Sal Fish Turns SCORE International Over To Roger Norman For The Next Era Of
Desert Racing
Final Fish Salute On Jan. 12 During 2012 SCORE Awards Night at Hyatt Regency
in SoCal
LOS ANGELES—After nearly four decades of leadership in the sport he loves so
much and nurtured as a parent would a child, iconic race producer Sal Fish
announces today that he has sold his SCORE International desert racing
organization and the SCORE Desert Racing Series to Roger Norman effective
immediately. Fish, the CEO/President of Los Angeles-based SCORE International
has set the pace for the sport of desert racing since shortly after it’s forming
by the late Mickey Thompson in 1973.
The legendary Fish felt the time was right to pass the torch to the next
generation of race producers and says he is very comfortable in turning over the
reins of the 39-year old SCORE International to Norman. The sale of SCORE to
Norman is final with Fish having no direct involvement with future race
promotions of the SCORE organization moving forward. He will however produce the
2012 SCORE Awards Night, honoring the racers of the world’s foremost desert
racing series. The SCORE Awards Night will be held Saturday, Jan. 12 at the
Hyatt Regency Hotel and Spa in Newport Beach, Calif., honoring the Champions of
2012 and ushering in a new and exciting era for SCORE International.
SAL COMMENTS
Easily the most recognizable figure in the sport of desert racing, Fish, 73,
was philosophical as he announced his decision, saying, “Next to my wife
Barbara, SCORE has been the love of my life, my passion and I have left my
blood, sweat and tears in the desert of Baja California, Mexico, and in the USA
in Arizona, California and Nevada. Over these many years, I’ve been knocked
down, but always managed to get up to fight again and have enjoyed more than
anyone could ever imagine these many years in the desert.
“I could go on and on, but I believe fervently that this is the time to pass
the torch to the next generation and Roger Norman is a great racer with a big
vision, superb business acumen and I know I leave my ‘baby’ in good hands. I
know I’ll wake up tomorrow wondering what did I do, but I have had a phenomenal
run and I wouldn’t change a thing. I have been able to grow this sport to the
level it has reached and now Roger and his team will take it to the next level.
I have no regrets and I leave knowing I have left a good legacy for the sport to
continue to move forward in for the next 40 years.”
NORMAN ENTHUSIASTIC
As a hotel/casino owner in northern Nevada, business developer and a champion
racer himself, Norman was well aware of the daunting task at hand when he
resurrected the High Desert Racing Association, (HDRA) in 2011. HDRA was highly
regarded when it was active in the 1980s and early 1990s.
“For me it’s a dream come true,” said Norman regarding his acquisition of
SCORE. “Sal Fish is the godfather of this sport and it is an honor to move
forward with the incredible legacy he has left our sport with SCORE
International. We have been talking about this for over a year, but I knew I had
to learn all sides of the sport before I could be in a position to make a solid
offer to Sal.”
“I have tremendous respect for the future of the sport and the leadership
role of SCORE International.
Regarding his future plans, Norman commented, racers will be competing for
three separate championships, HDRA, SCORE, and the World Championship. The World
Championship will be comprised of three HDRA races in America and three SCORE
races in Baja. The World Championship is the culmination of six of the seven
races of the HDRA and SCORE race series with the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 (Nov.
17-20, 2013) as the deciding factor with 2x points. The first race is the South
Point Vegas 250, January 12, 2013, in Jean, NV.
“Races will be nationally televised in the U.S. and we will provide greater
detail of our plans over the next two weeks. The vision of a world championship
will be monumental for our sport. We will look forward to honoring the legacy of
SCORE and the colossal contribution to our sport by Sal Fish at the SCORE Awards
Night on Jan. 12.”
SCORE AWARDS NIGHT
In addition to the special SCORE Achievement Awards and the 36 Pro, 6
Sportsman class champions and three overall point champions who will be honored
during the SCORE Awards Night at the Hyatt Regency, another highlight of the
evening will be the presentation of the annual SCORE Off-Roadsman Awards.
Individuals as well as manufacturers and organizations are honored through 11
distinct awards, whose winners are decided by several thousand SCORE fans
through online voting including the entire SCORE membership of more than 2,000.
Among the awards to be presented are MasterCraft Safety SCORE Rookie of the
year, SCORE Contingency Company of the year, SCORE Pit Support Team of the year,
SCORE Mechanic of the year and SCORE Person of the year.
Another element of the diverse program will be the presentation of the SCORE
Toyota Milestone Awards. As it has for 27 years, the coveted Toyota Milestone
Awards are presented to those drivers in four-wheel vehicle classes who finish
every required mile of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series. A total of 16 racers
completed all 1,920.21 required miles in the five-race 2012 SCORE Desert
Series.
The evening will include a colorful video/photographic tribute to the 2012
SCORE Desert Series produced by Blue C Advertising, highlighting the still
photography of Trackside Photo.
A pre-awards reception will start the festivities at 6 p.m., followed by the
dinner, a special tribute to the 2012 SCORE season and presentations at 7
p.m.
Individual ticket reservations as well as reservations for tables of 10,
priced at $850 per table, are being accepted through the SCORE offices at
818.225.8402. Individual tickets are $85 each.
Official Sponsors of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series:
Tecate Beer, title sponsor.
MasterCraft Safety co-title sponsor of the MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE
San Felipe 250.
-Tecate Beer, Official Beer
-BFGoodrich Tires,
Official Tire
-Graham Watchmakers, Official Timekeeper
-Red Bull, Official
Energy Drink
-Volkswagen of America, Official Vehicle
-Sunoco Race Fuels,
Official Race Fuel
-Coca-Cola, Official Soft Drink
-Slime, Official Tire
Sealant
-Symons Ambulance Company, Official Ambulance
-Bullet Liner,
Official Spray-On Bedliner
-SatellitePhoneStore.com, Official Satellite
Phone Rental Company
-Volaris Airlines, Official Airline
-Fox Car Rental,
Official Rent-A-Car
-Lightforce Performance Lighting, Official Driving
Light
-Maxtrax, Official Vehicle Recovery Device
-Azunia Tequila, Official
Tequila
-Bilstein, Official Shock Absorber
-Instant Mexico Auto Insurance,
Official Mexican Auto Insurance
Additional SCORE Sponsors are – Baja California Sur Tourism, Proturismo
Ensenada, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Blue
C Advertising, SignPros, PCI Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and
Advanced Color Graphics.
SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, dominiccnv@aol.com
