'Ballistic' BJ Baldwin wins SCORE race in debut on Toyo tires

Team Toyo Off-Road's newest member, "Ballistic" BJ Baldwin, won Round 1 of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series during the 18th Annual Laughlin Desert Challenge in Laughlin, Nev.

Baldwin finished first overall and first in class with a one-minute, six-second margin of victory over Juan Carlos Lopez.

Driving his Chevy Silverado Trophy Truck; Baldwin beat 98 other vehicles entered in the eight-lap race with a time of 53 minutes, 45 seconds. This was Baldwin’s first-ever SCORE (Southern California Off-Road Enthusiasts) event competing on Toyo Open Country M/T-R tires. He previously raced for General.

Baldwin was the No. 1 qualifier for Saturday’s race, posting the fastest time of six minutes, 23.99 seconds during a single 6.25-mile lap sprint on Friday. During Sunday’s Round 2, Baldwin experienced a mechanical problem on the second lap, sidelining his truck before the finish of the race.

“Our race season is already starting to blossom thanks to Toyo,” says Baldwin.

“We qualified first by a mile and then easily won Round 1. Round 2 was going to be victorious as well if not for engine trouble,” he reports.

“This year is going to be awesome for us now that we are running on the best off- road tire,” Baldwin adds. “The Toyo Open Country M/T-Rs simply perform better.”

“This was his first time competing as a member of Team Toyo Off-Road,” says Stan Chen, manager of events and motorsports, “and he won immediately on our Open Country M/T-R tires. We are looking forward to an exciting desert racing season with BJ.”

For more information, visit www.toyotires.com.