klaus
November 7th, 2002, 20:16
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://robbygordon.com>Repost from Robby Gordon Website</A>
Robby Gordon to Begin Testing for Baja 1000 Next Week
WELCOME, N.C. (Oct. 31, 2002) -- While many drivers are heading home for a little rest after Sunday’s NASCAR Winston Cup event at North Carolina Speedway, Robby Gordon will be hopping on a plane to Baja California, Mexico, to begin testing for the Nov. 21 Tecate/SCORE Baja 1000.
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 knows the key to being successful in the Baja is surviving the race and the best way to do that is preparation.
Therefore, the California native will pre-run the lower portion of the 1,017-mile course Nov. 4-6 in order to familiarize himself with it. Gordon has dedicated next week’s test session to compiling notes about the lay of the land and will not work on the No. 31 Trophy Truck’s set-up until the second test session, scheduled for Nov. 11-12 along the upper portion of the Baja course.
“The course is so long at Baja and it’s not a normal track like Atlanta or Rockingham where you can go out there, run a couple of laps and be familiar with the track,” Gordon said. “It’s a grueling 1,000 miles and every corner is different. So, we’ll do track reconnaissance and take pace notes and then go back the following week and check our paces notes. Having those notes makes it a lot safer for me and all the drivers because we know where every corner is and what’s coming up on the track next.”
Gordon will pre-run from San Ignacio to La Parisma on Nov. 4th, La Parisma to La Paz the 5th and repeat La Parisma to La Paz the 6th. The 33-year-old will drive solo in the Baja but will take Gregg Till as his navigator to read off the course notes to him.
Gordon said he puts all that work into preparing for the Baja because he loves the competition and putting on a show for the locals.
“The people in Baja don’t get to see NASCAR much like we do in the United States and this is like bringing the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 or the Super Bowl to their backyards,” Gordon explained. “I’ve loved the Baja for as many years as I can remember. It’s pretty cool to hear everyone chanting your name knowing that they’re behind you because they consider you one of their buddies after all the years they’ve watched you race down there .”
Following next weekend’s race in Phoenix, Gordon is scheduled to fly to San Felipe and test the upper portion of the course. He will run from San Felipe to San Ignacio the 11th and San Ignacio to Loreto the 12th. SCORE International, the sanctioning body of the Baja 1000, does not allow the competitors to pre-run the first 36 miles of the course until Nov. 15, so Gordon most likely will pre-run from Ensenada to San Felipe Nov. 18.
In addition to his two wins in the Baja 1000, 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.
Robby Gordon to Begin Testing for Baja 1000 Next Week
WELCOME, N.C. (Oct. 31, 2002) -- While many drivers are heading home for a little rest after Sunday’s NASCAR Winston Cup event at North Carolina Speedway, Robby Gordon will be hopping on a plane to Baja California, Mexico, to begin testing for the Nov. 21 Tecate/SCORE Baja 1000.
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 knows the key to being successful in the Baja is surviving the race and the best way to do that is preparation.
Therefore, the California native will pre-run the lower portion of the 1,017-mile course Nov. 4-6 in order to familiarize himself with it. Gordon has dedicated next week’s test session to compiling notes about the lay of the land and will not work on the No. 31 Trophy Truck’s set-up until the second test session, scheduled for Nov. 11-12 along the upper portion of the Baja course.
“The course is so long at Baja and it’s not a normal track like Atlanta or Rockingham where you can go out there, run a couple of laps and be familiar with the track,” Gordon said. “It’s a grueling 1,000 miles and every corner is different. So, we’ll do track reconnaissance and take pace notes and then go back the following week and check our paces notes. Having those notes makes it a lot safer for me and all the drivers because we know where every corner is and what’s coming up on the track next.”
Gordon will pre-run from San Ignacio to La Parisma on Nov. 4th, La Parisma to La Paz the 5th and repeat La Parisma to La Paz the 6th. The 33-year-old will drive solo in the Baja but will take Gregg Till as his navigator to read off the course notes to him.
Gordon said he puts all that work into preparing for the Baja because he loves the competition and putting on a show for the locals.
“The people in Baja don’t get to see NASCAR much like we do in the United States and this is like bringing the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 or the Super Bowl to their backyards,” Gordon explained. “I’ve loved the Baja for as many years as I can remember. It’s pretty cool to hear everyone chanting your name knowing that they’re behind you because they consider you one of their buddies after all the years they’ve watched you race down there .”
Following next weekend’s race in Phoenix, Gordon is scheduled to fly to San Felipe and test the upper portion of the course. He will run from San Felipe to San Ignacio the 11th and San Ignacio to Loreto the 12th. SCORE International, the sanctioning body of the Baja 1000, does not allow the competitors to pre-run the first 36 miles of the course until Nov. 15, so Gordon most likely will pre-run from Ensenada to San Felipe Nov. 18.
In addition to his two wins in the Baja 1000, 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.