265 Total Entries to date
Mario Andretti-Grand Marshall for next week's
36th Annual TECATE SCORE BAJA 1000
Legend joins largest entry of celebrity and cross-over drivers
in history of granddaddy of all desert races

LOS ANGELES (November 11, 2003) -- International motorsports legend Mario Andretti, considered by many the greatest racing driver of all time, has been named Grand Marshall for the 36th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 by event organizer Sal Fish and SCORE International.

For Andretti, whose career highlights include victories at such renowned races as the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500, the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Italian Grand Prix, the trip south of the border to Ensenada, Baja, Mexico is his first trip to the most recognized desert race in the world.

In association with SCORE International, Chevron Texaco and the Groff Motorsports BFGoodrich/Texaco racing team, Andretti's visit to the 36th running of the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 will include a VIP tour of the pre-race day activities in downtown Ensenada, taking part in a special press conference with local and state government officials, waving the green flag for the first four wheel vehicle (the SCORE Trophy-Truck of Alan Pflueger), driving an 800-horsepower, state-of-the-art pre-run truck on a portion of the SCORE Baja 1000 race course and observing the Groff Motorsports entry from a helicopter.

Thanks to the largest entry of celebrity and cross-over drivers since the race first ran in 1967, Andretti should feel right at home among some of the sport's most recognized personalities. His Groff Motorsports hosts in Baja include brothers Mike and Robbie Groff, both former CART and Indy 500 drivers, along with former CART champion and team driver Jimmy Vasser returning for his second attempt at the SCORE Baja 1000.

Other familiar names at this year' Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 include 1996 SCORE Trophy-Truck champion and current NASCAR driver Robby Gordon, NASCAR Craftsman Truck star Brendan Gaughan, former IRL driver Johnny Unser, Pike's Peak record holder Rod Millen, Pike's Peak championJeff Zwart, along with fellow open-wheel drivers Roberto Guerrero, Michel Jourdain Jr., and Stephan Johansson.

Listed among the other entries are TV star and motorcycle builder Jesse James of Monster Garage fame, TV sportscasters Paul Page and Cameron Steele, as well as Chad McQueen, son of Hollywood actor and former "Mexican 1000" racer Steve McQueen.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the SCORE Desert Series is returning to Mexico for the last of three annual races in Baja California, Nov. 20-22. Racers from around the world will be joining Andretti in a Baja adventure, as the current entry list shows participants coming from 28 U.S. States, Washington, D.C., Mexico, Brazil, Canada, France, Guatemala, Israel, Japan and Uruguay. With 261 total entries so far, traffic will be busy over the challenging 765-mile course that starts and finishes in the port city of Ensenada, on the Pacific Coast side of the peninsula, 60 miles south of San Diego.

"I've known about the race since its inception," said Andretti, the 1978 Formula One World Champion. "I've been to every great race in the world but never to the SCORE Baja 1000. Because of my association with Chevron Texaco and their involvement with the Groff Motorsports team, I'm finally going to see for myself why guys like Robby Gordon, Mike Groff, Roberto Guerrero and Jimmy Vasser keep coming back. The technology and engineering in the unlimited cars and SCORE Trophy-Trucks is unbelievable. I'm looking forward to seeing them work in such a harsh environment, while I'm having a cool one somewhere overhead in a helicopter."

Built for the highly competitive unlimited open-wheel Class 1 ranks, the bright yellow and black Groff Motorsports car is a prime example of the sport's evolution. No longer the simple VW-powered dune buggies of days past, the BFGoodrich/Texico entry is a two-seat Jimco chassis that features a 550-horsepower V6 injected Chevrolet powerplant, front and rear suspension that provides 24" of vertical wheel travel, the latest Fox Racing shox with external bypass tubes and an on-board Lowrance color GPS system.

No stranger to dirt racing, Andretti began his unparalleled racing career in the 1950s driving a Hudson Hornet at a local dirt track near his Nazareth, Pennsylvania home. He later drove dirt Sprint cars to USAC national championship before earning his historic 1969 Indianapolis 500 victory and his coveted 1978 World Championship driving for Lotus. Andretti would go into the record books with four Champ Car National Championships (1965, 1966, 1969 and 1984), three 12 Hours of Sebring wins (1967, 1970 and 1972) and the Daytona 500 crown in 1967.

"Having a legend like Mario Andretti join us for what will be one of the best Tecate SCORE Baja 1000s ever is a watershed event in the 30 year history of SCORE International," said Sal Fish. "We look forward to hosting him at the Super Bowl of desert racing. On behalf of all our racers, our staff, the city of Ensenada and the state of Baja, I welcome Mario to the one of the greatest events in motorsports."

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