Baja 500 draws stellar field

Friday, June 1, 2001 | 10:12 a.m.

Nearly 250 racers, including 16 from Southern Nevada, are in Ensenada, Mexico, for Saturday's 33rd annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 desert race.

This year's renewal of one of the oldest and most famous desert races has drawn many of the top stars of the sport, including 11 former overall winners: Larry Ragland, Robby Gordon, Bud Feldkamp, Mark and Scott McMillin, Rob MacCachren, Curt LeDuc, Larry Roeseler, Johnny Campbell, Jonah Street and Dan Smith.

Ragland, of Phoenix, leads the group of returning stars. With four class wins and three overall titles, Ragland will split driving time this year with Las Vegas' Brian Collins in the Collins Motorsports Chevy Silverado. Collins' entry will be the first four-wheel vehicle to leave the start line.

Competing in 23 different Pro classes (16 for cars and trucks, seven for motorcycles and ATVs), 250 vehicles are expected to take the green flag Saturday morning. While the fastest vehicles are expected to complete the challenging 489.9-mile course in just under 10 hours, the race has an 20-hour time limit. Among the late entries is veteran Japanese open-wheel racer Hiro Matsushita, a four-time Indy 500 participant.

Returning to his racing roots, Gordon won Class 8 for full-size production trucks for three straight years (1988, 1989 and 1990) in this popular South of the Border classic. Just prior to expanding his racing career to IMSA sports cars, CART champ cars and NASCAR Winston Cup, Gordon also was the overall winner in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500 in 1989 and 1990.

Las Vegas' MacCachren won the overall class in 1996 and has three class wins in the event's history (1990, 1992, and 1996).

Going for a second straight victory this weekend will be Las Vegas brothers Tim and Ed Herbst, whose Terrible Herbst Racing Ford F-150 won the overall and Trophy-Truck titles at the Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 on March 17.