SCORE Trophy-Truck won again by Miller/Arciero
Hengeveld/Campbell/Norman in M/C, Herbst/Roeseler in 4-Wheel
As record 189 official finishers at 37th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000
BFGoodrich Tires win 19th straight overall 4-wheel crown as nearly 300,000
Watch 284 starters in Ensenada to LaPaz, Mexico race

LA PAZ, Mexico (November 20, 2004) -- As the final checkered flag dropped early Saturday morning for the last of a record 189 official finishers in the 37th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, it was obvious that another incredible and colorful chapter had been added to the legacy of this popular desert race down the majestic Baja California, Mexico, peninsula.

In an impressive display of power and poise, American Honda motorcycle teammates Steve Hengeveld, Johnny Campbell and Kendall Norman, along with the Troy Herbst/Larry Roeseler duo, posted the overall motorcycle and 4-wheel victories early Friday to lead the field, and the finish line is on the outskirts of La Paz closed peacefully at 4:14 a.m. Saturday, ending 40-hour time limit each starter had to become official finishers.

The granddaddy of all desert races, the flagship event of the world’s foremost desert racing series was a rugged peninsula odyssey of 1,013.57 miles from Ensenada in Baja California to La Paz, in Baja California Sur. It’s the 30th time the race started in Ensenada, and 16th time it finished in La Paz.

The 284 starters from 31 U.S. States and 11 countries, represented the largest field since 1992 (307) in the desert classic. They are competing in 26 Pro and 5 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs.

Mexico tourism officials have estimated record crowds of nearly 300,000 along the course from Ensenada down both sides of the Baja California peninsula to La Paz.

First to cross the finish line was the Honda XR650R of Hengeveld and Campbell, who methodically marched down the grueling course to an overall winning time of 15 hours, 57 minutes and 37 seconds. Campbell took the green flag, riding for 381 miles, newcomer Kendall Norman rode in the middle section for and Hengeveld captured the checkered flag, after riding for 427 miles. The team average speed was an event-record 63.505 miles per hour.

While the American Honda teammates rode the fastest vehicle in the demanding race, Troy Herbst and Larry Roeseler in their Ford-powered Smithbuilt open-wheel desert racecar equipped with BFGoodrich Tires, led all four-wheel vehicles to the finish line, covering the challenging course in 16:18:14, and their average of 62.167 mph is the second highest in race history.

For Hengeveld, Oak Hills, CA, the victory was his fifth class win and his fourth while Campbell, San Clemente, CA, improved his record run in this desert classic to eighth straight and the talented rookie Norman, Santa Barbara, CA, earning his first in his first attempt. It was also the 10th straight SCORE race victory for Hengeveld and Campbell. Campbell started the race, with Norman in the middle and Hengeveld on for the final leg of the race.

For Troy Herbst, Las Vegas, it was his third Class 1 win in the unlimited Class 1 in this historic race and his first overall title. For Roeseler, Hesperia, CA, it was his 13th class win and his 11th overall triumph.

In the manufacturer’s battle of ‘beat the Baja’ research and development, Ford won it’s tenth overall 4-wheel crown, Honda earned it’s 15th overall motorcycle win, BFG Tires captured its 19th consecutive overall 4-wheel vehicle triumph and Smithbuilt chassis won for the first time.

“It was a great race, very fast, even faster than we thought it would be,” said Hengeveld at the finish line. “Two years ago we had a lot of work done on the bike – a lot of down time. This year we really didn’t have any problems. This year we really didn’t have any problems. We thought we’d be slower actually. Johnny started out and got passed in the morning but he got the lead back. I had the lead by about 12 minutes when I got on a La Purisma. It was great, all the fans cheering. It was nice and warm for me, an awesome day.”

Second overall among 4-wheel vehicles and winners of the marquee SCORE Trophy-Truck class for the second straight year was the Miller Racing Chevy Silverado of Mark Miller, Carefree, Ariz./Ryan Arciero, Foothill Ranch, Calif. With Miller starting the race and Arciero finishing, the pair held off a talented of 24 in their class, finishing in 16:24:54, six minutes, 40 seconds behind Herbst/Roeseler. It was Miller’s fourth victory (third with Arciero) in his SCORE Trophy-Truck career.

“We saw Robby’s (Gordon) truck broken,” Herbst said. “At Santa Rosa, we were four minutes down and I said ‘We can do this.” It was a fantastic race and a fantastic course. Putting the black boxes in the vehicles in the best thing Sal (Fish, CEO/President of SCORE) ever did. There were times that I would be going 63 miles an hour for a little big, so I slowed to 57 for a while to show that I was watching it (on the 100 miles of pavement used during the race).”

Roeseler had his on moments, especially as the finish line was in site. “We were having problems with our clutch at the very end. I missed a turn near the end and I thought if I lose this race by 30 seconds, I’m going to be so upset.”

At the SCORE Survivor’s Celebration on Saturday afternoon in La Paz, Herbst donated the $20,000 portion of the $40,000 Terrible’s Baja Bonus purse he had won (posted by the family business) to the City of Hope Cancer Research center in the memory of Las Vegas’ Mart Collins, who passed away recently. Collins was a former SCORE Baja 500 winner with Troy’s father Jerry Herbst and father of SCORE Trophy-Truck team owner/racer Brian Collins.

Second in SCORE Trophy-Truck and third overall were the team of Dan Smith/David Ashley, Riverside, CA, in a time of 16:47:05 in their Enduro Racing Ford F-150. It was the best finish of the year for the veteran team, who won this race three times in SCORE Trophy-Truck (2000, 2001 and 2002).

Fourth overall and third in SCORE Trophy-Truck was the team of Mark Post, San Juan Capistrano, CA/Curt Le Duc, Cherry Valley, CA, in the Riviera Racing Ford F-150, at 16:48:18. Finishing fifth overall and in second in Class 1 was McMillin Racing’s Andy McMillin and his father Scott McMillin, of Poway, CA, in a Jimco-Chevy, with a time of 16:54:18.

Finishing sixth overall and third in Class 1 was the team of John Marking, El Cajon, CA/Chris Harrold, Chula Vista, CA/Bob Lofton, Westmorland, Calif. in 17:25:47 in a Jimco-Chevy. The finish allowed them to hold onto their points lead, earned without winning a race, to edge Troy Herbst/Larry Roeseler, who won three times this year, for the SCORE Class 1 season championship.

Seventh overall and third fourth in SCORE Trophy-Truck were Troy Herbst’s older brothers Ed and Tim, who finished the course in 17:35:10. Josh Baldwin, Newport Beach, CA, made it to La Paz in 17:44:59 in the Baldwin Racing Ford F-150 to finish ninth overall and fifth in SCORE Trophy-Truck.

Rounding out the top 10 overall and finishing fourth in Class 1 was Mark McMillin, El Cajon, CA, Andy’s uncle and Scott’s brother in 17:50:03, in another McMillin Racing Jimco-Chevy.

Second overall in the motorcycle race and second in Class 22 Red Bull KTM factory team of Chris Blais, Apple Valley, CA/Kellon Walch, Las Vegas/Andy Grider, Las Vegas, Scot Harden, Menifee, CA, on a special KTM 700LC4, built especially for this race in Austria.

The third overall motorcycle was the Class 40 (for riders over 30 years old) winning team of team of Jim O’Neal, Chatsworth, CA/Tim Withers, Pepeekeo, Hawaii/Jeff Kaplan, Thousand Oaks, CA, in 17:33:13 on a Honda XR650R.

The fourth overall motorcycle was the Class 30 (for riders over 30 years old) winning team of Sergio Vega, Ensenada, Mexico/Gerardo Rojas, Vicente Guerrero, Mexico/Manual Santa, Ensenada, Mexico, at 17:35:23 on a Honda XR650R.

Completing the top five overall for motorcycles was Canada’s Lukas and PG Lundmark, who were second in Class 40 with a time of18:22:11 on a Honda XR650R.

Ruben Martin/Gilberto Santana, Tijuana, Mexico/Arnoldo Ramirez, Ensenada, Mexico, teamed up on a Bombardier DS650 Baja X to earn the overall ATV honors with a time of 19:52:23 at an average speed of 51.002 mph.

Ending the season undefeated after five races were Donald Moss, Sacramento, Calif. (Class 3-Ford Bronco) and Mexico’s Eric Solorzano (Class 11-VW Sedan).

With his win in this race, winning his class four times this year was Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren in Class 1-2/1600.

Earning their third class wins of the year in car and truck classes were Troy Herbst and Glen Seeley, Glendale, Calif. (Class 5-VW Baja Bug).

Todd Wyllie, New River, Ariz. (Class 8-Chevy C C1500), Martin Christensen, Escondido, Calif. (Class 10-Jimco-BMW) and Kreg Donahoe, Anaheim, Calif. (Stock Mini-Toyota Tacoma) each picked up their second wins of the year.

Among those capturing their first class wins of the 2004 SCORE Desert Series were Miller (SCORE Trophy-Truck), Dave and Billy Gasper, Goleta, Calif. (Class 5/1600-VW Baja Bug), Mexico’s Francisco Chavez (Class7-Ford Ranger), Nick Moncure, Long Beach, Calif. (Class 7S-Toyota Tacoma), Pepe Rodriguez, Orange, Calif. (Class 7SX-Ford Ranger), Mexico’s Rolando Holmos (Class 9-Jimco-VW), David Callaway, Menifee, Calif. (SCORE Lite-Dunrite-VW), Chad Hall, Reno, Nev. (Stock Full-Hummer H1) and Rick L. Johnson, Oak Hills, Calif. (Protruck-Toyota Tundra).

In the Motorcycles and ATV classes, undefeated for their three races this year were Hengeveld/Campbell, Vega/Rojas and the Jim O’Neal team along with the Martin/Santana tandem.

The Joe Desrosiers team, based in San Marcos, CA,
won for the second time this year in Class 21 on their Yahama YZ250.

Class 50, for motorcycle riders over 50 years old, was won by the ‘Dream Team’ of Chris Haines, Dana Point, CA/Jack Johnson, Las Vegas/Malcom Smith, Riverside, Calif. The trio, who rode a Honda XR650R, now have combined for 29 class wins, including nine overalls, in this storied race.

“I was thinking, ‘What’s an old man like me doing out here?” said the 63-year old Smith, who won the first Baja 1000 in 1967, and who rode three different sections, including the finish. “After a few turns I said, ‘Oh yeah, now I remember.’ Jack was fifth or sixth overall, but then had two flats. I just rode around on my usual pace. Jack Johnson is the real hero though.”

NASCAR’s Robby Gordon, one of nearly a dozen crossover racers who were part of the starting grid, built up a huge lead of over one-half hour before getting out of his Red Bull Chevy CK1500 SCORE Trophy-Truck after the first 740 miles to fly to his final NASCAR racing weekend of the year. With his second driver Steve Barlow, Temecula, CA, at the wheel, the truck lost the ring and pinion in the rear end and because it was dark and the team’s chase truck couldn’t find him, Barlow spent 12 hours in the Baja desert until sunlight assisted the crew and they were able to repair the truck. Barlow eventually made it to the finish line in for Team Gordon in 29:34:31, 12th in SCORE Trophy-Truck.

The special Centrix Financial Baja Challenge class for identically-equipped Porsche-powered Baja touring cars that helps introduce crossover racers and celebrities to SCORE desert racing, was won the Champ Car racer Michel Jourdain Jr., of Mexico City. He split driving time in his celebrity car with his father Michel Jourdain Sr. and his uncles Bernard Jourdain of Encitas, Calif. and Jean Pierre Jourdain of Mexico City.

The race also marked the debut of the new SCORE Malcolm Smith IronRider Award offered to any motorcycle and ATV racer who finished the race will riding entirely solo. Presented by the legendary Smith himself, the seven racers out of 11 who attempted to ride solo were: Robert Barnum, Phelan, CA, Honda XR650R (23:00:14); Kent Richardson, San Diego, Honda XR650R (26:03:29); Tatsushi Murata, Japan, Honda XR650R (28:25:09); Steve Luly, Escondido, CA, Honda XR650R (32:41:03): Don Robbins, Phoenix, Husaberg 600 (32:41:34); Jorge Lizarraga, Tecate, CA, Honda XR400 (33:343:54); and Masanobu Kameda, Japan, Yamaha WR450F (35:54:41).

Richardson, 45, summarized what most of the solo riders experienced, all of which is part of the spirit of the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. Richardson said he only took a few spills caused by fatigue-induced coordination lapses.

“The conditions were perfect and the weather was great,” said the mild-mannered Richardson, who said he was helped tremendously by continuously recalling a memorized bible verse throughout the journey (Isaiah 40:31). “Just a little rain at the top of the course, but it helped with the dust and that was excellent. I did not have the opportunity to prerun the course, but the markings were wonderful and I didn’t get lost once. That is quite a testimonial to Sal’s crew. It was a great course and a fun ride. It was my first solo attempt. I talked about it with my friends, but now I finally did it. I was happy to have participated in such a great event and I will definitely return, but probably will not tackle it solo again.”

The popular event featured the $40,000 Terrible’s Baja Bonus purse provided by Herbst Gaming of Las Vegas. The first overall motorcycle also received $2,000 and the first overall ATV earned an added $1,000 from the Terrible’s Baja Bonus.

The race also culminated the chase for both the $10,000 Kartek Off-Road bonus and the $12,000 Toyota True-Grit and Toyota Milestone Awards. The Kartek Off-Road bonus goes to the 2004 SCORE Overall point champion. This is the 18th year of the Toyota awards. Final point standings will be announced shortly

An additional $5,000 purse was added by UPracing.com and DirtSports Magazine, who paid $1,000 each to qualified cars or trucks that cross the finish line physically first, fifth, 10th, 15th or 20th, which rolled over to the next spot. When determined, the awards were presented, Andy McMillin, Poway, CA, $2,000 (Class 1) and $1,000 each to Mark McMillin, El Cajon, Calif. (Class 1), Martin Christensen, Escondido, Calif. (Class 10) and Dave Raimonde, Phoenix (Class 8).

Celebrating its 31st anniversary this year as the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Series, the SCORE Desert Series returned to Mexico for the last of three races held annually in Baja California.

The race will be televised as a one-hour NBC Sports special in December on the NBC Television Network. The show, produced by Aura360 in association with NBC Sports, will air on Saturday, Dec. 11 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time). The NBC anchor for the show will be veteran Emmy-Award winning sportscaster Al Trautwig. A special preview for the race telecast will air on the Jeep World of Adventure Sports, also produced by Aura360, on Saturday, Dec. 4 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. (EST).

CNBC’s ‘Bullseye’ show, with host Dylan Ratigan, will also produce special-angle segments scheduled to air Nov. 30, Dec. 1 and Dec. 2 during the daily show at 3 p.m. (EST).

Additionally, The Learning Channel’s Rides weekly program (Tuesday’s at 10 p.m. EST/PST), will produce a Terrible Herbst Motorsports profile show, entitled ‘Terrible Baja’, to air early in 2005.

SCORE official sponsors for 2004 are: BFGoodrich Tires-official tire, Southern California Ford Dealers-official vehicle and C.L. Bryant-VP Racing Fuels-official fuel supplier. Associate sponsors are: Tecate Beer, Coca-Cola of Mexico, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Herbst Gaming, Kartek Off-Road, Fram, Autolite, Prestone, Bilstein, Signpros, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products, and Advanced Color Graphics.

Additional sponsors of this year’s Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 are: Cotuco, Fideicomiso Publico para la Promocion Turistica de Ensenada and Centrix Financial of Denver.

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

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