Laughlin: Series report on Leap competition

ROUND 1, 2010 SCORE DESERT SERIES SATURDAY AND SUNDAY IN LAUGHLIN, NEV.

LAUGHLIN, Nev. --Southern California desert racer Josh Daniel lit up the Laughlin night, becoming the first unlimited Class 1 driver since 2002 to win Friday's SCORE Laughlin Leap competition, a prelude to this weekend's season-opening 16th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge in Laughlin, Nev.

Daniel, 34, of Canyon Lake, Calif., thrilled the standing-room only crowd of over 5,000, winning the unlimited Class 1 division by sending his powerful No. 114 Chevy-powered Racer open wheel desert race car off the six-foot dirt jump for a distance of 111 feet.

It was Daniel's first overall win in the event and his first division win.

Second overall and winning the SCORE Trophy-Truck division for high-tech, 800-horsepower unlimited production trucks was Mexico's Luis Camarena with a leap of 108' 6". Camarena, who will split driving in the SCORE season-opener with compatriot Ernesto Cervantes, drives a Ford F-150 SCORE Trophy-Truck

In the unlimited Class 1 division for open-wheel desert race cars, second was Las Vegas' Pat Dean with a leap of 109' in a Bunderson-Chevy.

Class 1-2/1600 racers Cody Robinson, Calexico, Calif., in a Romo-VW and Las Vegas' Rob MacCachren, in a AlumiCraft-VW had leaps of 77' and 71' respectively to win the limited CC open-wheel class.

In the Production mini-trucks division, Dave Caspino, Woodland Hills, Calif., won his group with his best jump of 101' in a Ford Ranger.

In the Restricted Cars, the winner was Justin Davis, Chino Hills, Calif., whose winning jump was 83' in a Seagrove-VW SCORE Lite race car for his second straight victory in the event.

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 five race groups running multiple laps each day. The featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division will race at 1 p.m. each day followed by the unlimited Class 1 cars at 3 p.m.

Ticket information is available at www.visitlaughlin.com.

-source: score