January 2, 1969
Robby Gordon
(Photo: jerbec via photopin cc)
Born in Cerritos, California, USA.
Robby is the son of off-road racer "Baja Bob" Gordon. He started out competing in off road racing and has raced in NASCAR, CART, IndyCar, Trans-Am, IMSA, IROC and Dakar Rally.
He won 5 consecutive SCORE International off-road class championships from 1986–1990, a sixth championship in 1996, and a seventh championship in 2009. Gordon also won two championships in the Mickey Thompson stadium series, three Baja 500 in 1989, 1990, and 2005, and three Baja 1000 in 1987, 1989, and 2006.
Gordon has continued off-road racing throughout his career in Champ Car and NASCAR. In 2005 Gordon took part in the famous 16-day Dakar Rally, driving for the Red Bull sponsored Volkswagen team. He became the first American to win a stage in the car division. He won two stages in total and a 12th place division finish. In 2006, Gordon took part in the Dakar Rally in a Hummer H3. Team Dakar USA did well until stage 9, when a damaged radiator caused late arrival at Atar, Mauritania, and subsequent disqualification. Gordon and co-driver Andy McMillin won the trophy truck class in the 2006 Baja 1000, finishing second overall in the race. After that, Gordon competed in his third Dakar Rally in 2007, driving the Monster Energy Hummer H3 for Team Dakar USA. He finished in the 8th position, his best finish in this race. His current trophy truck sponsor is SPEED Energy and drove his Monster Energy truck in the 2007 Baja 500 with a second overall finish. Gordon's sisters Beccy Gordon and Robyn Gordon competed in the 2006 Baja 1000 on the all woman team All-American Girl Racing.
Gordon raced in selected Traxxas TORC Series events, including the 2010 AMSOIL Cup World Championship race at Crandon International Off-Road Raceway. He led the first lap of the race before retiring with mechanical difficulties.
Gordon finished 3rd in the 2009 Dakar Rally in South America, where the event was moved after terrorist threats led the cancellation of the 2008 event. He finished 8th in the 2010 Dakar Rally in South America with his Monster Energy truck. He had been excluded from the 2012 edition after stage 10 for illegal modifications of his engine.
In 1990, Gordon began racing sports cars. He won races in both Trans-Am and IMSA Camel GT, where he had four consecutive class wins in the 24 Hours of Daytona from 1990–1994, and three consecutive 12 Hours of Sebring class wins.
Gordon’s first start in the CART IndyCar series came in 1992. His first full season and Indy 500 start would come in 1993. He raced for Derrick Walker from 1994–96. With Walker, he captured his first career pole in 1994 (Toronto), and both his CART career wins in 1995 (Phoenix and Detroit). For 1999, Gordon fielded his own team in the series with little success as the Toyota power the team used was still sub-par in performance.
Gordon raced 10 times in the Indy 500 from 1993 to 2004 fielding his own team in 1999, 2000 and 2004. He, along with John Andretti, Tony Stewart, and Kurt Busch are the only four drivers to race in the Coca-Cola 600 and Indy 500 in the same day. In 1999, Gordon came within one lap of winning the Indianapolis 500. He inherited the lead by virtue of not stopping for a final pit stop and tried to conserve enough fuel to last until the end of the race. His fuel ran out coming out of turn 3 on second last lap and he had to give up the lead to Sweden's Kenny Bräck.
During his time in open-wheel, Gordon earned a reputation as a tough and sometimes overly aggressive racer. According to Gordon, his decision to leave open wheel was based largely on safety concerns.
Gordon made his debut in stock car racing in November 1990 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, driving for Junie Donlavey in the Automobile Racing Club of America season finale; he finished 21st, but turned heads by winning the pole for the event.
Gordon's Winston Cup debut came in 1991, driving two races, including the Daytona 500 for Junie Donlavey in the No. 90 Ford. In 1993, Gordon drove the No. 28 Texaco Ford for Robert Yates Racing at Talladega in the team's first race after the death of driver Davey Allison. Gordon would go on to drive a total of 396 Cup Series races run over 19 years. He had 3 wins, 1 pole and 39 top 10's.
Gordon competed twice in the Race of Champions, first in 2001 in Gran Canaria, where he broke the lap time record. In 2014, Gordon competed in the Nations Cup for Team Americas alongside 2014 World Touring Car champion José María López.
In June 2012, Gordon announced that he was founding and owning a stadium truck racing series of his own, titled the Stadium Super Truck series, based on the stadium truck racing concept developed by Mickey Thompson. The series ran its first season in 2013.
A lot of drivers affiliated with Robby Gordon's closed Cup Series NASCAR team such as PJ Jones for example, followed Gordon to race in the Super-Trucks. Gordon himself would be an owner-driver.
Gordon won the inaugural Stadium Super Truck championship in 2013, by seven points following a year-long battle with former Mickey Thompson Off-Road teammate Rob MacCachren.
Gordon's series was renamed to the Speed Energy Drink Formula Off-Road Series in 2014.
On September 14, 2016, around 5 pm, Gordon's father, Robert "Baja Bob", and his wife Sharon, were found dead in their Orange County home in an apparent murder-suicide. It was confirmed later that week after a careful investigation, that it was indeed a murder-suicide. It was verified that Robert strangled Sharon and then committed suicide.
(Photo;TMZ.com)
Born in Cerritos, California, USA.
Robby is the son of off-road racer "Baja Bob" Gordon. He started out competing in off road racing and has raced in NASCAR, CART, IndyCar, Trans-Am, IMSA, IROC and Dakar Rally.
He won 5 consecutive SCORE International off-road class championships from 1986–1990, a sixth championship in 1996, and a seventh championship in 2009. Gordon also won two championships in the Mickey Thompson stadium series, three Baja 500 in 1989, 1990, and 2005, and three Baja 1000 in 1987, 1989, and 2006.
Gordon has continued off-road racing throughout his career in Champ Car and NASCAR. In 2005 Gordon took part in the famous 16-day Dakar Rally, driving for the Red Bull sponsored Volkswagen team. He became the first American to win a stage in the car division. He won two stages in total and a 12th place division finish. In 2006, Gordon took part in the Dakar Rally in a Hummer H3. Team Dakar USA did well until stage 9, when a damaged radiator caused late arrival at Atar, Mauritania, and subsequent disqualification. Gordon and co-driver Andy McMillin won the trophy truck class in the 2006 Baja 1000, finishing second overall in the race. After that, Gordon competed in his third Dakar Rally in 2007, driving the Monster Energy Hummer H3 for Team Dakar USA. He finished in the 8th position, his best finish in this race. His current trophy truck sponsor is SPEED Energy and drove his Monster Energy truck in the 2007 Baja 500 with a second overall finish. Gordon's sisters Beccy Gordon and Robyn Gordon competed in the 2006 Baja 1000 on the all woman team All-American Girl Racing.
Gordon raced in selected Traxxas TORC Series events, including the 2010 AMSOIL Cup World Championship race at Crandon International Off-Road Raceway. He led the first lap of the race before retiring with mechanical difficulties.
Gordon finished 3rd in the 2009 Dakar Rally in South America, where the event was moved after terrorist threats led the cancellation of the 2008 event. He finished 8th in the 2010 Dakar Rally in South America with his Monster Energy truck. He had been excluded from the 2012 edition after stage 10 for illegal modifications of his engine.
In 1990, Gordon began racing sports cars. He won races in both Trans-Am and IMSA Camel GT, where he had four consecutive class wins in the 24 Hours of Daytona from 1990–1994, and three consecutive 12 Hours of Sebring class wins.
Gordon’s first start in the CART IndyCar series came in 1992. His first full season and Indy 500 start would come in 1993. He raced for Derrick Walker from 1994–96. With Walker, he captured his first career pole in 1994 (Toronto), and both his CART career wins in 1995 (Phoenix and Detroit). For 1999, Gordon fielded his own team in the series with little success as the Toyota power the team used was still sub-par in performance.
Gordon raced 10 times in the Indy 500 from 1993 to 2004 fielding his own team in 1999, 2000 and 2004. He, along with John Andretti, Tony Stewart, and Kurt Busch are the only four drivers to race in the Coca-Cola 600 and Indy 500 in the same day. In 1999, Gordon came within one lap of winning the Indianapolis 500. He inherited the lead by virtue of not stopping for a final pit stop and tried to conserve enough fuel to last until the end of the race. His fuel ran out coming out of turn 3 on second last lap and he had to give up the lead to Sweden's Kenny Bräck.
During his time in open-wheel, Gordon earned a reputation as a tough and sometimes overly aggressive racer. According to Gordon, his decision to leave open wheel was based largely on safety concerns.
Gordon made his debut in stock car racing in November 1990 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, driving for Junie Donlavey in the Automobile Racing Club of America season finale; he finished 21st, but turned heads by winning the pole for the event.
Gordon's Winston Cup debut came in 1991, driving two races, including the Daytona 500 for Junie Donlavey in the No. 90 Ford. In 1993, Gordon drove the No. 28 Texaco Ford for Robert Yates Racing at Talladega in the team's first race after the death of driver Davey Allison. Gordon would go on to drive a total of 396 Cup Series races run over 19 years. He had 3 wins, 1 pole and 39 top 10's.
Gordon competed twice in the Race of Champions, first in 2001 in Gran Canaria, where he broke the lap time record. In 2014, Gordon competed in the Nations Cup for Team Americas alongside 2014 World Touring Car champion José María López.
In June 2012, Gordon announced that he was founding and owning a stadium truck racing series of his own, titled the Stadium Super Truck series, based on the stadium truck racing concept developed by Mickey Thompson. The series ran its first season in 2013.
A lot of drivers affiliated with Robby Gordon's closed Cup Series NASCAR team such as PJ Jones for example, followed Gordon to race in the Super-Trucks. Gordon himself would be an owner-driver.
Gordon won the inaugural Stadium Super Truck championship in 2013, by seven points following a year-long battle with former Mickey Thompson Off-Road teammate Rob MacCachren.
Gordon's series was renamed to the Speed Energy Drink Formula Off-Road Series in 2014.
On September 14, 2016, around 5 pm, Gordon's father, Robert "Baja Bob", and his wife Sharon, were found dead in their Orange County home in an apparent murder-suicide. It was confirmed later that week after a careful investigation, that it was indeed a murder-suicide. It was verified that Robert strangled Sharon and then committed suicide.
(Photo;TMZ.com)
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