It might be a cliché to suggest that Elise Norman is more than just a pretty face, but when it comes to the new era of SCORE racing, the wife of President and CEO Roger Norman is just that.

Elise is the new Vice President of SCORE, and Roger Norman would probably be the first to admit that he couldn’t ask for a better partner in business or in life. Elise has been with him through the highest highs in his racing career, which include victories in the 2008 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 and the 2010 Mint 400, as well as the lowest of lows, such as his harrowing accident with motorcycle competitor Tim Nugent at the 2010 Baja 500. That collision left Roger Norman so devastated that he actually considered leaving the sport of off-road racing entirely.

But, with the full support of Elise, Roger not only returned to racing, he has since gone on to acquire SCORE, putting him in a different driver’s seat altogether, one which gives him the chance to have a far-reaching impact on the future of off-road racing through its oldest and arguably grandest sanctioning body. And once again, Elise is right there by his side, tackling a mountain of logistics as the duo works to bring its new visions for SCORE into focus.

Off-Road.com caught up with Elise just before the start of the Tecate SCORE Baja 500. She still had plenty of work to handle for the day, but she graciously accepted our request for an interview anyway. And just like a real racer, she covered a lot of ground in just a few short minutes. 

How long have you been married to Roger?
We’ve been married 20 years this year, and we dated for 10 years before that, so 30 years together.

So, you have been with him through his entire racing career then.
Yes, I have.

And now you both have taken on whole new challenge with your acquisition of SCORE. What has that been like for you?
I love it. It’s not much different than racing. It’s the same logistics and coordination, but instead of doing it for one team, you’re doing it for 300 teams. I love the fact that we have an opportunity to impact the sport. Our goal is to leave a legacy for the sport and to really bring the sport to the fore around the world. And we know that, as hard as we work, that will come true. So, for me, it’s more fun than focusing just on one team, knowing that our impact will be much greater.

More 2013 Baja 500 Coverage
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Roger is obviously out in front of the cameras, dealing with the media and being the figurehead of the organization, but as the old saying goes, “behind every good man, is a good woman.” What are some of the responsibilities that you have taken on since the acquisition of SCORE?
I handle all of the behind-the-scenes stuff, everything from insurance to registration to driver numbers, all of the logistics behind it.

You and Roger have obviously been successful in your other business ventures. What has been the toughest part of this one so far?
The amount of time that it takes, knowing what we want to do, how quickly we want to do it and where we want to go. The toughest part is taking the baby steps that we need to take to get there and not put the cart before the horse. Our enthusiasm level is so high, and yet we realize there is a lot we need to learn. There are a lot of things that we need to get done first. The hardest part for me is in not wanting to go full tilt with our plans for the future, because my enthusiasm level is so high. We need to go slow so that we don’t make big mistakes. Of course, you’ll make mistakes at every race, but we need to learn from our mistakes and make sizeable improvements at every race.

For such a high-speed sport, it seems that the pace of change in SCORE racing has been slow, and some of the sport’s longtime stakeholders might be apprehensive about the new leadership, which has already made some sweeping changes, such as qualifying for the Trophy Trucks and Class 1 buggies, as well as implementing an alternate course for the sportsman motorcycle and ATV classes to put even more time and distance between them and the car classes. What are some of the other changes that we might see in the future?
Some of the things that we are planning involve more hospitality for the fans as well as the families and friends of the racers. I’ve always gone racing with Roger for the past 15 years, and there was never any place for the family and friends to go and enjoy the race. Now, with technology the way that it is and with the support of great sponsors like Monster Energy, we are able to bring a fun environment to them through the live streaming in HD on the Web, which connects them to the racers. We also have a hospitality area where they can go and relax, and have breakfast, lunch and dinner. Papas & Beer is serving that for two days here at the Baja 500.

And you mentioned you want to expand that for the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000?
For the Baja 1000, my plans are to have tour for the wives, families and friends here in the Ensenada area while the racers are pre-running on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We hope to have wine tours through the Guadalupe Valley, luncheons at some of the nice restaurants here and just introduce to the family and friends what Baja has to offer and make it fun and to get everybody to want to come down and be a part of it.

What has been the most fun aspect of your new role in SCORE so far – maybe something that you didn’t expect?
The people. By far the people. The people of Ensenada are so embracing, so loving, and they have been so nice to Roger and me. I never imagined that. I almost get teary-eyed thinking about it. They have embraced us so much.

Check out our interview with Roger Norman about changes to the ATV and motorcycle class at the SCORE Baja 500.

More 2013 Baja 500 Coverage
Officials Results of the 2013 SCORE Baja 500

JCR Honda Wins Motorcycle Class at Baja 500

Photo Highlights of the Baja 500