Round 2, SCORE Desert Series
Dircks in SCORE Trophy-Truck, R. Boyle in Class 1 draw
First starting slots for 19th Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250
Pinard receives first motorcycle start as over
275 entries expected in February 26 desert race

LOS ANGELES, CA (February 6, 2005) -- Arizona’s Gary Dircks and Southern California’s Richard Boyle received the pole positions in the top two divisions in the computerized drawing for starting positions held Saturday for the upcoming 19th Annual Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250. Dircks races in the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division while Boyle drives in the unlimited Class 1.

Round 2 of the five-race 2005 SCORE Desert Series will be held Feb. 26 in the tiny fishing village of San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico.

With over 275 entries expected to compete in 24 Pro and 5 Sportsman classes, the green flag will drop at 6 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28, for the motorcycle and ATV classes, followed by the car and truck classes two hours later at approximately 8:30 a.m. The start and finish line area for the 240.30-mile loop course will once again be the landmark San Felipe arches on Highway 5 on the outskirts of San Felipe. All vehicles will have a 10-hour time limit in the elapsed time race and vehicles will start in 30-second intervals.

Last year’s top defending champions are all entered. Mark Post, San Juan Capistrano, CA, is the defending SCORE Trophy-Truck champion in San Felipe while Mark McMillin is returning Class 1 winner and American Honda’s Steve Hengeveld, Oak Hills, Calif./Johnny Campbell, San Clemente, CA, are back with three straight Class 22 and Overall motorcycle class wins in San Felipe.

Following January’s season-opening SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge, America’s Foremost Desert Racing Series will visit Mexico for the first of three times in 2005.

Drawing the first starting slot for the motorcycle classes was Southern California’s Brian Pinard.

Dircks, Anthem, Ariz., who earned his only SCORE Trophy-Truck race win in Laughlin in 2004, is teaming this year with Jeff Darland, Peoria, Ariz., in the No. 23 Ford F-150.

With 22 entries so far in the class for 750 horsepower, unlimited production trucks, Dircks and Darland will lead a strong field in SCORE Trophy-Truck that features many of the world’s top desert racers.

Boyle, Ridgecrest, CA, is a veteran SCORE racer who teams with 1985 SCORE Class 1 season point champ Ron Brant, Oak Hills, CA, in a Jimco-Chevy.

With 29 entries each in the drawing, Class 1 and Class 1-2/1600 have the most entries to date, followed by Class 10 with 26, SCORE Trophy-Truck with 22 and SCORE Lite with 21. With late registration accepted up until race morning, a total of 231 vehicles officially entered in time for Saturday’s drawing for start positions.

Besides Dircks/Darland, the stellar SCORE Trophy-Truck field includes Las Vegas brothers Tim and Ed Herbst, with eight combined San Felipe class wins, including four overall victories in their No. 19 Terrible Herbst Motorsports Ford F-150. Despite an extremely rare did-not-finish last year, the Herbst brothers won the SCORE Trophy-Truck division in San Felipe three straight years (1999, 2000, 2001). Last year’s SCORE Trophy-Truck race winner Mark Post returns in his No. 3 Riviera Racing Ford F-150.

“I’m not sure if I should cheer or hold my breath about drawing the first start in SCORE Trophy-Truck for the Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250,” said Dircks. “Since winning Laughlin last year we have had a lot of mechanical problems, but if we have those worked out, it’ll be great to run out front in clear air for as long and as hard as we can. We won’t let all those monsters behind us dictate our pace, though. But, we will definitely enjoy the clean air as long as it lasts.”

McMillin Racing, the prominent three-generation racing team from San Diego, will field four separate cars featuring four different family members for just the second time in SCORE racing history.

Family patriarch Corky McMillin, 76, will race in Class 1 as will his grandson Andy McMillin, 17, (who will also have his father Scott McMillin, 44, driving) and his oldest son Mark McMillin, 48. Daniel McMillin, 17, Corky’s other grandson and Mark’s son, will drive in Class 1-2/1600. Corky McMillin will drive the No. 118 Chenowth-Chevy, Andy McMillin and his father Scott McMillin will drive the No. 120 Jimco-Chevy, Mark McMillin will drive the No. 118 Jimco-Chevy while Daniel McMillin will be the driver of the No. 1610 Jimco-VW.

Among the other racers to draw first starting position in their respective classes were: Arden Dennington, Tracy, Calif. (Class 1-2/1600, Fraley-VW), Lobsam Yee, Tijuana, Mexico (Class 10, Jimco-Honda) and Mitch Mitchell, Laguna Beach, Calif. (SCORE Lite-Kreger-VW).

Content as the relative unsung second-driver on two consecutive championship teams, Adam Pfankuch has stepped out of the shadows in a big way, assuming the Class 1-2/1600 and Overall point leads in the 2005 SCORE Desert Series. Pfankuch, 23, of Carlsbad, CA, drove his new VW-powered Ampfly 1600cc open-wheel desert race car past a race-record field of 46 starters in his class in the season-opening 11th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge, Jan. 16-17.

After helping two different lead drivers win season point championships the last two years, Pfankuch is the primary driver of record this year. His victory this year in Laughlin provides ample proof of his significant contributions the last two years.

With the $50,000 Kartek bonus also awaiting the top three 2005 SCORE Overall point leaders, a total of just 15 points separate the top 12 overall point leaders after the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge.

Second in overall points with 58 after Round 1 is Class 10 point leader Kash Vessels, San Marcos, CA, who won in Laughlin in a Jimco-Toyota. A second-generation desert racer, Vessels beat a field of 33 starters in Laughlin, earning the $10,000 first place bonus in the $25,000 Jason Hunter Memorial Class 10 race.

Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren and Bryan Freeman, in their first season racing together, are second in Class 1-2/1600 and third in overall points with 54 in their Fraley-VW. After leading the Saturday’s first half in Laughlin with MacCachren driving, Freeman had some minor problems on Sunday, helping Pfankuch win the class.

Fourth in overall points and second in Class 10 is
Darren Hardesty, Ramona, CA, with 52 points in a Alumi-Craft-VW.

Leading the unlimited Class 1 after his win in Laughlin and fifth in overall points is Dale Ebberts, Canyon Lake, CA, with 51 points in a Jimco-Toyota open-wheel desert race car. Ebberts, who splits the driving time in the rest of the SCORE races with Ernie Castro Jr., Newport Beach, CA, was the overall race winner in Laughlin for the second time in three years. Ebberts and Castro also won the 2003 SCORE Overall season point crown.

SCORE points are determined both on final finishing position and number of vehicles that started the race within the individual class.

Pre-race festivities at the Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 will include the colorful SCORE Midway and tech inspection on the Malecon beachfront in downtown alongside the azure waters of the Sea of Cortez from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 25).

At 9 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 26), the awards celebration will be held on the Malecon across from The Beachcomber Night Club.

Also on Friday (Feb. 25, at the Hotel Las Misiones, driver/rider registration will be held from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., followed at 7 p.m. by the mandatory pre-race driver/rider briefing.

SCORE official sponsors for 2005 are: BFGoodrich Tires-official tire, C.L. Bryant-VP Racing Fuels-official fuel supplier. Associate sponsors are: Tecate Beer, Coca-Cola of Mexico, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Las Vegas Events, Herbst Gaming, Kartek Off-Road, Centrix Financial, Fram, Autolite, Prestone, Bilstein, Signpros, Cotuco, Fideicomiso Publico para la Promocion Turistica de Ensenada, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products, and Advanced Color Graphics.

Associate sponsors for the Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 are the Tourism and Convention Bureau of Mexicali/San Felipe, Cotuco and El Dorado Ranch.

The race annually provides a greater economic impact to San Felipe than the entire month-long ‘Spring Break’.

For information contact:
SCORE International at its Los Angeles headquarters
(818) 225-8402 or visit
the official 2005 SCORE Desert Series website at:
www.score-international.com

For information contact:
SCORE International at its Los Angeles headquarters
(818) 225-8402 or visit
the official 2005 SCORE Desert Series website at:
www.score-international.com

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