LaTijereta - 10-18-2004 at 05:23 PM
SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark (702) 735-7123
October 18, 2004
241 entries to date
As pre-running begins for 37th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race,
SCORE International?s Sal Fish continues rehab from major surgery
SCORE CEO/President recovering well from Oct. 6 operation
At Los Angeles? Cedars-Sinai Hospital.
LOS ANGELES?As pre-running started Saturday for next month's 37th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, SCORE International CEO/President Sal Fish
continues the painstakingly-slow process of recovering from major surgery.
Fish, who is helping SCORE celebrate its 31st year as the world?s foremost desert racing organization, is recovering at his home in Malibu,
Calif., from major prostate surgery he had on Oct. 6 at the prominent Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.
According to attending medical personnel, the surgery was completely successful.
His recovery and rehabilitation is expected to take up to four weeks and the long-term prognosis is that Fish will have fully recuperated just
prior to the start of race week for the legendary granddaddy of all desert races (Nov. 15-21).
?I have been battling this for a few years now and it?s great to have it finally over, but the recovery process is very challenging,? said Fish,
65, who has been part of SCORE International since soon after it was founded in 1973. ?I?m not used to being on the sidelines, but something like this
is really a wake-up call and I feel very fortunate that things have gone as well as they have to this point. I will definitely be making some
lifestyle adjustments and I look forward to enjoying this year?s special peninsula run at the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. I would like to thank everyone
for their prayers and other expressions of kindness and concern. With this surgery behind me, I can clearly focus on this race and the incredible 2005
SCORE Desert Series schedule we have lined up.?
Fortunately for Fish, his advance preparation this summer in designing and plotting this year?s 1,016.3-mile race course down the Baja
California peninsula with Frank DeAngelo and Dave Walter of BFGoodrich Tires Motorsports helped make the course-marking work considerably easier.
With GPS coordinates and detailed course descriptions to follow, the SCORE course marking crew completed the actual marking of the route last
Friday, just prior to the start of pre-running yesterday. The SCORE marking crew was led by long-time SCORE race official Bill Wick and veteran SCORE
racers Bill Rodriguez, Dave Sykes, Chris Wilson, Eyanne Wilson, Julie Wilson, Paul Wilson and Steve Wolcott.
?Marking the course is part of my work that I enjoy the most,? added Fish, ?but at least we did our homework prior to my operation which made the
job much easier for our SCORE crew. Hurricane Javier that went through Baja California Sur during late summer forced us to move some of our
originally-planned course to some areas along the Pacific Coast of Baja that we haven?t used for over a dozen years. This course will rank up their
with some of the toughest in the history of the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000.?
The 37th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 expects nearly 275 vehicles competing in 23 Pro and 5 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and
ATVs in Mexico.
For SCORE races in Mexico, pre-running, or practicing over the actual race route is allowed in the few weeks prior to the race. The majority of
the participants will cover the race route at least once, many practicing their section of the course as many as a dozen times.
While the fastest finishers will complete the course in just over 16 hours, entries will have a 40-hour time limit to become official finishers
in the elapsed-time race.
For more information, 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/.
Mexray - 10-18-2004 at 05:51 PM
As one who's been through that surgery a couple of years ago, I wish Sal a speedy and full recovery!
Hang in there Sal, once you get rid of 'el sacko', you'll feel 100% better and be on the smooth 'lake bed' road to recovery!
All the best, you'll be back in the Baja dirt before you know it!
Neal Johns - 10-19-2004 at 11:11 AM
Mexray and Sal, hang in there, it's been 12 years for me, they didn't get it all, and I'm still here! Well, mostly here. 
This is a secret - I know I can trust you not to tell my WiW's
Neal...
Mexray - 10-19-2004 at 08:19 PM
Suddenly the moniker 'aridologist' takes on a new meaning...
Sal has recovered just Fine!
LaTijereta - 12-12-2004 at 02:29 PM
Sal is doing great job at his recovery here in Baja!
Next to Sal is Bob Sutton (CEO of Centrix), who is the process of purchasing SCORE (starting in 2005)
David K - 12-12-2004 at 05:04 PM
Girls like that would make any man recover quickly!
Kris, what is Centrix... why do they want to own SCORE?
LaTijereta - 12-12-2004 at 10:17 PM
David,
Centrix Financial is based in Denver. They are involved in auto loans for the auto industry. Bob has brought down his family to race the Wide Open
Baja cars the last three years in the Baja 1000. They are also the offical "Finance Company" in NASCAR.
Only time will tell if this is a good fit for SCORE and it's family of racers
David K - 12-12-2004 at 10:51 PM
Thanks Kris, that is very interesting! As long as the Baja 1000, 500, and San Felipe 250 (and the U.S. races) make money someone will buy SCORE, if it
is for sale.
Funny that SCORE was originally (Short Course Off Road Events) created to put 'Baja' in front of a paying audiance in a stadium or closed track...
SCORE'S founder, Mickey Thompson even invisioned combining the short course events with an RV show (note camper rig on original SCORE logo).
SCORE lucked into the Baja races when Mexico messed up the races ('73 1000 & '74 500) after they kicked NORRA out. SCORE's July '74 Baja Internacional
was a huge success.
I was lucky to have an interview with Mickey Thompson at the Press Day event the day before the 1974 Riverside World Championship Race (I was
representing the Baja Bulletin Magazine). His and Trudy's murders were so horrible...
SCORE's Riverside races were always great fun to attend... camping right inside the race track with my racing friends. There's a freaking shopping
center there, now!