Newcomer Cadiente powers Ford
F-150 to SCORE Trophy-Truck
Overall victory in Saturday's 20th
Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250
Herbst/Roeseler capture unlimited Class 1 in Smithbuilt-Ford,
Bell/Norman claim Class 22 & Overall motorcycle win
San Felipe, Baja, California (March 12, 2006)
Desert racing newcomer Garron Cadiente made a major statement Saturday, powering his Ford F-150 to the Overall and SCORE Trophy-Truck victory in the record-setting celebration of the 20th Annual SCORE San Felipe 250. Competing in just his third SCORE race, Cadiente, of Mesa, Ariz., defeated a race-record field of 340 starters, covering the rugged 240.34-mile course in 3 hours, 52 minutes, 47 seconds, averaging an impressive 61.49 miles per hour.
Overcoming the intermittent rain, the rugged race course, the fact that it was only his third ever SCORE desert race along with the fact that he has only been racing since last April, Cadiente, 30, started near the back in the elapsed-time race but was in or near the lead within the first 100 miles. On top of that, he defeated race-record 24 starters in the marquee SCORE racing division for hi-tech, 800-horsepower unlimited production trucks, in front of over 100,000 spectators spread throughout the course.
American Honda's Robby Bell, Murrieta, Calif./Kendall Norman, Santa Barbara, Calif., won the Class 22 and overall motorcycle title on their four-stroke Honda CRF450X when apparent winners Steve Hengeveld, Oak Hills, Calif./Mike Childress, Wrightwood, Calif., the other factory Honda team, were disqualified after the race by SCORE officials for deviating from the course. The Bell/Norman team covered the course in 4:19:36, averaging 55.55mph.
Contingency Goes Wide Open on the San Felipe Beach
San Felipe, Baja, Mexico (March 10, 2006)- 3:30 PM
Beneath the gorgeous weather here in San Felipe, Baja California, thousands of spectators have taken the opportunity to mix and meet their favorite off road racing teams. Located on the sands of the Sea of Cortez, the SCORE San Felipe 250 is set to rage forth tomorrow morning.
Here on the Malecon of San Felipe the world’s top teams have all gathered for the contingency fiesta and the technical inspection mandated by SCORE International. The festivities began early this morning as the DirtNewz.com crew arrived to the Malecon as the sun began to rise and the locals served up hot coffee.
Showers are predicted to soak San Felipe beginning late tonight and continuing through late morning Saturday with thunderstorm warnings for Saturday morning. San Felipe is famous for not handling wet weather well. With water having nowhere to travel other than the many washes that dump into the Sea of Cortez, this will mean lots of race course sections with flowing water. Bring your life vests and hope the (other) weatherman is wrong!
Andy Grider Driving Class 1 at Baja 500
Baja motorcycle champion and Dakar Rally veteran Andy Grider stopped by the DirtNewz.com headquarters on the Malecon to fill us in on his newly formed association with Pat Dean's Las Vegas Dissimenation Class 1 program.
Grider has been prerunning in preparation for the upcoming Baja 500 where he will be driving the coast section. Grider has put in several hundred miles behind the wheel so far and is available as a back up driver this weekend.
This seaside town of San Felipe nestled here on shores of the Sea of Cortez is buzzing with off road racing activity as the world’s top off road desert racers have descended on the beach here in Northern Mexico for one of the biggest races of the season in the SCORE Series, the Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250.
Early this morning the Monster Energy drink sponsored Trophy Truck racer, Alan Pflueger, and his co-drivers Mike Emerson and John Hoffman, spent time on the course raging in the #28 prerunner, as well as running the race truck at speed through some of Baja’s toughest off road terrain. Last we saw the Monster Energy drink sponsored crew was reorganizing around race mile 29/30.
Wednesday’s weather is absolutely epic sporting 75 degree temperatures and no wind on the eastern coast of the Baja Peninsula. The city of San Felipe has opened its arms wide for the world’s top race teams who have converged here under the sunny skies of the Mexican Coast.
Latest Updates:
Chuck Hovey has an injured right wrist, but will continue in his quest for the SCORE Desert Series Championship, although he commented that this race is expected to be physically difficult and a wrist injury may hamper his efforts. Audio interview with Hovey.
Steve Hengeveld & Mikey Childress have prerun hard during the last three days running their sections numerous times in search of a victory in San Felipe.
Desert Assassins have been on the down low for the past few days running the course multiple times in search of their first Trophy Truck victory.
Pflueger Racing has put the #28 through the paces. Expect the #28 to be in the hunt at the finish line.
John Marking in the #26 Trophy Truck suffered a setback on last Friday during testing at Plaster City, California. Turbo Tom, Marking and the crew spent the weekend putting the CST Trophy Truck back together and they are in San Felipe ready to rock.
SCORE Class 10 Champion – John Cooley is in San Felipe working hard towards the 2006 SCORE Championship and plans to put the orange Class 10 through the paces here in San Felipe.
Class 11 Champion-Eric Solozano will run this race as his final race in a Class 11 car. Solozano has plans to enter Class 1-2 1600. Solozano told DirtNewz at the Laughlin race that the next couple races were his last in Class 11.
Curt Geer is in town and suffered a broken torsion bar on his old school 1-2 1600 prerunner car and they are looking for parts.
Adam Pfankuch is prerunning in the KIT Racing prerunners and their entire crew is camped at Pete’s Camp on the beach.
Word on the streets of San Felipe is the fiesta begins at the MiraMar Bar at around 9 pm this evening. DirtNewz.com will bring you the latest from the fun here in San Felipe, Baja California.
Round 2, 2006 SCORE Desert Series
Race-record field of nearly 360 includes 70 racers with combined 155 Class wins in Saturday's 20th Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250
On-site internet coverage: score-international.com, desertracing.com,
jumplive.com, off-road.com;
Audio webcasts start Wednesday on dirtnewz.com
San Felipe, Baja, Mexico (March 6, 2006)
Helping celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 desert race, a race-record field of nearly 360 entries, including 70 racers, who have a combined 155 Class wins between them, are heading to Mexico this week along with of thousands of spectators looking for an early "spring break" in Mexico's majestic Baja California peninsula.
Round 2 of the six-race 2006 SCORE Desert Series, the World's Foremost Desert Racing Series, will be held Saturday in the quaint fishing village of San Felipe, 120 miles South of the U.S. border at Calexico, Calif., on the eastern side of the peninsula, alongside the picturesque azure waters of the Sea of Cortez.
Competing on a challenging 240.34-mile rock-shrouded, silt-laden desert course, a race-record of nearly 360 entries from 20 States, Canada, Colombia, England and Mexico will compete in 24 Pro and 5 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs. The green flag will drop at 6 a.m. on Saturday for the motorcycle and ATV classes, followed by the car and truck classes two hours later at approximately 8:30 a.m.
