Nearly US$500,000 posted from Contingency Donors For November’s 41st annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000

October 31, 2008

Nearly 375 race entries expected
Nearly US$500,000 posted from Contingency Donors
For November’s 41st annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000

General Tire posts SCORE race-record $170,000; Volkswagen of America offering $14,000 regular & $5,000 bonus
As over 60 companies post contingency for Nov. 19-23 Granddaddy of all desert races in Mexico

LOS ANGELES—Contingency, the program where companies post cash and/or products for race teams, has been at the foundation of motorsports for decades and November’s 41st annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 race will see one of the largest postings in desert racing history as over 60 companies have posted almost $500,000 for this year’s version of the Grandaddy of all desert races.
With nearly 375 entries expected to compete in 28 Pro and 7 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs, the granddaddy of all desert races will be held Nov. 19-23 in Ensenada, Mexico. Completing its 35th year as the World’s foremost desert racing sanctioning body, the event is the finale of the five-race 2008 SCORE Desert Series. To date entries have come from 38 U.S. States and 19 countries.
With a cash purse of nearly $150,000, the combined total of nearly $650,000 in cash and contingency postings, this year’s race will have one of the largest totals in the history of the popular grassroots motorsport.
General Tire (GeneralTire.com) is posting a SCORE race-record $170,000 contingency program for this race while Volkswagen of America (VW.com), the SCORE Official Vehicle, has posted nearly $20,000 as part of their season-long contingency posting of $100,000 to eligible racers.
“Contingency has always been a major component for desert racing and the commitment from donors for the 41st Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 is absolutely amazing,” commented Sal Fish, SCORE President/CEO since soon after it was founded in 1973 and the innovator who brought the contingency concept to desert racing from his experience with the NHRA as the publisher of Hot Rod Magazine. “Contingency is at the backbone of our sport and this year’s posting adds even more incentive for our courageous racers.”
As with all contingency postings, eligible vehicles must use the product and display decals and some have additional requirements as well.
Part of the General Tire posting includes, based on eligibility for the award, a $30,000 bonus to the overall 4-wheel winner of the race, in addition to their class award (which is $20,000 each for SCORE Trophy-Truck and Class 1).
Part of the VW of America posting is a $5,000 bonus to the highest finishing VW-powered 4-wheel vehicle in the race.
Current SCORE official annual sponsors who are also SCORE Contingency donors for the season are: BFGoodrich Tires-official tire, Volkswagen of America-official vehicle, Sunoco Race Fuels -official fuel supplier, Bilstein-official shock, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance-official Mexican auto insurance, Slime-official tire sealant, SignPros, P.C.I. Race Radios, and McKenzie’s Performance Products.
In addition to the massive General Tire posting, the other company making its first SCORE Contingency donor posting of the year is Ride-On (Ride-On.com) tire protection system which has a cash contingency posting worth nearly $4,000.
Pre-running on the 629.74-mile loop course will officially begin on Saturday.
While late entries are accepted up to race day, a total of 353 entries have officially registered for the race as of today which will put the starting field in the top five in the 41-year history of the storied event.
With massive crowds reaching nearly 300,000 anticipated to again be spread out along the rugged course that travels through the Pine Forest over the infamous La Rumorosa grade to near Tecate and Mexicali, down through Laguna Salada to San Felipe and back through El Borregoto the Pacific Coast through Santo Tomas covering much of the northern half of the majestic Baja California peninsula.
Pre-race festivities on Thursday, Nov. 20, for the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, including the vastly popular tech and contingency of all vehicles and the SCORE Manufacturer’s Midway will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Boulevard Costero in front of the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center. The pre-race mandatory driver/rider briefing will be held Thursday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Cathedral Room at the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center. Racer and media registration will be held at the San Nicolas Resort Hotel from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19 and from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20.
The post-race Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 Survivor’s Celebration will be held poolside at the San Nicolas Resort Hotel at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23.
The car and truck classes with the most entries to date are the unlimited Class 1 (30), SCORE Trophy-Truck (29), Class 5/1600 and SCORE Lite (15 each) along with Class 1-2/1600 and Class 10 (14 each) and Baja Challenge Class (13).
Among the motorcycle and ATV classes, Class 22 has the most entries to date with 15, followed by Class 30 with 11.
Leading the seven Sportsman classes in the race to date is Sportsman Motorcycle over 250cc with 41 entries, Sportsman ATV (17) and Sportsman Motorcycle under 250cc (16).
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 fifth consecutive year, scheduled to air at 1 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, Dec. 14 on the NBC Television Network. It will also air on a delayed basis outside of the U.S. on ESPN International. It will mark the seventh time in race history that this legendary adventure has been televised on a major national network.
The 2008 SCORE Desert Series also includes the chase for the $20,000 Volkswagen of America Point Leader Bonus and the run for the Toyota Milestone Awards for car and truck racers who complete every required mile of the season.
Among the other special awards at the event will be the Sal Fish SCORE IronRider award presented to all declared motorcycle and ATV riders who are official finishers of the race while riding solo. As an added bonus will be $150 for the fastest SCORE IronRider, $100 for the second fastest and $50 for the third fastest posted by German attorney Michael Ott-Eulberg, who will be making the attempt himself. Ott-Eulberg’s posting has been matched by Tom Wimberly of Bakersfield, Calif. To date, a total of 30 riders (27 motorcycles and 3 ATVs) have official declared that the will be riding solo in the race.
For more information on the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the 2008 SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.
Questions regarding SCORE Contingency should be directed to Charlie Engelbart, longtime SCORE Contingency Director, at pt4charlie@aol.com.

2008 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 Contingency donors
The 2008 SCORE Contingency donors who represent those manufacturers and other sport-related companies whose pledges for the 2008 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 totals nearly $500,000 (as of 10/31/08)…

Advanced Air Cleaners
Baja Designs
Baja Husky’s
Beard Seats
BFGoodrich Tires, Official Tire of SCORE
Bilstein Shocks, Official Shock of SCORE
CMS Racing Wheels
Cow Race Photos
DeNunzio Racing Products
Desert Specialties
DirtBagz
Dusty Times
FAT Performance
F&L Fuel
Foddrill Motorsports
Fortin Racing
Four Wheel Parts
Fox Shox
General Tires
Goodyear Tires
Howe Performance
Instant Mexico, Official Mexican Auto Insurance
KC HiLites
King Shocks
Lothringer Engineering
Major Performance
MasterCraft
McKenzie’s, Official SCORE Sponsor
Mendeola Transaxles
NEO Oil
Ntensetees
Off-Road Warehouse
Parker Pumper
PCI Race Radios, Official SCORE Sponsor
PIAA Lights
Race Ready Products
Racers Only
Revolution Shocks
Ride-On tire sealant
RLH Communications
Shell Racing Fuel
SignPros, Official SCORE Sponsor
Sign Tech
Slime, Official Tire Sealant of SCORE
Sunoco, Official Race Fuel of SCORE
Sway-A-Way
Torco Race Fuels
Total Power Batteries
Toyota/TRD
Toyo Tires
Trackside Photography
Transaxle Engineering
US Wheels
VisionX Off-Road Lights
Volkswagen of America, Official Vehicle of SCORE
VP Racing Fuel
Walker Evans Racing
Weddle Gears
Yokohama Tires