Miller/Arciero win SCORE Trophy-Truck again Hengeveld/Campbell/Norman
in M/C, Herbst/Roeseler in 4-Wheel Lead early finishers
Friday at 37th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000
BFGoodrich Tires win 19th straight overall 4-wheel crown as nearly
300,000 watch 284 starters in Ensenada to LaPaz, Mexico race

ENSENADA, Mexico (November 19, 2004) -- In an impressive display of power and poise, American Honda motorcycle teammates Steve Hengeveld, Johnny Campbell and Kendall Norman, along with the Troy Herbst/Larry Roeseler duo, posted the overall motorcycle and 4-wheel victories late early Friday to lead the early finishers at the 37th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race. The finish line is on the outskirts of La Paz and all racers have a 40-hour time limit from the time each started to become official finishers.

The granddaddy of all desert races, the flagship event of the world’s foremost desert racing series is a rugged peninsula odyssey of 1,016.3 miles from Ensenada in Baja California to La Paz, in Baja California Sur. It’s the 30th time the race started in Ensenada, and 16th time it is finishing in La Paz.

The 284 starters in this year’s Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, from 31 U.S. States and 11 countries, is the largest field since 1992 (307) in the desert classic. With 2004 SCORE Desert Series point championships at stake, they are competing in 26 Pro and 5 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs from 31 U.S. States and 11 countries.

The post-race SCORE Survivor Award’s Celebration will be held Saturday at Noon in La Paz at the Crowne Plaza Resort, adjacent to the official finish line of the race.

Mexico tourism officials have estimated record crowds of nearly 300,000 along the course from Ensenada down both sides of the Baja California peninsula to La Paz.

First to cross the finish line was the Honda XR650R of Hengeveld and Campbell, who methodically marched down the grueling course to an overall winning time of 15 hours, 57 minutes and 37 seconds. Campbell took the green flag, riding for 381 miles, newcomer Kendall Norman rode in the middle section for and Hengeveld captured the checkered flag, after riding for 427 miles. The team average speed was an event-record 63.505 miles per hour.

While the American Honda teammates rode the fastest vehicle in the demanding race, Troy Herbst and Larry Roeseler in their Ford-powered Smithbuilt open-wheel desert racecar equipped with BFGoodrich Tires, led all four-wheel vehicles to the finish line, covering the challenging course in 16:18:14, and their average of 62.167 mph is the second highest in race history.

For Hengeveld, Oak Hills, CA, the victory was his fifth class win and his fourth while Campbell, San Clemente, CA, improved his record run in this desert classic to eighth straight and the talented rookie Norman, Santa Barbara, CA, earning his first in his first attempt. It was also the 10th straight SCORE race victory for Hengeveld and Campbell.

For Troy Herbst, Las Vegas, it was his third Class 1 win in the unlimited Class 1 in this historic race and his first overall title. For Roeseler, Hesperia, CA, it was his 13th class win and his 11th overall triumph.

In the manufacturer’s battle of ‘beat the Baja’ research and development, Ford won it’s tenth overall 4-wheel crown, Honda earned it’s 15th overall motorcycle win, BFG Tires captured its 19th consecutive overall 4-wheel vehicle triumph and Smithbuilt chassis won for the first time.

Second overall among 4-wheel vehicles and winners of the marquee SCORE Trophy-Truck class for the second straight year was the Miller Racing Chevy Silverado of Mark Miller, Carefree, Ariz./Ryan Arciero, Foothill Ranch, Calif. With Miller starting the race and Arciero finishing, the pair held off a talented of 24 in their class, finishing in 16:24:54, six minutes, 40 seconds behind Herbst/Roeseler. It was Miller’s fourth victory (third with Arciero) in his SCORE Trophy-Truck career.

The rugged race started on Thursday at the end of Avenida Ruiz, two miles east of downtown Ensenada, with motorcycles and ATVs got the green flag starting at 6:30 a.m. (PST) in the elapsed-time race. The car and truck classes began their trek at exactly 9:30 a.m.

Second in SCORE Trophy-Truck and third overall were the team of Dan Smith/David Ashley, Riverside, CA, in a time of 16:47:05 in their Enduro Racing Ford F-150. It was the best finish of the year for the veteran team, who won this race three times in SCORE Trophy-Truck (2000, 2001 and 2002).

Fourth overall and third in SCORE Trophy-Truck was the team of Mark Post, San Juan Capistrano, CA/Curt Le Duc, Cherry Valley, CA, in the Riviera Racing Ford F-150, at 16:48:18. Finishing fifth overall and in second in Class 1 was McMillin Racing’s Andy McMillin and his father Scott McMillin, of Poway, CA, in a Jimco-Chevy, with a time of 16:54:18.

Finishing sixth overall and third in Class 1 was the team of John Marking, El Cajon, CA/Chris Harrold, Chula Vista, CA/Bob Lofton, Westmorland, Calif. in 17:25:47 in a Jimco-Chevy. The finish allowed them to hold onto their points lead, earned without winning a race, to edge Troy Herbst/Larry Roeseler, who won three times this year, for the SCORE Class 1 season championship.

Seventh overall and third fourth in SCORE Trophy-Truck were Troy Herbst’s older brothers Ed and Tim, who finished the course in 17:35:10. Josh Baldwin, Newport Beach, CA, made it to La Paz in 17:44:59 in the Baldwin Racing Ford F-150 to finish ninth overall and fifth in SCORE Trophy-Truck.

Rounding out the top 10 overall and finishing fourth in Class 1 was Mark McMillin, El Cajon, CA, Andy’s uncle and Scott’s brother in 17:50:03, in another McMillin Racing Jimco-Chevy.

Second overall in the motorcycle race and second in Class 22 Red Bull KTM factory team of Chris Blais, Apple Valley, CA/Kellon Walch, Las Vegas/Andy Grider, Las Vegas, Scot Harden, Menifee, CA, on a special KTM 700LC4, built especially for this race in Austria.

The third overall motorcycle was the Class 40 (for riders over 30 years old) winning team of team of Jim O’Neal, Chatsworth, CA/Tim Withers, Pepeekeo, Hawaii/Jeff Kaplan, Thousand Oaks, CA, in 17:33:13 on a Honda XR650R.

The fourth overall motorcycle was the Class 30 (for riders over 30 years old) winning team of Sergio Vega, Ensenada, Mexico/Gerardo Rojas, Vicente Guerrero, Mexico/Manual Santa, Ensenada, Mexico, at 17:35:23 on a Honda XR650R.

Completing the top five overall for motorcycles was Canada’s Lukas and PG Lundmark, who were second in Class 40 with a time of18:22:11 on a Honda XR650R.

Ruben Martin/Gilberto Santana, Tijuana, Mexico/Arnoldo Ramirez, Ensenada, Mexico, teamed up on a Bombardier DS650 Baja X to earn the overall ATV honors with a time of 19:52:23 at an average speed of 51.002 mph.

NASCAR’s Robby Gordon, one of nearly a dozen crossover racers who were part of the starting grid, built up a huge lead of over one-half hour before getting out of his Red Bull Chevy CK1500 SCORE Trophy-Truck after the first 740 miles to fly to his final NASCAR racing weekend of the year. With his second driver Steve Barlow, Temecula, CA, at the wheel, the truck lost the rear end and because it was dark and the team’s chase truck couldn’ t find him, Barlow spent 12 hours in the Baja desert until sunlight assisted the crew and they were able to repair the truck. Barlow eventually made it to the finish line in for Team Gordon in 29:34:31, 12th in SCORE Trophy-Truck.

For information contact:
SCORE International at its Los Angeles headquarters
(818) 225-8402 or visit
the official Optima SCORE Desert Series website at:
www.score-international.com

37th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 Desert Race
Top Overall Finishers
Nov. 18-20, 2004 -- Ensenada to La Paz, Baja California, Mexico

(EDITOR’s NOTE: The course will close at 4:34 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 20; complete Official finisher’s list by Class to follow on Saturday afternoon)

Cars & Trucks
1. Troy Herbst, Las Vegas/Larry Roeseler, Hesperia, CA, Smithbuilt-Ford, 16 hours, 18 minutes, 14 seconds (62.17 miles per hour) (Class 1)
2. Mark Miller, Carefree, Ariz./Ryan Arciero, Foothill Ranch, CA, Chevy Silverado, 16:24:54 (61.75mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
3. Dan Smith/Dave Ashley, Riverside, CA, Ford F-150, 16:47:05 (60.39mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
4. Mark Post, San Juan Capistrano, CA/Curt LeDuc, Cherry Valley, CA, Ford F-150, 16:48:18 (60.31mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
5. Andy McMillin/Scott McMillin, Poway, CA, Jimco-Chevy, 16:54:18 (59.96mph) (Class 1)
6. John Marking, El Cajon, CA/Chris Harrold, Chula Vista, CA/Bob Lofton, Westmorland, CA, Jimco-Chevy, 17:25:47 (58.15mph) (Class 1)
7. Ed Herbst/Tim Herbst, Las Vegas, Ford F-150, 17:35:10 (57.34mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
8. Josh Baldwin, Newport Beach, CA, Ford F-150, 17:44:59 (57.10mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
9. Mark McMillin, El Cajon, CA/Brian Ewalt, Bonita, CA/Daniel McMillin, El Cajon, CA, Jimco-Chevy, 17:50:03 (56.83mph) (Class 1)
10. Gus Vildosola, Mexicali, Mexico/Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, Ford F-150, 17:56:31 (56.49mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
11. Ron Brant, Oak Hills, CA/Dennis Boyle, Ventura, CA, Jimco-Chevy, 18:00:09 (Class 1)
12. Bob Shepard, Phoenix, Chevy Silverado, 18:03:02 (56.15mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
13. Martin Christensen, Escondido, CA/Dave Mason, Valley Center, CA, Jimco-BMW, 18:32:24 (54.67mph) (Class 10)
14. Buddy Feldkamp/Bud Feldkamp, Redlands, CA, Penhall-Chevy, 18:34:03 (54.59mph) (Class 1)
15. Todd Wyllie, New River, Ariz./Dan Fowler, Peoria, Ariz., Chevy C1500, 18:49:49 (53.83mph) (Class 8)
16. Jesse Jones, Phoenix/Scott Steinberger, Cypress, CA, Ford F-150, 19:12:59 (52.75mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
17. Will Higman, Newport Beach, CA/Jerry Higman, Huntington Beach, CA, Kreger-Honda, 19:14:55 (52.66mph) (Class 10)
18. Rick Romans/Jerry Bennett, Big Bear Lake, CA, Jimco-Chevy; 19:20:46 (52.39mph) (Class 1)
19. Rick L. Johnson, Oak Hills, CA/Tony Vanillo, Hesperia, CA, Toyota Tundra, 19:36:40 (51.68mph) (Protruck)
20. Jason Baldwin, Laguna Beach, CA, Ford F-150, 19:41:55 (51.45mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)

Motorcycles
1. Steve Hengeveld, Oak Hills, CA/Johnny Campbell, San Clemente, CA/Kendall Norman, Santa Barbara, CA, Honda XR650R, 15:57:37 (63.51mph) (Class 22)
2. Chris Blais, Apple Valley, CA/Kellon Walch, Las Vegas/Andy Grider, Los Olivos, CA/Scot Harden, Menefee, CA, KTM 700LC4, 16:22:12 (61.92mph) (Class 22)
3. Jim O’Neal, Chatsworth, CA/Tim Withers, Pepeekeo, Hawaii/Jeff Kaplan, Newbury Park, CA, Honda XR650, 17:33:13 (57.74mph) (Class 40)
4. Gerardo Rojas, Vicente Guerrero, Mexico/Sergio Vega/Manuel Santana, Ensenada, Mexico, Honda XR650, 17:35:23 (57.62mph) (Class 30)
5. Lukas Lundin/PG Lundmark, Canada, Honda XR650, 18:22:11(55.18mph) (Class 40)
6. Brian Pinard, Wildomar, CA/Bo Harris, Fallbrook, CA/Jim McKay/Roland Bucher, Hemet, CA/Martin Lemiereux, Canada, Honda XR650R, 18:32:15 (54.68mph) (Class 22)
7. Matt Lyman, Honolulu/Steven Trinies, Kanehoe, Hawaii/Darryl Hambleton, Acton, CA, Honda XR650, 18:57:02 (53.48mph) (Class 40)
8. Mike Childress, Wrightwood, CA/Mouse McCoy, Santa Monica, CA/Chuck Dempsey, Hesperia, CA, Honda XR650R, 19:05:25 (53.09mph) (Class 22)
9. Michael Laenger, Sherman Oaks, CA/Kent Perkins, Bakersfield, CA/Seward Ogden, Putney, Vt./Kevin Ward, Chatsworth, CA, Honda XR650, 19:29:39 (51.99mph) (Class 40)
10. Fred Brown/Perry Brown/Tommy Tomlinson, Rural Retreat, Va., Honda XR650R, 20:11:31 (50.20mph)

ATVs
1. Ruben Martin/Gilberto Santana, Tijuana, Mexico/Arnoldo Ramirez, Ensenada, Mexico, Bombardier DS650 Baja X, 19:52:23, (51.00mph) (Class 25)
2. John Gregory, Spring Valley, CA/Doug Eichner, El Cajon, CA/Marc Speath/Danny Rudd, La Habra, CA, Honda TRX450R, 20:01:16 (50.63mph) (Class 25)
3. Ray Schooley, Poway, Calif/Ryan Wheeler, El Cajon, CA/Tony Baker/Greg Row, San Diego, Bombardier DS650X, 24:34:40 (41.24mph) (Class 25)
4. Nick Nelson, Anaheim, CA/Jason Greenhaw, Bakersfield, CA/Jeff Anderson, San Bernadino, CA, TRX450R, 25:14:35 (40.15mph) (Class 25)
5. Luis Navarro, San Diego/Gilberto Castro, Chula Vista, CA/Giuillermo Malpica, San Diego, Honda 450R, 26:43:06 (37.94mph) (Sportsman ATV)

For information contact:
SCORE International at its Los Angeles headquarters
(818) 225-8402 or visit
the official Optima SCORE Desert Series website at:
www.score-international.com