LOS ANGELES -- With the release of the official course map, GPS files and course notes this week, pre-race activity increases significantly starting Friday when the world’s best desert racers officially begin their pre-running and course logistics activities for next month’s 42nd Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500, the second-oldest desert race in the world.

Round 3 of the five-race 2010 SCORE Desert Series, the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Series, will feature nearly 300 entries, competing in 28 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs, will be held June 3-6 in Ensenada, Mexico. Traditionally one of the most popular events on the SCORE schedule, over 100,000 spectators are expected to enjoy the world’s best desert racers in action at this year’s 42nd anniversary of the Tecate SCORE Baja 500, the original desert race produced by SCORE on July 26, 1974.

With late entries accepted up to race morning, entries are expected from 26 U.S. States from Hawaii to Connecticut, and along with the additional countries of Mexico, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Japan. The green flag will drop for the race at 6 a.m. on Saturday (June 5) for the motorcycle and ATV classes in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500, followed by the car and truck classes three hours after the last ATV at approximately 10 a.m. The elapsed-time race will start and finish in front of the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center on Boulevard Costero in the heart of Ensenada, leaving and returning into the city through the spectator-laden Arroyo Wash.

The talented field of veteran desert racers heading to Baja includes 15 defending class winners out of the 25 Pro classes that had finishers in last year’s race, including last year’s overall 4-wheel vehicle winners Kory Halopoff/Harley Letner of Orange, Calif. (unlimited Class 1) and SCORE Trophy-Truck champion Rick D. Johnson/Brian Sallee, of Barstow, Calif.

The rugged course 438.81-mile course is a very similar to the last two years, although it is about eight miles longer and the terrain has changed significantly due to torrential rains that impacted both sides of the race course on the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez and in the middle in the summit section. The course, which runs in a clockwise direction, resembles a deflating balloon, winding east to Ojos Negros, down to near San Felipe, back West to the Pacific Ocean below San Vicente and back north east through Santo Tomas on the way back to Ojos Negros and then Ensenada.

“Without all of the immense and considerable help we have received from Ensenada Mayor Pablo Lopez in terms of rapid support, personnel and heavy equipment to repair significant rain damage on much of the course, we would be significantly challenged to finalize a course for this year’s race,” said Sal Fish, SCORE CEO/President since soon after it was founded in 1974. “We just can’t thank Mayor Lopez and all of his people enough for all they have done to support SCORE and our SCORE Baja races.”

The only pre-running that will be allowed on the first 35.18 miles of the course will be outbound only and only on Thursday and Friday, June 3 and 4. No inbound pre-running on the last 35.18 miles of the course will be allowed. Pre-running of the rest of the course will start and finish in the Ojos Negros area.

The four official race checkpoints, where all vehicles are required to make a quick stop, will be located at race mile 84.03 (Santa Catarina), rm196.17 (Borrego), rm 307.30 (Pacific Ocean) and rm397.53 (Rancho San Antonio). The course will also have a number of virtual checkpoints. All vehicles are also required to run International Rally Consultants tracking devices and live vehicle tracking will be available during the race at www.racetheworld.net.

The featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division for high-tech, 800-horsepower, unlimited production trucks has a SCORE-record 42 entries in this year’s Tecate SCORE Baja 500.

Prominent Southern California industrialist and desert racer Ed Stout, who finished third in season points last year in his marquee class and earned a SCORE Toyota Milestone Award, received the first starting positions for 4-wheel vehicles in his No. 31 Stout Industries Chevy Silverado.

While late entries will be accepted up to race morning, as of today, the Pro 4-Wheel vehicles classes with the most entries are: SCORE Trophy-Truck (42), Class 1 (23). Class 1-2/1600 (13) and SCORE Lite (11).

Leading the Pro Motorcycle classes in entries so far are Class 22 (13) and Class 30 (10). Class 24 leads the Pro ATV classes with 15 entries to date.

Among the Sportsman classes, SPT Motorcycles over 250cc has 24 entries and there are also 10 SPT ATVs to date.

Besides the Halopoff/Letner and Johnson/Sallee teams, other defending Pro class champions in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500 entered this year to date are: Kevin Carr, San Diego (Class 5, VW Baja Bug); Dan Chamlee, Carpenteria, Calif. (Class 7, Ford Ranger); Mike Lawrence, Sunset Beach, Calif. (Class 10, Lothringer-VW); Brent Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif./Brian Burgess, Riverside, Calif. (SCORE Lite, Moulton-VW); Eric Solorzano, Tijuana, Mexico (Class 11, VW Sedan), Joe Bacal, Anthem, Ariz., (Stock Full, Lexus LX570); Mike Johnson, El Paso, Texas/Rex Cameron, Albuquerque, N.M. (Class 30, Honda CRF450X); Eizaburo Karasawa, Japan (Class 50, Honda CRF450X); Nick Nelson, Tehachapi, Calif./Brandon Brown, Eumantilla, Ore. (Class 25, Suzuki LTR450); Craig Christy, Burbank, Calif. (Class 24, Honda TRX450R) and Reid Rutherford, Montrose, Colo. (Class 26, Arctic Cat).

This popular SCORE early summer race began in 1969 under the auspices of the old NORRA organization and SCORE began its enduring run with it on July 26, 1974. This year will be the 37th anniversary of the first SCORE race in Baja.

For the third straight year and just the third time in the 42-year history of the Tecate SCORE Baja 500 desert race, the colorful pre-race Manufacturer’s Midway and Contingency, the start and finish line will all be located in the heart of Ensenada, Mexico on Boulevard Costero adjacent to the historic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center. It will be the second time in race history that both the pre-race activities and the finish will be held on this historic boulevard.

The SCORE Manufacturer’s Midway will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, June 4 on Blvd Costero. Racer registration will again be held in the Grand Ballroom of the San Nicolas Hotel. Registration hours will be from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 3 and from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday June 4.

The awards celebration will be held poolside at the San Nicolas Hotel on Sunday, June 6 at 11 a.m.

In addition to season point class point championships, drivers in the Pro car and truck classes are also racing to earn prestigious SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards given to all car and truck class drivers who complete every required mile of the five-race season. Being presented by Toyota Motorsports for the 25th consecutive year, a total of 25 drivers remain eligible after Round 1 of the 2010 SCORE Desert Series. Racers are also competing for the annual SCORE Off-Roadsman of the Year awards, including the MasterCraft Safety SCORE Rookie of the Year award.

Included in the nearly $30,000 in contingency posting and cash purse for the race is the special $10,000 MasterCraft Safety cash contingency bonus for qualified racers in the car and truck classes.

Current SCORE official annual sponsors are: BFGoodrich Tires-official tire, Volkswagen of America-official vehicle, Sunoco Race Fuels-official fuel supplier, Bilstein-official shock, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance-official Mexican auto insurance, Slime-official tire sealant and Red Bull-official energy drink. Associate sponsors are: Tecate Beer, Coca-Cola of Mexico, Las Vegas Events, MasterCraft Safety, Blue C Advertising, SignPros, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.

Additional sponsors in Baja are the Secretary of Tourism of Baja California and ProTurismo de Ensenada.

For more information regarding the series, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the 2010 SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.

42nd Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500

June 3-6, 2010—Entries, Baja California, Mexico Total Entries: 256 (as of 5/19/10)

Pro Cars & Trucks

SCORE TROPHY-TRUCK (42)

13 Ed Stout

20 Rob MacCachren

30 Robbie Pierce

74 Rob Bruce

76 Jesse Jones

40 Chet Huffman

1 Robby Gordon

31 Andy McMillin

42 Will Staats

97 B.J. Baldwin

24 Adam Householder

22 Damen Jefferies

25 Al Hogan

19 Tim Herbst

23 Mark McMillin

7 Scott Steinberger

78 Jesse Ashcraft

50 Jason McNeil

35 Jason Voss

59 Craig Potts

10 Greg Nunley

95 Scott Whipple

47 James Bult

21 Gus Vildosola Jr.

70 Bryce Menzies

49 Troy Herbst

94 Steve Strobel

39 Ron Whitton

16 Cameron Steele

51 Kory Scheeler

53 Rick Thomas

96 Bobby Baldwin

2 Pete Sohren

84 Nick Vanderwey

9 Gary Weyhrich

71 Rick D. Johnson

8 Roger Norman

48 Jimmy Nuckles

67 Ruben Ledezma

46 John Koltura

88 Brian Hess

41 Dan Fresh

CLASS 1 (23)

101 Daniel McMillin

102 Eric Chase

103 Armin Schwarz

104 Paul Keller

105 Dan Martin

106 Conan Barker

107 Cody Parkhouse

108 Kory Halopoff

100 Randy Wilson

111 Sean Mecham

112 Ryan Sharman

113 Dennis Boyle

114 William Eriksen

115 Josh Rigsby

116 Richard Boyle

117 Ronny Wilson

118 Chris Kemp

119 Steve Garcia

120 Steve Appleton

121 Rudy Cortez

122 Brett Lenk

123 Armin Kremer

149 Adam Ashcraft

CLASS 1-2/1600 (13)

1601 Arturo Velazco

1602 Brad Wilson

1603 Luke McMillin

1604 Eliseo Garcia

1605 Cody Robinson

1606 Brian Wilson

1607 Kyle Conlon

1608 Wes McKenzie

1645 Francisco Mejorado

1646 Arnoldo Gutierrez

1600 Hiram Duran

1648 Carlo Montalvan

1649 Arnoldo Ramirez

CLASS 3 (0)

CLASS 5 (2)

500 Kevin Carr

501 Cody Kellogg

CLASS 5/1600 (5)

551 Trevor Anderson

552 Victor Celis

576 Armando Garcia

577 Mike Boone

579 Marcos Nunez

CLASS 6 (4)

601 Marc Burnett

602 Steve Kovach

618 Gregg Hempel

600 Heidi Steele

CLASS 7 (4)

700 Dan Chamlee

701 Greg Jones

702 Aaron Celiceo

703 Brandon Walsh

CLASS 7SX (3)

741 Elias Hanna

758 Eduardo Gonzalez

759 Norman Turley

CLASS 8 (6)

801 Dave Crinklaw

802 Kent Kroeker

803 Noah Ostanik

804 Juan C. Lopez

805 Rick Sanchez

800 Clyde Stacy

CLASS 9 (0)

CLASS 10 (6)

1001 Jesus Gonzalez

1002 Alejandro Navarette

1003 Sergio Salgado

1000 Mike Lawrence

1005 Alex Crosthwaite

1006 Jon Walker

SCORE LITE (11)

1201 Justin Davis

1202 Zak Langley

1203 Steve Eugenio

1204 Dave Calloway

1205 Cody Freeman

1206 Matt Kupiec

1207 Greg Gustin

1208 Perry McNeil

1209 Lee Banning

1200 Brent Parkhouse

1211 Samuel Araiza

CLASS 11 (4)

1101 Ernesto Martinez

1147 Alejandro Rivas

1148 Gustavo Garayzar

1100 Eric Solorzano

STOCK FULL (2)

861 Tim Casey

879 Joe Bacal

STOCK MINI (0)

PROTRUCK (2)

1350 Gary Magness

1340 Chelsea Magness

CLASS 7-2 (1)

721 Reid Rutherford

CLASS 4 (2)

401 Eddie Zimmerman

402 John Langley

CLASS 2 (1)

201 Mark Stevens

PRO MOTORCYCLES

CLASS 22 (13)

2x Kyle Abney

3x Ryan Penhall

4x Keith Webster

1x Kendall Norman

6x Jamie Aguilar

7x Robbie Bell

8x Chad Thornton

9x A.J. Stewart

10x Robert Underwood

11x Cory Evenson

12x Colton Udall

13x Chuck Neugebauer

14x Mark Bradford

CLASS 21 (9)

101x Sol Saltzman

102x Jesus Gonzalez M.

103x Steven Achey

104x Ruben Dabdoub

105x David Gonzalez Jr.

106x Adam Neuwirth

107x Gerardo Huerta

108x Francisco Aldrete

109x Mark Fillebrown

CLASS 20 (4)

151x Jason Trubey

152x Anna Cody

153x Olivia Rich

150x Jesus Rios

CLASS 30 (10)

301x Bill Eddings

303x Javier Hernandez

304x Tim Abshire

305x Francisco Septien

306x Mark Levrett

307x Jim O’Neal

308x Jon Jessy

300x Mike Johnson

310x Dan Troy

311x Talya Dodson

CLASS 40 (8)

401x Mark Fishburn

400x Brian Campbell

403x Duane Dickinson

404x Henrik Andersen

405x Mike Prunty

406x Tom Vogt

407x Louie Franco

449x Terry Peregoodoff

CLASS 50 (5)

501x David Rutherford

500x Jim O’Neal

503x Ryan Armitage

504x Eizaburo Karasawa

505x Koichi Takei

CLASS 60 (2)

601x Susumi Ishii

609x Donald Lewis

PRO ATVs

CLASS 25 (6)

2a Craig Christy

1a Wayne Matlock

4a Miguel Olivas

5a Javier Robles

6a Josh Edwards

7a Roberto Villalobos

CLASS 24 (15)

101a Daniel Montano

102a Heribert Marquez

103a Brandon Brown

104a Adrian Valdez

105a Christian Vargas

106a Shane Strunk

107a Luis Berumen

100a Craig Christy

109a Alonzo Ruiz

110a Juan Sanchez

111a Marco Marrujo
112a Oscar Arce

113a Joselito Muro

114a Manuel Jimenez

115a Efren Carrasco

CLASS 26 (3)

200a Reid Rutherford

202a Chuck Neugebauer

219a Rob Ransford

SPORTSMAN

SPT CAR (2)

1400 Peter Lang

1449 Viry Felix

SPT TRUCK (3)

1501 Ken Fraizer

1502 Randy Swink

1549 Nick Tonelli

SPT UTV (4)

1801 Sergio Castillo

1800 Thomas Graves

1803 Peter Hajas

1819 John Crowley

SPT M/C< (8)

201x Greg Willitts

202x Gary Gonzales

203x Patrick Williams

204x Matt Ladendorf

205x Ricardo De La Pena

206x Fred Sobke

207x Ron Tolman

208x Brody Kunz

SPT M/C> (24)

251x Nicholas Martin

253x Timothy Nugent

254x Jeff Byers

255x Oscar Fazz

256x Carlos Valdez

257x Jason Trimarchi

258x Craig Anstine

259x Andreas Hoyler

260x Tibi Imbuzan

261x Cade Courtley

262x Jeffrey Moore

263x Paul Lopez

264x Salvador Sainz

265x Darren Lowrey

266x Rick Matteson

267x Tony Navarro

268x Dan Dooling

269x Shinichiro Hagiwara

270x Akihiri Saito

271x Christopher Jones

272x Ulises Fierro

273x Michael Rasp

298x Ken Kosiorek

299x Louie Montano

SPT ATV (10)

51a Antonio Herrera

52a Christopher Wilson

53a Moises Saiza

54a Brad McLean

55a John Nores Jr.

56a Juan Gonzalez

57a Samuel Garcia

58a Guillermo Berenguer

59a Juan Dominguez

99a Gustavo Ameca