Robby Gordons quest for a third Baja 1000 victory fell short after he dropped out of the 805-mile race due to mechanical problems. Beginning the race 10 minutes after the first truck started, Gordons team and performance was optimistic and spectacular as he passed almost 15 trucks that had started in front of him. Then, the day turned to a sour note when Gordons #31 Red Bull Trophy Truck sustained a flat tire a little over 100 miles into the event. Soon, another problem evolved with the same tire when the wheel came loose and broke the hub studs. Again, the team went to work and made the repairs, eventually returning Gordon to competition more than two hours later. Then, with more than 100 miles left, a valve malfunction in both rear shocks forced Gordon to park his truck. Gordon started 21st out of 22 Trophy Trucks entered in the class by virtue of a qualifying draw. The race course, originally scheduled for 765 miles, was lengthened to 805 miles six days before the event. Baja 1000 officials reconfigured the course after heavy rain earlier in the week created extreme silt and mud along the original path, resulting in hazardous racing conditions. I know we had a truck that could win, and I’m proud of the fact that our RCR Chevrolet engine ran well and that we were competitive when we were on the course,”Gordon said. “Both of the problems that we had during the race were easily avoidable, and we’ll learn from our mistakes and come back next year and give it another run. Gordon is a legend in Baja after several SCORE championships and successful runs in the Baja 1000. He won the race in a solo drive in 1989 and in 1987 as a co-driver with his father Bob Gordon. “I know we built a truck that was probably the most technologically advanced in the desert, and even though we only had 70 miles on it before they dropped the green flag, it performed great. We’ll run it a few more times before next year’s race and we’ll make it as close to perfect as possible.”(RCR PR)(11-25-2003) Winner: Doug Fortin, a California-based manufacturer of special off-road racing transmissions, and his co-driver Charley Townsley covered the grueling 808-mile loop-course through the northern portion of the rugged Baja peninsula in 16 hours 24 minutes and 02 seconds to win by 4min46sec over Trophy Truck champions Mark Miller and Ryan Arciero in their specially prepared Chevrolet Silverado Pro-Truck, modified to run in the marquee Trophy Truck Class. Although the two winning teams actually started about half an hour apart early on Friday morning Miller, driving the first, highly technical leg down the center of the mountainous course, soon gained a strategic lead on elapsed time as he passed every other Trophy Truck from his ninth starting slot.( Speed Channel )(11-26-2003)
