[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Los Angeles... As pre-running over the rugged race course starts Saturday for next month’s 25th anniversary of the MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250, a growing field that includes many of the world’s best desert racers have entered this popular spring race. Attracting entries from 20 states and seven countries so far, the lineup includes 28 entries in SCORE Trophy-Truck, the marquee SCORE racing division for high-tech, 850-horsepower unlimited production trucks.

Round 2 of the 2011 SCORE Desert Series will be held March 10-13 in Mexico’s picturesque fishing village of San Felipe, located 120 miles south of the U.S. border on the East side of the Baja California peninsula along the azure waters of the tranquil Sea of Cortez.

As part of the festivities of the 25th anniversary of the popular SCORE ‘spring-break’ race, SCORE has made it a memorial race to honor long-time SCORE Mexican liaison Jose ‘Pepe’ Limon, who passed away last November at age 73.

With entries accepted up to race morning, over 250 entries from over 20 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. The green flag will drop at 6 a.m. on Saturday, March 12, 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.

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

This year’s race will use a course of 252.09 miles that is very similar to the past two years with a few modifications beyond those caused by normal weather conditions. Running in a counter clockwise direction out of San Felipe up to and then parallel to Highway 3 (south side) and then south back down through three of the most picturesque and challenging washes in all of Baja.

After the start at the landmark San Felipe Arches, the race will proceed north and then Northwest and then south to the entrance of majestic Matomi Wash. After Matomi, the challenging course will run through two more of the infamous Baja canyons—Huatomote and Chanate before heading back Northwest for the final sprint to the finish line.

The four checkpoints will be located as follows over the 252.09-mile desert race route: CK1-race mile 60.7; CK2-rm 121.8; CK3-rm 164.3, CK4-rm 235.7

The official course map as well as the GPS files in several formats are also all available on the SCORE website.

SCORE Trophy-Trucks have won 14 overalls in San Felipe in their 17-year history. Southern California’s Mark Post/Jerry Whelchel in 1997, San Diego’s son/father team of Andy and Scott McMillin (2005) and Armin Schwarz (Germany)/Martin Christensen (Denmark) (2010) have the only three Class 1 wins since SCORE created the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division in 1994.

While Post and Schwarz are not officially entered at this point for this year’s race, the McMillins will be among the favorites in the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division. Post now races in SCORE Trophy-Truck and Schwarz/Christensen are planning to move to SCORE Trophy-Truck as well.

To date, SCORE Trophy-Truck had the most entries with 28, followed by the unlimited Class 1 with 20 and SCORE Lite with 14. While 162 official entries have been received as of today, late registration will be accepted up until race morning and as many as 100 additional entries are expected.

Among the Pro motorcycle classes, the open Class 22 had the most vehicles entered so far with seven. Leading the Pro ATV classes so far is Class 24 with nine entries.

Leading the Sportsman classes is SPT M/C 450 with 13 entries to date.
In all, 13 of last year’s 17 SCORE Trophy-Truck finishers are entered led by class winner Jesse Jones, Litchfield Park, Ariz. (No. 76 Ford F-150).

The other finishers in SCORE Trophy-Truck entered so far are No. 2 Robby Gordon, Charlotte, N.C. (No. 77 Chevy CK1500), No. 4 Robbie Pierce, Santee, Calif. (No. 30 Chevy Silverado), No. 5 B.J. Baldwin, Las Vegas (No. 97 Chevy Silverado), No. 6 Andy McMillin/Scott McMillin, National City, Calif. (No. 31 Ford F-150), No. 8 Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas (No. 20 Ford F-150), No. 11 Kory Scheeler, Las Vegas (No. 51 Ford F-150), No. 12 Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif. (No. 16 GMC Sierra), No. 13 Adam Householder, Orange, Calif. (No. 24 Chevy Silverado), No. 14 Roger Norman, Reno, Nev. (No. 8 Ford F-150), No. 15 Mark McMillin, El Cajon, Calif./Chuck Hovey, Escondido, Calif. (No. 23 Ford F-150), No. 16. Nick Vanderwey, Phoenix (No. 84 Chevy Silverado), and No. 17 James Bult/Jacob Bult, Monee, Ill. (No. 47 Dodge Ram2500).

Desert racers Nick Vanderwey of Arizona and Chad Thornton of New Mexico received the pole positions for four-wheel and two-wheel vehicles in the computerized drawing for starting positions held Feb. 12. Vanderwey races in the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division while Thornton competes in Class 22 for open motorcycles.

With 28 entries so far in the marquee SCORE racing division for high-tech, 850 horsepower, unlimited production trucks, Vanderwey, 44, part of a successful family business in Phoenix, will lead a strong field in SCORE Trophy-Truck that features many of the world’s top desert racers in the No. 84 Flying Dutchmen Racing Chevy Silverado. Vanderwey, who finished third in the 2010 season point standings in SCORE Trophy-Truck, races with his brothers Larry, 42, and Michael, 36.

Thornton, 39, of Farmington, N.M., will ride a KTM 530KCW motorcycle in Class 22 and his co-riders will be Kyle Abney, 39, Albuquerque, N.M., and Mike Whitman, 53, also of Farmington.

The pre-race Manufacturer’s Midway and tech inspection of the vehicles in the race will be held on Friday, March 11 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.

Round 2 of the 2011 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’.

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 24 years, the race was 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.

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 in this event. Drivers in the Pro car and truck classes are also attempting to earn prestigious SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards given to drivers who complete every required mile of the five-race season. Being presented by Toyota Motorsports for the 26th consecutive year, a total of 72 drivers remain eligible after Round 1 of the 2011 SCORE Desert 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, which includes a $2,000 MasterCraft bonus.

Current SCORE official annual sponsors 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 and Red Bull--official energy drink. Associate sponsors are: Tecate Beer, Coca-Cola of Mexico, Las Vegas Events, Blue C Advertising, SignPros, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.

While MasterCraft Safety and Tecate are co-title sponsors of the 25th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250, additional race sponsors are: the Tourism and Convention Bureau of Mexicali/San Felipe and Cotuco. Additional sponsors in Baja are the Office of the Secretary of Tourism of Baja California and ProTurismo de Ensenada.

Thursday, March 10, 2011
9pm-5pm Racer Registration, Bandidos Cantina

Friday, March 11, 2011
9am-5pm Racer Registration, Bandidos Cantina
10am-5pm Contingency Row, Downtown on the Malecon
10am-6pm Tech Inspection, Downtown on the Malecon
7pm, Mandatory Racer Meeting, Bandidos Cantina

Saturday, March 12, 2011
5:30am-11am Late Registration & Tech, Los Arcos Motel (Start line)
1pm & 4pm Posting of Unofficial Results, Los Arcos Motel
8pm Competition Review Board, Los Arcos Motel

START/FINISH LINE-west side of Highway 5
(Southbound lanes) at the San Felipe Arches
(Vehicles start one every 30 seconds)

6:00am MOTORCYCLES/ATVs—22, 21, 30, 40, 20, 50, 60, 25, 24, SPT M/C, SPT M/C, SPT ATV, 26

10am (approx.)CARS/TRUCKS—TT, 1, 10, SL, 8, PT, 1-2/1600, 4, 5, 6, 7, 5/1600, 7SX, 7-2, 2, 3, SF, SM, 9, 17, SPT TRUCK, SPT CAR, 11, SPT UTV

TIME LIMIT: All vehicles will have an 11-hour time limit from the time each vehicle starts to complete the course

Sunday, March 13, 2011
10am Awards Celebration, Plaza on the Malecon