ENSENADA, Mexico – Another challenging SCORE Baja race course has been identified and is being marked for the opening of pre-running. Entries continue to climb as the deadline to register in time for the start draw is nearing. And teams are finalizing crews and logistics for this month’s 31st annual SCORE San Felipe 250 desert race in Baja California, Mexico.
Early entries from 21 U.S. States, host Mexico, Austria, Canada, Germany and Guatemala are preparing for the popular season-opener of the four-race internationally-televised 2017 SCORE World Desert Championship. The event will be held March 29-April 2 in San Felipe, the quaint fishing village on the Sea of Cortez, 125 miles south of the U.S. Border at Calexico, Calif.
SCORE has also announced that it has finalized a major new U.S. television agreement which will be announced prior to the upcoming race.
The deadline for entering to be included in the start draw within each class is Wednesday, March 15, the drawing is Thursday, March 16 and pre-running will open on the magnificent course of nearly 265 miles on Saturday, March 18. Online registration will continue until Sunday, Sept. 26 and on-site, late registration will be held March 29, March 30 and March 31.
The 2017 season also marks the 50th anniversary celebration of the legendary season-ending SCORE Baja 1000, the iconic Granddaddy of all Desert Races to be held in mid-November. The SCORE Baja 1000 is the longest continuously held desert race in the world.
30-PLUS YEARS
Celebrating the 31st anniversary of the youngest of the three legendary SCORE Baja races, sometimes referred to as the SCORE ‘baby Baja’, entries continue to be accepted on the SCORE website (www.SCOREInternational.com) for Pro and Sportsman entries for cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads.
The drawing for starting positions within each class will be held on Thursday, March 16 for all vehicles officially entered by 11 p.m. PT on Wednesday, March 15.
Pre-race festivities for this popular ‘Spring Break’ race will be held in San Felipe on March 29, March 30 and March 31 with race day on Saturday, April 1 concluding with the post-race awards fiesta at 10 a.m. PT on Sunday, April 2.
The Monster Energy SCORE Kickoff Welcome Party will be held from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. PDT on Thursday (March 30) at XXXXXXXXX.
REGISTRATION/MANUFACTURER’S MIDWAY
Racer registration will be held at the Hotel El Cortez from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. (PDT) on Wednesday (March 29), from Noon to 8 p.m. (PDT) on Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (PDT) on Friday (March 31).
Media registration will be held at the Hotel El Cortez from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (PDT) on Thursday (March 30) and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (PDT) on Friday (March 31).
The pre-race Manufacturer’s Midway, contingency and tech inspection of the vehicles in the race will be held on Friday (March 31). Contingency will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (PT) and tech/transponder check from 9 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.
A MASTERFUL COURSE
SCORE President Roger Norman and SCORE Race Director Jose A. Grijalva have worked with the government officials and ejidos of the Mexicali and San Felipe areas to develop a memorable SCOE San Felipe 250 race course of approximately 270 miles.
This year’s grueling race course will be another beauty to behold but a nightmare to race on. It runs in a counter clockwise direction running over high-speed dry lake beds, through low-speed winding, rock-strewn, twisting canyons and trails, along quick-paced dirt roads and through three of Baja’s most infamous washes in Chanate, Huatamote and Amarillo.
There will be two full stop checkpoints in addition to the start/finish line which will be located for the first time in the history of this race on the Malecon in the heart of San Felipe. Checkpoint 1 will be located at El Chinero and the second will be at Morelia Junction.
The course will also pass through La Ventana, Saldana and Borrego as well as the Diablo dry lake bed.
There will be no road crossings, both on Highway 3. The first will be going north at km 192 after checkpoint 1 and the second one coming south near Borrego, crossing at km 179 on the highway.
The start line and celebratory finish area will be on the SCORE ramps in front of the Rockodile night club on the Malecon.
SPRING BREAK ‘MUCHO DINERO’
For three decades, the annual motorsports festival that has brought the largest economic impact of any single event held annually in this lightly-populated portion of the ruggedly rough and bountifully beautiful Baja peninsula has been the SCORE San Felipe 250.
SCOREscope
The four-race 2017 SCORE World Desert Championship and for the second time all four are being held in Baja California, Mexico. Here is the 2017 SCORE World Desert Championship schedule:
- 31st SCORE San Felipe 250, March 29-April 2, San Felipe, Mexico
- 49th SCORE Baja 500, June 1-4, Ensenada Mexico
- Rosarito Beach 21st SCORE Desert Challenge, Sept. 14-17, Rosarito Beach, Mexico
- 50th SCORE Baja 1000, Nov.14-18, Ensenada, Mexico to La Paz, Mexico
SCORE SPONSORS…
Official SCORE Sponsors: BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire, Monster Energy-Official Energy Drink, Bud Light-Official Beer, King Shocks-Official Shock Absorber, Raceline Wheels-Official Wheel, Axial R/C-Official R/C Vehicle, Wide Open Excursions-Official Arrive and Drive Company, Crystal Bay Casino-Official Casino.
SCORE Official Partners: PCI Race Radios, 4 Wheel Parts, Coca Cola, The Satellite Phone Store, Satellite Del Norte, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, CETTO Vineyards.
Additional SCORE Associate Partners: Proturismo Ensenada, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, Baja California Sur State Government, Baja California Sur Secretary of Tourism, Mexicali Ayuntamiento, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Cruz Roja Mexicana, Corporate Helicopters, McKenzie’s Performance Products, Advanced Color Graphics.
Rosarito Beach SCORE Desert Challenge Special Partners: Ayuntamiento de Playas de Rosarito, Cotuco de Playas de Rosarito, Comite de Mercadatecnia Playas de Rosarito.
For more information regarding SCORE, visit the official website of the SCORE World Desert Championship at www.SCOREInternational.com.