:21:06
These are for the rock stars
of the Baja. The unlimited classes.
:21:09
The big-money race teams that use
choppers for chase vehicles.
:21:12
It's the most dynamic thing you can do.
You have everything you want.
:21:15
You have 800 horsepower,
you've got three feet of suspension,
:21:18
you got a chromoly cage,
you got a breathing apparatus,
:21:21
you got a co-rider telling you
you need to do these different things.
:21:24
If you could look under "macho"
in the dictionary, there'd be a trophy truck.
:21:28
The racer most identified
with the Baja 1000
:21:31
is NASCAR driver
Robby Gordon.
:21:33
I mean, this is his world.
:21:34
It isn't in NASCAR.
This is where he's the king.
:21:38
And you can see everybody
defer to him here.
:21:41
Robby was just a kid
when I took him for a ride
:21:44
out in Saddleback
in one of the blazers,
:21:46
and I can remember seeing
his helmet up here.
:21:48
You know, he just loved it.
:21:49
Robby became
Baja's boy wonder.
:21:51
He's gone on to make millions racing
from Daytona to Indy.
:21:54
But he never forgets his roots.
:21:56
I left home on Sunday night,
we flew out in a helicopter,
:21:58
got on a commercial airline,
and flew to L.A.
:22:00
Left at 5 a, m. To come down here.
We pre-ran Monday and Tuesday.
:22:03
Did the whole course in two days.
:22:04
He was a little cocky and, you know,
it probably hurt him in a lot of ways.
:22:07
I know where everybody's at.
:22:09
I'm gonna watch every car
go by the wayside.
:22:11
The car's good enough
:22:12
that at 75%, it's as fast
as everybody else.
:22:14
You know, a lot
of good race drivers are cocky.
:22:17
Numbers are drawn for starting position.
Robby got the last spot.
:22:22
While starting at the very front of
the line was Hawaiian Alan Pflueger
:22:25
in his very first race in a trophy truck.
:22:27
You can't really describe it.
You've gotta experience it.
:22:30
And it's awesome.
It's a controlled explosion.
:22:33
It's like trying to hold a piece of dynamite,
keep the explosion in your hand.