner Jim O'Neal, 57, Chatsworth, CA, is leading motorcycle teams this year in both Class 30 and Class 40. The prominent apparel manufacturer won both of these age group classes in 2002.

Another six-time class winner, George Erl, 58, Huntington Beach, CA, is racing in Class 10 with Steve Myers, 38, Newport Beach, CA

Mexico's Marcos Nunez, of Ensenada, is also a six-time class winner, including three of the last four years in Class 5/1600.

As the entries continue to climb for this Mexican summer classic, a race-record total of 22 marquee SCORE Trophy-Trucks are entered, but the largest entry fields so far are Class 1-2/1600 (39), the unlimited Class 1 (26),
SCORE Lite (20), Class 5/1600 (19) and Class 10 (18).

Entries, taking the next available starting position within each class, will be accepted up until race morning.

Of the 22 SCORE Trophy-Truck entered, eight drivers have at least one class win in this race while in Class 1, 10 of the 26 drivers entered so far have at least one class win in this event.

Veteran Larry Ragland, in the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division, and newcomer Marc Francke, in Class 22 for open motorcycles, have drawn the first starting positions (by computer) for next month's race.

Driving the No. 12 Chevy Silverado of Las Vegas-based Collins Motorsports, Ragland will lead the car and truck classes while Francke, of Marina del Rey, CA, will race on the No. 2x Honda XR650R to lead the motorcycle and ATV field into Mexico.

SCORE official sponsors for 2004 are: BFGoodrich Tires-official tire, Southern California Ford Dealers-official vehicle and CL Bryant-official fuel supplier. Associate sponsors are: Tecate Beer, Coca-Cola of Mexico, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Fram, Autolite, Prestone, Bilstein, Signpros, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie's, and Advanced Color Graphics. Associate sponsors for the 36th Tecate SCORE Baja 500 are the Fideicomiso Publico para la Promocion Turistica de Ensenada and Cotuco.

For information contact:
SCORE International at its Los Angeles headquarters
(818) 225-8402 or visit
the official Optima SCORE Desert Series website at:
www.score-international.com

36th Annual TECATE SCORE BAJA 500
June 4-6, 2004 Ensenada, Mexico
All-Time unlimited Class 1 Winners

1974-- Bobby Ferro/Don Ernstmeyer
CLASS 2-- Bill Hrynko/Ivan Stewart
1975-- Ivan Stewart
CLASS 2-- John Zink/Dennie Moore
1976-- Bobby Ferro/Ivan Stewart
CLASS 2-- Walker Evans/Sam Moses
1977-- Ivan Stewart
CLASS 2-- Rick Mears/Bill Mears
1978-- Bud Feldkamp/Malcolm Smith
CLASS 2-- Dave Martin/Al Martin
1979-- Malcolm Smith/Bud Feldkamp
CLASS 2-- Frank Vessels/Gary Pace
1980-- Bob Gordon
CLASS 2-- Mike Patrick/Phil Bowers
1981-- Jack Motley/Todd Martella
CLASS 2-- Malcolm Smith/Bill Newbury
1982-- Larry Ragland
CLASS 2-- Don Adams/Malcolm Smith
1983-- Mike Julson/Tom Ebberts
CLASS 2-- Corky McMillin/Scott McMillin
1984-- Larry Ragland
CLASS 2-- Jim Sumners/Doug Renfro
1985-- Rob Gardner/Bud Feldkamp
CLASS 2-- Frank Arciero/Ivan Stewart
1986-- Ivan Stewart
CLASS 2-- Corky McMillin/Scott McMillin
1987-- Mark McMillin
CLASS 2-- Bob Gordon/Tim Crabtree
1988-- Mark McMillin
CLASS 2-- Bob Gordon/Cal Wells
1989-- Ivan Stewart
CLASS 2-- Ed Herbst/Tim Herbst
1990-- Ivan Stewart
1991-- Ivan Stewart
1992-- Ivan Stewart
1993-- Ivan Stewart
1994-- Corky McMillin/Mark McMillin
1995-- Mike Julson/Bob Lofton
1996-- Troy Herbst
1997-- Mark McMillin
1998-- Troy Herbst/Tim Herbst
1999-- Doug Fortin
2000-- Troy Herbst
2001-- Mark McMilin
2002-- Troy Herbst/Larry Roeseler
2003-- Troy Herbst/Larry Roeseler

For information contact:
SCORE International at its Los Angeles headquarters
(818) 225-8402 or visit
the official Optima SCORE Desert Series website at:
www.score-international.com

Home : News : Team : Photos : Schedule : Points : Sponsors
Archives : Links : Contact

Nikal Motorsports
E-mail: Todd@NikalMotorsports.com