SCORE starts up this weekend

Friday, Jan. 30, 1998 | 6:50 a.m.

SPECIAL TO THE SUN

Desert racing begins a new season this weekend and a least a dozen Southern Nevada entries will be among the 150 racers expected to take the green flag in the fourth annual Laughlin Desert Challenge, Round 1 of the six-race 1998 Laughlin SCORE Desert Series.

SCORE racers will compete in a unique format event, which features a desert course of just 13 miles, a stadium-like start/finish line area complete with jumps and moguls with grandstand viewing for several thousand, a sprint-style 80-minute time limit and two days of racing beginning Saturday. The 16 classes for cars and trucks will be divided into six groups for separate races each day.

Among the entries are 12 Southern Nevada racers who will enjoy a slight home-desert advantage in Laughlin. Heading the local drivers' list is defending SCORE Class 1 point champion Troy Herbst and his older brothers Ed and Tim. Ed and Tim will be favorites in the marquee Trophy Truck division, returning to Laughlin in their Ford F-150 as defending champs.

White Lightning teammates Dale White and Brian Collins are also part of the Las Vegas group entered at Laughlin, although they won't be in the same class this year. Driving Chevrolet trucks, Collins will stay in Class 8 while White will be entering the Protruck division for the first time.

Henderson's Bekki Freeman, the only female driver of record entered in the race, is expected to be among the leaders in the Class 1-2/1600 battle. Preparing to run her first full season in the Laughlin SCORE Desert Series, Freeman will debut her 1998 Jimco desert race car in Laughlin.

Also racing in the featured Trophy Truck division will be Las Vegas' Mike Tieman and Henderson's Lonny Helmbolt.

Joining Troy Herbst in Class 1 will be Charlie Townsley of Las Vegas while racing against Freeman in Class 1-2/1600 will be locals Rudy Cortez, Sammy Ehrenberg and Jeremy Gubler. Freeman's older brother, Kenny Freeman Jr., also will be in Class 1-2/1600 if vehicle repairs are completed in time. Danny Anderson of Las Vegas will race in the SCORE Lite Class.