Motor Racing : Watch Out for Gordons as Father vs. Son Competition Heats Up

The number of fathers and sons racing one another is rapidly growing in all types of motorsports these days, and this has never been more apparent than in this weekend’s 15th running of the Stroh’s SCORE Off-Road World Championship series at Riverside International Raceway.

The best known are Al Unser, the four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, and his son, Al Jr., also one of the top Indy-car drivers. The father-son battle to watch, though, may be the matchup of off-road veteran Bob Gordon and his teen-age son, Rob.

Bob Gordon, 39, whose business is supplying feed to horse racing tracks, and Rob, 19, of Orange have been making hay in the High Desert Racing Assn.-SCORE desert series as well as in Off-Road Championship Gran Prix stadium racing.

The two Gordons have won four major desert races overall since last September, and have won or finished second five times in stadium competition.

At Riverside, Bob will race against his son in the high-stakes 1650cc stadium car race and possibly in the unlimited single-seat stadium car class. Bob will also try to defend his title in the desert car race, driving the same car in which he and his son won the SCORE Parker 400 and the HDRA Gold Coast 300 overall. Bob and co-driver Tim Crabrett of Holtville also drove that car to victory in the SCORE Baja Internacional.

“Rob has been the fastest guy, both in the desert and in the stadiums,” Bob Gordon said of his son. “He’s going to be very tough to beat at Riverside.”

A year ago, Bob won his second title in 20 starts since his first race at Riverside in 1976. The younger Gordon, however, will be competing for only the third time at Riverside. His best finish was fifth in the 125cc motorcycle class in 1985.

Bob Gordon said that the 1650cc and unlimited stadium car races will be the toughest to win.

“If we have no mechanical problems and get through the first lap without any trouble, then Rob or I will be in good shape to win,” he said. “In the stadium classes, a lot of cars get taken out on the first corner.”

Gordon is referring to the “Oklahoma land rush” start, in which 30 to 40 cars line up side by side and then have to funnel into a narrow turn preceded by a series of whoop-de-dos. The rest of the 1.5-mile course includes a series of switchback turns, jumps, mud and a high-speed off-camber hillside known as Thompson Ridge.

“Most of the desert racers back off before heading into that first turn, which gives an advantage to us stadium guys who also race in the desert,” Gordon said. “We are a lot more aggressive in that first turn. We just go for it.”

The newest father-son rivalry features Roger Mears of Bakersfield, the winningest driver at Riverside with 20 victories and his son, Roger Jr., 22. They will compete in the same two events--the Class 7 desert truck division and the Mini-Metal Challenge for stadium pickups in Nissans.

The Mears will be pitted against the Unsers in Jeeps, and such other drivers as Walker Evans in a Dodge, Ivan Stewart and Steve Millan in Toyotas, and defending champion Glenn Harris in a Mazda.

Said the senior Mears: “I’ve told (Roger Jr.) to be calm and drive his own race, and try but don’t expect to beat the factory guys in his first big race.”

With his record, Mears Sr. must be listed as one of the favorites in both classes at Riverside. In addition, he will seek another title in the Class 1 single-seat buggy race.

“Last year I won the desert truck race and I thought I had a good shot in the Mini-Metal race until we had a flat,” he said. “We’ve improved both trucks, but it still won’t be easy.”

The weekend competition also will feature the Heavy Metal Challenge for full-size two- and four-wheel-drive pickup trucks as well as four-wheel-drives and sedans.

Practice for all classes will start at 7 a.m. Friday. Racing will begin at 11:30 Saturday and noon on Sunday.

SPRINT CARS--After 19 years of modest success in sprint and midget car racing, 1987 continues to be a break-through season for John Redican in the Parnelli Jones/California Racing Assn. sprint car series. Last Saturday night, Redican won his fourth main event of the year and Saturday night at Ascot Park he will try to join point leader Mike Sweeney and Lealand McSpadden as the only five-time winners in the series this season. Redican, of Chatsworth, is also closing in on Dean Thompson’s one-year record of nine trophy dash wins set in 1981. His victory in last week’s curtain raiser was his eighth of the year. Earlier in the year, he set a CRA record with five consecutive trophy dash victories. In last Saturday night’s main event, Redican inherited the lead on the 23rd of the 30 laps when leader Brad Noffsinger dropped out with mechanical problems. Sweeney, meanwhile, who came back from a mishap while running second and finished fifth, boosted his lead over Noffsinger to 118 points--2,470 to 2,352. . . . Besides seeing some racing, fans Saturday will be witnesses to the wedding of Richard Mark and Colista (Suzi) Broaddus. That will take place during intermission. Mark is a member of driver Tom Campbell’s pit crew.

SPEEDWAY MOTORCYCLES--The full-time return of Mike Faria and the second round of the $10,000 Budweiser Series Saturday evening at Speedway USA in Victorville, highlight this week’s racing. Faria, who aggravated a shoulder injury during the USA vs. World races three weeks ago at Ascot Park’s South Bay Speedway, will start there tonight for the first time since and will try to end the winning streak of Bobby Schwartz, who has won 15 of the 18 mains this year. Faria, who has done it twice, and Sam Ermolenko, who is riding in England, are the only men who have beaten Schwartz this year. . . . Friday night at the Orange County Fairgrounds at Costa Mesa, Faria and Schwartz will be paired in a special match race. Faria returned to racing there last week, finishing second to Schwartz in the scratch main and fourth in the handicap feature. . . . Going into Saturday night’s series at Victorville, Faria, Schwartz and Alan Christian share the point lead with 18 each. Faria won the first race June 20, but dropped out of a heat and the loss of the three points enabled Schwartz and Christian to tie him.

STOCK CARS--A three-way battle for the Curb Motorsports NASCAR Winston Racing Series pro stock point lead and the sixth annual “Cops and Robbers” demolition derby will share the spotlight Sunday night at Ascot Park. In the pro stocks, Ron Meyer, Don Wright Jr. and Marcus Mallett will start the evening with only 18 points separating them. Meyer leads Wright by 10, with Mallett another 8 behind. Each of the three has four main event wins this year. In the derby, which pits lawmen against the Ascot regulars, the local drivers will be trying to end an embarrassing string of defeats. John Futrell of the Los Angeles Police Dept.’s Devonshire division topped the field last year, and Dave Thomas of the Lomita Sheriff’s station won in 1985. This year’s competition will benefit youth activities of the Lomita-Harbor City Kiwanis Club and will feature at least 16 South Bay lawmen in black and white derby cars. . . . Mark Norris will be gunning for his 12th victory of the season in Saturday night’s super-stock division at El Cajon Speedway. Sportsman, street and bomber stocks, plus a destruction derby, are also on the program. . . . With the modified division taking the week off, the sportsman, street and hobby stocks will provide the action Saturday night at Saugus Speedway. A 30-lap main for sportsman cars highlights the program. . . . Hobby and foreign stocks plus jalopies will race Friday night at Saugus. . . . Race No. 10 in the NASCAR Southwest Tour series will be held Sunday night at Silver State Speedway in Carson City, Nev. Defending champion Mike Chase of Bakersfield, Ron Esau of Lakeside and Roman Calczynski of Sepulveda are the top three in the standings.

SPEED WEEK--The 1987 Bonneville Speed Week starts Saturday at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, near Wendover, Nev. The day is reserved for registration and vehicle inspections with the first runs on the salt scheduled Sunday.

VINTAGE CARS--The Monterey Historic Automobile Races at Laguna Seca Raceway have long been known for the exotic vehicles they attract. This year’s 14th edition, starting Friday, will be no exception. Chevrolet is the honored manufacturer this year and among the Chevy-powered cars featured will be several of Jim Hall’s Chaparrals, the 1956 Sebring team cars, the Lance Reventlow 1958 Scarab, the Briggs Cunningham LeMans Corvette, the Don Yenko Stinger, a Trans-Am Camaro, several McLaren Can-Am cars and a pair of experimental cars, the Serve One and Two. Friday will feature practice for all classes. Eight groups will race Saturday and the remaining six groups Sunday.

MOTORCYCLES--The CMC motocrossers will hold their weeking racing program Friday night at Ascot Park. . . . Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz will race for the AMA Camel Pro Superbike championship next weekend at Sears Point International Raceway. Rainey, who rides a Honda, holds a 134-114 lead over Suzuki-mounted Schwantz. . . . Bubba Shobert’s victory last Sunday at Peoria, Ill., moved him into the top spot in the AMA Grand National Dirt Track series. Shobert is looking for his third straight national championship.