SCORE Changes Previously Announced Laughlin Race Course
Published on December 20 2011

SCORE previously announced that the 2012 Laughlin race would utilize a longer course and expand from the 6 mile course loop that has been used for the past five years to the 12 mile course loop that we last used in 2005.

After a complete review of the Bureau of Land Management and Las Vegas Metro Police event stipulations, SCORE has determined that expanding to the 12 mile course loop will negatively impact the race in the following ways:

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT STIPULATIONS:
1 - No passing zones to prevent new disturbance to existing vegetation.
2 - Mandatory penalty for racers that create new vegetation disturbance.
3 - Severe financial penalties imposed on SCORE for new vegetation disturbance.
4 - Cancellation of the remaining parts of the event if harm occurs to desert tortoise.
5 - Prohibition against watering the expanded course will create severe dust conditions.

LAS VEGAS METRO POLICE:
1 - Prohibition against crossing the Needles Highway on Friday to prevent a traffic delay inconvenience at the High School means that racers will be unable to practice on the expanded course and the Trophy Trucks will be unable to qualify on the expanded course.

SCORE strongly believes that the Friday practice sessions on the entire traditional 6 mile course has created a safer racing environment at Laughlin over the past five years and we are not willing to move backwards from this safety aspect.

SCORE's ability to water the entire traditional 6 mile course has allowed for five years of dust free racing and we are not willing to move backwards from a dust control standpoint because this will clearly have a negative impact on safety. Increased dust will also have a negative impact on the highly competitive nature of SCORE racing in Laughlin.

SCORE is proud of the excellent relationships we have established with both the Bureau of Land Management and the Las Vegas Metro Police. We respect the stipulations they have imposed on the 12 mile loop because we realize these governmental agencies are merely following the current applicable laws by imposing these stipulations.

The highly competitive world-class level of racing that occurs at our Laughlin event demands that SCORE recognize what impact certain governmental stipulations will have on the SCORE style of racing and it also demands that we act accordingly to minimize or eliminate those impacts by selecting the most racer friendly event format allowed by the government.

As a result, SCORE has made the decision to use the traditional 6 mile loop and firmly believes this format will create a much better overall racing experience than the 12 mile loop.