TMW - 9-4-2004 at 09:31 AM
The starting positions for the 37th annual Score Baja 1000 will be held at the Off Road Expo Saturday October 9th. The Off Road Expo will be at the
L.A. County Fairplex. Additionally a special preview of "Dust to Glory". A full length feature documentary directed by Dana Brown. The film chronicles
much of the colorful history of desert racing through the perspective of last years Baja 1000.
Off Road Expo will be held in Halls 4, 5, and 6. Same as last year which had a crowd of 40,000.
Additinal Info
LaTijereta - 9-4-2004 at 03:03 PM
September 3, 2004
Nearly 300 entries expected
?Live? draw for 37th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 start positions
Set for Oct. 9 during Off Road Expo at L.A. County Fairplex
Drawing for legendary granddaddy of all desert races
To include special preview of ?Dusty to Glory? documentary.
LOS ANGELES?In preparation for November?s 37th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race, a ?live? drawing for starting positions for the nearly
300 expected entries will be held Saturday, Oct. 9, during the Off Road Expo at the L.A. County Fairplex in Pomona, Calif. SCORE?s Sal Fish will
conduct the live drawing at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 9, during the opening day of the 5th Annnual Off Road Expo.
In addition to appearances by several of SCORE?s top drivers and riders and their incredible desert-racing machines, festivities will include a
special sneak-preview of the soon-to-be-released ?Dust to Glory? film, a full-length feature documentary directed by Dana Brown. ?Dust to Glory?
chronicles much of the colorful history of the granddaddy of all desert racing through the perspective of last year?s Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 in
Ensenada, Mexico.
?The Off Road Expo is a great location to showcase our flagship event?the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, and presenting a preview of a portion of the
new ?Dusty to Glory? film is wonderful icing on the cake,? said Sal Fish, CEO and President of SCORE, which is celebrating its 31st year as the
world?s foremost desert racing organization. ?We expect to have entries in this year?s classic from as many as 30 U.S. states and 10 countries, all
eager to challenge Mexico?s Baja peninsula. The drawing in October at the Off Road Expo will be a great opportunity for fans to get to meet and greet
some of the world?s finest desert racers up close and personal.?
This year?s legendary desert classic, to be held Nov. 17-20 in Mexico, will start in the northern part of the majestic Baja California peninsula
in Ensenada along the Pacific Ocean in Baja California and finish in the south in La Paz along the Sea of Cortez in Baja California Sur.
Nearly 300 entries from over 30 U.S. States and 10 countries, competing in 27 Pro and 5 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and
ATVs will be part of this year?s tribute to the sport of desert racing.
It?s the oldest and most well known of all desert races, and it remains as the single most appealing accomplishment to a driver. Since 1967, the
mother of all desert races has been run over the mysterious Baja California peninsula every year except 1974 when the international fuel crisis forced
a cancellation.
SCORE has also announced that this year?s Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race will be televised on a delayed basis as a one-hour special on the
new ?Jeep World of Adventure Sports? show on the NBC Sports network.
Scheduled for Oct. 9 and 10, this year?s Off Road Expo will again be presented in Halls 4, 5, and 6 at the Fairplex, where last year?s show
played host to a record crowd of nearly 40,000 off-road enthusiasts.
Exhibitors at the Expo will include a variety of manufacturers as well as a host of aftermarket companies who specialize in products for the
burgeoning off-road market.
Over 250 exhibitors are expected to be represented at this year?s Off Road Expo including race teams like Terrible Herbst Motorsports, Robby
Gordon Off-Road and Walker Evans Racing and desert racing stalwarts like BFGoodrich Tires and PCI Race Radio.
Current SCORE official annual sponsors are BFGoodrich Tires-official tire, Southern California Ford Dealers-official vehicle and CL Bryant Racing
Fuel-official fuel. Associate sponsors are: Tecate Beer, Coca-Cola of Mexico, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Herbst Gaming, Kartek Off-Road, Fram,
Autolite, Prestone, Bilstein, Signpros, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie?s, and Advanced Color Graphics.
For more information or tickets for the Off Road Expo, please call 636.599.8622 or visit http://www.ofroadexpo.com/.
For more information on the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of
the 2004 SCORE Desert Series at http://www.score-international.com/
No 1974 race reason...
David K - 9-4-2004 at 06:51 PM
In November, 1973 the Baja Sports Committee took over the Mexican 1000 race from NORRA, and renamed it the Baja 1000 (Baja Mil). The results were
disasterous and thebajarunner, TW, Corky and any others who raced it can tell you about the mess. B.S.C. ran the Baja 500 in June of '74, but few
trusted the operators and that was the end of BSC. The next month (July, 1974) Mickey Thompson's new organization 'SCORE' held their first race, the
'Baja Internacional' and it was a major success!
SCORE was given the rights to running Baja races from then on...
SCORE simply did not have enough preparing time to organize the Baja 1000 that year, just a few months away... So, no 1000 in 1974. THAT was the
explanation back in 1974... Anyways, PEMEX had no fuel shortages at least for the non-racers use.
SCORE moved their Baja Internacional to June (in place of the Baja 500) and held their first Baja 1000 in November, 1975.
For the first time, the SCORE Baja 1000 was a loop, starting and ending in Ensenada with the southern end of the loop near Santa Rosalillita and Punta
Prieta... about 850 miles long. Except Classes 6, 7, 11 which were allowed to run down Hwy. 1 from near Catavina to El Crucero avoiding what was
deemed too tough a section for 2WD passenger sedans, VW beatles, and mini trucks.
I was camping at the sulfur mine and was shocked to see mini pickups arriving before the 'fast' race buggies and trucks! It wasn't until I got home
that I learned of the last-minute race course change for those classes, avoiding the Seven Sisters coast road.
The next three Baja 1000s had 'Km.' added to their names, as they stayed in the northern end of the state and were about 200 miles shorter.
1979 was the first year SCORE ran the 1000 all the way to La Paz! A historic event... That was the year I was in the race... the co-driver on a Class
6 vehicle, pretty cool!
Since '79, SCORE has alternated between a 1000 km. event in Baja Norte and a near 1000 mile event to La Paz.
In 2000, was the first Baja 2000, zig zagging down the peninsula to Cabo San Lucas for nearly 1,800 miles!
Off road (actually off highway) racing, as well as spectating and 'pitting' are some of many Baja activities I have enjoyed.
The sport has changed greatly from the 1970's however... No longer is it a mostly family based activity, it is now more a big bucks hobby for the
wealthy or the corporate sponsored... Hey, things change... There are still the smaller races in Baja and the poker runs.
[Edited on 9-5-2004 by David K]
TMW - 9-5-2004 at 10:32 AM
Thanks David for the history. My first race ever was the 1987 Baja 1000 on a motorcycle at the age of 42. I had only been riding motorcycles about 3
years at that time. I didn't even know what Baja racing was until we spotted a prerun buggie near Colonet while we were camping and play riding. We
rode up to it and asked what they were doing and they told us of the Baja 500. We then followed the couse markers and rode up to Mike's Sky Rancho
where we met Mike Leon and he gave us a history lesson on Baja racing.
We thought it would be interesting to do the Baja 1000 once just to say we did it. Boy did I learn a lot about racing, wet muddy and cold. Well I
raced all the Baja races from then up into 92. I did the 90 and 91 500 solo. While prerunning the 92 1000 I crashed hard and spent 4 days in ICU and
it pretty much ended my racing. I did however run the 93 500 with a friend because he had never done it. I then sponsored and helped Tim Morton and
John Florez for 4 years and they won two Score class 21 (250 cc bikes)championships. They won the San Felipe 250 3 times, the 500 twice and the 1000
twice. In the last few years I usually help Mike Dogerty from Tucson AZ in his class 8 truck and a few friends who still race on their bikes,
including Tim Morton.
I can only imagine what teams like the Herbst spend. To run a championship bike we spent about $75,000 per year. We did a lot of races outside Score
with that. Baja Promotion races, Mammoth mtn, Grandpix races, Mickey Thompson arena races, motorcross, Sucro supercross in Baja and the FUD 24 hour
race at Plaster City. We bought 2 new bikes per year to race and it would cost $3,000 to prep one for a Score race. Plus we had all our own dump cans
and spare parts etc. We did our own pits when we raced the Black Honda CR250. After they got a Kawasaki factory ride, Kawasaki did the pits and paid
the entry fees and supplied the bikes.
It was all fun.
surfer jim - 9-5-2004 at 11:22 PM
Looking forward to the Sand Sports Show and the Expo....