TransWest Ford Henderson “250†To Be A Real Championship Shootout In The Desert

JoeyD23

#utvunderground
Jan 9, 2009
18,569
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North County San Diego
www.utvunderground.com

COngrats to Jerome and Rito in the 1937 for their win at Henderson!
Image curtesy of www.imagesbywanda.com



UTVUnderground wants to wish all the racers repping UTVUnderground at the Henderson 250 this weekend the best of luck! Have fun and be safe!



The last race on the Best In The Desert’s 2010 calendar is shaping up to be a real cliffhanger with so many season class points championships riding on it. A total of seven class championships will be decided at the end of the day when the dust settles on this last race of the season. Plus the TransWest Ford Henderson “250” is a “double points” race, so anything can happen.

Any one of four Trick Truck drivers has a chance at taking the season championship crown. Coming into this race, B.J. Baldwin, Marc Ewing, Steve Sourapas and Rick D. Johnson are separated by a mere 37 points with Baldwin holding a narrow four point lead over Ewing. So it comes down to whichever driver and team that can put together the perfect race for the win, probably goes home with the championship.

In Class 1500, the championship race is even tighter with Chris Appleton and Steve Croll coming to Henderson tied for the lead at 447 points each. So it will be a race within a race between these two drivers as they battle for year-end supremacy.

The Class 1000 championship comes down to a chase between Todd Elam and John Hsu as they are separated by only 14 points. Lee Banning Sr. and Ryan Plowman are in another tight race for the Class 1100 crown with Banning holding an 11 point lead. In Class 1200 for Protrucks, Troy Vest holds a narrow 17 point lead over Alex E. Staats for the championship. The Class 2000 chase comes down to Kevin Smith and Patrick Nirschl with only 15 points separating them.

Three drivers have a shot at winning the Class 7200 championship. Only 15 points separate David Caspino, Alan A. Hogan and Sean Backus, making for yet another extremely exciting fight for the class win.

Not only will this be a great race for the racers and teams, but it’s also going to be a great race for racing fans. The TransWest Ford Henderson “250” is a spectator friendly event, as for the first time ever, two designated “spectator only” areas on BLM owned land will be provided. The BLM gave their approval for them sitting the extreme attention to safety for all involved by Casey Folks and Best In The Desert in all their events. These two “spectator only” areas will be manned by Best In The Desert personnel and feature easy paved road access to the course with portable restroom facilities provided.



TransWest Ford Henderson “250”

December 2-5, 2010 – Henderson, Nevada


Thursday, December 2, 2010

1:00 PM – Time Trials begin for Class 1100 and combined Classes 1400 & 1500


5:00 PM to 7:00 PM – Media and Pre-Race Kick-Off Party with the announcement of Time Trials results Fiesta Henderson Hotel Casino, 777 West Lake Mead Drive


Friday, December 3, 2010

9:45 AM to 6:00 PM – Contingency & Technical Inspection for all race vehicles On Water St. in downtown Henderson


Saturday, December 4, 2010

6:15 AM – 1st Race for Motorcycles, Quads & UTVs

These classes will race around an approximate 45-mile loop three times, for a total of 135 miles, with a gran prix finish


9:00 AM – 2nd Race for Classes 1100, 1700, 1800. 2000, 3000,

3700, 4400, 5000, 6000, 7100, 7300, 8100

These classes will race around an approximate 80-mile loop two times, for a total of 160 miles – Finish Line Cut-off time 3:00 PM – Not a gran prix finish


12:40 PM (approx.) – 3rd Race for Classes 1000, 1200, 1400, 1500, 7200, 8000

These classes will race around an approximate 80-mile loop three times, for a total of 240 miles – Finish Line Cut-off time 9 PM – Not a gran prix finish


Sunday, October 17, 2010

9:00 AM to 11:00 AM – TransWest Ford Henderson “250” Awards Presentation

Henderson Convention Center – Grand Ballroom
Best In The Desert official sponsors: Ford Motor Company – official truck, General Tire – official tire, VP Racing Fuels – official fuel, KC HiLiTES – official light, Arctic Cat – official UTV, KTM – official motorcycle, FabTech - Official Suspension, Fall Advertising, Prerunner Maniac, McKenzies, PCI Race Radios, and Sportsman Cycle Sales.

The American Off-Road Racing Series…Best In The Desert!​
 
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Custom Creations

Pretty In Pink #1931 Teryx - UTVUnderground Approv
Feb 9, 2009
200
9
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lol!! that was pretty fun!! cant wait to hear the results... we missed this one to prepare for Parker....:(:eek:
 

Bajaxp

SXS Racer Extraordinaire - UTVUnderground Approved
Jan 21, 2010
1,597
253
83
OC
Nice...!

Another Polaris win! Anybody know how 1919 and 1950 did for the BITD championship?
 

facteryfmf

Looking For a Few Good Men - UTVUnderground Approv
Feb 8, 2009
2,066
365
83
40
Phoenix
Lasher was near first on lap two, pit two and the car wouldn't restart. I do believe Jagged took third overall and took the championship.
 

Custom Creations

Pretty In Pink #1931 Teryx - UTVUnderground Approv
Feb 9, 2009
200
9
0
good job guys... sounds like everyone had a blast!!! Cant wait to hear the stripping shop story!! Love reading them.....
 

BOBONTHIS

#64 PRO UTVUNDERGROUND RACER - UTVUnderground Appr
Jan 27, 2009
364
17
18
Mesa, AZ
great Job Justin(facteryfmf) for your second place finish!! Great job to all the racers for there finishes as well!!!!
 

facteryfmf

Looking For a Few Good Men - UTVUnderground Approv
Feb 8, 2009
2,066
365
83
40
Phoenix
Well, I cant say how relived I am to finally be back up on the podium with a strong race and no flaws or breaks.

The morning started out kinda rough, as we headed to main pits at 4:45AM from Primm. As it was still pretty dark of course, we and quite a number of racers (including Jagged, so I didnt feel like such an idiot) missed the turn for the main pit as there was no sign. We nearly went all the way to Pit two and quickly realized we were way too far. On the way back, we saw the turn and headed for main pit. I was lucky enough to get to team up (kinda) and be sponsored for this race with the 1915 of Bobby Raber. Bobby and co got a little bit later of jump from Primm, so we were planning on meeting in the pits before the race to actually find a place to pit. By the time we made it to the track and into main pits, it was already 5:20. Staging was to start at 545. My spare tire and co driver we were Bobby and I was starting to get quite nervous about making staging on time. I decided I needed to check air pressure and get things done while waiting on them. All tires were a bit low and Lasher was kind enough to allow me to get some air. While airing up a tire, I could already hear one of my HiPers leaking air. By this time, Im going nuts. Cant get a hold of Bobby (cell service isnt very good in the Jean desert with AT&T) and I already have a tire going down quick. I decided I only had time to get the beadlock ring tightened down even more. It finally decided to hold air at this point. With no sign of Bobby, my co driver, or spare tire I decide I better just head to the starting line (fully aware I must have a co driver to start). Luckily, on the way to the start, Bobby was a couple spots down in the pits and I was able to grab my spare and load it. They told me my co driver was already walking down to the start ready for me. I get to the start line around 6:20 and find my codriver. UTVs were already about to start and we still had to harness him in (which is not an easy task in my car). They kept yelling at me to stage in the 9th spot or so and I told them to go ahead and let everyone go ahead. Approx 4 or 5 minutes after the last UTV leaves the line, we were ready to go and started the race. Last year I had a flat on MM2 and really ruined my race. I decided to take it really easy to start to make sure we could actually finish. At 6:30am there was no wind or breeze at all. The dust was miserable. It stayed right on the track and lines were basically impossible for me to see, causing me to stop a number of times on the track to let it settle and see where to go. That dang tire leaking was running through my head so bad at this point and really setting me back. I stopped three times in the first 8 miles to ask if we had a flat. The car was riding a little funny (to me) and I was just way too worried. Everyone said we didnt have a flat, so we kept motoring on. I was in such a rush to get to the starting line, I had forgot my gloves on the trailer. I knew I was going to be in a quite a bit of trouble bc I didnt run any gloves last year and was pretty thankful our race ended in only 20 miles so I could get my hands warmed up. About MM20 this year, my hands were quite numb and I thought I was gonna die. I had to ask my codriver for his gloves. We made that change and I felt a little more comfortable. We ended up passing 3 or 4 cars along the way. We make it back to main pits and there were about 7 cars in already through the pits. Meanwhile, Jagged passed me again while pitting. We picked up another pair of gloves, checked the tires and got some water. We were on for lap two. I decided to take it easy again through the first 4 miles as it was quite rocky and rough. About MM3 or 4 we passed Murray with a flat tire and another 50 yards in front of them, was Raber with a flat also. Now I was really nervous about the tires again. I decided I finally had to pick up the pace quite a bit if I wanted to move up. The sun was now over the mountains and a slight breeze was in the air and clearing the dust from the track. I pushed the car harder and harder as I was remembering the course. We picked off another two cars and were now into Pit 2 and I seen Lasher pulled off and out of the car. As we were exiting pit 2, there was another car closely in front of us and we were able to pick that car off. I knew there was a few more cars in front of us including Jagged, Sappington. I decided to really start pushing the car. It was doing phenomenal. On one of the smoother sections, the GPS was reading 68mph. Just about that time of looking at the GPS, I see a pretty big jump right in front of us. There wasnt much I could do besides stay on the gas and hold on. The car flew perfect and we stayed hauling the mail. After 3 seconds after the car came down, my codriver was done screaming through the intercom. I laughed and asked if he was ok and he said hell yes. (I was nervous, not gonna lie! but dont tell anyone else) Somewhere around this point, the first pro motorcycle passed me hauling ass. I knew I was now on my last lap. We were now about to MM 30 and I could now see Jagged. I really felt like we were close to the number one spot and felt the need to hammer down so more. Through this section, it was a couple miles of straight whoops and g outs. a lot of the course had multiple lines. Jagged stayed right and I went left. We got by jagged with a good amount of speed and kept moving. Now about MM 38 I see Sappington trying to drive the car (I mean driving the car) with 3 wheels. Missing the front driver wheel and his codriver on the back passenger side trying to get the front end in the air. I really thought we were out in front at this point with only about 7 or 8 miles to go. There was a lot of uphill sand wash on the backend of the course. My rhino was only able to go 35 and I kept thinking something was wrong bc of that. I just tried to stay calm and make no mistakes. With about a mile or two to go, the car started to kinda sputter. I was really becoming nervous while thinking we were out front. We stayed in it and finally made it to the finish. There were no UTVs at the finish line waiting to drive over the podium. I was sure we had won, starting from the very back and quite a few minutes behind the last UTV to start. Bill from Jagged came over and told me congrats, but Jerome was out on his 3rd lap. He hadnt got passed by the first Pro MC. But, that Jerome had to finish his 3rd lap by 945 bc the finish line closed. It didnt really matter bc Jerome deserved to win wethere he finished by 945 or not. doing all three laps shouldnt get you a DNF. even if the line closed. Nevertheless, the race WAS a grand prix finish and the line does not close. For the latter two races, they were NOT a grand prix finish, and DID have a closing time. I was pretty damn happy for second place coming from the back. I really wish I had a chance at a third lap as we were doing so well and moving pretty fast on our second lap. Once again, congrats to Jerome on a great race and I cant wait for Parker.

I have to thank many people who made this possible for me.....

I cannot say thank you enough to the Raber Racing team of Bobby Raber, his family, and friends. If not for him, this race would not have been possible for me. We need more people like him in our desert racing community.

I also cannot say thank you enough to my boss, Court (AZCourt) for spending countless hours in the garage of helping me prep the car. Including changing the motor once, and pulling it all back apart again just days before the race.

Dave at 2x Motorsports for all my parts, tires, service, and payment plans!

Kelly at PDM for helping with my clutch and allowing my little 686 to hit 68mph in such a heavy car.

UTV Underground for allowing us to share our stories

BITD for allowing us to create stories.



It feels so good to be back on the podium! See you all at Parker!
 

Zerofield

Pit Junky - UTVUnderground Approved
Dec 13, 2009
169
1
0
Arizona
Good job Justin! About time to you started finishing races. Good times at the track and in Vegas.
 

facteryfmf

Looking For a Few Good Men - UTVUnderground Approv
Feb 8, 2009
2,066
365
83
40
Phoenix
Thanks Danny for coming to help and having a good time. I'll be expecting you at the races from now on!
 

howyadoin

Jagged X - Official UTVUnderground Sponsor
Aug 24, 2010
114
4
18
Hell, AZ
Congrats to factoryfmf as well, you guys passed us like we were towing another utv in that "whoop field"!:D
 

JLeeper

J-Leep - UTVUnderground Approved
Oct 9, 2009
92
1
8
Congrats 1937 on making the third lap. We were passed by the first pro cycle near the bottom of Night Ranch Road. Sure wish we could have joined you on the third. Did anyone else get passed in the 25mph pits? I have some great footage on the GoPro if I can just figue out how to edit.
 

the stripping shop

RACER - UTVUnderground Approved
Jan 29, 2009
1,101
137
63
peoria,Az
www.strippingshop.com
let me start out by saying its about time we won a race. This race tested me mentally. I sent the paper work in earlly to get in the lottery which we never do because i forget. But it paid off got to start outside of front row. Well i will start on the sunday before the race when i was testing the car. The motor had a little tick to it in the last straight way. I pulled it in and heard the noise in the top end. So back to the shop to work on it. One of the lifters wasn't pumping up. So let the tear down begin 5 days before the race. I get it all back to geither on wednesday. Go test and re clutch again at my shop. So we head to henderson on friday thinking iam running late to find out we are a 1hr head of vegas. We get tech in and bonus we dont need that stupid IRC. On to saturday morning we line up to the murrays off the line we see them for a second and that was the last utv we seen until our second lap were we seen cory 3 wheeling on the dry lake bed. We had zero problems the first 2 laps and passed 4 dirt bikes and about 6 quads. We were hoping the dirt bike would pass us but he never did when we passed the start finish line. So now we are on our third lap we pull into the pits i have to pee so bad when i get out i see the dirt bike pass the finish line. I now know we are the only team on the third lap. So me and jerome take off we are calling this our victory lap for now. We get to mile 20 when our crew tells us we have tell 9:45 to finish the race. So we hammer down netheir on us our talking to each other because we know its going to be close in time. Iam pissed because i swear i thought we had tell 3:00 to finish. My hole crew was happy my push to talk button was broke. At about mile 37 the rearend has a bad pull we both new it was axle. But we have to make it passed the line and about mile 40 news over the radio came in we had all the time in the world as long as we got to the finish line. So we pulled over passenger rear axle popped out and rear sway bar broke. i get the axle back in and we motor back on. Jerome says the rear end still lose i say get us to the finish line. We finally get there the biggest weight was lifted off my shoulders. We finnally win a race no if and our butts.Then they tell me were murray finishes i finnally get to tell jerome we moved to second in points. I only told him we had a chance at third. I didnt want to put any pressure on him. This has been along time coming i thought we were cursed.I forget to mention the pull that was there the drivers outer rear axle cv blew apart thank god for four wheel drive. I want to thank all of wifes and familys for putting up with so much. Jerome especially for almost 3 years of crap me and you have had to put with. My dad for all the crap i give when iam in race mode. Craig from ATD for being there and helping with us using his car. Jeff my helper/ friend who is there at every race except this one he knows he might be the juju. Ron from kroyer racing for the motors that was were our program need the most help. If it wasn't for that stupid billet crank from CRANK WORKS blowing up we would of had the championship. Toni from full circle auto body for the paint. HPD for the rear end housing. The whole family from jaggedx when we needed parts we got there good hand downs. The tranny and the bottom end saved our season. And jerome i told you we could do it if we stuck to our game plan.
 

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