SCHERER PROCLAIMED KING OF THE HAMMERS GIVING TORCHMATE AN EPIC VICTORY

TEAM COMPLETES RACE WITH 3 OF 4 ENTRIES

Mile for mile, King of the Hammers is the toughest automobile race. Some are longer, some are faster, but none are rougher. The race can only be described as a do or die endurance race as there are both high speed sections and barely drivable ravines. There are no classes, no series, and no money for 2nd place. This year, 92 of the toughest and most durable off-road vehicles faced off in hopes of attaining the glory of victory. A mere 36 would finish and only one of those, Torchmate Racing’s Jason Scherer was proclaimed champion.

“I think our advantage was in pre-running,” commented Scherer who completed the 82 mile course in 4:42:49, “We ran some areas of the course two or three times before the race. It wasn’t a perfect run for us. We rolled the Jeep at one point and then had some difficulty with a cooling fan. It was crazy dicing it up with other driver’s out there.” The always humble Scherer was quick to thank everyone that helped put him on top, “My navigator Jason Berger never missed a turn, the BFGoodrich Baja T/A KRT’s were awesome with no flats, Torchmate did a great job helping me prepare for the race, and I have to thank my family and friends for their commitment. I have so many sponsors I need to thank – Spidertrax, IronCLAD, Shaffer’s Off-road, Poly Performance, High Angle Driveline, Wilwood, and a ton of others. ”
Both Brad and Roger Lovell were well primed for victory after pre-running and tuning all week. After passing 49 trucks in the first 23 miles, Brad Lovell hit an unseen sand mound and damaged a shock. Fabtech off-road racer Greg Foutz navigated for Brad giving the pair the pace to win but mechanical issues caused the team to stop a total 3 times for repair. The #232 AMSOIL / Torchmate Ranger was still fast enough for a 5th place finish after limping nearly 10 miles to the finish. Brad adds, “This was truly an epic race and grueling test. Unfortunately we had a few issues with the truck but the good news is that the whole team feels confident the design can win. Our team did an outstanding job with pitting and logistics. We’ll be strong in 2010.” The #232 team of Lovell / Foutz finished in 6:05:47.

Roger Lovell and Eric Filar again teamed up after a good finish in 2008. The newly reworked #32 AMSOIL / Torchmate Ranger amazingly had no mechanical problems during the race. While the team did get stuck twice, Roger was never forced to exit the vehicle. “There was a lot of confusion out there,” Roger said, “We got turned back at one point and then got stuck. We got clogged in traffic, broke a winch line, and lost some serious time.” After untangling from a collision with the #10 truck, Lovell and Filar became the 21st finishers with a time of 7:35:40. “Brad and I are really proud to finish with both trucks and it is a testament to the quality of products we use. For example, we didn’t carry a spare tire because we didn’t feel it was necessary. The BFG’s held up flawlessly.”

Rockcrawling champion Jesse Haines was a newcomer this year to King of the Hammers and spent the last 7 months designing a vehicle specifically for this race. The high-tech #199 Torchmate rock racer was created using the very machines that Torchmate sells and the quality was apparent. While the team of Haines and Howard started strong, a slipping transmission caused the pair to withdraw after the first 23 mile leg. “Although the finish wasn't what we were hoping for, the race was an awesome learning experience,” commented Haines, “I can't wait to go to a race once I have a little time to test and tune the car.”

At the end of the day, Torchmate Racing was able to pull off a smashing (quite literally) success and get 3 of 4 trucks to the finish line and capture a victory. It is a strong start to what the team hopes is a dominant season. The team now has a month long breather before #28 Kunz, #199 Haines, and #232 Lovell will hit the rocks for the 2009 WE-Rock debut in Tuscon, AZ April 4th – 5th.

AUTHOR / DRIVER: BRAD LOVELL NAVIGATOR: GREG FOUTZ

As I work frantically to find some last minute water drip that makes no sense at all a voice on the load speaker tells me to “Start your engines!” We climb in and try to gain our composure as bottles of water are hastily taped to the truck in case the worst happens and the cooling system ruptures. A camera man swoops in to start the in-car camera and apparently has problems. I can hear my name announced on the loudspeaker and I tell him I have to go. A dust cloud develops as the truck in front of us races off and we pull up to the starting line of the 2009 King of the Hammers race. The flag drops, gone from my mind are the months of meticulous prep work and design questions. My only concern is speed and durability. The battle begins.

Greg Foutz is a 15 year desert race veteran and championship off-road racer for Fabtech and Ford. Through some exaggerations and elaborate promises, I was able to convince Greg to ride with me in this grueling race. I thought it would be a good choice but was blown away by his wisdom and level head under pressure. As a “rock guy” I don’t have much feel for the pace of an endurance race, the science of running whoops, or pit logistics. Greg coached me and kept me calm. The initial results were encouraging and we pass 49 trucks in the first 23 miles. We push forward in the pack unafraid to make aggressive moves but smart enough to not exceed the edge of control.

Near mile 31 of the race I experiment with running a tire on the edge of the road to avoid the whoops and find a nasty surprise. Hidden by a bush was a sand mound that nearly removes us from the race. The jarring impact puts the truck on two wheels while going nearly 50mph and damages a shock. My heart sinks as I know I hurt the truck. As I regain my head we realize that the damage is tolerable and we might still be in the race. Greg radios ahead for a new shock and we continued on. We enter the rocks and I am surprised as we keep pace with the other trucks. We have little trouble before stopping at the BFGoodrich Pit. It sounds odd, but in the chaos of a race like this, I can’t even count the number of people who helped pit for us. Friends do this while strangers do that. Other teams jump in and lend parts. I have never experienced this type of camaraderie in any other sport. During our race, we received help from fellow Torchmate racers, BFGoodrich pit support, Branik Motorsports, a crew from Cooper Tires, and several others whose names were lost in the excitement. Back to the race.

After receiving our shock, we again enter the isolation, dust, and rocks. Only minutes later we smelled fuel and decide to not take any chances. Concern and desperation overcome me when we discover a cracked weld on the fuel cell with gas pouring out. We are not prepared for a failure like this. Greg comes up with an idea to pull the tank together with a ratchet strap and it makes the leak decrease dramatically. We clean up and tightened our belts. I ask Greg, “Do you think this is safe?” and he bluntly replies, “Not really.” My mind wanders to a fire we witnessed near race mile 35 that burned a truck to the ground and I am forced to accept that my vehicle might meet the same fate. I slow down a bit.

We reinforce the fuel cell in the main pit at race mile 62 after making up ground. Time and again rocks threaten to shake our heads loose but the truck holds together. The last rough section of the race is called Sledgehammer and it is truly one of the toughest trails. I aggressively launch #232 over boulders and see a spray of fluid before losing my steering. My hopes of finishing again fade as I stop and loosen my safety gear. The inspection reveals a broken hydraulic hose and torn steering mount. We calmly think through the challenges and realize that once again there might be hope. We wrench, hammer, and cut. I cautiously test our patchwork fix while Greg keeps an eye on things from outside. Luck is on our side and we make forward progress until reaching a fellow racer struggling to climb a ledge. After an eternal wait, I force my way to his left to try my hand. Forced to stop in order to avoid his spotter, I have no refuge and he slides my way impacting my vehicle and driving over my hood. At least he finally makes it up and over. I re-line and give it my all. Up the ledge and onto my passenger side door. I yell for direction and Greg guides me back down the ledge and onto my wheels. Now knowing my line, I overcome the ledge and reach easier terrain.

As Greg buckles in I take an accounting of the damage. We only have about 10 miles to go but a cracked fuel cell, cracked oil pan, damaged steering, and inoperable cooling fan stand in our way. While we are ultimately forced to slow in order to keep the engine cool, any additional speed would likely cause our demise. Remarkably, we are able to make one more pass before reaching the finish line in 5th place.

I still smile every time I glance at my bruised and battered truck. The sheen in the paint has been replaced by scrapes and tire marks. Zip ties hold the hood on and the nylon strap and some lumber still keep 20 gallons of fuel secure. My pleasure in the work ahead will come from the knowledge that we pushed the AMSOIL / Torchmate Ranger to the edge. We gave #232 a season’s worth of wear and tear in a brutal fashion that only 36 other teams can appreciate. We went to battle and came out on the better end. My many thanks to the small army that helped make it happen.

AUTHOR / DRIVER: ROGER LOVELL NAVIGATOR: ERIC FILAR

After a short night of crazy race dreams 5:30 AM came all too early. The team had worked hard the night before and the car was prepped and ready to race but my stomach was tied in knots. At 8:03 AM the flag dropped for the #32 Ranger; I was off and my co driver, Eric Filar had a close eye on the GPS. We pushed the Ford hard from the start and quickly settled into a comfortable pace. I could have pushed the truck harder but it was early in the race and we were consistently passing other trucks. The first 21 miles flew by and we made good time. Teammate, Brad Lovell flew by just before the first pit stop and gave us something to chase. The AMSOIL / Torchmate Ranger was running great and we only took fuel at the first pit. Off to the second leg!

As the miles clicked by it became obvious, this was an endurance race! Trucks that had passed us earlier were off course with driver and co driver working feverishly, others had crashed and some trucks sat empty with no crew in sight. We entered a sand wash and Rob Bonny jumped into my mirror, as we let him by we smelled smoke, little did we know what lay ahead. As we left the wash we saw Rob and Dan out of the truck scrambling to put out a small fire. We stopped quickly enough for Rob to grab one of our extinguishers and were forced to continue on. Minutes later we crested a ridge and could see Rob and Dan had abandoned the fight and the truck was a complete loss. Incidents such as this can really cut to the heart of a fellow driver; as difficult as it was I had to stomach the terrible image and push on. Up Aftershock, Over Sunbonnet Pass, the rocks were relentless and sections that we had pre-run suddenly became more difficult. I was driving hard and the Ranger was letting me know how hard I was pushing. We pulled into BFG Pit #2 and once again only took fuel, #32 was holding together!

The next leg of race dealt us an unexpected surprise as we crested the top of what we thought was a small waterfall. As the front tires dropped off the top I quickly realized that some fast thinking was in order, I did not want to lose the race here! A quick stab of the gas brought the rear end back to earth and the Ranger dropped to the bottom. We moved quickly through another rock trail and back into the desert. As a driver it’s easy to both love and hate the desert sections. Desert sections knock down the miles and the speed cools you off but one wrong move on the big whoops and it could be the end of the race. After a long desert section it was back to the Hammers; they saved the hardest rocks for last! Eric and I struggled down Jack Hammer and one wrong move left us with all four tires hanging in the air. Eric quickly jumped out and scrambled to winch but the angle was to sharp and the winch line broke each time we attempted the pull. Traffic was starting to pile up behind us and there was no alternative route. Quick thinking prevailed and the team behind us quickly yanked us off the rock. At this point we had less than 20 miles left and my goal was to push hardest at the end, we still had more rocks ahead.

Midway up Sledge Hammer a race began, and we right in the thick of it. With John Reynolds close on my tail all four cars were banging rocks and cages to get to the top first. The trial became more difficult and the leader was unable climb a ledge; I took a gamble and attempted a climb on the far right side of the course. If it worked I would pass two trucks at once. As I slammed the Ranger into the ledge I knew I made the right choice; the BFGoodrich KRT’s griped the rock like Velcro. Hard burn to the left, don’t let it slip, back to right I thought as the crowd roared, we were back in the race and off to the finish line! At this point all we had to do was finish, and finish we did! After swapping positions with John Reynolds a few times we crossed the finish line. Our unofficial time was 7hours, 35minutes which was good enough for a 21st. At the start line there were 92 drivers, 82 miles later there were only 36 drivers. The #32 AMSOIL / Torchmate Ranger did not have a single mechanical issue; a statement that only a handful of teams can make. Just to finish King of the Hammers is an incredible accomplishment, one that I been fortunate enough to do twice. The celebration that takes place at the finish line appears to revolve solely around the driver and co driver, the bottom line is the drivers are a very small part of getting the truck to finish line. Late nights in the shop with every friend you can call to help, pit support from people you just met; their dedication is what finishes the race.

AUTHOR / DRIVER: JESSE HAINES NAVIGATOR: BRIAN HOWARD

When I got my invite to the 2009 King of the Hammers race I decided I would be building a new car specifically for the race so I could make a serious run for the KOH crown. Planning for the build of the new car started in August, and the goal was to have it ready for testing by the first of the year. Unfortunately, the build-up of the new car ran well behind schedule despite hundreds of hours that were spent in the Torchmate shop in the months leading up to the race. As the date of the race quickly approached the question was no longer "how much time there would be to test the new buggy", but rather "if there would be time to test the new buggy".

The first real test run happened just prior to tech inspection the day before the race. Third gear in the transmission wasn't working, and fluid was leaking from the case. We didn't have the parts or the time to fix the transmission before the race so it was decided that we would have to run the race with only 1st and 2nd gear, leaving us with a top speed of just over 50mph.

Despite the transmission issues and lack of time to pre-run the course we felt like we could still make a strong run at a top 5 finish. When the green flag dropped we took off on a mission to pass as many teams as possible before the first rock section. We had nothing to compare our speed in the desert to until the race. It was surprising how much faster we were than the other teams we came across in the first section of the race course. In the first 13 miles we must have passed 15-20 teams, but the transmission was starting to slip and overheat. We pulled off the race course and saw fluid pouring out a seal in the side of the transmission case. We did our best to fix the problem, and spent close to an hour on the side of the course. Once we took off again we quickly realized that the problem was no better than it was before. We added more fluid, and limped the buggy to the first checkpoint where we called it a day.

Although the finish wasn't what we were hoping for, the race was an awesome learning experience. Even though we were only able to complete 23 miles of the course, it was more fun than I could have imagined it being. The buggy worked incredibly well, and was very fast through the desert with almost no tuning to the shocks. I can't wait to go to a race once I have a little time to test and tune the car..

Jason Scherer!!!

Story and pictures here: http://pirate4x4.com/koh09/winner.php

Some action on Sledge:

YouTube - KOH 077 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTPsYWkzNy0&eurl=http://pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=765895)

Did you intend to let the Kirby buggy pivot off of you and make the pass. I was standing there and it sure as heck looked like that was the case. Nice job on a good finish.

I haulted because his spotter was in the way and all my polycarbonate was covered in oil and dust. I didn't really care what happened as long as I wasn't sitting idle. Anybody know the driver of that car? I am curious where he finished.

Anybody know the driver of that car? I am curious where he finished.

JR Van Ortwick, Team Kirby - longtime desert racer in a NICE rear-steer rig Bender built recently - 4th place.

I haulted because his spotter was in the way and all my polycarbonate was covered in oil and dust. I didn't really care what happened as long as I wasn't sitting idle. Anybody know the driver of that car? I am curious where he finished.

That was cool to watch. :evil:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3277/3326315025_1a0c7015e7.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3323/3326315161_7be80df0a0.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3302/3327152868_85bd8f736a.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3343/3327153010_fa0f33b9da.jpg

Got a nice flex shot just before that spot as well...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3639/3326308851_c1011ef232_b.jpg

Great job in the race to all the Torchmate rigs! The demonstration booth in the vendor area was really neat too.

I haulted because his spotter was in the way and all my polycarbonate was covered in oil and dust. I didn't really care what happened as long as I wasn't sitting idle. Anybody know the driver of that car? After my spotter threw the quart of tranny fluid at him...I am curious where he finished.

I fixed it for you....

Come on now.... it was only half a quart and he picked it back up.:D

Good race JR. We were definitely neck in neck a couple times and only missed 4th by a few minutes.