Series points update 2008-09-18

B.J. Baldwin leads SCORE Trophy-Truck Class 1-2/1600 racer Adam Pfankuch leads class and Overall 2008 SCORE Desert Series points heading to season finale

Richardson, Schwarz/Christensen are top two in unlimited Class 1 points; LIVE Start Draw for 41st Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 on October 11

LOS ANGELES--While the points have never been tighter all season San Diego county desert racer Adam Pfankuch still leads the Overall and Class 1-2/1600 point standings after four rounds of the five-race 2008 SCORE Desert Series.

The final round of the five-race 2008 SCORE Desert Series will be the 41st Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, to be held Nov. 19-22, in Ensenada, Mexico. The LIVE drawing, by class, for the race, will be held Saturday, Oct. 11 and SCORE will be announcing the time and location in the next few days.

Pfankuch, of Carlsbad, Calif., finished third in the season-opener in Laughlin then visited the winner's circle in the two races in Mexico and was fourth in Primm to compile 288 championship points to date. He drives a Mirage open-wheel desert race car powered by a 1600cc Volkswagen engine.

Closest to Pfankuch, 26, in the hunt for the overall title is unlimited Class 1 point leader B.J. Richardson of Las Vegas, just three points back with 285 points after four races with consistent results. Following second place finishes in both Laughlin and San Felipe, a 10th in Ensenada and another second in Primm, Richardson, 43, a veteran desert racer, races for the Las Vegas Dissemination Company team in a Chevy-powered Bunderson open-wheel desert race car that is prepped by Valley Performance of Las Vegas.

Las Vegas' B.J. Baldwin, 29, leads the extremely close point's race in the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division in the No. 97 Baldwin Motorsports Chevy Silverado with 271 points, just 17 behind Richardson.

Pfankuch, who owns Powerbox Transaxles, has been the second driver for two season point championship teams. He was the second driver for the title team in Class 1-2/1600 SCORE points both in 2003 (with Eric Allen) and in 2004 (with Brian Jeffrey). In 2004, the Jeffrey/Pfankuch tandem was also the SCORE Overall Point champions.

In Laughlin, Pfankuch finished third and then drove solo again to win his class in March's 22nd Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 in his 2005 Mirage-VW. In the 40th Tecate SCORE Baja 500, May 31-June 1 in Ensenada, Mexico, Pfankuch also raced in Class 1 and helping him win Class 1-2/1600 by splitting the driving duties was Steven Eugenio, El Centro, Calif. Pfankuch drove solo at the 13th SCORE Terrible's Primm 300, overcoming various mechanical issues to finish four in class to keep his overall and class point leads.

Baldwin, 29, was the the 2006 SCORE Trophy-Truck season point champion, and this year was second in Laughlin, seventh in San Felipe and earned his third career SCORE Trophy-Truck race win in Ensenada, but slipped to 10th in Primm to keep his point lead but see margin get smaller in the marquee SCORE racing division for high-tech, 800-horsepower, unlimited production trucks. Baldwin drives solo in the No. 97 Baldwin Motorsports Chevy Silverado.

Pfankuch will be doubly busy in Baja this year as he now is also the second driver for the Class 1 All German Motorsports Team's second entry. Driver of record is Germany's Armin Kremer. Pfankuch has yet to name his second driver in Class 1-2/1600 for November's Tecate SCORE Baja 1000.

"We are knocking on the door, but we have the granddaddy of all desert races to conquer before we can take a breath and enjoy what we have done this year in the SCORE Series," said Pfankuch. "Between my business and opportunities to race in other classes, I'm still trying hard to keep my focus, and now it's all on the line and I want to win both Class 1-2/1600 for myself and Class 1 for the All German Motorsports team."

The All German Motorsports team of Germany's Armin Schwarz and Martin Christensen, of Escondido, Calif., are fourth in overall points and second in Class 1. After pulling off their second Class 1 victory of the season in Primm, the Schwarz/Christensen duo have moved into contention for both the 2008 Class 1 and the SCORE Overall point title with 269 championship points.

Fifth in overall points is Corey Boyer, of Bakersfield, Calif., who is second in the current point standings in Class 1-2/1600 behind Pfankuch with 268 points.

Boyer, 23, is a second-generation desert racer who along with his father Rick and brothers Greg and Chris, have spent much of their lives in the desert. Boyer, who works for the family-owned Asbury Transportation trucking business in Bakersfield, was planning on running select SCORE races this year and decided just three days before Laughlin to go ahead and race and go from there. The result was he brought the Boyer Racing Lothringer-VW to the checkered flag in first place in the two-day 14th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge and top 10 finishes they rest of the way have kept him close to the front in points.

While the top five SCORE Overall point leaders are separated by just 20 points, the second five are separated by just five points and the third five are separated by just six points.

Mexico's Marcos Nunez, with two class wins this year, leads Class 5/1600 and is sixth in overall points with 257 in a 1600cc VW Baja Bug.

Seventh overall is Class 3 point leader Donald Moss, Sacramento, Calif., who is undefeated this season with four wins and 255 points in the Moss Brothers Ford Bronco.

With one race win this year and a second in Primm, Las Vegas' Brian Collins has moved up to eighth overall and second in the marquee SCORE Trophy-Truck division with 254 points in the No. 12 Collins Motorsports Mopar Dodge Ram 1500.

Teammates Mark Post, Laguna Beach, Calif./Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, are third in SCORE Trophy-Truck points and ninth overall with 253 points, just one point behind Collins. Post/MacCachren, with a pair of second place finishes this season, are the reigning SCORE Trophy-Truck and SCORE Overall point champions in the No. 1 Riviera Racing Ford F-150. They have 14 career SCORE Trophy-Truck race wins between them.

With three class wins this season, Mexico's Ramon Fernandez leads Class 11 and is 10th overall with 252 points in a stock VW Sedan. Numbers 11th through 15th in SCORE Overall points are: Chuck Dempsey, Oak Hills, Calif./Mark Levrett, Sparks, Nev. (251 points, HMS-Chevy, 3rd in Class 1), Kevin Carr, San Diego (249, unlimited VW Baja Bug, 1st in Class 5), Robbie Pierce, Santee, Calif. (247, No. 35 MasterCraft Chevy Silverado, 4th in SCORE Trophy-Truck), and tied for 14th with 246 points each are: Damen Jefferies, Apple Valley, Calif. (No. 22 Herman Motorsports Chevy Silverado, 5th in SCORE Trophy-Truck) and Luis Ramirez Jr., Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (HMS-Chevy, 4th in Class 1).

With motorcycles and ATVs racing in the three SCORE Baja races, the team of Robby Bell, Sun City, Calif./Kendall Norman, Santa Barbara, Calif./Johnny Campbell, San Clemente, Calif., lead the overall motorcycle and open Class 22 standings with 168 points after winning both in San Felipe and Ensenada on the factory-supported No. 1x Johnny Campbell Racing Honda CRF450X. Bell/Campbell won in San Felipe and Bell/Norman won in Ensenada.

On top of the ATV classes overall is the Class 24 team of Francisco Servin/Isaac Castro/Rocky Merino, of Chula Vista, Calif., with 73 points on a Honda TRX450R after their San Felipe and Ensenada race wins.

Rod Hall, who has 13 career SCORE class season point titles including three SCORE Overall point championships, leads the Stock Mini class in a Hummer H3 with three class wins this season.

Heidi Steele, San Clemente, Calif., has two class wins this season and was second in Primm and leads Class 7SX in a Ford Ranger.

Besides Steele, the other female racer who is leading a SCORE class so far in 2008 is Anna Cody, Spring Valley, Calif., who leads an all-female motorcycle team in Class 20 with one race win with co-riders Stacy Doerkson, Apple Valley, Calif./Cathy Duncan, Los Alamos, Calif./Sarah Kritch, Bakersfield, Calif., on a Honda CRF250X. Among the car and truck classes, other point leaders after two races include: Dan Chamlee, Cupertino, Calif. (Class 7, Ford Ranger), Mike Lawrence, Brea, Calif. (Class 10, Lothringer-VW), Steve Mamer, Holtville, Calif. (SCORE Lite, Raceco-VW) and Chad Hall, Reno, Nev. (Stock Full, Hummer H3Alpha). Hall has two class wins this season while Chamlee has one and Lawrence and Mamer are leading their class point standings without a win so far.

Among the other motorcycle classes, three defending season class champions are in first in their respective classes after two of the three SCORE Baja races. After wins in San Felipe, reigning champs leading the class points this year are: Jim O'Neal, Simi Valley, Calif. (Class 30, Honda CRF450X and Class 50, Honda CRF450X0, Carlos Casas, Chula Vista, Calif. (Class 21, KTM 450CXF), Brett Helm, Poway, Calif. (Class 40, Honda XR650R) and Donald Lewis, Marlborough, Conn. (Class 60, Honda CRF450X).

Leading Class 25 for open ATVs after winning both races so far this year is the team of Wayne Matlock, El Cajon, Calif./Marc Spaeth, Warner Springs, Calif. With a different third rider and vehicle each race, they won in Ensenada with Wes Miller, El Cajon, Calif. as the third rider earning the first SCORE race win for the new Honda TRX700XX all-terrain vehicle.

The 2008 SCORE Desert Series also includes the chase for the $20,000 Volkswagen Point Leader Bonus and the run for the Toyota Milestone Awards for car and truck racers who complete every required mile of the season.

Current SCORE official annual sponsors are: BFGoodrich Tires-official tire, Sunoco Race Fuels -official fuel supplier, Bilstein-official shock, Volkswagen of America-official vehicle, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance-official Mexican auto insurance, Slime-official tire sealant, Red Bull--official energy drink and Bosch Power Tools-official power tool. Associate sponsors are: Tecate Beer, Coca-Cola of Mexico, Las Vegas Events, Terrible Herbst Inc., Blue C Enthusiast Advertising, Kartek Off-Road, American Suzuki, SignPros, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie's Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics. For more information regarding the series, 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.

-credit: score