Heidi Steele did it again. The Yokohama
Tire Corporation-sponsored off-road racer captured her second
consecutive SCORE class championship in style, by winning the tough 42nd
annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 in Ensenada, Mexico, November 19-22.
Steele, who along with her team of Rene Bruger and Jamie Campbell,
finished the 672.85- mile race in 20 hours, 30 minutes and 22 seconds.
The win - the second in the 1000 (she won it in 2005) - also clinched
her second SCORE title in two years. Last year, the San Clemente,
California-based racer finished second in the 1000 but won the Class 7SX
mid-size truck class.
This time she won the Class 6 title, once again driving a Ford Ranger
fitted with off-the-shelf Yokohama Geolandar M/T+ tires.
"Repeating as champion is very difficult," said Steele, "but I have a
great team, great sponsors like Yokohama and a great husband who really
helps and supports me. This is a satisfying win for all of us."
Heidi's husband is off-road racing legend and TV announcer Cameron
Steele, who finished the Baja 1000 in 8th place in the Trophy Truck
class and 11th overall for all Baja competitors. Cameron handled the
rugged terrain in his 800-horsepower Geiser Brothers Chevrolet truck,
mounted with specially- engineered 37-inch Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S R
tires.
"Heidi did it again," said Mark Chung, Yokohama director, corporate
strategy and planning, "and I'm not surprised. She's a driven competitor
who likes to win. Congratulations to her and the crew for another
championship season."