#31-Robby Gordon, a two-time Baja 1000 champion, is scheduled to fly to Baja Sunday night to pre-run the race course Nov. 17-Nov. 19 following the Cup race Sunday at Homestead. He will navigate the course in a pre-runner vehicle instead of his race truck to minimize the miles put on the #31 Red Bull Trophy Truck entered in the Baja 1000. The desert race, which spans only 765 miles this year instead of 1,000, will kick off in Ensenada, Baja California, on Friday, Nov. 21 at 8:30am local time. The course is a loop this year, commencing and finishing in Ensenada. In the past, the 34-year-old would pre-run the course once to compile notes about the lay of the land and then return a second time to run with his notes. However, this year’s NASCAR Winston Cup schedule and sponsor obligations have allowed Gordon only one trip around the course before race day. His father, Bob Gordon, also a Baja 1000 champion, is scheduled to build the pace notes with Greg Till, Robby Gordon’s co-pilot for the event, prior to the driver’s arrival in Baja. Richard Childress Racing (RCR) is supplying the engine for Gordon’s #31 Trophy Truck (Chevrolet CK500) for the first time this year. Gordon will compete in a Trophy Truck he built in his off-road shop in Anaheim, Calif. Five of the 22 Trophy Trucks entered in the Baja 1000 were built in Gordon’s shop, mostly for his customers. He drew the 20th-starting spot out of the 22 Trophy Trucks entered in the competition. Gordon is a legend in Baja after several SCORE championships and successful runs in the Baja 1000. He won the Baja 1000 in a solo drive in 1989 and in 1987 as a co-driver with his father. Gordon says he puts all that work into preparing for the Baja because he loves the competition and putting on a show for the locals. Running 765 miles through the desert is definitely different than the 400 miles Gordon will log turning left Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Gordon’s pit crew for the Baja 1000 also functions in stark contrast to his Cingular Wireless over-the-wall crew. Gordon finished third in the Baja 1000 last year after making a lengthy pit stop to repair a wheel bearing seal. In addition to his two wins in the race, Gordon scored a fifth-place finish in the 1999 Baja 1000 and nearly won the grueling race in a late charge in 1997 before finishing in the runner-up spot. Additionally, he won four of the seven events in the 1996 SCORE Trophy Truck Series en route to the series championship, including a third-place finish in the Baja 1000. Gordon also won five consecutive SCORE/HDRA Heavy Metal Off-Road championships between 1986 and 1990. For further information on the 36th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 or to follow Gordon’s progress, go to www.score-international.com .(RCR PR)(11-15-2003)
