SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1525626
SCORE BAJA 400 GRAND MARSHAL Doug Robertson, Class 5 Champion By Dan Sanchez This year’s 5th SCORE Baja 400 Presented by VP Racing will have Doug Robertson as its Grand Marshal. Robertson and his brother Don, began off-road racing on motorcycles, then moved into Jeeps. Wanting to build their own vehicles, they chose the popular VW Bug and went to race in Class 5. In the early 1970s, the brothers were approached by the Bilstein shock absorber company, which wanted to break into the American market. The company had an RV shock which was a high-pressure, monotube design. They teamed up with the Robertsons on two of their vehicles and were known as the Bilstein Bugs. One was painted bright yellow and the other blue, making them immediately recognizable to racers and fans. Doug and Don Robertson continued to race in Class 5 and won more than 30 races over their careers, winning the SCORE Class 5 Championship in 1977 and several SCORE Baja 500 class wins in 1977 and 1979. The Robertsons also had SCORE Baja 1000 Class 5 victories at the 1976 and 1977 races. The brothers later moved into Class 1 and won the 1979 SCORE Baja 1000 in their buggy. They later raced in Class 2 Open and Doug teamed up with Johnny Johnson in class 5/1600, and in a Chevy S10 Pickup. With the publicity Bilstein received from the team, Doug Robertson became the West Coast Sales Director for Bilstein, and eventually moved into becoming president of the company. Robertson and the “Bilstein Bugs” are remembered as the vehicles that not only catapulted Class 5 into popularity but also continue to inspire many VW Bug racers who carry on the tradition in SCORE today.