SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1522709
Legendary Parnelli Jones Passes Away At Age 90 After a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease, legendary racer and Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Famer Parnelli Jones passed away at the age of 90. Jones left an indelible mark in motorsports winning many Indy Car, Baja, stock car, and Pikes Peak races throughout his memorable career. “SCORE is saddened with the loss of this off-road icon in our sport,” said SCORE VP Marketing Jim Ryan. “Parnelli was instrumental in changing the dynamics of off-road motorsports with his never-ending passion of pushing the limits of technology with the Big Oly Bronco and Chevy Blazer projects.” Jones is most noted for his early Baja 500 and 1000 wins, especially after being egged on by ORMHOF inductee Bill Stroppe, who got Jones to take on the Baja 1000 in 1967. After the experience, Jones became hooked on Baja racing and vehemently pushed to build one of the first specialized 2WD Ford Bronco to handle the rigors of the Baja. This would become the famous Big Oly. Over Jones’ Baja racing career, he won numerous races including the 1970 and 1973 Baja 500, and the 1971 and 1972 Baja 1000. “When I was racing in Baja, I was doing it for me, and I was having fun doing it,” said Jones in an interview with SCORE Journal Magazine. “For me, racing in Baja ended up being more of a personal thing and I’ll never forget it. It’s become a major event and both the Baja 500 and Baja 1000 have played a part in my career. My only complaint is that I wish I could have won more races!” Yokohama And Cameron Steel Team-Up Yokohama Tire announced that off-road veteran Cameron Steele and his Desert Assassins team are rejoining Team Yokohama. The Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Famer and action sports commentator, started his career as a kid in the mid-’80s competing on Yokohama tires. The last time Steele ran on the brand was in 2015. Now he will once again drive the #16 truck outfitted with Yokohama’s GEOLANDAR® MT-R 40X13.50R18 tires. “It’s so rad to rejoin the Yokohama family,” Steele said. “We’ve had great success with Yokohama in the past, but now it’s time for the Desert Assassins and Yokohama to write the next chapter in off-road racing.” “Cameron Steele is a leader in the off-road community,” said Andrew Briggs, Yokohama’s VP of marketing and product management. “He’s an accomplished driver and Baja champion of course, but he’s far more than a racer. He’s an ambassador to the sport and to the community at large. We’re excited to have him and the entire Desert Assassins back on the team competing on Yokohama GEOLANDAR tires once again. The partnership between Steele and Yokohama goes beyond the race course, as Briggs added that Steele and the Desert Assassins team will also be collaborating on various GEOLANDAR marketing campaigns and experiences. “Light Truck tires have become such an immense and important portion of our business and Cameron has positioned himself as a voice for the off-road culture. It’s a natural fit and he’ll be an integral part of showcasing and communicating the durability and performance of our GEOLANDAR line of tires.” For more information on Yokohama GEOLANDAR tires, visit https://www.yokohamatire.com/geolandar-tires. John Rettie, Co-Founder Of Trackside Photo Passes Away John Rettie, a longtime award-winning, gentleman photographer, co-founder with Jim Ober, of Trackside Photo, and a world-traveler, passed away recently at 75. Born in England in July of 1949, Rettie spent most of his adult life in the United States where he partnered with Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Famer Jim Ober to launch Trackside Photo in the early 1970s. During his distinguished career, Rettie was an accomplished motorsports photographer, where he shot more than 70 SCORE races in the U.S. and Mexico. Dominic Clark, SCORE Historian, knew Rettie well as SCORE Media Operations Manager for more than 40 years, and commented, “John was a great photographer and a wonderful mentor to young photographers. Even more than that he was a good friend to all with his engaging smiles and friendly demeanor. He always reached out to everyone with a friendly smile and meaningful handshake. His contributions in many arenas will be missed.” As co-founder of the iconic Trackside Photo, Rettie helped Jim Ober earn 17 SCORE Photographer of the Year Awards between 1976 and 2005. Rettie was also a contract photographer for Art Eugenio and Get Some Photo, the official SCORE Photographer. Eugenio worked with Rettie several years at Trackside Photo before starting his own company. During his career, Rettie served as a technical editor on Hot VWs Magazine between 1977 and 1979 and was editor of Import Auto Parts and Accessories magazine from 1981 until 1984. Since 1995 he wrote a monthly column on digital photography for Rangefinder, a well-regarded magazine for professional photographers. In 2007 he started writing a column on web technologies for a new magazine for photographers and graphic artists called, After Capture. Rettie also contributed to many publications including Road & Track, Auto Express (UK) and New Car Test Drive and Auto Trader UK. He was also a member of the jury for the North American Car and Truck of the Year Award from its instigation until 2005. And he was one of only 13 U.S. members of the 135-strong international jury for the Car of the Century contest, held in 1999. Rettie was also president of the Motor Press Guild, based in Los Angeles in 1992, 2004 and 2005. In 2011 he helped launch Newspress USA. John Rettie, his eternal photographic work, and his endearing personality will be long-remembered by the entire SCORE family. Kurt Caselli Foundation (KCF) MotoDoffo Fundraiser The Kurt Caselli Foundation (KCF) MotoDoffo Fundraiser was held the evening of Saturday June 8th evening in Temecula, California. Now in its 10th edition, it combined a little something for everyone from face painting (and more) for kids to a selfie booth to good food and drink to the always entertaining prize raffles. There was also a presentation of $6600 KCF scholarships and bike drawing (this year a limited-edition 1 of 100 allotted to North America KTM 890 Adventure R Rally). This fundraiser is done to further the Foundation’s mission of protecting and supporting the lives of off-road riders and racers, a tribute to the legendary man whose career and life were far too short. It’s one of two major fundraisers the Foundation hosts each year. The other one will be the 12th Annual Kurt Caselli Ride Day at Fox Raceway on 7 DEC 24. See you there! For more information visit, https://www.kurtcaselli.com/ Text and Photos by Mark Kariya