ENSENADA, Mexico (June 1, 2011) –  Desert racing teams look to put BFGoodrich Tires and its portfolio of desert-conquering tires to the test again at this year’s 43rd Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 in Ensenada, Mexico, starting Saturday, June 4. Armed with a team of all-star drivers, BFGoodrich Tires is looking to further establish its legacy of winning performances by capturing its 28th win in 31 years of racing at the 2011 Tecate SCORE Baja 500.

The Tough Course Ahead
The 2011 Tecate SCORE Baja 500 will host nearly 250 entries in 28 Pro and seven Sportsman classes. The rugged 452.84-mile course is similar to last year’s course, although it is 14 miles longer due to terrain changes from natural weather patterns.

“The course is shaping up to be as rugged as ever, and we’re looking forward to putting our tires to the test once again in one of the toughest racing environments imaginable,” said Silvia Mammone, BFGoodrich Tires motorsports and sponsorship manager. “This year has been good for BFGoodrich Tires in SCORE competition thus far, but now it’s time to repeat victory, both at the Baja 500 in June and the 1000 in November.”

Check out the Off-Road.com BFGoodrich Tire Giveaway for the SCORE Baja 500.

Be Part of the Race Action from Your Home
BFGoodrich Tires and International Racing Consultants (IRC) have once again partnered to provide a full race-fan experience, including live vehicle-tracking display, a live audio feed, and live and recorded streaming video. Fans will be able to chat live with other fans and teams through an interactive chat board. Beginning on Saturday, June 4, fans can log onto www.bfgoodrichtires.com to begin their race adventure. The site will lead fans to a live tracking page that will show the location of all vehicles equipped with IRC tracking systems.

The BFGoodrich Tires Arsenal of Drivers
Andy McMillin, Bryce Menzies, Rob MacCachren and Jesse Jones are some of the BFGoodrich Tires drivers to watch for at the Tecate SCORE Baja 500. Each has been tremendously successful in 2011 racing in the desert on BFGoodrich® Baja T/A®KR tires.

McMillin, the reigning Tecate SCORE Baja 500 champion, will start the race in second position behind pole-sitter Menzies, who won the 2011 SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge and placed sixth in class at the 2011 SCORE San Felipe 250. McMillin is looking to add to his list of Baja accomplishments by capturing his sixth overall victory south of the border. McMillin has already reached the podium in 2011, with a third place overall finish at the SCORE San Felipe 250.

“I am excited about this year’s SCORE Baja 500,” said 2010 Tecate SCORE Baja 500 winner McMillin. “We have worked hard all season for this race, and this year’s course is very similar to the one we won on last year. Racing on BFGoodrich tires provides me with the confidence to push as hard as we need to at any given time. We had no flats during last year’s race, proving that BFGoodrich Tires is by far the leader in desert-racing tire durability and performance.”

MacCachren, a veteran off-road racer fresh off his 2011 SCORE San Felipe 250 overall victory, will have to fight his way through the dust of the nine trophy trucks starting in front of him. Jones, who drew the 12th spot, was the 2010 SCORE overall champion and placed second overall at the 2011 SCORE San Felipe 250, less than one minute behind MacCachren.

With the Tecate SCORE Baja 500, BFGoodrich Tires will be looking to secure a third consecutive victory in the 2011 SCORE International Racing Series season, after wins earlier this year at the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge and the SCORE San Felipe 250. In 2010, BFGoodrich Tires and its all-star team of drivers conquered the desert-racing series by capturing a first place finish at each of the five SCORE desert races.

Desert-Conquering Tires and Support
Each year, BFGoodrich teams compete on a variety of tires, including the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/AKO tire, BFGoodrich Baja T/A tire and BFGoodrich Baja T/AKR tire. BFGoodrich Tires also supports the entire Baja Challenge (BC) Class at the Tecate SCORE Baja 500 with
BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/AKM2 tires.

In addition to supplying tires to a number of Tecate SCORE Baja 500 competitors, BFGoodrich Tires will continue to lend pit and communications support to teams through its fleet of off-road motorsports vehicles. This immense undertaking involves more than 250 off-road enthusiasts and volunteers who donate their time in order to help make the race an overwhelming success.

BFGoodrich Tires Overall SCORE Baja 500 Winners List
SCORE Baja 500 overall winners from the past 30 years who competed on BFGoodrich tires:

1980 Bob Gordon – Chenowth Chevy
1981 Malcolm Smith/Bill Newbury – Chenowth Chevy
1982 Larry Ragland – Funco VW
1983 Corky McMillin/Scott McMillin – Chenowth Chevy
1984 Larry Ragland – Chaparral VW
1985 Ron Gardner/Bud Feldkamp – Funco VW
1986 Corky McMillin/Scott McMillin – Chenowth Porsche
1987 Bob Gordon/Tim Crabtree – Chenowth Porsche
1988 Mark McMillin – Chenowth Porsche
1989 Robby Gordon – Ford
1990 Robby Gordon – Ford
1993 Ivan Stewart – Toyota
1994 Ivan Stewart – Toyota
1996 Rob MacCachren – Ford
1997 Ivan Stewart – Toyota
1998 Ivan Stewart – Toyota
1999 Ivan Stewart – Toyota Tundra
2000 Larry Ragland – Chevy
2001 Mark McMillin – Jimco-Chevy
2002 Troy Herbst/Larry Roeseler – Smithbuilt Ford
2003 Troy Herbst/Larry Roeseler – Smithbuilt Ford
2004 Alan Pflueger – Chevy
2005 Robby Gordon – Chevy
2006 Brian Collins/Larry Ragland – Chevy
2007 Larry Ragland/Brian Collins – Chevy
2008 B.J. Baldwin – Chevy
2010 Andy McMillin/Scott McMillin – Ford Trophy Truck

Using motorsports as a proving ground for more than 40 years, BFGoodrich Tires is involved in every type of racing, including oval, sports car, drifting, drag, desert, dirt, rally and extreme rock crawling. BFGoodrich Tires combines technological expertise with vast motorsports experience, delivering a high-performance tire for every type of vehicle. Visit BFGoodrich Tires at www.BFGoodrichTires.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/BFGoodrichTires or on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/BFGintheDirt.