Pro Production UTV 1965 #XPWARRIOR
Race Report Laughlin Desert Classic
After the first big break from racing since the Henderson 250, we had two months to prep the race car
for the Laughlin Desert Classic. The word on the street was this race would not be the same course as the UTV World Championships but in the same general area. The two day event began with a parade through Laughlin, Nevada but due obligations at work (we are a military race team) we did not make it for the parade. We brought the race car into town on Thursday night believing we were ready for the race, but did need a couple items from vendors and sponsors at Contingency. Specifically, PCI Race Radios agreed to help us out Thursday. We had them try to work out an issue we found in our Lowrance GPS. Matt from PCI spent almost an hour upside-down under our dash trying to troubleshoot the tracking issue we were having. He went above and beyond to help us out and did find the problem but it couldn't be repaired
in the field. The Point One Antenna couldn't communicate with the HDS8 because a pin was broken on the head unit so we had zero GPS tracking.
Getting up on Friday for Registration and Tech Inspection, we did not realize what we were in for. The line at registration made us feel like we were attending the Mint 400 and after getting done with that 2 hour wait, we
still had to get to the Tech and Contingency location. It was such a debacle trying to get the race car in the small parking lot to offload while everyone else was trying to do the same. Once the car was off the trailer it
was a 4 hour event for us to get the car from start to finish. Vehicles from other classes would bottle neck the line down for the inspections since many classes have specialized inspections for their own class like UTV, Jeep Speed, and a couple others. All in all, you know what tech and contingency are all about and you make it a great time for the fans and sponsors.
Race Day
The weather couldn't have been better as Mother Nature gave the course a good wetting the day and night prior. With the largest class in the series, Race 2 was UTV's only. With 19 Turbo, 33 N/A and 8 unlimited UTV's, the Best In The Desert staff had plenty of cars to get lined up on the course. Staging began at 7:15 officially but most vehicles got there at 7:00. At 8:00 on the nose the first three UTV's were on the course. pulled up the gate in the middle lane of row 14 or something like that. We started way back in the pack. The light turned green and we were off racing through the infield. The turns were fast and a whole lot of fun. We were screaming through the chutes and followed our starting partners into the desert.
We may have been a little slower than normal without the GPS, but we gave it hell and started putting in work on the course. The new Raceline Mamba Beadlocks allowed us to steer the car perfectly in the corners and worked really well. The 6/1 offset works the best in the RZR 1000 as it sets the center of the tire over the center of the spindle, this prevents a lot of added wear in the front suspension parts. Another huge advantage was being able to stick the car exactly where I wanted it to be the fastest without
over or under steer affecting the cornering speed. This was way better than the 4/3 offset I had been using up until this race. Each corner was merely another chance to prove these wheels and the new Sedona Tire Rock-A-Billy 30 inch tires were race ready equipment. After each corner I told my co-driver that the tires were hooking real well.
We drove the car as hard as we were comfortable with throughout the course and with the information we had available (course markings). The BITD staff had this course marked so well that the only thing our GPS would have helped us with would have been additional danger info the co-driver would have input as we found them. Coming into Devils Playground I had the car close to top speed and had to dodge a tire and then about a mile further I saw race officials flagging us to stay right. Just as I got to the hill I noticed a racer in his helmet frantically trying to warn me to slow down..It was too late. I hit the hill at close to 50 and the car launched into the air. I had enough time while airborne to see the 910 CanAm of Dan Fisher facing the wrong direction just over the jump in the valley made by the second jump. Looking forward again I saw blue sky and then the second jump, we were still in the air. I let off the gas and the car nosed over landing
with the front bumper impacting first and sending a large amount of dirt into the air and over the car. I am pretty sure the camera guys standing there got some amazing shots of the 1965 #xpwarrior impacting the ground hard. Luckily the car kept moving forward and we immediately kept rolling through the second jump and down to the road crossing. While crossing the road I could hear what sounded like a broken axle, shock or something up front. I decided to let the pit crew know we needed a quick check on that lap. My normal co-driver, Chris Edmondson, wasn't able to make it to the race due to a family medical emergency so Aaron Farris (US Navy) stepped into the car for the first time. We discussed the noise coming from the front of the car for a couple miles and decided that we were going to pit to have the car checked for damage that could cause a DNF.
In the pit, my pit boss told me the front of the UTV Inc skid plate had been ripped from the car. Corey Sappington had come over to look at the car as well and said the desert would wear it off, but it should be fine. Finding no other visual issues we went back onto the course.
Exiting the Pit was actually a lot of fun because BITD had positioned an official to assist in making the nearly blind entrance to fast race course much easier. My hat is off to that official for giving us great info on the
go to let us know when to bury the throttle. We entered the infield and had a pretty smooth run in the switch backs of the slalom turns and jumps and back out we went into the desert. As we entered the Fox Racing Proving Grounds, the desert took its toll on the skid plate and ripped it half way off of the car. By the time we made it to the Devils Playground and over the road crossings the skid plate was folded under the car. In the car it seemed like we had a huge shovel under the car throwing rocks into the driveline and fuel cell. I decided to flip the all-wheel drive off and asked Aaron to call the pits to let them know we needed to pit again to fix the skid plate. In the pit, the guys were fast and they realized they couldn't attach the plate to the car so they pulled it off completely. Exiting the Pit, the official signaled that one car was coming and gave a
countdown using hand signals and boom we were back out after a 24 minute lap including the pit.
Lap 3 and 4 were fun but we had to take it easy in sections we might have driven faster in because we had no skid plate on the car. Knowing that one rock or piece of debris could DNF us, using caution was best. Crossing the finish line on Day 1 felt great but we knew that work was going to have to be done in order to be competitive on Day 2. I tried to help a couple teams with parts and tech advice on issues they asked for help with. I am pretty sure I sent at least three teams over to Peak for parts. It is pretty amazing to have those guys out there with a trailer full of UTV parts and it seemed that many of the teams who didn't make it Day 1 would be able to get back at it on Day 2.
Day 2.
BITD worked all night putting down water, remarking the course and grooming areas that got destroyed by the high horse power and unlimited vehicles in Race 4 and 5. The course was awesome and we set a fast pace from the start. A matter of fact, though we were passed under power by a few people, they were turbo cars and they did have to work for it. The course was much rougher than it was Day 1. The chop was real bad on the power line roads and many new whoops were in sections that were smooth the day before.
The square edges of the hard pack caused new lines to be taken in sections but the course was close to being as fast as it was on Saturday. We did our best to stay up front all through Lap 1. Keeping the car together was top priority in my mind. The guys got the UTV Inc skid plate flattened back out
and installed on the car with a little extra securing power from little tricks my military team members are used to employing down range. As I enter mile 10, I could see the 1999 car trying to close distance. I did my
best to drive fast and keep him behind me. I would see him on sections of the course that came close to each other but he was gaining on me. Nearing the pit, we radioed that all was good in the car and we would not be stopping. Knowing that 1999 was closing but that I didn't want to blow a belt I kept the car just from top speed as we drove by the pits.
I didn't let off going through the "S" curve after the pit and stayed in the throttle as we approached the first jump to enter the infield. Aaron said into the comm that the jump was ahead and it was my call to back down or take it. I MADE THE WRONG CHOICE!!!! I couldn't tell you exactly at what speed I hit that first jump at, but I know it was faster than any other time I had taken that jump. The car sailed through the air and landed hard in the flats. I had just enough time to slow the car for the 180 degree left turn which we took really wide. I instantly began smelling fuel in my helmet as I drifted the car around the turn. I asked Aaron to look behind
us and tell me if he could see fuel on the ground. He told me he thought it was coming from 1999 who was trying to pass us after the corner. Into the next 180 which was a right hander, I took the low line and 1999 took the high side. I looked in the mirror to see where 1999 was and all I saw were orange flames..."WE'RE ON FIRE"
I stopped the car as fast as possible and started trying to get out. It was instantly hot in the cockpit and I couldn't get the window release right away. I tried and tried to get my window net to release as I heard Aaron
saying he was having trouble getting to the external fire extinguisher. Just before exiting the car I pulled the interior extinguisher and then ripped the window bar holding the net away as I franticly wanted to egress from the burning vehicle. Team members from other teams near our position ran over with fire extinguishers. It was a collective effort by many people to stop the fire. Aaron was flinging dirt at the car like a rabid dog looking for a bone long buried next to the car. I think he might have actually been trying to escape the country by digging his way to China. I pleaded with officials after the fire was out not to remove my car from the course so I could push it for a grand prix finish. I am pretty sure I was yelling at some moments that I was not leaving the race. Casey came by and asked if we were ok. I know he hates to see race vehicles on fire but you know he truly cares about the safety of everyone at the events. I told him we were not injured but really wanted to try to get the car across the finish line.
I waited for the next hour as many of my friends continued putting in laps on the course. I was happy to be alive and tried to enjoy the rest of the race. Having to take a grand prix is not how I ever want to finish a race, but in the circumstances it was all we could do to stay in the chase. We pushed the car for about a quarter of a mile to be just outside the finish line and waited there for the winner to cross the line. I joked with my co-driver that I should remove my race suit and re-enact the scene from Talladega Nights that Ricky Bobby thinks he is on fire. You have to admit that would be funny.
All jokes and competitive motives aside, I am very thankful for those that came running to my aid while the car was on fire. The quick actions of many people, that I never got the names of, are the only reason that my car looks to be repairable and not a total loss. We are trying figure out we will afford the damage repair, but quoting isn't in our vocabulary. Thank you everyone..I wish I could give you a hug and cook dinner for you all for coming to our aid. The car means so much to me and the team. We started this racing thing to raise money for military charities and to increase the visibility of veteran issues. It will be costly to repair, but I am going to do whatever I need to do to get this car back on the track. I feel that walking away from this would be like walking away from a brother in arms that is laying on the battlefield..it just can't happen. There are 22 Veterans a day that end their life early..I am committed to doing my part of ending that statistic. I think that every time someone sees this car and is told this fact, we get one step closer to ending veteran suicides. The last time we brought this car to Laughlin was the UTV World Championships. During that race we did 10 laps, pitting 7 times so that we could change the co-driver between 6 veterans most of which were part of Warfighter Made....we finished 10th in class. I know in my mind and the minds of those vets, we finished
that race in first.
Again, I would like to thank all of those who helped extinguish the fire that tried to consume the 1965 Pro Production UTV. I do not know who you are, but you will forever be in my mind as a friend. Thank you Casey, Dianne and the entire BITD team for putting on an amazing event. I know it will only be better next year. Thank you to Laughlin and the BLM, we can't race without your support. Thank you to my team, you are the best and the only reason we make it to the finish line of any race. A huge Thank you to our sponsors, Dan Fisher and Lonestar Racing, Ryan at Raceline Wheels, All of the people at Sedona Tire for producing a great new tire (we had zero wheel or tire issues), RideNow Powersports, Aces Racing for getting us hooked up with lights, Sparks Performance (engine/clutching), Twisted Linkage for being absolutely amazing on the photography front, Elka Suspension, Grant at Boost'n & Roost'n for being our number one fan and last but not least my beautiful daughter and her amazing mother for supporting me in all of the things I try to do in life.
Race Report Laughlin Desert Classic
After the first big break from racing since the Henderson 250, we had two months to prep the race car
for the Laughlin Desert Classic. The word on the street was this race would not be the same course as the UTV World Championships but in the same general area. The two day event began with a parade through Laughlin, Nevada but due obligations at work (we are a military race team) we did not make it for the parade. We brought the race car into town on Thursday night believing we were ready for the race, but did need a couple items from vendors and sponsors at Contingency. Specifically, PCI Race Radios agreed to help us out Thursday. We had them try to work out an issue we found in our Lowrance GPS. Matt from PCI spent almost an hour upside-down under our dash trying to troubleshoot the tracking issue we were having. He went above and beyond to help us out and did find the problem but it couldn't be repaired
in the field. The Point One Antenna couldn't communicate with the HDS8 because a pin was broken on the head unit so we had zero GPS tracking.
Getting up on Friday for Registration and Tech Inspection, we did not realize what we were in for. The line at registration made us feel like we were attending the Mint 400 and after getting done with that 2 hour wait, we
still had to get to the Tech and Contingency location. It was such a debacle trying to get the race car in the small parking lot to offload while everyone else was trying to do the same. Once the car was off the trailer it
was a 4 hour event for us to get the car from start to finish. Vehicles from other classes would bottle neck the line down for the inspections since many classes have specialized inspections for their own class like UTV, Jeep Speed, and a couple others. All in all, you know what tech and contingency are all about and you make it a great time for the fans and sponsors.
Race Day
The weather couldn't have been better as Mother Nature gave the course a good wetting the day and night prior. With the largest class in the series, Race 2 was UTV's only. With 19 Turbo, 33 N/A and 8 unlimited UTV's, the Best In The Desert staff had plenty of cars to get lined up on the course. Staging began at 7:15 officially but most vehicles got there at 7:00. At 8:00 on the nose the first three UTV's were on the course. pulled up the gate in the middle lane of row 14 or something like that. We started way back in the pack. The light turned green and we were off racing through the infield. The turns were fast and a whole lot of fun. We were screaming through the chutes and followed our starting partners into the desert.
We may have been a little slower than normal without the GPS, but we gave it hell and started putting in work on the course. The new Raceline Mamba Beadlocks allowed us to steer the car perfectly in the corners and worked really well. The 6/1 offset works the best in the RZR 1000 as it sets the center of the tire over the center of the spindle, this prevents a lot of added wear in the front suspension parts. Another huge advantage was being able to stick the car exactly where I wanted it to be the fastest without
over or under steer affecting the cornering speed. This was way better than the 4/3 offset I had been using up until this race. Each corner was merely another chance to prove these wheels and the new Sedona Tire Rock-A-Billy 30 inch tires were race ready equipment. After each corner I told my co-driver that the tires were hooking real well.
We drove the car as hard as we were comfortable with throughout the course and with the information we had available (course markings). The BITD staff had this course marked so well that the only thing our GPS would have helped us with would have been additional danger info the co-driver would have input as we found them. Coming into Devils Playground I had the car close to top speed and had to dodge a tire and then about a mile further I saw race officials flagging us to stay right. Just as I got to the hill I noticed a racer in his helmet frantically trying to warn me to slow down..It was too late. I hit the hill at close to 50 and the car launched into the air. I had enough time while airborne to see the 910 CanAm of Dan Fisher facing the wrong direction just over the jump in the valley made by the second jump. Looking forward again I saw blue sky and then the second jump, we were still in the air. I let off the gas and the car nosed over landing
with the front bumper impacting first and sending a large amount of dirt into the air and over the car. I am pretty sure the camera guys standing there got some amazing shots of the 1965 #xpwarrior impacting the ground hard. Luckily the car kept moving forward and we immediately kept rolling through the second jump and down to the road crossing. While crossing the road I could hear what sounded like a broken axle, shock or something up front. I decided to let the pit crew know we needed a quick check on that lap. My normal co-driver, Chris Edmondson, wasn't able to make it to the race due to a family medical emergency so Aaron Farris (US Navy) stepped into the car for the first time. We discussed the noise coming from the front of the car for a couple miles and decided that we were going to pit to have the car checked for damage that could cause a DNF.
In the pit, my pit boss told me the front of the UTV Inc skid plate had been ripped from the car. Corey Sappington had come over to look at the car as well and said the desert would wear it off, but it should be fine. Finding no other visual issues we went back onto the course.
Exiting the Pit was actually a lot of fun because BITD had positioned an official to assist in making the nearly blind entrance to fast race course much easier. My hat is off to that official for giving us great info on the
go to let us know when to bury the throttle. We entered the infield and had a pretty smooth run in the switch backs of the slalom turns and jumps and back out we went into the desert. As we entered the Fox Racing Proving Grounds, the desert took its toll on the skid plate and ripped it half way off of the car. By the time we made it to the Devils Playground and over the road crossings the skid plate was folded under the car. In the car it seemed like we had a huge shovel under the car throwing rocks into the driveline and fuel cell. I decided to flip the all-wheel drive off and asked Aaron to call the pits to let them know we needed to pit again to fix the skid plate. In the pit, the guys were fast and they realized they couldn't attach the plate to the car so they pulled it off completely. Exiting the Pit, the official signaled that one car was coming and gave a
countdown using hand signals and boom we were back out after a 24 minute lap including the pit.
Lap 3 and 4 were fun but we had to take it easy in sections we might have driven faster in because we had no skid plate on the car. Knowing that one rock or piece of debris could DNF us, using caution was best. Crossing the finish line on Day 1 felt great but we knew that work was going to have to be done in order to be competitive on Day 2. I tried to help a couple teams with parts and tech advice on issues they asked for help with. I am pretty sure I sent at least three teams over to Peak for parts. It is pretty amazing to have those guys out there with a trailer full of UTV parts and it seemed that many of the teams who didn't make it Day 1 would be able to get back at it on Day 2.
Day 2.
BITD worked all night putting down water, remarking the course and grooming areas that got destroyed by the high horse power and unlimited vehicles in Race 4 and 5. The course was awesome and we set a fast pace from the start. A matter of fact, though we were passed under power by a few people, they were turbo cars and they did have to work for it. The course was much rougher than it was Day 1. The chop was real bad on the power line roads and many new whoops were in sections that were smooth the day before.
The square edges of the hard pack caused new lines to be taken in sections but the course was close to being as fast as it was on Saturday. We did our best to stay up front all through Lap 1. Keeping the car together was top priority in my mind. The guys got the UTV Inc skid plate flattened back out
and installed on the car with a little extra securing power from little tricks my military team members are used to employing down range. As I enter mile 10, I could see the 1999 car trying to close distance. I did my
best to drive fast and keep him behind me. I would see him on sections of the course that came close to each other but he was gaining on me. Nearing the pit, we radioed that all was good in the car and we would not be stopping. Knowing that 1999 was closing but that I didn't want to blow a belt I kept the car just from top speed as we drove by the pits.
I didn't let off going through the "S" curve after the pit and stayed in the throttle as we approached the first jump to enter the infield. Aaron said into the comm that the jump was ahead and it was my call to back down or take it. I MADE THE WRONG CHOICE!!!! I couldn't tell you exactly at what speed I hit that first jump at, but I know it was faster than any other time I had taken that jump. The car sailed through the air and landed hard in the flats. I had just enough time to slow the car for the 180 degree left turn which we took really wide. I instantly began smelling fuel in my helmet as I drifted the car around the turn. I asked Aaron to look behind
us and tell me if he could see fuel on the ground. He told me he thought it was coming from 1999 who was trying to pass us after the corner. Into the next 180 which was a right hander, I took the low line and 1999 took the high side. I looked in the mirror to see where 1999 was and all I saw were orange flames..."WE'RE ON FIRE"
I stopped the car as fast as possible and started trying to get out. It was instantly hot in the cockpit and I couldn't get the window release right away. I tried and tried to get my window net to release as I heard Aaron
saying he was having trouble getting to the external fire extinguisher. Just before exiting the car I pulled the interior extinguisher and then ripped the window bar holding the net away as I franticly wanted to egress from the burning vehicle. Team members from other teams near our position ran over with fire extinguishers. It was a collective effort by many people to stop the fire. Aaron was flinging dirt at the car like a rabid dog looking for a bone long buried next to the car. I think he might have actually been trying to escape the country by digging his way to China. I pleaded with officials after the fire was out not to remove my car from the course so I could push it for a grand prix finish. I am pretty sure I was yelling at some moments that I was not leaving the race. Casey came by and asked if we were ok. I know he hates to see race vehicles on fire but you know he truly cares about the safety of everyone at the events. I told him we were not injured but really wanted to try to get the car across the finish line.
I waited for the next hour as many of my friends continued putting in laps on the course. I was happy to be alive and tried to enjoy the rest of the race. Having to take a grand prix is not how I ever want to finish a race, but in the circumstances it was all we could do to stay in the chase. We pushed the car for about a quarter of a mile to be just outside the finish line and waited there for the winner to cross the line. I joked with my co-driver that I should remove my race suit and re-enact the scene from Talladega Nights that Ricky Bobby thinks he is on fire. You have to admit that would be funny.
All jokes and competitive motives aside, I am very thankful for those that came running to my aid while the car was on fire. The quick actions of many people, that I never got the names of, are the only reason that my car looks to be repairable and not a total loss. We are trying figure out we will afford the damage repair, but quoting isn't in our vocabulary. Thank you everyone..I wish I could give you a hug and cook dinner for you all for coming to our aid. The car means so much to me and the team. We started this racing thing to raise money for military charities and to increase the visibility of veteran issues. It will be costly to repair, but I am going to do whatever I need to do to get this car back on the track. I feel that walking away from this would be like walking away from a brother in arms that is laying on the battlefield..it just can't happen. There are 22 Veterans a day that end their life early..I am committed to doing my part of ending that statistic. I think that every time someone sees this car and is told this fact, we get one step closer to ending veteran suicides. The last time we brought this car to Laughlin was the UTV World Championships. During that race we did 10 laps, pitting 7 times so that we could change the co-driver between 6 veterans most of which were part of Warfighter Made....we finished 10th in class. I know in my mind and the minds of those vets, we finished
that race in first.
Again, I would like to thank all of those who helped extinguish the fire that tried to consume the 1965 Pro Production UTV. I do not know who you are, but you will forever be in my mind as a friend. Thank you Casey, Dianne and the entire BITD team for putting on an amazing event. I know it will only be better next year. Thank you to Laughlin and the BLM, we can't race without your support. Thank you to my team, you are the best and the only reason we make it to the finish line of any race. A huge Thank you to our sponsors, Dan Fisher and Lonestar Racing, Ryan at Raceline Wheels, All of the people at Sedona Tire for producing a great new tire (we had zero wheel or tire issues), RideNow Powersports, Aces Racing for getting us hooked up with lights, Sparks Performance (engine/clutching), Twisted Linkage for being absolutely amazing on the photography front, Elka Suspension, Grant at Boost'n & Roost'n for being our number one fan and last but not least my beautiful daughter and her amazing mother for supporting me in all of the things I try to do in life.
