FOX RACING SHOX
NEWS & EVENTS
SCORE BAJA 1000 DESERT RACE / ENSENADA, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
FOX RACING SHOX WINS SCORE Baja 1000 in 5 Different ClassesFOX Racing Shox Racer - Heidi Steele Secures SCORE 7SX Season Championship
FOX Equipped FORD F-150 Raptor Claims Podium Spot / FOX Equipped VW Trophy Truck Finishes 13th in Baja Debut
Santee, California (November 26, 2008) - On Friday, November 21, 2008, the world's best known and most prestigious desert race, the SCORE Baja 1000, kicked off festivities of the 41st Edition of the granddaddy of all desert races in the seaside town of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. The SCORE Tecate Baja 1000 has long been considered the ultimate test of man and machine versus the rugged Baja Peninsula by racers around the globe.
Desert racers from four different continents descended upon the Baja Peninsula in search of victory in one way or the other as a deep and talented field of 347 starters from 29 U.S. states and 34 countries took to the start line along the Ensenada Malecon.
Each racer and team has a story and adventure of their own, some of victory and others of agony and subsequent defeat. As the final checkered flag dropped Saturday evening, November 22, some 31 hours after the last starter left the line, the last of 227 official finishers crossed the finish line marking the end of this adventure.
This year's race was obvious that another incredible and colorful chapter had been added to the legacy of this popular desert race in Mexico's Baja Peninsula.
The 347 starters are the most ever in race history for a 'loop' race and the third most of any race in the 41-year history of the event. The 227 finishers are also the third-most in event history. The finishing percentage this year was an impressive 65.4 percent.
Sal Fish, SCORE CEO/President, saluted all of the adventurous participants in the memorable race during a crowded post-race awards celebration on Sunday morning. He said, among other things, "This year's race was unbelievable and memorable for so many reasons, but what it all boils down to is all of the racers, crews, families, friends and news media who live this amazing dream we call the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. Every single person, from the drivers and riders to the spouses is a winner for making this valiant effort to conquer the Baja through a desert race. The race is over, but the stories and the memories truly live forever."
Fish, who has also pioneered innovation and research and development, pointed out that two special small-engine utility vehicles actually finished this race for the first time and that two manufacturers successfully launched two race vehicles in this year's race.
Volkswagen of America, the official vehicle of SCORE International, saw its new No. 81 Red Bull Volkswagen Baja Race Touareg TDI, the first clean Turbo-diesel vehicle ever raced in the SCORE Trophy-Truck division finish 13th out of 26 starters. The new vehicle is driven by veterans Mark Miller, Cave Creek, Ariz. and Ryan Arciero, Foothill Ranch, Calif.
FORD Motor Company also saw its newest production truck, a special Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, finish third in Class 8 for full-sized two-wheel drive trucks. It was driven by Steve Olliges, Las Vegas, Greg Foutz, Gilbert, Ariz., and Randy Merritt, Parker, Ariz.
Both the No. 81 Red Bull Volkswagen Trophy Truck and the FORD F-150 Raptor are sponsored by FOX RACING SHOX and utilize components designed and developed by the Off Road Division located in Santee, California. The No.81 VW Trophy Truck debuted only days before the race at the LA Auto Show and the FORD F-150 Raptor debuted at the 2008 SEMA Show in early November.
Both new vehicles will be the subject of special documentaries being developed around their participation in this year's Tecate SCORE Baja 1000.
The FOX RACING SHOX highlights of this year's 631.35 mile race / 31 hour race were the victories in the limited classes of Class 7SX Truck, Class 9 Buggy, Class 10 Buggy, Class 11 Stock VW Bug and Class Stock Full Truck.
Racing a stock pre-1974 VW Bug, Mexico's Ramon Fernandez claimed his third victory of the season and clinched the Class 11 Championship with his performance. The difficultly facing these limited classes is immense as they begin the race two hours after the unlimited truck and car fields, which leave the race course terrain in less than ideal conditions for many of the limited classes. Fernandez faced deep powdery silt and descended down this year's race course steep grade named "La Rumarosa." The sun had already went down by the time Fernandez reachd the famed summit and he used minimal lighting in making his descent.
Fernandez said, "This is our second Baja 1000 win. We ran our FOX RACING SHOX on the car and it ran great. We were fast on the backside of the course. Ramon and I are very happy to win again. We had a good crowd of friends and family here."
FOX RACING SHOX supports SCORE Baja 1000 Veteran racer Rod Hall and his entire team's racing endeavors. The veteran desert racer lit the candles on his 71st birthday celebration during the final hours of the legendary race by finishing second in Stock Mini in a Hummer H3.
With a race-record 19 class wins in this race, Hall, who is scheduled to reduce his racing schedule to include only the SCORE Baja 1000 next year, is the only person in the storied history of this event who has raced in all 41 events since it began in 1967.
Hall's son Chad was a class winner, coming in shortly before his famous father to win the Stock Full class in a Hummer H3 Alpha, earning his seventh career class win in the race.
Chad said, "This one's pretty tough to win, but I think this one, you've got to learn how to win. You've got to hang back and let everybody else do what they're going to do to themselves and step on in for the win. That's win number seven - 13 more and maybe I can catch up with my dad. But I'm not sure my body is going to keep doing that. I've got to thank everybody - all of my crew, General Motors, Hummer, my wife, everybody - we've won a lot of races and we're going to relish it. This is the kind of day you hope for."
Between them, Rod and his sons Josh and Chad Hall are the all-time winningest family in the history of the race, now with 30 career class wins. Josh finished third in Stock Full in the third Rod Hall Racing Hummer competing in the event.
Captivating a huge early morning crowd at the SCORE finish line was Heidi Steele who finished this year's event in second place, but secured her first SCORE championship.
Heidi related, "I think we won (the championship) by maybe two points. They (the 759 team) got the first-place victory today and I'm really happy for them but more importantly we got the championship and that's what we've been working on all year. I'm a little choked up. Cameron met us right before checkpoint six and we watched the sun rise and we were praying for the team to get through the silt beds because they're pretty gnarly out there but everything worked out and they just stormed up the silt hills like it was no problem and here we are."
Finishing first in the competitive SCORE Class 7SX Division was another FOX Racer, John Holmes and Mark Landersman. At the finish line Landersman said, "I think we pulled this (win) off. I drove the last 200-some miles. I got stuck on a sand hill the first time I tried to make it and this really nice guy brought his Jeep down and rolled it right in front of us, right on the side of the hill. We were stuck there for I don't know how long and I ended up backing down to make another run at it and got up the hill. We had an excellent truck; we just destroyed the truck getting it here. For me, this was my first Baja win, but I think it's John's third or fourth."
Mexico's Lobasm Yee, Tijuana, Mexico won Class 10 for the second time in a Jimco-Chevy that features FOX RACING SHOX. Yee said, "I'm from Tijuana but all these people here who help me are from Ensenada. It was a great race for us. We had electrical problems and we lost about 30 minutes fixing that. It was a cable and computer and it took us long to find out the problem and then after that, it was OK. I didn't race for the championship this year, just this race and the Baja 500. It's a lot better winning the Baja 1000 than the championship, for sure."
Racing in yet another incredibly difficult limited class was Cisco Bio who raced with his father, Pancho along with Jorge Martinez and Francisco Guerrero. The father / son racing team won in the same car that won the 1998 Baja 1000.
Cisco Bio said, "My dad, Pancho, started on Friday, but he was sick. We planned to switch off every 100 miles, but I ended up driving a lot more. My dad got lost at one point on the course. Something happened to the other 9 cars, because we were leading by about two hours in the early going of the race. I don't know what happened to them. They started to get closer towards the finish. We lost two front-end parts, but we were lucky to get some help quickly. We only lost 15 minutes. I couldn't see anything on the coast. It was all messed up. I had to stop two or three times to let the dust clear. I have never seen it that bad. This was the same car that I won the Baja with when I was 19 years old. I started working on the cars for my dad when I was about four years old. My little brother is nine and he is working on the cars now and he's ready to race as soon as he's at the legal limit."
This year's Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race will be televised on a delayed basis as a one-hour NBC Sports special for the fifth consecutive year, airing on Sunday, Dec. 14 at 1 p.m. (EST) on the NBC Television Network. It will also air on a delayed basis outside of the U.S. on ESPN International.
PHOTOS
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