Durka Durka Photo Jihad!: 1/18/09

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

SCORE Laughlin Sked & Expanded Entry List

SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, 702.735.7123

January 19, 2008

NOTE: Below is the schedule of events followed by the expanded entry list for this week's SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge...

15th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

Round 1, 2009 SCORE Desert Series

Schedule of Events
Thursday, January 22, 2009

11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Driver Registration--Barbados Banquet Room, River Palms Hotel

11 a.m. – 5 p.m

Media Center Open--River Room, River Palms Hotel

6 p.m.

$16,000 Laughlin Leap--Laughlin Events Park (Start/Finish Line)

Friday, January 23, 2009

8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Course Pre-running (Racers Only)--Official Race Course-Laughlin Events Park

9 a.m. – 10 a.m.

Express Driver Registration--Barbados Banquet Room, River Palms Hotel

10 a.m. – 4 p.m

Regular Driver Registration--Barbados Banquet Room, River Palms Hotel

9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Media Registration--River Room, River Palms Hotel

9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Contingency & Technical Inspection--Bruce Woodbury Way & Casino Drive

1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Qualifying-SCORE Trophy-Truck--Official Race Course-Laughlin Events Park

Saturday, January 24, 2009

6 a.m.

Late Registration & Tech Inspection--Start/Finish Line area-Laughlin Events Park

6:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Media Center Open--Start/Finish Line area-Laughlin Events Park

Sunday, January 25, 2009

6 a.m.

Late Registration & Tech Inspection--Start/Finish Line area-Laughlin Events Park

6:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Media Center Open--Start/Finish Line area-Laughlin Events Park

DAILY RACING SCHEDULE (Subject to Change)

7 a.m. RACING STARTS (5 groups each day) Start/Finish Line-Laughlin Events Park

80-minute time limit for each group

Starting intervals--two vehicles every 15 seconds

7 a.m.--Group 1: Classes 1-2/1600 (6 laps), 5/1600 (6), 11 (3), SPT Car (6)

9 a.m.--Group 2: Classes 8 (6 laps), Protruck (6), 6 (6), 7 (6), 7SX (6), Stock Full (5), Stock Mini (5), Class 3 (5), SPT Truck (5)

11 a.m.--Group 3: Class 10 (7 laps), SCORE Lite (7), Class 5 (7)

1 p.m.--Group 4: SCORE Trophy-Truck (8 laps)

3 p.m.--Group 5: Class 1 (8 laps)

The Start/Finish Line area is located at the Laughlin Events Park

At the corner of Thomas Edison Drive and Bruce Woodbury Way

15th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

Round 1 of five-race 2009 SCORE Desert Series

Jan. 22-25 Laughlin, Nevada

OFFICIAL ENTRIES-105

(from 12 States, Germany & Mexico as of 1/19/09)
(By Class Starting Order)

SCORE TROPHY-TRUCK (Unlimited Production Trucks)--

(Starting order for SCORE Trophy-Truck to be determined by pre-race qualifying)

1 B.J. Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado

2 Pete Sohren, Glendale, Ariz., Ford F-150

4 Gus Vildosola Jr. /Gus Vildosola Sr., Ford F-150

5 Travis Coyne, El Centro, Calif., Ford F-150

8 Roger Norman, Reno, Nev., Ford F-150

11 Greg Nunley, Tulare, Calif., Chevy Silverado

12 Brian Collins, Las Vegas, Dodge Ram1500

13 Ed Stout, Santa Ana, Calif./Trigger Gumm, Mission Viejo, Calif., Chevy Silverado

16 Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif./Rick Geiser, Desert Hills, Calif., Chevy Silverado

19 Tim Herbst/Ed Herbst, Las Vegas, Ford F-150

20 Justin Lofton, Westmorland, Calif., Chevy Silverado

22 Damen Jefferies, Apple Valley, Calif./Luis Ramirez Jr., Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Chevy Silverado

24 Adam Householder, Orange, Calif., Chevy Silverado

35 Robbie Pierce/Mike Julson, Santee, Calif., Chevy Silverado

44 Robert Ross, Chula Vista, Calif., Ford F-150

51 Kory Sheeler, Chevy Silverado

54 Jesse James, Sunset Beach, Calif., Chevy C1500

77 Robby Gordon, Charlotte, N.C., Chevy CK1500

88 Larry Roeseler, Huntington Beach, Calif., Ford F-150

89 Rusty Stevens/Chad Quarrells, Pampa, Texas, Ford F-150

91 Bill McBeath, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado

96 Bobby Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado

CLASS 1 (Unlimited single or two-seaters)--

101 Josh Rigby, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Penhall-Chevy

102 Randy Wilson, Lakewood, Calif./Rick Wilson, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy

103 John Harrah, Reno, Nev., Jimco-Viper

104 Armin Schwarz, Germany/Martin Christensen, Escondido, Calif., Jimco-BMW

105 Robert Ross, Chula Vista, Calif., Jimco-Chevy

106 John Herder, Tucson, Ariz., Jimco-Chevy

107 Brian Parkhouse, Bell Gardens, Calif., Jimco-Chevy

108 Richard Boyle, Ridgecrest, Calif./Ron Brant, Oak Hills, Calif., Jimco-Chevy

109 Pat Dean/Danny Anderson, Las Vegas, Bunderson-Chevy

110 Brendan Gaughan, Las Vegas, Kreger-Chevy

111 Troy Herbst/Tim Herbst/Ed Herbst, Las Vegas, Smithbuilt-Ford

112 Chuck Dempsey, Oak Hills, Calif., Jimco-Chevy

113 Enrique Bujanda, El Paso, Texas, Porter-Chevy

114 Dale Ebberts, Wilton, Calif., Porter-Chevy

115 Kory Halopoff, Orange, Calif., Tatum-Chevy

116 Dale Lenk/Brett Lenk/Grant Lenk, Costa Mesa, Calif., Penhall-Chevy

117 James Scott, Hemet, Calif., RPS-Chevy

118 Harley Letner, Orange, Calif., Alpha-Chevy

119 Byron Ashley, Litchfield Park, Ariz., Tatum-Chevy

120 Ronny Wilson/Rick Wilson, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy

121 Julio Herrera, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Jefferies-Chevy

CLASS 1-2/1600 (VW-powered, single or two-seaters to 1600cc)--

1601 Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, AlumiCraft

1602 Justin Davis, Chino Hills, Calif./Rino Navera, Orange, Calif., Seagrove

1603 Brian Burgess, Riverside, Calif./Aaron Hawley, Las Vegas, Seagrove

1604 Dave Caspino, Woodland Hills, Calif./Mike Malloy, Las Vegas, Lothringer

1605 Brad Wilson, Long Beach, Calif., Penhall

1606 Mario Gastelum, El Centro, Calif., Curry

1607 Samuel Araiza, La Paz, Mexico, Fraley

1608 Ramsey El Wardani, San Diego

1609 Brian Wilson, Long Beach, Calif./Sammy Ehrenberg, Las Vegas, Kreger

1611 Arturo Velazco/Abel Velazco, Banning, Calif., Porter

1612 Rick Boyer/Cory Boyer, Bakersfield, Calif., Lothringer

1613 Joe Sheble, Fort Mohave, Ariz., Fraley

1614 Hiram Duran/Evan Duran, Tecate, Calif., Neth

1615 Mike Simpson, Kingman, Ariz., Bear

1645 Eric Hefley, Henderson, Nev./Gregg Hempel, Las Vegas, KatMetal

1646 Eric Duran/Evan Duran, Tecate, Calif., Neth

1600 Adam Pfankuch, Carlsbad, Calif./Steven Eugenio, El Centro, Calif., Mirage

1648 Sparky Wilbur, Huntington Beach, Calif., Desert Dynamics

1649 Justin Smith, Capistrano Beach, Calif./Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif., Fraley

CLASS 3 (Short Wheelbase 4X4)--

301 Donald Moss, Sacramento, Calif./Ken Moss, Marysville, Calif., Ford Bronco

CLASS 5 (Unlimited VW Baja Bugs)--

500 Kevin Carr, San Diego

501 Carlos Albanez, Calexico, Calif./Luivan Voelker, Mexicali, Mexico

CLASS 5/1600 (1600cc VW Baja Bugs)--

551 Eric Garcia, Lake Forest, Calif.

552 Alonso Angulo/Roberto Escobedo, Ensenada, Mexico

550 Marcos Nunez/Norberto Rivera, Ensenada, Mexico

CLASS 7 (Open, production mini trucks)--

700 Dan Chamlee/Tom Chamlee, Carpenteria, Calif., Ford Ranger

701 Brandon Walsh, Encinitas, Calif., Toyota Tacoma

702 Igor Galvan/Guillermo Galvan, Bahia de Los Angeles, Mexico, Ford Ranger

703 Jose Canchola Jr., Mexicali, Mexico, Ford Ranger

704 A.J. Rodriguez, Perris, Calif., Ford Ranger

719 Chris Taylor, El Centro, Calif./Josh Quintero, Imperial, Calif., Ford Ranger

CLASS 7SX (Modified, open mini trucks)--

740 Heidi Steele, San Clemente, Calif., Ford Ranger

759 John Holmes, Olivenhain, Calif./Mark Landersman, Temecula, Calif., Ford Ranger

CLASS 8 (Full-sized two-wheel drive trucks)--

801 Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va./Justin Matney, Bristol, Tenn., Chevy Silverado

CLASS 10 (Single or two-seaters to 1650cc)--

1001 Jesus Gonzalez, Ensenada, Mexico, Dunrite-Honda

1000 Mike Lawrence, Sunset Beach, Calif., Lothringer-VW

1003 Robert McBeath/Jessica McBeath, Las Vegas, Jimco-Honda

1004 Scott Gailey/Patrick Gailey, Norco, Calif., GET-VW

1005 Brian Freemal, Las Vegas/Dave Deatley, Mohave Valley, Ariz., Jimco-Honda

1007 Larry Job, Las Vegas/Bryce Menzies, Henderson, Nev., Jimco-Honda

1008 Sergio Salgado, 32, Mexicali, Mexico, Lothringer-Honda, Optima Batteries, Mercado de Refaciones

1009 Tito Robles/Lobsam Yee, Tijuana, Mexico, Jimco-Honda

SCORE LITE (VW-powered, Limited single-1776cc-or two-seaters-1835cc)--

1201 Dan Worley, Encinitas, Calif./Stan Potter, San Marcos, Calif., Jimco

1202 Cody Parkhouse/Brent Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Moulton

1203 Jake Jones, Aliso Viejo, Calif., Henry

1200 Rick St. John, Encinitas, Calif./Adam Pfankuch, Carlsbad, Calif., Duvel

1205 Roberto Encinas, Chula Vista, Calif., Currie

1206 Michelle Bruckmann/Vic Bruckmann, Lemon Grove, Calif., Lothringer

1207 Rino Navera, Orange, Calif./Mike Boone, Garden Grove, Calif.

1249 Matthew Kupiec/Kurtis Kupiec, Palos Verdes, Calif., Kreger

CLASS 11 (Stock VW Sedans)--

1101 Eric Solorzano, Tijuana, Mexico

STOCK FULL (Stock, Full-sized trucks)--

861 Justin Matney, Bristol, Tenn./Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va., Dodge Ram 2500

SPORTSMAN

SPT CAR

1400 Peter Lang, Santa Rosa, Calif., Homebuilt-Chevy

1401 Rory Ward/Tracy Ward, Mohave Valley, Ariz., Chenowth-Chevy

1402 Shaun Dunbar, La Mesa, Calif., VW Baja Bug

SPT TRUCK

1501 Joe Aguayo, San Jacinto, Calif., Ford F-150

1502 Jonathon Libby/John Libby Jr., Dillingham, Alaska, Toyota Tundra

1503 Rob Anderson, San Clemente, Calif., Ford Ranger

1504 Reid Rutherford, Montrose, Colo.

1505 Patrick Sutalo Jr. /Tyler Scott, Ramona, Calif., Ford Ranger

1548 Chris Shive/Dennis Sprong, Ramona, Calif., Ford F-150

1549 Nick Tonelli, Huntington Beach, Calif., Ford Ranger

With two wins and a second in Laughlin, B.J. Baldwin leading 22 SCORE Trophy-Trucks to SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, 702.735.7123

January 19, 2009

This week in Laughlin, Nev.

With two wins and a second in Laughlin, B.J. Baldwin leading 22

SCORE Trophy-Trucks to SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

SCORE Trophy-Truck field also includes NASCAR's Robby Gordon & Justin Lofton; Brian Collins

Roger Norman, Larry Roeseler, Gus Vildosola Jr., Damen Jefferies, Cameron Steele, Jesse James

Pre-race festivities include Thursday’s $16,000 SCORE Laughlin Leap at 6 p.m.,

Friday’s SCORE Trophy-Truck Qualifying at 1:30 p.m.

Live audio webcast Saturday & Sunday on www.totallyoffroadradio.com

LAUGHLIN, Nev.—B.J. Baldwin, the 29-year-old Las Vegan, returns to the banks of the Colorado River this week to where his burgeoning desert-racing career got a tremendous jump start as he leads a talented field of 22 SCORE Trophy-Trucks entered in this week’s 15th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge.

For the 15th straight year, motorsports fans and racers from across the United States, Mexico and Germany are gathering this week in Laughlin, Nev., the desert resort town near the shores of the Colorado River, for the popular SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge.

The first major motorsports event of the year will be held Thursday through Sunday, launching the five-race 2009 SCORE Desert Series, the World's Foremost Desert Racing Series. The race itself is split into two parts, with the first half on Saturday and the concluding half on Sunday. The start/finish line is in the Laughlin Events Park at Edison Drive and Bruce Woodbury Way.

B.J. Baldwin will drive the No. 1 Baldwin Motorsports Chevy Silverado in SCORE Trophy-Truck, the marquee SCORE racing division for high-tech, 800-horsepower unlimited production trucks. After cutting his teeth from 2003-2005 with eight did-not-finishes and no podium placements racing both in SCORE Trophy-Truck and the unlimited Class 1, the 1997 graduate of Durango High School in Las Vegas fashioned three of the most phenomenal seasons in SCORE history the last three years.

With 18 classes of cars and trucks divided into five groups, the single race is divided into multi-lap segments split over two days. Starting at 7 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division will run 8 laps at 1 p.m. each day on the spectator-friendly much-abbreviated 6.25-mile race course followed by the unlimited Class 1 open-wheel desert race cars that will run their 8 laps at 3 p.m. each day. The combined elapsed time and number of laps completed from both days will determine the final finishing position for each vehicle. Two vehicles will leave the start line every 15 seconds.

“The biggest difference for me over the last three years is having the new Chevy Silverado which is extremely more dependable and reliable than our old SCORE Trophy-Truck,” said B.J. Baldwin, whose father Bobby Baldwin drives the No. 96 Baldwin Motorsports Chevy Silverado. “Additionally, with the help of Larry Ragland in the desert and Robby Gordon in desert rally racing, I have learned how to drive faster and smarter and intelligence behind the wheel can make you lethal. My ‘further’ education with Larry and Robby has increased my skill sets incredibly.”

“With Barry Beachem as our Baldwin Motorsports Crew Chief and Sandy Stewart as our Operations Manager along with a great new crew, this will be the first full year of our Baldwin Motorsports race shop and I am confident that the results will reach an even higher level than we have the last three years.”

One of the event's most popular features, the SCORE Laughlin Leap, revs up the fun and gets the weekend off to a roaring start at 6 p.m. Thursday. Drivers will enjoy the spotlight at the Laughlin Events Park, competing for a $16,000 purse and the honor of being the 2009 champions. The SCORE Laughlin Leap, a dirt ramp built into the middle of the stadium portion of the race course, challenges the most daring of drivers. This year's competitors will be attempting to break the event record in the SCORE Laughlin Leap of 160' 6" set in 2004 by Mark Post in the No. 3 Riviera Racing Ford F-150.

For the second straight year, qualifying for starting positions for the marquee SCORE Trophy-Truck division will be held Friday, just before the two days of SCORE desert racing. With free admission to the grandstand seating area, SCORE Trophy-Truck qualifying will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and each truck will be timed over one solo lap of the 6.25-mile course to determine the start order in that class for Saturday’s first half of the race.

Obviously developing into one of the top drivers in a class laden with stars, B.J. Baldwin has won both the 2006 and the 2008 SCORE Trophy-Truck season point championships and finished a close second in points in 2007.

During the last three years B.J. Baldwin has won the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge twice (2006, 2007) finished second once (2008) along with winning the 2008 Tecate SCORE Baja 500 and recording two second-place finishes in the legendary Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 (2006 and 2008).

After three years of no podium finishes (2003-2005), B.J. Baldwin has emerged as the driver to beat in SCORE Trophy-Truck with two season point titles, three race wins, five seconds and two thirds and three fourth places to earn three straight SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards for finishing every mile of every race (17) during the last three years.

With late entries accepted until race morning, among the other desert racing stars entered to date are NASCAR Cup Owner/Driver Robby Gordon, NASCAR Nationwide Series racer Brendan Gaughan, ARCA/Re-Max Series Driver Justin Lofton, six-time Laughlin class winners Rob MacCachren and Donald Moss.

Besides B.J. Baldwin, R. Gordon and Lofton, among the other regulars who are also officially entered in SCORE Trophy-Truck are Brian Collins, Roger Norman, Larry Roeseler, Cameron Steele, Tim Herbst, Gus Vildosola Jr., Damen Jefferies, Bobby Baldwin, Chad Ragland, Robbie Pierce, Pete Sohren, Bill McBeath and Jesse James.

Gordon is coming to Laughlin after finishing third last week in the Dakar Rally, which was held in Argentina and Chile.

Collins, Tim Herbst, Ed Herbst and Eric Solorzano (Class 11) each have four class wins in this race.

Advance tickets for the Laughlin Events Park are on sale at www.visitlaughlin.com or by calling 800.308.2233.

Daily general admission tickets, good for grandstand seating, are $20 each per day for Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, children five and under are free. Daily VIP tickets are $40 each per day for the three days, good for admission to the Laughlin Hospitality Chalet, including food, beverage and special seating.

The stadium seating area will include the immensely popular SCOREvision Large-screen LCD display, showing live footage from virtually the entire race course.

Tickets, priced at $5 each, will also be available each race day for 'SCORE Hill', which overlooks the infield, start/finish area and the main pits. The SCORE Hill will have grandstands and standing room areas along with vendors, concessions and the other public safety services available.

The newest spectator area, opened last year adjacent to Laughlin High School off of Cougar drive, allows entry at $10 per vehicle, as space allows, to the backside of the course with a view of much of the 6.25-mile loop. Tickets for the Laughlin High spectator area will be available only on each day of racing.

To date, SCORE Trophy-Truck has the most entries with 22, followed by the unlimited Class 1 with 21 and Class 1-2/1600 with 19.

Friday's pre-race activities will also include the SCORE Manufacturer's Midway and vendors village from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. SCORE Contingency, which includes each vehicle being pushed down the street in front of the displays, will be held for the second straight year on Bruce Woodbury Way at Casino Drive.

The 15th annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge is sponsored by the Laughlin Tourism Commission, the Laughlin visits Bureau, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority in association with Las Vegas Events. The race is sanctioned and produced by SCORE International of Los Angeles.

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, Off-Road, American Suzuki, SignPros, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.

More event information is available at www.visitlaughlin.com.

For more information, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the 2009 SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.

SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

All-Time Overall Winners

1995-Ivan Stewart, SCORE Trophy-Truck

Ed/Tim Herbst, Class 1

1996-Rob MacCachren, SCORE Trophy-Truck

Ryan Thomas, Class 1

1997-Ed/Tim Herbst, SCORE Trophy-Truck

Mark Post, Class 1

1998-David Ashley/Dan Smith, SCORE Trophy-Truck

1999-Troy Herbst, Class 1

2000-Gary/Mark Weyhrich, Class 1

2001-Steve Sourapas, Class 1

2002-Dale/Mike Dondel, Class 1

2003-Dale Ebberts, Class 1

2004-Gary Dircks, SCORE Trophy-Truck

2005-Dale Ebberts, Class 1

2006-B.J. Baldwin, SCORE Trophy-Truck

2007-B.J. Baldwin, SCORE Trophy-Truck

2008-Pat Dean, Class 1

SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge

All-Time Multiple Class Champions (thru 2008)

Total Driver, Years

7

George Seeley Jr.-1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007

6

Rob MacCachren-1996, 2001, 2004(2), 2006, 2007

Donald Moss-2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008

4

Brian Collins-1996, 1999, 2000, 2001

Ed Herbst-1995, 1997, 1999, 2000

Tim Herbst-1995, 1997, 1999, 2000

Eric Solorzano-1998, 1999, 2004, 2006

3

Jeff Dickerson-2003, 2004, 2005

Dale Dondel-1998, 2002, 2005

Dale Ebberts-2000, 2003, 2005

Manny Esquerra-1997, 1999, 2000

Dr. Macrae Glass-2000, 2001, 2002

Brian Jeffrey-1995, 1996, 1997

Scott Pellerin-2002, 2003, 2005

Adam Pfankuch-2003, 2005, 2007

Darren Skilton-1997, 1998, 1999

Dan Smith-1997, 1998, 2002

Marc Stein-1996, 2001, 2003

Steve Williams-1995, 1996, 1997

2

Danny Anderson-2000, 2001

David Ashley-1997, 1998

B. J. Baldwin-2006, 2007

Victor Barajas-1996, 1997

Steve Barlow-2001, 2002

Vic Bruckmann-1999, 2002

David Callaway-1997, 1998

Mike Dondel-1998, 2002

Eric Fisher-2004, 2005

Todd Gattrell-1995, 1996

Allan Gregory-2001, 2002

Rod Hall-2007, 2008

Chris Harrold-1999, 2008

Jason Hatz-1996, 1998

Troy Herbst-1999, 2004

John Herder-1998, 2007

John Holmes-2005, 2007

Carlos Iribe-1997, 1999

Gerardo Iribe-1997, 2004

Jason Jernigan-2004, 2007

Rick D. Johnson-1995, 1998

Jeff Lewis-1999, 2000

Jim Nuckles-2003, 2005

Mark Post-1997, 2003

Joel Stankavich-1999, 2001

Dave Sykes-1998, 2002

Ryan Thomas-1996, 1997

Craig Turner-2002, 2005

Andrew Wehe-1996, 1997

Gary Weyhrich-2000, 2006

Chris Woodward-2000, 2001

Monday, January 19, 2009

Formula One drops three-race engine rule

LONDON (Reuters) - Formula One has quietly dropped a requirement for engines to last three successive races this season.

Article 28.4 of the 2009 sporting regulations, posted on the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA)'s website (www.fia.com) this week, makes no mention of having to use engines in sequence.

Full Story

15 Facts About Ron Dennis

Ron Dennis, the man who built a F1 dynasty from the McLaren team, announced on Friday that he is stepping down from his role as McLaren team boss. PF1 brings you the facts behind the man...

1. Dennis' career in motorsports started out when he was 16 years old and began working as an apprentice mechanic for the Thomson & Taylor garage at Weybridge.

2. He entered F1 in 1966 when he became a mechanic for the Cooper Formula One team where the lead driver was Jochen Rindt., who took Dennis with him to Brabham in 1968.

3. Prior to being asked to take operational control of McLaren, Dennis was in fact trying to raise funds for a Formula One team of his own - he had previously owned the Rondel Racing team in the 1970s. At the time Dennis owned a Formula 2 team, called Project 4, which was merged with McLaren to create the current McLaren F1 team.

4. The MP4 in the name of all subsequent McLaren F1 cars stands for McLaren - Project 4 - the combined names of McLaren and Dennis' own team.

5. Dennis's first big move as McLaren boss was the hiring of designer John Barnard who began work on the team's revolutionary new carbon fibre composite chassis, the MP4/1.

6. Despite not winning a single race that season, Dennis pressed on with the chassis built from carbon-fibre composite, a move that many other teams tried to follow without much success. It soon, though, yielded wins for McLaren with John Watson taking the honour of being the first McLaren driver under Dennis to win a grand prix - it was the 1981 British GP.

7. Dennis also bought out the other McLaren shareholders, Teddy Mayer and Tyler Alexander, in 1981, although today he only owns 15% of the McLaren group having sold shares to Mansour Ojjeh and then a 40% stake to Mercedes in 2000 for a reputed �200m.

8. Dennis was responsible for coaxing Niki Lauda out of retirement. The Austrian went on to win the 1984 World title with McLaren.

9. Lauda's victory was the first of ten Drivers' titles that McLaren would win with Dennis at the helm with the latest coming in 2008 when Lewis Hamilton bagged the crown. They also won seven Constructors' titles under Dennis.

10. However, with success also came controversy. Dennis was the driving force behind Paragon, McLaren's �250m technical centre near Woking. It opened in 2004 with some accusing Dennis of taking his eye off the F1 team in order to devote his attention to the new centre. The opening of Paragon largely marked the start of the rumours regarding Ron's retirement.

11. Three years later and the rumours gathered momentum in the face of the Stepneygate spy scandal that rocked F1. Dennis's team was accused and found guilty of the FIA of being in unauthorised possession of Ferrari's secret technical data. It was a low point in Dennis's career with the team boss later admitting to being the one who ratted McLaren out to FIA President Max Mosley. McLaren were handed a record $100 million fine by the FIA.

12. Dennis was, in 2000, made a Commander of the British Empire. However, subsequently a petition has been established on the British Government's Downing Street Website to ask her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to grant a knighthood to Ron for his services to motor sport, business and technology.

13. Dennis was placed at number 648 in the Sunday Times Rich List 2006 with a net worth of �90 million.

14. On February 15 2008, Dennis announced his intention to separate from his wife of 22 years, Lisa, with whom he has three children. Lisa is the author of a series of illustrated children's books during the 1990s; they followed the Formula One adventures of main characters "Mac" and "Lauren".

15. On January 16 2009 2008 Ron Dennis announced he was stepping down as McLaren team boss and handing the reigns over to CEO Martin Whitmarsh.

source: planet F1