Friday, September 21, 2007

Globe Tuff Trucks Photo Jihad!!!!

Click to view the Photo Jihad!

Remember 10% off early bird special for the next 7 days.

A few Highlights.






























Single point separates Mark Post/Rob MacCachren & B.J. Baldwin

Single point separates Mark Post/Rob MacCachren & B.J. Baldwin

In SCORE Trophy-Truck/Overall 2007 SCORE Desert Series points



LIVE Start draw Saturday during two-day fiesta at Lake Elsinore Casino

For November’s 40th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000





LOS ANGELES—In what has shaped up as a movie-script duel between the ‘veterans’ Mark Post and Rob MacCachren and young gun B.J. Baldwin, the November showdown in Mexico will decide the overall and SCORE Trophy-Truck point championships of the 2007 SCORE Desert Series. With a single point separating the top two SCORE Trophy-Truck teams of 2007 the epic showdown will take place in mid-November at the history-making 40th Anniversary of the granddaddy of all desert races.

This year’s celebration of the legendary Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 will be a peninsula run of nearly 1,300 miles down the majestic Baja California peninsula from Ensenada, Baja California to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. The 40th anniversary of this incredible race that has lured adventurer’s from around the world, will be held Nov. 10-16.

After five of six events in the 2007 SCORE Desert Series, Post, 50, of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., and MacCachren, 42, of Las Vegas, have two wins, one second and two fourths to compile 359 points to date in the No. 3 Riviera Racing Ford-F-150 SCORE Trophy-Truck.

Baldwin, 28, of Las Vegas, is the reigning SCORE Trophy-Truck season point champion in the No. 1 Baldwin Motorsports Chevy Silverado. Just one point behind Post/MacCachren, Baldwin has one race win this year, one second, two thirds and one fourth to remain in position to become the first back-to-back SCORE Trophy-Truck point champion since Ed and Tim Herbst of Las Vegas did it in 1999 and 2000 and again in 2002 and 2003.

Over 350 entries, from 40 U.S. States and 15 countries, competing in 28 SCORE Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs are now preparing for the 40th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000.

The live drawing for starting positions, by class, will be held Saturday during the two-day SCORE Fiesta at the Lake Elsinore Casino in Lake Elsinore, Calif. Cameron Steele and Travis Clarke are co-producing the event.

Action gets underway tonight at 5:30 p.m. with a vendor’s village and a Freestyle Motocross exhibition presented by Quality Toyota of Corona, Calif. The demo will include riders from Brian Deegan’s Metal Mulish and Kyle Loza’s Riders for Christ. The evening will include live music, a silent auction and charity poker tournament for the Chris Ackerman Foundation.

On Saturday, the day-long SCORE Fiesta starts at 10 a.m. with the Ketel One/Lake Elsinore brunch with the Blue C champion’s challenge at 11 a.m. and the Yokohama Pit Crew Challenge at 3 p.m. At various times throughout the day the live SCORE drawing, presented by Lucas Oil, will be held for several classes at a time.

Five full entries into this year’s 40th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 will be given away on Saturday, courtesy of baja.net, Blue C Enthusiast Advertising, Yokohama Tire, Lake Elsinore Casino and Lucas Oil Products. The winners must be present and must already be entered in the race.

Additional sponsors providing product and prizes on Saturday are Bosch Power Tools, American Racing ATX Wheels, Camburg Engineering and Wahoo’s Fish Tacos.

A total of just 33 points separate the top 10 overall point leaders after the recent 12th SCORE Terrible’s Primm 300.

Third in SCORE Trophy-Truck points and third overall is Garron Cadiente, Mesa, Ariz., with 338 points after winning the recent SCORE Terrible’s Primm 300 in the No. 38 G&R Racing Ford F-150.

Leading Class 1-2/1600 and fourth overall with 334 points is Dave Caspino, Woodland Hills, Calif., in a VW-powered Lothringer open-wheel desert race car.

Tied for fifth overall with 332 points each are the team of Larry Ragland, Cave Creek, Ariz./Brian Collins, Las Vegas and brothers Bill Gasper, Chino Hills, Calif./Bill Gasper, Santa Barbara, Calif.. Ragland/Collins are fourth in SCORE Trophy-Truck points in the No. 12 Collins Motorsports Chevy Silverado while the Gaspers lead the unlimited Class 1 in their Porter-Chevy.

SCORE points are determined both on final finishing position and number of vehicles that started the race within the individual class.

Seventh overall and second in Class 1-2/1600 with 331 points is the team of L.J. Kennedy, Orange, Calif./Sammy Ehrenberg, Las Vegas in a ChenoSPF-VW.

In a three-way tie for eighth overall and tied for second in Class 1 with 316 points heading to Mexico’s massive season finale are Larry Roeseler/Troy Herbst, Ronny Wilson and Eric Chase and his father Stuart Chase. Roeseler/Herbst, who have two race wins this year and have won Class 1 for three straight years at the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, drive the No. 100 Smithbuilt-Ford, Wilson drives a Jimco-Chevy while the Chases pilot a Penhall-Chevy.

Just 14 points separate 11th through 15th overall with a tie at 13th in the standings. At 11th overall with 309 points is the team of Daniel McMillin, El Cajon, Calif./Caleb Gaddis, El Centro, Calif., who are third in Class 1-2/1600 in a Jimco-VW. B.J. Richardson, Las Vegas, who was leading the overall and Class 1 point standings before a DNF in Primm, is 12th overall and fifth in Class 1 with 304 points in a Bunderson-Chevy.

The team of Tim Noe, San Diego/Tom Watson, El Centro, Calif., is the new point leader in SCORE Lite and tied for 13th overall with 297 points in a Jimco-VW with Dan Myers, Newport Beach, Calif., who is sixth in Class 1 in a Porter-Chevy.

Just two more points back at 295 in 15th overall and second in SCORE Lite is the team of Stan Potter, San Marcos, Calif./Dan Worley, Encinitas, Calif., in another Jimco-VW.

Two racers in 4-wheel vehicle classes who started the 2007 season with three straight wins and continue to lead the points in their respective classes are Nick Vanderwey, Phoenix (Class 8, Chevy Silverado) and Lobsam Yee, Tijuana, Mexico (Class 10, Jimco-Honda).

With one race left in the 2007 SCORE Desert Series, other 4-wheel class point leaders include: Dylan Evans, Anaheim Hills, Calif. (Class 3, Toyota FJ Cruiser), George Seeley, Glendale, Calif. (Class 5, VW Baja Bug), Mario Reynoso, Tijuana, Mexico (Class 5/1600, VW Baja Bug), Dan Chamlee, Summerland, Calif. (Ford Ranger, Class 7), Rich Severson, Mesa, Ariz. (Ford Ranger, Class 7SX), Ramon Fernandez, Ensenada, Mexico (VW Sedan, Class 11), John Griffin, Mission Viejo, Calif. (Ford F-350, Stock Full), Gavin Skilton, Orange, Calif. (Honda Ridgeline, Stock Mini) and Jason Voss/Rich Voss, Cupertino, Calif. (Ford F-150, Protruck).

With motorcycles and ATV classes joining the cars and trucks in SCORE races in Mexico, the overall point leaders after two of three races are the Robby Bell-led team in motorcycles and the Danny Prather-led team in ATVs.

Bell, Murrieta, Calif. and teammates Kendall Norman, Santa Barbara, Calif./Steve Hengeveld, Oak Hills, Calif., have 180 points on the No. 1x American Honda Racing CRF450X. The trio defeated a motorcycle race-high field of 24 starters in Class 22 at the SCORE Baja 500, the most starters in the open motorcycle class in over a decade. It was their second straight win this SCORE season.

Prather, Ramona, Calif., and his teammates Mike Cafro, Carlsbad, Calif., Levi Marana, Hemet, Calif. and Marc Spaeth, Warner, Calif., have two wins and 169 points to lead Class 25 on their Honda TRX450R.

Among the other motorcycle classes, veteran Jim O’Neal, 60, Chatsworth, Calif., and his put together two teams of talented riders and leads the points in both age group classes. O’Neal and his merry men lead both Class 30 (riders over 30 years old) on a Honda CRF450X and Class 50 (riders over 50 years old) on an O’Neal Racing Honda XR650R. O’Neal’s teams have won both races this year in Class 30 and one in Class 50.

The 2007 SCORE Desert Series also includes the chase for the $75,000 Kartek Off-Road contingency bonus to be awarded to several 2007 SCORE Class point champions along with the run for the $12,000 Toyota True Grit and Toyota Milestone Awards.

Current SCORE official annual sponsors are: BFGoodrich Tires-official tire, Sunoco Race Fuels/Bryant Petroleum-official fuel supplier, Bilstein-official shock, Volkswagen-official vehicle, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance-official Mexican auto insurance, American Racing ATX Series-official wheel, Slime-official tire sealant, Airstar America-official space lighting provider, Red Bull--official energy drink and Bosch Power Tools-official power tool. Associate sponsors are: Tecate Beer, Coca-Cola of Mexico, Las Vegas Events, Terrible Herbst Inc., Blue C Communications, Kartek Off-Road, Fram, Autolite, Prestone, Bendix, American Suzuki, NAPA Chassis, SignPros, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.

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



2007 SCORE Desert Series

Point Leaders

(Six-race point series in U.S. and Mexico)

(Through the 12th SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300, Sept. 7-9--Primm, Nev. Remaining race: 40th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, Nov. 10-16--Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico)
Top 20 Overall Cars and Trucks
(Position, Drivers, Vehicle-Engine, Class, Points)
1. Mark Post, San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy-Truck), 359

2. B.J. Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado (SCORE Trophy-Truck), 358

3. Garron Cadiente, Mesa, Ariz., Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy-Truck), 338

4. Dave Caspino, Woodland Hills, Calif., Lothringer-VW (CLASS 1-2/1600), 334

5. Larry Ragland, Cave Creek, Ariz./Brian Collins, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado (SCORE Trophy-Truck), 332

5. Bill Gasper, Chino Hills, Calif., Porter-Chevy (CLASS 1), 332

7. L.J. Kennedy, Orange, Calif./Sammy Ehrenberg, Las Vegas, ChenoSPF-VW (CLASS 1-2/1600), 331

8. Larry Roeseler, Hesperia, Calif./Troy Herbst, Las Vegas, Smithbuilt-Ford (CLASS 1), 316

8. Ronny Wilson, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy (CLASS 1), 316

8. Eric Chase, San Diego/Stuart Chase, Burbank, Calif., Penhall-Chevy (CLASS 1), 316

11. Daniel McMillin, El Cajon, Calif., Jimco-VW (CLASS 1-2/1600), 309

12. B.J. Richardson, Las Vegas, Bunderson-Chevy (CLASS 1), 304

13. Dan Myers, Newport Beach, Calif., Porter-Chevy (CLASS 1), 297

13. Tim Noe, San Diego/Tom Watson, El Centro, Calif., Jimco-VW (SCORE Lite), 297

15. Stan Potter, San Marcos, Calif./Dan Worley, Encinitas, Calif. (SCORE Lite), 295

16. Alan Pflueger, Honolulu, Chevy Silverado (SCORE Trophy-Truck), 294

17. Arnoldo Ramirez, Ensenada, Mexico, Curry-VW (CLASS 1-2/1600), 289

17. Hiram Duran/Evan Duran, Tecate, Calif., Amplified-VW (CLASS 1-2/1600), 289

19. Travis Coyne, El Centro, Calif., Chevy CK1500 (SCORE Trophy-Truck), 284

20. Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif., Desert Assassin-VW (SCORE Lite), 281

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Red Bull F1 with Checkers?



Courtesy of El Cheese

Make A Wish Helicopter Sponsorship - SNORE SouthPoint 250

Las Vegas - Sponsorship opportunity is now available for the Make A Wish
kids to experience their race day from the Pinned Helicopter. Title
sponsorship at $2500 includes the company name and logo in the television
coverage and special acknowledgement for the Make A Wish Sunday event.
Sponsorship also includes the spotter position in the television
helicopter for either the race or the Make A Wish event (TBD by Pinned).
Split sponsorships are available upon request. Please contact Jamie Fagan
at SNORE immediately to reserve this opportunity.
PINNED TV will be shooting the SNORE/South Point 250 race. Pinned is returning on the air for Season 2 in both San Diego and Las Vegas on Cox Cable television this Fall. Go to www.pinnedtv.com for updates, air times, channels, and info. Pinned will be looking for great stories of families, businesses, friends and racers, as well as candidates for in-car cameras.

Interested parties please email me at GlamisGurlie2@aol.com or call me at 702-343-7761.

Jamie Fagan
SNORE Contingency Director
Public Relations Liaison

Iri-Comm - A true team management system

For those of you that are unaware, IRC have been operating now for almost 3 years. We introduced to American off-road the French invented IriTrack live Satellite Safety and communication system, the same system that the FIA Mandated in Dakar.

At the time we introduced this, there was nothing else in the off-road racing environment like it. That does not mean we have been resting on our achievements. For those of you that are aware of what we do – you know that we began conservatively, but we are now mandated for cars and trucks in all Best In The Desert events (on average 170 race vehicles per event), due to the forward thinking and safety conscious Casey Folks. We also track motorbikes and quads, chase vehicles for teams and Race Organizers, as well as helicopters and fixed wing aircraft.

We are supplying safety tracking, satellite phone communication and an internet based ‘live event’ viewing page – based on feedback we receive, this is a favourite.

The latest development from our in-house team that we would like to share with you we call IRC's "Iri-Comm” system – Iridium Communication. This is a true team management system. When a race team uses the Iri-Comm system, the whole team knows where every team vehicle is located at any time and any member of the team can communicate thru voice or text with any vehicle within the team at any time. It is fully cost scalable so that even the budget conscious competitor can benefit from its use.

The Iri-Comm system allows a vehicle (it could be a car, truck, helicopter, plane, even boat) to track itself and all other team vehicles simultaneously on high quality maps with everything easily identified and information such as location, times and current speeds provided. It makes no difference if there is no cell phone or internet coverage – it’s not needed. The system works on the Iridium satellite network, even the fully integrated phones. Depending on the event, "Iri-Comm" can also allow you to track other competitors within your class, allowing you to further refine your race strategy "on the fly".

Not only that but all data is archived on our servers and race teams have full access to the data at any time. All individual team data is confidential to each team.

With Iri-Comm, team members including the race car driver are no longer isolated and also benefit from all the safety features incorporated in the "IriTrack" and "E-Track" devices. The race team IS a Team. It is no longer a guessing game, you can now plan and adapt strategies to solve problems though that does not make winning a guarantee – there are some things that IRC cannot control.

Please feel free to contact us at any time – this is too exciting to ignore.



Anthony Cantons

September 20th, 2007


IRC Iri-Comm
Team Management System

Tracking - Viewing - Voice Communications

* Modular design – You choose
* Custom tailored to your needs and/or wallet
* Available to purchase
* Limited rental of basic system available

Pro-System Racing starts a new season of the 24 Hours 4x4 France 2007

Pro-System Racing was not originally scheduled to compete in the 2007 edition of the 24 Hours 4x4 race. But with Eric Vigouroux’s move to San Diego, California, held up slightly while he waits for his “Green Card” to arrive, the chance arose to once again enter one of his legendary Protruck-Chevrolets in the greatest 4x4 endurance trial of the season. Michel Salvatore, who drove a Mégane Silhouette to victory in the previous year’s event, had already contacted Pro-System Racing a few months earlier about leasing a Protruck.
So the Protruck-Chevrolet crew will include two former winners of the 24 Hours 4x4 in the shape of Michel Salvatore and Eric Vigouroux (the 2001 winner), together with Carlos Gomes who has been sharing wheel duties in the Protruck for the past four years and Bruno Besson, who competed the last 24 hours of le Mans with a Courage prototype.


There is also a new face among our partners with the arrival of CLIM DENFERT, a fast-moving company which has decided to identify its brand with the spectacular Protruck for this great challenge of endurance.
Remember that the 24 Hours 4x4 France 2007 takes place on the 15 and 16 September, as always on the circuit at Chevannes in the Essonne.

Meanwhile, Eric Vigouroux is in preparation for the 2008 Lisbon-Dakar rally. The impressive mid-engine Chevrolet Trophy-Truck is currently being built by its designer in the USA, where it will not only undergo an exhaustive check-up, but also receive some technical fine-tuning aimed at delivering near-perfect reliability and improved performance, especially at the top end of the speed range. Eric does not intend to take part in any other races before the Dakar rally, so that he can concentrate on putting the Trophy-Truck through some intensive paces in the Californian desert before bringing it to France.

Until then, Pro-System Racing supporters can keep up with the latest news on the team’s recently improved website at www.pro-systemracing.com. The site also has a new “Album” section where visitors can download high-definition photos as well as the latest video highlights of the Trophy Truck in action during the 2007 Dakar rally and Tunisia Rally. Videos are also available on You-Tube.


http://www.pro-systemracing.com/

DIXON BROS. MOVE INTO CLASS 7100 POINTS LEAD AFTER ‘VEGAS TO RENO’

Reno, NV - August 25, 2007: The ‘Vegas to Reno’ off-road race is always tough and this year was no exception
with less than ½ of the entries able to make it to the finish line in Best in the Desert Racing Association’s 570-mile race
across Nevada. Aaron Dixon & Ed Ramirez started the race in the #7177 Dixon Bros. Racing Class 7100 Ford
Ranger and ran without problems, swapping positions in the top three, until
taking the lead just before the driver change in Goldfield (race mile 186). Ian
Dixon and navigator Phil Ramirez had only been in the truck for five miles
when the engine began cutting in and out before stopping dead on the course a
few miles north of Goldfield. After a few moments of probing, Ian and Phil
were able to get the truck running again but it continued to sputter whenever
they hit a bump. “We figured it was a loose wire or electrical component,” said
Ian. “ This became clear when we were on the dry lake bed at full speed without an engine miss but, the rougher the
course became, the more the engine stumble.” They called the crew and arranged to pit in Tonopah (RM 226) for
repairs. Aaron found a broken connection in the computer relay and once it was fixed the #7177 Dixon Bros Ford
Ranger was back on the course and moving through race traffic again.
“With the electrical connection fixed and everything working, I was finally able to drive”, Ian said. “The truck
performed great with the newly tuned Radflo Shocks and all the prep work Aaron has done since the Terrible’s Town
race. It’s a big step up from our old Stock Mini (Class 7300) in terms of fun-factor.” Night was falling as they passed
through Pit #10 at Redlich (RM 336) on their way to the next pit stop, forty miles further on. Several miles beyond
Redlich, the truck began to sputter, like it was starving for fuel. They managed to baby the truck another 10 or 12 miles
before it stalled and left them sitting in the dark at race mile 350. Based on previous fuel pump problems, they decided
to dismantle the fuel cell and found that both pickup hoses had again vibrated loose from the fuel pumps. After
spending an hour and a half getting the hoses re-attached, Ian and Phil made it to Pit #11 (RM 376) about 11:00 PM
where they turned the truck over to Aaron and Ed to take it the final 194 miles to the finish. It was shaping up to be a
very long night.
The #7177 Dixon Bros. Racing Ford Ranger was running up to it’s potential once again as an exhausted Aaron
Dixon took over behind the wheel at Pit # 11 with his sights set on the finish. Tim Lawrence, in the #7131 Ford Ranger
had taken over the lead while we were fixing the fuel pump problem but he was having troubles of his own, as were all
the Class 7100 trucks and everyone’s primary goal had become to simply make
it to the finish. At race mile 424, Aaron came into a corner too fast and damaged
his steering knuckle on a large rock. It took more than two hours to replace the
knuckle before the #7177 Ford Ranger was back on the road. With 146 miles of
rugged terrain remaining to the finish, Aaron was concerned that he was running
out of time to recover from any more serious problems so he set a conservative
pace the rest of the way.

Porter Race Cars / JIMCO Racing "Golf For Los Ninos"




Friday, September 21st, 2007 at Kash Vessell’s beautiful San Luis Rey Golf Course
Located in Bonsal, CA

Come battle some of the top off-road racers in the world for bragging rights for the title.
All proceeds go directly to Malcom Smith’s Motosports Foundation

About the foundation:
Malcom’s Foundation was founded in 1995 as a way to give back to the people of Baja, especially the children. In 2002 the foundation helped to build up and maintain “El Oasis” a school and orphanage in Valle La Trinidad. Since it’s beginning, the foundational has made a significant impact on the lives of many children. “El Oasis” humbly began with one building and one group home. Today the site hosts 10 group homes, an administrative building and the original hall. Off-road racers funded and built a basketball court; a play ground, planted over 400 fruit and shade trees and installed over 2.5 miles of underground irrigation. In November of 2003, MSA broke ground for the new Education center funded by the Off-road racers. The work continues to this day, contributions is always welcome and needed.

If you are interested in donating directly please contact:
Malcolm Smith Motorsports Foundation
7599 Indiana Ave. Riverside, Ca 92504
Email Info@MalcolmSmithMotorsportsFoundation.org

For more information on “Golf For Los Ninos” contact:
Porter Race Cars (909)-875-8754 – info@porterracecars.com
Jimco Racing (619)596-3360 - jimco@jimcorace.com

Brought to you by:
Porter Race Cars, Jimco Racing, San Luis Rey Golf Course and Mad Media

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Todt warns McLaren appeal could backfire

Ferrari boss Jean Todt has warned Formula One rivals McLaren that appealing against their record $100 million (50 million pound) fine and loss of constructors' points could bring an even greater sanction.

Todt told reporters after Ferrari's one-two win at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday that he felt McLaren's punishment for a spying controversy involving leaked Ferrari data had been "too soft".

With McLaren mulling whether to appeal the sentence imposed by the sport's governing body last Thursday, the Frenchman said any review of the sanction should consider taking away Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso's drivers' points as well.

Hamilton leads Alonso by two points with three races remaining. Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, winner at Spa, is 13 points off the lead with Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa a further seven behind.

"If you are guilty than you must be penalised," said Todt.

"If you get deeply into this sad story, you realise it is a very soft sentence.

"There is no meaning to speak about the drivers' championship because we know our major competitor has still time to make an appeal," he added.

"It will be very important to see if they make an appeal or not...because if they make the appeal I think it would change quite a lot the drivers' situation.

"Probably the appeal will be judged before the Japanese Grand Prix and we may be facing a completely different situation," he added.

"I think the result should be different."

International Automobile Federation (FIA) president Max Mosley said on Sunday that he and lawyers on the World Motor Sport Council had been in favour of taking away McLaren's drivers' points.

However, they had not done so because of an amnesty offered in exchange for providing evidence.

Todt made clear also that Ferrari would not be stopping legal action in Italy and England against suspended McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan and former Ferrari employee Nigel Stepney, accused of leaking the information.

McLaren boss Ron Dennis, who has been notified by Italian magistrates that he is under investigation, said at the weekend that McLaren may not appeal against their fine and points loss for the sake of the sport.

However, he said that he wanted complete closure on the controversy that has blighted the sport since July.

Todt said: "For me, what matters is the interest of the team. Considering the civil case in England, the penal case in Italy, it has nothing to do with the FIA and it's not our responsibility in Italy, it's up to the judges."

(Source: Reuters)

Oscar-style Tribute and dazzling celebrity list centerpieces

Sal Fish, Jesse James, Parnelli Jones, Ivan Stewart, Walker Evans, Malcolm Smith, Frank Vessels, Larry Roeseler, Rod Hall, Johnny Campbell, Larry Ragland, Danny Sullivan, the McMillin Family, Dave Ekins, Eddie Mulder, Peter Brock, Bob Bondurant and Cameron Steele—to list just a few distinguished names—all taking center stage for Sport’s grandest homecoming.



LOS ANGELES – For fans of motorsports – particulary those who wish to honor this year’s 40th annual running of Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 – next week’s ‘40 Years to Glory’ tribute evening has turned into “a night of 1000 stars.”

To be held next Thursday evening (Sept. 27) at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, Calif., the evening’s centerpiece will be a specially produced, Oscar’s-style stage presentation honoring a long and distinguished list of past SCORE Baja 1000 champions, influential media, industry innovators and desert racing pioneers. The evening’s festivities will start at 5:30 p.m. with the tribute show at 7:30 p.m. and special after-party at 9:30 p.m.

Co-hosted by motorsports television personalities Dave Despain and Paul Page, the evening’s ‘40 Years to Glory’ tribute will combine music, video, select on-stage introductions and a special tribute by famed motorcycle builder turned SCORE Trophy-Truck racer Jesse James to the late Hollywood actor and Baja 1000 veteran Steve McQueen.

Unlike Hollywood’s Oscars, tickets to this special evening available are available to the public. However, both events will share a red carpet entrance for the evening’s long list of honorees and the presentation of uniquely-created awards recognizing individual contributions to the SCORE Baja 1000’s world-renowned status as a motorsports icon and the legendary granddaddy of all desert races.

Event organizers are putting the final touches on the ‘40 Years to Glory’ presentation hoping to create an unparalleled tribute to nearly 100 of the most deserving personalities in race history with special on-stage presentations.

“Our hope is to at once both honor and entertain our guests in a highly unique manner,” explained Marty Fiolka, executive producer for the event being presented in association with SCORE International. “This is once-in-a-lifetime homecoming for four generations that make up the Baja 1000 legacy, and doing that in one evening is a historic but inspiring challenge.”

The evening’s presentation will honor race celebrities in separate groups, with Baja icons like Parnelli Jones, Ivan Stewart, Walker Evans, Frank Vessels, Bob Gordon, Frank Arciero Jr. the McMillin family and Rod Hall all sharing a portion of the 90-minute program. Those valiant riders on two wheels will also share the spotlight, thanks to scheduled appearances by Malcolm Smith, Larry Roeseler, Eddie Mulder, Bruce Ogilvie, Ron Bishop, Johnny Campbell and Mitch Mayes. Additional star power will come in the form of many cross-over drivers that fill Baja’s record books; including schedule appearances by sport car legends Bob Bondurant and Peter Brock, rising NASCAR star Boris Said, along with Indianapolis 500 veterans Danny Sullivan, Roberto Guerrero and brothers Mike and Robbie Groff.

“Marty (Fiolka) is doing an incredible job putting together a night of a 1000 memories for all of us to enjoy who have been so close to the SCORE Baja 1000 for all of these years,” said Sal Fish, SCORE International CEO/President since shortly after the world’s premier desert racing organization was founded in 1973. “This amazing evening will be like an all-school reunion where you know everybody from every class. Or at least you know their names. This will be one of the hallmark evenings in my life and I think many, many others will share in the same experience and emotions.”

Making ‘40 Years to Glory’ even more memorable will be an unprecedented gathering of Baja pioneers, including Dave Ekins, Spence Murray, Bruce Meyers, Andy DeVercelly, Dave Deal, Johnny Johnson, Pete Condos and Bobby Ferro.

And sprinkled into these tributes will be celebrations of various other groups and personalities that have made the SCORE Baja 1000 such a lasting institution.

‘40 Years to Glory’ will include the world’s largest display of vintage and historic desert race vehicles and motorcycles, live music, cocktails and a huge buffet-style dinner. The night will be capped off with the “SCORE Baja After Party” back on the plaza.

The special gala is being made possible by the generous support of presenting partners Volkswagen of America, BFGoodrich Tires, Micron Technology and Blue C Enthusiast Advertising, in association with Dirt Sports Magazine, Hot Rod Magazine, Kartek Off-Road and Bandito Brothers Productions.

Tickets for this never-to-be-repeated event are on sale from the Long Beach Performing Arts Center box office or via Ticketmaster at (213) 480-3232 or (714) 740-2000 or online at www.40yearstoglory.com.

Guest tickets include admission, dinner, and a commemorative event program. Like a concert or play, guests will also be provided with a reserved seat inside the Terrace Theater and sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

This year’s 40th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, the season finale of the six-race 2007 SCORE Desert Series for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs, will be held Nov. 10-16 as a journey down Mexico’s majestic Baja California peninsula. With pre-race activities in Tijuana, the race will start in Ensenada and finish some 1,300 miles later in Cabo San Lucas. With nearly 350 entries expected from 40 U.S. States and 15 countries, the historic race will be taped by NBC Sports.

CHAMP CAR CHAMPION PAUL TRACY WILL RACE AT CHULA VISTA ON SEPT. 29TH& 30TH

Newport Beach, CA (Sept. 19, 2007)- Championship Off Road Racing’s superstars return back to the Quarry at Chula Vista International Raceway on Sept. 29th and 30th. Fans won’t want to miss Champ Car Champion Paul Tracy’s first off road race in his impressive open wheel career.



“For me it will be the first time racing off road. I am excited about racing against some of off road racing’s greats like Ricky Johnson and Johnny Greaves. I am planning on going out there and having fun,” said Paul Tracy.



Paul Tracy holds the most Cart victories of any active driver in Champ Car with 29 wins. Not only is he a champion, but he was voted 2003’s most popular driver by the SPEED Channel. This will be his first time racing in CORR and he’s up against tough competition in the Pro 2 division. His competition will include seven time Supercross/Motocross Champion and Pro 2 CORR Champion Ricky Johnson, Pro 4 CORR Champion Rob MacCachren and don’t forget about the 52 wins and three championships of Carl Renezeder.



There are still tickets available but, grab them now before it’s too late. Tickets can be purchased now by going to the CORR website www.corracing.com or onsite prior to the race event. Tickets prices are: $40 premium ticket, $25 general admission, $5 for kids 4 to 12 years old and free for kids 3 and under. RV parking is available for $50 for one night or $75 for the weekend.



The gates will be open to the public at 9:00AM and the racing action will kick off at 11:00AM. For up to date information visit www.corracing.com.



Championship Off Road Racing™ brings high action, four wheel motorsports including 2 wheel drive and 4 wheel drive trucks to the closed course off road arena. The 2007 CORR season includes seven events at tracks located in Los Angeles and San Diego, CA, Fort Worh/Dallas TX and NV.

2007 INDY CAR CHAMPION DARIO FRANCHITTI MOVING TO NASCAR

SEMA eNews, Vol. 10, No. 37 - Sep 13, 2007
2007 INDY CAR CHAMPION DARIO FRANCHITTI MOVING TO NASCAR AND OTHER RACING NEWS

HEAD WEST: The Champ Car World Series has announced a return to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca next season. The event does not add a race to the schedule, as it will replace the San Jose Grand Prix, which has run in the streets of San Jose the past two years. A date for the race has not been announced.

CHAMP ON THE MOVE: Dario Franchitti secured the IndyCar Series championship last weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, but the Scottish driver is reportedly heading to NASCAR and will drive the No. 40 Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing in the Sprint Cup Series next season.

AGREEMENT: AT&T, NASCAR and Sprint Nextel reached an agreement that will allow Richard Childress Racing to run AT&T logos on its car, but the deal is contingent on AT&T being out of the sport by the end of the 2009 season.

RETIRING: Noted NASCAR team owner Robert Yates will retire at the end of the season, handing the keys to his race team to his son Doug. David Gilliland and Travis Kvapil will wheel the Yates entries next season.

STICKING AROUND: Thanks to an offer from rival team owner Ken Black to fly him to 10 events next season, four-time NHRA champion Gary Scelzi has decided to nix plans to take a sabbatical from drag racing and will return to the Don Schumacher Racing Funny Car camp full time next season.

MAKES: Joe Gibbs Racing officially announced its switch from Chevrolet cars to the Toyota Camry for the 2008 NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series campaigns.

SHORT TRACK ACES: Jimmy Owens won the prestigious World 100 dirt-late-model race at Eldora Speedway, while Joey Saldana picked up the victory in the Gold Cup Race of Champions winged-sprint-car race at Chico, California. Todd Shute was the big winner at the IMCA Super Nationals.

NUMBER ONE: Tony Schumacher remained at the top of the NSSN Power Rankings, but Indy Racing League champion Dario Franchitti jumped to second in the countdown.

Source : SEMA News

CORR PACKS IN AN ACTION PACKED WEEKEND WITH RACES ON BOTH NBC SPORTS & SPEED

Newport Beach (September 19, 2007) — Watch double the racing action this weekend with two separate episodes of Championship Off Road Racing. First CORR is back on NBC Sports this Sunday from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM. Plus catch the premier Pro Lite race from Antelope Valley on SPEED.



You won’t want to miss the intense action of this weekend’s Jason Baldwin Memorial Cup Races on NBC Sports. Bill Weber is back in action delivering the play-by-play, along side color commentator Wally Dallenbach, and pit reporters Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast.



Also don’t forget to tune into SPEED and set your Tivos for the premiere of the Pro Lite Lucas Oil Cup races air at 2:30PM EST on SPEED. The show will replay on Monday at 3:00 PM ET, and 3:00AM EST.



Tickets are still available for Chula Vista International Raceway on September 29th and 30th. Purchase your tickets now by going to the CORR website www.corracing.com or onsite at the Quarry off Main Street in Chula Vista and at 4 Wheel Parts Performance Centers. Tickets prices are: $40 premium ticket, $25 general admission, $5 for kids 4 to 12 years old and free for kids 3 and under. RV parking is available for $50 for one night or $75 for the weekend.



For up to date information visit www.corracing.com



Championship Off Road Racing™ brings high action, four wheel motorsports including 2 wheel drive and 4 wheel drive trucks to the closed course off road arena. The 2007 CORR season includes seven events at tracks located in Los Angeles and San Diego, CA, Fort Worh/Dallas TX and NV.

Monday, September 17, 2007

TEAM RED BULL’S ROB MACCACHREN SWEEPS THE WEEKEND IN THE PRO 2 CLASS

-SUNDAY RACE RECAP-



Lancaster, CA (Sunday, Sept. 16, 2007) - Championship Off Road Racing had an exciting day of racing at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds. Fans watched as Rob Macachren took home his fourth win of the season in the Pro 2 class. Robert Naughton ran away with the win in the Pro Lite race showing he is out to win the Championship in 2007.



Adrian “Wild Man” Cenni started on the pole in the Pro 4 Jason Baldwin Cup Qualifier today. Cenni took off with a commanding lead over the field. Steve Barlow driver of the Red Bull number 29 went off the track on lap four and was unable to return to the race. Meanwhile Cenni continued to lead with the Lucas Oil number 17 of Carl Renezeder rubbing on his back right fender attempting to pass for the first position. Cenni was able to continue blocking Renezeder securing his lead. The race really began to heat up when the Monster Energy Drink number 22 of Johnny Greaves battled for second with Renezeder. When the mandatory caution came out on lap eight Cenni was in first, Renezeder in second and Greaves in third. Scott Douglas and Josh Baldwin were out of the race on lap eight with mechanical failure. Cenni and Renezeder got close coming out of turn five on lap nine, but Renezeder was unable to secure the deal. He tried again in turns two and three of lap 10, but was still denied by Cenni. Renezeder finally made the pass coming across the start/finish line on lap eleven. Immediately after Cenni went out of the race due to mechanical failure on turn one of lap eleven. Greaves who sat in second behind Renezeder aggressively went into turn three wrecking Renezeder and bringing out the caution. When the race went back to green it was Greaves and Fabtech driver number 36 Rick Huseman battling it out for first position. In the end there were only four trucks left racing. Greaves took home the win, Huseman took second and Travis Coyne in his Pro Comp number five secured the final spot on the podium. Greaves was docked nine points for aggressive driving. The penalty was for the exchange between Greaves and Renezeder on lap eleven which resulted in Renezeder being unable to return to the race.



“This is why people come to see CORR, they see the hardest, roughest racing around,” said Johnny Greaves.



Monster Energy sponsored drivers Jerry Whelchel and Jeremy McGrath were on the front row leading the field to green in the Lucas Oil Series Pro 2 point’s race today. McGrath held on to the lead with Rob MacCachren in second and Whelchel in third. An intense battle broke out for the fourth position between the Rockstar energy drink number 3 of Todd LeDuc and the KMC Wheels sponsored number 48 of Ricky Johnson. On lap five of fifteen, McGrath and MacCahren broke away from the field battling it out for the top positions. On lap eight MacCahren attempted a pass through turn one, but was denied. McGrath got on two wheels coming out of turn three battling it out with MacCachren. After the mandatory caution Barlow was able to pass McGrath for the first position coming out of turn one. It was all energy drinks on lap eleven with Red Bull in first and Monster Energy holding onto the second and third positions. Mark Porter crashed going into turn five on lap eleven. Alan Pflueger wrecked on lap fourteen. Johnson fought hard for the final spot on the podium in the final three laps, but was denied by the Monster Energy Drink sponsored trucks of Whelchel and McGrath. In the end it was MacCahren with the win, McGrath in second with his first CORR podium and Whelchel in third.



“I’m new and I’m learning from these guys, they’re the pros,” said seven-time Supercross Champion Jeremy McGrath. “I want to thank the Baldwin team for hooking me up with a great truck and giving me the opportunity to race.



“It’s been an awesome weekend I can’t thank everyone at Red Bull and Barlow Racing enough for a great truck and all the support,” said Rob MacCahren. “I hope we continue on this roll and have this momentum to carry us into Chula Vista in a couple weeks.”



Casey Currie is his Bully Dog Nissan number 14 led the field to the green at the start of the Pro Lite point’s race today in Lancaster, CA. Robert Naughton, Rodrigo Ampudia and Currie were three wide going into turn one. Naughton prevailed with the first position while Ampudia sat in second and Currie held onto third on the first lap. Kyle LeDuc in his number 99 Rockstar Pro Lite was sent over the k rail going into turn five and was unable to return to the race. Jeff Huseman attempted a pass on lap eight for the third position, but was denied by the number 14 of Currie. Ampudia who was running in the second position left the race on lap seven with a mechanical failure. Huseman made the pass past Currie coming out of turn three on lap seven. Meanwhile Naughton continued to run away with the lead. The mandatory caution came out on lap eight. When the field took off again the Maxxis sponsored Pro Lite of Naughton took off with a commanding lead. Javier Sacio hit the k rail between turns one and two on lap ten of fourteen making it unable for him to return to the race. In the end it was Naughton with the win, Huseman in second and Currie placing third.



Don’t forget to buy your tickets to Chula Vista International Raceway on September 29th and 30th for more racing action. You can buy your tickets at www.corracing.com or onsite two weeks prior to the event.



Championship Off Road Racing™ brings high action, four wheel motorsports including 2 wheel drive and 4 wheel drive trucks to the closed course off road arena. The 2007 CORR season includes seven events at tracks located in Los Angeles and San Diego, CA, Fort Worth/Dallas, TX and Primm, NV.

RICK HUSEMAN TOOK HOME HIS FIRST PRO 4 WIN TODAY, WHILE CORR GUEST DRIVER JEREMY MCGRATH WAS IMPRESSIVE IN THE PRO 2 JASON BALDWIN QUALIFIER

SATURDAY RACE RECAP-



(Saturday, September 15, 2007)--CORR is officially back and in action at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds in Lancaster, CA. The battles were intense in all three Pro races. Rick Huseman raced his way to his first CORR Pro 4 win, and Robert Naughton dominated the Pro Lite class.



Guest CORR driver Jeremy McGrath started on the pole in the Jason Baldwin Memorial Cup Qualifier with Dan Vanden Heuvel starting on the outside of row one. When the race went green Vanden Heuvel took off quickly dominating the outside line successfully passing Jeremy McGrath in turn one. Red Bull driver Rob MacCachren started in the 5th position, but shot through the field taking over the second position on lap two. Meanwhile guest driver Jeremy McGrath held onto fourth place. MacCachren and Vanden Heuvel continued to battle it out for the first position; Vanden Heuvel led the first eight laps of the race before the mandatory caution came out. When the race went green Vanden Heuvel continued to lead with MacCachren reeling him in, Johnson took over third on lap ten and MacCachren successfully passed Vanden Heuvel on lap eleven. In the end it was MaCachren with another win for Team Red Bull, followed by Ricky Johnson in second and Carl Renezeder placing third.



Rick Huseman started on the pole in the Lucas Oil Pro 4 Points race on Saturday. On turn two of lap one Carl Renezeder flipped landing on the hood of his truck bringing out the first caution. Renezeder was able to stay in the race, but was sent to the back of the lead lap. Johnny Greaves and Huseman battled it out in turns one and two of lap two. With Greaves taking off with the lead the battle intensified for second between the number 86 of Josh Baldwin and the number 36 of Huseman. Huseman looked to the inside of lap five securing second position. Meanwhile defending Pro 4 Champion Johnny Greaves in his Monster Energy Drink Toyota continued to lead the field. Baldwin continued to fight for third, but was passed on lap seven by the number seven of Scott Douglas. The mandatory caution came out on lap eight with Greaves still leading the field, Huseman in second and Douglas following in third. The race went green and Greaves took off again with an impressive restart. Renezeder brought the caution out for a second time when he flipped over landing on the hood of his truck coming out of turn one. Renezeder was able to stay in the race, but was sent to the back of the field. Greaves took off again with Huseman in the number 36 Fabtech Toyota battling him for the lead position. On lap fourteen race leader Johnny Greaves went over the K Rail coming out of turn one. Huseman took over the lead for the final three laps which resulted in his first CORR Pro 4 win. Douglas finished second and Steve Barlow rounded out the podium.



“This is so awesome I don’t know what to say I need to thank my sponsors and my brothers for their support,” said Huseman. “After Johnny went over the wall, I thought drive nice, calm and slow, the track was so fast I just held on,” said Rick Huseman.



Robert Naughton led the field to green in the Lucas Oil Pro Lite race on Saturday. Kyle LeDuc got turned around in turn one of lap one. LeDuc steadily worked his way from the back up through the field to eighth. Ampudia crashed off the table top in turn one on lap three, ending his race. When the race went green again Naughton continued to lead the race, Huseman sat in second with Casey Currie in third. As Naughton continued to lead, former Pro Lite Champ Kyle LeDuc had made his way up to the fourth position, and Currie to second when the mandatory caution came out on lap eight. On lap nine LeDuc aggressively fought for the third position while Naughton continued to pull away from the field. LeDuc made the pass around Currie in turn two of lap ten, only to loose the position when Currie passed him in turn three. LeDuc was able to successfully secure second on the stretch before turn five. In the end Naughton who led every lap of the race took the win. The resilient Kyle LeDuc took second and Casey Currie held onto third.



Tomorrow’s races will feature CORR guest driver Jeremy McGrath in the Lucas Oil Cup series, the Pro 4 Jason Baldwin Cup Qualifier and round eight of the Pro Lite series. Gates open to the public at 11:00 AM.



Get ready and set your Tivo’s for the Lucas Oil Series tomorrow on SPEED at 2:00 PM EST.



Championship Off Road Racing™ brings high action, four wheel motorsports including 2 wheel drive and 4 wheel drive trucks to the closed course off road arena. The 2007 CORR season includes seven events at tracks located in Los Angeles and San Diego, CA, Fort Worth/Dallas, TX and Primm, NV.

SCORE Primm 300 Post Race Quotes

SCORE TROPHY TRUCK



38 Garron Cadiente (first place in class) – drove solo

“Man, what a race. It was crazy out there. We just didn’t let up the whole time. Thank BF Goodrich for what they do for us. We didn’t have a crowd out there all day, there was no one following us. Everybody gave a lot – you guys did a lot for us with the press this weekend. Cheeseburger, where ever you’re at, I love you buddy. But I’ve got to tell you that guy was on us all day. You couldn’t relax. There’s so many guys that so fast, so many good trucks. It was just a great day for us…Definitely, you have to just keep tabs on everybody behind you but sometimes that tough. We were right in the middle. Everybody was going fast today and I think we just did it a little bit better than everybody else. We’re real excited about this and this was a race we really wanted to win.”



On passing Wyllie:

“Todd (Wyllie) was ahead of us for awhile and we took him over at about Race Mile 55. He ran really good all day. Never saw him until the last lap when we finally started seeing his dust. The course was extremely rough but we ran really hard though.”



(4 hours, 56 minutes, 34 seconds – 3 minutes plus ahead of Mark Post./Rob MacCachren)



On waiting for the race results:

“It’s always scary at the end when you have these guys coming in like this. BJ, and Mark and Rob, been tough all year. They’re just there every race and it’s so tough and it’s a little nervous at the end. I was really confident that we had them. Our split times were good all day. We did have a couple of mechanical issues where we did have to stop a couple of laps. But the guys did a great job today. We kicked *&^% today!”



On the year following his rookie of the year award: “It’s a little bit rougher year than I expected but it’s alright. This was the race where we wanted to regroup and do really well in the points and go in with a full head of steam into the 1000. We are right there in the points. With these guys finishing two and three, it’s going to be really tough to run up on them. So it’s going to take a big win like the 1000 to really pull one out for us. Right there, just to be in the mix with these guys – it’s a super tough series this year. It’s getting tougher every year and these guys are just tremendous drivers. All the equipment is getting better. It’s just a fabulous time and I just want to enjoy the most out of it.”



3 Mark Post (second place in class)

Quote by Rob MacCachren

(Post drove the first 112 miles and MacCachren finished)

(drove in on a flat tire) – “We’re in a real stiff points battle with BJ (Baldwin) and he was three points up on us coming into this event. We have one more event after this one, the SCORE Baja 1000, and we wanted to try to make some of those points up. BJ got a four minute lead on us and on the last lap I just went for broke and tried to catch him. About mile marker 55 or so we were door to door and I couldn’t make the pass stick. He got back in front of me and I was just going crazy through the dust and ended up getting a front flat tire. About a mile after I had my flat front tire, I hadn’t stopped yet, BJ was pulled over changing his so we took a gamble and tried to drive it in here so we could make sure we stayed in front of him and the gamble paid off.”



1 B.J. Baldwin (third place in class) – drove solo

“Well we drew dead last (in position) and we tried to pick them off one by one for the first lap and not take any risks and then go racing for the second lap. We passed a lot of cars. Oh man, me and Rob had great fight and the last 30 miles was awesome. Mark (Post) and I ran real close in Las Vegas. I tried to catch (Todd) Wyllie and (Garron) Cadiente but I really needed to finish in front of Mark (Post) for the points. I have not idea so I just need to stand here and wait (for the results).”



“I had a great day today. We drew last place with a couple cars starting behind us. First lap we just took it easy so see who was going to have issue and who wasn’t. From the second lap on it I just tried to pick people off. The best part of my whole day was going to war with Rob this last 30 miles. It was crazy. Robb (MacCrachren) was trying to get me. He gained some time on me when I got stuck behind a couple of cars and I got a flat. He went by and then he got a flat. He drove in on a flat and I tried to beat him here. I’m not quite sure I made it.”



85 Todd Wyllie (fourth place in class) – drove solo

“I had the lead they were telling me by several minutes for the first two laps and then all of a sudden Garron (Cadiente) came out of nowhere and caught up to me and then he had me by a couple of minutes so I tried pushing it and had an additional flat. Then he got by me so that allowed him to come on in first at that point. He (Garron) had me on time, somewhere through the third lap he caught up to me on time I don’t really know where. It was kind of incredible how fast he caught up with me.”





19 Ed Herbst (fifth place in class) – drove second 2 laps

“We had problems and it cost us some down time. Our CV’s were binding up and it affected our 4-wheel drive. It just got a lot of silt in there and I think they are just binding up with the silt, so we had to grease them up a bunch of times but other than that we had a pretty good day, just not enough.



CLASS 1



100 - Larry Roeseler (first place in class) – drove first 2 laps

Quotes by Troy Herbst, co-driver – drove second 2 laps



“I drove Class I last year. This year I’m back in the Trophy Truck. It was my brother who had an injury last year. We had problems and it cost us some down time. Our CV’s were binding up and it affected our 4-wheel drive just got a lot of silt in there and I think they are just binding up with the silt, so we had to grease them up a bunch of times but other than that we had a pretty good day. It was just not enough.



“It was a great race, a little dusty, a little rocky. It was a good time out here, everyone had friends and everyone was having a good time. I’m pretty happy with the results. Everything went really good today. I started out with Larry this morning and then later hopped in the driver’s seat. It was really fun today. I had a blast. Larry did the first two (laps) and I did the second two (laps).”



134 - Harley Letner (second place in class) – drove first 2 laps

“We had problems with the motor at the first 20 mile marker. We lost a hood and heating problems.

Mike Ballard – (Drove the final laps)

“Our first problem was when we hit the first bed of silt and it just died on us so we shut it down and got out, checked it all out, reset the computer and got it fired back up and it started running by then. We ran it for about 20 miles and saw it was running very hot at about 250 on the temperature. So we slowed down and cooled it down and it ran down at 220 after that.”



102 - Eric Chase (third place in class) – father drove 1st two laps

Eric drove final 2 laps

“My Dad did the first two (laps). We had a really good run. He hurt his arm a couple of weeks ago testing and we weren’t sure if he was going to be able to do one or two or any laps. He was able to do two. We had clean laps, no flats at all. Me and my friend, Chris Wilson, got in at the beginning of the third lap. Had a really good third lap, passed a couple of Class 1 cars, a couple of trophy trucks. Herbst got around us on the fourth (lap). We ran a little bit more of a conservative fourth lap. We’re fifth in points and we’re trying save it for the end. We saw a couple of cars that were ahead of us in points and we just wanted to get here to the finish.”



108 - Armin Schwarz (fourth place in class)

(Schwarz drove two laps and Matthias Kahle drove two laps)



“It was a year ago that Martin introduced me to racing so, for me, it was a good experience to come back here and race again. We had a perfectly prepared car. So, we had nothing to worry about. We just took a chance to go really fast from the beginning.”



103 - Randy Wilson (fifth place in class)

(Ronny started and Randy took over)

“We had a couple of flat tires and we hit a lot of rocks.”



CLASS 1-2/1600



1618 - Cory Boyer (first place in class)

“This feels awesome. It’s my first win ever in the desert. I got my first win in Choke Horse earlier this year in April and it’s awesome. I’ve been waiting for this since I was 18 and I’m 22 now.”



1611 - Aaron Hawley (second place in class)

(On being the first one in.) “Yes, I’m the first one in for this class but there is another guy coming so it’s going to be close on times.”



CLASS 3



300 - Donald Moss (first place in class)

“The course was unbelievably dusty. We had everybody together for awhile and everybody stuck with us, but we hung in there and they were quite a ways back from what we could tell. We had a pretty good run. It would have been good to have a little bit of wind but there wasn’t anything early on. I didn’t see most of the first lap. It was all covered with dust. I want to thank the sponsors West Coast Popular, B.F. Goodrich - everything held up perfectly. I can’t say enough about my crew for all the work they did. They tore the front end up and completely rebuilt it over the past two week so we are pretty happy with this finish.”



305 - Kirk Kovel (second place in class)

“It was pretty bad right off the bat. At about Mile 4, a Class 7 truck got stuck in the silt; about three cars got piled up there and they wanted a push. So, I backed up and rammed them and got them going but then I got stuck. So, I had to get out, get myself unstuck and took back off and then all the dust was gone. At about Mile 4, I went straight for about two miles then tried to turn around and get back on the course and got going again. Other than that I had carburetor problems most of the day and then I had a flat on the last lap and then (car) 301 passed me.”



CLASS 5



518 - Kevin Carr (first place in class)

“It was a good course, good race. Thanks a lot to everybody who helped support us – especially my Dad. He couldn’t make it up here but he’s been looking up the IRC and he’s been watching us all day. It’s been a (few years) coming and it feels pretty good. Michelle was right behind us and she was giving us a good race. The car ran beautifully-- no problems with mechanical. No flats. Great day! Everything went smooth. You know we didn’t want to go slow or fast we just took our pace and so we handled it.”



500 - George Seeley (second place in class)

“I think the course was great. Sal set it up a lot better. It was really neat. They just gave us a fresh motor for this and we put on new B.F. Goodrich tires. Our training was fixed up by Fortner. We really abused the (bleeping) arms on this thing today. We just put new (King) shocks in the front – our coil springs – so it really handled a lot better in the dips today and we were able to run the pace and the last lap we knew where we were so we just kept on going just to get second. We really appreciate you guys being out here.



501 - Michelle Bruckmann (third place in class)

“The race was so much fun. I thought it was a fast track and going to be a semi-easy race but I had it so wrong. Half the race (the car) was broken out in the middle of nowhere. We broke twice the shock bolt --the shock mount-- so we had to fix it twice. We welded it, so we lost a lot of time.”



CLASS 5/1600



553 - Rulo Solano (first place in class)

Rulo Solano’s daughter – “It was an awesome race and a great course. Everyone out there was terrific – a great race. We had no problems whatsoever.”



556 - Mario Reynoso (second place in class)

Francisco Reynoso (brother and co-driver) – “We lost power steering and had no brakes. Mario drove 1½ laps.”



CLASS 7



700 - Dan Chamlee (third place in class)

“I was never in the lead. I was nursing no gas n the shocks for two laps. I don’t know why, but for some reason we didn’t have gas in the shocks for two laps. We couldn’t really get into the throttle all night long.

We got along for third place.



CLASS 7SX



758 Rich Severson – (first place in class)

(On the close finish). “If we are within a minute, we got him. He started a minute ahead of us today. No problems, just a rough course. No flats. We paced ourselves. In the third lap we had to leave for a while and Jim caught us and we just chased him down to the finish and I think we got him.



745 - Jim Hinesley (driver of record) (second place in class)

Co-driver Igor Galvan –

“I think Rich got us by time. I think we got second place. We just got a couple of flats on the way, had a little fire, we had all kinds of things going on.”



CLASS 8



802 - Glenn Greer (first place in class) – drove solo

“We had a scepter shaft break on our steering box in that real rough stuff back there. Toyo’s tires did great. We had traction all day. (Nick Vanderwey) is very good down there at Baja. We haven’t beaten him down there, but I’ll try.”



CLASS 9



949 – Rob MacDonald (first place in class)

“In the first lap with Wagner we broke a fuel pump and the shifter popped out so we could only keep it in second gear. We had some pretty long down time, but actually I had no trouble when I got in after he fixed it. I had no trouble at all, just a great run. We debut the brand new car.”



CLASS 10



1006 - Chris Harrold (first place in class)

“I got a flat on the 1st lap and I lost my GPS so I had to be really careful with the speeds because I didn’t have the GPS read out. Then I lost my water bottle and had a lap and a half to go and I was getting awful thirsty without any water. And then we got a flat at the end somewhere. I was pushing really hard and I rode it in on a flat in the end. There was a stock truck dogging me and I had to eat his dust all the way to the finish so that slowed me down a bit on this last part. In spite of all that I might have pulled it off. I think I had to beat these guys by about five minutes to win.”



1004 - Robert McBeath (second place in class)

“It went pretty good. We lost power steering on the third lap. We got that fixed and after that it was home free. Otherwise, it went very smooth the rest of the day.”



1016 - Larry Job (third place in class)

“The race was great at the beginning, everything was flawless and then we broke a front ring and pinion and lost the 4-wheel drive at about Mile 26. It took about 20 minutes to triage the front-end to 2-wheel drive so it would still roll.”



1001 - Adam Wik (fourth place in class)

“We were down for about 25 or 30 minutes at least. It was a really bad tire change you could say since it fell off the jack and they had to dig it out. It happened about Mile Marker 56, which is up in the big rocks and tough because it’s not flat around there. But overall we’ve been doing just an outstanding job all year.”



SCORE LITES



1209 - Jason Batulis (first place in class)



1249 - Ty Godde (second place in class)

“I don’t know how close we were but we are within four or five minutes. We stopped for fuel in the first lap so we could lighten the car so we could make up time and lost about a half a minute there.”



STOCK FULL



861 – John Griffin (first place in class)

“We didn’t stop. The car ran perfect. It was pretty rough – this sucks it up pretty good. The second lap was a little more rough than the first. The bumps got a little more square. We had a pretty uneventful race. We only stuffed one hole. The course was a little rough but not as bad as last year. No flats.”



863 - Chad Hall (second place in class)

“I got one! We had no trouble at all. The course was really rough and we just kind of motored around. We had absolutely no problems whatsoever and ended up having a good day. I’ve never raced this course before. Obviously, I’ve run part of it many times, but not actual Primm. No, I wasn’t surprised with my first time. We weren’t going to go fast. We were going to just drive around. I mean we would drive as fast as this thing would go and (Gavin) went real fast the first lap and we just worked on it and kept going.”



860 - Terry Henn (third place in class)

‘It was a fun day. We just had a little mishap at the beginning. We got kind of sidetracked with the dust and made a little detour which took us completely out of the way and we had a little trouble getting back because they wanted us back on the track where we detoured.”



STOCK MINI



779 - Gavin Skilton (first place in class)

“This was the roughest course ever! I can’t wait to get to (The SCORE Baja 1000). I had some mechanical problems. I had a trailing arm break on the first lap. I was in the lead with a good lead then I just got stuck with people blocking the washes then not marking blind corners and coming around corners. I had to take getting stuck over hitting them. It’s very dangerous when people don’t mark themselves around a blind corner when they’re stopped in the course. The next race, the SCORE Baja 1000 is where I like to race. Nevada is very tough to race in the stock production cars.”



761 - Steve Kovach (second place in class)

“It was real dusty in the morning. We started off in the sun and it made it pretty exciting and the course has changed each lap dramatically.

What’s next for us? The 1000 – we’re geared up for it. We finished second today. (Rod Hall) passed me and I could never get back with him.”



PROTRUCK



235 - Jason Voss (first place in class) – drove solo

“The track was good. Our truck worked awesome the whole time until six miles out when we lost the distributor gear. It cost us about 40 minutes.”

Cadiente roars to Overall and SCORE Trophy-Truck victory;

Cadiente roars to Overall and SCORE Trophy-Truck victory;

Roeseler/Herbst top Class 1 at SCORE Terrible's Primm 300



Boyer, Batulis, Harrold, Severson, Herrera Jr. also class winners

At Round 5 of the six-race 2007 SCORE Desert Series



PRIMM, Nev.—Driving with power, consistency and finesse, Arizona’s Garron Cadiente deftly manuevered his No.38 G&R Racing Ford F-150 race truck to the overall and SCORE Trophy-Truck victory Saturday at the 12th Annual SCORE Terrible’s Primm 300 desert race. In earning his second career SCORE Trophy-Truck race win, Cadiente, the 2006 SCORE Rookie of the Year, covered the rugged 288-mile race in four hours, 56 minutes and 34 seconds, averaging a ground-pounding 58.27 miles per hour while covering the four laps over the rugged 72-mile desert race course.

Starting midway in the star-studded field of 27 starters in SCORE Trophy-Truck, Cadiente was second physically on the course after one lap, but already had the overall lead in the race for good. His consistency netted laps of 1:13:48, 1:13:46, 1:15:16 and he capped off his sterling performance with a 1:13:44, the fastest lap run by any vehicle in the race.

SCORE Trophy-Trucks, the marquee SCORE racing division swept the podium as the team of Mark Post, San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas was second in a time of 5:00:42 in the No. 3 Riviera Racing Ford F-150 while third overall was Las Vegas’ B.J. Baldwin with a time of 5:01:58 in his No. 1 Baldwin Motorsports Chevy Silverado.

“Man, what a race…it was crazy out there,” said Cadiente, whose first win in the class for 800-horsepower, high-tech, unlimited production trucks was last year’s Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250. “We just didn’t let up the whole time. I have to thank BF Goodrich Tires for what they do for us, their tires and amazing. We didn’t have a crowd out there all day, there was no one following us, but you couldn’t relax. There are so many guys that go so fast, so many good trucks. It was just a great day for us. Definitely, you have to just keep tabs on everybody behind you but sometimes that’s tough. We were right in the middle at the start. Everybody was going fast today and I think we just did it a little bit better than everybody else. We’re real excited about this and this was a race we really wanted to win.”

The overall win by a SCORE Trophy-Truck marked the eighth time and fifth straight year that the class has beaten the unlimited class 1 open wheelers in the 12-year history of the popular Southern Nevada desert race.

SCORE’s 34th anniversary season continued with 82 survivors out of 183 starters, competed in 18 Pro and 2 Sportsman classes for cars and trucks finishing within the seven-hour time limit in the elapsed-time race.

Round 5 of the six-race 2007 SCORE Desert Series, the world’s foremost desert racing series, featured racers from 16 States and four countries racing on a typically rugged Southern Nevada race course under brilliantly sunny skies with a light westerly wind keep temperatures near fall-like in the low 90s.

In the tightly contested season point battle in SCORE Trophy-Truck, the Post/MacCachren team took over the lead by a slim one point over B.J. Baldwin, the reigning SCORE Trophy-Truck season point champion.

Finishing fourth overall and beating a race-high field of 37 starters the unlimited Class 1 was the team of Larry Roeseler, Hesperia, Calif./Troy Herbst, Las Vegas in a time of 5:08:41 in the No. 100 Terrible Herbst Motorsports Smithbuilt-Ford. It was the 23rd Class 1 race win for the magnificent machine since it debuted in 1997.

Todd Wyllie, New River, Ariz., had a solid fifth overall finish and was fourth in SCORE Trophy-Truck with a time of 5:09:14 in the No. 85 Wyllie Racing Chevy Silverado.

Fifth in SCORE Trophy-Truck and sixth overall was Las Vegas brothers Tim and Ed Herbst in a time of 5:17:27 in the No. 19 Terrible Herbst Motorsports Ford F-150.

For the sixth consecutive year, the race was split into two groups with the slower classes running in the morning. The truck classes, including the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division along with the unlimited Class 1 open-wheel class, raced in the afternoon.

Hard-charging Chris Harrold’s VW-powered AlumiCraft open-wheel desert race car was the fastest during the morning section of the race, winning Class 10 in 5:37:24, which was also 11th overall in the race. Harrold was eighth out of 15 starters after the first lap,



moved up to fifth after two laps, slipped to ninth after three laps before bursting out with a final lap of 1:19:45. It was the fastest lap of the day in his class.

Winning the Primm race for the fifth time in six years were brothers Donald Moss, Sacramento, Calif., and Ken Moss, Marysville, Calif., in their sturdy Ford Bronco.

Mexico’s Eric Solorzano increased his lead even further as the winningest racer in the event, claiming Class 11 in his stock VW sedan for the eighth time in the 12-year history of the popular race.

Legendary venerable veteran Rod Hall of Reno, Nev., the only driver who has raced in all 39 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 races (with a record 18 class wins), won Stock Mini in a Hummer H3 for the second straight year.

Other class winners included Kevin Carr, San Diego (Class 5, VW Baja Bug), Rulo Solano, Pomona, Calif. (Class 5/1600, VW Baja Bug), Victor Herrera Jr., Menifee, Calif./Victor Herrera Sr., Tijuana, Mex (Class 7, Ford Ranger), Rich Severson, Mesa, Ariz. (Class 7SX, Ford Ranger), John Griffin, Mission Viejo, Calif./Jeremy Spirkoff, El Cajon, Calif. (Stock Full, Ford F-350) and Glenn Greer, Green Valley, Ariz. (Class 8, Dodge Ram 1500). It was the third win in this race for both Herrera Jr. and Griffin.

The stage is now set for the season-ending 40th anniversary of the legendary Tecate



SCORE Baja 1000 desert race to be held November 10-16 in Baja California, Mexico. The celebratory peninsula run will include pre-race festivities in Tijuana and Ensenada and will start in Ensenada and finish approximately 1,300 miles later in Cabo San Lucas on the southernmost tip of the majestic and mysterious peninsula.

The 2007 SCORE Desert Series also includes the chase for the $75,000 Kartek Off-Road contingency bonus to be awarded to several 2007 SCORE Class point champions along with the run for the $12,000 Toyota True Grit and Toyota Milestone Awards.

Current SCORE official annual sponsors are: BFGoodrich Tires-official tire, Sunoco Race Fuels/Bryant Petroleum-official fuel supplier, Bilstein-official shock, Volkswagen-official vehicle, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance-official Mexican auto insurance, American Racing ATX Series-official wheel, Slime-official tire sealant, Airstar America-official space lighting provider, Red Bull--official energy drink and Bosch Power Tools-official power tool. Associate sponsors are: Tecate Beer, Coca-Cola of Mexico, Las Vegas Events, Terrible Herbst Inc., Blue C Enthusiast Advertising, Kartek Off-Road, Fram, Autolite, Prestone, Bendix, American Suzuki, NAPA Chassis, SignPros, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.

Co-title sponsors for the 12th SCORE Terrible’s Primm 300 are Las Vegas Events and Terrible Herbst Inc.

For more information, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the 2007 SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.



SCORE Terrible’s Primm 300

Round 5 of six-race 2007 SCORE Desert Series

Saturday, Sept. 8, 2007, at Primm, Nev.

Total Distance – 288 miles (4 laps, 72-mile course)



TOP OVERALL FINISHERS



1. Garron Cadiente, Mesa, Ariz., Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy-Truck) 4 hours, 56 minutes, 24 seconds (58.27 miles per hour)

2. Mark Post, San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy-Truck) 5:00:42 (57.465 mph)

3. B.J. Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado (SCORE Trophy-Truck) 5:01:58 (57.225 mph)

4. Larry Roeseler, Hesperia, Calif./Troy Herbst, Las Vegas, Smithbuilt-Ford (Class 1) 5:08:41 (55.99 mph)

5. Todd Wyllie, New River, Ariz., Chevy Silverado (SCORE Trophy-Truck) 5:09:14 (55.88 mph)

6. Tim Herbst/Ed Herbst, Las Vegas, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy-Truck) 5:17:27 (54.43 mph)

7. Chris Robinson/Michael Robinson, Riverside, Calif., Chevy Silverado (SCORE Trophy-Truck) 5:17:46 (54.38 mph)

8. Harley Letner/Kory Halopoff, Orange, Calif., Tatum-Chevy (Class 1) 5:23:07 (53.48 mph)

9. Eric Chase/Stuart Chase, Burbank, Calif., Penhall-Chevy (Class 1) 5:26:13 (52.97 mph)

10. Armin Schwarz/Matthias Kahle, Germany/Martin Christensen, Escondido, Calif., Jimco-BMW (Class 1) 5:27:54 (52.70 mph)

11. Chris Harrold, Chula Vista, Calif., AlumiCraft-Honda (Class 10) 5:37:24 (51.22 mph)

12. Ronny Wilson, Long Beach, Calif./Randy Wilson, Lakewood, Calif., Jimco-Chevy (Class 1) 5:37:26 (51.23 mph)

13. Enrique Bujanda, Socorro, Texas/Hector Trillo, Canutillo, Texas, Porter-Chevy (Class 1) 5:40:21 (50.77 mph)

14. Bobby Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado (SCORE Trophy-Truck) 5:40:38 (50.73 mph)

15. Todd Cuffaro, Coronado, Calif./Vic Bruckmann, Lemon Grove, Calif., Porter-Chevy (Class 1) 5:41:11 (50.65 mph)

16. Richard Boyle, Ridgecrest, Calif./Ron Brant, Oak Hills, Calif., Jimco-Chevy (Class 1) 5:41:16 (50.64 mph)

17. John Harrah, Reno, Nev./Mark Levrett, Sparks, Nev., Jimco-Chevy (Class 1) 5:44:22 (50.18 mph)

18. Robert McBeath, Las Vegas, Jimco-Honda (Class 10) 5:46:11 (49.92 mph)

19. Pat Dean, Las Vegas, Bunderson-Chevy (Class 1) 5:48:35 (49:57 mph)

20. Larry Job/Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, Jimco-Honda (Class 10) 5:56:12 (48.51 mph)

21. Daniel Wingerning, Redondo Beach, Calif./Bill Wingerning, Rolling Hills Estates, Calif., Jimco-Chevy (Class 1) 5:56:41 (48.45 mph)

22. Jason Batulis, Tustin, Calif./Cameron Brewer, Laguna Nigel, Calif., Prep By Jake-VW (SCORE Lite) 6:00:04 (47.99 mph)

23. Billy Gasper, Chino Hills, Calif./Dave Gasper, Santa Barbara, Calif., Porter-Chevy (Class 1) 6:03:33 (47.53 mph)

24. Adam Wik/Bekki Wik, Las Vegas, Jimco-Honda (Class 10) 6:06:58 (47.09 mph)

25. Justin Lofton, Westmorland, Calif., Jimco-Chevy (Class 1) 6:08:13 (46.93 mph)

26. Dan Myers, Costa Mesa, Calif./Casey Currie, Anaheim, Calif., Porter-Chevy (Class 1) 6:08:57 (46.84 mph)

26. Cory Boyer, Bakersfield, Calif./Fernie Padilla, Las Vegas, Lothringer-VW (Class 1-2/1600) 6:08:57 (46.84 mph)

28. Aaron Hawley, Las Vegas/Brian Burgess, Riverside, Calif., Seagrove-VW, 6:10:21 (46.66 mph)

29. Gary Weyhrich/Mark Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Jimco-Chevy (Class 1) 6:10:30 (46.64 mph)

30. Ty Godde, Palmdale, Calif./Robert Ross, Chula Vista, Calif./Jim Greenway, Ojai, Calif., Fusion (SCORE Lite) 6:10:30 (46.64 mph)





SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300

All-Time Overall Winners



1996--Robby Gordon, Orange, Calif., Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy-Truck)

1997--Curt LeDuc, Cherry Valley, Calif., Jeep Grand Cherokee (SCORE Trophy-Truck)

1998--Ed and Tim Herbst, Las Vegas, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy-Truck)

1999--Troy Herbst, Las Vegas, Smithbuilt-Ford (Class 1)

2000--Steve Sourapas, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., Jimco-Chevy (Class 1)

2001--Troy Herbst, Las Vegas, Smithbuilt-Ford (Class 1)

2002--Mike Julson, Santee, Calif./Bob Lofton, Westmorland, Calif., Jimco-Chevy (Class 1)

2003--Tim Herbst/Ed Herbst, Las Vegas, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy-Truck)

2004--Alan Pflueger, Honolulu, Chevy Silverado (SCORE Trophy-Truck)

2005--Brian Collins, Las Vegas/Larry Ragland, Cave Creek, Ariz., Chevy Silverado (SCORE Trophy-Truck)

2006—Bob Shepard, Phoenix, Chevy CK1500 (SCORE Trophy-Truck)

2007—Garron Cadiente, Mesa, Ariz., Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy-Truck)

Suzuka to alternate with Fuji as F1 venue

Suzuka circuit will alternate with Fuji as host of the Japanese Grand Prix from 2009, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone and local organisers said on Saturday.

Ecclestone said in a statement released by his Formula One Management at the Italian Grand Prix that the decision ensures "the progress and success of keeping Formula One in Japan over the long term".

"I appreciate that Fuji Speedway accepted this and am very happy that Fuji Speedway and Suzuka Circuit made this possible," he added.

"It also makes me very pleased that we will retain Suzuka as it has supported Formula One for 20 years and the large amount of our fans."

Toyota-owned Fuji Speedway, who hosted the Japanese Grand Prix in 1976 and 1977, returns to the calendar this year for the 15th round of the season on September 30. It is also assured of next year's race.

Honda's Suzuka facility was a favourite circuit with drivers and hosted the Japanese Grand Prix from 1987.

(Source: Reuters)

$100m record fine for McLaren on spy scandal

McLaren have been stripped of their points in the 2007 Formula One constructors' championship after the outcome of the "spygate" row.

The team were also fined a record $100m (£49.2m), which includes any prize and television money they would have earned from the constructors' championship.

But drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso can keep their points.

The team must also prove there is no Ferrari "intellectual property" in their cars next year before racing.

The decision means Ferrari, who go into this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix second in the constructors' championship, 57 points ahead of third-placed BMW Sauber, are almost certain to be crowned champions.

The row centres on McLaren being in possession of a confidential 780-page technical document belonging to Ferrari.

When he left the hearing, FIA president Max Mosley was asked if justice had been done, and replied "Yes".

A Ferrari statement said: "In light of new evidence, facts and behaviour of an extremely serious nature and grossly prejudicial to the interest of the sport have been further demonstrated.

"Ferrari is satisfied that the truth has now emerged."

The World Motor Sport Council said it would publish the reasoning behind its verdict on Friday.

And McLaren team chief Ron Dennis said he would wait until then before deciding whether to appeal.

"We believe we have grounds for appeal but of course we are going to wait for the findings of the FIA which are going to be published," Dennis explained.

"The most important thing is that we go motor racing this weekend, the rest of the season and next season."

Although he was clearly relieved that the team could continue racing, Dennis was understandably upset at what he saw as the besmirching of the team name.

"Having been at the hearing I do not accept that we deserve to be penalised or our reputation damaged in this way," he said.

"Today's evidence given to the FIA by our drivers, engineers and staff clearly demonstrated we did not use any leaked information to gain a competitive advantage.

"The WMSC received statements from Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Pedro de la Rosa stating categorically no Ferrari information had been used by McLaren, and that no confidential data had been passed to the team.

"The entire engineering team in excess of 140 people provided statements to the FIA affirming they had never received or used the Ferrari information.

"We have never denied that the information from Ferrari was in the personal possession of one of our employees at his home.

"The issue is: was this information used by McLaren? This is not the case and has not been proven."

At the first hearing into the row, on 26 July, McLaren got off without punishment, but another hearing was convened after new evidence emerged, and that led to the points deduction and huge financial penalty.

Three-time world champion Sir Jackie Stewart believes there is more information to be made public.

"All I can say, without being in full command of all of the information, is that the offence must be considerably larger than has been projected either by the governing body of the sport or within the media," he told BBC Radio 5live.

"This isn't murder that has been carried out, this is something that has happened before and there wasn't even a fine or disciplinary action taken by the same governing body.

"There is something very strange going on, there is no doubt about that.

"From what information we have been given so far, this does not constitute a penalty of this scale with regards to the crime that has been carried out.

"And even if they were found guilty of that particular crime, it doesn't justify this kind of penalty."

(Source: BBC co uk)

Speed Channel’s Dave Despain added to lineup For ‘40 Years to Glory’ SCORE Baja 1000 Tribute

Star of Highly- Rated Wind Tunnel Show to Co-host special gala

With Fellow Television Personality and SCORE Baja veteran Paul Page



LOS ANGELES—Adding to a rapidly growing list of Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 celebrities and racing legends, event producers for the upcoming ‘40 Years to Glory’ gala today announced the addition of Dave Despain as co-host of the evening. Despain, host of two highly popular Speed Channel shows – Wind Tunnel and Inside Nextel Cup -- will join broadcast colleague Paul Page in presenting the evening’s multi-media stage presentation honoring four decades of one of the world’s most recognized motorsports icons.

To be held on the evening of Thursday, Sept. 27 at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, California, ‘40 Years to Glory’ represents the largest event of its kind in the history of desert racing.

Like co-host Page, Despain is a renowned television personality, legendary motorsports celebrity and talented event emcee. Perhaps now most recognized for hosting his top-rated Speed Channel show Wind Tunnel, the highly outspoken Despain also shares another unique characteristic with ABC Sports/ESPN’s Page, an authentic passion for the colorful past and evergreen racing challenge that is the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000.

“Baja is one of my favorite places in the world, and its name is synonymous with one of the purest forms of racing I’ve ever experienced, “Despain explained. To gather at a venue as classy as the Long Beach Performing Arts Center in honor all these heroes, who raced their hearts out in the middle of nowhere, is a spectacular idea. It should also be one Helluva’ party and I am very proud to be invited!”

A self-proclaimed failed motorcycle racer, Despain spent the decade of the ‘70s working for the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in public relations and publishing. He was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999. His first national TV appearance assignment was the “Daytona 200” for ABC’s World of Sports in 1975. In 1981 he became the host of racing’s first weekly highlight show – MotorWeek Illustrated – on Turner Broadcasting, regularly reporting on off-road racing. His resume also includes racing coverage for NBC and Fox, plus a five-year stint with CBS as NASCAR pit reporter and motorcycle analyst. Before joining Speed in 1999, he spent eight years with ESPN, where he anchored the network’s coverage of the SCORE desert series and its signature SCORE Baja 1000 event.

‘40 Years to Glory’ will be comprised of the world’s largest display of vintage and historic desert racing vehicles and motorcycles, live music, cocktails and a huge buffet-style dinner. That will be followed by the ‘40 Years to Glory’ presentation in the complex’s Terrace Theater, a multi-media trip through four decades of racing featuring live music, video presentations and a whose-who list of honorees receiving specially-made awards. The night will be capped off with the “Baja After Party” back on the plaza.

The special gala is being made possible by the generous support of presenting partners Volkswagen of America, BFGoodrich Tires and Blue C Communications, in association with Dirt Sports Magazine, Hot Rod Magazine, Kartek Off-Road and the Bandito Brothers.

Tickets for this never-to-be-repeated event are now on sale from the Long Beach Performing Arts Center box office or via Ticketmaster at (213) 480-3232 or (714) 740-2000 or online at www.40yearstoglory.com. Guest tickets will include admission, dinner, and a commemorative event program. Like a concert or play, guests will also be provided with a reserved seat inside the Terrace Theater and sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

This year’s 40th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, the season finale of the six-race 2007 SCORE Desert Series for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs, will be held Nov. 10-16 as a journey down Mexico’s majestic Baja California peninsula. With pre-race activities in Tijuana, the race will start in Ensenada and finish some 1,300 miles later in Cabo San Lucas. With nearly 350 entries expected from 40 U.S. States and 15 countries, the historic race will be taped by NBC Sports.