Pirate 4 x 4 Members,

I would like to start a thread for a few reasons. Ken Sypolt needs our help and after so many years of helping others in so many ways... I'm hoping we can give him something back. Racing Ron Stobaugh gave a quick update of Ken's situation that occurred at the Xtreme Outlaws Vorra 250 outside Reno. In a nutshell, Ken was injured while working for Pro Pit over the weekend. His injuries are rather extensive and while the long term prognosis is good... in the short term (3 to 6 months) work and cash flow are a problem.

Ken has been around the desert community since the beginning. His father Jack Sypolt owns Pro Pit and has been involved in one way or another since the first Baja 1000. Ken has worked on buggies for Ivan Stewart back in the early, early days, crew chief for Roger Mears, built numerous buggies, trophy trucks... spent hours prepping Pro Trucks and race vehicles for many, many people. My point in mentioning all this is... we all know people who give so much to this sport and every once in a while they need our help.

This is one of those times.

The plan is to help keep his business going thru his recuperation, help with medical bills, keep food on the table and unfortunately, he was about to move and now needs help with that. Ken lives in Folsom (outside Sacramento) and if you are able to help in any way... be it financial, moving, whatever... it would be greatly appreciated. If you have any questions, please contact me here on RDC or call my cell phone 916.768.5566.

We hope to get a bank account, pay pal and all that going for him... more on that as we get it going. If there are any other ideas or offers... please throw it out there.

One last thing... rather than dwell on the how's or why's of what happened... please take this thread and tell your best story or thought about either Ken, Pro Pit or some story involving in any way to Ken & Jack. They will both be reading this at some point and it's better to have a few laughs and remember the good about our sport. Accidents happen and hopefully something good will come from all this.

BTW, Ken is known for both his generocity and his outspoken views, attitudes etc... so feel free to tell it how it is... both Ken & Jack are unique personalities... they will enjoy whatever you post.

Cris Steller
cabocris@yahoo.com

Keep us posted on any account information. I would be more than happy to help out monetarily.
I heard the story last night and it sounded bad...

Best wishes to Ken for a speedy and full recovery.

I wanted to say THANK YOU to a Lot of People, Friends, Family and the Emt's on site for All or your help during and after the Accident.

Bob Bower....what can I say. You are an Awesome human being and words can Not describe you. Thanks for your help in the pit Saturday, before, during, and after, and for checking in on Julie and I.

Dennis Kordonaway...I have known you for many, many years my friend and what you did when you came to see me in the hospital was Amazing...and my Family thanks you Very much!! I truly owe you some Bad Azz trailer/race car graphics.

Roger Norman...what a Class Act!! Was NOT involved in the accident, yet on his way home Sunday, stopped at the Hospital to check in on me, and called again today to see how we are doing.

ProPit Crew...it was an Honor to work with you guys/gals on Saturday, and thank you for the phone calls checking in on us.

Tammy...thank for showing me the photos from the day, and helping me understand what really happened out there in color.

To my Posse Cris and Pete...thanks for these photos ( you dog...), taking care of me when I was unconscious, and being by Julie's side thru this tough and very long road ahead.

To my Dad...thanks for getting Life Flight, getting our stuff home, and checking on us daily.

To many of you that have called and commented (Haycock, Jacob, Sam, Dave, Ron, etc...I say thank you so much for caring and calling. Please keep calling...it is Much appreciated.

Last...but not Least...To Julie, for going thru the trauma in the desert, seeing your loved one un-responsive,then loaded into a Helicopter, and being that strong woman who stands at my side, at home and at work... Everyday....Thank You for Everything you do!!

Ken Sypolt

PrismWraps.com

BFG Pit Support

Ken thank you for all of the support for the sport!!! Glad you are still alive though we have never met.

Obviously you are loved, and had people praying for you and didnt out fly your guardian angel.

Can you tell us what happened, and what if anything could have been done to prevent it, or for us to learn and prevent it in the future?

Do you guys have a Paypal account setup or something along those lines?

To all local Sacramento Jeepers... if you have time tomorrow we are moving Ken from Folsom up to Cameron Park (actually Bass Lake Road). Starting at 10 AM... we have a few trailers and warm bodies... but, never hurts to have a few more. Please contact me for the information if you can help.

Added bonus... you can see Ken and give him a hard time. Those of you that know him... will understand how much he loves having others move his stuff... :rolleyes:

Lance, my internet skills probably stop far short of pay pal, but will be going by the bank to try and set something up with Wells Fargo Bank.

One thing I will say about all this... This has brought old friends back together and that is always a good thing. The off road community is such a small place filled with great people.

Thanks again to everyone...

Cris

p.s. As for what happened... let's leave that for down the road. Lots has been learned and there are great things coming. Racing is a risky endeavor that should not be taken lightly. Lucky for all of us... the above mentioned off road community is filled with great people.

What about the guys at FastAide. Anyone contact them?

We left Propit minutes before the incident happened, after asking and recieving help from the guys at propit (even though we hadn't signed up:p)
I am not sure if Ken was one of the guys that helped us, but all the guys (and gal) there were great, friendly folks.

Looks like I am too late for the moving party, but I would love to help out if I could. Please let me know when you set up a PayPal, and I will forward this around.

Here's the latest after a day of moving. Ken & Julie can now breath a bit easier... we had so much fantastic help that it was absolutely amazing. I will post a few photos of the "crew" that showed up (As soon as I figure out how), but it's important to say Thank YOU now...

So... First off... Racing Ron & Super Understanding & Supportive Tracie... your brother Dave Hall showed up with a crew of the hardest working guys from Dixon and just tore it up. You both would have been proud... Huge Thank you for arranging for those guys to show up. They had their trailer and truck loaded up before I was able to even show up... almost felt guilty. Almost.

We had friends from the Pirate Board (Class Ultra 4) Bill Kreitzel & Co-Dog Brian Haycock come and dive in as well. Between gas lines and electrical connections on washers & dryers... much appreciated. They are true grass roots racers out of the Delta Construction Company here in Sacramento... good friends that would do anything for you.

The friends from Rancho cranked it on... Thank you to Jacob Henline, Sam Johnson... great friends who fit right in.

Then there was the Middlegate crowd... Wow... for old desert guys with enough injuries themselves to fill an ER... they still got it all done. Mr Mike Russell, Mr Peter Couperous, Mr Jimmy D, Mr Tommy Mathews, Keith Ison... Lots of history with this group.




Big Thanks also for the phone calls... please feel free to call Ken if you have the number.... get a hold of me if you don't.

Cris



p.s. another quick Thank You to Roger Norman... appreciate the phone calls and thoughts...

I posted this on another board a day or so ago. I'm hoping that our off-road community gets behind an effort to give Ken Sypolt a little help. More and more people are hearing about his situation, but he merits more. Read on...

Ken may not be one of the people who are widely known in our sport, but he is definitely one guy I want to support. Heck, maybe he is widely known, I don't know. Regardless, here is what he is to Bob Bower...

He is a person I have respect for. A good man. Ken is a positive influence on the people around him. A realist. An honest man. Fair and interested in getting it right. He works. Hard. Always has, and if we can help him bridge this little problem he will be back to working his way. That way is 110% to help his customers, friends, and family. He's not a taker. He's one of those guys who just keeps figuring out ways to make things better. Working in the pits with the crew at Pro Pit was clearly a joy and a passion. I watched him all day at that pit jumping in to change a tire, change a fan belt, pour power steering fluid, and dump fuel. The thing is, he was a great pit worker because he understood he was one of many. A part of the team. Not the star. The race car and the people inside were the stars to Ken. I reckon the same sentiment holds for all the Pro Pit guys and gals. I'll tell ya... for a guy like me it was wonderful to be there in that pit that day to see how committed they all were to excellent service and first line safety. Kenny was one of them.

Then within a 20 second period things changed. Permanently. No reset button. No reboot. No do overs. Wow. Horror. Screams. Humans doing unscheduled aerobatics. Then... just dust. And through the dust a form in a black t-shirt and blue jeans is in a heap over there. At first one doesn't even know who it is. Your mind is doing it's best to process all the images and sounds that are counter to good sense, and because of that they don't add up. Next you are there at the form in the dirt. You don't hear the hollering, or the race cars sliding through the turn at high revs. All you can hear is the gurgling of an unconscious body with it's face in the dirt struggling to take air in through the flow of blood coming out of the face. He is the last to know what has happened. And, he will be the last to heal and the first to suffer the ramifications.

A guy who always thinks about how to help others is now a guy who could use a little positive attention. He's in the pits. And, to coin a phrase, it's the pits. I ask you to consider how you might toss your straw on the pile. Can you send him some work? A helmet? A race car? A work truck? Could you send him the equivalent of a half a dozen downloads on iTunes? Bower is asking you to give it some thought. Those here on Pirtate who know me know I don't jump on causes. For those who don't know me I'd ask that you stop for a second and give some thought to paying some karma forward.

Please help Ken Sypolt get through this tough situation.

Thank you.
Bob Bower

I hope this posts correctly. We have finally set up a Pay Pal Account for Ken. If you wish to donate directly please click the link below and follow the connection. We are also working with Fast Aid (www.fast-aid.org ). As soon as we finish the information they need that will be posted here as well. As always, if any questions please call or write to me here. Thank You...
cris


https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=EU9RGD9A5RAF2

What can I say about Ken that hasn't been said already?

That he taught me more than I ever realized - until years later when I'm now teaching people the same stuff and understand...

I'm not a fabricator but I understand it because of Ken.
I'm not a suspension engineer but I understand it because of Ken.
I'm not a prep guy but I understand it because of Ken.
I'm not a Crew Chief, but I understand it because of Ken.

I have lived many of my dreams, and I am thankful everyday for the friends and opportunities that have made that possible. Ken is very high on that list.

There will be more info coming, please use the PayPal if you can, please contact Cris (CaboCris) or me for other ways to help (we need some labor help for his wrap business).

Ok since this is a tech site...

1989 - Ken came to my shop with these hand drawn (I think thats all you could do back then!) blueprints of a tube chassis truck he wanted to build. I had never met him before - but I said let's do it. Here is truck #1 - he built basically by himself - with what I recall as specs (maybe Ken will post up correct specs when his mitts heal - he built this 20 years ago!)

Wheelbase: 125"
Track width: 95" I think...
Power: Big block Ford
Trans: Mogi C6
Hubs/Brakes: Cone Industries / CNC / Wilwood
Shocks: Prism custom / Rancho
Travel: Front 26" / Rear 32"
Steering: Custom / Tommy Lee
Rear end: Cone/Prism housing / Motive Gears / 40 spline gun drilled 9"

The man took his business and talents to the graphics industry, but never left off road - please keep him in your thoughts.

Ron

http://i818.photobucket.com/albums/zz108/ronstobaugh/CalExpodisplay.jpg

1991 Baja 1000
http://i818.photobucket.com/albums/zz108/ronstobaugh/Baja100091smalla.jpg

Hollister Vorra race '92
http://i818.photobucket.com/albums/zz108/ronstobaugh/Vorrarace.jpg

Frontier 500 '92
http://i818.photobucket.com/albums/zz108/ronstobaugh/Mint400a.jpg

Barstow '93
http://i818.photobucket.com/albums/zz108/ronstobaugh/Barstow93smalla.jpg

Baja 1000 '95
http://i818.photobucket.com/albums/zz108/ronstobaugh/Baja10095small.jpg

Team Cepek '93ish (Ken 4th from left, Bob 2nd)
http://i818.photobucket.com/albums/zz108/ronstobaugh/Cepekteamsmall.jpg

I hope this posts correctly. We have finally set up a Pay Pal Account for Ken. If you wish to donate directly please click the link below and follow the connection.
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=EU9RGD9A5RAF2

Now we're talking! On behalf of the staff here at Pirate4x4.com, I've sent $100 to Ken and his family. Get well dude!

Now we're talking! On behalf of the staff here at Pirate4x4.com, I've sent $100 to Ken and his family. Get well dude!

You know, you meet the coolest people around the bar at Rubicon Springs...

THANK YOU Pirate4x4.com!!!

We are getting the information out on several options to help Ken.

#1. Pay Pal: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/websc...=EU9RGD9A5RAF2
Click on this link and it takes you directly to a web page where you can donate direct.

#2. Donate to Fast Aid in Ken's name: www.fast-aid.org
This is still being set up, but should be available soon.

#3. Contact either Julie or myself to help directly or thru the mail.
julie@prismwraps.com or cabocris@yahoo.com

Thank you, and we hope this makes it easy to help.

Cris


**** AS ALWAYS Thank You Lance & Pirate 4x4 & Racing Ron ****

We are getting the information out on several options to help Ken.

#1. Pay Pal: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/websc...=EU9RGD9A5RAF2
Click on this link and it takes you directly to a web page where you can donate direct.

#2. Donate to Fast Aid in Ken's name: www.fast-aid.org
This is still being set up, but should be available soon.

#3. Contact either Julie or myself to help directly or thru the mail.
julie@prismwraps.com or cabocris@yahoo.com

Thank you, and we hope this makes it easy to help.

Cris


**** AS ALWAYS Thank You Lance & Pirate 4x4 & Racing Ron ****

Those of you that know me know I don't ask for things. Well I'm asking.

We need a wrap installer to help Ken while he's jacked up.

We need some help on the donations - Ken is a proud man but he WILL LOSE his business because he volunteered to help! $5, $10, $20 - anything will help. We just need to get him through the next 45-60 days until he heals somewhat.

Latest is the vertabrae injury is worse than originally thought, and a halo may be in his future.

I know the PBB always needs pictures...

Go tp www.prismwraps.com to see his current work. Pay it forward - you'll feel good about it.

Thanks,
Ron

Maybe I'm getting old... but, I can't remember are those before or after pictures???

:shaking:

Cris

p.s. I know it's wrong to kick the dog when it's just layin' there... but...

Team RED BARON send $50.
Best wishes from Germany!
Ron who is the smart young man in the BFG racing suit:laughing:
Ralf

Never met Ken but I had a vendor booth with Tfab at the race and heard about this mishap. I'm very glad Ken will recover. From everyone at JRATOFFROAD $50 comming your way. Get well soon it sounds like the desert crowd needs more great guys like you. Jason Ratcliff

Team RED BARON send $50.
Best wishes from Germany!
Ron who is the smart young man in the BFG racing suit:laughing:
Ralf

Ralf and TEAM RED BARON:

Thank you!! Ken extends his gratitude to all.

I'm too old to remember the young man in the photo...

Ron

Never met Ken but I had a vendor booth with Tfab at the race and heard about this mishap. I'm very glad Ken will recover. From everyone at JRATOFFROAD $50 comming your way. Get well soon it sounds like the desert crowd needs more great guys like you. Jason Ratcliff

Jason,

We haven't met in person, but I have been following your progress on your D60 project. I'll be happy to toast a cold beer for your help with Ken as well your patience and dedication. Thank you!

Ron

First things first...

Ken, I wish you a surprisingly quick recovery with surprisingly little pain and suffering. Thanks for volunteering to help make this great race one that should and hopefully will grow into a legendary desert race on everyone's race schedule. I believe it has the makings of such. I got over most of the course and was fascinated by it.

Secondly... I have never heard what happened. Perhaps it has been posted and I missed it. I respectfully ask... not as an internet gawker... but as a media guy out on the course who often puts myself in potential harmful situations. I wonder if there is anything to learn by sharing details. If not, then no need to share. Something like this is a reality check for me and others.... no guardrails, safety barriers, etc. .... I am often lulled into a false sense of security... assuming the guy coming at me is in full control and has good brakes and sees me..... I have made embarrasing mistakes that could have proven deadly... the really scary stuff is when not one, but two or more vehicles are coming and dusting the scene.... lines that I would think are not in play all of a sudden become strike zones.... scary. One thing I told several people (newbies?) at this race, is "never sit down if there is any chance of a car coming your way".... being on one's feet and being nervously alert may be the one last chance at avoiding an impact. Sorry, not preaching here... just sharing my inner voices when I am out there.

Again... get well, Ken. Great to see the community support.

Well Thank You and I hope Ken has a speedy recovery because it really sounds like he is needed. Of course there is now way to turn away from a good cold beer :D. I dont know many people yet so if you see me come say hi. Thanks Jason Ratcliff

Jason,

We haven't met in person, but I have been following your progress on your D60 project. I'll be happy to toast a cold beer for your help with Ken as well your patience and dedication. Thank you!

Ron