Click here for more build-up photos!"Saving the truck" is a phrase heard often in off-road racing. The aggressive driving techniques that usually bring home wins in short-course races are ill-advised in long-course races, such as the SCORE Baja 500 and Baja 1000. Ill-advised unless you're Robby Gordon. Robby decided that instead of "saving the truck," he would have the truck built in such a way that it could take the punishment of aggressive driving for as long as he could stay in the driver's seat and dish it out.
In Part 1 of our Team Gordon Trophy Truck story, we stood by with our camera and pen as whiz-bang Gordon staffers CAD-designed, -machined, and -welded raw materials into an almost-completed Trophy Truck. As the starting-line deadline at the 2003 Baja 1000 loomed ever closer, the team had to scramble to finish the truck. During crunch time, the team parked a motorhome in the shop's parking lot and worked around the clock in shifts. Case after case of Red Bull was drained, as the crew put in the hard hours needed to get Gordon's ride ready. Although the truck's debut race was indeed in years past, this is the same truck that carried Robby to a First Place finish a few months ago in the 2005 SCORE Baja 500. Our lenses and pen were on hand as Team Gordon crossed and dotted the final T's and I's that got the Red Bull Trophy Truck ready for Robby.
The Team Gordon Trophy Truck's chrome-moly bare frame is about to be invaded by fabricators, welders, assemblers, technicians, and engineers to beat the deadline for the Baja 1000. | 
The front suspension was designed and built in-house by Team Gordon. The extra-long upper and lower A-arms with tall spindles allowed for ground clearance and suspension travel. Team Gordon also designs and machines its own reservoir gas-filled shock absorbers assisted with Eibach coil springs. The Team Gordon Trophy Truck's front suspension travel is 34 inches. | 
The massive long-travel rear suspension consists of twin cantilevers, torsion bars, long, triangulated control arms, and Team Gordon reservoir gas-filled shock absorbers assisted by Eibach coil springs. This combination allows 38 inches of rear travel. Notice the location of the Team Gordon shock; the top is mounted in the center of the rear rollcage and the rear downbar triangle gusset - one of the strongest sections of the frame. The bottom of the shock is mounted in a gusseted pocket in the center of the long, rear control arms. CNC four-piston brake calipers and rotors are used to stop the Trophy Truck. |
Handmade aluminum panels were cut and formed, acting as a cocoon consuming the driver's compartment. | 
Aluminum panels were installed to help direct the air into the custom-built Ron Davis aluminum radiator. A good portion of the chassis' aluminum panels are fabricated and installed, along with the front and rear suspension components hung from their suspension pickup points. | 
The RCR R-99 cast-iron aluminum head 400ci small-block produces 870 hp and redlines at 8,000 rpm. Richard Childress Racing (RCR) flew the company's engine technicians out to Team Gordon's facility to assist in the engine installation, fire-up, and break-in. |
The engine mounting plate is located behind the driver. The engine was mounted to the mounting plate in a reverse, mid-engine position. Cooling hoses and wire looms were run throughout the chassis inside orange thermo-sleeve insulation. | 
No engine hoist was able to lift the engine high enough to drop into the chassis, so the crew had to improvise by using Team Gordon's forklift. The engine was carefully guided into position. | 
A beautiful set of custom-built Burns stainless-steel headers and exhaust system was bent and ready for assembly. Notice the exhaust oxygen sensors in the header collector. |