HMS 1788 TT 250 Race Report

April 19, 2008

Primm, Nevada

Best in the Desert

Terribles Town 250



Hostyl Motorsports in our Jeepspeed 1788 once again is ready to take on all who challenge us. The jeep, now known as “Casper”, due to its white color, as well as pit crew coalition aptly named the cartoon network, that was recently formed is cocked locked and ready to rock. Jesse Martin, Daniel Devore and myself, Bryan Dodge, have once again done everything in our power to get this jeep ready to lead the field in the 2008 Jeepspeed Challenge series. Arriving in town on Thursday april 17th to make sure that we are more than ready for this race, we get everything once again double checked and ready to go. On Friday we wait until it is time to go through contingency and tech inspection, which has turned into a circus this year, for reasons un-named. We were penalized last race due to a fuel color only issue, so we make sure that our I’s are dotted and our T’s crossed. We pass with flying colors, as we did the previous race, this time playing the game and coming in with crystal clear fuel. We continue to enjoy the wonderful blowing dust of Primm for the remainder of the day, figuring pit strategies as well as team responisibilities, and getting ready for our extremely early start time of 5:00am

Race day, April 19th, we get in the jeep and proceed to the start line, where we are starting second to last position, and just in front of our friends in the 1719 NRT jeep. Slowly the vehicles leave the line, next we are up. Off we go into the unknown course. The dust starts shortly after the start. Once we get going the carnage starts quickly, vehicle after vehicle we pass broken down just minutes from the start. As we continue and get out of the shadows of the local mountain range we head directly into the sun, having next to zero visibility due to dust and sunrise we charge blindly into the Nevada desert. Jesse and I are relying almost completely on the gps file to lead us to the next turn, this is an experience to say the least. Through the different parts of the course the Jeep is running flawless, Radflo shocks on point and the one race from new Hesco motor is screaming. Sandy washes, rocky ledges, steep canyon walls only arms lengths away the HMS machine is moving. Once we get into a short paved section we are actually able to see just what this motor has, well 102.4mph later and still climbing we find out Jeep Cherokees really don’t have the aerodynamics of a jet by any means. After the pavement, we once again charge into the dust, passing other vehicles from our class as well as others, both running and broken. We continue on without a single problem for the entire first lap of 80 plus miles.

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As we get into pit, this race has a strict rule that in the main pit area you must maintain 25mph, because of this and the large entry count it takes us some time to get into our pit. Once in, the crew is all over us, checking every part of the jeep, filling our fuel cell with and additional 14gallons of fuel in what seemed like only a minute. Soon we were off still maintaining the 25mph rule out of the designated area, once we are able to get on the gas again we are. By chance and their misfortune, the 1718 Team Express jeep, yet another cartoon network member, is just ahead of us, once in the open desert, we make short work of them due to what we later find out is a transmission failure. Sorry guys maybe next race??? For the next forty miles plus not an issue, until what we think is a wiring gremlin rears its ugly head. At this point in the race we are looking for a podium finish for sure, if not the top spot. We due to this issue the motor starts to miss and will not accelerate, at points the motor will only run at 4000rpms plus, and or stall at anything less. In certain spots the speeds are not realistic in our jeep so we end up stalling, be it rough terrain or slower traffic. Because of this we are down at least five to ten separate instances. Each time being anywhere from two to ten minutes each. Jesse is doing everything he can to try and get this thing running, and I am racking my brain trying to think just what could be the issue now. The team is calling for updates, but we are obviously in no mood to talk, nor do we have the time, we want this podium BAD! Over and over we eventually get it back running, and what seemed to be over and over it would stop again. One point Jesse throws off the hood onto the side of the course out of frustration and time saving, neither of us knowing if we will ever see it in one piece again. Closer to the finish line we go, knowing that our top finish has escaped us once again, at this point it becomes a salvage what is left and get the best finish possible. Several more times we stall, at different points in the course. At one point one of the other jeeps from a different class driven by Jon Krellwitz and Pat Smith stop and check on us in the middle of a dry lake bed making sure we are ok, eventually there is nothing they can do so they leave and end up taking their first place position in the 3700 Jeepspeed Currie Cup, not bad for their first race in a new vehicle. Finally we are able to get back into the infield of the course, again trying to maintain the speed limit, but yet keeping our RPM’s up high enough that we don’t stall. We see the checkered flag and go flying through as quickly as possible. Our next issue become the stop sign before driving up on the podium, well we stopped, motor and everything. The jeep was dead, we had to be pushed in front of the podium under man power because the jeep would not start. Once back in the main HMS pit we quickly find the problem for this race, melted wires for our oxygen sensor that is telling our computer lies, and not allowing it to run correctly . Trust me this will never again be an issue with this jeep at all. When all was said and done we ended up in the 8th position for this race, continuing to build our year end points championship total. Even with the less than stellar finish we are currently in the 3rd position for points after two races.

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We, Hostyl Motorsports would like to thank the many people and companies that have helped us thus far this season. To our families who become part time before races, to our jobs that get whats left of us after our long nights in the shop getting ready for the races, and to the friends that think we have dropped off the planet, THANK YOU! For our sponsors that have helped out this season, Dodge Concrete, Racer Offroad, Radflo Suspension Technology, Camburg Engineering, Durka-Durka Digital Media, Trailmaster Suspensions, Copperstate Nut and Bolt, and new sponsor for this race Absolute Offroad. Thank you. Our next race is July 19th in Barstow, California for the MORE Freedom Night Race. Look forward for another strong race from the HMS Jeepspeed without a doubt.