Saturday, April 19, 2008

TT250 Photog Update

Also stay tuned for photos from guest star PAB




































Friday, April 18, 2008

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Central Euro Rally Update from BJ Baldwin

Stay tuned for more.


And so far it has been alot of fun.

We drove the race Hummers, the H1's, the T4, the 6x6, and the race T4 from Paris to Budipest. I drove the Vanguard Hummer the whole way non-stop. It took us 26 hours only stopping for fuel and a few bites to eat. It was a hell of a long day. I was up for about 40 hours.

Then yesterday we tested the Hummers at an old military base outside of Budipest. We were on a 4 mile course. Lots of bumps, jumps, and speedy turns. I got in with RG and told him to teach me and tell me how he wants it to be driven. I said if you want me to be fast then just show me how to drive it and I will. It was awesome. the Hummers work great. The Vanguard Hummer was different to drive than the Trophy Truck and nothing like a buggy. It was something different all together. I caught on pretty quickly though. Robby has a great car. They are very fast in the rough and they turn really really well. I think if we don't have any problems we should do really well here.

BJ Baldwin

BITD Terrible's Town 250 Time Trial Photos














































Wednesday, April 16, 2008

VIdeo Score Baja 250 by Vildosola Racing

DIXON BROS. RACING READY FOR ‘TERRIBLE’S TOWN 250 AT PRIMM’

200 East Laurel Avenue 􀁔 Lompoc, CA 93436 􀁔 805.570.3685 (Office) 􀁔 805.736.5513 (Fax)
dixonbrosracing.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
George R. Thompson
Dixon Brothers Racing
grt@dixonbrosracing.com
661.823.0454
For Information Contact:
DIXON BROS. RACING READY FOR ‘TERRIBLE’S TOWN 250 AT PRIMM’
Lompoc, CA - April 15, 2008: After suffering the loss of their engine, just a few miles after
the start of the season opening ‘Parker 425’in February, the Dixon Bros. Racing #7101 Ford
Ranger has been repaired and is ready to take on Best in the Desert’s ‘Terrible’s 250 at Primm,
April 18-20 in Primm, Nevada. After finishing every race since the end of the 1999 season, the
Dixon Bros. luck finally ran out at this year’s ‘Parker 425’ , when a rock kicked up by another
truck, early in the race, got by all the safeguards and put a small hole in their radiator. Because the
hole was a small one, the damage to the cooling system was not immediately apparent to driver,
Aaron Dixon, who did not notice the gradually increasing temperature of the engine until it was
too late. Although the temperature gauge seemed near the normal operating range, the truck started
running erratically and began to seize up as they pulled over to survey the problem, ending their
race after only 30 miles. Within a week, Ford had a new engine delivered to Dixon Bros. Racing,
in Lompoc, California and not long thereafter the Ford Ranger was dialed in and ready to begin a
new finishing streak beginning with the ‘Terrible’s 250 at Primm’, this weekend.
Best in the Desert Racing Association recently announced a record entry of 225 cars and
trucks, reflecting a 25% increase in entries over last year’s ‘Terrible’s Town 250’, replaced this
season by the ‘Terrible’s 250 at Primm’ as the second event on the BitD Silver State Series racing
schedule. Billed as the “Richest Off-Road Race in Nevada,” the Terrible’s 250 will be hosted by
the Herbst family and Buffalo Bill’s Hotel & Casino. The course will start & finish in Primm,
Nevada and will cover three 84 mile loops for a combined distance of 252 miles. In the interest of
time, some slower classes will only race two laps. The entries will be split into two separate
categories on Saturday with the production and limited classes (Group 1) starting at 5:30 AM and
the unlimited class vehicles (Group 2) scheduled to begin their race at 1:00 PM. As part of the
Group 1 race, the Dixon Bros. Racing Ford Ranger Pickup (#7101) will start fourth in Class
7100 about 6:00 AM on Saturday morning.
Aaron will drive all three laps with co-rider, Ed Ramirez in the navigator’s seat. Rounding
out the team, Jim Dixon (father) and Phil Ramirez, will be on hand to help out in the pits with
additional help from Ed and Phil’s parents, Manny and Andrea Ramirez. Dixon Bros Racing has
been a family effort since the beginning and as a team have won three class points championships.
This year each entry in a Best in the Desert event will be outfitted with the iritrack system so
anyone can track the progress of the race on the internet in real time. You can follow the #7101
Dixon Bros. Racing Ford Ranger by tracking their progress on raceday at www.racetheworld.net.
Dixon Bros. Racing is ready for this event and the team is looking forward to a good finish
in Primm.
- grt -
To learn more about Dixon Bros. Racing visit our website at www.dixonbrosracing.com. For more information about Ford vehicles, go to www.ford.com.

TEAM HUMMER OPENS THEIR 2008 RACING SEASON WITH WINS IN STOCK-FULL AND STOCK-MINI AT SCORE ‘LAUGHLIN DESERT CHALLENGE’

THE INSIDER The Inside Story from Team HUMMER
Published by Team HUMMER - Reno Nevada Volume One - First Quarter - 2008
For Information: George R. Thompson - Team HUMMER - grt@rodhallracing.com - 661.823.0454
TEAM HUMMER OPENS THEIR 2008 RACING SEASON WITH WINS IN STOCK-FULL
AND STOCK-MINI AT SCORE ‘LAUGHLIN DESERT CHALLENGE’
Laughlin, NV - January 27, 2008: For the second consecutive year, Team HUMMER opened their
season with wins in both the Stock-Mini and Stock-Full classes at The SCORE ‘Laughlin Desert Challenge’,
held Jan.26-27, in the Southern Nevada resort town of Laughlin. Although this is the only closed
course desert race on our schedule, Team HUMMER rose to the challenge to win both Stock-Mini and
Stock-Full production classes, duplicating their result from last year’s event, although in a dramatically
different fashion. The action started in Laughlin Events Park, where the racing began in a motocross style
infield. The race wound through a variety of switchbacks and jumps before heading out onto a six mile
desert course and ultimately returned to the grandstand area. A total of 17 different classes of cars and
trucks were divided into five (5) groups. Team HUMMER had three entries in the production class
group (#2) and ran five laps of the course on Saturday, Jan 26th and again on Sunday, Jan 27th. The total
times for both days of racing were combined to determine the winners in each class.
This was only the second race for Chad Hall in the new #861 H3 Alpha Stock-Full SUV, which won
the 40th Annual SCORE ‘Baja 1000’ last November in it’s racing
debut. Saturday, Chad Hall finished second, one minute, 38
seconds behind John Griffin in the #860 Ford F-350 Pickup. A
broken weld on a strengthening tube, installed to support the
upper shock mount, forced him to slow the truck down early in
the race, to minimize any damage, allowing Griffin to take the
lead on the day and hold it. Starting in the same group, it was
business as usual for defending champion, Rod Hall, as he
breezed to a win over Steve Kovach in the #761 Ford Ranger,
winning by over 16 minutes. Josh Hall, in the #862 H2 SUT was sidelined after three laps with a mysterious
electrical problem somewhere in his wiring harness. Back at the main pit after the race the crew
made repairs to the H3 Alpha in preparation for Sunday’s race but could not isolate the intermittent
problem which took the H2 out of competition on day one.
The weather turned bad sometime on Saturday night and we awoke to steady rain and a washed out
race course. Off-road racing doesn’t stop for variations in weather so all three Team HUMMER entries
answered the 9:00 AM starting time wearing their foul weather gear. Chad Hall in the #861 H3 Alpha left
the line first among the Stock-Full class trucks and jumped out to an early lead closely followed by
Griffin’s #860 Ford and Josh Hall in the #862 H2 SUT, who was
using Sunday’s race in an attempt to determine the nature of his electrical
problem. Just as on Saturday, the H2 went 3 laps and the engine
died, once again, retiring the truck. Rod Hall was next off the line in
the #760 H3 Stock-Mini but as he started up the first hill to head out
into the desert, the vehicle was rocked by an exploding sound from
the transfer case and all forward motion on the truck was abruptly
#860 Ford and #861 H3 Alpha at the start
- more -
Chad and Josh Hall battle for position
Heidi Mrkulic Photo
grt Photo
The Insider
Published by Team HUMMER - Reno Nevada Volume One - First Quarter - Page Two
- more -
For Information: George R. Thompson - Team HUMMER - grt@rodhallracing.com - 661.823-0454
halted, leaving Hall and co-rider, Emily Miller, stranded half way up the hill in harms way. He put it in reverse and was able
to back it out of the path of traffic and after testing the various options to see if the truck had any gearing left, found at least
one setting that appeared to be working. “We’re going to drive it as long as we can” radioed back Emily Miller and off they
went, in pursuit of the leader, Kovach in the #761 Ford Ranger. This entire situation, from explosion to backing off the hill
to troubleshooting the gears and getting back in the race did not take very long because at the end of the first lap, Hall was
only 12 seconds behind the leader and the H3 seemed to be running well.
The rain was falling in a light to medium intensity and the course was littered with pools of slimy mud, causing the race
cars to fishtail wildly each time they blasted through one of the mud pools at speed. You could avoid a few of them but had
to deal with the majority of the puddles making the event seem more like an extended
mud bog than an off-road race. Cars and trucks were littered everywhere
along the course adding the elements of an obstacle course to the fray. On the face
of it, Laughlin would seem like an easy event, considering that our trucks only had
to run 5 laps (30 miles) each day in their group, but the strategy of many racers is to
go wide open throttle from the moment the green flag drops and not let up until the
race is over, about an hour later. This sort of mentality, while it may seem unavoidable
in such a short race, adds to serious carnage on raceday and is compounded by
the fact that five heat races are contested over the same six-mile stretch of desert
each day. The ditches and ruts that began on Saturday only 6” deep wound up on Sunday being three-foot deep pools of
slime. While it took the H3 Alpha just over 52 minutes to cover the five lap heat race on Saturday, it took over 67 minutes to
complete the same course on Sunday. Of the 141 entries that started the race, only 40 would finish which amounts to a 28%
finishing rate. Even the toughest desert race can expect a finishing rate of 50% or better. Winning at Laughlin is more a
question of survival than of strategy.
By the end of the second lap Chad Hall and the #861 H3 Alpha had built up a 4 1/2 minute lead over Griffin’s #860 Ford
F-350. The four-wheel drive and the more nimble footprint of the Alpha gave it a
distinct advantage over the heavier two-wheel drive Ford, particularly in the muddy
pools. Chad extended his lead to five minutes, 45 seconds by the time they arrived at
the finish line. After doing the math, it took Chad three minutes, seven seconds less
time to cover the ten laps, on both days, giving the #861 Team HUMMER H3 Alpha
the win at Laughlin.
After building up a 16 minute lead on Saturday, Rod Hall merely had to stay
somewhere on the same lap with Kovach to win the event but Rod was determined to
catch the # 761 Ford and beat him to the finish. By the end of the second lap, The #760 Team HUMMER H3 had trimmed
the Ford’s lead down to 9 seconds and passed him on lap #3 adding 27 seconds to his lead by the start of the fourth lap. The
#761 Ford turned in a good time on lap #4 and the two trucks went out on the 5th and final lap in a dead heat. Hall never
backed off and brought the #760 Team HUMMER H3 SUV across the finish line 33 seconds in front of Steve Kovach and
the #761 Ford Ranger, winning the his second consecutive ‘Laughlin Desert Challenge’’ and both heat races.
Back at the shop, after the event, a faulty wire was located in the middle of the wiring harness, near the engine, and was
determined to be the cause of the electrical problems on the H2. After replacing the wire and testing the truck, it was cleaned
up and shipped to Parker, Arizona for Best in the Desert Racing Association’s season opening ‘Parker 425’, the following
weekend. -grt
The #760 H3 and the #761 Ford race for the lead
grt Photo
Heidi Mrkulic Photo
The Team HUMMER H3 Alpha Takes on the Mud
The Insider
Published by Team HUMMER - Reno Nevada Volume One - First Quarter - Page Three
For Information: George R. Thompson - Team HUMMER - grt@rodhallracing.com - 661.823.0454
Parker, Arizona - February 2, 2008: Best in the Desert Racing Association’s Blue Water Resort & Casino ‘Parker 425’
got underway for Team HUMMER shortly before 9:00 AM on Saturday, Feb. 2nd. 295 Cars and trucks left the starting line
in Downtown Parker and by the end of the day only 137 would finish, which will give you some idea how demanding it was
to run multiple loops around this 138 mile-long stretch of Arizona desert. Class 8100
(Josh Hall) was scheduled to drive three laps around the course, while Class 4100
(Chad Hall) and Class 3100 (Rod Hall) only had to go around twice. The race got off to
a shaky start, with problems dogging two of the Team HUMMER race trucks on the
first lap of the event. About 105 miles into the race, Josh Hall, in the #8111 H2 SUT
suffered a broken, driver’s side tie rod end, a part that rarely fails. It took about 15
minutes to replace the tie rod assembly with our onboard spare only to have the passenger
side tie rod end fail in a similar way about 20 miles further on. There was no
apparent reason for either of these failures and the replacement tie rods lasted for the duration of the event. The fact that we
had no further tie rod failures lead us to conclude that we would need to take a closer look at the broken units after the race
to determine if the original tie rods had been faulty in some way. Meanwhile, the tie rod repairs had put the #8111 Team
HUMMER H2 about 30 minutes off the pace but it was still early and the truck was running well, once again.
Rod Hall got off to a good start in the #3111 Team HUMMER H3 SUV and was enjoying a comfortable lead until
shortly before race-mile 40 when the center bolt on the rear passenger side spring pack
sheared off, forcing the H3 to stop at Pit #2 (RM 54) where Jeff Buffmeyer and Dave
Williams were waiting to make the repair. The fix was labor intensive, requiring almost
two hours to complete, before the #3111 H3 was back in the race. Rod stopped at
the end of the first lap, almost two hours behind the leader and Mike Winkel took over
behind the wheel. Winkel ran a trouble-free final lap and brought the #3111 Team
HUMMER H3 SUV in for a second place finish shortly before 8:00 PM.
Chad Hall ran both laps, in the #4111 Team
HUMMER H3 Alpha SUV, with Thad Stump in the navigator’s seat. Chad had no
troubles on the course but the new Alpha still needs some fine tuning to the running
gear and suspension before we can realize the truck’s full potential. Marc Stein in the
#4102 Ford Expedition had a flawless race and beat us to the finish by 27 minutes. The
H3 Alpha came away with a second place finish which is a good start to the BitD
season.
Although the new H3 Alpha has run three races with great reliability and success,
achieving the true potential of an off-road race vehicle is an ongoing process. It’s a testimonial to driver Chad Hall as well as
Matt Laramie and his team at the GM proving Ground, who built the truck on a very tight schedule, that the H3 Alpha has
done so well right out of the box. Armed with the new information we learn from each event, Laramie and his crew will
continue to make adjustments until the full potential of the truck is realized. Much of what we learn from this process will
ultimately find it’s way onto the production line improving the safety, quality and performance of every product that HUMMER
sells.
TEAM HUMMER DRAWS THREE OF A KIND AT BEST IN THE DESERT’S
SEASON OPENING BLUE WATER RESORT & CASINO ‘PARKER 425’
Our crew inspects the spring damage on the H3
John Pappenfort
- more -
Chad Hall and the H3 Alpha on second lap
John Pappenfort
Heidi Mrkulic Photo
Josh Hall at the end of Lap One
The Insider
Published by Team HUMMER - Reno Nevada Volume One - First Quarter - Page Four
For Information: George R. Thompson - Team HUMMER - grt@rodhallracing.com - 661.823.0454
- next
Josh Hall had moved the #8111 H2 into second place at race-mile 32, on the third and final lap, just 12 miles behind the
#8106 Ford, driven by Larry Tunnell, Jr. of Parker, Arizona. The H2 had run perfectly since the tie rod problems on the
opening lap and was gradually reeling in the class leading Ford, coming within a mile of him when he passed through Pit #4
(RM 104). Unfortunately the H2 had worn out all the linings on the brake pads half
way into lap three and although the H2 was faster on the graded sections of the course,
he could not keep up in the rough terrain, where the use of brakes are critical. Equally
unfortunate was the fact that the final 30 miles of the course was very technical (rough)
terrain, so Josh had to slow it down and settle for our third 2nd place finish on the day.
The good news was that this was the first finish for the H2 and it was a solid one,
coming in just 23 minutes off the class win. We’ll analyze the brake pads back at the
shop and come up with a more durable solution in time for our next race which is the
SCORE ‘San Felipe 250, March 14-15 in San Felipe, BC, Mexico.
- grt -
San Felipe, Mex - March 15, 2008: On a wind-swept Baja California day, Team HUMMER’s three entries ran a
virtually trouble-free race at the Tecate/SCORE ‘San Felipe 250’, finishing first and third in the Stock-Full production class
and also winning in the Stock-Mini production class. After taking an early lead in the Stock-Full class, Josh Hall led the race
all day in the #861 Team HUMMER H2 SUT with chief mechanic Sam Cothrun in
the navigator’s seat. Hall gradually extended his lead over the competition throughout
the afternoon and was out in front by eight miles when he passed through Checker
Pit #1 at race-mile 55. Other than a brief stop to take on fuel at RM 109, the only
time he stopped came after he had drifted into a spiny bush which had, as it’s
defense mechanism, golf ball sized clusters of needles on the tips of it’s branches,
several of which became embedded in Josh and his driver’s suit. This called for an
immediate stop to carefully remove the offending pin cushions, left behind in the
wake of the impact, before getting on with his race.
About ten miles back, Chad Hall and Thad Stump, in the #863 Team HUMMER
H3 Alpha, were locked in a drag race with the #860 Ford F-350 driven by John Griffin and the #878 Dodge Ram 2500
driven by Kent Kroeker, both worthy adversaries. About ten miles into the race,
the #863 H3 Alpha developed an electrical problem, causing many of the truck’s
electronic and fuel systems to behave erratically. Thad Stump seemed to think it
had to do with the onboard computer so they pulled over and briefly disconnected
the battery, allowing the systems to re-boot. After a short time, Chad restarted the
truck, which ran perfectly from that moment on and got back in the race. By Pit #1
(RM 55), the #863 H3 Alpha had caught up with the pack and was running in
fourth place. The battle here was for second place since Josh, in the H2 SUT, had
an eight-mile lead and was in apparent control of the Stock-Full race. The #860
Hall/Cothrun/Miller at the finish in the #8111 H2
grt Photo
TEAM HUMMER TAKES BOTH PRODUCTION CLASS VICTORIES
AT TECATE/SCORE ‘SAN FELIPE 250’
San Felipe Sunrise over the Sea of Cortez
Pappenfort
Josh Hall grinds his way through the silt in the H2
Trackside
The Insider
Published by Team HUMMER - Reno Nevada Volume One - First Quarter - Page Five
For Information: George R. Thompson - Team HUMMER - grt@rodhallracing.com - 661.823.0454
• grt •
Ford, the #878 Dodge and the #863 H3 Alpha were all within a mile of each other and seemed evenly matched on this
particular day. At the BFG pit (RM 109) the #860 Ford pulled in for fuel and a
driver change but had some problem taking on fuel and the extra time they spent in
the pit allowed the Dodge and the H3 Alpha to get by him.
Chad had moved into third and was running in the dust of the big Hemi powered
Dodge but the Alpha had broken a leaf on his rear spring-pak early in the race
and was having trouble getting by him in the miles of sandy, rolling terrain that
made up most of the course between RM 55 and RM 149. Chad stayed right on the
Dodge’s bumper and both trucks were dueling it out until RM 136 when Spirkoff,
now driving the #860 Ford, caught up and passed them both. Shortly after making
his move into second place, the driveline on the big Ford F-350 broke, relegating him back to fourth place while he repaired
the damage. The #861 H2 SUT remained in the lead and had extended his lead to 12 miles over the second place truck while
all this was taking place.
At this point, Rod Hall, with Damien Michelin in the second seat, was running about 20 miles behind the #861 Team
HUMMER H2 in his #760 H3 Stock-Mini truck. The 2006/07 SCORE Stock-
Mini Class Champion was running in the class lead and only had to finish for the
win given that his competition had all sustained damage in an effort to keep up
with the veteran Hall. The H3 pitted at RM 149 for a driver change and Mike
Winkel got behind the wheel for a trouble-free race to the finish with Jake Povey in
as navigator. This is the second consecutive SCORE Stock-Mini victory for the H3
and team owner Rod Hall, this year, and puts him firmly in the lead for his third
consecutive SCORE Stock-Mini points championship. Chad Hall has the H3 Alpha
in the points lead in the Stock-Full points chase by two points over John Griffin,
in the Ford F-350. After the faulty wiring problem at Laughlin put him out of the race, Josh Hall’s winning effort in San
Felipe has moved him into third place in the SCORE Stock-Full Points standings and the H2 SUT seems to be getting sorted
out. A new brake compound and some adjustments to the ABS brake system seems to have fixed the brake pad wear problem
the H2 experienced at Parker as there was no significant brake wear after the race in San Felipe. After three second place
finishes at Best in the Desert Racing Association’s first event, the ‘Parker 425’, all three HUMMERs stand second in points
heading into Best in the Desert’s second race of the season, ‘Terrible’s 250 at Primm’, April 18-20.
Team HUMMER is off to a good start after the first three events of the 2008 racing season and the team is confident
that our HUMMERs will continue to run out front for the remainder of the racing season. Of couse, none of our success
would be possible without the help we receive from our various partners and we want to thank them all for their support. The
Second Quarter edition of the Team HUMMER Insider will be out in mid June and will cover the upcoming Best in the
Desert ‘Terrible 250 at Primm’ and the SCORE ‘Baja 1000’, May 30 - June 1.
Chad Hall and the H3 Alpha in Matomi Wash
Pappenfort
Winkel/Povey and the #760 H3 at the Finish
Pappenfort
To learn more about Team HUMMER, visit us at www.rodhallracing.com. To learn more about HUMMER vehicles go to www.hummer.com.

Speed Technologies Expands into CORR Racing

For Immediate Release

Contact: Abbi Holtom Whitaker

abbiholtom@gmail.com or 775-851-7492



SPEED TECHNOLOGIES EXPANDS INTO POPULAR CHAMPIONSHIP OFF ROAD RACING (CORR) WITH TWO PRO LITE TRUCK SPONSORSHIPS



-Speed Technologies Driver Chuck Dempsey, Along with Three-Year CORR Racer Casey Currie, to Compete on April 26th & 27th



RENO, NV (April 15th, 2008) --Speed Technologies, one of the largest off road racing teams in the United States, is expanding its reach in the off road racing world. The popular team recently came to an agreement to title sponsor famed Baja racer and Speed Technologies HMS Avenger driver Chuck Dempsey and his Pro Lite Truck in the Championship off Road Racing (CORR) Series. Speed Technologies also will be joining up with Bully Dog and sponsoring Casey Currie, a seasoned CORR racer with three years experience behind the wheel. The duo will each be racing Nissan trucks and their first CORR race under the Speed Technologies banner will be April 26 and 27th at the Fairplex at Ponoma.

“CORR is where it’s at,” said team owner and driver John Harrah. “The closed course off road arena makes this style of racing very spectator friendly and Speed Technologies can’t wait to be part of it.”

Speed Technologies currently races its Class 1 and Class 10 vehicles in the Best in the Desert race series and the SCORE Desert Racing Series. Chuck Dempsey and driver Mark Levrett are currently third overall for points in the SCORE Desert Racing Series.

“I love desert racing with the Speed Technologies Team and I know doing CORR with them will be just as action packed,” said driver Chuck Dempsey. “Knowing I have the support of John and the entire team behind me puts me at ease behind the wheel. Speed is a first class operation and having them as my title sponsor means having the best support crew and equipment.”



About Speed Technologies

Established in 2006 Speed Technologies is owned by John Harrah and headquartered in Reno, NV at Rancharrah. The team operates both an off-road car and motorcycle team. Competing in both the SCORE Desert Series and the Best in the Desert, Speed Technologies is a full-time operation supported by a full time staff as well as additional chase and safety crews. Speed Technologies is committed to safety both on and off the track. For more information on Speed Technologies please visit www.speed-technologies.com or call 775-851-7492.

About CORR Racing

Championship Off Road Racing™ brings high action, four wheel motorsports including 2 wheel drive and 4 wheel drive trucks to the closed course off road arena. The 2008 Championship Off Road Racing's race season includes eight events at tracks located in Los Angeles, CA, San Diego, CA and Las Vegas, NV.



CORR's success continues to evolve in a simple formula: Combine close fender-to-fender racing on a course designed to allow the fan in the stands to see all the action on the track, while allowing television viewers at home to live vicariously through their favorite driver.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

NBoundZ Z still in action with Clayton Peck Behind the wheel

April 15,2008 18:23 Standard Pacific Time

After an unsuccessful attempt to sell the NBoundZ Nissan 350Z, Clayton Peck decides to go forward with 2008 race campaign with NASA AZ. "If God wants us out here, He will continue to keep the door open. Right now, I see this as an opportunity to walk through that open door and I have faith that God will be with us 100% as we continue to minister to this wonderful motor sport community. I also want to thank our newest sponsor Terry Denton and The Water Store for helping making this a possibility!" Clayton Peck

For more information and updates go to http://www.nboundz.com/

Chasing Baja on SPEED Apr 18, 8pm est

Dont miss it.

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/chasing-baja-on-speed/

22 SCORE racers in hunt for Toyota Milestone Awards

22 SCORE racers in hunt for Toyota Milestone Awards
Heading into 40th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500

Computerized Start draw Saturday; Rd. 3 of five-race 2008 SCORE Desert Series
To be held in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, May 29-June 1

LOS ANGELES—Following the first two of five races in the 2008 SCORE Desert Series, 22 of SCORE’s toughest drivers are in the hunt to earn 2008 SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards.
A pair of Nevada father and son teams lead the way as Las Vegas’ Bobby Baldwin and his son B.J. Baldwin race in separate Chevy Silverado trucks in the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division while Reno’s Rod Hall drives a Hummer H3 in the Stock Mini class and his youngest son Chad drives a Hummer H3Alpha in Stock Full.
Giving Nevada six of the 22 racers in the hunt for 2008 Toyota Milestone Awards are Las Vegas teammates B.J. Richardson and Pat Dean who race in the unlimited Class 1 in near-identical Chevy-powered Bunderson open-wheel desert race cars.
Round 3 of the 2008 SCORE Desert Series will be the 40th anniversary of the Tecate SCORE Baja 500, to be held May 29-June 1 in Ensenada, Mexico, on the western side of the Baja California peninsula along the Pacific Ocean 65 miles south of the U.S. Border at San Diego.
With nearly 350 total entries expected to compete in 28 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes in the popular race, the computerized drawing for starting positions, by class, will be held this weekend at the headquarters of SCORE International in Los Angeles.
Toyota is presenting these prestigious awards to the world’s toughest desert racers for the 23rd consecutive year. The Toyota Milestone awards will go to those drivers who finish every required mile of every race in the five-race 2008 SCORE Desert Series, the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Series.
“Toyota is proud to honor the world’s best desert racing drivers,” said Les Unger, national motorsports manager at Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. “For over two decades, we have had the privilege of presenting the SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards to the toughest racers on the planet.”
After the first two races of the 2008 SCORE Desert Series, the Class 1-2/1600 with six, SCORE Trophy-Truck with four and the unlimited Class 1 with three lead the way with eligible drivers for 2008 SCORE Toyota Milestone awards.
Pre-race festivities at 40th Tecate SCORE Baja 500 will include the colorful SCORE Manufacturer’s Midway and tech inspection in downtown Ensenada from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Friday (May 30).
The race itself will start in the early morning hours of Saturday, May 31 and the course will close in the elapsed-time race during the early morning hours of Sunday, June 1.

2008 SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards
(Through Round 2, 22 Racers have completed every required
mile in the five-race 2008 SCORE Desert Series)

SCORE Trophy-Truck
B.J. Baldwin
Bobby Baldwin
Damen Jefferies
Robbie Pierce
Class 1
Pat Dean
Chuck Dempsey
B.J. Richardson
Class 1-2/1600
Edgar Avalos
Cory Boyer
Dave Caspino
Hiram Duran
Adam Pfankuch
Cody Robinson
Class 3
Donald Moss
Class 5
Kevin Carr
Class 5/1600
Marcos Nunez
Class 7SX
Heidi Steele
SCORE Lite
Steve Mamer
Class 11
Ramon Fernandez
Stock Full
John Griffin
Chad Hall
Stock Mini
Rod Hall

SPEED TECHNOLOGIES READIES TO COMPETE IN THE TERRIBLE’S “250” AT PRIMM

RENO, NV (April 14th, 2008)--Speed Technologies, one of the largest and foremost off-road race teams in the United States, plans to race two Class 1 cars and one Class 10 car in the upcoming Terrible’s “250” at Primm, NV on April 17-19. Dubbed the “Richest Off-Road Race in Nevada” for its $10,000 prize purse, the Terrible’s “250” at Primm will consist of three treacherous 84 mile loops that begin and end in the town of Primm.

“We love racing in Nevada – it’s our home base,” said team owner and driver John Harrah. “We’ve been working on getting our program in top condition for this race and our drivers, co-drivers and team support have all put extra time and energy into making sure we are 100% ready to go.”

The HMS Avenger driving duties will be split by Mark Levrett and Chuck Dempsey – the team who took home 4th place in the Laughlin Desert Challenge earlier this year, they currently rank third overall in points in the world famous SCORE Desert Series. Levrett’s co-driver will be JJ Johnson of Reno and Dempsey’s co-driver will be Raymond Berre.

“We’ve have really progressed over last year and we hope to continue to be one of the top teams throughout the season,” said driver Levrett.

The HMS Class 1 will be driven by John Harrah and John Herder. Speed Technologies is excited to have John Herder, last years Terrible’s 250 overall winner, sharing driving duties with John Harrah behind the wheel of this race car.

“Having someone with the experience and record of John Herder behind the wheel of the Dominator is paramount to the success of Speed Technologies,” said team owner and Dominator driver John Harrah.



About Speed Technologies

Established in 2006 Speed Technologies is owned by John Harrah and headquartered in Reno, NV at Rancharrah. The team operates both an off-road racing team and motocross team. Competing in both the SCORE Desert Series and the Best in the Desert, Speed Technologies is a full-time operation supported by a full time staff as well as additional chase and safety crews. Speed Technologies is committed to safety both on and off the track. For more information on Speed Technologies please visit www.speed-technologies.com or call 775-851-7492.





Abbi Holtom Whitaker

abbi@lymanpr.com

775-851-7492 (Office)

F1 Michael Schumacher to test slicks on Wednesday

Michael Schumacher to test slicks on Wednesday : -

Michael Schumacher will work closely with Formula 1 tyre supplier Bridgestone when he tests for Ferrari in Barcelona on Wednesday.

The retired seven time Formula One World Champion's status as an occasional test driver for the Italian team means that his programme at the Spanish venue will be focused almost entirely on the development of the new slick compounds that are likely to debut in formula one next year.

Bridgestone, the sport's official tyre maker, has brought three new versions of the slicks to the Circuit de Catalunya, following teams' concerns that the earlier developments were extremely difficult to get heat into, resulting in huge and dangerous speed differentials between circulating cars.

The massive lap time difference between Felipe Massa and the rest of the field as the test opened on Monday, however, was for a different reason.

While the Brazilian tried the slicks late in the day, his F2008 was equipped with this year's aerodynamic configuration, resulting in a lap record that was nearly three seconds faster than the closest challenger.

Other teams, like McLaren, were trying the slicks in conjunction with simulated 2009 levels of downforce, including a flat rear wing that significantly reduced cornering speeds.

The first major test within the 2008 season, mandating a maximum of one car per team per day, wraps up on Thursday.

Chasing Baja on SPEED Apr 18, 8pm est

Dont miss it

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/chasing-baja-on-speed/

Monday, April 14, 2008

Best in the Desert Terribles Update!

“The Richest Off-Road Race in Nevada”



Entries Up 25% Over 2007

Plus Major TV Coverage



Las Vegas, NV April, 2008



With less than a week to go before the Terrible’s “250” at Primm race, there are more than 225 race teams registered to take on this challenging course, up more than 25% from last year’s event. Best In The Desert Director Casey Folks stated that he anticipated more than 250 competitors would end up taking the green flag by race day, Saturday, April 19th



And this race will be covered by a collective group of TV broadcasters. 32 million homes will be able to see Best In The Desert racing this year on the America One Sports network and MavTV. In addition, Extreme 4x4 on Spike TV, reaching more than 85 million homes in the USA and Canada will be also be covering the Terrible’s “250” at Primm. Air dates will be posted when final broadcast schedules are announced.



The action packed 2008 Terrible’s “250” at Primm will be held April 17, 18, 19, 2008, in Primm, Nevada, promoted by Best In The Desert Racing Association and hosted by the Herbst Family and Buffalo Bill’s Hotel Casino. The 2008 Terrible’s “250” at Primm will be a loop race which will start and finish in Primm, Nevada, located 40 miles south of Las Vegas on I-15. Best In The Desert’s Folks said, “This event will feature the best Car and Truck off-road racers racing today.”



New this year is a special TrophyKarts race, held Friday. These exciting new entries, which are a half-size race truck, run a small 265cc engine, 15 inches of front wheel travel; 18 inches of rear wheel travel and have a top speed over 50 MPH. They will run a one and a half mile course, starting at the casino. Already there are more than 30 Karts registered to run this qualifying event for the world championship.



Registration, Technical Inspection and Contingency will be held Friday, April 18, 2008, from 9:30am to 6pm. On Saturday, the 2008 Terrible’s “250” at Primm starts behind the Buffalo Bill’s Hotel Casino. At 5:30am Saturday morning, the race starts for Classes 1100, 2000, 8100, 7100, 4100, 3700, 7300, 3100, 5100, 3000, 1700, 1800 and 1900. These classes will race three or two times around the 84.2 mile course, depending on the class, except for Class 1900, which will run one lap. Classes 1400, 1500, 1200, 8000, 1000, 7200 and 5000 will start at approximately 1:00pm and will run 3 laps for 252.6 miles.



Off-Road Racing’s Best-Run Series … Best In the Desert!



Further information available from:

www.bitd.com

email: bitd@lasvegas.net • (702) 457-5775



MEDIA CONTACT:

www.fallads.com/bitd

email: mediabitd@fallads.com

Mongo Racing Looks Forward to Best In The Desert’s Terrible’s “250” at Primm


s they sometimes say in racing, “if it weren’t for bad luck, we wouldn’t have any luck at all”. This was a particularly fitting statement for Randy Merritt and the Mongo Racing team at the season opening Parker “425” where they suffered an extremely rare DNF. With the rest of the season lying ahead and the gremlins sorted out and behind them on the KC HiLiTES Ford F-150, Randy looks forward to getting back on track and giving the competition a real run for the money at the upcoming Terrible’s “250” at Primm, April 17th thru 20th.



On a positive note, the Parker “425” race provided Randy with his first opportunity to race at night with KC HiLiTES’ exciting new carbon fiber 70 watt HID KC-pod™ lights. Randy had this to say afterwards, “These new KC-pods™ are awesome! The lights project an incredible clear white beam that really reaches out and packs a double punch, over twice the light in one.”



For the 2008 racing season, Randy Merritt and Mongo Racing welcomes back their loyal and faithful sponsors. A special thank you goes out to our sponsors, without the dedicated support from these fine companies, it just wouldn’t happen: KC HiLiTES, Ford Trucks, Goodyear Tires, F&M Baldenegro Farms, Sway-Away, Race Craft Seats, Raceline Wheels, Bodyline Autobody & Paint, Borla Exhaust, JD Squared, Autometer, Autofab and UMP.



For more information, please visit www.mongoracing.com

Toyota Tundra to get "Ironman" edition, supercharger


n the tightly knit American off-road racing world, there are only a select few who automatically come to mind when the topic of "Baja" arises. Within that handful is only one -- Ivan "Ironman" Stewart -- who has conquered the land all by himself, usually with Toyota power propelling him to victory.

To commemorate his five Baja 500 wins and 83 other off-road event victories over the past three decades, Toyota will be offering a limited edition "Ironman" Tundra. The dudded-up version of Motor Trend's 2008 Truck of the Year will feature a number of modifications courtesy of Stewart's sponsors, including oversized General tires, Bilstein suspension, and a free-flowing Magnaflow exhaust.
2008_toyota_tundra_front

There was no word on the power modifications, if any, that will be included in the limited edition "Ironman" truck, but we wouldn't put it past Toyota Racing Development to include some of its power boosting parts in the truck's off-road arsenal.

Speaking of adding to the aresnal, according to an insider at Tundrasolutions.com, TRD has plans to release its all-new Tundra supercharger kit around the same time into the U.S. market. The kit is said to help boost the 5.7 liter i-Force V-8 to upwards of 500 horsepower, which would put it into a league with departed supertrucks including Ford's F-150 Lightning and Dodge's SRT10 Ram.

So far, there's been no official confirmation from Toyota about the supercharger kit or the Ironman edition model, but when they make the announcement, we'll be sure to let you know. Expect both to arrive by summer.

Source: Motive Club

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Alexander wins Smokin' crown: Son of Baja racing legend wins in enduro event

In the final day of the 2008 Shell V-Power Smokin' Wheels Racing Weekend held at the Jose and Herminia Calvo Memorial Off-Road park in Yigo, history was made as Alexander Smith captured the 3-hour off-road buggy endurance race championship.
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Smith did what his father, Malcolm Smith, a Baja racing legend and former Smokin' Wheels champion did two decades ago. That was win the coveted race and do it in stunning fashion. The heavy favorite to win the race was defending champion Ikuo Hanawa from Japan.

Right from the start of the race, both Alexander Smith and Hanawa got off to a good start. However the Japanese racer jumped to a big lead with his more powerful Geolander race buggy.

In the ninth lap, Hanawa showed why he was the defending champion as he flew by all the other racers with ease. Alexander Smith kept a sizable distance to maintain second place. Hanawa brought the crowd to their feet when he soared jumps at amazing speeds.
Bad news

Bad news struck the defending champion in the 32nd lap. Hanawa was passing the starting line when a loud boom was heard all over the park. The front axle for Hanawa's prized buggy snapped and caused the Japanese racer to pull to the side. Alexander Smith saw an opening and took the laed as he flew by Hanawa which caused the crowd to cheer enthusiastically.

Hanawa was then hauled off the track and never returned to defend his title. Alexander Smith now was the man to beat, and used precision steering and course-awareness to get ahead of the pack.

In 57th minute and in the 36th lap Alexander Smith was cruising through turns and jumps, then all of a sudden he had to pull into his pit area.

Alexander Smith' power steering went out, however his pit crew patched everything up and the young racer was back in the race.

Two hours into the race, Alexander Smith dodged Japan's Masazaku Amauchi and Guam's own Bill Windham. Amauchi and Windham had their own battle for second place as both racers were neck and neck at times.

In the final minutes of the race, Alexander Smith broke away from Amauchi and Windham as he slammed the accelerator and cranked up the throttle to gain good distance from his opponents.

Alexander Smith, seconds away from winning what his father won so many years ago, soared over the finish line with the crowd applauding his hard-earned victory.

Smith then returned the favor and thanked the crowd as he dazzled them with 360 donut spins just several feet away from the finish line. Alexander Smith finished in first with a total of 99 laps completed. Coming in second was Amauchi with 96 laps and in third was Windham who completed 95 laps in a tremendous effort.

"I feel good right now, it is a great feeling. When I first arrived on island, I was worried that I was not going to win and the trip would be for nothing. I have to thank Henry Simpson for all his help," Alexander Smith said.

"Hanawa was really fast, but when I noticed that he was slowly starting to slow down, I told to myself that I had a chance. When his truck went down and I passed him, my state of mind mellowed out and I thought to myself that I can win this thing," Alexander Smith said.

Alexander Smith went onto to say that he was happy that he got to experience what his father did before. "I always wanted to live up to his legacy and today I did just that. I want to thank Henry (Simpson) and his pit crew for all their help. Thanks to all the fans that supported me and thanks to them for coming out and enjoying a great racing event".

Alexander Smith said afterwards "I will be back next year to defend my title".
Other race results

# ATV Endurance race: The team of Seiya Sakuma and Hideki Kishi of Japan took first place with 72 laps and a time of 2:02:49. In second place was Hiromasa Kitada and Hiroshi Kobayashi with 70 laps and a time of 2:04:18.

# ATV Endurance Mid-range race:Yoko Moriwaki and Sachi Tamura of Japan took first with 55 laps and 2:03:32. Coming in second was Japan's other duo of Masumi Toji and Kosuke Yamada with 55 laps and a time of 2:04:36.

# Open A and B race: Atsuhiko Nakiri who went solo took first place with 63 laps and a time of 2:04:08. Placing second was Guam's own duo of Tony Costa and Donovan Pitter with 56 laps and a time of 2:03:47. Costa and Pitter had a faster time but because Nakiri completed more laps, the Japanese rider was awarded the first place standing.

# Rock Crawling: In the 36 inch tire and below class, John Guerrero took first place and Chris Davis took second. In the 42 inch tire and below class, Chris Salas took first place. Finally in the Open class, Joey "JQ" Quichocho took first place, while Chris Brub took second. Rounding out the top three was John Walker.

source: guampdn