Robby Gordon targets kids with new truck series

Robby Gordon has raced just about everything on four wheels that there is to race.

He started in off-road trucks, went to Indy cars (he was a star of the old CART series and raced several times in the Molson Indy Toronto), switched to NASCAR and raced in the Nationwide and Sprint Cup series and has even been a regular in the Dakar Rally in recent years.

It seems like a lack of sponsorship cash has kept Gordon pretty much out of NASCAR lately (he still shows up from time to time) but now he’s launching a new venture, so probably won't have time for the stock cars anyway.

Called the Stadium Super Trucks Series, it's a combination of  Supercross, Monster Trucks and Mickey Thompson-type indoor arena truck racing.

Imagine a truck with big tires on a Supercross track and you pretty much have what Thompson used to promote before he was murdered and what Gordon has in mind now.

I have no idea if the Rogers Centre will wind up on the schedule but the series will be launched in 2013 and include the Los Angeles Coliseum.

Here are a couple of links for you to see what Gordon has in mind:

Awesome thing or awesomest thing?

Robby Gordon talks about trucks

So, is Gordon on to anything here? My friend, Pete S., thinks so:

Wrote Pete: “Maybe Jacques Villeneuve could make a guest appearance. He hits everything. (It would be a) perfect series for him.”

But then he got serious.

“Robby is smart. Kids love radio controlled trucks. Transfer that to seeing a real truck in a real race environment and you have a market to work with. NASCAR and Indy Car missed on that one.

“Back when I was a kid, my brother and I had state-of-the-art stuff at the time — model cars. Paint and glue and pictures of Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt. I can still see the box the car came in. The point is, that is how it begins, with the kids. Ignore that and I don’t care what racing series you talk about: ignore it or don't promote it at your peril. One day it will disappear if you do not get the kids involved.

“This stadium truck thing will start small but it’s got legs. You watch.”

Know what, Pete?

You’re right.

Okay, now that I’ve quoted Pete, I’ll share some of my wisdom with you.

Tony Stewart and Cal Wells are not shedding any tears that the U.S. Army is dropping its sponsorship of their second car for 2013. Ryan Newman has been driving that car but he is headed elsewhere next season and GoDaddy will move Danica Patrick into the Big League as Stewart’s teammate.

They haven't announced it yet, but it will happen.

Here’s good news from the Honda Indy Toronto folks.

Organizers of the Honda Indy opened up the streets and sites of Exhibition Place to three important charitable initiatives, helping raise more than $485,000 through the 2012 event.

Throughout race weekend, more than $35,000 was raised for Make-A-Wish Canada by fans, Honda Canada and the Ontario Honda Dealers Association. The popular Free Friday initiative helped not only to introduce the sport of auto racing to thousands of families, but also to help raise funds for Make-A-Wish. Over the past three years, more than $235,000 was donated to Make-A-Wish from race-related activities.

A new partnership for 2012, the YMCA Relay for Strong Kids saw more than 1,200 walkers and runners hit the Honda Indy race track on Thursday, July 5. The fun-filled event raised $50,000 for the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign, which helps children and families in the community get active and healthy.

The 2012 edition of the Honda Indy Toronto also included the addition of a kart-racing track to support the efforts of the Bay Street Grand Prix. The kart-racing fundraiser featured top executives going head-to-head to satisfy their need for speed in exchange for funds for Sunnybrook’s Women & Babies Program.

The event raised more than $400,000 and featured a VIP dinner and after-party at Liberty Grand with performances by hip hop star Flo Rida and Canadian pop sensation Mia Martina.

Good for them.

Comments

[Adam]

It seems then that the Toronto Indy is concentrating on eveything else except on its reason for being: producing racing on the course. Charities are nice, but let's see more cars on track, better main "product" rather than making everything a side show to everything else. The Indy Lights, the Star Mazda, the Ferrari Challenge fields were less than stellar.