16.5.2009 – The Dos Mares 500 was – even if there are still guys out there racing – Not as good of a race as years past. This is also the case with the events on the Malecon (presentation, sponsor presence, spectators at the event) as the starting grid. It sure was not very helpful to have the race date rescheduled from the may 1st. original date after the government ordered no public events during the swine-flu outbreak-danger. I assume there were a few cancellations because of that. At the pre-race event there were about 20some vehicles until about 8:30 pm in the evening for the inspection Read More→
SCORE Press Release: Prominent Central California developer, general contractor and rookie desert racer Greg Nunley along with Randy Wilson, Ryan Penhall and Santos Perez all drew pole positions in their respective divisions during Saturday’s computerized drawing for starting positions in the upcoming 41st Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500. Round 3 of the five-race 2009 SCORE Desert Series, the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Series, will feature over 250 entries, competing in 28 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs, will be held June 4-7 in Ensenada, Mexico. Read More→
The new-look OiLibya Tunisia Rally is the longest cross-country event in the FIA international calendar – with the exception of the Dakar Rally – and features a super special stage and 10 selective sections in Tunisia and Libya. The second round of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies has been expanded by the organising Neveu- Pelletier Organisation (NPO) and now features a total route of 4,297km.
There are 3,274 proposed competitive kilometres in the time schedule in Tunisia and Libya. After technical scrutineering and documentation at Gammarth La Marsa in Tunis on Tuesday, April 21st and Wednesday, April 22nd, Read More→
This is a SCORE Press Release – full credits on this content goes to SCORE Intl.. Post-race racer quotes: Brian Colins, #12 First in class and first vehicle overall. This was Collins’ sixth career SCORE Trophy-Truck victory –
No flats, nothing. It was just a perfect day. B.J. Baldwin (who was leading at the time) broke down and we got past him about race mile 190, I think. The truck was absolutely awesome. Billy (Goerke, my navigator) did a great job because if you would have asked me earlier today if we were going to win, I would have said ‘I don’t know, it’s going to be a long day.’ But I put a plan together, being patient, and I told Billy that’s what we were going to do and he monitored my speed all the time down the real rough sections so we didn’t have a flat or hurt our shocks and we just had a great day.
Robby Gordon, #77 Second in class and second vehicle overall.
I got a flat tire about mile marker 40 and our jacks didn’t work. I ended up getting back in the car and driving about a mile and a half on a flat tire to some locals that had a floor jack and were pitting their car. I had a breaker bar and that was our flat-tire changer. That was the only problem we had. We were 20 minutes behind (Brian Collins) at out first pit area, where we took fuel at mile 68, and I think he beat us home by about 10 minutes, so we had a good run. We didn’t have any mechanical problems. I don’t know why the impact gun and the jack didn’t work but that’s the only problem we had. I almost got crashed by (Ed) Stout, who clobbered the back of us on Zoo Road (at about race mile 93). He didn’t make it much farther than where he hit me. We were joking that he wasn’t going to go very far and it was about 10 more miles and I think he had the rear suspension ripped off of it. The course was what we expected (but) it was surprising that (Brian Collins) had the run like he had, but he does that here all the time and I had a very strong run, too, so congrats to those guys.
SAN FELIPE, Mexico — 23rd Annual Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250: Looking for his own version of “Spring Break”, NASCAR Cup team owner/driver Robby Gordon will spend his week off from pavement racing by returning to his desert racing roots as one of 10 overall winners from the last 13 years entered in this race.
Round 2 of the 2009 SCORE Desert Series will be held Friday through Sunday in Mexico’s quaint and picturesque fishing village of San Felipe, located on the East side of the Baja California peninsula along the azure waters of the tranquil Sea of Cortez. Gordon, who won this race in 1996 and whose only attempt here since then was a did-not-finish in 2004, will drive the No. 77 Team Gordon Chevy CK1500 SCORE Trophy-Truck that won January’s 2009 SCORE season-opener in Laughlin, Nev.
Besides Gordon, the other former overall race winners returning this year are brothers Tim Herbst/Ed Herbst (1999, 2000, 2001), Mark Post (1998, 2004, 2007), Brian Collins (1990, 2008), Rob MacCachren (2003, 2007), Curt LeDuc (1997), Gus Vildosola (2003) and Jerry Whelchel (1998, 2004).
Also part of the field for the popular desert race are four gifted riders who have combined to win the overall Motorcycle title in 10 of the last 11 years—Johnny Campbell (7 times), Robby Bell (3), Kendall Norman (2) and Quinn Cody (1). The competitive field also includes 15 defending class winners and 36 racers who have combined for 115 class wins in the first 22 years of this race.
With over 225 entries from 20 U.S. States and 10 countries competing in 28 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes in the 232.4-mile race, the green flag will drop at 6 a.m. local time on Saturday, for the motorcycle and ATV classes, followed three hours later by the car and truck classes at approximately 10 a.m. local time. The start line for the race will once again be the landmark San Felipe Arches on Highway 5 on the outskirts of San Felipe. The race will finish just south of the Arches, directly behind the Cerveza Tecate building. One vehicle will start every 30 seconds in the elapsed-time race, with a 10-hour time limit to become an official finisher. The fastest finishers are expected in just under four hours.
With late entries accepted until race morning, Class 1-2/1600 has the most entries to date with 21, followed by SCORE Trophy-Truck with 19 and the unlimited Class 1 with 15. Besides Collins and Bell the other defending class winners entered this year are: Germany’s Armin Schwarz (Class 1), Adam Pfankuch, Carlsbad, Calif. (Class 1-2/1600), Donald Moss, Sacramento (Class 3), Marcos Nunez, Ensenada, Mexico (Class 5/1600), John Holmes, Olivenhain, Calif. (Class 7SX), Rodrigo Ampudia Jr., Ensenada, Mexico (Class 8), Eric Solorzano, Tijuana, Mexico (Class 11), Carlos Casas, Chula Vista, Calif. (Class 21), Anna Cody, Simi Valley, Calif. (Class 20), Jim O’Neal, Simi Valley, Calif. (Class 30), Bret Helm, Poway, Calif. (Class 40-Scott Myers is rider of record this year), Charles Marshall, Carmichael, Calif. (Class 50) and Wayne Matlock, El Cajon, Calif. (Class 25).
Associate sponsors for the Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 are the Tourism and Convention Bureau of Mexicali/San Felipe, and Cotuco. The annually race provides a greater economic impact to San Felipe than the entire month-long ‘Spring Break’.
Announcement by A.S.O.:
Based on the success and the popular infatuation raised by the 2009 Dakar that was held for the first time in Argentina and Chile, A.S.O. and the two countries have decided together to renew the organization of the rally in 2010 in South America for the 32nd edition. On the occasion of the two presentations in Buenos Aires and Santiago, the organizers of the Dakar have unveiled the main parts of the course of the 32nd edition that will take off on the 2nd of January in Buenos Aires. After a first experience in South America, the variety of the territories and terrain, the intensity of the challenge taken on by the competitors and the enthusiasm of the crowd have convinced both the authorities of the two countries and the head of the rally to renew the adventure. In 2010, Argentina and Chile will jointly celebrate the bicentenary of their independence: the Dakar will have the honor of starting these celebrations.
The tracks discovered in Argentina and Chile during the 2009 edition represent for the teams of the rally an invitation to continue exploring. In terms of sport, the potential of these territories offer exalting perspectives: by heading to new regions, the 2010 Dakar will offer an intense and renewed challenge. The experience of a first edition in South America having revealed some constraints in terms of terrain, several changes have been decided in order to ensure security and equity between the competitors. With more dune crossings and off-piste navigation as well as stages and mileage shared between the two countries, this 2010 event will seduce the amateurs of difficulty.
It is a strong influence from Europe that partly made the history of Argentina and Chile. The spirit of the Century of Lights, over 200 years ago inspired the South American freedom fighters in their quest for freedom. Chance has wanted the celebrations of the bicentenary of the independence of the two countries to open with the start of the 2010 Dakar, scheduled on the 2nd of January in Buenos Aires. It is a pride and an honor for the rally to find itself implied in a solemn moment of communion between these two people. I like to consider it as more than a coincidence, more a sign of destiny.
An increasing umber of motor racing enthusiasts followed the 2009 Dakar. the enormous popularity of the rally among Argentinians and Chileans, which resulted in huge public turnouts along the route, was confirmed in an analysis. Argentina topped the list of nations with 20% of the visits to the websites, ahead of France (13%), Holland (10 %), Spain (7%) and Chile (6%).
Press release A.S.O. – Dakar. Jan. 17 2009
Coma wins like a conqueror, De Villiers finishes with panache. Those used to the Dakar in Africa might still have in mind the last special stage ’just for the fun of it’ on the banks of Lake Rose which was not more than 100km long. This one in the Santa Fé province towards Rosario, the birthplace of a certain Ernesto Guevara, was much more than a last easy hurdle. In the bike race, Marc Coma quietly offered a thrid title to Spain by winning his second Dakar. But the last special stage in the 2009 Dakar goes to Portuguese rider Helder Rodrigues. In the car race, Giniel De Villiers Read More→
CÓRDOBA (Argentina): X-raid’s Sails Capital Racing Team’s René Kuipers received a two-hour penalty at the bivouac in La Rioja, along with other drivers who had failed to complete the special stage by the time event officials decided to stop the section in the sand dunes at the 175km point. The penalty was added to the time of the slowest competitor and Kuipers retained his place in the top 10, but slipped from a potential seventh to 10th overall. Read More→
As the Dakar Rally resumed following yesterday’s canceled stage, rally leader Carlos Sainz took to the routes of Argentina with a 27-minute lead on his nearest rival, Volkswagen teammate Mark Miller. About 80 kilometers into today’s Fiambala-La Rioja stage, Sainz’s Race Touareg went through a heavy roll and landed on its roof, with the impact causing a shoulder injury to co-driver Michel Périn. Both men were airlifted back to the Fiambola bivouac, where Périn received medical care. The race organizers have confirmed the rally-leading Sainz Read More→
