SPEED UTV is setting up shop closer to home as the Robby Gordon-led UTV manufacturer now has a production facility in Ensenada, Baja California.

While Gordon’s team is in the United States (headquartered in Concord, North Carolina), manufacturing the UTVs has mainly been in Vietnam.

Ensenada is a hotbed for desert racing where series like SCORE International and Record Off-road base their main offices. NORRA, which has a close partnership with Gordon and SPEED, also has operations in the city.

Three of SCORE’s four races—the Baja 500, Baja 400, and the legendary Baja 1000—are single loops starting and finishing in Ensenada for 2025. NORRA’s Mexican 1000 has its opening stage in the city whereas the NORRA 500 concludes at Estero Beach just outside the limits.

Besides its desert racing scene, Ensenada is also a viable location for business in that industry. It is not far from the Mexican-American border, while the Port of Ensenada is the second busiest in Mexico. Of course, the city’s off-roading history also brings a dedicated workforce.

According to Gordon, SPEED currently sends 11 containers per week to Long Beach, though “our goal is much bigger.”

Claudia Agatón Muñiz, the mayor of Ensenada, visited the SPEED UTV shop on Thursday.

“I am very grateful for Robby Gordon’s invitation to SPEED UTV, where we discussed projects that could translate into significant opportunities for the economic development of Ensenada and the Baja California region,” Agatón stated.

SPEED UTV was founded in 2020. Besides the Stadium Super Trucks and other projects, Gordon and his son Max usually alternate between racing their company’s machines and Trophy Trucks. The two share the latter in SCORE, but have driven UTVs in races like the Mint 400 and Taklimakan Rally.

Featured image credit: Municipio de Ensenada