SAN DIEGO, USA — BFGoodrich Tires, Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez, Frank DeAngelo and brothers Jeff and Rick Geiser were among the major winners Saturday night as SCORE International officially concluded the 2016 SCORE World Desert Champioship with the annual SCORE Awards Night gala at the SCORE Tech facility in El Cajon, Calif., approximately 15 miles east of San Diego.

SCORE Off-Roadsman of the Year awards were presented in 14 categories along with the 31 winners of the Red Kap SCORE Milestone Awards as well as the overall and class point champions of the four-race 2016 SCORE World Desert Championship. Also honored for the first time were the nine winners of the SCORE Triple Crown of Baja, presented by BFGoodrich Tires.

In front of an enthusiastic crowd of over 400, the evening was also a celebration of 43 years of SCORE championship desert racing.  Following the lengthy salute to the stars of the 2016 SCORE World Desert Championship, SCORE owner Roger Norman summarized his fourth year as SCORE’s CEO and President.

“We want to sincerely acknowledge the support, assistance and sacrifices made by family members, friends and sponsors–because without their support, the accomplishments of our racers in the series would not have been possible,” commented Norman. “Becoming a SCORE overall or class point champion, winning a coveted SCORE Off-Roadsman Award, SCORE Milestone Award or the SCORE Triple Crown of Baja is an achievement of the highest degree in our beloved sport.”

SCORE PERSON OF THE YEAR
Legendary motorsports executive Frank DeAngelo was selected the 2016 SCORE Person of the Year. The Executive Director of Motorsports and Client Relations for Jackson Marketing, Motorsports and Events in Greenville, S.C., the vastly popular DeAngelo was voted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2013.

DeAngelo has spent 38 years being involved with SCORE Baja races first working with BFGoodrich Tires and later as the liaison for Jackson for their contract with BFGoodrich Tires off-road program.

DeAngelo has become just the fourth person in SCORE history to be honored as the SCORE Person of the Year twice as he was first honored in 1985 after being the catalyst behind the forming of the combined HDRA/SCORE Desert Series (1985-1991). The other three two-time winners of the award are Ivan Stewart (1976, 1984), Dan Newsome (1996, 1998) and Cameron Steele (2006, 2007).

BFGOODRICH TIRES HONORS
BFGoodrich Tires, the official tire of SCORE for 41 years, received two awards. BFGoodrich Tires was honored as the SCORE Contingency Company of the year for the 25th time as well as being voted the SCORE Pit Support Team of the Year for the 27th time.

BFGOODRICH TIRES ’50 FOR 50’
Helping SCORE celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic SCORE Baja 1000 in November, BFGoodrich Tires Director of Motorsports Chris Baker announced a special contingency prize of $50,000 to a BFGoodrich Tires driver that has the fastest overall time in the race. BFGoodrich Tires has been the choice of 28 over the 49 overall winners of the legendary Granddaddy of all Desert Races.

SCORE OFF-ROADSMAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS
The SCORE Off-Roadsman awards were determined by online vote of SCORE members as well as the general public. Among the other honorees were the top point leaders from the four-race 2016 SCORE World Desert Championship, the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Series.

SCORE ROOKIE
With very tight voting in most categories, Chad Broughton, Scotts Valley, Calif. was selected as the 2016 SCORE Rookie of the Year after his sterling first season in the Trophy Truck Spec division.

Broughton, just 21 years old, won the very-competitive Trophy Truck Spec. In his rookie season in the class, Broughton finished on the podium in all four races, winning his class in the season-opening SCORE San Felipe 250 while finishing second, third and second in the other three 2016 races.

To be eligible for the award, the racer must compete in his first full season in a class. The talented Broughton has now won four SCORE class point championships. He won Class 20 (motorcycles under 125cc) twice (2012 and 2013) as well as Class 3000 (Class 7-2, Unlimited mini-truck, 2.2/2.4-Liter Ecotec engine) in 2015.

GEISER BROS. DOUBLE
Jeff Geiser, co-owner of Geiser Brothers of Phoenix with his brother Rick, was voted as the SCORE Mechanic of the Year for his work with RPM Racing, of Bristol, Tenn., which fields five vehicles in the SCORE World Desert Championship.

Rick Geiser was voted the SCORE Team Manager of the Year for his work helping coordinate the racing efforts of RPM Racing. This was the second straight year that Rick Geiser has won this award.

ADDITIONAL QUOTE
“The year of 2016 was another memorable year in the history of SCORE International,” Norman added. “We witnessed a total of nearly 2,100 different drivers/co-drivers and riders/co-riders from 39 U.S. States and nearly 25 countries that participated in our four spectacular races in SCORE World Desert Championship. For my wife Elise and I, this was our fourth year as the caretakers of this amazing international treasure we all know as SCORE International. We are even more committed to work with our racers to expand the reach of SCORE even further than it has achieved so far.”

SCORE TRIPLE CROWN OF BAJA, PRESENTED BY BFGOODRICH TIRES
Honored for the first time were the nine all-time winners of the SCORE Triple Crown of Baja, presented by BFGoodrich Tires. The award honors the individuals who have won the overall title at the three traditional SCORE Baja races—the SCORE San Felipe 250, the SCORE Baja 500 and the SCORE Baja 1000.

Winning the 2016 SCORE Baja 500 to complete his overall trifecta was Mexico’s Gustavo ‘Tavo’ Vildosola Jr of Mexicali. Vildosola Jr joins the others in the elite group of overall SCORE Baja race winners—Dave Ashley, Robby Gordon, Rob MacCachren, Andy McMillin, Scott McMillin, Larry Ragland, Dan Smith and Ivan Stewart.

On hand to receive the newest SCORE award in person were Ashley, Gus Vildosola Sr and Stewart.

SCORE MANUFACTURER POINTS
John Cooley’s Alumi Craft Race Cars won the 2016 SCORE Original Buggy Chassis Manufacturer point championship. Based in Santee, Calif., Alumi Craft, started in 1996, builds short course and deserting racing cars. Cooley himself is a prominent former desert and short course racer. Among the racers using Alumi Craft vehicles is the 2016 SCORE Overall, SCORE Overall Buggy and Class 10 point champion Rafael Navarro IV.

After another banner year in the SCORE World Desert Championship in 2016, Ray Field’s Dougans Racing Engines of Riverside, Calif. captured the 2016 Engine Builder point championship for the second time.

In the third year decided by points, Honda won the SCORE Motorcyle Manufacturer of the Year SCORE Off-Roadsman award for the third time. In the second year decided by points, Polaris won the SCORE UTV Manufacturer of the Year points for the second time and Geiser Brothers also won the new SCORE Original Truck Chassis Manufacturer point title for the second straight year.

RED KAP SCORE MILESTONE AWARDS
Another element of the diverse awards program was the presentation of the 2016 Red Kap SCORE Milestone Awards.  As it has for 31 years, the coveted SCORE Milestone Awards were presented to those drivers in who finished all required miles of the 2016 SCORE World Desert Championship. A total of 31 racers completed all 1,709.92 required miles in the four-race 2016 SCORE World Desert Championship.

Since 2014 motorcycle and quad classes were eligible for the award along with the pro car, truck and UTV classes.

The evening included a colorful video tribute to the 2016 SCORE World Desert Championship produced by SCORE’s award-winning television producer BCII TV.

The entire evening was recorded by to air on the SCORE website.

SCORE MEDIA AWARDS
Armando Castaneda, Sports Editor of the El Mexicano newspaper in Baja California was voted for the first time as the SCORE Journalist of the Year, while GetSome Photo (Art Eugenio) earned the SCORE Photographer of the Year honors for the third straight year.

Winning the SCORE Videographer of the Year award for the first time was BCII TV, the award-winning SoCal company that produces all of the SCORE television shows and special features for the SCORE website.

SCORE OVERALL POINT CHAMPS
Leading the parade of 2016 SCORE Desert Series point champions were the four overall titlists—Rafael Navarro IV, Temecula, Calif. (SCORE Overall, SCORE Overall Buggy and Class 10 in the No. 1009 Alumi Craft-Chevy), Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez, Tecate, Mexico. (SCORE Overall Truck and SCORE Trophy Truck in the No. 1 RPM Racing Chevy Rally Truck), Colton Udall, Yucca Valley, Calif. (SCORE Overall motorcycle and Pro Moto Unlimited in the No. 1x Ox Motorsports Honda CRF450X) and Alonso Lopez, Murrieta, Calif. (SCORE Overall UTV and Pro UTV in the No. 1949 Polaris RZR XP1000).

It was the first time for Navarro IV to earn SCORE Overall point titles in his divisions, second straight year for both ‘Apdaly’ Lopez and Udall and the first time for Alonso Lopez.

NEW SCORE TEAM MEMBERS
Norman also introduced the two newest members of the SCORE management team-Mexico’s Juan Tintos and Las Vegas’ Edward Muncey. Tintos, a two-time former Baja California Secretary of Tourism, will be the SCORE Mexico Liaison and Muncey will oversee all facets of technology development for SCORE after spending the last 10 years as the Senior Vice-President of Technology for the Las Vegas-based Ulimate Fighting Championship (UFC),.
MIC MEN
Emcees for the evening were action sports TV announcer/SCORE racer Cameron Steele and SCORE Live announcer Rat Sult.

SCOREstory
The original SCORE International was founded in 1973 by the late Mickey Thompson and headed by Sal Fish from 1974 until Fish transferred ownership of SCORE International to Roger Norman on Dec. 20, 2012. SCORE continues as the premier sanctioning body in the sport of desert racing. SCORE races feature class for Pro and Sportsman cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads competing in the internationally-televised four-race SCORE World Desert Championship.

For more information, visit SCORE-International.com.