SAN DIEGO — Following three weeks of broadcasts from Reno, Nev., Tuesday’s Dirt LiveHD internet show at 7 p.m. (PT) will spotlight Los Angeles Laker Executive Vice-President Johnny Buss along with Minnesota desert racer Peter Hajas.
After last weekend’s 2nd annual Eldorado HDRA Reno 500, Round 3 of the four-race 2013 HDRA Series Tuesday’s show will feature Hajas, who won Class 10 in addition to this year’s inaugural Dakar Challenge 2013. Lakers’ Buss, whose family owns the NBA’s Lakers, won the Sportsman Baja Challenge class last weekend in the Reno race held at the Tahoe Reno Motorplex.
Airing in High Definition on www.score-international.com, the show aired the last three weeks from the Eldorado Hotel Casino in Reno, before it returned to its broadcast home at the SCORE International tech shop in San Diego starting tomorrow, Tuesday, July 16.
Roger Norman’s Dirt Live one-hour show is broadcast live weekly and the show is anchored around Norman’s two desert racing series, the SCORE Desert Series and the High Desert Racing Association as well as the new bonus points championship purse program he has developed called the World Championship of Desert Racing. All live events, this will be the 27th weekly Dirt LiveHD episode to air.
Hajas, 53, from Chicago who is a hedge fund manager in Wayzata, Minn., won Class 10 in Reno in a Chevy-powered Kreger open-wheel desert race car.
In his first desert race, the thoroughly impressed Buss, 57, will be interviewed regarding his victory in the Sportsman Baja Challenge class for identically-equipped, Subaru-powered Baja Touring cars prepped by Norman’s Wide Open Excursions located at his Tahoe Reno Motorplex, 19 miles east of downtown Reno off of Interstate 80.
Dirt Live also goes on-site live with expanded event coverage during SCORE and HDRA race weeks and will next be covering on-site the Moapa HDRA Big Horn 300 desert race on the Moapa River Indian Reservation north of Las Vegas on Sept. 27-29. The land belongs to the Moapa Paiute Band of Indians with the course running entirely on the Moapa River Indian Reservation, 30 miles north of Las Vegas of off Interstate-15.
Tuesday’s show will also include video highlights from last weekend’s Eldorado HDRA Reno 5l00 desert race, which was won by the veteran team of Tim Herbst/Larry Roeseler in the Monster Energy Terrible Herbst Motorsports Ford F-150 SCORE Trophy Truck.
DIRT LIVE OFF-ROAD EXPO
Downtown Reno, Nev., came alive last Wednesday through Friday when the Dirt Live Off-Road Expo brought together desert racers, off-road enthusiasts, and exhibitors for three exciting action-packed days. Under the famous Virginia Street arch, the Dirt Live Off-Road Expo in the Northern Nevada gaming city gathered the competitors of the High Desert Racing Association, aficionados of desert racing, and enthusiasts of all kinds, in a summertime festival atmosphere around the Monster Energy Stage and in the BFGoodrich Tires Hospitality area.
The Dirt Live Off-Road Expo combined the action and excitement of the Monster Energy LivFast Freestyle stunt team, and nationally known musical artists, with award winning Eldorado Hotel Casino cuisine, famous Reno hospitality and the Monster Energy HDRA Pit Crew Challenge.
On Friday, July 12, Reno’s iconic Virginia Street filled up with over 100 race trucks, race cars and motorcycles for technical inspections for competition in the Eldorado HDRA Reno 500 that weekend at the Tahoe Reno Motorplex.
The Dirt Live Off-Road Expo was a production of the Eldorado Hotel Casino, presenting sponsor of the 2nd Annual Eldorado HDRA Reno 500, in conjunction with Dirt Live, SCORE, HDRA, Wide Open Excursions, BFGoodrich Tires and Monster Energy.
Another major supporter of this multi-day motorsports extravaganza was the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority.
The Silver Legacy Resort Casino and Budweiser were associate sponsors of the event as well. Supporting hotels included not only the Eldorado and Silver Legacy, but Circus Circus and Harrah’s who are all part of the downtownReno.com promotional group.
DIRT LIVEHD GUESTS
With the show on the air for 26 weeks, special racer guests have included Jim Anderson, R.J. Anderson, Ryan Arciero, B.J. Baldwin, Robby Bell, Johnny Campbell, Kurt Caselli, Martin Christensen, Justin Davis, Pat Dean, Steven Eugenio, T.J. Flores, Robby Gordon, Rod Hall, Shelby Hall, Steve Hengeveld, Jerry Herbst, Tim Herbst, Troy Herbst, Mike Julson, Erek Kudla, Harley Letner, Brad Lovell, Rob McCachren, Daniel McMillin, Luke McMillin, Mark McMillin, Andrew Myers, Steve Olliges, Adam Pfankuch, Ivan Ramirez, Jay Reichert, Brett Robinson, Larry Roeseler, Armin Schwarz, Fred Sobke, Cameron Steele, Ivan Stewart, Colton Udall, Gus Vildosola Sr, Gus Vildosola Jr, Kellon Walch and Tim Weigand.
DIRT LIVEHD CREW
Desert racing public address announcer George Antill is the host of Norman’s Dirt LiveHD program. One of the regular elements of the show will be a SCORE social media interchange, allowing fans and racers to comment and ask questions through the SCORE Facebook and SCORE Twitter platforms. Another special segment each week is Tech Tips with SCORE Tech co-director Jake Velasco.
Andrew Grimshaw, SCORE Media Production Manager, is the coordinating producer of the show. The program is hosted on ustream.com, the world’s largest streaming internet site.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OF DESERT RACING
The 2013 SCORE Desert Series will also be part of the quickly-evolving World Championship of Desert Racing, which will combine points accumulated in two of the three SCORE Baja races along with points earned from three of the four-race 2013 HDRA Series, all held in the United States. Both the SCORE and HDRA series will crown their own individual class and overall point champions as well with a bonus purse for those racers who qualify for the World Championship of Desert Racing points bonus purse program to earn a desert racing World Champion title.
With a growing total, for the inaugural World Championship of Desert Racing bonus purse, an official total of $45,000 has been posted to date from new SCORE sponsors Amber Racing Services ($25,000), King Shocks ($10,000) and Rigid Industries ($10,000).
For car and truck classes with at least three starters in each qualifying race in 2013, the World Champion titles will be decided on combined points from the three SCORE races and three HDRA races with the bonus purse paid using the same formula based on total purse and number of starters in each class as is used currently for each SCORE race.
For the pro motorcycle and ATV classes, the World Championship of Desert Racing will include points earned in the three SCORE Baja races as well as the AMA National Hare and Hound race to be held during the Eldorado HDRA Reno 500.
DAKAR CHALLENGE 2013
This year’s Tecate SCORE Baja 500 and Eldorado HDRA Reno 500 (this weekend) are part of a special program where the combined best qualified car/truck finisher will receive a special entry package into the 2014 Dakar Rally in South America. Regulations and other information on Dakar Challenge 2013 are available at http://www.dakar.com/dakar/2013/us/dakar-challenge.html.
SCORE SPONSORS
Official Sponsors: Tecate Beer-Official Beer/Official Race Sponsor, Monster Energy-Official Energy Drink, BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire, Amber Racing Services-Official Race Fuels, Rigid Industries-Official Lights, King Shocks-Official Shock Absorber, Volaris Airlines-Official Airline, Wide Open Excursions- Official Arrive and Drive Company, Coca-Cola-Official Soft Drink, Crystal Bay Casino-Official Casino, Hotel Coral and Marina-Official Hotel.
Associate Sponsors: Graham Watchmakers, SatellitePhoneStore.com, Symons Ambulance Company, Azunia Tequila.
Additional SCORE Partners: Proturismo Ensenada, Visit Baja California Sur, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, Mexicali Ayuntamineto, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Cruz Roja Mexicana, Blue C Advertising, PCI Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.
For more information, visit the official website of the new SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.