12th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge Opens
With 244 Entries, 233 Starters

Round 1, 2006 SCORE Desert Series January 12-15

FIRST DAY RACE RECAPS - Saturday, January 14, 2006

NOTE Racers divided into seven different groups, by individual class, to race three, four or six laps over an eight-mile desert course. The competition starts and finishes with a stadium-style course in front of grandstand seating. Combined with the hillside viewing and the event VIP tent, more than 15,000 spectators were on hand for the first of two days of racing (according to Bureau of Land Management estimates). Racers had one-hour five-minute (65 minutes) to one-hour, 20-minute (80 minutes) time limits from the time each starts to complete the required laps each day to be an official finisher for that day.

The event finishing order, by class, will be based on the combined two-day elapsed time of each racer. Sunday?s start order will be in the same order as they finished Saturday.

GROUP #1 Classes 5/1600 (6 laps), 9 (6), 11 (3), Sportsman Car (3) - (27 Total Starters, 15 Finishers)

Danny Ledezma (557 from El Centro, Calif., 1:05:37) overcame a 10-second deficit on the first lap of Class 5/1600 to build a 19-second led after four laps to be the first-day leader in the class by 13 seconds over Brent Shermak (Bullhead City, Ariz., 1:05:50). Shermak, who led after the first lap by five seconds over Billy Gereghty (Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 1:06:13) and Ledezma, made up 16 seconds on the fifth lap on Ledezma, who finished with a 10-second edge on the last lap. Seven (7) of the 14 starters finished the required four laps. Gereghty finished second in the 2005 Laughlin race behind winner Jeffrey Sack, who is not entered this year.

Brian Church (949 from Hesperia, Calif., 1:12:17) led Class 9 form the start to hold a four minute lead over Tony Modica (903 from Long Beach, Calif., 1:16:17). Church posted 29-, 41-, 53-, 63- and 79-second advantages for the first five laps before Modica made up 35 seconds on the sixth and final lap. Sigal Greenberg (902 from Desert Hills, Ariz.), who finished second on the 2005 SCORE Desert Series Class 9 overall standings, completed only three laps. He was five seconds behind Church on lap 1, but had a :48:41 second-lap clocking. Two of the four starters finished the six laps. Eric Fisher, the 2004 and 2005 SCORE Desert Series Class 9 champion and 2004 and 2005 Laughlin winner, did not compete.

Eric Solorzano (1100 from Tijuana, Mexico and competing with Felipe Ortega, :43:40) was the only racer to complete all three laps in the two-car Class 11 field Saturday. Defending Scott Pellerin Class 11 Laughlin champion did not compete. Solorzano has won three Laughlin Class 11 titles, including 2004 when he out-raced Pellerin, who won the Laughlin titles in 2002 and 2003. Solorzano has won seven SCORE Desert Series Class 11 titles (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005).

Kory Scheeler/James Wischmeyer Benites (1406, Las Vegas, :41:34) are the Sportsman Buggy leaders over Rory Ward (1498, Mohave Valley, Calif., 42:37). Five of the seven starters completed the required four laps Saturday.

GROUP #2 SCORE Lites (6 laps), Class 5 (6) - (24 Total Starters, 18 finishers) Cameron Steele/Heidi Steele (1205, San Clemente, Calif.) led from the start to gain a three-minute, seven-second lead in SCORE Lites over Stan Potter/Dan Worley (1210, San Marcos, Calif., :57:39). Fourteen (14) of Saturday?s 21 starters completed the required six laps Saturday. ,Vic Bruckmann (1213 from Lemon Grove, Calif., :57:44), the 2002 Laughlin SCORE Lites winner, is currently fourth. Ken Stroud/Chris Harrold (1206, Alpine, Calif., :58:00), the 2002 SCORE Lites series champion, is seventh while 1999 Laughlin SCORE Lite winner John Kawall (1219, Yorba Linda, Calif., :58:08) is eighth.George Seeley (502 from Glendale Calif., 1:02:29) led from the start to be the first-day leader in the class by almost 5 minutes over Michelle Bruckmann/Michael Loomis (501, Lemon Grove, Calif., 1:07:25). All three starters completed the required four laps. Seeley, the 2004 SCORE Desert Series Class 5 champion, has won six of the last nine Laughlin Desert Challenge Class 5 titles (excluding 1998, 2003 and 2005). Seeley did not finish last year in Laughlin.

GROUP #3 Class 10 (6 laps) - (24 Total Starters, 17 finishers) Seventeen (17) of the 24 vehicles that started the group finished as the Class 10 leader Saturday was Darren Hardesty (1012, Ramona, Calif., :55:36), who has a 31-second lead over Eli Yee (1005, Tijuana, Mexico, :56:07) and 32-second edge over Ron Dalke (1008, Tucson, Ariz., :56:08). Hardesty, the No. 5 Class 10 SCORE Desert Series racer, finished second to Kash Vessels last year by four seconds in Laughlin. John Cooley (1000, Santee, Calif., :56:17), who was fourth after Saturday?s race, is the 2005 SCORE Desert Series champion.

GROUP #4 Protruck (6 laps), Classes 8 (6), 7 (6), 7S (4), 7SX (4) Stock Full (4), 17 (4), 3 (4), Sportsman Truck (4) (52 Total Starters, 39 finishers) In Protruck, Gus Vildosola Jr. (204, Mexicali, Mexico with Bryan Freeman, Henderson, Nev., :58:10) has a lead of more than seven minutes over Jason Voss (235, Cupertino, Calif., with Rich Voss, 1:05:39) as six vehicles started and three finished with Dave Creagan (203, Woodland, Wash. With Jim Wasson, Renton, Wash., 1:08:36) third. Vildosola was second in the 2005 SCORE Desert Series Protruck standings to Jim Nuckles, who won the 2005 Laughlin event.

Donald Moss (301, Sacramento, Calif., with Kenneth Moss, Marysville, Calif.) fourth a four-lap time of 47 minutes, 51 seconds to pace the three of five vehicles in Saturday?s Class 3 race. Moss is seeking his fifth-straight Laughlin Class 3 title and has a three-minute, 34-second lead over Chris Raffo (301, Arlington Heights, Ill. :51:25). Moss has also won the last four Class 3 SCORE Desert point's titles.

Five (5) of the 12 Class 7 starters finished the required six laps Saturday led by Victor Herrera Jr. (707, withVictor Herrera, Tijuana, Mexico, 1:00:14) having a 121-second lead over Doug Siewert (702, Fallbrook, Calif., 1:02:15). The Herrera's placed second in the 2005 Laughlin Class 7 race behind Craig Turner. Dan Chamlee (705 with Tom Chamlee, Summerland, Calif., 1:06:32), who was fifth Saturday, was the Class 3 SCORE Desert Series champion in 2004 and runnerup in 2005 to Turner.

Nick Moncure (739 with Ted Moncure, Long Beach, Calif., :53:03) has a nine-second lead over Tyler Fox (729, Ramona, Calif., :53:12) as four of the five Class 7S vehicles that started Saturday finished the required four laps. Roger Byrd (736, Burbank, Calif., :53:22) and Mike Horner (722, Mission Viejo, Calif., :53:23) are close to the leader. Nick Moncure won the Class 7S SCORE Desert series title in 2004 while Ted Moncure placed second in 2005 behind John Holmes, who won the Class 7S Laughlin title.

All five vehicles that started Class 7SX Saturday finished led by Jess and Pepe Rodriguez (741, Orange, Calif., :45:03), who have a three-minute, 16-second lead over John Holmes (743, Olivenhain, Calif., :48:19). Cody Swanty (742, Kingman, Ariz., 1:00:20), who won the 2005 Laughlin 7SX title, finished fifth Saturday.

Todd Wyllie (800, New River, Ariz.), who has won the last two Class 8 points champion on the SCORE Desert Series, did not finish Saturday. Glen Greer (805, Green Valley Ariz., with Bruce Greer, Jr., Oro Valley, Ariz., 1:00:00) drove the only vehicle to finish the required six laps Saturday. Wylie also won the 2005 Laughlin Class 8 title.

In Stock Full, Gregory Foutz (861, Mesa, Ariz., :45:11) has a three minute, 39-second lead after Saturday?s race with Bob Graham (862, Santa Ana, Calif., :48:50) second and Mark Handley (866, San Marcos, Calif. with co-driver Marc Stein, San Diego, :50:15) third. All five vehicles that started Saturday finished. John Griffin (860, Mission Viejo, Calif., with Mike Sabbarese, Huntington Beach, Calif., :51:35), who has won the last five 2004 SCORE Desert Series Stock Full point?s titles, is fourth.

In Class 17, Bob Land (1701, Lake Forest, Calif., with Jim Winovitch, Murrieta, Calif.) completed only three of the required four laps. Matt Torian (1599, Escondido, Calif., :44:37) has a 168-second lead in Sportsman Truck over Steven Looney (1505, Campo, Calif., :47:25) on the strength of a 138-second edge in the fourth and final lap. Eight vehicles started Saturday and seven finished.

GROUP #5 Class 1-2/1600 (6 laps) ? (36 Total Starters, 30 finishers) Twenty-eight (28) of the 36 starters finished Saturday?s Class 1-2/1600 four-lap race as Rob MacCachren (1612, Las Vegas, :58:08) has nearly a two-minute lead over Bryan Freeman (1627, Henderson, Nev., 1:00:04). MacCachren and Freeman rode together in the class last year as they finished third in the 2005 SCORE Desert Series standings behind Caleb Gaddis and L. J. Kennedy. MacCachren and Freeman finished second in Laughlin?s Class 1-2/1600 event behind Adam Pfankuch (1622, Carlsbad, Calif.), who finished only one lap Saturday. Gaddies (1600, El Centro, Calif.) finished eighth Saturday, three minutes, 30 seconds behind. MacCachren was the 2001 SCORE Desert Series Class 1-2/1600 champion. MacCachren won the 2001 and 2004 Laughlin Class 1-2/1600 titles.

GROUP #6 Class 1 (6 laps) - (37 Total Starters, 17 finishers) Dale Ebberts (123, Canyon Lake, Calif. with Ernie Castro Jr., Newport Beach, Calif., :51:50) assumed the lead on the fifth of six laps to gain the lead and win Saturday?s Class 1 race. Gary Weyhrich (135, :52:10) led the first four laps, but finished his fifth lap in :10:13 while Ebberts was 93 seconds faster. Ebberts is the defending Laughlin Class 1 champion as he also won the 2003 title. Weyhrich finish second in the Class 1 2005 Laughlin race. Mark McMillin (100, El Cajon, Calif., :54:57), the 2005 SCORE Desert Series Class 1 champion, was 10th Saturday.

GROUP #7 SCORE Trophy Truck (6 laps) - (33 Total Starters, 18 finishers) Eighteen (18) of the all-time record 33 starters in the SCORE Trophy-Truck finished Saturday?s six-lap, 48-mile race. Carl Renezeder (17 from Laguna Beach, Calif., :53:35) edged Ed Herbst and Tim Herbst (19, Las Vegas, :53:52) by 17 seconds. B. J. Baldwin (97, Las Vegas, :54:20) is 45 seconds behind the leader with Kory Sheeler (51, Las Vegas, :54:21), 46 seconds behind Renezeder. A veteran desert racer, Renezeder is in his second-season in the SCORE Trophy-Truck competition as he placed 15th overall last year. Defending Laughlin champion Dale Dondel (11, Hemet, Calif.) started Saturday, but did not complete a lap.

RACE NOTE - The SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge has attracted drivers from 12 states and four countries (Canada, Japan, Mexico and the United States).

RACE NOTE - A total of 246 vehicles entered the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge with Laughlin race record 233 vehicles starting Saturday?s races and 149 finishing the first of two days of racing.

RACE NOTE - Randy Wilson (112, Lakewood, Calif.) had the fastest lap of the day. In Class 1, Wilson's second lap was clocked in eight minutes, 22 seconds. Carl Renezeder (123, Laguna Beach, Calif.) had the fastest fifth (:08:26) and sixth (:08:33) laps in SCORE Trophy-Trucks. Kash Vessels completed only one Class 1 lap, but his time of :08:24 was the fastest opening lap. Gary Weyhrich posted the fastest third lap (08:30) in Class 1 while Gus Vildosola's Trophy Truck has the fast fourth lap (08:32).