ENSENADA, MEXICO — BFGoodrich Tires continued to prove its toughness in the desert in 2011 by winning the overall four-wheel title in each of the four SCORE International off-road races to date. BFGoodrich Tires will be vying to make it five for five with a victory at the 44th Annual SCORE Baja 1000, which starts and finishes in Ensenada, Mexico, on Friday, Nov. 18, 2011. A BFGoodrich Tires victory would mark its 25th title in 26 years, including a stretch of 20 consecutive wins.

Team BFGoodrich members Rob MacCachren and Bryce Menzies split the four previous overall victories, both on BFGoodrich® Baja T/A®KR tires. MacCachren dominated the MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 and SCORE San Felipe Challenge of Champions.  Menzies had a breakout year with victories in the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge and SCORE Baja 500.

“We’re very proud of the year we’ve had in desert competition,” said Silvia Mammone, motorsports marketing manager for BFGoodrich Tires. “An overall win for the 25th time at the SCORE Baja 1000 would be remarkable and a true testament to the toughness of BFGoodrich’s off-road tire lineup. We wish the best of luck to all the drivers who choose to run on BFGoodrich Tires.”

BFGoodrich teams compete on a variety of tires in the desert, including the BFGoodrich® All-Terrain T/A®KO tire, BFGoodrich® Mud-Terrain T/A®KM2 tire, BFGoodrich® Baja T/A® tire and BFGoodrich® Baja T/AKR tire. In 2010, drivers who chose BFGoodrich tires earned victories in 17 competing classes, as well as seven of the top 10 overall four-wheel spots, including the overall title by Gus Vildosola Sr. and Gus Vildosola Jr. in a SCORE Trophy-Truck.

“What to Watch” at the 44th Annual SCORE Baja 1000
In 2010, the father/son team of Gus Vildosola Jr. and Gus Vildosola Sr. became the first Mexican nationals to win the SCORE Baja 1000. They have a great shot at repeating in 2011, starting second off the line behind TV personality Jesse James, who will start first. Both teams chose to run on BFGoodrich Baja T/AKR tires.

Joel Weinberger, Super Touring U (STU)-class Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) National Runoffs champion; Brad and Roger Lovell, six-time rock-crawling champions; Andrew Comrie-Picard, X Games SuperRally bronze medalist and 2009 North American rally champion; Kyle Tucker, custom car designer; and Bud Brutsman, Hollywood producer, will join forces, courtesy of BFGoodrich® Tires, to race in Class 10 in a Wide Open Excursions race buggy equipped with BFGoodrich® Mud-Terrain T/AKM2 tires.

The 44th Annual SCORE Baja 1000 will, once again, be the deciding factor of the SCORE Trophy-Truck championship. Only six points separate the leaders in the SCORE Trophy-Truck standings — Menzies currently has 306 championship points, while MacCachren has 300. Both Menzies and MacCachren run on BFGoodrich Baja T/AKR tires.

BFGoodrich Tires Pit and Communications Support Continues for the 2011 SCORE Baja 1000
BFGoodrich Tires’ commitment to the growth of SCORE International and off-road racing does not end with its sponsorship extension or product support for numerous competitors in several classes. For the 2011 race, BFGoodrich® Tires will dedicate four full-service tractor-trailers to provide five full-service pits and nearly 120 volunteer and active personnel at pit areas located along the racecourse to support the more than 60 percent of the field that will compete on BFGoodrich Tires. From the start of the race until the finish line, BFGoodrich Tires sets the standard for onsite pit and event support with the most extensive network available, including pit areas staffed with volunteer emergency medical technicians (EMTs), race mechanics, welders, fabricators and communications specialists — services which have been provided since 1981.

BFGoodrich Tires’ support network also includes organization and mobilization of all parts, tires (as many as 14 per vehicle), fuel and equipment for any teams using BFGoodrich® Tires. Last, but certainly not least, BFGoodrich Tires’ pit support network includes satellite communications and mountain-top relay stations and coordinates race communications for teams running BFGoodrich tires.

Track the Race with BFGoodrich Tires Online
For those unable to watch the 44th SCORE Baja 1000 firsthand, a number of websites will be available that allow fans to follow the entire race. Beginning at 6:00 a.m. PT on Friday, Nov. 18, 2011 fans can log on to www.race-dezert.com/live for pre-race interviews, photos, videos and more. BFGoodrich Tires’ Facebook page www.facebook.com/bfgoodrichtires and Twitter account www.twitter.com/BFGoodrichTires will also have plenty of photos, videos and race information throughout race week.

44th Annual SCORE Baja 1000 Information and BFGoodrich Tires Winners
This year’s 692.82-mile course, to be held Nov. 17-20, 2011 in Mexico, will start for the 37th time in Ensenada and finish for the 21st time in Ensenada, extending over a rugged course through Baja California. The car and truck classes will leave the starting line on Friday, Nov. 18, 2011 at 11:45 a.m. PT or four hours after the last ATV leaves the start line. Vehicles will leave in 30-second intervals in the elapsed-time race and, while the fastest finishers are expected to complete the course in approximately 14 hours, all vehicles will have 32 hours to officially finish the legendary race.

In this year’s event, more than 250 entries from 32 states and 15 countries are expected to compete in 36 Pro and six Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs. It is the oldest and most well known of all desert races, and it remains the single most meaningful accomplishment for drivers. Since 1967, the preeminent desert race has been run over the mysterious and challenging Baja California peninsula, except in 1974 when the international fuel crisis forced a cancellation.

BFGoodrich Tires Overall SCORE Baja 1000 Winners from past 25 years:

1986
Mark McMillin/Ralph Paxton
Chenowth Porsche

1987
Bob Gordon/Malcolm Smith
Chenowth Porsche

1988
Mark McMillin
Chenowth Porsche

1989
Robby Gordon
Ford Pickup

1990
Bob Gordon/Robyn Gordon/Robby Gordon
Chenowth Chevy

1991
Larry Ragland
Chevy Pickup

1992
Paul Simon/Dave Simon
Ford Ranger

1993
Ivan Stewart
Toyota SR5

1994
Jim Smith
Ford Pickup

1995
Larry Ragland
Chevy Pickup

1996
Larry Ragland
Chevy Pickup

1997
Larry Ragland
Chevy Pickup

1998
Ivan Stewart
Toyota Tundra

1999
Larry Ragland
Chevy Pickup

2000
Dan Smith/Dave Ashley
Ford Pickup

2001
Doug Fortin/Charlie Townsley Jr.
Jimco Chevy

2002
Dan Smith/Dave Ashley
Ford Pickup

2003
Doug Fortin/Charlie Townsley Jr.
Jimco Chevy

2004
Troy Herbst/Larry Roeseler
Smith Built Ford

2005
Troy Herbst/Larry Roeseler
Smith Built Ford

2007
Mark Post/Rob MacCachren/Carl Renezeder
Ford F-150

2008
Roger Norman/Larry Roeseler
Ford F-150

2009
Andy McMillin/Scott McMillin
Chevy Silverado

2010
Gus Vildosola Jr./Gus Vildosola Sr.
Ford F-150