The residents of Baja California don’t have a lot of the professional or college sports venues and teams that we enjoy here in the United States, and so it really should not come as a surprise to anyone that desert off-road racing, and especially the Baja 1000, is the equivalent of the Super Bowl to them. The fact that some businesses and all the schools shut down for race day (the Baja 1000 usually starts on a Friday) so that just about every man, woman, and child can get out and watch their racing heroes is testament to the overwhelming enthusiasm the people of Baja California, Mexico, have for the sport and all those actively involved in it.

However, of all the heroes (and there are many) of desert off-road racing, one man has risen above all else during the last two years. His name is Robert Acer. The initials painted on his black Chevrolet Trophy Truck are R. Acer (think racer). This is a ghost name, as the individual who has begun to receive the adoration and attention of the populace in this remote spot of the world is faceless and anonymous. Robert Acer is not his real name, and he always wears a dark black driving suit and full-face helmet or a hooded cloak and black mask with dark sunglasses to conceal his identity.

Why would he remain unknown to his thousands of fans? Well, that is quite a story. Repeated throughout his appearances are two statements that define his mission. “There is a hero inside everyone” and “Darkness has no importance, the power of hope is the brightest light.” As early as 2013, the mysterious figure began competing in desert off-road races on the Baja California peninsula as a part of the GSM Team with James Lin (his real name) driving a second truck.

Acer also began a philanthropic campaign that has boosted his popularity in Baja, as well as north of the border like a Saturn V rocket screaming toward the heavens. Acer has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars improving schools in Baja, and not just showering them with money, but getting to know the children, teachers, and administrators to find out exactly what they need to raise the level of education in their classrooms.

Elevating education seems to be the primary directive of Acer’s grand generosity, but he has also performed random acts of kindness that go from showing up unannounced at a couple’s wedding ceremony to participating in school sporting activities. So far, he has yet to win any of the off-road races he has entered, but nobody (including us) seems to care.

He has become so popular in Mexico that there is an action figure of him selling like hotcakes in stores. Who is this black-cloaked and helmeted hero? We may never know, but we are sure going to keep any eye on Robert Acer, and let you know what he is up to. So one must ask, would you accept gifts from this masked man?