9th SCORE Laughlin Desert
Challenge Concludes with 16 Class Winners
SECOND DAY RACE RECAPS - Sunday, January 19, 2003NOTE - Racers divided into seven different
groups, by individual class, to race two, three or four laps over a
11.7-mile desert course. The competition started and finished with
a stadium-style course in front of grandstand seating. Combined
with the hillside viewing and the event VIP tent, more than 15,000
spectators were on hand for the second of two days of racing
(according to Bureau of Land Management estimates). The winner for
each class was determined by their combined time for both days of
racing and the vehicles must complete the required number of total
laps.
o Joe Heger (No. 502 from Imperial, Calif.)
captured the Class 5 title Sunday with a two-day total of one hour,
52 minutes, 40 seconds (49.846 miles per hour) for 93.6-miles of
racing. George Seeley, Jr. (500 from Glendale, Calif.), who had won
the last four Class 5 SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge titles,
finished second this year with a two day total of
1:56:04.
o Heger posted the group's best overall time Sunday
of 57 minutes, 47 seconds (48.595 miles per hour) for the four lap,
46.8-mile race. Heger finished two minutes, 44 seconds ahead of
Seeley (1:00:31) in Class 5 where four vehicles started and three
finished Sunday. Heger had a 1:30 lead after the first lap Sunday
to lead throughout the race. Three of the four Class 5 starters
finished Sunday's race.
o Seeley had won the last four Class 5 Laughlin
events and now five of the past seven SCORE Laughlin Desert
Challenge events. Seeley was SCORE's Class
5 point leader the past four seasons.
o Heger posted the group's best overall time
Saturday of 54:53 seconds
(51.163 mph).
o Eric Allen (1614 from San Marcos, Calif.)
overcame a nine-second deficit from Saturday's competition to win
the Class 1-2/1600 title Sunday with a two-day time total of
1:59:05 (47.160) to edge Ernie Castro, Jr. (1649 from Newport
Beach, Calif., 1:59:40) by 35 seconds. Brian Jeffrey (1600 from
Acton, Calif., 2:01.35) placed third followed by Travis Fletcher
(1604 from Westminster, Calif., 2:01:47) and David Hendrickson
(1648 from Murrieta, Calif., 2:03:59).
o Allen posted the best Class 1-2/1600 time Sunday
of 1:00:32 (46.387) to finish 29 seconds ahead of Castro (1:01:01).
First-day leader Hendrickson finished 10th Sunday (1:05:35). All 17
Class 1-2/1600 starters finished Sunday's race.
o Jeffrey was the 2002 SCORE Class 1-2/1600 point
leader.
o Hendrickson the group's best overall time
Saturday of 58:24 (48.082).
o Brent Shermak (553 from Fort
Mojave, Ariz.) won the Class 5-1600 title Sunday by compiling a
two-day time total for 93.6 miles of 1:11:52 (39.072).
Shermak had a two minute, 48-second overall edge
over Jeffrey Sack (554 from Huntington Beach, Calif., 2:19:20).
Jason Larkin (556 from El Cajon, Calif., 2:23:26) placed
third.
o Shermak led the 10 starters in Class 5-1600
Sunday with a time of 1:11:52
(39.072) to edge Ruben Garcia (558 from Downey, Calif., 1:12:32)
with Ruben
Gutierrez (552 from Hemet, Calif., 1:12:32). Six (6) of the 10
starters
completed the required four laps.
o Shermak posted the group's best overall time
Saturday of 1:04:40 (43.422).
o Both Class 9 starters completed four laps Sunday
as Ken Tapert (949 from
Henderson, Nev.) won the two-day competition with a time of 2:22:28
(39.420)
by one minute, 52 seconds over Atruro Velazco (903 from Beaumont,
Calif.,
2:24:20).
o Tapert overcame a nine-second deficit after three
laps Sunday to defeat
Velazo by 17 seconds. Tapert finished the four laps in 1:13:47
(38.057).
o Velazco finished second in the Class 9 SCORE
point standings last season.
o Tapert posted the best overall time Saturday of
1:08:41 (40.883).
o Scott Pellerin (1101 from Romoland, Calif.) edged
Fernando Flores (1148
from Mexicali, Mexico) by 23 seconds to win Class 11 Sunday with
Eric
Solozano (1100 from Tijuana, Mexico) third. Pellerin had a two-day
time
total of 1:20:18 for 46.8 miles(34.969 mph) while Flores was
1:20:41 and
Solorzano was 1:23:16.
o Pellerin won Sunday's two-lap, 23.4-mile race
with a time of 41:50
(33.561) with Flores 20 seconds behind. All three Class 11 starters
Sunday
completed the two required laps.
o Pellerin has now won the last two Class 11
Laughlin titles. Solozano won
the 2001 and 2002 SCORE Class 11 champion. Solozano also won the
1997 and
1998 Laughlin Class 11 titles.
o Pellerin posted the group's best overall time
Saturday of 38:28 (36.499).
o Jonathan Buss (1401 from Dana Point, Calif.,
1:44:06, 40.461) won the
Sportsman Buggy competition. He posted a three-lap, 35.1-mile
Sunday race
(51:28, 40.919) as both Sunday starters in the class finish the
required
three laps.
o Buss posted the best overall time Saturday of
52:38 (40.012).
GROUP #2
Classes 7 (4 laps), 7S (3), Stock Full (3),
Sportsman Truck (3),
3 (3) - (14 Total Starters, nine finishers)
o Donald Moss (301 from Sacramento, Calif.) posted
a three-lap time of 58 minutes, five seconds, 39.623 mph) as the
only entry Sunday in Class 3. His two-day combined total was
1:15:14 (37.866 miles per hour). Moss posted a time of 53:09
Saturday (39.623 mph).
o Shawn Wanzek (701 from Lake Havasu City, Ariz.)
posted a two-day, 93.6-mile time of 1:44:57 (53.511 mph) to win the
Class 7 title by seven minutes, 41 seconds over Doug Siewert (708
from Oceanside, Calif., 1:52:38). Cody Kruger (709 from Las Vegas,
Nev., 1:54:31) was third. Defending Class 7 champion Craig Turner
(700 from Yorba Linda, Calif.) did not post a final result as he
completed only two laps Saturday and four laps Sunday.
o Wanzek (53:38, 52.355) defeated Kruger and Turner
by 4:47 and 4:53, respectively, during Sunday's portion of the race
as he led throughout the final 46.8 miles of the race. Six (6) of
the seven (7) starters completed the required four laps
Sunday.
o Turner captured last year's Class 7 Laughlin
title. Turner was also the
SCORE 2001 and 2002 Class 7 points champion.
o Wanzek posted the group's best overall time
Saturday of 51:19 (54.719).
o With 2002 Laughlin Class 7S winner Doug Siewert
competing in Class 7 this year, Cody Swanty (722 from Kingman,
Ariz.) overcame a 52-second deficit at the start of Sunday's race
to win the two-day, 70.2-mile race with a 2:06:53 (33.196 mph). Bob
Land (725 from Lake Forest, Calif., 2:12:54) finished over six
minutes behind Swanty as only two of the four entries completed the
required six laps.
o Swanty (722 from Kingman, Ariz.) made up the
52-second deficit on the first lap Sunday as he breezed to a second
win over Land (1:09:13.) by 6:53. Both Class 7S starters finished
Sunday's race.
o Doug Siewert, the 2002 Laughlin Class 7S winner,
competed in Class 7 this
season.
o Marc Stein (861 from San Diego, Calif.) won the
two-vehicle, two-day,
70.2-mile Stock Full race with a time of 1:43:37 (40.650 mph).
Stein won
Sunday's 35.1-mile race by 3:59 over John Griffin (860 from Mission
Viejo,
Calif., 1:53:35).
o Stein won the 1996 and 2001 Laughlin Stock Full
titles. Griffin won the
2002 SCORE Stock Full point leader.
o Stein posted the group's best overall time
Saturday of 48:15 (43.647).
o Ivan Loomis (1501 from Cayucos, Calif.), the only
Sportsman Truck entry,
did not compete Sunday.
GROUP #3 Class 10 (4 laps) - (20
Total Starters, 12 finishers)
Eli Yee (1014 from Tijuana, Mexico) won his first
Class 10 Laughlin Desert Challenge title Sunday as he compiled a
two-day, 93.6-mile time of 1:43:33 (54.235 mph) to post a 55-second
advantage over Dennis Hunter (1002 of Santa Rosa, Calif., 1:44:28).
Smitty Schmidt (1019 from Jamul, Calif., 1:44:53) was third
overall.
Yee, who overcame a 26 seconds deficit on the final
lap Saturday to win the day's Class 10 competition by 21 seconds
over Harley Letner (1010 from Orange, Calif., 52:06), led from the
start in Sunday's 46.8-miler to post a 51:48 (54.208 mph) time.
Hunter finished eight seconds behind Yee while Schmidt was 26
seconds behind Sunday's winner. Twelve (12) of the 15 Class 10
starters finished Sunday's race.
Yee placed second in the 2002 Class 10 SCORE point
standings as he finished third in Laughlin last year behind Dennis
Kordonowy (1105 from Carson City, Nev.) and Martin Christensen
(1000 from Escondido, Calif.). Christensen placed ninth Sunday
while Kordonowy completed only one lap Saturday and did not race
Sunday.
Yee posted the group's best overall time Saturday
of 51:45 (54.260).
GROUP #4 SCORE Trophy Truck (4
laps) - (12 Total Starters, 10 finishers)
Mark Post (3 from San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
followed up his teammate's
(Jerry Whelchel from Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) nine-second
win Saturday
to post a four-second win Sunday to finish with the best Trophy
Trucks
two-day, 93.6-mile time of 1:35:20 (58.909 mph). The Post-led team
had a
one-minute, 18-second lead over team Gustavo Vildosola, Sr. (4 from
Mexicali,
Mexico) team in the overall competition. Brian Collins (12 from Las
Vegas,
Nev., 1:37:58) was third followed by Tim Herbst (2 from Las Vegas,
1:38:50).
Post's four-second win Sunday (48:21; 58.076 mph)
was over Tim Herbst
(48:25). Rob MacCachren (Las Vegas, Nev., 48:25), who was driving
for
Vildosola, finished third Sunday while Collins was fourth (50:50).
Post
raced to a 38-second edge over Herbst on the first two laps Sunday
before
Herbst made up 18 seconds on the third lap and 16 seconds on the
final lap.
Eleven (11) vehicles started Sunday's race with 10 finishing.
o Post is now a multi-class champion in Laughlin after winning
Class 1 in
1997.
The Herbsts (Ed and Tim) won the 2002 SCORE Trophy
Truck season title.
Whelchel, who was driving for Post Saturday, posted
the group's best
overall time Saturday 46:59 (59.765).
GROUP #5 Class 1 (4 laps) - (18
Total Starters, 16 finishers)
After finishing one second behind Mark Weyhrich
Saturday, Dale Ebberts (111 from Canyon Lake, Calif., 1:33:31,
60.053 mph) posted the best time Sunday for the final four laps to
win the combined Class 1 title by two minutes, 28 seconds. Ebberts'
47:20 time Sunday won the 46.8-mile race by 42
seconds. Gary Weyhrich (102, Troutdale, Ore., 1:35:59) drove for
his brother
Mark Sunday to help his team finish second. Bob Lofton (113
from
Westmoreland, Calif., 1:36:03) finished third.
Ebberts led from the start Sunday with John Marking
(112 from El Cajon,
Calif., 48:02) second and Lofton third (48:04). Ebberts four-lap,
46.8-mile
time was the best overall time for all class races Sunday. A total
of 18
racers started in Class 1 with 16 finishers. Ebberts' first-lap
time of
11:33 was the fast lap of the day.
Ebberts won the 2002 SCORE Class 1 point title
while Weyhrich and brother
Gary, who was at the wheel Sunday, finished fifth.
Gary Weyhrich won the SCORE Laughlin Desert
Challenge Class 1 title in
2000.
In the closest race of the day Saturday with the
fastest three overall
racers, Weyhrich (46:10, 60.823 mph) captured the first leg of the
Class 1
competition by one second over Ebberts (46:11).
GROUP #6 Protruck (4 laps), Class
8 (4) - (17 Total Starters, 10 finishers)
o Jimmy Knuckles drove for Jeff Dickerson (223 from
Brawley, Calif.) Sunday
as he led his team to the overall victory and unseat two-time
defending SCORE
Laughlin Desert Challenge Protruck champion Steve Barlow (299 of
Temecula,
Calif.). Dickerson and Knuckles combined for a two-day, 93.6-mile
time of
1:47:30 (52.242) to best Barlow by one minute, eight seconds.
Barlow
finished with a two-day time of 1:48:38 while Al Hogan (226 from
Columbus,
Mont., 1:49:04) placed third.
o Knuckles had Sunday's best time of 53:55 (52.080
mph) as Barlow was 55
seconds behind. Nine vehicles started Sunday's race with eight
completing
the required four laps. Hogan was third Sunday (55:05).
o Barlow was the 2002 SCORE Protruck point leader
and won both the 2001 and
2002 SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge titles.
o Dickerson posted the group's best overall time
Saturday of 53:35 (52.404). Barlow finished third Saturday
(53:48).
o Despite finishing third Sunday, Robby Fallers
(802 from Peoria, Ariz.,
1:51:19, 50.451) was the group's overall winner as he won Class 8
by two
minutes, 49 seconds over Dave Raimonde (803 from Phoenix, Ariz.,
1:54:08).
Joe Patelli (804 of Romoland, Calif.), the defending Class 8 SCORE
Laughlin
Desert Challenge champion, finished third (2:17:26).
o David Sykes was the top Class 8 racer Sunday with
a four-lap time of
56:28 (49.728 mph) while Raimonde was second (57:33) and Fallers
third
(57:51). A fourth-lap time of 15:22 doomed Raimonde as Sykes posted
a 13:21
on the final lap while Fallers was 13:34.
o Nick Vanderwey (800 of Buckeye, Ariz.), the 2002
SCORE Protruck point
leader, did not complete a lap Sunday.
o Fallers posted the group's best overall time
Saturday of 53:28 (52.518).
GROUP #7 SCORE Lites (4 laps) -
(13 Total Starters, 11 finishers)
o Brian Ickler (1210 of Poway, Calif.) withstood a
closing challenge from
defending Laughlin SCORE Lites champion Vic Bruckmann (1202 from
Lemon Grove, Calif.) to win the two-day race with an eight-lap,
93.6-mile time of 1:51:34 (50.338 miles per hour). Ickler's
12-second win Saturday was the difference as Bruckmann bested the
2003 Laughlin SCORE Lites winner by nine seconds Sunday. Bruckmann
had a two-day total of 1:51:37. Kory Halopoff (1201from Orange,
Calif.) was third at 1:53:11.
o Bruckmann posted a 56:07 (50.039 mph) time Sunday
as he led from the
start with Ickler (56:16) behind by three seconds after the first
lap and
eight seconds after three laps. Halopoff was third at 56:28 and
made up eith
seconds on the leader on the final lap.
o Bruckmann captured the 2002 SCORE Laughlin Desert
Challenge SCORE Lites title. Kent Stroud (1200 from Alpine, Calif.,
56:38), the 2002 SCORE Lites
point leader, placed fifth in the 2003 SCORE Laughlin Desert
Challenge
(1:55.22)..
o Ickler posted the group's best overall time
Saturday of 55:18 (50.77).
OVERALL 4-LAP LEADERS FOR SUNDAY'S
COMPETITION (46.8 miles)
RACE NOTE - A total of 137 vehicles entered
the SCORE Laughlin Desert
Challenge with 134 vehicles starting Saturday's races and 103
finishing the
first of two days of racing. A total of 123 vehicles started
Sunday's races
with 105 finishing.
Place
VEHICLE
Class
Total Elapsed Time
Miles Per Hour
Difference
1.
Dale Ebberts
Class 1
47:20
59.324
2.
John Marking
Class 1
48:02
58.459
-0:42
3.
Bob Lofton
Class 1
48:04
58.419
-0:44
4.
Mark Post/
Jerry Whelchel
Trophy Truck
48.21
58.076
-1:01
5.
Tim/Ed Herbst
Trophy Truck
48:25
57.996
-1:05
6.
Troy Herbst
Class 1
48:31
57.877
-1:11
7.
Scott McMillin
Class 1
48:42
52.659
-1:22
8.
Rob MacCachren /Gustavo Vildosola
Trophy Truck
48:48
57.540
-1:28
9.
John Gaughan
Class 1
49:07
57.170
-1:47
10.
Mark Weyhrich /Gary Weyhrich
Class 1
49.49
56.367
-2:29
11.
Brian Collins
Trophy Truck
50:50
55.239
-3:30
12.
Pat Dean
Class 1
51:42
54.313
-4:22
13.
Eli Yee
Class 10
51:48
54.208
-4:28
14.
Dan Myers
Class 1
51:55
54.086
-4:35
15.
Dennis Hunter
Class 10
51.56
54.069
-4:36
RACE NOTE - Dale Ebberts (Class 1) had the
fastest lap Sunday at 11:33
followed by 11:39 by Troy Herbst, who had the fastest lap Saturday
at 11:16.
RACE NOTE - Eight class champions from the
2002 SCORE Laughlin Desert
Challenge were in the 2003 field, including Steve Barlow
(Protruck), Donald
Moss (Class 3), Geroge Seeley, Jr. (Class 5), Craig Turner (Class
7), Joe
Patelli (Class 8), Dennis Kordonowy (Class 10), Vic Bruckmann
(Score Lite)
and Scott Pellerin (Class 11). Moss and Pellerin scored 2003 SCORE
Laughlin
Desert Challenge titles.
RACE NOTE - George Seeley, Jr., missed his
chance to become a six-time
winner of the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge. Drivers in the field
with
four SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge were Brian Collins and the
Herbsts (Ed
and Tim Herbst).
Class Sunday Starts
· CLASS 1 (Unlimited single or two seaters)
18
· CLASS 1/2-1600 (single or two-seaters -
limited to 1600cc) 17
· CLASS 10 (Single or two-seaters to 1650cc)
15
· CLASS 11 (Stock VW Sedans) 4
· CLASS 3 (short wheelbase 4x4) 1
· CLASS 5 (Unlimited Baja Bugs) 4
· CLASS 5/1600 (1600cc Baja Bugs)
10
· CLASS 7 (Open Mini Trucks) 7
· CLASS 7S (Stock Mini Trucks) 2
Class Sunday Starts
· CLASS 8 (Full-sized two-wheel drive
trucks) 6
· CLASS 9 (Short Wheelbase, single or
two-seaters) 2
· PROTRUCK (Limited Production Trucks)
9
· SCORE LITES (Limited single or
two-seaters-1835cc) 13
· SPORTSMAN BUGGY 2
· SPORTSMAN TRUCK 0
· STOCK FULL (Stock, Production Full-sized
Trucks) 2
· STOCK MINI (Stock, Production Mini Trucks)
0
· TROPHY-TRUCK (Unlimited Production Trucks)
11 Overall 123
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