Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Baja 500 half the length, but every bit as challenging

Thursday, June 2, 2005 | 8:57 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

It is only half the distance of the more famous Baja 1000, but this weekend's Tecate SCORE Baja 500 just might present more of a challenge to the 375 off-road racers expected to take part in the race which begins and ends in Ensenada, Mexico.

"The SCORE Baja 1000 has the well-earned legacy as the top desert race in the world, but the SCORE Baja 500 may be the toughest," said Mark McMillin, who has six class victories in the 500 and has won the overall title twice. "The course is the toughest we see all year with the most diverse terrain, changing weather conditions around the track, and with the most entries of the year, the competition is tougher than the Indy 500.

"Then, mix in over 150,000 spectators along the race route and you clearly have the ingredients for a real pressure cooker. It's one of those things that you can't really fully comprehend unless you've been there and experienced it first hand."

You won't get an argument from Alan Pflueger, who captured the overall title for cars and trucks and Trophy Truck class victories last year in Ensenada.

"Year in and year out, the Tecate SCORE Baja 500 is the roughest, toughest, most challenging course we race on," Pflueger said. "If you aren't prepared by multiple practice runs, you won't be able to drive fast enough to win (because) there will be plenty of rocks waiting to jump out and bite your front end off.

"Defending your title in any sport is difficult, but it is even tougher in SCORE desert racing when you include all the added competition and a course that is as rough and tough as it gets."

Saturday's 37th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 will take the green flag Saturday morning (6 a.m. for motorcycles and ATVs and 8:30 for cars and trucks) in downtown Ensenada. All vehicles will have 17 hours to complete the 419-mile course.

Highlights of the Baja 500 will be televised, on a delayed basis, as a one-hour primetime special this summer on The Outdoor Life Network (OLN).

SCORE LEADERS: Las Vegas off-road racers Rob MacCachren and Bryan Freeman hold the overall points lead in the SCORE Desert Series going into this weekend's Baja 500.

MacCachren and Freeman teamed for a second-place finish in Class 1-2/1600 in the season-opening Laughlin Desert Challenge in January and then won their class in the San Felipe 250 in March.

MacCachren, who has won seven SCORE season championships in four different classes, leads Kash Vessels of San Marcos, Calif., by seven points in the overall standings.

LOCAL FLAVOR: Of the 375 vehicles expected to take the green flag Saturday in Ensenada, 20 will be piloted by drivers from Southern Nevada.

Saturday's Baja 500 is expected to draw the largest starting field since 1977 when 384 vehicles officially started the race.

TERRIBLE'S CUP TICKETS: Single-day tickets for the inaugural SCORE Las Vegas Terrible's Cup I, to be held July 29-30 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway dirt track, went on sale Wednesday.

Tickets for the closed-course desert race can be purchased at www.scorelasvegas.com, unlvtickets.com or by calling 739-3267.