The King is dead? Not likely, but Jonah Street sure gave Johnny Campbell a (15 sec.) wake up call, on his way to overalling the 2000 Baja 500.

32nd ANNUAL RUNNING; ROUND 3 OF THE SCORE DESERT SERIES

The Off-Road.com staff is, admittedly, a bunch of Baja desert rats. We know our way around the peninsula, have a handle on all the trick access roads to and from the race course, and in general, can find a decent taco stand in the middle of the night.

However, new race-watchers to Baja might not know what to expect, so SCORE, the guys who put on the event, give you a fact sheet with all kinds of interesting information. The only deal is, they give the fact sheet to the press, racers & the folks who don't need it. So, for people who have never been to the event, here's the inside stuff.

Ladies and gentlemen, we give you the SCORE Fact Sheet!

WHEN: Friday, Saturday & Sunday June 2-4, 2000

WHERE: Ensenada-Baja California, Mexico (60 miles south of U.S./Mexico Border)

WHO: Nearly 220 entries from 12 U.S. States, Mexico and Japan

COURSE: TOTAL MILEAGE: 441.4 miles (7 checkpoints).

Starts in downtown Ensenada adjacent to the Rivera Convention Center and finishes at the end of Avenida Ruiz on the outskirts of town. The course travels in a clockwise direction, with the 48.3 miles from the start to the Baja Gold Mining Company just north of Ojos Negros being used both ways. The course then goes from the pine forest north of Ojos Negros to the mountains south of Valle de Trinidad. It turns north from Mike's Sky Rancho in the San Pedro Martir Mountains, west to just below San Vicente to the Pacific Ocean, north for a sprint up the beach route to Santo Tomas, east to Tres Hermanos, north back to Ojos Negros and back to Ensenada.

With mere minuets separating them in Erendara, JC looked like a shoe in for the crown. Unfortunately, his last minute charge wasn't enough - this time.

FRIDAY--(all times PDT)

Racer Registration, San Nicolas Hotel, 9a.m.-6p.m.
Contingency Row/Tech Inspection, across from La Pinta Hotel, l0a.m. - 6p.m.
Media Registration, San Nicolas Hotel, 9a.m.-6p.m.
Mandatory Racer Meeting, Main Salon, San Nicolas Hotel, 7p.m.

SUNDAY--(all times PDT)
Posting of Unofficial Results-San Nicolas Hotel Lobby, 7a.m.
Competition Review Board-Main Salon, San Nicolas Hotel, 8a.m.
Awards Celebration-Poolside, San Nicolas Hotel, 11a.m.

START: In front of the Rivera Convention Center in downtown Ensenada.

FINISH: At the end of Avenida Ruiz on outskirts of Ensenada.

SATURDAY/SUNDAY--(all times PDT)

Late Registration & Tech, start line, 5:30a.m.8a.m.

RACE STARTS: Motorcycles, ATVs-6a.m.; Cars, Trucks-7a.m.

CLASS STARTING ORDER: Motorcycles/ATVs--22, 21, 30, 40,50,24, 25.
Cars/Trucks: TT, 1, 8, 10, PT, SL, 5, 7, 1-2/1600, 7S, 5/1600, 9, SF, SM, 3, 11.

TIME LIMIT: All vehicles have an 18-hour time limit to cover the course.

SANCTION:

Larry Ragland is no stranger to the winner's circle, and his all new Six cyl. "Trailblazer" Trophy Truck took him back into familiar territory. Sure is a fast one - Sure is an ugly one too! ....(like it really matters)

Sanctioned and produced by SCORE International-Los Angeles CEO--Sal Fish; CFO--Ted Johnson; Administration--Sue Johnson

TOP DRIVERS:

Trophy-Truck: Tim & Ed Herbst, Larry Ragland, Dan Smith/Dave Ashley, Brian Collins, Mark Post, Ricky Johnson, John Clark Gable/Dodd Darin;
Class 1: Troy Herbst, Damen Jefferies, Gary Weybrich, Corky McMillin, Mark McMillin, Andrew Wehe;
Class 1-2/1600: Andy Phankuck, Bekki Freeman, Sammy Ehrenberg;
Class 7: Jeff Lewis;
Class 8: Billy Goerke;
Class 10: Ron Brookshire, Chris Harrold, Mark Hutchins;
SCORE Lites Mark Fodor, Tom Riding, Jerry Penhall;
Protruck: Larry Plank;
Class 22: Johnny Campbell/Tim Staab.

***

CLASSES : The Tecate SCORE Baja 500 Desert Race features nearly 220 entries in 23 Pro and 5 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs. Class winners will be decided including overall race winners in Pro 4-Wheel & Pro Motorcycle.

CARS & TRUCKS

TROPHY-TRUCK (Unlimited Production Trucks)
CLASS 1 (Unlimited single or two-seaters)
CLASS 1-2/1600 (single or two-seaters to 1600cc)
CLASS 3 (Short wheelbase 4X4)

Quads-a-Flyin'! Carmen Cafro, and Enrique Felix took home the top slots in the Quad ranks. The moderate turnout was more than offset by the heavily rutted 500 course. These guys had to work for it!

CLASS 5 (Unlimited Baja Bugs)
CLASS 5/1600(1600cc Baja Bugs)
CLASS 7 (Open mini trucks)
CLASS 7S (Stock mini trucks)
CLASS 8 (Full-sized two-wheel drive trucks)
CLASS 9 (Short wheelbase, single or two-seaters)
CLASS 10 (Single or two-seaters to 1650cc)
SCORE LITE (Limited single-1776cc-or two-seaters-1835cc)
CLASS 11 (Stock VW Sedans)
STOCK MINI (Stock mini trucks)
STOCK FULL (Stock full-sized trucks)
PROTRUCK (Limited Production Trucks)

MOTORCYCLES

CLASS 20 (125cc or less)
CLASS 21 (126cc to 250cc)
CLASS 22 (250cc or more)
CLASS 30 (Riders over 30 years old)
CLASS 40 (Riders over 40 years old)
CLASS 50 (Riders over 50 years old)

ATVs

CLASS 24 (250cc or less)
CLASS 25 (251cc or more)

This year's annual renewal one of the oldest and most famous desert races has drawn many of the legendary stars of the sport including several former overall winners. Leading the group of former champs is Larry Ragland of Phoenix (3 class wins and 2 overall titles) who will debut a Chevy Trailblazer in the featured Trophy-Truck division, along with father and son racers Corky and Mark McMillin of San Diego. Both with one overall victory in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500, the McMillins will each be racing Ford-powered Chenowth open-wheel desert race cars in the unlimited Class I division Saturday. Corky McMillin, the second oldest driver in the race at 71, has three class wins while his 43-year old son Mark McMillin has four class wins in the legendary race.

Ya' better sit down... Truggy won Class 1. I know, I know, its hard to believe, but some how Troy Herbst and Co. managed to find the skill, talent, and hardware to pull off a win at the second biggest race of the year. Truly the final sign of the apocalypse.

Ragland, who won the overall title in this race in 1982 and 1984 while driving in Class I and picked up his third class win in Class 8 in 1991, has won the infamous Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 four out of the last five years. Racing in an identical Chevy Trailblazer in the Trophy-Truck division Saturday for Herzog Motorsports will be legendary motocross racer Ricky Johnson, Encinitas, Calif. Johnson, who won Class 8 in this race in both 1993 and 1995, is among the point leaders this year in the ASA stock car tour.

Motorcycle star Johnny Campbell, San Clemente, Calif., will be shooting for his third straight overall motorcycle victory on an American Honda XR650. Co-rider on the American Honda factory team is San Diego's Tim Staab who has teamed with Campbell to win last year's Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, and March's Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250. Campbell was the overall motorcycle winner in this race in both 1997 and 1998.

Going for a third straight victory in 2000 will be Las Vegas brothers Ed, 39, and Tim Herbst, 36, whose Terrible Herbst Racing Ford F-150 has won the overall and Trophy-Truck titles the first two races this year. The Herbst brothers are the reigning SCORE Desert Series class champions in the popular Trophy-Truck division.

The youngest of the three Herbst brothers, Troy, 34, is the three-time defending series champion in the unlimited Class 1 in his Ford-powered Smithbuilt open-wheel desert race car.

Two other new Trophy-Trucks will be part of Saturday's field. Las Vegas' Brian Collins will be behind the wheel of a Chevy Trophy-Truck, while a new Ford Trophy-Truck will driven by the tandem of 'Hollywood Sons' John Clark Gable and Dodd Darin. While Gable's father is obvious, Darin is the son of singer Bobby Darin and actress Sandra Dee. Gable's Trophy-Truck was an epic in the making, taking nearly four years to complete. It was built by former SCORE Trophy Truck season champion, Curt LeDuc, of Cherry Valley, Calif.

Now that you've had a chance to mull over the mass of information supplied by SCORE prior to the event, kick back, whip open a tall cool Tecate, and find out what actually happened.

INITIAL UPSET

The big favorite for the overall win was Johnny Campbell on his factory-sponsored Honda XR 650R. As the ORC reporters listened to the crackling radios, they found out that 5X, the other factory-backed XR650R was in the lead. Savvy race watchers figured that it was only a matter of time until Campbell took the controls from his teammate, Tim Staab, and ran the Jonah Street/Steve Hengeveld team into the ground.

Brian Collins made the switch to Trophy Truck, but only managed a 6th place spot in a seven truck field. Finishing in just over 13 hrs, Mr. C had some difficulties along the way.

Two members of the ORC team were stationed at Erendira and saw 5X come by in the lead, with 1X right on his tail. While Staab is a fast rider, Campbell is acknowledged as being the faster of the two. We were quite literally stunned to find out that the Street/Hengeveld duo had crossed the finish line with the win! The time differential? A mere 15 seconds! That translates into one blown turn, or a stall in a tight spot and the time required to get the bike re-lit.

Imagine, if you will, racing 441 miles, and 8 ½ hours later, and the winning gap is less than the time required to put a helmet on. The winners covered the beat-up course in eight hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds. Do the math yourself: Campbell/Staab completed the course in eight hours, 30 minutes and 45 seconds.

Third overall, also on a bike (yet another XR 650R), was Phil Zeigler, about 20 minutes behind the first two teams. In fact, the fourth bike - in 7th overall - was a Honda 650 ridden by Tex Mitchell. It looks like the new generation XRs have completely displaced the older bikes, even though we saw a goodly number of XR600s and XR 400s in action.

HOW 'BOUT THOSE TRUCKS?

Every once in a while, a Trophy Truck will get the overall win, and the bike guys will have a long face until the next race. Or the bike guys will win, and most of the off-road type magazines will ignore that fact and headline the first truck as da winnah.

Well, this year, the first truck was Larry Ragland, in fourth overall, a huge gap behind, 26 minutes slower than the winners. Ragland's time was 8:56:43. The Phoenix driver, who has won the overall title in four of the last five Baja l000s, scored his first overall victory in the Baja 500 since 1984. He averaged 49.26 mph.

26 minutes sounds like a lot, doesn't it? But let's take a moment and analyze the real difference between the overall winner (Street/Hengeveld) and the first truck (Larry Ragland). After 441 miles of racing, the actual difference averaged out to two miles per hour! That's right! The bike completed the race at a speed average of 51.784 and the truck covered that same terrain at 49.255 miles per hour.

THOUGHTS ON THE COURSE

Narrowly missing 2nd place to Corky McMillen, Damen Jefferies continues to build a following among Class 1 fans.

Only 107 of the 220 starters finished the race, which was a low percentage. The course was effectively the same one used in the last year's race, and much of it was the same terrain used in the 1999 Baja 1000, which ran two loops on basically that same course.

The result was that the terrain was severely beat up, silt pockets were everywhere, and huge ruts caused problems for almost everyone. We realize that SCORE is concentrating on the upcoming Baja 2000, but it seems to this observer they could have put a bit more thought and work in this course.

RACE NOTES

· A couple of vehicles burned to the ground. Andrew Wehe's class 1 had a flash fire after refueling and he jumped out with 2nd degree burns on his neck, shoulder, and arm. And the Protruck of Jim Nuckles rolled right before the power station in Trinidad, catching fire, completely destroying the vehicle. In typical Nuckles style, he had a comfortable lead after passing everyone. Reports were that he and Larry Wyatt got out safely

· Mike Williams slid his Class 10 car 100' down a drop off within 15 miles of the start line. Then Tony Licitra slid his Protruck down the same cliff into William's car, causing Tony to start barrel-rolling an additional 200' or so further down.

· Jim Dizney's Class 10 car lost a starter right after the start. Both Darren Ebberts and Dizney stalled twice, for various reasons, and ended up losing over two hours combined trying to get out of bad situations.

· The race started a 1/2 hour later than announced and those who had down time, had to deal with marginal lights used only to pass tech inspection.

· Protruck BBQ! Nuckles lost a rear end seal because he whacked the curb at the first turn and blew out a tire. [pictures of doing it on the internet] Later, this may have been related to the rear end leaking fluid. Curt Leduc said he was behind him and he could see a wet trail in the dirt just before the car stopped.

Craig Turner got the big trophy in Class 7, and put down Lil' Mac fair and square. Expect these two to reignite the faltering 7 class.

· Notes from J.R. Juiliano: We were positioned at checkpoint 2, at El Compadre. From what we were told, there were two bottleneck situations - one before checkpoint 1 and the Rock pile right before check 2. There were a bunch of guys getting stuck on the rocks, but for the most part, everyone made it. I'm actually surprised that the attrition rate was as LOW as it was.

Ragland's new Trophy Truck came through our check with a flat tire. Pulled it off right in front of us (which wasn't really a good thing to do, considering...) and then took off. Nice sounding motor, lots of torque. I still think it's really ugly.

Seems there were a lot of busted clutches, CV joints and trannies. John Gable's #99 came through really late after being held down with busted steering components. That included a stuck chase truck of his, as well. From what we could tell, when he finally came through he was sounding good and making up some time.

We had Frank Vessels come through our check looking for his son, Kash. Apparently he was one of the class 1600 cars to get pulled over in the Baja police speeding deal. Why they chose class 1600 to pull over, we'll never know. Luckily, Kash's girlfriend had his license nearby and he got out after an hour of downtime and no impound.

Incidentally, rumor has it that the older Vessels is planning on doing some seat time for the Baja 2000, with Jason Hatz and others. Frank said he's willing to do the last 20 miles.

OK, how many racers got to see the two SCHOOL BUSES at about Mile Marker 100? I had the pleasure of trying to chase them down Friday night when someone came over to us and reported that the buses were stuck in the middle of the race course with 100 school kids from Sonora on board. Apparently, they were on the way to Laguna Hansen for a camping trip. Someone told them that running up the race course was the best way to do it. From what it looks like, if they were told that this was the way to go, it was from someone who didn't like the 500 to be there at all.

Anyway, we got to them, and they were already unstuck, but I'm trying to figure out how in the hell did they get those buses up there that far! Considering that the last eight miles of the their trip was up a goat trail with switch backs and everything & well, if you guys ever need another driver, I can recommend the two bus drivers.

Seely continues his dominance of Class 5, despite the return of James and Kalicki. From his secret shop cleverly disguised as a furniture store, Sofa Dude fights a never ending battle for Truth, Justice, and a comfortable recliner.

Now for the nagging part. The ranchers near El Compadre are getting upset about the trash situation. Please make sure that all pitters, chasers and spectators pick up your trash after you're done and ready to leave. An example is the McMillin pits. They left their tape there and some trash. It's like leaving a calling card. No need for us to get a reputation just because of things like that.

THE BEKKI INCIDENT

A number of Class 1600 drivers got arrested and had their cars impounded for speeding on a paved section connecting two dirt sections. We received numerous versions of what transpired, and will present them to you for your enlightenment.

· Adam Phankuck (San Felipe 250) winner and Kash Vessels also got pulled over. Rick St. John (Adam's partner last year) repeated what Adam told him. A cop started a break to slow the cars down and had a line of cars following him. Bekki and another yellow car came up on this and thought they would pass on the left. The cop started swerving to stop those cars from passing. The cop radioed ahead and had another cop block the road. Adam has a yellow car and he thinks he was mistaken for the car that was behind Bekki. Nobody had a drivers license (surprise). Standard procedure in Mexico is to impound your car if you don't have a DR in possession until the court date, which was Monday. Kash's girlfriend got his DR and the cops let him go. Adam and Bekki had their cars towed to the impound outside of Ensenada.

· SCORE is not responsible for what the cops do down there. They did get their lawyer down there and got their cars out, but by then, the damage was done. Unfortunate incident. Who's fault? 10 people will give you 10 different answers. Three of our four chase vehicles also got tickets and the other one got a warning. Parker seems mild compared to this.

· A phone call was made to Bekki and she said she didn't know what was up with the cop driver and wasn't sure what was going on. Yes, he (the cop), was trying to slow the pack down. By the time she got to the front of the pack behind the cop, she tried her best to pass a couple of times and he (the cop) kept going wide and at one time almost drove her off the shoulder. By the time she had a chance to make a clean pass, it was too late. The cop ahead had been on the radio and had formed a roadblock. Kash Vessles and Adam were already caught up in it and were dead stopped. She did not have a DL on her person and as a result, they told her they would tow her vehicle because she couldn't produce one. There was no accident on the road ahead and that was all rumor. They stopped the three of them and let the rest of the class go on by.

Doing his best "Moses" imitation, Mark Post parted the farmer built seas, and finally took the former Gordon truck in to the finishline. It's been a long road indeed.

· Bekki had a collective down time of almost 8 hours. The red tape to get her car out was very insane. After making mends with the help of SCORE, she was back on the road again just minutes before 5 pm. She had a nearly nine hour down time on the clock, with no corrected time due to the foray. Trust me, she's not happy, but the 8th in class kept her well in the points versus a DNF. She said she could have made better time catching up if she didn't have to work through all the 11s, 9s and 7Ss to get back on track. She said it was very, very hairy after they got going again, especially when they got to go down the backside of Mike's Sky Rancho following all the backmarkers into Trinidad. Adam Wik took over driving at Erindera and drove it back to the finish into Ensenada.

· Some comments on the Bekki situation were less than flattering. Consider this one from a source that will remain un-named: "She tried her best to pass a couple of times and he (the cop) kept going wide and at one time almost drove her off the shoulder. By the time she had a chance to make a clean pass, it was too late." Since this comes from Bekki, I'd say she has more race sense than common sense. The cop "kept going wide" and she STILL tried to pass? HELLO? In California, that would get you a ticket, also. Now then . . . is SCORE also responsible for Freeman's lack of common sense?"

· Another comment: "I was told by the driver that was behind watching this whole fiasco, that there was a crashed Camaro off to the side of the road. Maybe Bekki didn't get far enough to see it? I can understand not knowing what was going on, as there isn't that good of communication sometimes while trying to race. These things have a way of being a lot clearer in hindsight.

Bottom line is racers aren't above the law, no matter which country we're racing in. When a cop tells you to do something, you pretty much should do it. These problems and more will always surface in Baja. It's part of the package and is just one of the many challenges of racing in Baja and is what separates it from spinning 50 mile laps at Barstow, where, if you have a problem, you can simply walk out of the desert and grab a quick "double-double." Baja is for the adventurist and the hardy!"

Rick Ellison took on the role of teacher, and schooled Class 10 by a 1/2 hour margin. The Chenowth Millenium once again proved the capability of it's design.

· One of the people pitting for Chuck Hovey noted that he was going three-wide down the highway at over 100mph. In 5th gear, his car tops out about 110 and he said he had it floored. He thought the cops couldn't catch up with the unlimited cars, as they are too fast for Baja California's finest.

MORE RACE NOTES

· Update. Nuckles wants to make it clear that his driving record isn't tarnished. He DIDN'T roll the truck. He lost a rear end seal and the heat build up started a grease fire around the caliper/brake line area. About the time they realized the brakes were gone, they also saw the smoke. He slowed in the middle of the course, trying to avoid the brush to the side, ripped the rear quarter panel off to starve the fire of fuel, and tried to put out the blaze. Unfortunately the tire had already caught and neither the extinguisher nor dirt did much of anything. The irritating part was the dozen or so vehicles that passed him without helping when additional extinguishers may have made the difference. It's a sad commentary that our sport has become so competitive that we can't afford to stop and help someone obviously in trouble.

· The Herbst 100 car must have had problems the last 50 miles. At Ojos, Ragland had about a three minute lead on them on adjusted time, heading for the finish. The unofficial time showed he beat them by almost 17 minutes. · Ragland's new truck(s) are awesome. Inline 6, high tech trans/vee-drive setup, Suburban type body. But most agreed they sure were ugly!

· Steve Kuker, 1005, broke the end off the crankshaft at +270 miles.

· The Gieser Bros White Chevy # 802 (backbreaker) went out around mile 50 with a lost ring and pinion.

· We also heard that Johnny Philips son was driving the Jimco when it broke. Something about leaving it in the desert and hitching a ride back to the motel? The car wasn't found till 5 am next day and was missing only the battery?

· Troy Herbst hit a quad from behind on a wide graded road on the Pacific side of the course. Surprisingly, the rider only suffered abrasions and contusions. The rider of record, Michael Cafro, did not filed the protest, It was filed by his teammate, Gregg Row. Speaking to the Board, Cafro told his tale and stated that he did not desire to file a protest.

· Jeremy Spirkoff got right back on track after his problems in Nevada, and won the Stock Full-sized truck class in 14 hours, 41 minutes. Needless to say, it was not an easy race for those starting back in the pack.

· At Valle de Trinidad, a farmer flooded the road leading out of town, creating a giant mudhole that trapped many vehicles and created a huge bottleneck. This is not the first time this has happened, and we wonder if it's the same guy who did it before?

· Rumor mill: Ivan "The Ironman" Stewart was heard commenting on Mexican radio that he was very sad that he might not be racing the Baja 2000, and might even be out of off-road racing. We'll check in to this.

· A chase truck for Collins (#800) was busted for speeding on a gravel road heading through a small town toward the beach in the Erendira area.

Don't call him a Rookie! Jeremy Spirkoff and the Spirit F-350 returned to victory lane. The Polanski Children's Center must be proud indeed!

With the Baja 2000 on the horizon, the SCORE/Laughlin Desert Series will be making its next stop at Primm/Stateline Nevada, for the annual running of the "Primm 300". To the dismay of some, and the delight of others, the July running of the Fireworks 250 has been dropped from the 2000 schedule.

But have no fear race fans, the Casey Folks / BITD "Nevada 2000" will make the loss of this year's Fireworks, just a little easier to take. Get ready for the ultimate tailgate party!