Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: MacCachren to run in 3 classes at Laughlin race

Thursday, Jan. 15, 2004 | 9:26 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.

Longtime local off-road racer Rob MacCachren will attempt to compete in three separate classes during this weekend's 10th annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge.

MacCachren, a seven-time SCORE class champion and two-time winner in Laughlin, plans to co-drive with Gus Vildosola in the featured Trophy Truck class and will compete solo in both Class 1-2/1600 and SCORE Lite. Because of a quirk in SCORE's rules, MacCachren will be able to use the same chassis in Class 1-2/1600 and SCORE Lite, but with different engines and transmissions.

"I'm a professional racer -- this is what I do -- so I couldn't pass up this opportunity as the pieces came together to make it work," MacCachren said of his triple-duty attempt. "My top priority is SCORE Trophy Truck, but with Bruce Fraley running the show, I have a great team put together for the other two classes."

MacCachren has mastered the unique Laughlin short course on two occasions, winning the Trophy Truck class in 1996 and Class 1-2/1600 in 2001. Last year, MacCachren and Vildosola teamed to finish second in Trophy Truck.

"The SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge is really a fun race and, unlike the other long-distance races we do in the series, doesn't take as much out of you. And, like I said before, I'm a professional racer and racers just can't pass up opportunities like this one."

MacCachren won't be the only driver in Laughlin this weekend attempting to compete in three classes. Tom Ridings of Long Beach, Calif., will co-drive with Brian Parkhouse in Class 1 and compete solo in Class 10 and SCORE Lite.

Racing in the two-day SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge will be from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Pre-race activities include this evening's Laughlin Leap (6 p.m.) and Friday's Pit Crew Showdown (4:30 p.m.) at the Laughlin Events Park near the corner of Edison Drive and Bruce Woodbury Drive.

Gordon, who got his start in the desert racing ranks, will drive the No. 31 Chevy CK1500 Trophy Truck that was built at his Anaheim, Calif., race shop. Gordon drives the No. 31 Cingular Chevy Monte Carlo in the Nextel Cup Series.

Gordon, a two-time winner of the SCORE Baja 1000, drove in the Trophy Truck division in Baja last November but experienced shock problems with a little more than 100 miles remaining in the 808-mile race and was forced to park his truck.

McMillin family patriarch Corky, 75, his son Mark, 47, and grandson Andy, 16, will drive separate entries in Class 1.

As of Tuesday, 173 vehicles from 12 states, Japan and Mexico have registered for the event. Last year, 135 vehicles started the race.

Class 1-2/1600, for VW-powered, single and two-seaters up to 1600cc, has drawn 31 pre-race entries while Class 1, for unlimited single and two-seaters, has 30 pre-race entries.