BFGoodrich is celebrating its 35-year history racing with SCORE Internional in Baja in 2010, having raced and won a record 69 overall four-wheel victories. They also have won the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 title 23 of the past 24 years, which included a stretch of 20 consecutive victories.

BFG now returns to the 2010 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, which leaves Thursday morning from Ensenada and runs down the Baja Peninsula until the finish line in La Paz, looking to earn yet another victory.

“We’d like to congratulate each and every team that has proven the toughness of BFGoodrich tires by conquering one of SCORE International’s brutal desert races,” said Tom Jupena, Marketing Communications Manager, BFGoodrich Tires.  “Whether it was on a BFGoodrich tire that can be purchased off-the-shelf or one of our specially designed race tires, they’re all a huge part of the success we’ve had in Baja and we thank them for their extraordinary efforts.”

To celebrates the company’s accomplishments and take a glimpse into the tire manufacturer’s past at the 1000, BFG sent us a press release from 1976. Here it is in its entirety:

This day in BFGoodrich Tires history (November 14, 1976):

BFGoodrich Frank Vessels at 1976 SCORE Baja 1000
Frank "Scoop" Vessels and Charlie Haga in a Ford F-100 Class 8

Flash News Report

The T/A Performance Tire Team is proud to announce the introduction of the new 12R15 LT Radial All-Terrain T/A, the first light truck radial specifically designed for off-road recreational vehicle use.  This new tire has an overall diameter of 32-1/2” and a tread width of 10”.  With this new tire you should be able to make real advances into the growing off-road vehicle enthusiast market in your area.

The off-road market is one of the fastest growing markets in the automotive industry.  Local, regional, and national off-road clubs and organizations are growing rapidly.  The off-roader is, by all means, a performance enthusiast.  He is extremely interested and demanding in the equipment he chooses to buy for his vehicle.  We are confident that the Radial All-Terrain T/A is a tire that will meet the demanding needs of the off-roader.

Fritz Kroyer and BFGoodrich Tires' Gary Pace in an Oldsmobile Starfire Class 6

The new Radial All-Terrain T/A has already been put to the supreme test for this kind of tire, Baja.  We spent a week in Baja, Mexico, with an independent testing firm putting this tire through the ringer.  The results were fantastic.  Everything we asked the Radial All-Terrain to do, it did.  After Baja, we turned sets over to a group of off-road enthusiasts.  We told them to pull out all the stops.  To do anything they wanted to with our All Terrain T/A’s.  And they did.  From three feet of water to knee deep in mud.  From rock quarries to sand pits, you name it, they did it, and whatever the Radial All-Terrain was asked to do, it did.

We are very excited about BFG’s future in the off-road market, and will continue to supply you with more information about the off-road market.  Watch for the upcoming supplement to the certification program covering new developments in off-roading and how they affect the use of off-road all-terrain tires.

On November 14, the Radial All-Terrain T/A was used by two of the top drivers competing in the 1976 Baja 1000 (Frank “Scoop” Vessels and Charlie Haga in a Ford F-100 Class 8 along with Fritz Kroyer and BFGoodrich Tires’ Gary Pace in an Oldsmobile Starfire Class 6).  We will be sure to keep you informed as to the racing results and heritage which the Radial All-Terrain will continue to develop.

-The T/A Performance Tire Team

Source: BFGoodrich Tires