Roger Norman Iron Man’s Complete 1061 Race Miles
RENO, NV NOVEMBER 23, 2010 – Roger Norman’s Crystal Bay Casino #8 Trophy Truck finished the 2010 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 third overall and in class on Friday November 19, 2010. “Completing the Baja 1000 is always an amazing experience,” said Roger Norman. “We had a good race, our biggest issue was being able to see as we literally lost lights off the truck and battled very heavy fog.” The team of Roger Norman and Lance Clifford completed the 1061 miles in 19:56:27, a very impressive time averaging 53.24 mph.
The Crystal Bay Casino #8 truck sat up on the dirt mound at the Start of the Baja 1000. Proud to be the first truck off the line, Norman Motorsports had fresh air for the first third of the race until they clipped a rock and took a quick three minutes to change the BFGoodrich tire which allowed Gus Vildosola to pass for the lead. As night fell, they realized that the bright Vision X lights had begun to loosen off the lightbars and they had already lost some. While taking a longer pit to locktite and resecure them, Robbie Gordon passed for second. Lacking their bright lights, they had to slow down off competitive race pace to eliminate the risk of not finishing. When they caught Robbie Gordon a while later, they bumped him enough to lose the only two lights that they had working when the front bumper was pushed up into the hood. It woke Gordon up, and it slowed Norman down. They continued on with safety as the main priority and after clipping another rock and a quick tire change, they maintained their position with BJ Baldwin hunting them the rest of the race to the finish line.
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oger Norman did drive solo for the entire race with Lance Clifford as his co-driver. In an interview after the race, Roger confirmed that it was a good decision. “Yes, with all of the pre-running that we did, we were prepared and then come race day we stayed hydrated to keep our concentration. I am glad that I did it, it completes another item on my list of things to do.” Competing in the Baja 1000 has always been rewarding, being able to finish is excellent, but being on the podium as an overall finisher while iron manning is amazing.
The efforts of running a race as prestigious as the Baja 1000 requires dedication from the whole team. Norman Motorsports was successful with an all volunteer team that has an amazing responsibility and successfully executed pit stops to keep the team on pace. Norman Motorsports marketing partners have been a great support including Crystal Bay Casino, BFGoodrich, KMC, Vision X, K&N Filters, Mastercraft, Fire ETC, NEO, CMI, Big Ass Fans, Safety Klean, Cruz Roja, Baja Fools, AutoVac, Fluidyne, Rod End Supply, High Angle Drivelines, Trail Glow, and Galley at the Marina.
The Norman Motors
ports team would like to invite everyone to the race shop for a Year End Celebration and Fundraiser for supporting South Bay Community Services Foster Youth of San Diego & the Red Cross of Baja, Cruz Roja Saturday night December 4th in El Cajon, CA. Please see www.rogernormanracing.com for more information and instructions to RSVP.
For More information on the SCORE Baja 1000: www.SCORE-International.com
Roger Norman Website: www.RogerNormanRacing.com
Live Coverage of Baja 1000: www.RogerNormanRacing.com & http://www.pirate4x4.com/trailreports/baja-1000-2010/
Recap of Pre-Running Adventures: http://rogernormanracing.com/2010-baja-1000-prerunning-adventures-last-updated-wed-oct-20