Anonymous - 10-28-2003 at 02:05 PM
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/sn/20031027/s...
Oct 27
By Lee Spencer
"NASCAR is close to determining which parts will be approved for use in 2004... General Motors submitted a new manifold and the R03 engine, and the
engine wasn't approved. However, Richard Childress Racing will test its own R03 engine in Robby Gordon's truck for the Baja 1000, November 20-23 in
Mexico. Richard Childress has yet to decide whether he'll ride shotgun with Gordon."
Robby Gordon
thebajarunner - 10-28-2003 at 06:08 PM
Robby needs to concentrate on NASCAR and forget the other stuff. I know, I know, the last race is Homestead the prior weekend.
But that leaves precious little time for pre-running.
Robby is very inconsistent on the track, needs to get his head into the serious stuff.
Rick Mears left us in a heartbeat when he got the good Indycar ride, had he kept schlupping around with us in Baja he would never have risen to the
heights that he did.
Robby is a talented young man, he needs to focus on the big picture.
(Want to argue, go to NASCAR.com and see how well he has done this year, NOT)
Baja Vida!!
Baja to Indy now, Indy to Baja then...
David K - 10-28-2003 at 10:48 PM
When Off road racing was young, Long Beach race truck builder Bill Stroppe teased 1963 Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones (who didn't think the Baja event
was a serious race).
Stroppe said Parnelli probably wasn't man enough to race 'The Baja', and probably couldn't win. That did it, and Parnelli said you got a bet! That was
1968 or '69 and PJ did break down, but 'the Baja' got into his blood, and in 1970 he won the Baja 500.
In 1971 and again in 1972 Parnelli and Bill Stroppe (PJ's navigator) won the Mexican (Baja) 1000 overall in the 'Big Oly Bronco'.
In 1973, even after rolling 3 times plus an end over end ('endo'), PJ won the Baja 500 for the second time.
"Way to go, Parnelli!!!"
P.J.
thebajarunner - 10-29-2003 at 05:38 PM
Well David, since no one wants to respond to my shot on Robby Gordon lets reminisce a bit on your post.
Rufus P. (arnelli) Jones, simply the greatest racer ever!
Saw him tear up through the esses at Riverside in a Mercury stock car after being sent to the back because of illegal tires (they were Firestones and
he and Marvin Porter were the Firestone honchos of SoCal) It was awesome to see him saw through the NASCAR field.
We were at Indy in 1965 when he tore through the field, only to lose to Jimmy Clark. Sat in turn 1 at Laguna and watched him horse a Can-Am car
through there faster than anyone else.
And on and on and on.
Marvin Porter got us access to the Stroppe operation in 1971 when we built our first Baja truck. Bill was great, gave us free run of the entire
operation, let me crawl over, under and through every race vehicle in the place, took rolls of photos and told him people to fully answer every
question we asked. What an entree into the world of building Baja trucks. He even offered to sell us Walker's old truck, we turned him down but in
the end it would have been a better move on our part.
And, in the first race we ran, the 1972 500, we started 2 minutes ahead of the Big Oly rig and he hammered around us above Santo Tomas, actually right
where they now have the army checkpoint. He jumped around our truck so fast it was breathtaking, and we were hauling along at 100+.
Great memories, and great fun.
We got to be very friendly with the whole Stroppe gang and they let my partner Chuck pre-run with them for the 1972 1000 which is an amazing story for
another time...
Baja Vida!!
hey Baja runner, PJ nearly killed me!!
capt. mike - 11-7-2003 at 06:02 AM
check out my story below:
http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=353
Or, go to off road forum here and see story on mint 400!
PJ- awesome racer
thebajarunner - 11-7-2003 at 06:45 PM
Hey Mike,
I read that post some time back, sounded to me like it was the booze burgers that almost killed you, not the racers.
Seriously, when you are racing everything around sort of loses its perspective, and you are not at all concerned about folks who might be in your way.
I know that in all the years that I raced I assumed that all living creatures would be out of my way when I arrived, and the little kids right off
the starting line who play "bull fighter" as they slowly walk in front of your racer, can really drive you up the wall.
Teresa and I were in the garages at Fontana a few years back when Dale Earnhart rolled into his garage after a very poor qualifying run. Motor off,
going very, very fast. I caught her sleeve and dragged her clear off her feet as he screeched into the garage, crawled out of the window and stomped
off without a glance around.
"When the green flag drops, get out of the way!"
You mentioned Roger Mears in your old post, did you know that Roger has a permanent, large home at Bahia de Los Angeles, next door to an old NASCAR
racer from Bakersfield, Frank James.
Baja Arriba!!
David K - 11-7-2003 at 08:34 PM
Beach Bob can confirm, but I think he introduced me to Frank.. who was over for 'beer talk' last November... NASCAR was the subject of conversation.
Roger Mears I chatted to briefly in Ensenada way back when he was racing the red Jeep Honcho pickup, he wasn't at Bob's with Frank, that day.
Make sure to let other Nomads know when the book 'Racing's Real McCoy' (featuring your personal Baja racing story) is available... perhaps an ad on
the Nomad miscl. classified ads board?