SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1186466
The Bilstein Bug Doug And Don Robertson Reached The Peak Of Their Racing Careers During The Height Of SCORE’s Class 5 Racing Era By Dan Sanchez Photos By Jack Wright The Volkswagen Beetle is perhaps one of the most recognizable racing vehicles in all of SCORE Baja racing. While numerous “Baja Bugs” have, and continue to be driven by off-road racers, one of the most prominent were two that were known as the Bilstein Bugs that appeared in the mid to late 1970s. The Bilstein Bugs were the idea of racers Doug and Don Robertson, two brothers who started on motorcycles and moved into racing in Jeep vehicles as co-drivers. “Our first event was the Ensenada 300 in 1972 driving a Jeep 4x4 with a good friend, Gene Yale. The experience left us wanting to build our own race vehicle that would be faster but also more economical,” said Doug Robertson. “The Volkswagen Beetle was a popular choice and because parts were inexpensive and readily available, my brother and I were able to each have our own cars.” The following year, the Robertson’s were introduced to a German shock absorber company called Bilstein, by an RV business owner they knew. “The company was wanting to break into the American market and were looking for someone with Baja racing experience,” said Robertson. “They teamed up with us and the Bilstein Bugs were born.” With two vehicles to race in numerous events, Robertson said that they divided racing duties. “The blue car spent most of its time in Mexico, while the yellow car raced in HDRA, SNORE and other events,” said Robertson. “We wanted to see how far we could go in the cars. At that time, we ran in Class 5 and the class was huge with 50 to 60 vehicles in it.” While the Robertson’s and their Bilstein Bugs won more than 30-races over their careers, the races that stand out are finishing second in class at the 1975 SCORE Baja 500 and competing again the following year to finish second overall. “One of the best races we had was during the 1976 SCORE Baja 1000, known as the Wet and Wild race,” said Robertson. “It was the year that heavy rainfall came down the night before the race and many racers got stuck in the mud on race day. That race we ended up finishing second overall, which has never been done since then in a Class 5 vehicle.” The blue Bilstein Bug also drove to a Class 5 victory in 1977 with Doug and Don sharing driving duties, and ultimately won the class points championship as well as the SCORE overall points Championship that year as well. The yellow car won the Overall points Championship in the HDRA series the following year. Although the blue vehicle ended up with most of the Class wins in Baja, the yellow Bilstein Bug, which still survives, also had a major victory in the 1979 SCORE Baja 500. “My brother was in the process of building a single-seat Class 1 car and had it 99 percent completed,” said Robertson. “We planned on racing the SCORE Baja 500 together in that car, but the axles were being custom made and it didn’t look like they were going to come in time for the race. We had the yellow Bilstein Bug nearly prepared for the Fireworks 250 race and decided to finish it and take it to Mexico. Right as we were leaving for Baja, the axles came in so we loaded the new Class 1 car as well and registered both cars for the race. I ended up winning the class with a little help from Skip Holland in the yellow Bilstein Bug. Don in the Class 1 car, had some motor problems and DNF.” With the Robertson’s victories in Class 5, Doug soon became the West Coast Sales director for Bilstein. With their involvement in racing, the company which had created the mono-tube shock design, would ultimately be the shock absorber of choice for many off-road race vehicles at the time. Bilstein shocks went on to be original equipment on many American made trucks and SUVs. Robertson would later become president of Bilstein but he, his brother and the Bilstein Bug’s legacy would remain as the Class 5 team that continued to catapult the class and the popularity of the “Baja Bug” as a race vehicle, despite them moving on to other classes in racing. “We endeared ourselves to the Class 5 vehicles and it wasn’t until the early 80’s that we moved over to the single-seat Class 1 car,” said Robertson. “We raced a few times with ORMHOF inductee Tracy Valenta, and we won the 1979 SCORE Baja 1000 in Class 1. We later transitioned to Class 1 and Class 2 open cars and also moved around doing some races with Johnny Johnson in 5/1600 and in a Chevy S10 pickup.” The Bilstein Bug Unveiled With support from Bilstein and some innovative engineering from the Robertson’s the Bilstein Bug was specifically designed to handle the rigors of Baja off-road racing. According to Robertson, the vehicle’s original 2180cc engine made as much power as possible to get them to the finish line, but the vehicle itself, also had some unique characteristics. “We used only half of a front windshield on the car,” said Robertson. “On high-speed graded roads, dust and dirt would get into the vehicle and circle around. So we kept the driver’s side windshield and cut out the right side of it to allow air to enter. Since we drove mostly solo, there wasn’t a passenger seat and instead replaced it with the fuel cell. This gave the vehicle a better center of gravity for weight distribution.” Robertson also pointed out that the car had larger tires in front, even though these vehicles were rear-wheel-drive. “We were running Sandblaster Jr. tires but we were working with Western Auto and had a problem with the smaller Sandblaster tires when the vehicle got into the rocks,” said Robertson. “They would come off the rim so Western Auto gave us much larger tires to test and it worked out really good. The taller tires up front messed up the balance of the car but they were bulletproof and didn’t come off.” The Bilstein Bug had a manual transmission but the Robertson’s used Johnny Johnson gear reduction adaptors on the vehicle. “They allowed the vehicle to run flat and allowed us to extend the wheelbase,” said Robertson. “It helped the handling of the car. We also ran Jackman Wheels with inner-liners in the back tires. They were difficult to get on but saved us a lot of time while racing.” Of course, the Bilstein Bug was outfitted with the latest Bilstein shocks. “In the early ‘70s most cars were running twin-tube shocks with adjustable E shocks with tie-rod ends for mounting them,” said Robertson. “Bilstein introduced the mono-tube shock which was more durable and efficient. It was a whole new field for Bilstein and for everyone else too. While early problems got solved in a hurry, one of the most common for any shock back then was that the pistons would keep burning up. The industry used metal sealing bands around the piston and they would get so hot, it would gall-up the piston. Bilstein developed a working piston with a Teflon band that reduced friction and heat to solve the problem. Every mono-tube shock that eventually came out later has one now.” While only the yellow Bilstein Bug survives as a restoration, occasionally competing in vintage racing classes, it’s a constant reminder that innovation continually plays an important role in off-road motorsports. For the Robertson’s and the Bilstein Bug, they will undoubtedly remain in the record books as legendary racers and vehicles that helped shape the SCORE Baja 500 into what it is today, and continue to inspire today’s Class 5 racers to take up the challenge. SCORE BaJa 500 Victories 1977 Class 5 1979 Class 5 SCORE BaJa 1000 Victories 1976 Class 5 1977 Class 5