Larry
Ragland Draws First Trophy-Truck Start at Baja 500
compiled
by connie ellig; photos by connie ellig & david hopps
 Veteran
Larry Ragland, in the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division, and newcomer
Marc Francke, in Class 22 for open motorcycles, have drawn the first starting
positions for the 36th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja
500 desert race on June 4-6, 2004 in Ensenada, Mexico. With
five class wins in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500, including three overall crowns,
Ragland, 60, of Cave Creek, Ariz., has teamed this year with Las Vegas’
Brian Collins.
 Over
290 entries from 15 U.S. states, Mexico, Canada, Japan and Sweden are competing
in the 24 Pro and 5 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and
ATVs. Among the “celebrity” entries are ESPN sportscaster Cameron Steele
of San Clemente, Calif., who will start first in Class 1-2/1600, and former
IndyCar racers Robbie and Mike Groff, SCORE regulars in Class 1. Once again
Swedish “Rally Princess”
Annie Seel will be a co-rider for Rob Barnum in motorcycle Class 30. Seel
is an avid competitor whose racing credits include the International Swedish
4-Day Enduro, the World Cup Rally Dubai, the World Cup Rally Tunisia, the
Dakar Rally, and the 2002 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. In August 2003, Seel
set a new world record by becoming the first woman on a motorbike to reach
a height of 5305m on the north side of Mt. Everest.
In the car and truck classes, the oldest driver of record is Bruce Meyers,
78, Valley Center, Calif., who won the first Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 in
1967. He will race in the Sportsman Legend class in an updated version
of his original Meyers Manxter-VW. In the motorcycle and ATV classes, Lou
Peralta, 62, Woodland Hills, Calif., is the oldest rider and he will co-ride
in Class 30 with his nephew Todd Starks. Peralta was the 1982 SCORE Class
38 motorcycle season point champion.
Pre-race festivities will center around the Riviera del Pacífico
Convention Center in downtown Ensenada on Friday, June 4. Traditionally
drawing thousands of spectators, the pre-race Manufacturer’s Midway and
display of all the race vehicles will be held adjacent to La Pinta and
San Nicolás hotels from 10am to 6pm.
On Saturday, June 5, the green flag will drop at 6am for the motorcycle
and ATV classes, followed by the car and truck classes two hours later.
The starting line area will once again be in front of the Riviera Convention
Center. Vehicles will start in 30-second intervals in the elapsed-time
race and have 17 hours to complete the rugged 429-mile course.
The finish line will be inside the Deportivo Antonio Palacios stadium
on Calle 9 & Av. Guadalupe Avenue, approximately 1.5 miles east of
the start line area. Admission will be free to this special SCORE finish
line celebration. The post-race award presentations will be held poolside
at the San Nicolás Resort Hotel on Sunday, June 6 at 10am. For more
information about the Baja 500 or the November Ensenada-La Paz Baja 1000,
contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters, tel. (818)225-8402 or visit
the SCORE web site.
For real time coverage of the Baja 500, visit www.off-road.com
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