Robby Gordon and 19-year-old Andy McMillin teamed to win the 39th running of the Baja 1000.
“We had a flawless run,” said Gordon, a three-time winner in the event who got to Miami Friday at 9 a.m. to compete in this weekend’s Nextel Cup race.
“We had absolutely no issues and I’m really happy that Andy was able to get his first win with us.”
Gordon’s Chevrolet started 31st among 36 in the “trophy truck” class.
He drove the first 725 miles before giving way to McMillin for the final 325 miles in a race that covered just over 1,050 miles. Andy Grirder was
Gordon’s navigator, while Gregg Till was navigator for McMillin.
“We could barely see out the front window to the nose of the truck for the first eight hours because of all the dust,” Gordon said. “We started so
deep in the field that we were basically driving blind until we got out in front.
"It was just a great run.”thebajarunner - 11-17-2006 at 02:26 PM
As Andy McMillin drove his Chevy pickup into La Paz, Mexico, shortly after dawn yesterday, his thoughts drifted back to his childhood.
“I've been coming to the Baja 1000 since I was a baby,” said the 19-year-old off-road racer.
“This race is a lot of my family's history. I would rather win the Baja 1000 than all the other races combined.”
And yesterday, the third-generation driver did.
McMillin teamed with Robby Gordon to win the overall four-wheel title of the record-setting 39th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000.
Gordon and McMillin covered the 1,047.8-mile course in 19 hours, 15 minutes, 27 seconds – a time bettered only by the winning motorcycle team.
Steve Hengeveld of Oak Hills led Honda to its 10th consecutive overall motorcycle title, teaming with Mike Childress and Quinn Cody to finish in
18:17:50 for an average speed of 57.27 mph. The win was the fifth straight for Hengeveld.
Gordon drove the first 702 miles of the race, then turned the Chevy CK 1500 TrophyTruck over to McMillin. Gordon then caught a private jet to
Homestead, Fla., for tomorrow's final race of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.
McMillin drove the final 345 miles, completing the course nearly 41 minutes faster than the open-class buggy co-driven by Troy Herbst and Larry
Roeseler.
“We didn't have a problem all race,” said McMillin, who was in the lead when he climbed into the truck and padded the margin over a particularly rough
section of the course.
McMillin's first overall victory in the Baja 1000 was the family's sixth. Uncle Mark McMillin is a five-time overall winner. And the class victory was
the 13th for the racing family, whose patriarch, Corky McMillin, died 14 months ago after falling ill in a SCORE race. Andy and father Scott will
campaign a TrophyTruck as a team next season.
McMillin's win capped a strong day for San Diego County drivers and riders.
San Diego drivers captured six of the top 15 overall positions in the four-wheel division. Ramona's Darren Hardesty and Mark Randazzo finished ninth
overall and won the Class 10 (1650cc) title.
The team led by Ramona's Danny Prather and Mike Cafro of Chula Vista won the overall ATV title. And two San Diego-based teams won class titles in the
motorcycle division.
Ron Wilson and Tim Morton of Encinitas led a team to a fifth overall in the motorcycle division and a first in the riders-over-30 class. The Chula
Vista-based team of Tom Grisham, Carl Fischer, Mike Mitchell and Mark Chicado finished seventh overall and won the 250cc class.
Gordon started 31st among the 36 TrophyTrucks and quickly made his way through the field despite racing in near-zero visibility because of the dusty
conditions.
“Sometimes we couldn't see past the hood,” Gordon said. “We relied on GPS. (Navigator) Andy Grider did a great job. We'd come up on a pack of three
and four trucks at a time stuck behind an ATV and drive through.”
Gordon had taken the time lead after 400 miles and was running ahead of the entire field by the 600-mile mark.
“When I got the truck, it was in great shape and in the lead,” McMillin said. “And I had the opportunity to pad the lead going into a treacherous
section of the course that I had prerun twice.
“I was fresh and I did my thing. But the last couple of miles, my thoughts were really about my grandfather. It felt great standing there in the
winner's circle.”kellychapman - 11-19-2006 at 11:11 PM
WOW......... no wonder you won after having to drive blind and on
instincts......grandpa surely was smiling on you......by the grace of god!!!! Congrad's and many happy returns.....BajaNews - 11-20-2006 at 12:28 AM
.
AmoPescar - 11-20-2006 at 12:39 AM
Regarding Robbie's TT...
I want to get me one of them things...and bolt a Callen Camper on it. Then I could make it to my camping spot real fast!!!
Amo burro bob - 11-22-2006 at 12:08 PM
Amo
That same TT only made it 18 miles before blowing a tranny at the SF 250.
Trophy Trucks don't make very dependable recreational vehicles. You want something more like Vanderwey's class 8.
burro bobTMW - 11-22-2006 at 05:40 PM
It would also be pretty hard to bolt a camper to the fiber glass body panels.
no wonder you won after having to drive blind and on
instincts......grandpa surely was smiling on you......by the grace of god!!!! Congrad's and many happy returns.....
