One is looking to wrap up another
championship while the other is trying to end the season in the top
three. That's what awaits Yokohama Tire Corporation-sponsored
off-roaders Heidi and Cameron Steele as they head to Ensenada, Mexico,
November 19-22, for the grueling season-ending race at the 42nd annual
Tecate SCORE Baja 1000.
Known as off-road's "power couple," the San Clemente, California-based
Steeles have a lot riding on their Yokohama tires as they prepare for
the legendary battle south of the border.
Heidi, who sits atop the points chart this season in Class 6, finished
second in last year's Baja 1000 (she won it in 2005). Last season, she
cemented herself in off-road history by being the first woman to win two
major truck championships in one season - the Best in the Desert and
SCORE. Heidi, who runs races on a Ford Ranger fitted with off-the-shelf
Yokohama Geolandar M/T+ tires, was named Dirt Sports magazine's 2008
Driver of the Year, becoming the first female to win the coveted award.
Cameron, a two-time SCORE Person of the Year and TV commentator, is
currently in fifth place in the prestigious Trophy Truck Class, just 29
points out of third and 31 points from second. A Baja 1000 winner in
2003, Cameron will attack the approximately 673 miles of treacherous
terrain in his 800-horsepower Geiser Brothers Chevrolet truck, mounted
with specially- engineered 37-inch Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S R tires.
Other Yokohama-sponsored drivers vying for titles at Baja include Justin
"Bean" Smith, who is tied for first in the 1/2-1600 Class, and the top
three racers in the SCORE Lites Class: Brent Parkhouse, Rick St. John
and John Langley (producer of the "Cops" TV series).
"With Cameron and Heidi leading the Yokohama charge, we have a great
chance to win off-roading's biggest prize and wrap-up a few season
championships," said Mark Chung, Yokohama director, corporate strategy
and planning.