Laughlin Leap summary

Teammates Whitton and Cadiente win SCORE Trophy-Truck while Roeseler has top jump Thursday in d16,000 SCORE Laughlin Leap

Preview to this weekend's SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge Draws over 7,000 spectators

LAUGHLIN, Nev. --G & R Racing teammates Ron Whitton and Garron Cadiente, captured the top to spots in the Big Trucks division and Terrible Herbst Motorsports' Larry Roeseler and Baldwin Racing's Josh Baldwin took the podium in Thursday's SCORE Laughlin Leap competition, a prelude to this weekend's season-opening 13th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge in Laughlin, Nev.

With bone-chilling winds pounding more than nearly 7,000 spectators, Whitton, Maricopa, Ariz., won the SCORE Trophy-Truck division, sending his Geiser Bros-built Ford F-150 118 feet over the man-made six-foot high dirt jump in the middle of the infield portion of the race course. Cadiente, Mesa, Ariz., flew his identical Gieser Bros-built Ford F-150 a total 116' feet to nearly beat his father-in-law. A total of 18 of the 31 SCORE Trophy-Trucks entered in this weekend's race competed in the optional SCORE Laughlin Leap.

Roeseler, who is driver of record this year while team owner Troy Herbst continues to recover from Achilles tendon surgery, actually had the farthest leap of the neat, sending the Terrible Herbst Ford powered Smithbuilt open-wheel Class 1 desert race car airborne for 127 feet.

Baldwin finished second overall and in the large C.C. Open Wheel class with a leap of 123' in his new Jimco-Chevy.

Chris Taylor, El Centro, Calif., won the small truck division with a leap of 116' in his Class 7 Ford Ranger while Las Vegas' Sammy Ehrenberg won the small C.C. Open-Wheel class by sending his Jimco-VW 90'.

Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Laughlin Events Park will be tech and contingency day for the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge as the nearly 250 cars and trucks entered in the race go through the colorful manufacturer's midway. The Laughlin Events Park is the spectator area for the race and it is also where the pits and infield portion of the six-mile-plus course is located.

The unique race, split into two parts, will be held Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the 17 classes divided into eight race groups running multiple laps each day.

Ticket information is available at www.visitlaughlin.com.

13th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge
$16,000 Laughlin Leap, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2007
Top Finishers

Big Trucks
Pos. Vehicle No.-Driver, Hometown, Vehicle, Distance, Purse
1. 39 Ron Whitton, Maricopa, Ariz., Ford F-150, 118 feet ($3,000)
2. 38 Garron Cadiente, Mesa, Ariz., Ford F-150, 116' ($1,000)

Small Trucks
Pos. Vehicle No.-Driver, Hometown, Vehicle, Distance, Purse
1. 702 Chris Taylor, El Centro, Calif., Ford Ranger, 112' ($3,000)
2. 712 Randy Sorenson, Las Vegas, Ford Ranger, 106' ($1,000)

Large c.c. Open Wheel
Pos. Vehicle No.-Driver, Hometown, Vehicle, Distance, Purse
1. 100 Larry Roeseler, Las Vegas, 127' ($3,000)
2. 144 Josh Baldwin, Newport Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 123' ($1,000)

Small c.c. Open Wheel
Pos. Vehicle No.-Driver, Hometown, Vehicle, Distance, Purse
1. 1625 Sammy Ehrenberg, Las Vegas, Jimco-VW, 90' ($3,000)
2. 1632 Arden Dennington, Tracy, Calif., Fraley-VW, 88' ($1,000)

-credit: score