Awards night summary

BFG Tires, Honda, Steele, Troy Herbst, Cadiente Big Winners at SCORE Desert Series Awards

PRIMM, Nev.--BFGoodrich Tires, a staple of desert racers world-wide, captured two major honors Saturday as SCORE International officially concluded the six-race 2006 SCORE Desert Series with the annual SCORE Awards Night at the Primm Valley Resort in Primm, Nev.

The evening was also a celebration of 33 years of SCORE championship desert racing.

BFG Tires, the official tire of SCORE for over 30 years was honored as both the 2006 SCORE Contingency Company and the 2006 SCORE Pit Support Team of the year.

The 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 2006 SCORE Desert Series.

It was the 19th time BFG Tires has been voted the top Contingency Company and 20th time it has been honored as the premier pit support team. BFG Tires celebrated its 31st year of SCORE racing in 2006.

Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif., an action sports and motorsports Television announcer who is a second-generation SCORE desert racer, was honored as the 2006 SCORE Person of the Year. Competing in two, three or four classes in SCORE races, he also lent is announcing skills to SCORE throughout the year and was the emcee of the SCORE Awards Night.

"Cameron Steele is SCORE's ambassador to the outside world and we are excited to see him voted the SCORE Person of the Year," said Sal Fish, SCORE President/CEO since shortly after SCORE was founded in 1973. "He is always talking about SCORE wherever he goes around the world and nobody races in more classes at SCORE races than he does."

American Honda was voted SCORE Motorcycle Manufacturer of the Year for the 18th time and the 10th consecutive year.

Las Vegas' Troy Herbst was honored both as the 2006 SCORE Overall point champion and unlimited Class 1 title winner. After a discouraging did-not-finish in the season opener in Laughlin, he and teammates Larry Roeseler and Tim Herbst battled back by winning the final four races of the year, including the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 for the third straight year. Herbst, who now has a SCORE record four Overall point crowns, a record seven Class 1 season point titles and an amazing 21 Class 1 race wins since 1997.

"BFGoodrich Tires has been supported all of desert racing, especially SCORE, for 31 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) is unbelievable. BFG Tires are the most dominant desert-racing tires in the world and we are privileged to honor them. Their grassroots support of desert racers is unparalleled. SCORE is deeply honored to have the relationship with BFG Tires that we have for three decades."

Rick Geiser of Geiser Bros. Design and Development, was voted the 2006 SCORE Mechanic of the Year for the first time in his career.

Garron Cadiente, Mesa, Ariz., was voted the 2006 SCORE Rookie of the Year. Competing in the marquee SCORE Trophy-Truck class, Cadiente won this year's Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 and finished ninth in the SCORE Trophy-Truck point standings.

Receiving Kartek Off-Road contingency bonus awards were: Brian Burgess, Riverside, Calif., Class 1-2/1600 ($5,000), George Seeley, Glendale, Calif., Class 5 ($5,000), Tim Noe, El Centro, Calif., SCORE Lite ($5,000), Eric Fisher, Ensenada, Mexico, Class 9 ($2,500) and Eric Solorzano, Tijuana, Mexico, Class 11 ($2,500).

Mike Julson, of Santee, Calif., who is a SCORE regular in SCORE Trophy-Truck, saw his Jimco open-wheel desert race cars win the 2006 SCORE Original Buggy Chassis Manufacturer point championship for the 13th time and 12th straight.

Ken Major and his Major Performance company captured the 2006 Engine Builder point championship for the third time and Board Ford was voted as the 2006 Entry Sponsor of the Year for the first time.

A rugged group of 17 SCORE racers were also honored as 2006 SCORE Toyota Milestone Award winners after finishing all 2,104.4 race miles during the season.

Three of them were also honored as winners of this year's $12,000 SCORE Toyota True Grit Awards presented to the Toyota Milestone receipts who won their respective non-factory supported 2004 SCORE Class point championships. The SCORE Toyota True Grit Award winners this year who will split the $12,000 bonus purse are Brian Burgess, Riverside, Calif. (Class 1-2/1600, SPF-VW), John Cooley, Santee, Calif. (Class 10, AlumiCraft-VW) and Tim Noe, El Centro, Calif. (SCORE LIte, Jimco-VW).

Marty Fiolka of DIRTSports Magazine, was honored for the first time as SCORE Journalist of the Year, while High Rev Photo earned Photographer of the Year honors for the first time as well.

SCORE opens its six-race 2006 SCORE Desert Series Jan. 18-21 in Southern Nevada with the 13th 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 16 Pro and two Sportsman classes for cars and trucks in the U.S. with seven additional Pro and three more Sportsman classes for motorcycles and ATVs competing in the races in Mexico. SCORE races in the U.S. average 225 entries while the average in Mexico, with motorcycle and ATV classes running as well as the cars and trucks is 350.

SCORE official 2006 sponsors were: BFGoodrich Tires-official tire, Sunoco Race Fuels/C.L. Bryant-official fuel supplier, Bilstein-official shock, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance-official Mexican auto insurance, American Racing-official wheel, Airstar America-official space lighting provider. Associate sponsors are: Tecate Beer, Coca-Cola of Mexico, Las Vegas Events, Terrible Herbst Inc., Micron Technology, Red Bull North America, Kartek Off-Road, Centrix Financial, NAPA Chassis, Fram, Autolite, Prestone, Bendix, American Suzuki, SignPros, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie's Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.

Additional associate sponsors for the 2006 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 were Cotuco de Ensenada, Fideicomiso Publio para la Promocion Turistica de Ensenada, the government of Baja California Sur, the State Tourism Department of Baja California Sur and the city tourism fund of Loreto.

2006 SCORE Off-Roadsman of the Year Award Winners
Contingency Company--BFGoodrich Tires
Motorcycle Manufacturer--American Honda
Mechanic--Rick Geiser, Geiser Bros. Design and Development
Entry Sponsor--Board Ford
Pit Support Team--BFGoodrich Tires
Journalist--Marty Fiolka, DIRTSports Magazine
Photographer--High Rev Photo
Rookie of the Year--Garron Cadiente, G&R Racing
Person of the Year--Cameron Steele, Desert Assassins Racing
*Original Buggy Chassis Manufacturer--Jimco
*Engine Builder--Major Performance

*Determined by points, others by membership vote

-credit: www.score-international.com.