SAN DIEGO — Desert racing fans are in for a rare treat tonight as Roger Norman’s newest Internet creation–SCORE Throwback Thursday presents a very special desert race. Norman’s newest program showcases classic SCORE race footage primarily produced as television shows.
Tonight’s episode at 7 p.m. (PT) will be the telecast of the 2000 Tecate SCORE Baja 2000, a once-in-a-lifetime new millennium race down Mexico’s majestic Baja California from Ensenada in Baja California Norte to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur.
Norman’s new Internet show is another part of the inventory of his new Dirt Live productions which produces the weekly Dirt LiveHD studio show each Tuesday as well as the expanded race-week coverage for his SCORE and HDRA racing organizations.
“A key part of SCORE is its history and we are very happy to be able to make these historic programs available like this worldwide through our Dirt Live platform,” commented Norman, in his first year as CEO/President of the legendary SCORE International desert racing organization. “We are really moving at warp speed in so many different directions and SCORE Throwback Thursday will not only help us veterans of the sport sit back and remember the rich history of SCORE, but it will also help introduce an entire new audience to the magnificent legacy of SCORE.”
“These shows will also remind some and introduce others to the retired legends of SCORE racing like Ivan Stewart, Walker Evans, Roger Mears, Larry Ragland and Johnny Campbell. We look forward to remembering our past as we sustain our legacy as the world’s foremost desert racing organization. We are really please to be able to preserve the rich history that his made SCORE the iconic international symbol that it has been for 40 years.”
To check out the race, visit the official website of the new SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.
With plans to create an internet video library of SCORE’s iconic history, much of the inventory of shows and footage for SCORE Throwback Thursday is material originally produced by award-winning motorsports videographer Don Shoemaker.
SCORE production manager Andrew Grimshaw helped conceive the idea for this new programming platform as SCORE continues to develop increasing ways to expand the reach of not only SCORE but the entire sport of desert racing.
Tonight’s show will highlight the amazing accomplishments of overall 2-wheel and overall 4-wheel winners of the epic 2000 Tecate SCORE Baja 2000–Johnny Campbell/Tim Staab/Craig Smith/Steve Hengeveld and Dan Smith/Dave Ashley. Campbell/Staab/Smith/Hengeveld teamed to cover the 1,679.54-mile course in 30 hours, 54 minutes and 12 seconds on a Honda XR650R while Smith/Ashley won the 4-wheel portion of the race in 32:15:39 in a Ford F-150 SCORE Trophy Truck. It was the last of Smith’s four overall wins (including one on a motorcycle) in the race, last of three for Ashley (all with Smith) and the fourth of Campbell’s all-time record of 11 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 overall motorcycle victories.
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 22nd weekly Dirt LiveHD episode to air.
Dirt Live also goes on-site live with expanded event coverage during SCORE and HDRA race weekends and will next be covering the Moapa HDRA Big Horn 300, Sept. 27-29 on the Moapa Indian Reservation north of Las Vegas.
Here is the list of class winners from that vintage race, several of whom are still racing today:
Tecate SCORE Baja 2000
presented by Autozone
Ensenada-Cabo San Lucasm, Mexico-1,679.54 miles
Total Starters: 262 Total Finishers: 184
Pro Class Winners
SCORE TROPHY TRUCK–Dan Smith/Dave Ashley
CLASS 1–Troy Herbst/Jim Smith
CLASS 1/2-1600–Bekki Freeman/Adam Wik/BJ Almberg/Mark Bunderson
CLASS 3–Darren Skilton/Barrie Thompson
CLASS 3I–Hiroshi Masuoka/John Holmes/Ryan Thomas/Matt Hotchins
CLASS 5-Mchael James/Michael Kalicki/Kevin James
CLASS 5-1600–Victor Orellana/Albert Castro/Julian Parton.
CLASS 7–Jeff Lewis/Ted Hunnicutt Jr.
CLASS 7S–Joe Custer/Troy Cline
CLASS 8–Curt LeDuc/John Swift
CLASS 9–Joe Sheble/Andy Kisner/Matthew Frederick
CLASS 10–Steve Myers/Dan Myers/Andrew Myers
SCORE LITES–Jim Dizney/Matias Arjona/Bruce Conrad/Jim Delaney/Randy Ross
CLASS 11–Eric Solorzano/Albert Solorzano/Horacio Pereya/Roman Pereya/Martin Garibay/Victor Barajas
STOCK MINI–Dr. Macrae Glass/Robert Sibbio
STOCK FULL–Jeremy Spirkoff/Nancy Shearer/Bill Holmes
PROTRUCK–Scott Steinberger/Jay Reichert/Dane Cardone
BAJA CHALLENGE–Jay Culbertson/Andrew Hassard/Roger La Pierre
CLASS 21–J. David Ruvalcaba/Ricky Cruz
CLASS 22–Johnny Campbell/Tim Staab/Craig Smith/Steve Hengeveld
CLASS 30–Tex Mitchell/Ron Mitchell/Darrol Brown
CLASS 40–Chris Haines/Kevin Hines/Craig Adams/Peter Postel
CLASS 50–Richard Jackson/Dave Olen/Bob Wadlow
CLASS 24–Enrique Felix/Alfonso Castro/Rene de la Rocha
CLASS 25–Greg Row/Dean Sundahl/Eric Dunlavey/Jimmy Stephenson