BFGoodrich® Tires Captures Overall Title at the 40th Anniversary of the SCORE Baja 1000

BFGoodrich^® Tires, the official tire of the SCORe Desert Racing Series, dominated Mexico's Baja Peninsula by earning its 21^st overall four-wheel victory at the 40^th anniversary of the SCORe Baja 1000. Facing a near-record field of 424 starting entrants, BFGoodrich Tires drivers Mark Post, Rob MacCachren and Carl Renezeder recorded the fastest overall speed in a four-wheel vehicle over the grueling 1,296 mile course down the rugged peninsula of Baja California, Mexico to capture the overall title. Their Ford F-150 Trophy-Truck outfitted with BFGoodrich Baja T/A^KR off-road tires crossed the finish line in 25 hours, 21 minutes and 25 seconds after logging an average speed of 51.13 miles per hour despite early rain and blinding dust throughout the race.

"We had very little mechanical errors on the truck this year," said Post. "We had three SCORe race wins this year but to win the overall at the SCORe Baja 1000 in a Trophy-Truck is a dream come true. The entire team did a flawless job. This is very exciting for BFGoodrich Tires and Riviera Racing."

"This has allowed me to do what I want to do, and to do what I love doing, which is to come here and win the 40th anniversary of the SCORe Baja 1000," said MacCachren. "I have never had the overall win and I finally got that done. Our team was great and thanks to BFG, we didn't have any flat tires at all."

In the highly competitive Class 1 division for unlimited open-wheel desert race cars, BFGoodrich Tires drivers Larry Roeseler and Troy Herbst continued their mastery of the SCORe Baja 1000 by earning their fourth consecutive Class 1 win, an event record for the category. The Class 1 race win was Roeseler's 16^th class win of the 40 SCORe Baja 1000 races dating back to 1967. The duo, which has raced the Baja 1000 together since 2001, drove their BFGoodrich-shod Terrible Herbst Smith Built-Ford open-wheel machine to a time of 26:30:10 for the third overall position and set a SCORe record by claiming the car's 23^rd Class 1 race victory, the most Class 1 victories in SCORe history.

"This was one heck of a race," said Roeseler, a SCORe Baja 1000 veteran with wins on motorcycles as well as in cars. "We came through the pack and were third physically (overall). The car was fantastic, the tires were flawless and Troy brought the car home to the finish. It's always an incredible feeling to finish the SCORe Baja 1000. It was an incredible journey today."

"Winning a legendary motorsports event such as the SCORe Baja 1000 is no small feat," said Todd Steen, motorsports marketing manager for BFGoodrich Tires. "This year's overall victory for Post, MacCachren and Renezeder, plus a Class 1 win for Roeseler and Herbst at the 40^th anniversary of the SCORe Baja 1000, is a testament to the great drivers, partners and the entire BFGoodrich Tires brand."

BFGoodrich Tires also supported the entire Baja Challenge Class with Mud-Terrain T/A^KM2 tires, which brought home the entire 18-car field at its Baja 1000 debut. In addition to its BC Class support, BFGoodrich Tires also supported two Baja Challenge Class buggies that took part in a feature-length documentary film appropriately titled "Chasing Baja." The show's creator and producer Bud Brutsman, along with NASCAR Busch Series driver erin Crocker, Bill Weber, a former Navy Seal and rock-crawling champion Tracy Jordan, were the foundation of the incredible "Chasing Baja" BC-13 Team. The team stepped up to the challenge of the Baja 1000, finishing fifth out of 18 starting entrants, thus proving that perseverance is an invaluable facet in desert racing.

In addition to supplying its renowned Baja T/A^KR tire and all-new Mud-Terrain T/A^KM2 for the race, BFGoodrich Tires was on-site, providing extensive pit and communications support to teams through its fleet of off-road motorsports support vehicles. More than 250 off-road enthusiasts/volunteers donated their time to help make the race happen.

"Congratulations to all of our teams and a special thank-you once again to all of our volunteers and pit support specialists that help make this race possible," said Kaz Holley, brand director for BFGoodrich Tires. "This race could not happen without the dedication of all of those involved, and this year was a prime example of why the Baja 1000 is the most amazing off-road race in history."

The SCORe Baja 1000 is one of the most demanding off-road races known to man, running 1,296 miles down the rugged Baja California peninsula through some of the world's toughest terrain. During the past several years, teams equipped with BFGoodrich Baja T/A^KR off-road tires, a purpose-built racing tire designed for use in desert and off-road racing, have been near-perfect in the world's most recognized off-road race.

The following is a complete list of BFGoodrich Tires 2007 SCORe Baja 1000 class winners:

• Trophy-Truck - Mark Post/Rob MacCachren/Carl Renezeder
• Class 1 - Larry Roeseler/Troy Herbst
• Class 3 - Donald Moss
• Class 5 - Drew Belk
• Class 7 - Daniel Chamlee
• Class 9 - Mark McIntyre
• Class 10 - Matt Cullen
• Class 11 - Ramon Fernandez
• Class 12 - Tim Noe
• Class 7X - Noah Sierra
• Class S15 - Mark Gross
• BC Class - Jim Christensen
• Jeep Speed - Mike Shaffer
• Full Stock - Chad Hall
• Mini-Stock - Rod Hall (40^th Baja 1000 finish)
• Sportsman Truck - Mark Growe

Nearly 424 entries from more than 44 states and 19 countries, competing in 28 Pro and six Sportsman classes for cars and trucks, plus additional classes for motorcycles and ATVs took part in this year's SCORe Baja 1000. It's the oldest and most well-known of all desert races, and it remains the single most appealing accomplishment for any racer. Since 1967, the granddaddy of all desert races has been run over the mysterious Baja California peninsula every year except 1974, when the international fuel crisis forced a cancellation. This year's SCORe Baja 1000 will be televised on a delayed basis as a one-hour NBC Sports special for the fourth consecutive year, airing on Dec. 30 on the NBC Television Network. It will also air on a delayed basis outside of the U.S. on eSPN International.

During the past 22 years, winners riding on BFGoodrich Tires have included:

Using motorsports as a proving ground for more than 30 years, BFGoodrich^® Tires is involved in every type of racing, including oval, sports car, drifting, drag, desert, dirt, rally (Dakar and WRC) and extreme rock-crawling. BFGoodrich Tires combines technological expertise with vast motorsports experience, delivering a high performance tire for every type of vehicle.