NASCAR, NHRA, WRC, IndyCar, SCCA, Supercross racers, Hollywood celebs all lured to 40th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000

NASCAR’s R. Gordon and ‘Dr. McDreamy’ leading crossovers

To 1,296.39-mile adventure down Mexico’s Baja California peninsula;

Live internet coverage through www.score-international.com

LOS ANGELES—From NASCAR’s Robby Gordon to Hollywood’s Patrick Dempsey and Jesse James, the lure of the extreme adventure has drawn over 30 crossover racers and celebrities to challenge the 40^th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race, the granddaddy of all desert races.

With pre-race festivities starting Sunday and the race starting Tuesday morning, this year’s historic 40^th anniversary odyssey of the world’s longest non-stop and most famous desert race will be a grueling and memorable 1,296-39 mile adventure down Mexico’s mysterious Baja California peninsula starting in Ensenada, Baja California and finishing in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California, Sur.

The season-finale of the six-race 2007 SCORE Desert Series will feature nearly 450 entries from 43 U.S. States and 16 countries. From weekend warriors to Hollywood actors and producers, the famous and not-so-famous will compete in 28 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs. Among the entries are 22 class winners from last year’s race.

While Gordon’s roots are in SCORE Baja racing as a second-generation desert racer, actor Patrick Dempsey and reality TV star James have been hooked and will both be competing in the legendary race for the third straight year.

While all the rugged regulars in the world’s foremost desert racing series will be in Mexico, the lure of this amazing race also attracts crossover racers as well as adventurers from all walks of life.

The talented field of desert-racing veterans includes 138 racers who have combined for 358 class wins in this race. In that group are 12 racers who have combined for a total of 21 overall 4-wheel vehicle wins and 12 more riders have combined for 26 overall motorcycle victories.

“While the list of names has changed some, we have never had more of a diverse group of crossover racers and celebs as we do for this year’s 40^th Anniversary of the incredible Tecate SCORE Baja 1000,” said Sal Fish, SCORE CEO and President since soon after the Los Angeles-based SCORE International was founded in 1973. “This classic event began in 1967 and yet another remarkable chapter in the colorful history of the world’s most famous desert race will be added this year. We are honored to have these racers from other forms of motorsports as well as the celebs and we are humbled to have over 400 of our rugged regular SCORE desert racers entered as well.”

The motorcycle and ATV classes will start their journey at 6:30 a.m. (PST) (Tuesday, Nov. 13) with the car and truck classes starting at approximately 11 a.m. (PST), or three hours after the last ATV leaves the line. The starting line will be on Blvd. Costero in front of the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center in Ensenada. Vehicles will leave in 30-second intervals in the elapsed-time race and while the fastest finishers are expected to complete the course in approximately 23 hours.

The finish line area in Cabo San Lucas will be inside the Campos de Futbol “Yenecamu” soccer fields next to the Villa del Palmar Resort, the official SCORE race headquarters. The SCORE Media Center and SCORE Race Operations will both be located at the adjacent Villa del Palmar. Official checkpoint passing times from Rally Track will be displayed at the hotel.

With massive crowds reaching over 300,000 anticipated to again be spread out along the point-to-point course, the race will start for the 33^rd time in Ensenada and will finish for only the second time in Cabo San Lucas.

NASCAR Nextel Cup team owner/driver Robby Gordon, Charlotte, N.C., whose roots are in SCORE desert racing, returns as defending overall 4-wheel winner in the Team Gordon No. 71 Chevy CK1500 in SCORE Trophy-Truck. Gordon will pull double-duty, driving the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 before flying to Homestead, Fla., to race in the NASCAR Nextel Cup season finale.

Gordon won last year’s race with driving help from third-generation desert racer Andy McMillin but this year his father Bob is expected to drive part of the rugged race.

Dempsey has put together an all-star team of drivers in his attempt to win the Baja Challenge class as one of 18 competitors in the class for identically-equipped, Subaru-powered Baja touring cars. Splitting wheel time with him in the BC-2 will be father and son Pike’s Peak Hill Climb champions Rod and Rhys Millen and NASCAR Cup racer and sports car legenend Boris Said.

In his first full season in the SCORE Desert Series, TV personality Jesse James, of Monster Garage fame, will drive his new No. 54 Chevy Silverado SCORE Trophy-Truck.

NHRA Top Fuel stars J.R. Todd and Morgan Lucas, both from Avon, Ind., will make their race debut by each driving a section of the race in No. 131 Penhall-Chevy open-wheel desert race car of Ed Hullinger.

Cyril Despres, of France, veteran Dakar Rally racer, 2007 overall Motorcycle winner will be riding for the KTM factory motorcycle team on the No. 9x in Class 22 for open motorcycles.

Besides Gordon, also returning to their racing roots are NASCAR Truck Series regular Brendan Gaughan, Las Vegas (Class 1), and NASCAR Grand National West Series regular Brian Ickler, Poway, Calif. (SCORE Trophy-Truck).

Among the other cross-over racers who are entered to date include World Rally champion Armin Schwarz of Germany, former IndyCar star Danny Sullivan, former NASCAR and open-wheel racer turned TV commentator Wally Dallenbach, former IndyCar racer Scott Atchison, Supercross motorcycle legends Jeremy McGrath and Ricky Johnson, Pike’s Peak Hill Climb champion Gay Smith, former Sprint Car turned stock car racer Erin Crocker, Indy Pro Series team owner/driver Ken Losch, Rock Crawling star Tracy Jordan, Snowmobile racers Paul Thacker and Chris Burandt, Snowboarder Luke Trembath, Rally racers and X Games stars Ken Block and Tanner Foust (also a Drifting point champ), TV show creator/producer Bud Brutsman, and Freestyle MX, XGames Gold Medalist Kyle Loza.

Pre-race festivities on Monday, Nov. 12, for the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, including tech and contingency and the SCORE Manufacturer’s Midway will be held from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (PST) adjacent to Nico Saad’s San Nicolas Hotel, the official SCORE race headquarters in Ensenada. The pre-race mandatory driver/rider briefing will be held Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. (PST) at the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center. Racer registration will be held at the San Nicolas from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. (PST) on

Sunday, Nov. 11 and from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. (PST) on Monday, Nov. 12.

The post-race Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 Award’s Celebration will be held during the SCORE Fiesta at the Playa Cascadas (adjacent to the Villa del Palmar) at noon on Friday, Nov. 16.

With 431 official entries to date and late entries excepted up until race morning, the four-wheel vehicle classes with the most entries to date are SCORE Trophy-Truck (32), Class 1 (31), Class 1-2/1600 (25), Class 5/1600 (22), SCORE Lite (19), Baja Challenge (18), Class 8 (14), Protruck (13), Stock Full (12) and Class 5 (11).

The motorcycle classes with the most entries so far are: Class 22 (24), Class 40 (16) and Class 30 (11).

Leading the six Sportsman classes in the race is Sportsman Motorcycle over 250cc which has 54 and Sportsman ATV with 17 entries to date.

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 Mexico’s mysterious Baja California peninsula.

This year’s Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race will be televised on a delayed basis as a one-hour NBC Sports special for the fourth consecutive year, airing on Dec. 30 on the NBC Television Network. It will also air on a delayed basis outside of the U.S. on ESPN International.

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.

The race will also include the special $40,000 cash contingency purse provided by Volkswagen of America. Top finishers in all classes where VW engines are required or allowed will be eligible.

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, 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.

Additional associate sponsors, for the 2007 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 are: Cotuco de Ensenada, Fideicomiso Publio para la Promocion Turistica de Ensenada, the government of Baja California Sur, the State Tourism Department of Baja California Sur the city tourism fund of Loreto and the city tourism fund of Los Cabos.

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.