Primm, Nevada: The quiet before the storm is what it's like here just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada with only 13 days before the start of the next SCORE-International Desert Series off-road race.

Less than a month ago, Mother Earth raged upon this part of Southern Nevada and dropped buckets of rain into the area. But the storm we expect in just two weeks is that of motors, hyped up off-road racers, and a battle for the race championship along with the overall points championship.

This is the fifth of six off-road desert races in the SCORE-International Desert Series. 2003 is the 30th anniversary year of SCORE-International's first official race and the festivities continue in an epic year of outstanding desert racing. SCORE-International President, Mr. Sal Fish, has been at the reins of this fantastic organization for each one of those years and like good wine, each year becomes better and better.

But you stop to think how Sal and his crew continue to reach down deep for the tremendous effort it takes to put a desert race together. Thanks to all the SCORE volunteeers and employees who make it all happen.

As teams prepare for the fifth race in the six race series, they are keeping a close eye on the ever so close battle for the season points championship. The young guns of the 2003 SCORE-International Desert Racing Series are about to walk away with the overall championship, unless someone rages out of the pack and takes them by surprise. Adam Pfankuch and Eric Allen have a 14 point lead over Dale Ebberts and Ernie Castro Jr. in the overall series points championship.

It'll be a miracle if someone stops these young guns in the midst of a great desert racing season. They have dominated the 1/2 1600 class nearly without opposition all year long. Look for them to put on another grand display of wild desert racing action.

In the featured trophy-truck class, Gus Vildosola and his legendary driver, Rob MacCachren lead the SCORE-International Desert Series Points Championship with 250 championship points. They lead by only a scat eight points of the Terrible Herbst Team led by Tim Herbst who sits at 242 points.

In third position is Mark Post at 196 points and in fourth position is Scott Steinberger at 191 points.

Scott and his co-driver, Jesse Jones will take on the course that they know like they back of their hand and put the Race Prep Services prepped #7 trophy truck into the dirt in search of his first SCORE-International desert race this year. These guys are due for a big win and look for them to put it on the board here in Primm, Nevada.

In other action, Brian Collins and Jim Beaver are only separated by one point and fan favorite and www.Race-Dezert.com regular, Steve Sourapas sits at 147 points. Sourapas drew the number one position and will lead the field from the start area just north of the Buffalo Bill's Casino in Primm, Nevada. Sourapas will have clean air and a wide open race course as he puts the Corona sponsored trophy truck down poleline road running parallel with Interstate 15 in what is expected to be a wide open race.

This is all in preparation for the grand daddy of all off-road races, the SCORE-International Baja 1000, which will begin on November 20-23, 2003. (Note the date change by SCORE-International)

Prepare to enjoy one of the best off-road desert races in the West, the SCORE-International PRIMM 300 on Sept 12-13, 2003 in Primm, Nevada.

LONG BEACH, Calif., -- At most desert racing weekends, the recently expanded PCI Racing team led by drivers Scott Steinberger and Jesse Jones balances the desire to bring their # 7 Ford Trophy-Truck home a winner with enjoying the sport's fun and camaraderie. At the upcoming SCORE Primm 300, however, the close-knit PCI team will also carry the overriding thoughts and prayers for one of the group's most inspirational and important members.

When the truck's crew chief and co-driver Barry Beacham straps on his familiar Nomex driving suit and fresh-air helmet for his usual race-weekend duties, he will be painfully aware of a far more important battle that has begun at home. Beacham, considered one of the best mechanics and fabricators in the sport, will carry thoughts of long-time wife Kristen, who is in treatment for a rare form of cancer after learning of her illness several weeks ago.

While the owner of Race Preparation Services (RPS) is highly optimistic at his wife's full recovery, he concedes that the weekend represents a difficult paradox of emotions: "As much as I love being part of the sport in general and this team in particular - I'm a family man first," concedes Beacham, who is also helping raise the couple's two daughters. "The past few weeks have been rough, but things are easing up a little for now. At the same time, it will be good for me to be surrounded by friends in the off-road community and help PCI win its first Trophy-Truck race."

This weekend's Primm 300 is the fifth stop on the six-race 2003 SCORE racing calendar, and the final tune-up before November's legendary Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. The PCI team will have to negotiate five grueling laps around a rugged 63-mile course located just east of Highway 15 at the California and Nevada state border.

The team's effort to find the SCORE Primm 300 winner's circle is at the heart of the group's recent on and off-track activity. Jones, driving the team's second's Ford Trophy-Truck, led a Mexican desert race overall at the halfway point just three weeks ago before a blown head gasket ended the promising run. To help bolster PCI Racing's push toward top of an increasingly competitive sport, the team recently hired Jason "Biscuit" Brisco to begin the gradual transition into the crew chief's role beginning with the 2004 SCORE season. Brisco, who recently worked with the Terrible Herbst off-road organization, is PCI Racing's first full-time employee and a sign of the group's expanding future.

A final piece of the PCI Racing puzzle will also be on display for its debut this weekend; their brand new, state-of-the-art Ford F150 pre-runner - affectionately dubbed "Jet Blue." Built over the course of the past two years by Nestor Berardi of Newline Products, the striking new three-seat truck is dedicated to the memory of another member of the PCI Racing team.

"We built this truck with the spirit of my former racing partner Larry Plank, who passed away in an aviation accident just as we began construction," explained Scott Steinberger. "It's funny, because right from the first mile of testing, our new truck has Larry's personality - smooth and ultra-fast. It's the right tool to have at the right time, as great pre-running is the key to great racing."

Backed by the continued support of PCI Race Radios, Off-Road.com, BFGoodrich, Hella, Borla, Neo, Sign Pros, Fleshgear, Desert Syndicate, Sign Methods, Mastercraft, F & L, Baja Bros. and special help from Dave Wachter Paint Design, the team is currently ranked fourth in the season-long SCORE Trophy Truck points.

Indeed, this weekend will encompass the entire emotional range for PCI Racing. New faces and new equipment. Memories of a good friend now gone and the positive prayers for one overcoming new battles. And, hopefully, the joy of pulling their # 7 Trophy-Truck into SCOREs' victory lane.

SCORE News Notes…SCORE's 30th anniversary year continues Sept. 12-13, with 8th SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300 in Southern Nevada

+SCORE Time Change in Primm-SCORE officials have decided to push up the start time for second-half of the upcoming 8th Annual SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300 desert race, to be held Sept. 13 in Primm, Nev., 35 miles south of Las Vegas at the California border. Group B, with the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division and the unlimited Class 1 for open-wheel desert racecars, will get the green flag at 1 p.m. Group A will still start at 6 a.m. The start/finish line area, located in the special events compound behind Buffalo Bill's Resort, will include free grandstand seating for spectators in front of a nearly one-half mile infield area that will include a four-foot jump. The start/finish line area is adjacent to the main pit area for the nearly 150 expected race vehicles.

+Baldwin Motorsports Enters Pair in Primm-In his first SCORE race as driver of record, MGM/Mirage executive Bobby Baldwin, 53, will drive the No. 127 Chevy-Bunderson in the unlimited Class 1 at the upcoming SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300. His son B.J., 23, also of Las Vegas, will move from Class 1 to the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck in the No. 97 Ford F-150. Baldwin Motorsports, whose vehicles are prepped and whose pit crew is provided by Las Vegas' Collins Motorsports, recently purchased the SCORE Trophy-Truck originally built by Porter Race Cars of Orange, Calif., and successfully driven as the No. 10 of Damen Jefferies.

+Kyle Attempting Double in Primm-Taking a scientific approach to the SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300, Texan Mark Kyle figures he can double his fun by racing in two classes. In the morning, Kyle, 46 of Austin, will be the driver of record in his regular class, driving the No. 1213 VW-Mirage in SCORE Lite, where he is sixth in points. After finishing the first 315 miles, he will jump behind
the wheel of the Herzog Racing No. 213 Ford F-150 in the Protruck class for the final 315 miles. A former Oregon State linebacker, he will stay in shape by riding some laps when his racing partner and co-driver, Larry Nash-35 of San Luis Obispo, Calif.-drives. Raised in the surf around Hermosa Beach, Calif.,
Kyle, who owns Paragon Scientific pharmaceutical company in Austin, says he always had heard about the SCORE Baja 1000, but never raced until he and Nash did the once-in-a-lifetime Tecate SCORE Baja 2000 in 2000 on a lark. They were smitten, and now addicted, to SCORE desert racing. As for number 13, he says he's
finish every race his vehicle has had that number on it.

+ESPN's Steele Racing at Primm-ESPN X-Games commentator Cameron Steele, 35, of San Clemente, Calif., will be the driver of record at the SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300 in Class 1-2/1600 in the No. 1646 VW-Prep by Jake racecar. Steele, a second-generation SCORE desert racer who works both the Winter and Summer X-Games for ESPN along with Supercross and the outdoor championships, had raced as a co-driver last year and earlier this year with No. 1649 David Hendrickson, Murrieta, Calif. Steele is known for being the helmet-cam guy who gives viewers the up close and personal look at the race course.

+SCORE Awards Tribute Night Set-SCORE CEO/President Sal Fish was pleased to announce recently that Michael Gaughan's Gold Coast Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas will be the site of this year's extra-special SCORE Awards Night, a tribute to 30 championship seasons of SCORE International desert racing. The legacy of the world's foremost desert racing organization will be honored as SCORE recognizes the past with SCORE lifetime achievement awards and the present with championship recognition for the 2003 SCORE Desert Series. Individual ticket orders as well as reservations for tables of 10 are being taken through the SCORE offices at 818.225.8402.

+SCORE Replica Toys Popular-Toy Zone Inc., which recently moved its U.S.headquarters in Southern California from Bell to Azusa, reports that the retail sales of its three licensed SCORE desert racing replica toys are selling way beyond original projections. The three scale replicas sold through major retail
outlets around the world are a SCORE Trophy-Truck, a Lothringer unlimited Class 1 desert racecar and a SCORE Class 22 open motorcycle. Marketed under the Race Image Collectibles product line, the SCORE replicas are the brainchild of SCORE desert racer Jeff Cepielik, who is COO/Vice-President of Toy Zone.
Cepielik, who plans to race in Class 9 in this year's 36th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 in November, says that Toy Zone is now developing it's third generation of SCORE replicas and has entered into a licensing agreement with long-time SCORE sponsor BFGoodrich Tires. SCORE Baja 1000 collectibles are available in
all 50 U.S. States, Europe, Australia, South America, South Africa and Mexico. Cepielik said his company is amazed at how much recognition there is worldwide for the name SCORE and in particular the SCORE Baja 1000.

+SCORE in the Movies-The Filmmakers responsible for On Any Sunday, Malcolm, Motocross, The Endless Summer, The Endless Summer II, and the recently-completed project-Step Into Liquid-have signed an agreement with SCORE International.
As specific pre-production details are finalized, SCORE CEO/President Sal Fish has announced that a full-length 90-minute documentary feature will be filmed at this year's Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. The film, with a targeted international release date for the spring or summer of 2004, will chronicle the 30-year
history of SCORE desert racing through the stage of the legendary Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. The project will be produced by Bruce Brown and directed by his son Dana Brown. To properly develop this film, 10 ground units will be used as well as two air units and cameras will include Hi-Definition, 16mm, 35mm, night scope and in-car cameras. Included on the crew will be veteran motorcycle
racer/stunt coordinator Mike "Mouse" McCoy, who will ride solo on a motorcycle and SCORE motorcycle class champion Kevin Ward, who will be the director of photography. Ward has spent 33 years in film, with over 300 commercials, two full length feature films, four shorts, and an award winning documentary as a cinematographer. He has also been a stuntman primarily for TV shows.

+SCORE Baja 1000 Drawing LIVE-A live drawing for starting positions for the 36th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 will be held on Wednesday, October 15, in conjunction with the monthly meeting of F.A.I.R. pit support group. Tom Sobray, president of the First Association of Independent Racers, has offered this opportunity to SCORE. The drawing will be held at 8 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel in Fullerton, Calif. The address is 222 West Houston and the hotel is located at the Harbor exit of the 91 (Newport) Freeway. The race date itself was pushed back a week about a month ago, at the request of the government of Baja
California, to Nov. 20-23 in Ensenada. Nov. 20 is a major holiday in Mexico, which will be tech and contingency day for the race. When the race was moved a week forward last year, it also fell on the holiday week, which helped swell the crowds at tech and contingency to nearly 75,000.

+SCORE Baja 1000 Promotions-Both Tecate and Coca-Cola of Mexico are finalizing plans for major promotions to salute November's 36th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. The granddaddy of all desert races, to be held Nov. 20-23 in Ensenada, will mark the 30th year the legendary event has been sanctioned and produced by SCORE International. In addition to extensive commemorative advertising and special bar promotions, Tecate will also be providing all visitors to Baja California with discount coupons for their visit. In addition to targeted advertising support, Coca-Cola of Mexico is producing 5.5 million 12 oz. cans of regular Coke, saluting SCORE for 30 years of championship desert racing in Mexico.

+SCORE Medical Adds Eighth Ambulance-Las Vegas-based Motorsports Medical Services, the non-profit organization which provides the high-qualified medical crew for all SCORE races, is adding an eighth fully-equipped ambulance to its fleet of race support vehicles. Dr. Dale Carrison is the SCORE Medical Director
and Rod and Wendy Gamble, both EMTs, are the co-directors of the SCORE Rescue team.

+DARPA Grand Challenge Update-An incredible 51 official team applications have been received as of Sept. 1, 2003, for the $1 Million DARPA Grand Challenge, the event for autonomous robotic ground vehicles to be held March 12-13, 2004, starting in Barstow, Calif. and finishing in the Las Vegas area. The unique
event is being produced by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), the research arm of the Department of Defense, in association with Sal Fish's SCORE International desert racing organization. Fish, who has helped spearhead the route development of the proposed routes for the event, recently
completed the last major course survey with the talented DARPA survey team. The major upcoming calendar dates for the DARPA Grand Challenge:October 14, 2003: Application Period Closes, Technical Papers DueOctober 28, 2003: Technical Paper Review Complete, Field AnnouncedNovember 6-7, 2003: Second Competitor's Conference (Orleans Hotel, Las Vegas)March 10, 2004: DARPA-Tech Ceremonial Start (Anaheim (Calif.) Convention
Center)March 12, 2004: Qualification, Inspection and Demonstration Event (California Speedway, Los Angeles)
March 13, 2004: DARPA Grand Challenge Main Event (Barstow, Calif. to near Las Vegas)March 14, 2004: Recognition Ceremony (Orleans Arena, Las Vegas)

LOS ANGELES-Veteran driver Steve Sourapas, who has been winning SCORE races since 1982 and is finishing his first full season this year in the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division, has drawn the coveted first starting position for next month's 8th Annual SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300 desert race. Round 5 of
the six-race 2003 SCORE Desert Series will be held Sept. 12-13 in Primm, Nev.

In a sport where there is no qualifying or open pre-running (in the
U.S.), the drawing for start positions has added significance and Sourapas' No. 6 Corona Extra Ford F-150 SCORE Trophy-Truck was selected randomly in last Friday's computerized drawing at the SCORE International headquarters in Los
Angeles.