Baja Jerky is dipping its feet into the world of Stadium Super Trucks competition as the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach looms. On Friday, the beef jerky brand announced it will sponsor Max Gordon‘s #77 truck for the weekend while Christian Sourapas, a Baja Jerky athlete, will make his series début in the #9 VP Racing Fuels truck with associate sponsorship from Baja.
Since his maiden start in the series at Road America in 2020, Gordon’s primary sponsor has typically been Continental Tire or SPEED RC Cars, the latter of which is operated by father and SST founder Robby Gordon. The younger Gordon’s colourful 2021 truck is one of the available remote-controlled vehicle available at SPEED RC Cars’ website.
“I remember stopping in Baja in the middle of the desert, Robby and Max walked up to me and Max asked if I had any of that Baja Jerky,” said Baja Jerky CEO Eric Brandt. “I just kept thinking I want to bring my son down here and create these experiences and memories like Robby and Max are.”
The youngest driver in the series at thirteen years of age, Gordon is still seeking his first career podium but came close in the most recent race at Nashville when he finished fourth. In the first seven races, he flipped between fifth- and seventh-place runs.
“I am super excited to be representing Baja Jerky this weekend in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach,” commented Gordon. “I am stoked to have the opportunity to drive and compete with them on my side. I was fortunate enough to get a taste of Baja Jerky down in Baja and I love it.”
Sourapas is among a pool of athletes who have Baja Jerky endorsements, including fellow off-road racers R.J. Anderson and Larry Roeseler; Roeseler won the Baja 500 in June with Brandt as his navigator. A former sprinter at the University of Southern California (located less than thirty miles from Long Beach), Sourapas mainly competes in SCORE International and Best in the Desert trophy truck events.
In 2015, he and his twin brother Brett won the SCORE Class 6100 (Trophy Truck Spec) championship for their family-run Sourapas Motorsports team. Both are the children of former off-road champion Steve Sourapas. The two have also won major races on their own, such as Christian taking the Laughlin Desert Classic in 2018.
“I’m STOKED to announce that I’ll be making my official @stadiumsupertrucks debut this weekend at the Long Beach Grand Prix!! I can’t thank Eric, Will, and Chris from @bajajerky enough for the opportunity. Make sure to come out and stop by the @bajajerky tent for some product and other miscellaneous items. I can’t wait to see how I stack up,” posted Sourapas on Instagram on Wednesday.
While Long Beach will mark their first strictly-pavement race against each other, the Gordons and Sourapas have competed together on the rally raid front in the past.
“We are excited to be bringing the Baja style racing experience to metropolitan cities like the iconic race of the Long Beach Grand Prix,” added Brandt. “That is why we are sponsoring Christian and Max this weekend in the Speed UTV Stadium Super Trucks. We want to start creating more experiences that families will remember for a lifetime. That is what we are all about is creating and remembering these experiences we have with our family and friends.”
Thirteen drivers comprise the grid for Long Beach. Sourapas joins Brandon Parrish and Mads Siljehaug as SST newcomers.
