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

F1 fan who bet on a 13-year-old Lewis Hamilton to win world title is revving up to pocket £125,000

A Formula 1 fan who placed a bet on Lewis Hamilton to win the World Championship, when the driver was only 13, is revving up to pocket £125,000.

Hamilton, 23, needs to finish no lower than fifth to capture his first title at today’s Brazil Grand Prix..

In 1998, when Hamilton was just 13, a punter from Peterborough bet £100 with Ladbrokes that he would win the World Championship by the age of 25.

The mystery bidder, whose son used to race karts against Hamilton, said: ‘I just had a hunch he’d go on to bigger and better things.’

Hamilton narrowly missed out on winning the World Championship in the final race of last season.

He is 7-1 on to win today's contest and become F1’s youngest ever champion.

source: mail online

Ford Raptor F150 Long Travel Video

Whiplash @ Firebird Part II

Whiplash @ Firebird Photo Update.

More to come tomorrow

Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 improves ‘Ring time by four seconds

Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 improves ‘Ring time by four seconds


While Porsche and Nissan have been involved in a disagreement over Nürburgring lap times, Chevrolet’s Corvette ZR-1 has been sitting undisturbed with its 7 minute 26.4 second lap time. That’s pretty quick – eclipsing Nissan’s GT-R run around the ‘Ring by almost 3 seconds – but apparently the ZR-1 had even more to give.

With driver Jan Magnussen at the helm, the Corvette ZR-1 was able to lay down a blistering 7 minute 22.4 second lap time – a full four second improvement. That places the ZR-1 in a rarified class for an American-born car, besting the likes Ferrari, Zonda and Maserati.

Unfortunately for the Bow Tie boys, the ZR-1’s new Nürburgring lap time isn’t quite good enough to bring home the title. However, Detroit still lays claim to the fastest Nürburgring lap time, thanks to the Dodge Viper ACR’s incredible 7 minute 22.1 second run.

Australian Grand Prix reports heavy losses

The Australian Formula One Grand Prix lost a record A$40 million (16.3 million pounds) in 2008, organisers said Thursday.

The announcement came just months after the Victoria state government and race organisers agreed to underwrite the costs of staging the event until 2015.

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone had threatened to dump Melbourne from the calendar after 2010 unless organisers switched to a night race to accommodate European television audiences.

Local officials refused to stage a night race but agreed to a compromise with a twilight start time.

They signed a five-year extension to 2015 in July, despite criticism that the race was becoming an unnecessary burden on taxpayers.

Organisers lost $35 million on the race in 2007 and Australian Grand Prix Corporation chairman Ron Walker said the losses were likely to continue in future years.

"In the current economic climate of high fuel and transport costs, the deficit between cost and revenue is expected to increase by 10 percent per annum," Walker said in a report presented to the Victoria state government Thursday.

Sidecars at the Baja 1000! Harley vs Aprilia

Harley-Davidson aims to win at Baja!
Team Hog Wild Racing has entered the 2008 Baja 1000 on their Harley-Davidson V-Rod powered offroad
sidecar. Driver Scott Whitney and passenger Joe “Hauler” Desrosiers have set their sights on
crossing the finish line and challenging the Swiss sidecar team competing on an Aprilia powered
sidecar rig. “It’s been years since a sidecar competed in Baja and this year there will be two of them”,
said Scott, “we’re looking forward to taking on this awesome challenge the toughest way possible, on a
sidecar.” Never before has there been head to head competition between two talented teams on these
amazing vehicles in the Baja.
Scott and Joe joined forces over a year ago with the goal of competing together in the Dakar Rally.
Scott competed in Dakar 2006, and brings to the duo over 30 years of sidecar motocross wins and
championships at some of the toughest tracks in the world. Joe brings the experience of numerous
Baja 1000 and Baja 500 class 21 wins, two class 21 championships and two times runner-up in the
class 22 championship against factory Honda. Their goal is to ironman this Baja 1000 on their handbuilt
off-road sidecar, and then turn their sights again to Dakar.
http://www.HogWildRacing.com

El Chinero's Baja 1000 Top TIps

SCORE International Tecate BAJA 1000
SCORE TROPHY TRUCK: 30 ENDS ODDS
12 Brian Collins Might run away with it 2 to 1
7 Scott Steinberger Oldest in field 5 to 1
35 Robbie Pierce Wants a finish 4 to 1
97 B. J. Baldwin Needs a win 2 to 1
8 Roger Norman Fluke? 5 to 1
33 Chad Ragland Not to be discounted, Pete 4 to 1
39 Ron Whitton Solid performance 5 to 1
*1 Mark Post Blackie's a STUD! 2 to 1
71 Rick D. Johnson Needs to light his fire 4 to 1
16 Cameron Steele Will have to be beyond game 5 to 1
47 James Bult Sadly mistaken 9 to 1
92 Jeff Smith Bastard Stopped Again? 9 to 1
13 Ed "Clyde" Stout Won't hear VW a-comin'! 6 to 1
81 Mark Miller TOP TIP 2 to 1
2 Pete Sohren Fast, out before Borrego 5 to 1
84 Nick Vanderwey Mike can't rescue effort 6 to 1
28 Alan Pflueger Hun-gry for results 4 to 1
4 Gustavo Vildosola, Jr. Well-staffed … 4 to 1
38 Garron Cadiente Been on pace 4 to 1
50 Jason McNeil Overachiever 6 to 1
72 Kash Vessels DARK HORSE 3 to 1
51 Kory Scheeler Needs to back off! 5 to 1
20 Justin Lofton Too pretty NOT to win! 4 to 1
54 Jesse James Pullin for him 5 to 1
69 Francisco Cervantes Crowd pleaser 9 to 1
96 Bobby Baldwin "Media Goon" Killah 6 to 1
22 Damen Jefferies Hard times 5 to 1
77 Robby Gordon Win … or break 4 to 1
34 Dan Friedkin Dan not the man 9 to 1
78 Lloyd Sproule One giant step ... 9 to 1
11 Greg Nunley-1st RS Chance: None 9 to 1

CLASS 1: 28
101 Chuck Dempsey Watch those mirrors 3 to 1
102 B. J. Richardson Championship run 2 to 1
103 Rob Bruce Reeled in by Hwy 3W 9 to 1
104 Eric Chase Top Five 3 to 1
105 Dale Ebberts Feast or famine? 3 to 1
106 Brian Parkhouse Sometimes surprises 5 to 1
107 Armin Shwarz Needs the points 2 to 1
108 Pat Dean TT'S PICK 2 to 1
109 Luis Ramirez, Jr. Lightning doesn't strike twice 4 to 1
110 Todd Welling Ill, I'd say 9 to 1
111 Charles Rudolph Has $$$ Rhino 9 to 1
112 Josh Rigsby Often troubled 9 to 1
113 Brian Robinson Crystal ball cracked 9 to 1
114 Mike Voyles Usually a player 5 to 1
115 Steve Raskett Good V2R run 4 to 1
116 Mike Walser Texan 9 to 1
117 Ron Brant Never say never! 4 to 1
118 Harley Letner DARK HORSE 2 to 1
119 Armin Kremer Has skills, needs luck 5 to 1
120 Jay Manning Baja Surly 7 to 1
121 Lobsam Yee Will break … 9 to 1
122 Randy Wilson Will be tough 3 to 1
123 Brendan Gaughan Need 4 corners … 4 to 1
124 Ronny Wilson TOP TIP 2 to 1
125 Dale Lenk Ever-improving 3 to 1
126 Lee Patton Not a full-timer 5 to 1
127 Mark Weyhrich I mean … WTF 5 to 1
*100 Billy Gasper Off his "#100" pace 3 to 1
129 Alan Roach Should stick to bikes 6 to 1
130 Willie Cummings Off the throttle 9 to 1

CLASS 1/2-1600: 13
1601 Adam Pfankuch Close to "Even" 9 to 8
1602 Chris Langmayer What a hoot-er 6 to 1
1603 Edgar Alvarez, Jr. Top Five? 4 to 1
1604 Eliseo Garcia Bettern you think … 4 to 1
1605 Cody Robinson Might be buffaloed 8 to 1
1606 Arturo Velazco Good program 3 to 1
1607 Scott Graham Not cracked up to be … 7 to 1
1608 Brent Parkhouse Mid-pack, at best 5 to 1
*1600 David Caspino Still crazy! 7 to 6
1610 Manuel Cruz Will not cruise 8 to 1
1611 Hiram Duran DARK CABALLO 3 to 1

1648 Cory Boyer-2nd RS Will be very aggressive 8 to 7
1649 Josue Delgado A.-1st RS "F." 9 to 1

CLASS 3: 4
301 Gale Pike Baker rises early 6 to 1
302 Donald Moss Smoother is faster 1 to 1
303 Darren Skilton Might gather some moss 2 to 1

349 Scott Wooden-1st RS Wouldn't 6 to 1

CLASS 5: 2
501 Kevin Carr Run at 66% 2 to 1
502 Jim Anderson Once-"10"? 3 to 1
503 Gregory Morley or lessly 6 to 1

518 Carlos Albanez-2nd RS No data = DNF 6 to 1
519 Vince Wavra-1st RS Only one close? 3 to 1

CLASS 5-1600: 15
551 Ernie Negrete Boyz need to considered 4 to 1
552 Ruben Gutierrez, Jr. Can deliver 4 to 1
*550 Mario Reynoso A good bet 3 to 1
554 Mark Low Bajo 6 to 1
555 Colin Campbell ??? 9 to 1
556 Alonso Angulo Mid-pack finisher 5 to 1
557 Tommy Craft A possibilty 4 to 1
558 Carlos Iribe Vociferous 3 to 1
559 Erich Reisen Ear ache 8 to 1

574 Ernesto Arambula-6th RS Hard to beat 2 to 1
575 Pedro Athie-5th RS Abogado Meister 4 to 1
576 Javier Morales-4th RS Shouldn'ta missed LDC 3 to 1
577 Jose Montoya-3rd RS Top 3rd 4 to 1
578 Marcos Nunez-2nd RS I mean, who else? 2 to 1
579 Greg Perryman-1st RS Wrong "Perry", man 9 to 1

CLASS 7.0001: 3
601 Marc Burnett Should win 4 to 1
602 Benjamin Wright "1450" guy 5 to 1
603 Dana Dague Big step 6 to 1

CLASS 7: 5
701 Scott Ulrich ex-Sportsman 5 to 1
702 Chris Taylor MIGHT challenge Chamlee 3 to 1
*700 Dan Chamlee Professional 2 to 1
704 Brandon Walsh Too new? 5 to 1
705 Jose Canchola, Jr. 2nd Generation 5 to 1

CLASS 7SX: 7
741 Beto Iriarte I bet-o not 5 to 1
742 Heidi Steele Championship race 3 to 1
*740 Rich Severson Will have to stretch effort 3 to 1
744 Noe Sierra Corazon Malo 9 to 1

757 Jim Hinesley-3rd RS On a given day, might 4 to 1
758 Billy Bunch-2nd RS Could scourge field 4 to 1
759 John Holmes-1st RS Championship race 3 to 1

CLASS 8: 5
801 Juan C. Lopez Will pin it then break it … 3 to 1
802 Andrea Tomba "Tumba Burro"? 9 to 1
803 Tom Bradley, Sr. Not a quaker 4 to 1
804 Noah Ostanik Solid 3 to 1
805 Glen Greer Overdriver 4 to 1
806 Cory Susag SHOULD be tough … 4 to 1

839 Steve Olliges-1st RS Looks for victory 3 to 1

CLASS 9: 1
901 Jay Wells Why bother 9 to 1

948 Ulises Morquecho-2nd RS An Odyssey 9 to 1
949 Daniel Reyes, Jr.-1st RS Cinch 5 to 1

CLASS 10: 13
1001 Adam Ashcraft Should run away … 2 to 1
1002 Mikey Lawrence Consistent 4 to 1
1003 Jesus Gonzalez TOP TIP 3 to 1
1004 Tim Pangborn "12" in over his head 8 to 1
1005 Brendan Fikes Could be in hunt 4 to 1
1006 Brady Helm How about his Truggy? 6 to 1
1007 Mark Hutchins Class effort 3 to 1
1008 Will Higman "He slimed me!" 3 to 1
1009 Lonny Hart Training day? 6 to 1
1010 Tito Robles Must have game 3 to 1
1011 Javier Robles DARK HORSE 2 to 1
1012 Sergio Salado V. "V" not for "Victory" 5 to 1
1013 Alex Croxthwaite Not there, yet 6 to 1

1049 John Hsu-1st RS Nope 5 to 1

CLASS 11: 3
1101 Eric Solorzano Hat's off to Eric Even
1102 Jim Graham Long day 0 to 0
1103 Michael Brown Long night 99 to 1

SCORE LITES: 14
1201 Jake Jones Uneven 4 to 1
1202 Steve Mamer Fitting end to great season 3 to 1
1203 Perry McNeil NRIARWAM 3 to 1
1204 Dave Callaway Unrecognized charger 4 to 1
1205 Matt Drever Top Five? 5 to 1
1206 Luis Barragan Might surprise 4 to 1
1207 Lee Banning Helluva season! 3 to 1
1208 Gary Johnson In the pink! 4 to 1
1209 Bill Hernquist Too many torts 5 to 1
1210 Rick St. John Championship race 3 to 1
1211 Roberto Encinas Not a player 7 to 1
1212 Ty Thompson Wrong "Ty" 9 to 1
1213 Blaise Jackson Always hot 3 to 1

1248 Derek Hill-2nd RS Over the hill 9 to 1
1249 Brian Martin-1st RS Tail end 9 to 1

CLASS 17: 4
1701 Cliff Cook Not hot enough 9 to 1

1717 Jason LaFortune-3rd RS Will tech 'em all a lesson 4 to 1
1718 Bryant Layton-2nd RS Spare track rods? 9 to 1
1719 Scott Watkins-1st RS Might 5 to 1

PROTRUCK 7
250 Gary Magness Rusty 5 to 1
260 Nils Castillo Mr. Wizard 3 to 1
235 Jason Voss Shoe-in 2 to 1
277 Jason Horsley Left out 9 to 1
203 Dave Creagan Will not challenge 5 to 1
253 Ken Losch xx W/D
240 Rob Kittleson-1st RS Off pace 6 to 1

STOCK MINI: 3
760 Rod Hall Fast ol' geezer 3 to 1
761 Steve Kovach Top Three 4 to 1
779 Gavin Skilton-1st RS Could run Rod down? 3 to 1

STOCK FULL: 5
861 Chad Hall Damned good field 3 to 1
862 Kent Kroeker Damned good field 3 to 1
863 Josh Hall Damned good field 3 to 1
*860 John Griffin Damned good field 3 to 1
879 Clyde Stacy-1st RS Damned good field 3 to 1

BAJA CHALLENGE: 13
BC1 Mike Cassling Need names of all team members
BC2 Erik Harp
BC2 Matt Christensen 3 to 1
BC4 Barry Ellis
BC5 John McInnis
BC6 Bill Weber
BC7 Charles Ferguson
BC8 Tim Dollander
BC9 Jay Culbertson 3 to 1
BC10 Mike Dillard
BC11 Ron Bauer
BC12 Victor Avila
BC20 Chris Kemp-1st RS

SPTS. BUGGY 5
*1400 Peter Lang Amazing … 3 to 1
1401 Jerry Smith Will not see SF 9 to 1
1402 Shaun Dunbar Done 9 to 1
1403 George Jackson Will snarl in Ensenada 2 to 1
1419 Jose Quintero-1st RS Onward, I guess 6 to 1

SPTS.TRUCK: 4
1501 Mike Long Will come up short 9 to 1
*1500 Keith Growe TOP TIP 3 to 1
1503 Bob Land Bob's race … 3 to 1
1504 Ken Fraizer Kennot 9 to 1

1549 Randy Swink-1st RS Starts with lights! 9 to 1


"A roving ambassador of good will ... "

Ferrari threatens F1 pull-out over engines

Ferrari will review its participation in Formula One if plans to introduce a standard engine for all teams from 2010 goes ahead, its board said in a statement on Monday.

Formula One's governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), said earlier this month it intended to bring in the rule to save costs.

"The board of Ferrari, confirming its full support for the substantial and necessary reduction in costs starting with engines, has however expressed strong reservations about the project to equalise or standardise engines," the statement said.

"The board reserves the right to consider, together with our partners, our presence in this discipline."

Ferrari, controlled by Italian car firm Fiat, won last year's world constructors' championship and their driver Kimi Raikkonen took the individual title.

His team mate Felipe Massa is in the running for this season's title, with the final Grand Prix taking place in Brazil on Sunday. He trails McLaren's championship leader Lewis Hamilton by seven points.

NOT IMPRESSED

The FIA issued a statement before this month's Chinese Grand Prix announcing a tender for "a third-party supplier of engines and transmission systems" to be used by all teams in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

The body has argued that the costs of Formula One are unsustainable in the current economic climate and must be slashed to ensure none of the 10 teams leave the sport.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, also head of the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA), he recently met FIA chief Max Mosley to discuss cost cutting measures, saying he was satisfied with progress made during the talks.

However, the company's board are not impressed with the standard engine idea.

"The (board) felt that such a move would detract from the entire raison d'etre of a sport with which Ferrari has been involved continuously since 1950, a raison d'etre based principally on competition and technology development," the statement read.

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has backed the FIA's standard engine proposal and rejected suggestions that it might push some manufacturers towards the exit.

"We're trying to get a level playing field," he told reporters earlier this month.

"I don't see why (manufacturers) should leave, we're saving them an awful lot of money I hope. All the technical things will still be there, they can show all of their talent."

Pundits say the FIA's stance may be part of a familiar carrot-and-stick approach to persuade the teams to swallow a more palatable alternative.

(Source: Reuters)

SCORE Baja 1000 Pre-Run Advance

Sal Fish signature race course
Pre-running starts Saturday on rugged 629.74-mile course
For November’s 41st Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race

Racers from 38 States, 19 countries entered to date in internationally-televised
Granddaddy of all desert races; Race to be held in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, Nov. 19-23

LOS ANGELES—Adventurers and the world’s best desert racers will begin practicing Saturday as official pre-running starts for November's 41st Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race.
With over 350 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.
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 Granddaddy of all desert races has been run over the mysterious Baja California peninsula. Because of the economics and logistics involved, some years it is a peninsula run while most years it is a loop race, starting and finishing in Ensenada.
The race will start for the 34th time and finish for the 19th time in Ensenada. The motorcycle and ATV classes will start their journey at 6:30 a.m. (Friday, Nov. 21) with the car and truck classes starting at approximately 10:30 a.m., or three hours after the last ATV leaves the line. 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 14 hours. All vehicles will have a 31-hour time limit to become official finishers in the legendary adventure.
The race will start and finish on Boulevard Costero along the picturesque Bahia de Todos Santos in front of the historical Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center in the heart of Ensenada.
Pre-running on the 629.74-mile loop course will officially begin on Saturday. Pre-running will be allowed only from Ojos Negros and back. One way pre-running from the start to Ojos Negros will be allowed only on Wednesday and Thursday of race week (Nov. 19 and 20).
While late entries are accepted up to race day, a total of 342 entries have officially been accepted 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.
“We have been able, with the dedication and cooperation of many of our friends in Baja California, a race course for the 41st Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 that will seriously challenge the most seasoned of our great SCORE desert racers,” commented Sal Fish, SCORE President/CEO since soon after it was founded in 1973. “This course present the competitors with all of the variety of terrain and elevation changes you could possibly have along with the dramatic beauty of Baja. The La Rumorosa grade runs from about race-mile 111 to 127 and the infamous climb and descending grade, filled with switchbacks and large dropoffs, has only been used in the 1995 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 and the 1996 Tecate SCORE Baja 500. SCORE actually paid to have the dirt trail graded through the mountains.”
From the start in Ensenada the course will go east to Ojos Negros for almost 35 miles which will be used in both directions in the race. From Ojos Negros, the course will travel in a clockwise direction covering much of the incredibly beautiful northern section of Baja California. From Ojos Negros, the course turns Northeast through the Pine Forest nearly up to the U.S. border and up and down the treacherous La Rumorosa grade, west of Mexicali. The course turns south at the top of the infamous Laguna Salada, paralleling Mexican Highway 5. Next will be the San Felipe loop where the course will cover some of the rugged Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 course including Chanate Wash.
After the San Felipe loop, the course will head north and northwest, joining Highway 3 for a short distance to the Mike’s Sky Ranch turnoff. Then the course heads to the Lllano Colorado section and Highway 1. From this point the course is very similar to this year’s Tecate SCORE Baja 500 heading north along the Pacific Ocean below San Vicente and past Erendira, back inland up through Santo Tomas then turning northeast just past Uruapan winding its way back to Ojos Negros for the final charge back to Ensenada.
The course will feature six checkpoints, where vehicle numbers and passing times are recorded to help verify the information gathered on the electronic recording devices that are mounted on all vehicles in the race.
The location of the six checkpoints are: Checkpoint 1 (race-mile 141.06, North of Laguna Salada), CP2 (rm286.19-Borrego), CP3 (rm351.09-San Felipe), CP4 (rm407.08-Borrego), CP5 (rm 496.18-San Vicente Vineyards) and CP6 (rm587.77-Ojos Negros).
With massive crowds reaching nearly 300,000 anticipated to again be spread out along the rugged course that travels through the Pine Forest to near Tecate and Mexicali, down Laguna Salada to San Felipe and back to 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 40 entries and Sportsman Motorcycle under 250cc with 14 entries.
Brian Collins in SCORE Trophy-Truck and Grant Steele in Class 22 (open motorcycles) have drawn the first starting positions for the race.
Collins, 46, of Las Vegas, is currently second in SCORE Trophy-Truck points and won this year’s Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 in March in his No. 12 Dodge Ram1500. Splitting the driving with Collins will be veteran racer Chuck Hovey, Escondido, Calif. There are a season-high 29 entries in the SCORE Trophy-Truck, the marquee SCORE racing division for high-tech, 800-horsepower, unlimited production trucks.
Grant Steele, 38, Temecula, Calif., and his team, will lead 14 entries to date in Class 22 for open motorcycles on a Honda CRF450X. Grant’s older brother Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif., drives the No. 16 SCORE Trophy-Truck and will be a third driver in Class 7SX on the team led by his wife Heidi Steele. Heidi Steele is leading her class point standings entering the race and is attempting to become the first female driver of record in history to capture a SCORE season truck class point title.
Drawing the first start in the ATV classes was the veteran team led by Greg Row, Alpine, Calif., who will ride a Bombardier DS650 in Class 25.
NASCAR Sprint Cup team owner/driver Robby Gordon, Charlotte, N.C., whose roots are in SCORE desert racing, drew the 28th starting position in SCORE Trophy-Truck in the Team Gordon No. 77 Chevy CK1500. Gordon will be heading to the the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 right after driving in the NASCAR Sprint Cup season finale in Florida on Nov. 16.
Making its debut in the race in the marquee SCORE Trophy-Truck division will be the new No. 81 Red Bull Volkswagen Baja Race Touareg TDI, the first clean Turbo-diesel vehicle ever raced in SCORE Trophy-Truck. The new vehicle will be driven by the veteran team of Mark Miller, Cave Creek, Ariz./Ryan Arciero, Foothill Ranch, Calif. With seven career SCORE Trophy-Truck race wins between them, including three together, Miller/Arciero drew the 14th starting position for the race in the first Turbo-diesel to run in the featured SCORE racing division.
Three entries with second-generation SCORE desert racers feature drivers who are running pavement series. Las Vegas’ Brendan Gaughan is a NASCAR Truck Series regular who will race in the unlimited Class 1 in Baja, while Justin Loftin, Westmorland, Calif., who drives in the ARCA/Re-Max Series and Brian Ickler, Poway, Calif., who has won four races this year in the NASCAR East Series will both drive in the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division.
Among the other entries is the venerable Rod Hall, Reno, Nev., who is one of the only two individuals who has raced in all 40 previous Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 races.
The legendary Hall, 69, of Reno, Nev., has a race-record 19 career class wins in this race and is the only driver to have competed every year in a car or truck class. Hall returns this year as the defending class champion in a Hummer H3 in the Stock Mini class.
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.
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.
The Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 also features the $5,000 Volkswagen bonus to the highest finishing Volkwagen-powered vehicle in the race. 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.
Current SCORE official annual sponsors 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 and Red Bull--official energy drink. Associate sponsors are: Tecate Beer, Coca-Cola of Mexico, Las Vegas Events, Terrible Herbst Inc., Blue C Enthusiast Advertising, Kartek Off-Road, American Suzuki, SignPros, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.
Additional associate sponsors, for the 2008 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 is the Fideicomiso Publio para la Promocion Turistica de Ensenada.
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.

41st Annual TECATE SCORE BAJA 1000
Nov. 19-23, 2008—Final round of five-race 2008 SCORE Desert Series
Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
TOTAL ENTRIES: 342
(38 States, 19 Countries)(as of 10/28/08)


PRO CARS & TRUCKS
SCORE TROPHY-TRUCK (29)
12 Brian Collins
7 Scott Steinberger
35 Robbie Pierce
97 B.J. Baldwin
8 Roger Norman
33 Chad Ragland
39 Ron Whitton
1 Mark Post
71 Rick D. Johnson
16 Cameron Steele
47 James Bult
92 Jeff Smith
13 Ed Stout
81 Mark Miller
2 Pete Sohren
84 Nick Vanderwey
28 Alan Pflueger
4 Gus Vildosola Jr.
50 Jason McNeil
72 Kash Vessels
51 Kory Scheeler
20 Justin Lofton
69 Francisco Cervantes
96 Bobby Baldwin
22 Damen Jefferies
77 Robby Gordon
34 Dan Friedkin
78 Lloyd Sproule
31 Greg Nunley
CLASS 1 (30)
101 Chuck Dempsey
102 B.J. Richardson
103 Rob Bruce
104 Eric Chase
105 Dale Ebberts
106 Brian Parkhouse
107 Armin Schwarz
108 Pat Dean
109 Luis Ramirez Jr.
110 Todd Welling
111 Charles Rudolph
112 Josh Rigsby
113 Brian Robinson
114 Mike Voyles
115 Steve Raskett
116 Mike Walser
117 Ron Brant
118 Harley Letner
119 Armin Kremer
120 Jay Manning
121 Lobsam Yee
122 Ronny Wilson
123 Brendan Gaughan
124 Randy Wilson
125 Dale Lenk
126 Lee Patten
127 Mark Weyhrich
100 Billy Gasper
129 Alan Roach
130 Willie Cummings
CLASS 1-2/1600 (14)
1601 Adam Pfankuch
1602 Chris Langmayer
1603 Edgar Alvarez Jr.
1604 Eliseo Garcia
1605 Cody Robinson
1606 Arturo Velazco
1607 Scott Graham
1608 Brent Parkhouse
1600 David Caspino
1610 Manuel Cruz
1611 Hiram Duran
1612 Martin Shuster
1648 Cory Boyer
1649 Josue Delgado
CLASS 3 (5)
301 Gale Pike
302 Donald Moss
303 Darren Skilton
304 Chris Raffo
349 Scott Wooden
CLASS 5 (5)
501 Kevin Carr
502 Jim Anderson
517 Gregory Morley
518 Carlos Albanez
519 Vince Wavra
CLASS 5/1600 (15)
551 Ernie Negrete
552 Ruben Gutierrez Jr.
550 Mario Reynoso
554 Mark Low
555 Colin Campbell
556 Alonso Angulo
557 Tommy Craft
558 Carlos Iribe
559 Erick Reisen
574 Ernesto Arambula
575 Pedro Athie
576 Javier Morales
577 Jose Montoya
578 Marcos Nunez
579 Greg Perryman
CLASS 6 (3)
601 Marc Burnett
602 Benjamin Wright
603 Dana Dague
CLASS 7 (6)
701 Scott Ulrich
702 Chris Taylor
700 Dan Chamlee
704 Bandon Walsh
705 Jose Canchola Jr.
706 Guillermo Galvan
CLASS 7SX (8)
741 Alberto Iriarte
742 Heidi Steele
740 Rich Severson
744 Noe Sierra
745 Brandt Anderson
757 Jim Hinesley
758 Billy Bunch
759 John Holmes
CLASS 8 (7)
801 Juan C. Lopez
802 Andrea Tomba
803 Tom Bradley Sr.
804 Noah Ostanik
805 Glen Greer
806 Cory Susag
839 Steve Olliges
CLASS 9 (3)
901 Jay Wells
948 Ulises Morquecho
949 Daniel Reyes Jr.
CLASS 10 (14)
1001 Adam Ashcraft
1002 Mike Lawrence
1003 Jesus Gonzalez
1004 Tim Pangborn
1005 Brendan Fikes
1006 Brady Helm
1007 Mark Hutchins
1008 Will Higman
1009 Lonny Hart
1010 Tito Robles
1011 Javier Robles
1012 Sergio Salgado
1013 Alex Crosthwaite
1049 John Hsu
SCORE LITE (15)
1201 Jake Jones
1202 Steve Mamer
1203 Perry McNeil
1204 David Callaway
1205 Matt Drever
1206 Luis Barragan
1207 Lee Banning
1208 Gary Johnson
1209 Bill Hernquist
1210 Rick St. John
1211 Roberto Encinas
1212 Ty Thompson
1213 Blaise Jackson
1248 Derek Hill
1249 Brian Martin
CLASS 11 (3)
1101 Eric Solorzano
1102 Jim Graham
1103 Michael Brown
STOCK FULL (5)
861 Chad Hall
862 Kent Kroeker
863 Josh Hall
860 John Griffin
879 Clyde Stacy
STOCK MINI (3)
760 Rod Hall
761 Steve Kovach
779 Gavin Skilton
PROTRUCK (7)
250 Gary Magness
260 Nils Castillo
235 Jason Voss
277 Jason Horsley
203 Dave Creagan
253 Ken Losch
240 Rob Kittleson
CLASS 17 (4)
1701 Cliff Cook
1717 Jason LaFortune
1718 Bryant Layton
1719 Scott Watkins
BAJA CHALLENGE (13)
BC 1 Mike Cassling
BC 2 Erik Harp
BC 3 Matt Christensen
BC 4 Barry Ellis
BC 5 John McInnis
BC 6 Bill Weber
BC 7 Charles Ferguson
BC 8 Tim Dollander
BC 9 Jay Culbertson
BC 10 Mike Dillard
BC 11 Ron Bauer
BC 12 Victor Avila
BC 20 Chris Kemp
PRO MOTORCYCLES
CLASS 22 (15)
2x Grant Steele
3x Cory Evenson
4x Jack McCormick-S
5x R. Hank Salyer-S
6x Ryan Penhall
7x Mike Childress
1x Robby Bell
9x Gabriel Williams
10x Caleb Gosselaar
11x Jimmy Lopez
12x Justin Wiberg
13x Jesse Sharpe
14x Rod Thornton
15x Norman Thornhill III
16x Colton Udall
CLASS 21 (5)
101x Marco Bernaldez
102x Jon Kolbensvik
103x Francisco Arredondo
104x Edy Garcia
105x Travys Armitage
CLASS 20 (5)
151x Larry Perkins
152x Tony Rutter
153x Chad Black
168x Mario Acosta
169x Anna Cody
CLASS 30 (11)
301x Radak Burkat
302x Mordechay Eldar
303x Lloyd Andrew-S
304x Carlos Chavez
305x Scott Myers
306x Rolf Helland
300x Jim O’Neal
308x Chris Parker
309x Mike Johnson
310x Larry Gross
311x Rob Swan
CLASS 40 (9)
401x Stuart Goggins
402x Darren Griffiths-S
403x Steve Corrie-S
404x Mike Prunty
405x Michael Korenwinder
406x Brian Campbell
400x Brett Helm
408x Robert Barnum-S
449x PG Lundmark
CLASS 50 (6)
501x Ben van Ziltveld
502x Kenny Hayden
503x Gary Barr-S
504x Charles Wallace
548x Chris Haines
500x Jim O’Neal
CLASS 60 (2)
618x Richard Jackson
600x Donald E. Lewis
PRO ATVS
CLASS 25 (7)
2a Greg Row
3a Jason Greenhaw
1a Danny Prather
5a Stefano Caputo
6a Javier Robles
7a Reid Rutherford
8a Wayne Matlock
CLASS 24 (6)
101a Craig Christy
102a Shawn Robins
103a Tom Wright II
104a Benjamin Lopez Jr.
105a Abraham Romero
106a Rob Ransford

SPORTSMAN
SPT CAR (5)
1400 Peter Lang
1401 Jerry Smith
1402 Shaun Dunbar
1403 George Jackson
1419 Jose Quintero
SPT TRUCK (5)
1501 Mike Long
1500 Keith Growe
1503 Bob Land
1504 Ken Fraizer
1549 Randy Swink
SPT UTV (7)
1801 John Crowley
1802 Sergio Castillo
1800 Thomas Graves
1804 Jim Creagan
1805 Shane Morgan
1806 Peter Hajas
1819 Mark Lindsay
SPT SIDECAR (1)
1SC Sandro Lanaro
SPT M/C 250< (14)
202x Marc Springer
203x Bernard Caradec
204x Matt Ladendorf
205x Scott Anderson-S
206x Jesus Rios
207x Seppo Saarinen
208x Greg Willitts
211x Tim Pritchard
212x Fred Sobke
213x Ronnie Wilson
214x Jason Lulis-S
215x Sol Saltzman
216x Jorge Cardenas
249x Yoram Lavee-S
SPT M/C 250> (40)
251x Randy Roy
252x Stephan Duchaine
253x John Crowley-S
254x Erik Litzenberg
255x Tomoki Hayashi
256x Jeff Moore
257x Adrian Lovelace
258x Michael Ott-Eulberg-S
259x Jay Wilgus
260x Mike Kaplan-S
261x Jeff Leonard
262x Ray Grupp
263x Mark Lucke-S
264x Jeff Martin
265x Bill Gilbert
266x Adam McCamish
267x Jack Pflueger
268x Jeff Chapman
269x Andrew Vela-S
270x Vernon Smith-S
271x Gary Gonzales
272x Carlos Becerril
273x Luis Napoles
274x Duncan Ragsdale
275x Matt DeVall
276x Craig Anstine
277x Greg Matherly-S
278x Yvan Perroud
279x Davy Patterson-S
280x Andy Padulo
281x Graham Wilson-S
282x Robbie McAlerney-S
283x Carl Westphal
284x Yuji Kikuchi
285x Mark Bradford
286x Ken Kosiorek-S
287x Anthony Nicodemo
288x Brett Bardsley-S
289x Tibi Imbuzan-S
290x Brady Van Mare-S
SPT ATV (15)
51a Martin O’Leary-S
52a Marco Geraldo
53a Josh Hogan-S
54a Joselito Muro
55a Mario Yorba
56a Roberto Ruiz
57a Warren Lovelace
58a Ken Lehmann
59a Yuval Sharon
60a Eric Ibarra
61a Adrian Valdez
62a Daniel Montano
63a Jim Stack
98a Gustavo Ameca
99a Mike Penland
S-Indicates Solo Rider

Toyota considering leaving F1 for LeMans

It's been known for some time that Toyota is very interested in competing in LeMans, sending squads of racing engineers and observers to the races both in Europe and the American series. Now word has broken that Toyota may be considering a switch from the costly and thankless world of Formula One to the storied Le Mans series.

Speaking at the F1 Grand Prix in Shanghai, Toyota representative Tadashi Tamashina said, "We would like to go to Le Mans. The final decision for Le Mans depends on the budget. Under the present economic conditions, it is unlikely that Formula 1 and Le Mans can be done in parallel. It is an either-or situation." The rising likelihood of a spec-engine in F1 would drive Toyota from the sport, Yamashina added, according to Auto Motor & Sport.

Earlier this week Max Mosley proposed to do just that for the 2010-2012 seasons, but a meeting in Geneva on Tuesday between the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) and the FIA resulted in a cost-cutting agreement that obviates the spec-engine shift before 2010. After 2010, however, the window remains open, meaning Toyota may already be gearing up to go to Le Mans.

Le Mans isn't without its own rules changes and drama, however. New chassis and engine rules are to come into effect in the 2011 season. Already Honda, which competes in both Le Mans and F1, has begun implementing hybrid solutions in its Le Mans cars, but the lessons Toyota learns in F1 next year with its own hybrid systems could translate to the Le Mans series with little loss in R&D value.

Toyota already has a great deal of experience in endurance racing thanks to its involvement in the Rolex Grand Am series through its Lexus motorsports program.

Only time, and the politics of the individual series, will tell, but the future of Toyota F1 racing appears to be in jeopardy.

source: motorsuthority