KORE WINS GENERAL TIRE MINT 400 - AGAIN

29 March 2009

KORE WINS GENERAL TIRE MINT 400 - AGAIN

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – Four hundred miles of Nevada whoops, rocks, and silt. With 194 entrants and only 85 finishers, this year’s General Tire Mint 400 proved to be one of the toughest on record.

With nobody else in the class the team wasn’t under a lot of pressure. The plan was to cruise to a finish and a win. As the day unfolded it became clear that this race was destined to be the biggest nail-biter of the season. Who would have thought that the number one adversary was going to be the desert itself?

Kent Kroeker and Robin Stover drove the first lap. Vicious dust during the start reduced visibility to zero, causing a very slow speed average. Seeking clear air, Kroeker and Stover passed Trophy Lites, buggies and trucks until they could run a normal pace. Loose silt on rocky hills mandated the use of the truck’s four wheel drive system. Each time it was engaged, evil sounds emerged. Robin identified the noise as a planetary gear dying in the transfer case. The team swapped the transfer case in the pit, losing over an hour.

John “Zambo” Zambie and Frank Martinek took over driving duties. Within 30 miles they had destroyed the rear drive shaft and mangled the front differential, losing another hour to make repairs in the field. Zambo completed lap 2 in good style, keeping a solid pace and delivering a perfect vehicle to KORE’s main pit.

Rudy Iribe and Joe Salas took control of the Powerwagon for lap 3. By this time the course was even rougher due to other vehicles repeatedly racing over the same terrain. Everything was going well until a coupler in the steering system snapped in half, leaving the team stranded in the middle of nowhere. A spare part was not on the truck and the Mint sanctioning body does not allow support vehicles to access the course. Fortunately they were in radio contact with KORE Chase. Salas transmitted their coordinates and Chase discovered that, although not visible, they were only a couple of miles from the race truck. Navigating by terrain features, Kroeker and his dad then ran the part in on foot, doing about six miles round trip.

Chris “Mongo” Williams joined Rudy in the Powerwagon for lap 4. With five hours of down time, in order to finish under the limit, Rudy had to not only drive a perfect lap with zero mechanical problems, but he would also have to go as fast as humanly possible. The team was on edge chasing Rudy and Mongo thought the various checkpoints. At one point Zambo said, “We’re kind of like a squirrel that just got run over but isn’t killed all the way. If anything else goes wrong - a flat tire, a clogged filter, anything - it’s all over.”

The team assembled at the finish line and soon heard the roar of the Powerwagon’s Hemi motor hammering through the pits. The team cheered and with only 58 seconds to spare, Rudy and Mongo crossed the checkered flag for the win, proving that sometimes you don’t need anyone else in your class to run one of the closest races ever.


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For more information contact: KORE

P.O. Box 2628

Valley Center CA 92082

760-749-8687

www.koreperformance.com