Posts Tagged ‘SCORE San Felipe 250’

SCORE announces MasterCraft Safety as co-title sponsor For this year’s 23rd Annual Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Nearly 250 entries expected; computerized start draw to be held Saturday, Feb. 13

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LOS ANGELES—On the eve of this weekend’s 2010 SCORE Desert Series season opener in Laughlin, Nev., SCORE International has announced that prominent Southern California manufacturing company MasterCraft Safety has signed a three-year contract to be the co-title sponsor of the popular MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 desert race.

The event will be held this year on March 12-14 in San Felipe, the picturesque fishing village located along the Sea of Cortez on the Northeastern side of Mexico’s majestic Baja California peninsula.

With the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Series launching its 37th season at this weekend’s 16th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge in Laughlin, Nev., SCORE CEO/President Sal Fish in association with MasterCraft Safety owner and SCORE racer Robbie Pierce used the Southern Nevada race as the backdrop to make Thursday’s announcement regarding the new SCORE sponsorship.

“It is a wonderful match to be able to have MasterCraft Safety join with SCORE to help enhance the dynamic experience that already surrounds this legendary SCORE Baja race,” said Sal Fish, who has been at the helm of SCORE International since soon after it was founded in 1973. “Having Robbie Pierce as the owner of MasterCraft Safety and also a top racer in the marquee SCORE Trophy-Truck racing division, will bring a much greater insight and understanding to our relationship as together we strive to forge new marketing strategies for this SCORE desert racing spectacular. Another exciting dimension to this agreement is that it will bring us right to the threshold of the 40th anniversary season of the SCORE Desert Series in 2013.”

The MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 is SCORE’s annual ‘spring break’ desert race, the first of three SCORE Baja races held annually, and is once again expected to feature nearly 250 entries competing in 28 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs.

Based near San Diego in Santee, Calif., MasterCraft Safety is the leading manufacturer of performance off-road suspension seating, five-point restraints, window nets, and limit straps. In addition to its three-year agreement as co-title sponsor for this race with SCORE International, MasterCraft Safety will also be providing an added $10,000 cash contingency purse to the event.

“As with SCORE International, MasterCraft Safety has nearly four decades of history and heritage in the desert racing community,” said Robbie Pierce, CEO of MasterCraft Safety and driver of the No. 30 Chevy Silverado SCORE Trophy-Truck. “SCORE Baja racing is the heart and soul of my company and it is a great honor to be able to support one of my favorite races in one of my favorite places. I have the unique perspective of participating in SCORE events as a manufacturer of off-road products and also test our products through my own racing efforts. Nothing can compare to SCORE Baja racing and it is important to me as a racer, and also for MasterCraft Safety, to continue to support SCORE and its efforts to ensure the continuation of our sport.”

At this weekend’s SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge, MasterCraft Racing has entered not only Pierce’s No. 30 SCORE Trophy-Truck, but also the No. 21 Ford F-150 SCORE Trophy-Truck to be driven by eight-time SCORE season class point champion Rob MacCachren of Las Vegas. MacCachren, who is also racing in Class 1-2/1600 in Laughlin, has six career class wins in this season-opening race.

In San Felipe, the green flag will drop at 6 a.m. on Saturday, March 13, for the motorcycle and ATV classes, followed three hours later by the car and truck classes at approximately 10 a.m. 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 Tecate building.

The computerized drawing for starting positions, by class, for Round 2 of the five-race 2010 SCORE Desert Series will be held at the SCORE headquarters in Los Angeles on Saturday, Feb. 13.

The pre-race Manufacturer’s Midway and tech inspection of the vehicles in the race will be held on Friday, March 12 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the picturesque Malecon, flanked by the Sea of Cortez on one side and the popular restaurants and night clubs of San Felipe on the other.

MasterCraft Safety’s full-line of performance seating offers both comfort and protection in high “G” load situations and provides an 84% reduction of energy in a 50 G load impact. Featuring nine different seat designs and a variety of material options, MasterCraft Safety offers a suspension seat to fit any off-roader’s lifestyle. Whether it is the deep-sided, race-proven design of the 3G or the Jeep enthusiasts favorite, the fully-reclining Baja RS model, MasterCraft Safety has the ideal seat perfectly suited for any off-road conditions or terrain.

MasterCraft Safety has also recently expanded the product offering to include a full-line of performance driving suits, fuel and pit crew fire suits, neck braces, helmet skirts, and elbow and knee pads for pit crew safety. Available in SFI 3.2A/1 and SFI 3.2A/5, the performance driving suits meet and exceed all stated fire protection requirements while providing a comfortable fit and design. Optional hidden-pockets and sewn-in elbow and knee pads make this the first racesuit specifically tailored to the unique environmental conditions of desert racing.

More information on MasterCraft Safety’s full-line of products can be found by visiting www.mastercraftsafety.com.

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 drivers who complete every required mile of the five-race season, being presented by Toyota Motorsports for the 25th consecutive year.

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, Blue C Advertising, Off-Road, SignPros, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.

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.

SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, 702.735.7123

MASTERCRAFT SAFETY MEDIA CONTACT: Kelli Willmore, 619.449.9455

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MasterCraft Team 35 Finishes 8th in Trophy Truck Class at the 2009 SCORE San Felipe 250

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

A Rewarding Disappointment

MasterCraft Team 35 Finishes 8th in Trophy Truck Class at the 2009 SCORE San Felipe 250

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Famous fiction author, Louis L’Amour, must have had Team 35 in mind when he said “Victory is won not in miles but in inches.”After suffering from a devastating crash at the SCORE LaughlinDesert Challenge, the #35 Jimco MasterCraft Trophy Truck driven by team owner, Robbie Pierce, had to undergo a massive tear-down and transformation in preparation for the first Baja race of the 2009 season.

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Drawing for the fourth starting position, Robbie was certain the SCORE San Felipe 250 would be a great race by commenting, “I am completely humbled by the unselfish effort that has been put out over the last five weeks to make the San Felipe race a reality. The entire team, including Mike Julson, Bill Varnes and his crew, and John and Mike over at Jimco, have worked non-stop and I cannot thank them enough. I am truly grateful to everyone and I will do my best to make them proud.”

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Unfortunately all the sweat and skinned knuckles could not prepare the team for the unlucky change of events that occurred just one day before the race. While doing a last minute systems and equipment test near Borrego, the engine on the Trophy Truck began losing power and idling rough. Hoping for the best and preparing for the worst, the pre-run crew pulled the valve-cover and after a thorough inspection concluded the head was cracked.

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Not willing to let five weeks of hard work go down the drain, Pierce made the decision to race the pre-runner remarking, “We all showed up to race and I wasn’t about ready to let the guys down. Just 18 hours before staging we made the decision to save the race by working all night and prepping my Prophy truck. Our goal this year is to win a SCORE race in the Trophy Truck class and I don’t think that is possible without a good starting position. I felt like I was bringing a knife to a gun fight but I knew I needed to finish in the top 10 if I wanted a good draw and a shot at winning the Baja 500.”

With nearly 3,500 pre-run miles under its belt, Team 35 was a little nervous about the outcome of the race and how the pre-runner would fare after the starting flag dropped. On the way to staging Pierce commented, “It’s just too bad we couldn’t get the Jimco to the line. The truck was truly running awesome. The shocks and suspension were dialed in perfectly and I couldn’t be happier with some of the changes that were made after Laughlin.”

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Racing for a top 10 finish instead of a win changed the team’s strategy for race day. Running the truck conservatively, Robbie passed an upside-down Roger Norman in the #8 Trophy Truck around race mile 68. Shortly after, Pierce and his co-driver, John Vance, were plague by a broken upper ball-joint causing the team to lose a couple of hours while the crew fixed the truck in the field. Other than a tire change at mile 165, the remainder of the race was uneventful and the Prophy crossed the finish line 7 hours, 34 minutes and 36 seconds after it began its journey.

Finishing the SCORE San Felipe 250 with an admirable 8th place in the Trophy Truck class, Pierce commented, “This is the most disappointing and rewarding race in my short career. I cannot praise the team enough. Led by Dan Fogle and Bob Howle, the team worked tirelessly into the night to get ‘The Little Truck that Could’ as prepared as possible. This was their race.”

Held in Baja California, Mexico, the 2009 San Felipe 250 marked round two of SCORE International’s five race desert series. The course traversed 232.4 miles of sandy washes, silt, rocky and whooped out terrain. The MasterCraft Team #35 will be back and looking for a win at the SCORE Baja 500 inEnsenada, Baja California, June 5 – 7, 2009.

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