An adventure buddy of mine headed up a team to take part in an off road race and in 2008 published a report on his experience on the most dangerous race in the US. I thought I would post it on my blog as I was part of the team.
Vegas to Reno and Bust;
Story of a group of fun guys racing a Toyota FJ cruiser on the Vegas 2 Reno 500 off road race in 2008.
Monday, September 01, 2008
As we slept on the roof of the Toyota 4WD Owner Magazine FJ Racer, the rising sun woke up the Nevada desert. John Rudzitis arose and said, “Dawn was exactly when I wanted to be driving.” We had been cruising on a whooped-out section of race course just 80 miles from the finish when nasty engine noises and spewing oil signaled our defeat. All we could do was phone our chase crew, report the bad news and wait for daylight.
Four weeks earlier, I had received the call from John. Did I want to compete in the Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno off-road race? This was a once in a lifetime opportunity so I committed immediately. More calls were made and our dream team assembled: John, Jerry Brown, Gary Patterson, Jay Fernan and myself. We each brought years of motorcycle and 4x4 experience but we knew little about the FJ Racer other than it was in California and had previously entered the Baja 500.
A week before the race, John, Jerry and Gary drove down to L.A. from Seattle and assessed the truck. Sway-A-Way mended a leaking shock and R&E Racing artfully welded braces onto the stock spindles. The rulebook wisely guided us: we needed fireproof suits, blue back-marker lights and a satellite tracking system. More phone calls were made, credit cards charged and overnight deliveries received.
We all met-up in Vegas where registration and tech inspection was a controlled chaos with lots of hurry up and wait. When we saw lines we followed them and eventually finished the check-in gauntlet. We received arm bands, tech inspection stickers and attended the driver’s meeting. At last, we were ready. This was really going to happen!
Race morning we impatiently waited for the first truck to take-off. As a last minute entry, we were stuck in the back and didn’t start until after 1:00 pm. With just seven hours of daylight available for the 456 mile run, we sped through silt beds and sandy washes. The suspension by Total Chaos dared us to go faster and faster. Driver changes every 100 miles awarded everyone a fair amount of seat time. We also had plenty of problems. A sharp rock gashed a tire—no fun changing while buggies blazed past in a storm of dust. The air filter was constantly clogging. Ruts dug out by the trophy trucks high centered us twice. A leaky fuel vent was fixed in the wee hours courtesy of Team Locos Mocos. But at 3:30 am, we were still cruising, confident of a finish, which for us would be a win.
At mile 370, I warned John about ten miles of blow sand ahead. We slammed through deep whoops, riding waves of sand. Just when I was thinking it doesn’t get any better than this, we clattered to a halt. Our stock engine, the last thing we expected to fail, could do no more. We climbed onto the roof and waited for dawn.
In the morning, the FJ was loaded on the trailer and we started slogging homeward. We placed 111th out of 202 overall (DNF) and 6th out of 15 in our class (1800 Sportsman). The dream was over—or was it? Casey Folks and the Best in the Desert Racing Association are dreaming big for 2009. Three days, 1000 miles, next year it’s Vegas to Reno, the long way around. If I get the call, I already know my answer.
posted by Mitch | 5:32 PM
Vegas to Reno and Bust;
Story of a group of fun guys racing a Toyota FJ cruiser on the Vegas 2 Reno 500 off road race in 2008.
Monday, September 01, 2008
As we slept on the roof of the Toyota 4WD Owner Magazine FJ Racer, the rising sun woke up the Nevada desert. John Rudzitis arose and said, “Dawn was exactly when I wanted to be driving.” We had been cruising on a whooped-out section of race course just 80 miles from the finish when nasty engine noises and spewing oil signaled our defeat. All we could do was phone our chase crew, report the bad news and wait for daylight.
Four weeks earlier, I had received the call from John. Did I want to compete in the Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno off-road race? This was a once in a lifetime opportunity so I committed immediately. More calls were made and our dream team assembled: John, Jerry Brown, Gary Patterson, Jay Fernan and myself. We each brought years of motorcycle and 4x4 experience but we knew little about the FJ Racer other than it was in California and had previously entered the Baja 500.
A week before the race, John, Jerry and Gary drove down to L.A. from Seattle and assessed the truck. Sway-A-Way mended a leaking shock and R&E Racing artfully welded braces onto the stock spindles. The rulebook wisely guided us: we needed fireproof suits, blue back-marker lights and a satellite tracking system. More phone calls were made, credit cards charged and overnight deliveries received.
We all met-up in Vegas where registration and tech inspection was a controlled chaos with lots of hurry up and wait. When we saw lines we followed them and eventually finished the check-in gauntlet. We received arm bands, tech inspection stickers and attended the driver’s meeting. At last, we were ready. This was really going to happen!
Race morning we impatiently waited for the first truck to take-off. As a last minute entry, we were stuck in the back and didn’t start until after 1:00 pm. With just seven hours of daylight available for the 456 mile run, we sped through silt beds and sandy washes. The suspension by Total Chaos dared us to go faster and faster. Driver changes every 100 miles awarded everyone a fair amount of seat time. We also had plenty of problems. A sharp rock gashed a tire—no fun changing while buggies blazed past in a storm of dust. The air filter was constantly clogging. Ruts dug out by the trophy trucks high centered us twice. A leaky fuel vent was fixed in the wee hours courtesy of Team Locos Mocos. But at 3:30 am, we were still cruising, confident of a finish, which for us would be a win.
At mile 370, I warned John about ten miles of blow sand ahead. We slammed through deep whoops, riding waves of sand. Just when I was thinking it doesn’t get any better than this, we clattered to a halt. Our stock engine, the last thing we expected to fail, could do no more. We climbed onto the roof and waited for dawn.
In the morning, the FJ was loaded on the trailer and we started slogging homeward. We placed 111th out of 202 overall (DNF) and 6th out of 15 in our class (1800 Sportsman). The dream was over—or was it? Casey Folks and the Best in the Desert Racing Association are dreaming big for 2009. Three days, 1000 miles, next year it’s Vegas to Reno, the long way around. If I get the call, I already know my answer.
posted by Mitch | 5:32 PM
