Vet motorcycle star Jim O’Neal’s - O’Neal USA apparel company
Posts major motorcycle/ATV contingency for SCORE Baja 1000

Home of seven-time SCORE age-group motorcycle class point champion, O’Neal USA posts cash, product for Pro classes, Product and 2007 factory support sponsorship For Sportsman, Product for SCORE Ironman overall leader

LOS ANGELES—O’Neal USA, one of the world’s leading motorcycle gear manufacturers, has developed an expansive, multi-faceted contingency program for the upcoming 39th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, it was announced today by Sal Fish, President/CEO of Los Angeles-based SCORE International.

The far-reaching O’Neal contingency program for the granddaddy of all desert races includes cash, product and product discounts for Pro classes, product discounts and 2007 factory support sponsorship for Sportsman classes, as well as a special product bonus package for SCORE Ironman overall leader.

O’Neal USA continues to be led by company founder Jim O’Neal, a stellar SCORE age-group motorcycle racer with seven SCORE class point titles, will be rider of record in three separate classes in the upcoming Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. This year’s season finale of the six-race 2006 SCORE Desert Series will be an intense endurance race down the Baja California peninsula, starting in Ensenada and finishing in La Paz. It will be held Nov. 15-18.

The legendary race will again be televised in the U.S. as a one-hour sports special on NBC TV for the third consecutive year and for the first time, through the efforts of SCORE TV production partner Aura360, will be televised worldwide on ESPN International. Second unit personnel from Spyglass Entertainment, who is producing a full-length feature film about the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, will also be doing research and scene shots at the event.

“Jim O’Neal is a great, great motorcycle racer and his O’Neal apparel company is at the top of the marketplace in its genre, so it’s an honor to have him and his company put together such a wonderful and far-reaching contingency program for the SCORE flagship event,” said Fish, who has been at the helm of SCORE since shortly after it was founded in 1973. “Over 50 motorcycle and ATV riders will have an opportunity to earn something and we hope O’Neal USA has to give everything they are offering away in November.”

In the late 1960s, things were different. On the motorcycle tracks in Southern California, young promising riders were pushing the limits of their motorcycles and their equipment. Desert racing was just getting serious and it was quickly obvious that there was a need for something that would hold up to the punishment of the world’s most demanding motorcycle sport. Jim O’Neal has a lifelong passion for racing that can’t be stopped. In 1970, O’Neal USA was born. It continues today, out of its headquarters in Chatsworth, Calif., as a world leader in motorcycle racing gear and equipment.

O’Neal himself has led five consecutive teams to consecutive SCORE Class 40 (riders over 40 years old) season point championships along with the 1997 Class 40 title and last year pulled a double by leading another talented team to his first Class 50 (riders over 50) crown. Having just turned 60, O’Neal is scheduled to compete in the new SCORE Class 60 in addition to fielding teams in Class 40 and Class 50 at the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000.

“O’Neal USA offers high-quality, long-lasting products that have definitely held up extremely well through everything that those challenging SCORE race courses throw at them,” said O’Neal, of Chatsworth, Calif., who is currently leading the Class 40 point standings and is tied for first in Class 50 in the 2006 SCORE Desert Series. “I am a passionate competitor and the SCORE Desert Series is the universal pinnacle of the sport. O’Neal USA is happy and honored to be able to give something like this to these incredible motorcycle and ATV riders.”

When complete, SCORE anticipates this year’s overall contingency postings for the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, from nearly 50 manufacturers and aftermarket companies, to reach over $500,000 in cash and product value. The O’Neal contingency postings include bonuses worth $2,350 to both the top 10 overall Pro motorcycle and Pro ATV finishers in Mexico.

For the fastest SCORE Ironman finisher (riding solo the entire distance), O’Neal is offering a unique package that includes: a 2007 907 Series Helmet that includes Hybrid Carbon Fiber Kevlar, Removable Liner, and a fully functional exhaust venting system.

Another element in the O’Neal contingency posting for the event is factory support sponsorship for the 2007 SCORE Desert Series for both the Sportsman Motorcycle and Sportsman ATV top overall finishers.

With festivities set for Nov. 15-18, the start for the world’s oldest and most prestigious desert race for the 32nd time will be Ensenada, Mexico, located on Todos Santos Bay on the Pacific Ocean side of the Baja California peninsula, 65 miles south of the U.S. Border near San Diego. The start line will again be on Boulevard Costera, adjacent to the Rivera del Pacifico Cultural Center.

With more than 300 anticipated entries, competition will be held in 27 Pro and 5 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs. La Paz is located on the Sea of Cortez, near the Southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. When finalized, the complete route for this year’s race will again cover more than 1,000 miles of the mysterious and foreboding Baja California peninsula.

For the first time in the event’s history, the awards celebration for this year’s race will be held alongside of the Sea of Cortez on the malecon boardwalk in the heart of downtown La Paz. The SCORE awards fiesta on Saturday, Nov. 18, starting at noon, will include live music, entertainers and race vendors, the class-winning vehicles along with a special display area honoring all of the survivors of the grueling odyssey. As in past years, the race will finish on the outskirts of the city.

The race will finish in La Paz for the first time since 2004. The 16 previous years the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 finished in La Paz were: 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1979, 1982, 1986, 1989, 1992, 1995, 1998, 2002 and 2004.

Annually, the popular Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 draws entries from over 30 U.S. States and approximately one dozen other countries. From Snowboarding to NASCAR, the race always draws a number of crossover racers.

Besides this race from Ensenada to La Paz, the 2006 SCORE Desert Series schedule includes five completed races. The season began on Jan. 12-15 at the 12th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge in Laughlin, Nev., and continued March 10-12 with the 20th Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250, the 38th Tecate SCORE Baja 500 in Baja California, Mexico and the SCORE Las Vegas Terrible’s Cup II (July 27-29) at the Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and last weekend’s 11th SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300 (Sept. 8-10) in Primm, Nev..

Current SCORE official 2006 sponsors are: BFGoodrich Tires-official tire, Sunoco Race Fuels/C.L. Bryant-official fuel supplier, Bilstein-official shock, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance-official Mexican auto insurance, American Racing-official wheel, Airstar America-official space lighting provider. Associate sponsors are: Tecate Beer, Coca-Cola of Mexico, Las Vegas Events, Terrible Herbst Inc., Kartek Off-Road, Centrix Financial, NAPA Chassis, Fram, Autolite, Prestone, Bendix, Suzuki, SignPros, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.

Additional associate sponsors, so far, for the 2006 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 are Micron Technology, Cotuco de Ensenada, Fideicomiso Publio para la Promocion Turistica de Ensenada, the government of Baja California Sur, the State Tourism Department of Baja California Sur and the city tourism fund of Loreto.

For information contact:
SCORE International at its Los Angeles headquarters
(818) 225-8402 or visit
the official SCORE Desert Racing Series website at:
www.score-international.com