Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Baja 1000 attracts a star-studded field

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2003 | 9:25 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Less than a week after completing a grueling 36-race NASCAR Winston Cup schedule, Robby Gordon is delaying a postseason vacation to drive in this weekend's 36th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 off-road race in Ensenada, Mexico.

Gordon, won won the featured SCORE Trophy Truck season championship in 1996, said the legendary race is considered the "granddaddy" of all off-road races -- especially in Mexico.

"Running the SCORE Baja 1000 is like taking the Daytona 500, the Indy 500 or the Super Bowl to the people of Baja," Gordon said. "They don't get to see NASCAR very often like (Americans) do and the SCORE Baja races (are) their thing. It's amazing how they will follow and almost worship a driver down there."

Gordon will be driving a Chevy CK1500 in the featured Trophy Truck class. Gordon finished third in class in last year's Baja 1000.

Gordon is not the only crossover driver or rider in Mexico this week attempting to conquer the 805-mile, single-loop racecourse. Among the 272 entries for the race are NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver and Las Vegas resident Brendan Gaughan, who will team with Buddy Feldkamp in a Class 1 entry, and CART regulars Jimmy Vasser of Las Vegas and Michel Jourdain Jr.

Former open-wheel racers Mike and Robbie Groff, Roberto Guerrero, Stefan Johansson and Johnny Unser also will compete in the 2003 SCORE Desert Series season finale.

The 36th annual Baja 1000 will start at 6:30 a.m. Friday. All classes will have a 32-hour time limit in which to complete the race, although the fastest vehicles are expected to finish in 15 to 16 hours.

Hall, the all-time winningest driver in the Baja 1000 with 17 class victories, is competing in the Stock Full class. Bishop will co-ride on a KTM 625SXE in Class 50 for motorcycle riders over 50 years of age.

Ebberts, who also is SCORE's overall points leader, holds a 28-point lead over Mark Weyhrich and a 34-point edge over Herbst in Class 1. Ebberts leads Class 1-2/1600 points leader Eric Allen by one point in the overall standings.

Dana Brown, the son of acclaimed director Bruce Brown ("On Any Sunday" and "Endless Summer"), is directing the film.