Series Awards Night report

BFG Tires, Honda, Pierce, McMillin, Geiser, COPS All big winners at 2010 SCORE Desert Series Awards

Sunoco earns Contingency Company of the Year, Jimco nets Chassis points, Kroyer grabs Engine Builder points

IRVINE, Calif.--BFGoodrich Tires, Honda and racers Robbie Pierce and Luke McMillin were all big winners Saturday as SCORE International officially concluded the five-race 2010 SCORE Desert Series with the annual SCORE Awards Night in SoCal at the Atrium Hotel in Irvine. Among the others earning SCORE Off-Roadsman of the Year awards were, COPS Racing, Sunoco Race Fuels and Rick Geiser.

In front of a festive crowd of nearly 400, the evening was also a celebration of 37 years of SCORE championship desert racing. SCORE President/CEO Sal Fish also announced that the 2011 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 will be an adventure around the northern part of Mexico's Baja California peninsula and a new agreement with the government of Ensenada to host SCORE Baja races for several more years. Fish also confirmed that there will be a SCORE race next September 9-10 and will announce details by the end of the month, completing the five-race 2011 SCORE Desert Series schedule.

BFG Tires, the official tire of SCORE for 35 years was honored as the 2010 SCORE Pit Support Company of the Year. It was the 23rd time BFG Tires has been voted the SCORE Pit Support Company of the Year.

The SCORE Off-Roadsman awards are determined by the vote of more than 2,500 members of Los Angeles-based SCORE International. Among the other honorees were the top point leaders from the 2010 SCORE Desert Series, the World's Foremost Desert Racing Series.

Pierce, of Santee, Calif., a veteran SCORE desert racer who finished fourth in SCORE Trophy-Truck points in 2010, owns the prominent MasterCraft Safety company that is co-sponsor of the MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250, title sponsor of the SCORE MasterCraft Safety Rookie of the Year award and a major SCORE Contingency company, as well as being honored by the SCORE membership as the 2010 SCORE Person of the Year for the first time.

"Robbie Pierce is not only a fierce competitor, he is seriously committed to our sport, our racers and the SCORE Desert Series," commented Sal Fish, SCORE CEO/President. "On a personal level he has given much to our sport and from a business perspective his MasterCraft Safety continues to develop cutting edge products that will enhance the safety and help define our sport even further for the next decade. And, on top of all that, he is one of the friendliest, most genuine persons you could ever meet. We are extremely excited that the SCORE membership has voted him as our 2010 SCORE Person of the Year."

American Honda was voted SCORE Motorcycle Manufacturer of the Year for the 23rd time and the 14th consecutive year.

COPS Racing was selected the SCORE Entry Sponsor of the Year for the second straight year, a team owned by television producer John Langley who also was the Class 4 point champion in 2010.

Among the special awards presented by SCORE and Sal Fish included a very special appreciation recognition to the government of Baja California for all of its assistance to helping SCORE produce three highly successful races in Baja California, Mexico, in 2010. Receiving the award were four prominent Mexican government officials--Enrique Pelayo Torres, Mayor of Ensenada, Juan Tintos Funcke, the Secretary of Tourism of Baja California, Marco Antonio Novelo, Secretary of Tourism of the County of Ensenada and Rodolfo Talamantes, Director of Public Relations of the County of Ensenada.

Joining his cousin Andy McMillin (2004), Luke McMillin, 17, of El Cajon, Calif., became just the second third-generation desert racer to be honored as the SCORE Rookie of the Year. A talented high school student, Luke McMillin also won the very competitive Class 1-2/1600 season point championship in just his first full season of SCORE desert racing.

Rick Geiser, recognized along with his brother Jeff and the entire Geiser Bros shop in Phoenix, as the top SCORE Trophy-Truck builders in the world, was selected the SCORE Mechanic of the Year for the second time. His first selection was in 2006.

"BFGoodrich Tires has been supporting all of desert racing, especially SCORE, for 35 years," said Fish, "To win the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 once is a major feat, but to capture the world's most prestigious desert race 20 straight years (1986-2005) and 24 times all together is unbelievable. BFG Tires are the most dominant desert racing tires in the world and we are privileged to be able honor them. They have also started a new streak with four consecutive Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 overall victories. BFG's grassroots support of desert racers is unparalleled. SCORE is deeply humbled to have the relationship with BFG Tires that we have had for three and a half decades. No motorsport has a more involved and committed sponsor than we have in BFG Tires."

Mike Julson, of Santee, Calif., who is a SCORE regular co-driver in SCORE Trophy-Truck, saw his Jimco open-wheel desert race cars win the 2010 SCORE Original Buggy Chassis Manufacturer point championship for the 17th time and 16th straight.

Kroyer Racing Engines of Las Vegas captured the 2010 Engine Builder point championship for the first time.

A rugged group of 13 SCORE racers were also honored as 2010 SCORE Toyota Milestone Award winners after finishing all 2,122.90 race miles during the season.

Tim Sanchez, the owner of DirtNewz.com, the most extensive source of desert racing coverage in the world, was honored for the second straight year as Judy Smith SCORE Journalist of the Year, while HighRev Photo (Jason Zindroski) earned Jim Ober SCORE Photographer of the Year honors for the third time.

Sunoco Race Fuels was honored for the first time as the SCORE Contingency Company of the Year.

Leading the parade of 2010 SCORE Desert Series point champions were the three overall titlists--Jesse Jones, Litchfield Park, Ariz. (Overall and SCORE Trophy-Truck), Francisco Septien, Ensenada, Mexico (Overall motorcycle and Class 30) and Brandon Brown, Umatilla, Ore. (Overall ATV and Class 24).

In addition to being the host of this year's SCORE Awards Night, the Atrium Hotel also all 31 pro class point champions with a gift certificate for a weekend stay at the resort to be used anytime in 2011.

SCORE opens its five-race 2011 SCORE Desert Series Jan. 14-16 in Southern Nevada with the 17th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge.

SCORE International, founded in 1973 by the late Mickey Thompson and headed by Sal Fish since 1974, continues today as the premier sanctioning body in the sport of desert racing. SCORE races feature 28 Pro and two Sportsman classes for cars and trucks in the U.S. with seven additional Pro and four more Sportsman classes for motorcycles and ATVs competing in the races in Mexico. SCORE races in the U.S. average 150 entries while the average in Mexico, with motorcycle and ATV classes running as well as the cars and trucks is nearly 300.

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, MasterCraft Safety, Blue C Advertising, SignPros, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie's Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.

Additional sponsors in Baja are the Secretary of Tourism of Baja California, ProTurismo de Ensenada, Secretary of Tourism of Baja California Sur and Azunia Tequila.

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.

2010 SCORE Off-Roadsman of the Year Award Winners

Contingency Company--Sunoco Race Fuel

Motorcycle Manufacturer--American Honda

Mechanic--Rick Geiser, Geiser Bros.

Entry Sponsor--COPS Racing

Pit Support Team--BFGoodrich Tires

Judy Smith Journalist--Tim Sanchez, DirtNewz.com

Jim Ober Photographer--HighRev Photo (Jason Zindroski)

Rookie of the Year--Luke McMillin, Class 1-2/1600

Person of the Year--Robby Gordon, Team Gordon

*Original Buggy Chassis Manufacturer--Jimco

*Engine Builder--Kroyer Racing Engines

*Determined by points, others by membership vote

-source: score