ENSENADA, Mexico — While deservedly grabbing the majority of the headlines will be the five-way race for the season title in the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck division for 850-horsepower high-tech, unlimited production trucks, this week’s iconic 47th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race will also include everyman racers from across the U.S. and around the world along with nearly three dozen cross-over racers from other motorsports disciplines as well as business leaders and entertainers.

This year’s legendary desert classic, the final event of the 2014 SCORE World Desert Championship, is being held in Mexico on a brutally-rugged race-record 1,275-mile SCORE signature desert race course.

When the green flag drops Thursday for nearly 250 entries at 6 a.m. (PT) for motorcycles and ATVs and 12:30 p.m. (PT) for cars and trucks, the growing starting grid for the 47th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 includes 104 racers who have combined for 318 class wins in the Granddaddy of All Desert Races.

With the rugged course traveling on both sides of the peninsula, the world’s most famous desert race will be a peninsula run, starting in Ensenada, Baja California Norte and finishing in La Paz, Baja California Sur. With 10 checkpoints along the way, it is the longest course in race history for the race when it starts in Ensenada and finishes in La Paz.

While the fastest vehicles in the elapsed-time race are expected to complete the course in approximately 24 hours, the time limit to become an official finisher in the prestigious race is 49 hours.

TIME TRAVEL
This year will mark the 40th time in the first 46 years of the storied race that it has started in Ensenada in Baja California Norte and it will be the 20th time it has finished in La Paz in Baja California Sur.

It’s the oldest and most well known of all desert races, and it remains as the single most appealing accomplishment to a driver. Since 1967, the mother of all desert races has been run over the mysterious and majestic Baja California peninsula.

This race not only culminates the five-race 2014 SCORE World Desert Championship, but concludes the celebration of the 41st anniversary of SCORE International, the world’s foremost desert racing organization.

PRE-GREEN
Pre-race festivities on Wednesday for the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, including the vastly popular tech and contingency of all vehicles and the SCORE Manufacturer’s Midway will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Boulevard Costero in front of the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center.  The pre-race mandatory driver/rider briefing will also be held on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Cathedral Room at the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center.

Racer registration will be held in the Red Room at the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center in Ensenada. Racer registration will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Media registration will be held as well in the Red Room at the Riviera from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday and the BFGoodrich Tires/Baja California Secretary of Tourism SCORE Media Center will be open from Thursday from 5:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. before moving to La Paz.

Two special Monster Energy parties, open to the public will be held before the race starts. On Tuesday, the Monster Energy SCORE Kickoff Fiesta will be held in the Monster Energy VIP area at the start line from 7 p.m. to midnight. On Wednesday, the Monster Energy SCORE Papas & Beer Street Party on Avenida Ruiz in front of Papas & Beer will be held from 7 p.m. to midnight.

POST GREEN
As the celebration continues throughout Thursday night, all day Friday and until the course closes on Saturday afternoon while official finishers cross the line and tales are added to the legacy of the event, the post-race awards fiesta will be held on the Malecon in central La Paz starting at 6 p.m. (PT) on Saturday. The finish line are in La Paz is located on the Trans Peninsular Highway 1 on the outskirts of the city across of the Baja California Sur Secretary of Tourism office.

The BFGoodrich Tires/Baja California Sur Secretary of Tourism SCORE Media Center is located in the Emperor’s Ballroom at the Grand Plaza Hotel in La Paz, adjacent to the finish line area. It will be open from 1 a.m. (PT) on Friday until 4 p.m. (PT) on Saturday.

‘FIVE-ALIVE’ SCORE TROPHY TRUCK SHOWDOWN
With 31 SCORE Trophy Trucks entered, leading the way in the battle for the season point championship are five racers separated by just 33 points heading into the season finale in Baja.

The top-five point leaders are: Gustavo Vildosola Jr, Mexicali, Mexico/Steven Eugenio, El Centro, Calif., No. 21 Vildosola Racing Branix Ford Raptor; Steven Eugenio, El Centro, Calif./Gus Vildosola Sr, Mexicali, Mexico, No. 7 Galindo Motorsports Chevy Silverado; Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va./Juan C. Lopez, Tecate, Mexico, No. 5 RPM Racing Chevy Rally Truck; B.J. Baldwin, Las Vegas, No. 1 Baldwin Motorsports Monster Energy Chevy Silverado and Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas/Andy McMillin, San Diego/Jason Voss, Gilroy, Calif., No. 11 MacCachren Motorsports Rockstar Ford F-150.

While those five teams battle for the season point championship in the sport’s marquee racing division in addition to the coveted race title in the legendary race, several other racers are expected to be in the hunt for the overall and SCORE Trophy Truck victory.

Among the other top challengers in SCORE Trophy Truck are Bryce Menzies, Las Vegas/Jesse Jones, Litchfield Park, Ariz., No. 70 Menzies Motorsports Red Bull Ford F-150 who won this year’s Tecate SCORE Baja 500 with Jones finishing third in his own vehicle; fast qualifier Robby Gordon, Charlotte, N.C., No. 77 Team Gordon Speed Energy Chevy Silverado; Tim Herbst, Las Vegas/Larry Roeseler, Boulevard, Calif., No. 19 Terrible Herbst Motorsports Monster Energy Ford F-150; Troy Herbst, Las Vegas/Ryan Arciero, Foothill Ranch, Calif., No. 91 Terrible Herbst Motorsports Monster Energy Ford F-150; World Rally Championship veteran racer Armin Schwarz, Austria (Germany)/Martin Christensen, Escondido, Calif. (Denmark), No. 15 All German Motorsports Chevy C1500 who will be racing in their final event as a team and the two-truck McMillin family entries of Mark McMillin, El Cajon, Calif./Dan McMillin, La Mesa, Calif./Chuck Hovey, Escondido, Calif., in the No. 23 Mark Racing Ford F-150 and Luke McMillin, El Cajon, Calif./Dan McMillin, in the No. 83 Mark Racing Ford F-150.

TOP GUNS
Former NASCAR driver/team owner, short-course race series promoter and desert racing superstar Robby Gordon earned the top qualifying spot in the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division last Tuesday night in Las Vegas.

The special Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 Qualifying, presented by BFGoodrich Tires was held on a purpose built, very technical 3.6-mile course that started and finished on the Off-Road Track at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Qualifying was part of the SEMA SCORE Baja 1000 Experience 70,000 sq. foot exhibit that was a showcase of the SEMA trade show at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

In front of an appreciative capacity crowd at the LVMS Off-Road Track, Gordon blistered the dirt and asphalt covering the course in three minutes, 52.902 seconds with an average speed of 55.65 miles per hour.

Gordon finished just faster than three prominent Las Vegas desert racing stars Rob MacCachren, Bryce Menzies and B.J. Baldwin as all four drivers broke the four-minute barrier.

MacCachren was second in 3:54.014 (55.38mph), Menzies was third in 3:59.514 (54.11mph) and Baldwin was fourth in 3:59.886 (54.03mph) in the No. 1 Monster Energy Baldwin Motorsports Chevy Silverado.

Gordon also earned the Method Race Wheels $2,500 Fastest Qualifier Award.

The 3.6-mile qualifying course at LVMS incorporated off-road, dirt and asphalt elements, utilized two race courses including one lap around the paved LVMS stock car short track, and require the drivers to use their lights and qualify in the darkness of the Las Vegas night.

With most teams in the race using multiple drivers, several co-drivers actually drove for qualifying. Fastest qualifier in Class 1 was veteran Las Vegas racer Larry Job, who is the second driver for Scott Bailey, Riverside, Calif. Job was timed in 4:22.092 at 49.45mph in the No. 129 Stronghold Motorsports Alumi Craft-Chevy.

MOTORCYCLE MAGIC
In motorcycle competition, the storyline is the same as it has been for a decade and a half, who will beat Honda. Honda leads with 24 overall victories in the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 including 17 straight years of race championship teams. Leading the Honda No. 1x team this year is Colton Udall, Oceanside, Calif., who along with teammate Mark Samuels, Yucca Valley, Calif. were part of the last two championship teams. This year, Udall/Samuels have been joined by Udall’s brother Ian Young, San Clemente, Calif. on the No. 1x Honda CRF450X.

The serious challengers to unseat Honda this time around is the THR Motorsports team of Ricky Brabec, Oak Hills, Calif./Robby Bell, Glendora, Calif./Steve Hengeveld, Flagstaff, Ariz./Max Eddy Jr, Barstow, Calif. Bell and Hengeveld are both veteran champion SCORE Baja racers riding for Honda. The Brabec team is riding the No. 4x Kawasaki KX450F for its attempt to dethrone Honda for the preeminent position in SCORE Baja motorcycle racing.

This year has been a virtual standoff through four races, with both the Udall and Brabec teams entering the season finale with 268 points and each has won two races to pace the motorcycle field.

GRAND MARSHAL
SCORE is privileged to have legendary desert racer Malcolm Smith serve as Grand Marshal for this year’s 47th running of the world’s most famous desert race. Starting with the first race in 1967 where he teamed with J.N. Roberts to win the overall title on a motorcycle, Smith is one of only two racers (Larry Roeseler is the other) who has earned the overall victory in the SCORE Baja 1000 on both a motorcycle and in a four-wheel vehicle.

A star of the iconic ‘On Any Sunday’ feature film, Smith fashioned eight class wins in his SCORE Baja 1000 career including five overall titles. His last overall was in a race car with Bob Gordon in 1987 and his last class win was on a motorcycle team in 2004.

Spending much of his racing career in Baja, Smith also founded the prominent El Oasis Orphanage in Valley de Trinidad to help give something back to the people that have appreciated SCORE Baja racing so much.

Smith’s son Alexander Smith is the defending race winner in the SCORE Ironman class and will be attempting to solo his way to another epic family win this year with the senior Smith supporting him while driving one of the team’s chase trucks.

MULTI CLASS WINNERS
Leading the multiple class winners in this race to the starting line this year is the venerable Rod Hall, who has 22 class wins as the all-time race leader and he will be racing in the Stock Full class this year.  Second all-time is Larry Roeseler with 17 class wins and he will be in SCORE Trophy Truck this year.

The other racers with the most class wins in the field this year are led by motorcycle age-group riders Chris Haines (14), Richard Jackson (13), Jim O’Neal (11), Steve Hengeveld (10), Bill Nichols (7) and Francisco Septien (6).

Pacing the other multi-class winners in the car and truck classes entered this year are Donald Moss (10, Class 3), Eric Solorzano (9, Class 11), Chad Hall (8, Stock Full), Mark McMillin (8, SCORE Trophy Truck), Dan Chamlee (6, Class 7), Troy Herbst (6, SCORE Trophy Truck), Rob MacCachren (6, SCORE Trophy Truck), Ernesto Arambula (5, Class 1/2-1600

CBS SPORTS NETWORK COVERAGE
All races in the 2014 SCORE World Desert Championship series, along with the special SEMA SCORE Baja 1000 Experience and qualifying for the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway, are televised on a delayed basis in the USA and Canada as a one-hour special on the CBS Sports Network. The shows, produced by SoCal’s acclaimed BCII TV, air a minimum of two times on the CBS Sports Spectacular show.

All shows are scheduled to premier in the next month following the event. The success of the productions has enabled CBS Sports Network to air multiple airings of the first three 2014 races.  The SCORE San Felipe 250 had 17 extra airings, the SCORE Imperial Valley 250 had five extra airings, and the SCORE Baja 500 garnered seven hours of extra airings in CBS Sports Network.

Following the CBS Sports Network telecasts in the US, the SCORE races air worldwide in over 100 countries through international distribution.

Following are the air dates for the debut of the remaining 2014 SCORE shows on the CBS Sports Network…

· Rigid Industries SCORE Desert Challenge, presented by the city of Imperial (debuted Sunday, Nov. 9, 9 p.m. ET) with repeat airings ongoing.
· Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 qualifying from Las Vegas Motor Speedway/SEMA SCORE Baja 1000 Experience (Sunday, Dec. 21, 9 p.m. ET)
· Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 (Sunday, Dec. 28, 9 p.m. ET)
CBS Sports Network is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, including a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

SCORE DirtLive HD
Desert racing public address announcer and former racer George Antill is the executive producer and host of SCORE’s weekly one-hour Internet show and on-site special programming. Joining him in Mexico this week is Dianna Dahlgren, Miss Monster Energy Supercross. One of the regular elements of the show on 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 most weeks is SCORE Tech Tips with SCORE Tech director Art Savedra.

With several million viewers in nearly 100 countries, the SCORE DirtLive HD one-hour show is broadcast live weekly and the show is anchored in 2014 around the five-race SCORE World Desert Championship.

The program is hosted on ustream.com, the world’s largest streaming internet site.

The high definition shows also include numerous award-winning video highlight packages, most produced by Mexico’s Cactus Films or San Diego’s Tempt Media.

SCORE DirtLive HD also goes on-site live with expanded event coverage during SCORE events. Live event coverage in 2014 includes the entire five-race 2014 SCORE World Desert Championship of two races in the United States and three in Baja California, Mexico.  Next up its on-site schedule, SCORE DirtLive HD is providing live coverage from this week’s Tecate SCORE Baja 1000.

HALL-MARKS ALL OVER BAJA
This year’s race will commemorate the achievements of legendary desert racers like Rod Hall, Ron Bishop, Johnny Johnson, and Larry Roeseler. Hall, who will turn 77 on Nov. 22, has a record 22 class wins (including one overall win in 1972), and is the only racer who has competed in all 46 SCORE Baja 1000 races. Bishop, who passed away recently, was the only racer who competed in the first 40 SCORE Baja 1000 races all on a motorcycle.

Hall will be racing this year in the Stock Full class with his son Chad Hall, granddaughter Shelby Hall and Damien Michelin as he attempts to add to his untouchable legacy. Shelby and Michelin helped give the elder Hall his 22nd class win in 2012.

Roeseler, has won 17 times in this race, including 13 overall wins (10 on a motorcycle). Roeseler will share driving duties this year in SCORE Trophy Truck with Tim Herbst in the No. 19 Monster Energy Terrible Herbst Motorsports Ford F-150. Roeseler won the unlimited Class 1 for four consecutive years (2004-2007), driving with the youngest of the three racing brothers, Troy Herbst, in the Smithbuilt-Ford open-wheel desert race car that was known as the ‘Land Shark’. Roeseler is the only racer in the history of the event to win the overall 4-wheel in a truck and also in a car as well as the overall 2-wheel title as well.

In 2008, Roeseler split the driving with driver of record and team owner and now SCORE owner Roger Norman when they were the overall 4-wheel and SCORE Trophy Truck champions and the pair was second in 2009. In 2010, Roger Norman drove solo the length of the peninsula and finished third overall.

Retired from racing, Johnson, had 15 class wins, amazingly in eight different classes.
GLOBAL IMPRESSIONS
To date, in addition to 34 U.S. States and the U.S. Territory of Guam, racers have entered from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Columbia, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand and Thailand.

BFGOODRICH TIRES UNMATCHED
In 2014, BFGoodrich Tires is celebrating its 39th year as a major player in SCORE Baja racing. In addition to being the official tire of SCORE International for nearly four decades, BFGoodrich Tires has produced the tire of choice for 25 of the overall 4-wheel vehicle winners in the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, including 25 of the last 28 years along with a record-run of 20 straight from 1986 through 2005.

BFGoodrich Tires also provides unmatched pit support for pre-registered racers using their tires with seven full-service pit areas along the race course out of and back into Ensenada along with complete radio relay the entire 1,275.0 miles.

SCORE IRONMAN CLASS
This race includes the SCORE Ironman class, where six Pro motorcycle entries to date will compete against each other and the clock as they attempt to complete the entire course under the time limit while riding solo. In addition to defending race champion Alexander Smith, rookie racer Tony Gera, Santa Cruz, Calif., is undefeated in all four SCORE races this season in the SCORE Ironman class.

SCORE SPONSORS
Official Sponsors: Tecate Beer-Official Beer/Official Race Sponsor, Monster Energy-Official Energy Drink, BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire, Rigid Industries LED Lighting-Official Lights, King Shocks-Official Shock Absorber, Polaris-Official UTV, Volaris Airlines-Official Airline, CBS Sports Network-Official Television Partner, 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: SatellitePhoneStore.com and Symons Ambulance Company.

Additional SCORE Partners: Proturismo Ensenada, Visit Baja California Sur, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, Baja California Sur State Government, Mexicali Ayuntamineto, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Cruz Roja Mexicana, Corporate Helicopters, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, GoPro, PCI Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.

For more information, visit the official website of the SCORE World Desert Championship at www.score-international.com.