Drivers Get Their Just Deserts in Documentary

Only the hardy and adventurous have tackled the Baja 1000 off-road race since its first running in 1967, but those who did usually returned with stories of the unbelievable contrast between beauty and stark desolation of the land below the California border. And of what it took for riders and drivers to conquer the silt, the rocks, the desert, the soft sandy seashore and the steep mountains of the roads laid out by SCORE officials -- through daylight and into the darkness.

The problem was, unlike racing in a stadium or on a street course, the Baja is not a spectator event, except for the locals who line the narrow paths with the same fervor and fearlessness of fans along the Tour de France. Even when some of the vehicles weigh 3,000 or more pounds and are going more than 140 mph.

Dana Brown, whose father, Bruce Brown, made the landmark motorcycle film “On Any Sunday” three decades ago, decided to capture the excitement, thrills and danger of off-road racing through the running of the 2003 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, a point-to-point adventure from Ensenada to La Paz. The result is a 90-minute documentary, “Dust to Glory,” that will open April 1 in Los Angeles (at the Nuart Theater) and New York.

The film is a kaleidoscope of Baja racing personalities, famous and not so famous, and their machines, some high-tech and some backyard-built, who challenged the desert over three days in November 2003.

There are frightening scenes, such as Robby Gordon careening through the cactus-laden desert in his trophy truck with spectators seemingly only inches from disaster, and there are poignant scenes, such as Malcolm Smith, one of the heroes of “On Any Sunday,” visiting with a group of Mexican children at an orphanage where previously he’d stopped many times.

For the nostalgic, there are ancient clips of Steve McQueen, James Garner and Parnelli Jones, and there is JN Roberts, the 1967 motorcycle winner and a legend of the desert, making his first Baja appearance in more than 30 years to ride alongside his son, Jimmy Roberts. For fitness fanatics, there is Mike “Mouse” McCoy, who besides being one of the film’s producers, rode solo all the way, surviving a 70-mph crash to reach La Paz 18 hours after being flagged off in Ensenada.

The McMillin family -- patriarch Corky, sons Mark and Scott and grandson Andy -- showcase the addiction to Baja that can keep a family coming back generation after generation, pre-running and racing on the ever-changing Baja landscape. Andy, now 18, last month won the SCORE San Felipe 250 driving with his father, Scott, and then flew home in the family plane in time to join his Poway High teammates for a basketball game.

Some of the most dramatic film was shot at night, when lonely motorcyclists are chased down by fire-breathing trophy trucks on narrow roads more suited for horses and donkeys than racing vehicles. Ryan Arciero and Mark Miller, winners of the last two Trophy Truck Baja 1000s, and Ryan Arciero demonstrate the power and stability of their 800-horsepower built-for-speed vehicles in some eye-popping scenes racing with Gordon, the Herbst brothers and others.

And all the time, hovering overhead, is a fleet of helicopters, some filming the action below but most acting as scouts and communication between the drivers and their crews spotted at strategic spots along the course.

Although he has never driven in a Baja race, Mario Andretti added some pizazz to the film’s promotion with a cameo in which the Hall of Fame racer did some pre-running through a rugged section. His instructor was Sal Fish, known as Mr. SCORE, the man who has kept the Baja going since he took over as president from the late Mickey Thompson in 1974.

One viewer said the film seemed to be “made for insiders by insiders,” but it offers a rare glimpse into the atmosphere that lures families like the McMillins and drivers like Gordon back time after time, the McMillins taking leave from their San Diego construction business and Gordon from his NASCAR driving.

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Southland Scene

Perris Auto Speedway will celebrate its 10th anniversary Saturday night with a USAC/CRA wingless sprint car program to which all fans will be admitted for $5. PAS held its opening race March 30, 1996. J.J. Yeley, now a NASCAR Busch series driver, won it.

Charles Davis Jr. holds a precarious two-point lead over defending series champion Rip Williams, 335-333, after six races. Mike Kirby and Rickie Gaunt, winners last week in Phoenix, will be on hand, as will Damion Gardner, winner of both previous Perris races this season.

“It is hard to believe that this is already our 10th season,” Perris promoter Don Kazarian said. “Where did the time go?”

Figure 8s, those crazy crisscross races that make it difficult to tell if the drivers are actually racing or preparing for a destruction derby, make their debut Saturday night at Irwindale Speedway. The highly popular 8s anchor a show that includes NASCAR late models, super stocks, speed trucks and U.S. Auto Club Ford Focus midgets.

The midgets have two series in California, one for dirt and one for pavement. Matt Triplett, winner of the pavement series opener at Blythe, leads Audra Sasselli by one point going into Irwindale’s race on the third-mile oval.

Ventura Raceway hopes to return to action after a rainout last week with its regular weekly show of VRA sprints and senior sprints and VRA and IMCA modifieds. Racing starts at the seaside track at 5 p.m.

Road racing enthusiasts will have to choose next week between the Grand American Rolex sports car program at California Speedway and the Open Wheel Championship for cars from Formula Ones to 2000 Fords at Willow Springs Raceway. Both will have racing Saturday and Sunday.

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Passings

Harvey Duck, for 20 years the publicist for STP and Richard Petty, died Tuesday of heart failure in Ormond Beach, Fla., where he had lived since retiring in 1998. Duck, a pioneer in motorsports publicity, was an award-winning sportswriter with the now-defunct Chicago Daily News before working for STP. He was 80.