Celebrating its 36th year as the world’s foremost desert racing sanctioning body, SCORE international officially announced today its five-race schedule for the 2009 SCORE Desert Series.

Making the announcement before an enthusiastic crowd at the annual SCORE Awards Night Saturday in Primm, Nev., SCORE CEO/President Sal Fish announced the schedule as well as revealing that there will be no increase in SCORE race fees and that in another effort to help contain the cost of racing that the season-ending SCORE Baja 1000 will be a ‘loop’ race again, starting and finishing in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.

“With everything going on right now with the world economy, SCORE has decided to contain the costs of our entry fees at the level of 2008 as well as staying with a loop race starting and finishing in Ensenada for the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000,” said Fish. “We went down the peninsula two straight years (2006, 2007) and historically we have always gone south every third year. We have a wonderful relationship with the government and tourism officials of Baja California Sur and we anticipate running the race down the peninsula again in 2010.”

Keeping the same venues and all of the same race weekends for its five open desert races as the past four years, the 2009 SCORE Desert Series will again feature two races in Southern Nevada and three in Mexico.

“We have incredible marketing partners on both sides of the border, the world’s greatest desert racers and the world’s toughest race courses, so we will make only minor changes for the 2009 SCORE season,” added Fish. “Our five-race schedule in both the U.S. and Mexico offers tremendous variety for the racers, sponsors, media and fans.”

“With necessary restrictions in place for spectators in the U.S. still our attendance continues to rise, but in Mexico, it’s absolutely unbelievable. Our crowds for the last nine races in Baja California have averaged over 300,000, and SCORE racers are as popular in Baja California as any racing figures in the world.”

The SCORE Desert Series, which features 28 Pro and six Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycle and ATVs, will kick off Jan. 22-25 with the popular 15th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge in the Southern Nevada resort city of Laughlin on the banks of the Colorado River. The season will conclude Nov. 19-22 with the 42nd Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, the granddaddy of all desert races, in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.

“The SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge is the most unique and increasingly popular desert race in the U.S. and the legendary Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 is the best known desert race in the world,” added Fish, who has been at the head of SCORE since 1974. “These two races provide wonderful ways to start and finish our SCORE racing season.”

The 2009 SCORE Desert Series will again start with the most unique and the shortest race of the season and finish with the oldest and most recognized desert race in the world. After starting the season in Laughlin, 90 miles south of Las Vegas, it will conclude with the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, which will be is always a unique and memorable special race.

Since its debut in 1995, the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge has helped establish Laughlin as a viable host for special events. Thousands of spectators join nearly 200 racers and their crews in converging on the city each year to watch the best of the best desert racers compete in a unique-format, two-day race that includes a temporary stadium surrounding the start/finish line area and the main pits.

A total of 18 different Pro and two Sportsman classes for cars and trucks are split into fvie groups in Laughlin, each running as part of one of five races of three to eight laps each over the much-abbreviated six-mile course each day. The SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge also includes a pre-race activity that is not part of any other race on the schedule—the $16,000 Laughlin Leap. The Laughlin Leap is held under the lights on Thursday evening of race week at the Laughlin Events Park.

Round 2 and 3 of the 2009 SCORE Desert Series will both be held in Mexico. The 23rd Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 is set for March 13-15 in San Felipe, Baja California, followed by the 41st anniversary of the vastly popular Tecate SCORE Baja 500, June 5-7, in Ensenada, Baja California.

Round 4 will be the 14th Annual SCORE Terrible’s Primm 300 which will be held Sept. 11-13 in Primm, Nev., 45 miles south of Las Vegas.

The season-ending 42nd Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 will be held again in Ensenada, Baja California. It will be the 35th time in the history of the granddaddy of all desert races that it will start and the 20th time it will finish in Ensenada.

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


2009 SCORE Desert Series
Schedule of Events                                                     Date Event/Location
Jan. 22-25                                                  15th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge 
                                                                                        Laughlin, Nevada
March 13-15                                                    23rd Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 
                                                                            San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico
June 5-7                                                               41st Tecate SCORE Baja 500 
                                                                            Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
Sept. 11-13                                                       14th SCORE Terrible’s Primm 300 
                                                                                            Primm, Nevada
Nov. 19-22                                                           42nd Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 
                                                                             Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico