JPGUY
03-05-2009, 08:54 AM
This is the story of Ground Control Racing and the KOH.
We had never planned on KOH, I knew we would never get picked. I sent in my app the day before they were due and as expected we where not selected for the race. Dave called and invited us to the LCQ and I payed my money but with no sponsor intrest for the LCQ we were not planning on going.
The middle of Jan came and we were not doing anything, no race prep, had not wheeled in months just sitting reading about all these high dollar builds and how "epic" the race was going to be.
Well around Feb 1st a couple of friends convinced me to get in gear and give it a shot. Damian, Dino (my crew chief), and myself worked tirelessly to try to get the rig ready for the event.
The rig came together and things were going as best as possible we were scheduled to leave the monday before the race to pre-run a couple of days.......AND THEN THINGS GOT FUN!!!
We started the buggy up to top off the power steering fluid, it ran for 5 seconds and we shut it off. When we tried to fire the buggy again the engine SEIZED!!! We were supposed to leave in 7 hours and now the engine is done..rear main bearing.
Called our buddy and got a junkyard motor at 11:30am on monday (the day we were supposed to leave) The car was running with the new motor in before 7 that nite but we were all fried. We threw what we could together and headed out tues morning to get the RV in Vegas and head to the Hammers.
Wed PM we arrive at the Hammers and unload by the time we tech and get ready to "pre-run" it's 3:30 and now we have a drivers meeting!!! I go the the meeting and finally get to drive the buggy as it get's dark (we have no lights).
We run up Backdoor and with 10 people telling me the line I flail around of the waterfall with no chance of getting up it. The trail backs up and we turn around and head back to camp in the dark. Our total time pre-running about 8minutes.
Now we are all just spent and the buggy is not performing well at all. I can barley do 30 in the whoops and it feels downright scary to drive. My team moral is in the shitter and no-one wants to work on the rig anymore. WE DECIDE WE ARE GOING TO WINCH THE WATERFALL IN THE LCQ!!!
Thursday morning comes and it's all I can do to focus on the race. We have the winch line tied out and are going to wich the LCQ!!!
The race starts and we wait. We finally head off the line and through the desert I drive it as fast as I safely can and we get to the waterfall. I can't winch...I just can't do it!!!! I line up to the waterfall and BAM RIGHT UP THE BUGGY GOES....I AM STOKED. We bash up the trail and reach the sandhill.
I line up and take a run up the sandhill (which i have never seen before since we never made it this far on the trail) and we make it about 10 feet WTF!!! Back up slam high range and give it hell NOTHING!!!! Just then I notice that there is a road going up the left side of the hill, back down run up the road and out into the whoops.
We finish the race and are feeling pretty good when my crewchief comes to the trailer and informs me how slow we looked out there and how bad we suck!!! I just lost it!!! Nothing like spending every penny to race and get your team out there and having everyone get down on you.
We end up in ? place, less than 30 seconds out of the KOH. To say I am devestated would be an understatment. It was the worst day of my racing career and to have your team down on you makes it 100% worse.
We stayed and watched the race and wheeled Sat. We had fun at the Hammers. Was it EPIC? I'm sure for alot of people it was, for me???? Will I be back trying next year?
WOULD NOT MISS IT FOR THE WORLD!!!
We had never planned on KOH, I knew we would never get picked. I sent in my app the day before they were due and as expected we where not selected for the race. Dave called and invited us to the LCQ and I payed my money but with no sponsor intrest for the LCQ we were not planning on going.
The middle of Jan came and we were not doing anything, no race prep, had not wheeled in months just sitting reading about all these high dollar builds and how "epic" the race was going to be.
Well around Feb 1st a couple of friends convinced me to get in gear and give it a shot. Damian, Dino (my crew chief), and myself worked tirelessly to try to get the rig ready for the event.
The rig came together and things were going as best as possible we were scheduled to leave the monday before the race to pre-run a couple of days.......AND THEN THINGS GOT FUN!!!
We started the buggy up to top off the power steering fluid, it ran for 5 seconds and we shut it off. When we tried to fire the buggy again the engine SEIZED!!! We were supposed to leave in 7 hours and now the engine is done..rear main bearing.
Called our buddy and got a junkyard motor at 11:30am on monday (the day we were supposed to leave) The car was running with the new motor in before 7 that nite but we were all fried. We threw what we could together and headed out tues morning to get the RV in Vegas and head to the Hammers.
Wed PM we arrive at the Hammers and unload by the time we tech and get ready to "pre-run" it's 3:30 and now we have a drivers meeting!!! I go the the meeting and finally get to drive the buggy as it get's dark (we have no lights).
We run up Backdoor and with 10 people telling me the line I flail around of the waterfall with no chance of getting up it. The trail backs up and we turn around and head back to camp in the dark. Our total time pre-running about 8minutes.
Now we are all just spent and the buggy is not performing well at all. I can barley do 30 in the whoops and it feels downright scary to drive. My team moral is in the shitter and no-one wants to work on the rig anymore. WE DECIDE WE ARE GOING TO WINCH THE WATERFALL IN THE LCQ!!!
Thursday morning comes and it's all I can do to focus on the race. We have the winch line tied out and are going to wich the LCQ!!!
The race starts and we wait. We finally head off the line and through the desert I drive it as fast as I safely can and we get to the waterfall. I can't winch...I just can't do it!!!! I line up to the waterfall and BAM RIGHT UP THE BUGGY GOES....I AM STOKED. We bash up the trail and reach the sandhill.
I line up and take a run up the sandhill (which i have never seen before since we never made it this far on the trail) and we make it about 10 feet WTF!!! Back up slam high range and give it hell NOTHING!!!! Just then I notice that there is a road going up the left side of the hill, back down run up the road and out into the whoops.
We finish the race and are feeling pretty good when my crewchief comes to the trailer and informs me how slow we looked out there and how bad we suck!!! I just lost it!!! Nothing like spending every penny to race and get your team out there and having everyone get down on you.
We end up in ? place, less than 30 seconds out of the KOH. To say I am devestated would be an understatment. It was the worst day of my racing career and to have your team down on you makes it 100% worse.
We stayed and watched the race and wheeled Sat. We had fun at the Hammers. Was it EPIC? I'm sure for alot of people it was, for me???? Will I be back trying next year?
WOULD NOT MISS IT FOR THE WORLD!!!