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Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame wreath

2017 Inductee

Bob Gordon
RACER

Bob Gordon

He won so many races south of the border that he earned the well-deserved nickname of “Baja Bob’.  The Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame is proud to welcome Legacy Inductee Bob Gordon.

Bob was introduced to the sport of off-road racing by Frank ‘Scoop’ Vessels, also a Hall of Fame inductee. Bob Gordon quickly found success behind the wheel of one of the ‘BFG Blazers’ as part of a two car team sponsored by BFGoodrich Tires.

  • March 7, 1984 — The father-and-son team of Bob and Robby Gordon made it two-in-a-row at the HDRA Gold Coast 300, once again claiming both the overall victory and Class 2 honors in the BFGoodrich-equipped Chenowth-Porsche desert buggy. Plagued by a broken power steering pump that forced 18-year-old Robby to stop five times on the final lap for repairs, the Gordons still managed to finish more than 10 minutes ahead of their nearest competitor.

    In the 1980s and 90s, Bob built a relationship with Chenowth and started racking up an impressive list of victories.

    In 1987, Bob won the Baja 1000 with Malcolm Smith, and teamed up with son Robby and daughter Robyn to win again in 1990.  After retiring from racing to help Robby run his off road programs, Bob brought his favorite Chenowth, affectionately known as ‘Betsy’ out of retirement to compete for several years in the NORRA Mexican 1000, where he was the overall winner in 2010, 2011, and 2015. Bob passed away in 2016.

    A statement from the Gordon family reads, “The Gordon Family would like to thank everyone for making this possible for our father, ‘Baja Bob’ Gordon to be inducted in to the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame. He would be humbled and honored to be recognized alongside racing legends and friends; Scoop Vessels, Malcolm Smith, Parnelli Jones, Mickey Thomspon, Walker Evans, and Ivan Stewart. Desert racing and Baja have become an integral part of our lives. Baja will never be the same without him, but his legacy and spirit will race on. We know he will be with us at every race mile marker along the way.”

    CLASS OF 2017