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

KORE POWER WAGON NABS SECOND AT BAJA 1000

25 November 2008


KORE POWER WAGON NABS SECOND AT BAJA 1000


SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – The 2008 SCORE Baja 1000 was marked by relentless terrain diversity and technical sections not seen in over ten years. Fresh from an important victory at the Primm 300, General Tire’s Team KORE was poised to tackle the course.


“We felt like this was going to be our race; everything was lined up for the win. Our success at Primm proved we have the speed to beat anyone in our class,” said John Zambie.


But after just a few miles of racing, bad things started happening. With Rodolfo “Rudy” Iribe at the wheel and Zambie in the right seat, while passing another vehicle, a low-hanging oak tree took the Power Wagon’s upper light bar clean off. They had to get off the course and salvage the remaining lights, then stop again at their first pit to offload the lights to the crew. This put them not only behind the entire Stock Full class, but also many other race vehicles.


Rudy drove hard, making up time, passing everyone except Chad Hall in the H3. It was a dark and dusty night with no wind. At Race Mile 284, minutes behind Chad, Kent Kroeker and Frank Martinek took over driving duties.


“There was no time to replace the upper light bar. We just had to suck it up and race with the Soltek LED’s we had on the bumper. They have great coverage, but limited range, so we were constantly overdriving them. It was kind of scary sometimes, but you do what you have to,” said Kroeker.


Kroeker had been suffering from the stomach flu all week. Near the end of the San Felipe whoops he remarked to Martinek that he was not safe to drive the truck to the finish because he was starting to “gray out.” Martinek radioed ahead to the pit to have Rudy get ready to drive again.


A driver swap and some minor repairs at Race Mile 400 put the Power Wagon back in the fight. Heading up the beach toward Santo Tomas Rudy had the truck minutes from the lead. Approaching Erindera, they hit a huge, man-made booby trap – a giant hole dug with a back hoe.


“There was nothing we could do. We were doing about 60, so Rudy just down shifted and pinned in. We hit the other side so hard it bounced the truck about ten feet in the air. We rode the front end, looking at the ground for a long time. I was amazed we didn’t go over,” said Martinek.


Then parts started flying off the truck. First the front drive shaft, then a brake caliper. With no four wheel drive, they got mired in deep silt. Digging for hours while Chase brought parts to make repairs, their chances for the win disappeared.


“Chad drove a perfect race and deserves that win 100%. We had some weird luck, but getting second in this year’s Baja 1000 was like my driving experience: Yeah, I’m glad I didn’t puke in my helmet, pass out and yardsale the truck, but it still made me throw up in the pits,” said Kroeker.


“Second Place Blows.”


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For more information contact: KORE

P.O. Box 2628

Valley Center CA 92082

760-749-8687


www.koreperformance.com

KORE POWER WAGON WINS PRIMM 300

8 September 2008



KORE POWER WAGON WINS PRIMM 300



SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – The “Primm 300” is the roughest, most brutal race in the SCORE series. Hundreds of miles of rocks, sand and cross-grain pit drivers not only against each other, but against the terrain. Angered by a 3rd place finish at “Vegas to Reno” only two weeks prior, Team KORE worked non-stop, completely rebuilding the Power Wagon in record time.


“Primm is gnarly,” said Team Manager, John Zambie, “In the short time allotted, we did everything we could to get the truck ready. Didn’t sleep much – finished prep the morning of the race - but we got it done.”


A 6am start from the back of the pack forced driver Kent Kroeker to fight tremendous dust while driving into the rising sun.


“A rear start is a huge disadvantage at Primm. The visibility was so bad we had to take a lot of chances to get past everyone. When we finally got behind Griffin, I hit him hard. Then it was a game-on for the rest of the race.”


An all-out death battle ensued between John Griffin’s Ford and Kroeker’s Dodge. Swapping leads numerous times throughout the race caused a lot of nail biting in the pits. Both teams had to stop to refuel and each time the lead changed. For the entire second lap, both trucks remained within seconds of each other, going all out for the win.


With only 20 miles to go, Kroeker was in the lead. Then the motor stalled and Griffin got by, forcing Kroeker to drive inside his dust, all the way to the finish.


“They started 30 seconds in front of us, so I knew I could finish behind him and still win on corrected time,” said Kroeker, “His dust was so bad, a lot of the time, I couldn’t see anything. I had to flog our truck as hard as I could to stay with him and rely on my co-driver to navigate from the GPS.”


With zero visibility, two miles from the finish, Kroeker hit a rock, exploding the right rear tire.


“There was no time to change it – no time to even think of that. I just kept it pinned and hoped most of it would stay on the wheel.”


The crowd cheered as Kent Kroeker and co-driver Frank Martinek powered down the final mile with a mangled bumper, crumpled bedsides and a shredded tire, flapping on the wheel.


When they reached the checkered flag, KORE had the win by 16 seconds.



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For more information contact: KORE

P.O. Box 2628

Valley Center CA 92082

760-749-8687


www.koreperformance.com

Malcolm Smith to drive for KORE

10 October 2007

MALCOLM SMITH TO DRIVE KORE HEMI® IN 40TH ANNUAL BAJA 1000

San Diego, California – Kroeker Off Road Engineering is proud to announce that when the KORE Dodge Ram powers off the starting line during this year’s 40th Annual Baja 1000, it will be driven by none other than Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee Malcolm Smith. 40 years ago, Malcolm Smith took first place in the inaugural Mexican 1000, the first of his six wins in the premiere North American Desert Racing event. From the Six-Day trials of Europe to the sands of the Dakar rally, Malcolm’s name has become synonymous with off road racing.

“We’re really pumped about this,” said Kent Kroeker, the owner of KORE. “Malcolm has been my hero ever since I was a young boy. To race with him is an unbelievable honor for me and everyone on our team.”

Also driving for KORE’s Team Desert Assault® will be four time Baja 1000 winner Darren Skilton, 2004-2006, CODE 1X plate holder Rodolfo Iribe, the original Extreme Skier Glen Plake, and Marine Corps Harrier pilot John Zambie.

“None of this would be possible without the tremendous help of our sponsors,” said Kroeker. “Thanks to Mopar Performance, Fox Racing Shocks, Toyo Tires, Baja Designs lights, AEM intakes, Weld Wheels and Nordskog Gauges – and all the hard work of our friends and volunteers, we’re going down to Baja 100% prepared for this race.”

As always, Malcolm said it best, “I’m not going down there to race; I’m going down there to win!”

During the race on November 13th, track the KORE Desert Assault® in real time from your home computer. See the KORE Hemi® reach speeds of over 120 mph. as it rips across the Mexican desert, reeling in competitors while gunning for the checkered flag. Using the latest satellite technology you can watch the race at www.racetheworld.net.

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For more information contact:

KORE
760-749-8687
www.koreperformance.com