When Jim Baldwin sets out to do something, either as a land developer or an off-road race impresario, he leaves no rock unturned.
With his new housing project just over the hill, he staged one more of his Championship Off-Road Racing weekends on Otay Mesa Ranch last month. He also staged races in Michigan and Wisconsin.
Now Baldwin, who has owned the series for two years, is expanding it to include three weekends at the Los Angeles fairgrounds and one each at Las Vegas and Texas Motor Speedways. And, he is negotiating with Charlotte’s Lowe’s Speedway, too.
It’s an old Mickey Thompson format that gives fans what they can’t see in those long Baja runs. Thompson staged races at Riverside International Raceway and inside Qualcomm Stadium.
“Put the entire course in front of stands seating 12,000 and the fans will be here,” Baldwin said. The four weekends lured 100,000.
Marquee stars Johnny Greaves (Pro 4) and Carl Renezeder (Pro 2) clinched their second championships at Otay, sponsored by Lucas Oil.
Baldwin has spent $2.5 million in a follow-up Speed television channel show series that will air each weekend through February.
“We pay for it and produce it,” Baldwin said.
A housing project builder from Newport Beach, he has a keen sense of promotion and is willing to back it up with advertising money, as exemplified by a full page ad in the San Diego daily. He doesn’t leave anything to chance.
“I’ll reduce the number of races at Otay Mesa Ranch to two weekends,” he said. “I don’t want to ruin a good thing. “It’s been a transition period since we bought CORR two years ago ” all new personnel, including tech officials.”
Now that he has city approval on his home building program, he’ll level the racecourse and move his operation over the hill.
“We still plan to take this country-wide,” he said. “In 2008, we’ll explore more venues in the south and southeast. In Chula Vista, we’ve raced four weekends and got good crowds. We think that’s saturating the market too much so we’ll go to two weekends.”
The San Diego Auto Museum changes shows on Dec. 5 in a rather unique fashion. It deals with the days of the 1935 California Pacific Exposition held in the buildings that became Balboa Park.
Kenn Colclasure, who doubles as education director and show programmer, said cars on display will be of that era.
It might be remembered that its next-door neighbor, the Air and Space Museum, once was the Ford building, which exhibited the company’s history and new cars of the time.
Speaking of new cars, the San Diego Auto Show will be held this year, Dec. 27-31, at the Convention Center. We’ll be part of an authors’ panel at Maynard’s Garage there on Dec. 30. Hope to see some of you.
” Look for Johnny McDonald’s “Auto Biography” car column each month in the Village News.
