Watching and waiting as the three front runners each fell off the pace, Steve Sourapas came from behind in his Chevy-powered Jimco to capture the overall victory at the 7th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge. The event was held along the banks of the Colorado river adjacent to the growing Southern Nevada resort destination of Laughlin.
Racing in the unlimited Class 1, Sourapas beat a field of 181 racers in the first major motorsports race of the new year - the opening round of the five-race 2001 SCORE Desert Series, America's foremost desert racing series.
Las Vegas' Brian Collins pulled off a major upset in winning the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division in a Chevy Silverado, while other racers came from eight states, Mexico, and Japan to launch the new racing season during the unique, four-day SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge.
Sourapas, of Rancho Santa Fe, California, fourth after Saturday's first half of the two-day race, kept himself in a position to win Sunday, finishing the 96.8-mile race in eight laps over a 12.6-mile course in a total elapsed time of 1 hour, 45 minutes, and 6 seconds, averaging 55.262 mph.
"We outlasted them today. I could go four more (laps) - I'm ready," said Sourapas, who also won SCORE's last race in Nevada at last August's SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300. "This car is limited in what it can do - you have to drive it accordingly. I drove a conservative race like I always do. I just decided last Thursday to run this race - it's an awesome way to start the season.
Racing during the Desert Challenge is split into two days of racing with 16 classes for desert race cars and exotic race trucks divided into seven groups for seven separate races each day. From sunrise to sunset, racers cover the 12.6-mile loop desert course in multiple-lap races with time limits of 75 or 85 minutes per race. The event finishing order, by class, was based on the combined two-day elapsed time of each racer
Looking for their third straight Laughlin win in the marquee SCORE Trophy-Truck division, Las Vegas' Tim and Ed Herbst were in command after Saturday's first four laps, extending their lead on Sunday for the first three laps before fuel pump/vaporlock problems on the final lap put them out of contention.
For Collins, it was his first victory in SCORE Trophy-Truck, while he held off the hard-charging Duralast Ford F-150 of Dan Smith and David Ashley of Riverside, California, by just 41 seconds.
Las Vegas' Rob MacCachren, a prominent second-generation Southern Nevada desert racer, returned to his racing roots to win Class 1-2/1600 in a VW-powered 1,600cc race car built by Las Vegas' Bruce Fraley. Second Place after the first day, MacCachren ran the fastest on Sunday in the class which featured a race attendance high with 30 starters. It was the first time that he raced in SCORE Class 1 2/1600 since his first season of SCORE racing in 1983. He won his class by 14 seconds over Adam Pfankuch of Carlsbad, California. MacCachren trailed Pfankuch by 34 seconds Saturday and finally took the lead after seven of the eight total laps
Race weekend festivities started with the extremely popular $25,000 Laughlin Leap and Pit Crew showdown on Thursday. In the Laughlin Leap, Dondel was the overall winner with a leap of 120 feet. Rick Taylor won the Small Truck division with a 100-foot, 5-inch leap in a Ford Ranger, and Chris Harrold of Chula Vista, California, won the Open Wheel division in a Jimco with 97 feet, 5 inches.