Drawing for start positions this Saturday for 26th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250. Entries from across the globe, including many of the world’s top desert racers are entering in time for Saturday’s start draw for next month’s 26th Annual MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 desert race. With the drawing being held at the SCORE International headquarters in Los Angeles, the race itself will be held March 9-11 along the azure waters of the Sea of Cortez in San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico. With entries accepted up to race morning, over 225 entries from over 15 US States and 10 countries expected to enter the race and competition will be held in 28 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes in the popular race. Following January’s two rounds at the season-opening SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge, the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Series will be visiting Mexico for the first of three annual SCORE Baja races in 2012.

The SCORE International off-road racing web site says it all with a post stating that the group’s next event will be Sept. 9-11 in Baja Mexico at a venue to be determined. Formerly scheduled for August in Primm south of Las Vegas, the move of the Primm 300 to Mexico was apparently the result of high fees required for the event in Southern Nevada along with restrictions placed on SCORE because of the desert tortoise.

However, there is a much deeper lesson to be learned in the move to Mexico in that off-road racing in the United States is under pressure big-time following the tragedy which killed eight and injured at least 12 northeast of Los Angeles last year.

Legendary race promoter Sal Fish, who has been presenting races in Mexico for decades, simply washed his hands of the issues in Primm and moved yet another race to Mexico which opens its arms to the sport.
SCORE now has a five-race series and four of the events are in Mexico. The other – the Laughlin Desert Challenge in January – is the only event held in the United States.

The 2010 FIM International Six Day Enduro (ISDE) reached the mid-way stage, as the riders tackled day three of this epic ‘six day' adventure. The new day brought with it a new route - one that contained nine special tests, which will also be utilized again on day four. Despite the new course the third day proved to be anything but easy with competitors' bodies, and bikes, starting to feel the strain. Heavy cloud cover for much of the day brought the lowest temperatures of the week thus far, however this did little to reduce the dust.

With the event's fastest individual performer among their ranks France continued to set the pace at the top of the Trophy Team competition, with Johnny Aubert (KTM) leading the squad. With the third day bringing a new starting order, France's three top riders - Aubert, Antoine Meo (Husqvarna) and Seb Guillaume (Husqvarna) - were the first competitors onto each of the day's special tests. Helped by Rodrig Thain (TM) and Christophe Nambotin (Gas Gas) the French squad finished one-minute clear of second place Italy. Finland placed third with the USA fourth.

France remains at the top of the overall Trophy Team standings, now close to five-and-a-half minutes up on Italy. Finland sits third, close to nine minutes adrift of France.

Spain's youngsters continue to lead the Junior Trophy category as their four-rider squad claimed their second day win. Placing a little over one-minute ahead of day three runners up Sweden, just eight seconds separated Sweden from third placed France. In the overall Junior Trophy standings Spain have extended their lead to close to three minutes over Sweden followed by France, Finland and the USA.

More ISDE 2010: France dominating the ISDE as Six Days reaches half way