Abney tops in motorcycle points, Robles Jr ahead in ATV points; other class leaders include
Connor, D. Murray, C. Reid, Ampudia, C. Broughton, Garcia, Udall, Navarro III, Daniels, Winkelman;
Season-ending 48th Bud Light SCORE Baja 1000 Nov. 18-22 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
RENO, Nev.—On the verge of an unprecedented accomplishment after his second race with of the season, Mexico’s Gus Vildosola Jr has driven his No. 21 Vildosola Racing Ford Raptor back to the top of the 2015 SCORE World Desert Championship.
Following first, fifth, fourth and first-place finishes, Vildosola Jr, a second generation Mexican national desert racer from Mexicali, leads the SCORE Trophy Truck season point standings as well as the SCORE overall season point standings after Round 4 of the five-race 2015 SCORE World Desert Championship.
Winning last month’s Rigid Industries SCORE Imperial Valley 250, after opening the season with a third consecutive victory in the 29th Bud Light SCORE San Felipe 250, recording a fifth in the inaugural Bud Light SCORE Baja Sur 500 and a fourth in June’s 48th annual Bud Light SCORE Baja 500 has enabled Vildosola Jr climb back to the SCORE Overall season point lead as well as the top spot in the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division for high-tech, 850-horsepower, unlimited production trucks.
Following his fifth career SCORE Trophy Truck race win on Sept. 26, Vildosola Jr has 326 season points as only 104 total points separate the top 20 overall 4-wheel vehicle point leaders after four events in the 2015 SCORE World Desert Championship and only 26 points separate the top seven overall point leaders. With a season title, Vildosola Jr would become the first Mexican national to win the SCORE Trophy Truck season championship.
GOING BIG IN BAJA
With overall and class season point championships on the line for cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads, the season finale will be next month’s 48th annual Bud Light SCORE Baja 1000 desert race. The granddaddy of all desert races, with race-week festivities Nov. 18-22, will be a loop race this year starting and finishing adjacent to the iconic Riviera del Pacifico cultural center in the heart of Ensenada, Baja California Mexico.
BEFORE BAJA
The drawing for starting positions, by class, for all classes except SCORE Trophy Truck and Class 1, will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 28. Entry registration is be handled online at www.SCORE-International.com.
Jumpstarting the festivities for the Bud Light SCORE Baja 1000 for the second straight year will be the massive SEMA SCORE Baja 1000 Experience at the Las Vegas Convention Center (Nov. 2-6) and the special SCORE Baja 1000 qualifying for SCORE Trophy Trucks and unlimited Class 1 open-wheelers at the Off-Road track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (7 p.m. PT, Tuesday, Nov. 3).
SHOWTIME ON CBS SPORTS
CBS Sports Network will again air two shows around the Bud Light SCORE Baja 1000. The premier of the first show will be at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 20, will be a one hour show highlighting the SEMA SCORE Baja 1000 Experience and SCORE Baja 1000 qualifying.
The second program will be the first two-hour SCORE race coverage show, spotlighting the Bud Light SCORE Baja 1000. The premier airing will be at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 27.
SCORE TROPHY TRUCK LEADERS
Including Vildosola Jr, six SCORE Trophy drivers are among the top 20 in points.
Fourth in SCORE Overall points and second in SCORE Trophy Truck is Mexico’s Eduardo Laguna, winner of the Bud Light SCORE Baja Sur 500, who has 304 points in the No. 17 RPM Racing Chevy Silverado, while ninth in SCORE Overall points and third in SCORE Trophy Truck is Mexico’s Carlos Lopez, who has 279 points in the No. 5 RPM Racing Chevy Rally Truck and 10th in SCORE Overall points and fourth in SCORE Trophy Truck is Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren who has 272 points in the No. 21 Rockstar Energy MacCachren Motorsports Ford F-150.
In13th in SCORE Overall points and fifth in SCORE Trophy Truck after four races with 261 points is defending SCORE Overall and SCORE Trophy Truck season point champion Steven Eugenio, Carlsbad, Calif. and his new teammate Armin Schwarz, who is from Germany but lives in Austria, in the No. 1 Galindo Motorsports Chevy Silverado
Gary Magness, Desert Hot Springs, Calif., is 19th in SCORE Overall points and sixth in SCORE Trophy Truck in the No. 45 Mango Racing Chevy Silverado with 222 points.
RULE REGS
SCORE point regulations require four-race minimum counting for final points and one of the four races in the five-race SCORE World Desert Championship that is mandatory for the driver/rider of record to start or finish the Bud Light SCORE Baja 1000 to qualify for a class season point championship.
SCORE points are calculated on a set amount of start points and finish points for a particular race along with a variable amount for placement points based on the number of starters within the racer’s class.
NINE CLASS LEADERS IN TOP 20 OVERALL
In addition to the six drivers from the SCORE Trophy Truck division, eight other classes have at least one racer in the top 20 SCORE Overall point standings after Round 4. The other classes in the top 20 are the Class 10 (four), Class 19 (four) along with additional class point leaders in the unlimited Class 1, Class 1/2-1600, Trophy Truck Spec, Class 3000, Class 5 and Class 5/1600.
Second overall is Trophy Truck Spec class point leader Larry Connor, Miamisburg, Ohio (Chevy Silverado) with 318 points, tied for third in SCORE Overall points and leading Class 19 with 304 points is Derek Murray, Eastvale, Calif. (Can Am Maverick Max), while seventh overall and leading Class 3000 with 300 points is Chad Broughton, Scots Valley, Calif. (BajaLite-Chevy).
Eighth in overall points and leading Class 10 with 285 points is Cody Reid, Apple Valley, Calif. (Custom-Chevy) while 12th in overall points and leading the unlimited Class 1 with 265 points is Rob Archibald, El Cajon, Calif. (Jimco-Chevy).
Aaron Ampudia, Ensenada, Mexico (Alumi Craft-VW), is 16th overall and leading Class 1-2-1600 with 242 points.17th overall with 235 points is Class 5 point leader Victor Cesena, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (VW Baja Bug) and 18th overall and leading Class 5/1600 (VW Baja Bug) is Armando Garcia, Ensenada, Mexico with 226 points.
Completing the top 20 in SCORE Overall points are: Scott McFarland, Moab, Utah, fifth overall and second in Class 19 with 302 points (Polaris RZR XP1000); sixth overall and third in Class 19 with 301 points is Brandon Schueler, Phoenix ; Clay Lawrence, Sunset Beach, Calif., 11th overall and second in Class 10 with 270 points (Lawrence-Chevy); Steve Lawler, Upland, Calif., 14th overall and fourth in Class 10 with 254 points (Lothringer-Chevy), John Angal, Mesa, Ariz., 15th overall and fourth in Class 19 with 248 points (Polaris RZR XP1000) and Todd Winslow, Clovis, Calif., 20th overall and fourth in Class 10 with 221 points.
MOTORCYCLE LEADER
With one race win this season so far, the overall and Class 40 (riders 40 and older) leader is the team led by Kyle Abney, Albuquerque, N.M. (KTM 500XCW) with 272 points.
UNLIMITED M/C
After opening the season with two victories, a rare DNF in the round 3 and a second in round 4, the SCORE Unlimited Motorcycle class point leader continues to be the team led by Colton Udall, Yucca Valley, Calif. (Honda CRF450X) with 243 points.
MORE PRO CLASS POINT LEADERS
Among the other class point leaders following Round 4 in Imperial Valley, California are: Mark Winkelman, Cedar Hill, Texas (Class 30, Honda CRF450X), Carlos Diaz, Mexicali, Mexico (Class7, Ford Ranger), Rafael Navarro III, Temecula, Calif. (SCORE Lites, Jimco-VW), James Burman, Heber City, Utah (Class 8, Chevy Silverado), Kevin Daniels, Bishop, Calif. (SCORE Ironman, KTM 500XCW), Javier Robles Jr, Guadalupe Victoria, Mexico (Pro Quad, Honda TRX450R), Marc Prince, Malibu, Calif. (Class 50, Honda CRF450X) and John Gonzales, Edgewater, Md. (Stock Full, Ford Raptor).
SPORTSMAN
The Sportsman 4-wheel point leader is Derek Fletcher, Abingdon, Va. with two race wins for RPM Racing (SPT Buggy, RPM-Chevy).
Leading his class after four races of 2015, the top Sportsman 2-wheel rider is the team led by Jorge Cordova Ramirez, Ensenada, Mexico (SPT M/C, Yamaha YZ450F).
Leading the SPT Quad class with three race wins is the team led by Juan Dominguez, Yuma, Ariz. (Honda TRX 450R).
CBS SPORTS NETWORK COVERAGE
All races in the 2015 SCORE World Desert Championship series, along with the special SEMA SCORE Baja 1000 Experience and qualifying for the Bud Light SCORE Baja 1000 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway will once again be aired in the USA and Canada on the CBS Sports Network. New for 2015, in addition to SCORE Trophy Truck coverage, the shows will also feature top action and highlights from many other classes of trucks, buggies, motorcycles, quads and UTVs – making sure that the most exciting footage and most compelling stories are now part of each race event broadcast.
Capping off the 2015 broadcast season, the Bud Light SCORE Baja 1000 broadcast on CBS Sports Network will be expanded to a full two-hour program – providing the most expansive television coverage of the “Main Event” of all desert races ever, allowing all the major class action to be showcased around the globe to the SCORE International fan base.
2015 CBS Sports Network Original Broadcast Schedule (subject to change, check local listings)
Remaining Shows:
· Rigid Industries SCORE Imperial Valley 250 presented by the City of El Centro (first telecast-Sunday, November 15, 9 p.m. ET; key repeat broadcast-Sunday, November 29, 9 p.m. ET)
· Bud Light SCORE Baja 1000 Qualifying @SEMA SCORE Baja 1000 Experience (first telecast-Sunday, December 20, 9 p.m. ET)
· Bud Light SCORE Baja 1000 (two-hour special) (first telecast-Sunday, December 27, 9 p.m. ET)
Completed Broadcasts:
· Bud Light SCORE San Felipe 250 (first telecasts-Tuesday, March 17, 7 p.m. ET & 11 p.m. ET)
· Bud Light SCORE Baja Sur 500 (first telecast-Sunday, May 31, 9 p.m. ET; key repeat broadcast-Sunday, June 7, 9 p.m. ET)
· Bud Light SCORE Baja 500 (first telecast-Sunday, July 26, 9 p.m. ET; key repeat broadcast-Sunday, August 2, 9 p.m. ET)
CBS Sports Network is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, including a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go towww.cbssportsnetwork.com.
SCOREscope
The five-race 2015 SCORE World Desert Championship includes four special events in Baja California, Mexico, and one in the United States. Here is the complete 2015 SCORE World Desert Championship schedule:
Remaining race:
· 48th Bud Light SCORE Baja 1000, Nov.18-21, Ensenada, Mexico
Completed races:
· 29th Bud Light SCORE San Felipe 250, held Jan. 22-25, San Felipe, Mexico
· Inaugural Bud Light SCORE Baja Sur 500, held April 15-19, Cabo San Lucas to Loreto, Mexico
· 47th Bud Light SCORE Baja 500, held June 4-7, Ensenada Mexico
· Rigid Industries SCORE Imperial Valley 250, presented by the city of El Centro, Sept. 24-27, Coyne Powersports Motorplex-Plaster City, Calif.
SCORE JOURNAL
Issue No. 8 of the SCORE Journal, the new monthly on-line digital magazine of SCORE International and the five-race SCORE World Desert Championship, is live on the SCORE website atwww.SCORE-International.com and is available through SCORE social media channels as well as a direct link at http://scorejournal.digital.
The new digital magazine, which includes numerous linked video segments, is a major element in the media expansion that SCORE is implementing for 2015 which includes its most aggressive national and international television packages, four new online video series, each with 26 episodes and a new consumer based SCORE website.
SCORE SPONSORS…
SCORE corporate offices are located in Reno, Nev. and the SCORE Tech Shop is in El Cajon, Calif., just east of San Diego.
Official Sponsors: Bud Light-Official Beer/Official Race Sponsor, Monster Energy-Official Energy Drink, BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire, Rigid Industries LED Lighting-Official Lights, King Shocks-Official Shock Absorber, Polaris-Official UTV, Vision Wheel – Official Wheel, Axial R/C-Official R/C Vehicle, CBS Sports Network-Official Television Partner, Coca-Cola-Official Soft Drink, Coyne Powersports-Official Powersports Supplier,Wide Open Excursions- Official Arrive and Drive Company, Crystal Bay Casino-Official Casino.
Associate Sponsors: All Road Satellite, Symons Ambulance Company, Aero Calafia, Tessco.
Additional SCORE Partners: Proturismo Ensenada, Visit Baja California Sur, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, Baja California Sur State Government, Mexicali Ayuntamineto, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Cruz Roja Mexicana, Corporate Helicopters, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, GoPro, PCI Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products, Advanced Color Graphics.
For more information, visit the official website of the SCORE World Desert Championship atwww.SCORE-International.com.