Once inside the fans were invited down on track to get an up close look at the racing surface and to “Meet the Racers” giving them a chance to meet their favorite drivers and get autographs.īesides his promoter abilities Mickey was a grand marketer and appropriately termed this new type of racing “The Chunk of Baja.” So to duplicate the Baja terrain within a stadium demanded a strong team effort.
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Paul Price won the 4WD Modified class in a Jeep.Īt each of the stadium events MTEG fans were greeted with a colorful array of exhibits including aftermarket products and a free Motor sports Expo next to the pits that usually included live music, a Custom Truck and Hot Rod show, and sponsor exhibits. John Randall drove a Jeep to win the 4WD Super Stock. Super Baja Bug class was won by Pete Springer.
Earl Hardesty drove his VW to the Baja Bug win. Super GN Pickup class was won by Jeff MacPherson in a Chevrolet. Rocker Ted Nugent won the celebrity race driving behind the wheel of a Jeep. Bob Rodine won the GN Pickup (mini) driving a Toyota. The 1-2/1200 Single Seater class was won by David Kreisler, Funco. Marty Letner was the big event winner for Hi Jumper by winning three separate classes Unlimited Single Seater, Unlimited 2 Seater, and Limited Single Seater. Ten classes were featured in addition to two motorcycle classes and a celebrity race. As with the inaugural race the previous year, the program was run Friday and Saturday nights. Many have overlooked that a second annual Off-Road Championship Gran Prix was again held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in June 1980. A celebrity race was held and Olympian Bruce Jenner drove a Jeep CJ for the win. John Baker drove a Dodge to win the first Grand National pickup class. Glenn Harris piloted his Funco to win the Single-seat buggy class. It was the Chenowth driven by Monte Crawford that took home the honors in the Limited and Unlimited two-seat buggy class. Winning the first ever feature event for Unlimited single-seat buggies was Rick Mears in a Funco. Besides that the promoter in him felt if he could put the show he termed “the greatest show in the desert” in front of an audience they would not only pay a few dollars to watch but would keep coming back to see it. He told of how the two were locked in a heated battle for a hundred miles and felt it was a shame the public didn’t get to see their race and similar action of other racers. When asked where the idea for bringing off-road racing in from the deserts so the fans could enjoy the action Thompson was reported as saying the idea came to him during a heated battle out in the desert with Parnelli Jones. Thompson was well known around all types of racing circles as a racer, promoter, and inventor so it was understandable that over 40,000 people attended this historic event held June 23, 1979. In 1979 the Off-Road Championship Gran Prix became the first time the new motorsport had been presented at a municipal stadium.
It is such a good story, typical of the “make it happen” personality of Mickey, I saw little reason to try and refute it. Legend has it they became believers when Mickey jumped into a vehicle and powered his way up the Coliseum stairs and through the famous LA Coliseum peristyle. When Thompson pitched his idea to the LA Coliseum management it was obvious to Thompson they thought he was crazy. He felt he could fill stadiums with his new form of racing because fans would have better amenities at their disposal. Thompson knew he had a good thing going at Riverside and decided to refine the closed course concept into a stadium setting.
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