LOS ANGELES—Sturdy adventurers and the world’s best desert racers will begin practicing Friday as official pre-running on starts for November’s 44th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race.

With over 250 entries expected to compete in 36 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs, the granddaddy of all desert races will be held Nov. 17-20 in Ensenada, Mexico.

Completing its 38th year as the world’s foremost desert racing sanctioning body, the iconic racing extravaganza event is the finale of the five-race 2011 SCORE Desert Series. To date entries have come from 32 U.S. States and 15 countries. This year’s race will be a loop race starting and finishing in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.

The race itself starts on Friday, Nov. 18 and official entry forms are available online along with all pertinent race information and pre-running rules on the SCORE website at www.score-international.com.

This year’s race will start for the 37th time and finish for the 21st time in Ensenada. The race will start and finish on Boulevard Costero adjacent to the picturesque Bahia de Todos Santos in front of the historic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center in the heart of Ensenada.

With late entries accepted up until race morning, the 692.82-mile race course this year is a combination of much of the 2008 and the 2009 courses.

The rugged course travels from Ensenada east through Ojos Negros, down Laguna Salada to San Felipe, down through the three legendary Baja canyon washes of Matomi, Huatomote and Chanate, joining familiar routes to the six-mile turnoff before Mike’s Sky Rancho, heading over to the Pacific Coast crossing Highway 1 near San Vicente and to Erendira, then through Santo Tomas, Uruapan and back to Ojos Negros, covering much of the northern half of the majestic Baja California peninsula to and from Ensenada. Except for the San Felipe loop, the course travels in a clockwise direction. The San Felipe loop will be run counter clockwise.

The race course features six physical checkpoints along with 64 virtual checkpoints.
At the physical checkpoints vehicle numbers and passing times are recorded to help verify the information gathered on the electronic recording devices that are mounted on all vehicles in the race.

The locations of the six physical checkpoints are: Checkpoint 1 (race-mile 82.49, North of Santa Catarina), CP2 (rm213.70-west of Borrego), CP3 (rm319.40-South of San Felipe), CP4 (rm464.75-west of Borrego), CP5 (rm 559.20-south of San Vicente) and CP6 (rm651.92-South of Ojos Negros).

The challenging course also has five pavement sections for a total of 14.17 miles. The pavement sections are controlled speed areas with maximum speeds of 60 miles per hour.

In addition to the 32 States represented on the entry list to date, racers have already officially entered from Australia, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, the Netherlands and the US Territory of Guam.

It’s the oldest and most well known of all desert races, and it remains as the single most appealing accomplishment to a racer. Since 1967, the race has been run over the mysterious Baja California peninsula every year except 1974 when the international fuel crisis forced a cancellation.

Reality TV star Jesse James has received the first starting position in the drawing earlier this month for 44th running of the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. While James, who lives in Austin, Texas, will pilot his No. 54 Chevy Silverado SCORE Trophy Truck, starting first among the motorcycle and ATV classes will be Craig Bowman on a Honda CRF450X.

Drawing the first start among the ATV classes was the Class 25 team led by Richard Stanley.

The motorcycle and ATV classes will start their journey at 6:30 a.m. (Friday, Nov. 18) with the car and truck classes starting at approximately 11:45 a.m., or four hours after the last ATV leaves the line. With the course open for 32 hours in the elapsed-time race, the fastest finishers are expected to complete the course in approximately 14 hours.

Pre-race festivities on Thursday, Nov. 17, including the vastly popular tech and contingency of all vehicles and the SCORE Manufacturer’s Midway will be held from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Boulevard Costero in front of the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center. The pre-race mandatory driver/rider briefing will be held Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. in the Cathedral Room at the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center. Racer and media registration will both be held at the San Nicolas Resort Hotel in Ensenada on Wednesday, Nov. 16 and Thursday, Nov. 17.

The post-race awards celebration will be held poolside at the San Nicolas Resort Hotel at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 20.

The featured SCORE Trophy Truck division for high-tech, 850-horsepower unlimited production trucks has 32 vehicles enters to date.

Starting second will be Mexico’s son/father team of Gus Vildosola Jr./Gus Vildosola, who teamed last year to become the first Mexican national team to win the overall 4-wheel title of the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. Driving the No. 21 Vildosola Racing Ford F-150 SCORE Trophy Truck, the Vildosolas, of Mexicali, were also the fastest vehicle overall in the race down the Baja California peninsula to La Paz.

Starting second among the motorcycles will be last year’s overall motorcycle winners in this race, Kendall Norman, Santa Barbara, Calif./Quinn Cody, Buellton, Calif. on the No. 1x JCR Honda Racing Honda CRF450X.

While entries will be accepted will be accepted up to race morning, late entries will be assigned the next available number and starting position within each class.

Besides SCORE Trophy Truck with 32, the car and truck classes with the most entries to date are unlimited Class 1 (23) and Class 1/2-1600 (12).

Among the motorcycle and ATV classes, Class 22 for open motorcycles has the most entries so far with 13.

Leading the six Sportsman classes in the race is Sportsman Motorcycle over 450cc which has 19 entries so far.

Among the many other talented entries from all over the world is the venerable Rod Hall, Reno, Nev., who is only individual who has raced in all 43 previous Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 races.

The legendary Hall, who will turn 74 on Nov. 22, has a race-record 21 career class wins in this event and is the only driver to have competed every year (all in a car or truck class). Hall will be looking for as many as three class wins this year. He is entered as the second driver for his sons Chad and Josh Hall in SCORE Trophy Truck and in both the Stock Mini (Emily Miller is driver of record) and Stock Full (Sam Edgar) classes.

Larry Roeseler, Boulevard, Calif., 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 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.

Winning two of the first four series races overall and in the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division, Las Vegas rookie driver Bryce Menzies continues to stand at the top of the point leader board after four of five races in the 2011 SCORE Desert Series.

Menzies, who opened the season by winning the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge in January, drove to a penalty-free victory as well in June’s 43rd Tecate SCORE Baja 500 to pull further ahead in the SCORE Overall and SCORE Trophy Truck point standings in the No. 70 Menzies Motorsports Ford F-150.  Sandwiched between his first two career SCORE race wins in the marquee desert racing division, Menzies finished sixth in SCORE Trophy Truck at the 25th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 in March. In September Menzies finished third at Tecate SCORE San Felipe Challenge of Champions and now has a six-point margin over the rest of the world’s best desert racers.

SCORE points are based on starting, finishing, placement and number of official starters within each class. Menzies, 23, who had only raced the 2010 SCORE Baja 500 where he finished seventh in his first start in SCORE Trophy Truck, has 306 championship points following Round 4 of the five-race 2011 SCORE Desert Series. SCORE Trophy Truck has had the largest starting field for all four races with 32 in Laughlin, 24 in San Felipe, 28 in Ensenada and 13 in the September San Felipe race.

Picking up his ninth career SCORE Trophy Truck race win in September in San Felipe, Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren, an eight-time SCORE season point champion, is second in overall and in SCORE Trophy Truck points so far in 2011 after finishing fourth in Laughlin, winning the MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe race in March and finishing ninth in Ensenada with 300 points, just six behind Menzies.

With two wins and a second and a seventh this year, third in overall points and leading the unlimited class 1 is Justin Davis, 18 of Chino Hills, Calif., 11 points behind Menzies with 295. Davis, last year’s SCORE Lites point champion, won Class 1 in Laughlin and San Felipe and was a close second in Ensenada and seventh in the September San Felipe race driving the Green Army Motorsports Chevy-powered ESM open-wheel desert race car.

Following consistent seventh, fifth, fourth and second-place finishes in the season’s first four events, Gary Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., is fourth in overall points and third in SCORE Trophy Truck with 281 in the No. 98 TSCO Motorsports Ford F-150.

This race also features the prestigious Sal Fish SCORE IronRider awards presented to each motorcycle or ATV rider who completes the entire course within the time limit while riding solo. To date, 15 racers have officially declared their intention to compete in the race as solo riders.

In addition to season class point championships, the racers are also competing for part of the nearly $400,000 in cash purse and contingency postings for the race. Drivers in the Pro car and truck classes are also attempting to earn prestigious SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards given to all Pro car and truck class drivers who complete every required mile of the five-race season.  Being presented by Toyota Motorsports for the 26th consecutive year, a total of 27 drivers remain eligible after Round 4 of the 2011 SCORE Desert Series. Racers are also competing for the annual SCORE Off-Roadsman of the Year awards, including the MasterCraft Safety SCORE Rookie of the Year award.

Tecate Beer is the title sponsor of the 44th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000.

Official Sponsors of the SCORE Desert Series are:
-BFGoodrich Tires, Official Tire
-Volkswagen of America, Official Vehicle
-Sunoco Race Fuels, Official Race Fuel
-Slime, Official Tire Sealant
-Symons Ambulance Company, Official Ambulance
-Bilstein, Official Shock Absorber
-Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Official Mexican Auto Insurance

Official Sponsors of the SCORE Baja 1000 are:
-Coca-Cola, Official Soft Drink
-Volaris Airlines, Official Airline
-Lightforce Performance Lighting, Official Driving Light

Additional SCORE Sponsors are – Proturismo Ensenada, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Las Vegas Events, Blue C Advertising, SignPros, PCI Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.

For more information, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the 2011 SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.

44th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000
Nov. 17-20, 2011—Final round of five-race 2011 SCORE Desert Series
Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico – 692.82 miles
TOTAL ENTRIES: 231 (32 States, 15 Countries) (as of 10/30/11)

PRO CARS & TRUCKS

SCORE TROPHY TRUCK (32)
54 Jesse James
21 Gus Vildosola Jr.
51 Kory Scheeler
70 Bryce Menzies
30 Robbie Pierce
98 Gary Weyhrich
84 Nick Vanderwey
78 Jesse Ashcraft
19 Tim Herbst
20 Rob MacCachren
31 Andy McMillin
71 Rick D. Johnson
45 Gary Magness
96 Bobby Baldwin
59 Craig Potts
2 Pete Sohren
22 Roberto Encinas
49 Troy Herbst
15 Armin Schwarz
77 Robby Gordon
8 Roger Norman
18 Clyde Stacy
36 Glen Greer
16 Cameron Steele
14 Rick Geiser
25 Matt Stevens
61 Chad Hall
23 Mark McMillin
97 B.J. Baldwin
27 Dave Crinklaw
66 Harry Hepler
24 Adam Householder

CLASS 1 (23)
101 Brett Lenk
102 Steven Eugenio
103 Mike Childress
104 Dan Martin
105 Damen Jefferies
106 Steve Appleton
107 Marco Valdez
108 Don Chase
109 Erik Harp
110 Conan Barker
111 Ronny Wilson
112 Jon Walker
100 Kory Halopoff
114 Brian Parkhouse
115 David Greenhill
116 Mark Hutchins
117 Chris Wyborny
118 Max Thieriot
119 Jared Hardin
120 Todd Romano
147 Mark Lawrence
148 Mark Stevens
149 Justin Davis

CLASS 1/2-1600 (12)
1601 Arturo Velazco
1602 Brad Wilson
1603 J.J. Schnarr
1604 Kevin J. Walsh
1605 Brian Wilson
1606 Jay Reichert
1607 Michael Power
1645 Wes McKenzie
1646 Daniel Lopez
1647 Jim Goff
1600 Luke McMillin
1649 Hiram Duran

CLASS 3 (6)
301 Tim Mason
302 Andy Kouklis
300 Donald Moss
304 David Moore
305 Bob Morton
349 Billy Bunch

CLASS 5 (4)
501 Cody Kellogg
500 Kevin Carr
518 Jim Anderson
519 Terry McClintick

CLASS 5-1600 (1)
551 Armando Garcia

CLASS 6 (7)
601 Gavin Skilton
602 Arunas Lekavicius
603 Marc Burnett
604 Gregg Hempel
617 Josh Quintero
600 Dave Caspino
619 Heidi Steele

CLASS 7 (1)
700 Dan Chamlee

CLASS 8 (2)
801 Kent Kroeker
839 Justin Matney

CLASS 10 (9)
1001 John Martensen
1002 John Langley
1003 Brian Valentine
1004 Matt Cullen
1005 Peter Hajas
1006 Shelby Reid
1000 Sergio Salgado
1008 Christian Hall
1049 Joel Liska

SCORE LITES (9)
1201 Steven Lisa
1202 Ryan Plowman
1203 Perry McNeil
1204 Zak Langley
1205 Rafael Navarro IV
1206 Brent Parkhouse
1207 Matt Drever
1248 Lee Banning
1249 Arnoldo Ramirez

CLASS 11 (3)
1100 Eric Solorzano
1148 Gustavo Garayzar
1149 Justin Matney

STOCK FULL (1)
861 Wes Bevly III
862 Sam Edgar

STOCK MINI (3)
761 Emily Miller
778 Justin Matney
779 Ted Moncure

PROTRUCK (4)
1334 Rob Reinertson
1331 Jessica McMillin
1350 Chelsea Magness
1360 Nils Castillo

CLASS 17 (2)
1701 Tom Richardson
1739 Clyde Stacy

CLASS 4 (2)
401 Mike Shaffer
439 Clyde Stacy

CLASS 7-2 (2)
721 Bruce Finchum
720 Reid Rutherford
PRO MOTORCYCLES

CLASS 22 (13)
2x Craig Bowman
1x Kendall Norman
4x Trent Burgiss-S
0x Colton Udall
6x Bryce Stavron
7x Steven Moak-S
8x Rory Sullivan
9x Francisco Arredondo
10x Felipe Prohens
11x Shane Esposito
12x Jack Lundin
13x Thomas Barnabic-S
14x A.J. Stewart

CLASS 21 (5)
101x David Gonzalez Jr.-S
102x Willy Miller
103x Brody Kunz
104x Adam Neuwirth
105x Trevor Insley

CLASS 30 (5)
301x Tim Abshire
302x Mike Johnson
303x Rodrigo Basave
304x Ryan Gutile-S
305x Octavio Valle

CLASS 40 (8)
400x Jeff Kaplan
401x Rob Barnum
402x Mike Prunty
403x Graham Cruickshank
404x Lloyd Andrew-S
405x Oscar Fazz
406x Dave Kanarska
449x Todd Winslow

CLASS 50 (3)
501x Ben van Zijtveld
502x Jim Dizney
500x Jim O’Neal

CLASS 60 (2)
600x Donald E. Lewis
619x Richard Jackson

PRO ATVS

CLASS 25 (6)
2a Richard Stanley
3a Roberto Ruiz
4a Rafael Torres
1a Wayne Matlock
6a Craig Christy
7a Christian Vera

CLASS 24 (3)
100a Brandon Brown
101a Juan Sanchez
102a Heriberto Marquez

CLASS 26 (3)
201a Carl Vella
218a Joe Rice
200a Rob Ransford-S
SPORTSMAN

SPT BUGGY (7)
1401 Viry Felix
1402 Guy Ruse
1400 Peter Lang
1404 Edward Cummings
1405 Brian Hewett
1406 Shea McIntyre
1449 John Matney

SPT TRUCK (4)
1501 Kasra Ajir
1502 Tim Smith
1503 Randy Swink
1549 Nick Tonelli

SPT UTV (6)
1801 Bill Morris
1802 Kane Fraser
1803 Chris Koch
1800 Thomas Graves
1805 Nicola Dutto
1806 Kevin Fuller

SPT M/C 250< (13)
201x Christian Espinoza
203x Paul Piper-S
204x Carlos Orenday
205x Darin Bullivant
206x Shawn McKenzie
207x Adam Acosta
208x Dennis Garcia
209x Kenneth Slater
210x Philip Kegel
211x Raymond Gray
212x Jugatsu Toi
213x Tsutomu Ben Matsui
214x Fred Sobke

SPT M/C 250> (19)
251x Jeff Palmer
252x Mike Kaplan
253x Steve Malley
254x Mike Mensinger
255x Carlos Valdez
256x Phil Whisenant
257x Mike Frick-S
258x Chris Parker
259x Cody Larsen
260x Nick Carapella-S
261x Jeb Boynton
262x Naoki Kusano
263x Ulises Fierro
264x Yoram Lavee-S
265x Philip Jones
266x Hideki Sugiyama
267x Phil Walker-S
298x Louie Montano-S
299x Yvan Perroud

SPT ATV (10)
51a John Zelenka
52a Moises Saiza
53a Paul Engen
54a Juan Dominguez
55a Jesus Sanchez
56a Jose Gallardo
57a Paul Cooley-S
58a Ciro Calderon
59a Juan Gonzalez
99a Greg Row-S
S-Indicates Solo Rider