ROLLING THE DICE AT THE MINT 400
ISSUE 3 VOL 1
APRIL 2020
The Voice Of Off-Road Motorsports
BIG BETS
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: ALCAN 5000: A SUB-ZERO RALLY ON STERIODS
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LAUGHLIN DESERT CLASSIC
NEW PRODUCT: POLARIS GENERAL 1000 SPORT
TABLE OF CONTENTS REGULAR DIRT>
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WORD
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NEWS FROM AROUND THE DIRT
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DIRTWORLD
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CHAPPY’S PIT STOP
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CALENDAR
FEATURES>
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NEW PRODUCT: POLARIS GENERAL 1000 SPORT
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ROLLING THE DICE AT THE MINT 400
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BEST IN THE DESERT LAUGHLIN DESERT CLASSIC
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ALCAN 5000: A SUB ZERO RALLY ON STERIODS
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Publisher DirtSports Inc. Editor-In-Chief Shaun Ochsner Sales and Management Dave Arnold Contributing Editors Jake Headlee Mercedes Lilienthal Steve Hanson FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA DIRTSPORTSWORLD
NOT JUST A LEVELING KIT
Contributing Photography Shaun Ochsner Eric Minks Jake Headlee Mercedes Lilienthal Richard Heely Rod Sorenson Can-Am Polaris Red Bull Email: dirtsports@dirtsportsworld.com Website: www.dirtsportsworld.com DIRTSPORTSWORLD
DIRTSPORTSWORLD
DIRTSPORTSWORLD.COM | 3
WORD
THE NEW NORMAL
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nstantly our full schedule of racing events came to a grinding halt with the COVID-19 pandemic. Events postponed. Cancelled. Rescheduled. All leaving a lot of uncertainty about what the future holds. We are coming to terms with words like- “stay at home order” “shelter in place” “social distancing” “new normal” and so on. Just what does “new normal” look like for off-road events? No one really knows. As the economy remains shutdown, many of our racer’s businesses are idled as well. Every day they are not operating means a huge loss of cash flow. Racing is an expendable income sport typically funded by the racer’s businesses. When their cash flow dries up, the first thing to go is the race car and shop. Some could be faced with shutting the shop down. There may be 3 to 4 full time employees that could instantly lose their jobs. Car counts begin to drop at events. Companies pull back on sponsorship dollars. This all has a serious ripple effect on our off-road community. We have been down this road before in 2007 during the housing market crash. It has taken several years to recover from that downturn in the economy. Just as things were looking good, we get hit again. I hope we can all weather the storm because it looks like we are in for a bumpy ride ahead. At the end of the day, one thing is clear. We all need to support the off-road community and help each other keep the lights on so we can all get back to racing. Shaun Ochsner Editor-In-Chief Dirt Sports World
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WE SALUTE ALL OF THE FIRST RESPONDERS WORKING THE FRONT LINES
NEWS Off-Road Legend Ricky Johnson Tests Positive for COVID-19 Supercross and off-road race legend Ricky Johnson announced he has tested positive for COVID-19. Johnson made a video to his Instagram audience, saying he is not sure how he got the virus that is currently sweeping the nation. Johnson says he traveled extensively during the beginning of March. He attended a NASCAR race, rode a motorcycle all the way to Daytona, shook hands with people at the Daytona Supercross, then got on airplanes traveling through Orlando and Minneapolis airports. Once he returned, he says he began to feel a little sick, discounting it to the all the travel he had been doing. “The good news is I am 21 days into it and I am past all of the bad stuff,� says Johnson in the video. Johnson was tested March 26th, 18 days into being sick. His test came back positive a few days later. Johnson also says his wife was sick in February and may have already had COVID-19. Today she shows no symptoms. Ricky Johnson says he got a ton of rest to get better as well as drank green tea, kept himself hydrated, took extra vitamin C, among other supplements and vitamins. Johnson posted additional videos explaining what the virus feels like and what made him feel better.
Travis Pastrana Joins the Can-Am Family Motorsports legend Travis Pastrana has joined the Can-Am off-road family. Pastrana has accumulated 17 X-Games medals including 11 of those gold. He also has 5 gold medals from the Gravity Games and dozens of wins from other events on his resume. Pastrana has raced everything from Rally to NASCAR to Freestyle Motocross, and of course dozens of side-by-side vehicles. 6 | DIRTSPORTSWORLD.COM
NEWS FROM AROUND THE DIRT “Can-Am makes the fastest and most durable side-by-side vehicles on the market,” said Pastrana. “After some coaxing by my good friend and the mechanic (Hubert Roland) who is always putting my broken vehicles back together, I gave a Can-Am Maverick X3 a shot on a 1,200-mile New Year’s trip in Baja. I was sold, and I’m happy to now be with a company that’s as excited as I am to push their vehicles to the limit. Since the switch we haven’t changed a single belt or axel at Pastranaland.” Pastrana joins Ken Block and Casey Currie as part of the Can-Am off-road family. Recently Can-Am saw great success at the
Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia. Can-Am also swept the podium during the King of the UTV race at the King of the Hammers event in Johnson Valley, California. Pastrana and Can-Am have already started collaborating on a number of future projects.
Promoters Scramble to Reschedule Racing Events The COVID-19 crisis has caused the world economy to come to a grinding halt. Dozens of states have stay at home orders. Travel at this time is almost non-existent. Many people are working from home or not working at all. All sporting events have been put on hold with many cancelled indefinitely. While the future is currently uncertain, off-road promoters are scrambling to reschedule 2020 event dates. Here is what we know. Keep in mind the situation in the world is fluid and this information continues to change. ▶ SCORE INTERNATIONAL Originally the San Felipe 250 was scheduled for the end of March. SCORE then moved the race to May. The San Felipe 250 will now take place September 16th-20. SCORE is removing the Baja 400 from their schedule. The Baja 500 also has been pushed back to the middle of June. New race dates are June 17-21. This year’s Baja 1000 was originally scheduled to be a peninsula run, starting in Ensenada and finishing in La Paz. The race has been revised to a loop race starting and finishing in Ensenada. ▶ NORRA Every year, the NORRA Mexican 1000 features a weeklong run down the Baja Peninsula finishing in San Jose Del Cabo with a huge party. Promoter Mike Pearlman held out hope the event would be able to happen in April. As travel restrictions at the border tightened, it was apparent the event would need to be moved. New dates for NORRA have been announced for October 3rd-10th. DIRTSPORTSWORLD.COM | 7
NEWS ▶ LUCAS OIL OFF ROAD The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series has yet to host a single race this year. Rain forced the cancellation of the opening rounds at Glen Helen Raceway in mid-March. The series moved its April dates at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler, Arizona to May 8th and 9th. Series director Ritchie Lewis said the series as of now is planning on running those dates and they are monitoring developments and federal guidelines from officials. Lucas Oil is also working on major track changes at Wild Horse Pass. The series says there are contingency plans in place should they need to reschedule the race again. ▶ BEST IN THE DESERT Best in The Desert was forced to postpone a motorcycle and UTV event in Laughlin in March. Also affected is the Silver State 300 scheduled at the end of April. No dates have been announced for either event. Best in The Desert has said the Silver State 300 could take place sometime in June. ▶ SUPERCROSS The 2020 Supercross Season is frozen in time. Eli Tomac has the points lead over Ken Roczen. Four points separate the two riders. As the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world and the government announced strict social distancing guidelines, Supercross was forced to cancel events one-byone. There are seven rounds left on the schedule. Supercross says they plan on running those events sometime later in the year. ▶ LUCAS OIL PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship typically has their opening round at Hangtown in Northern California in May after the Supercross season ends. That event has been cancelled. The series made major modifications to the season schedule with a new season opener to be held at WW Ranch Motocross Park in Jacksonville, Florida on June 13th. The series will end Labor Day weekend at Fox Raceway at Pala in Southern California. 8 | DIRTSPORTSWORLD.COM
NEW PRODUCT
THE 2020 POLARIS GENERAL 1000 SPORT SIDE -BY-SIDE
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olaris is expanding its 2020 Side-by-Side line-up with the new General 1000 Sport model. Designed for the backcountry, Polaris boasts the General 1000 Sport has classleading capability, comfort and style that the General models are known for. Polaris added a new exterior color with eyecatching graphics. The springs are color matched to the unit. The General 1000 Sport comes with 12-inch aluminum wheels, allwheel drive and a 100hp ProStar 1000 engine. The General 1000 Sport features 12-inches of suspension travel and 12-inches of ground clearance, ensuring a smooth ride on the roughest of terrain. Inside there are bolstered bucket seats and standard half-doors. The dumping cargo box hauls up to 600lbs of gear. The General 1000 Sport can tow up to 1,500lbs. DIRTSPORTSWORLD.COM | 9
POLARIS GENERAL 1000 SPORT Over 300 Polaris accessory options are available for the General 1000 Sport. You can pick this side-by-side up in Avalanche Gray at your local dealers in April for a starting price of $15,999 U.S. MSRP. Polaris also announced a 2020 Outlaw 70 EFI youth ATV for riders six years and older. The Outlaw 70 replaces the popular Polaris Outlaw 50. The new ATV features single-lever disc brakes, enclosed engine and parent adjustable speed limiter. It also comes with an exclusive safety kit that includes helmet, safety tether, whip flag and training DVD. The Outlaw 70 EFI will start at $2,299 U.S. MSRP.
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DIRT WORLD
Dogs have a “ruff ” life
LAUGHLIN DESERT CLASSIC
LAUGHLIN DESERT CLASSIC
MINT 400
This Chappy is ready for any weather
Mint 400
MINT 400
Thank you King Shocks for keeping us warm.
It’s no longer called Fremont Street?
You never know when the stalkerazzi is going snap your photo.
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THE WORLD IS A DIRTY PLACE
MINT 400
MINT 400
Go big or go home!
Time to make a trip to Pirates Cove
MINT 400
MINT 400
Did you get that banger?
When you are no longer the star of the show.
MINT 400
SU BM YO IT U PH R OT O SEND US YOUR CRAZY PHOTO OUT IN THE DIRT AND WE MAY FEATURE IT HERE IN AN UPCOMING ISSUE. Email to: Dirtsports@dirtsportsworld.com
Little driver, little crew chief
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ROLLING THE DICE BY: SHAUN OCHSNER PHOTOS: SHAUN OCHSNER & ERIC MINKS
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AT THE MINT 400
THE MINT 400
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romoting any event is no easy task. Promoting an off-road race is even harder. There are months of conference calls before permits are issued. Meetings and contracts with vendors. Logistics. Planning. The Martelli brothers have learned this over the years. Matt and Josh Martelli own the Mint 400. This year their job became even harder as they made the tough decision to handle race logistics, safety and staffing volunteer course crews in-house. In previous years, the brothers have relied on the Best in The Desert organization to handle those things. The Martelli brothers assembled a team of over 150 volunteers and 50 rescue personnel to staff the Mint during the race.
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ROLLING THE DICE
The Mint 400 is still one of the most historic races in the United States. It all started in 1968 as an effort by Norm Johnson to promote the Mint hotel’s annual deer hunt. It wasn’t long before the event became a legitimate off-road race, attracting Hollywood celebrities with the annual Miss Mint competition. Legendary off-road racers still come to be part of the Mint 400. Race festivities for the Mint 400 kicked off with a parade of race vehicles down the famed Las Vegas Strip. Race fans and tourists lined parts of Las Vegas Boulevard to watch the vehicles drive towards downtown’s historic Fremont Street. For two days, race vehicles were pushed or drove down Fremont Street through a maze of vendors to a technical inspection and safety area where they were officially signed off for the race.
While all of this was going on, qualifying was held in a secret location just north of Las Vegas for the unlimited vehicles. Harley Letner qualified the number 70 Concrete Motorsports Truck on top earning the team a start in clean air.
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THE MINT 400 The Martelli brothers made some schedule changes allowing motorcycles to race Friday morning. In the afternoon, limited vehicles and UTV’s took to the course. After four laps on the 107-mile course, Branden Sims took the win. Sims started on the front row and held the lead through the entire race. Jacob Carver finished 12 minutes behind Sims for second place. Dalton Shirey took a win in the motorcycle class earlier in the day. Other wins went to Joe Fitos in the Trophy Lite class, Kevin Thompson in 1450 and Eric Palacios in Class 11.
“I can’t believe it! We worked so hard. This truck, we built it in 2014, and I can’t believe we just won the Mint 400. That’s badass!” -Luke McMillin
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The second day of racing saw the Unlimited vehicles out on the course. As the designated spectator areas filled up, dust began to fill the desert. The biggest names in off-road racing battled it out on the rough, grueling track. Harley Letner and the Concrete Motorsports Team were looking towards a victory until a head gasket would shut down all their hard work up front. Ryan Arciero, Luke McMillin and Bryce Menzies were within seconds of each other on the fourth lap. Arciero lost valuable time changing a flat tire which allowed McMillin to gain the lead and take the overall Mint 400 victory. Menzies finished in second place. Cody Parkhouse won Class 1 and Preston Brigman took a win in Class 10.
DESERT RACING
BEST IN THE DESERT LAUGHLIN DESERT CLASSIC WORDS & PHOTOS: SHAUN OCHSNER
L
aughlin has always been a popular hot spot for off-road racing. All you have to do is look at everything this tourist friendly city has to offer. Located 90 miles south of Las Vegas along the Colorado River, you can almost walk to course from the hotels and casinos. The Laughlin Visitors Bureau has been supporting events here for many years. The Best in The Desert Laughlin Desert Classic kicked off with a UTV night race. Racing at night is always a challenge. For starters, the course is pitch black. You must rely on your GPS and lighting equipment to navigate. . Course obstructions are harder to see. Exactly the challenge Best in The Desert had in mind when adding the night race to the schedule. 102 entries took on that challenge. Phil Blurton lead most of the main race and was looking towards a DIRTSPORTSWORLD.COM | 19
LAUGHLIN DESERT CLASSIC
victory. On the last lap just before the finish, Blurton sailed off the track, crashing his UTV, breaking an a-arm. The crash would cost Blurton the win. 23-year old Mitch Guthrie would take the win in his Red Bull backed Polaris. Blurton ended up finishing second. Mother nature threatened to change things up as the other classes started racing Saturday morning. A downpour caused flooding on the course. Racers had to navigate through large mud puddles. Best in the Desert officials were even forced to re-route a section of flooded course for safety.
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DESERT RACING In the Trick Truck class, Jason Voss took the victory on Day 1. The second day of racing was a different story. As the sun came out and the track dried out, Voss started out front, but was quickly passed by Apdaly Lopez after pulling over to change a tire. Lopez, who normally drives for RPM racing found himself without a ride this season. RPM’s Justin Matney is recovering from surgery and Valley Fever. Lopez inked a deal to drive for Smiley Motorsports. Lopez created a 1-minute lead over the rest of field and was in contention for the win. The truck went down with mechanical issues just before the finish line. Adam Householder took the overall win after finishing in front of the Concrete Motorsports
Team. Harley Letner is the star driver for the #70 Concrete Trick-Truck, however driver of record Kevin Thompson was behind the wheel on Day 2. Householder hasn’t had a win in Laughlin in several years. Jason Voss still picked up an overall win in Class 8 and Kyle Craft won overall in the 6100 class.
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A Sub-Zero Rally on Steroids: the 2020 Alcan 5000 Rally WORDS AND PHOTOS BY: MERCEDES LILIENTHAL
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ALCAN 5000 RALLY
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liding sideways, sub-zero bonechilling temps, and almost hitting a wolf on the Dempster Highway near the Arctic Circle equals an epic Arctic adventure! Rally entrants experienced unexpected challenges, thousands of miles of snow- and ice-covered severity, and a rally that would reveal their inner strengths and weaknesses. This was the 2020 Alcan 5000 Rally—the Mother of all winter rallies.
What is the Alcan 5000 Rally? Boasting over 5,120 total rally miles (and then some), this year’s rally spanned from Kirkland, Washington due north through all of Canada (including Whitehorse, Yukon Territory to Tuktoyaktuk and the Arctic Ocean which is located in the Northwest Territories). But, that was just a small section of the Arctic winter competition. Contestants ventured from the top of the Earth back down to Whitehorse and skipped over to Fairbanks, Alaska in order to eventually finish in Anchorage the day before the famed Iditarod dog sled races started. An Arctic rally, the 48th annual running of the Iditarod dog sled races, and even a kooky pre-Iditarod event called the Running 24 | DIRTSPORTSWORLD.COM
of the Reindeer made for a true Arctic and Alaskan adventure contestants won’t soon forget. Who would be crazy enough to combine severe snow-induced travel with lack of sleep, constant concentration, vehicular woes, and 10 draining days of long hours to complete the Alcan 5000 Rally? Add to that a multitude of mini-TSD (time, speed, distance) competitions, an ice race in Dawson City, and optional jaunts to Tuktoyaktuk, NT Coldfoot, AK or Aklavik, NT via an ice road on top of it all? Over 40 teams said yes to the Arctic-inducing adventure (including well-known Ultra4 guys like Dave Cole and Loren Healy, as well as other racers or industry folks like Ray Currie and Mel Wade). Teams traveled to Kirkland, WA from all across the country to start the rally.
A SUB-ZERO RALLY ON STERIODS
Of 41 vehicles, 38 started the late February rally (teams #4, #16, and #28 didn’t compete due to medical or other reasons). Of the 38 starters, 37 teams finished in Anchorage (car #17 had issues with their alternator and brakes but ultimately their Subaru Impreza developed rod knock and seized). It was towed the last 100+ miles to the finish line. The Alcan 5000 Rally started in 1984 and runs every two years (summer, then winter, then summer, and so on). Still a grass-roots rally, the Alcan 5000 puts man (and woman), plus machine to extreme tests of longevity, rough terrain, bitter cold, and stamina. Whereas races typically take place on closed courses or trails, rallies or TSDs are competitions that are at or below posted speeds on open public roads where other traffic is often found. Credit: Richard Heely
Rod Hall Tribute Mitsubishi Pajero In the 1986 summer rally, the late great racer Rod Hall and his teammate competed in the Alcan 5000 with a Mitsubishi-built Dodge Raider, a sister vehicle to the 1991 Mitsubishi Pajero my husband, Andy Lilienthal, and I drove for 2020. Although their Raider was a Gen 1 gas-powered 4x4, ours was a Gen 2 Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) diesel variant. Since Rod passed away last year, the owner of the Alcan 5000 Rally, Jerry Hines, asked if we’d run the Historical Class in honor of Rod and his Arctic trek. We DIRTSPORTSWORLD.COM | 25
ALCAN 5000 RALLY were honored and agreed to represent him. Rod’s team was one of only five teams to reach Inuvik, Northwest Territories, of everyone that participated. We followed suite to shadow Rod’s footsteps with our winter rally, and accomplished the exact same goal he did—but heading back south the next day wasn’t easy.
Credit: Rod Sorenson After reaching our goal to replicate Rod’s journey while getting only four hours of sleep the night before, we woke and were greeted with the coldest overnight temperature yet, -31° F (-54.4° F with the wind chill) in Inuvik. Although weary and cold, we packed up our gear and headed into the dead of night to pack up the Pajero. This was by far coldest we’ve started any vehicle, especially an old JDM diesel 4x4. Crunching through the snow, we trudged to our machine with heavy backpacks, to hear deafening silence. No whirring noises coming from the Webasto coolant heater we installed for this trip. “Low voltage” read its control panel. What do we do now?!? This coolant heater was programmed to keep the engine warm during extreme cold temps so the diesel fuel wouldn’t gel up. Thankfully, there‘s a manual mode so we turned it on and loaded the rest of our gear. After an anxious 10 minutes, we fired up the Pajero. It cranked strong and with a few tries, it clanged and banged its way into a semi-normal stuttering fashion. The Webasto, along with our Optima Battery Red Tops, saved the day! We later learned our 26 | DIRTSPORTSWORLD.COM
system, the Webasto’s Thermo Top Evo, can be programmed with to shut off if it hits a specific voltage level of the battery (we had ours set high as a precaution). The system and batteries must have been at that level— the Webasto was designed to shut off at this point to give the batteries the best chance at starting. And that, it did. The 762 mile trek from Inuvik, NT to Whitehorse, YT spanned nearly 15 hours on groomed ice- and snow-covered roads. The Klondike and Dempster highways offered up vast views of bluebird skies as we traversed its miles, but don’t let the weather fool you as it tried to do with us. Perfectly still conditions can kick up a lot of snow dust and showcase tricky terrain with scary situations.
Helping One Another Miscellaneous mutterings across radio channels shared tales of broken windshields, vehicular issues, and an abundance of street-side wildlife viewing prospects. Those in the lead of random designated rally packs called out emergency situations, whether oncoming semis giving little room, someone in the ditch, or an occasional moose or caribou herd in the middle of the road. Alcan 5000 ralliers were paired up with one or two “buddy cars”, vehicles close in assigned rally numbers as each rig takes off the start line in one minute increments. Our buddy rigs consisted of two other 4x4s: #38 Team Anyway (JR and Judy Russel from Washington) in a two-door Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and #40 Garrett and Kristen Arendt (hailing from Colorado) in a Lexus GX470. With the Lexus in the lead, the Pajero usually ran between the two or brought up the rear. Since we were the last competitors to jump off the wait list to join this year’s rally, we
A SUB-ZERO RALLY ON STERIODS received the last starting positions. Last one out, hence the last one in every night. We jokingly called ourselves Team Back of the Bus—by the time we got fuel and headed to the hotels, restaurants were usually closed with other ralliers already heading to bed. In addition to nearly 40 teams competing for the rally crown, several support vehicles, including three sweeps teams, were there to assist: two Dodge RAMs and a Ford Raptor. Sweeps kept quite busy helping ralliers in need with a variety of issues.
While the Alcan 5000 Rally is a beast of a rally to compete in, especially in the winter, those who organized it, managed it, and competed in it continually came together to help each other out. The sense of comradery was outstanding. People checked on each other, loaned equipment or tools to each other, and lifted each other up when someone was having a rough day. The Mother of all winter rallies showcased a team atmosphere we’ve not quite experienced anywhere else. A unified, traveling community whose memories will far outshine the challenges that happened along the way. The formidable bond between the 2020 Alcan 5000 Rally group will be forever long—chipped windshields and body damage included.
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TECH
not just a leveling kit
Words and Photos: Jake Headlee
W
hen thinking of off-road performance and Ford, it is easy to immediately think of the Raptor. A ready-to-go rig of course, but it comes with a huge price tag. Thankfully, companies like Baja Kits and Fox Shocks have stepped up to give the Raptor’s little brother, the F-150, some love. The Ford F-150 FX4 is good option for a standard 4-wheel drive full-size truck. Comfortable with good amenities and with an easily modified factory coil-over system. Combining the shock and coil spring simplifies suspension systems by allowing the package to be replaced as a whole. Though not a first for front suspension systems, Ford’s version utilizes technology they have been improving on for years. Leveling these trucks is pretty easy and straight forward. There are many spacers on the market to bring the front end up but they aren’t all created equal. For users that want to emulate Raptor performance, Fox Shocks and Baja Kits have you covered. When Ford shifted to aluminum bodies for the 2015 model year, Fox had to go back to the R&D department to reconfigure their products that fit the truck. Ford dropped
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nearly 750lbs, a substantial weight savings that has a significant impact on shock valving and coil spring rates. Fox has had decades of experience tuning shocks and with the help of Eibach springs, the new system was launched. Fox’s Adjustable Factory Race Series 2.5 coil-over reservoir shock is built with a smooth bore zinc-coated and seamless steel body with black-anodized, CNC machined 6061-T6 aluminum components. The ride height collars allow for the shock to be adjusted from 0 - 2-inch or 4 – 6-inch, depending on the kit you get. The remote 2.5inch diameter alloy reservoir features Fox’s Dual Speed Compression (DSC) adjustment system, allowing drivers to quickly adjust the compression with the turn of a dial. For the rear shocks, Fox has matching piggyback reservoir 2.5-inch shocks designed for 0 – 1.5-inches of lift. The rear shocks are built with the same precision and highquality materials as the front and also include the DSC adjustment system for easy tuning. Swapping out the coilovers is a good start but to really get the full potential out of the independent front suspension, adding
NOT JUST A LEVELING KIT adding a new upper control arm is the next logical step. Baja Kits has been building performance suspension systems for years and has a fully boxed, computer-aided designed arm that will net up to 9-inches of wheel travel. Not all the way to the specs of the Raptor, but close. Baja Kits’ control arms are designed to have more caster built into them to improve the truck’s stability when paired with a lifted coil-over. Trophy Truck grade uniballs replace the weak stock upper ball joints, alleviating the concern of maxing out the travel and strength limitations of the ball joint. The uniballs include a machined bolt that perfectly fits the taper of the stock knuckle, which means there is no drilling required and the truck can be returned to stock if need be. Whether it’s to avoid the high price tag of a Raptor or just giving an F-150 some performance love, some Fox coil-overs and shocks, and Baja Kit’s upper control arms are a perfect combination.
Stock F-150s come with a substantial rake from the factory. There are many ways to fix that but going with performance parts is always the best choice.
Baja Kits uses Computer-Aided-Drafting to custom build performance upper control arms that can handle severe stress while increasing the caster angle to give lifted F-150s better stability both on and off-road.
The Trophy Truck style uniballs that Baja Kits uses to replace the factory ball joints have a built-in taper that matches the taper on stock ball joints. The pure strength and better articulation means cleaner travel that exceeds the factory components. Fox knows performance and translated that knowledge to boosting the abilities of the F-150. Many of the components and materials used in the construction of the Factory Race Series 2.5 coil-over are the same as what are used in their extreme duty, race proven shocks. DIRTSPORTSWORLD.COM | 29
TECH INSTALL
The Dual Speed Compression (DSC) system allows drivers to tune their vehicle to their preferences and the specific terrain the truck will be on. Simply twist the knobs and feel the difference!
The stock F-150 suspension is effective but not designed for heavy off-road suspension.
After getting the stock coil-over and upper control arm out of the way, the new Baja Kits boxed arm gets bolted into the factory location. Pro Tip: a little bit of grease on the outsides of the Delrin bushings make install much easier and helps the arm move as needed for final attachments. The Fox coil-over bolts into the stock location using new hardware. The steering and sway bar need to be removed for access and the extra suspension droop to get the coil-over swapped. 30 | DIRTSPORTSWORLD.COM
NOT JUST A LEVELING KIT The rear shocks are also a direct bolt in. Having the reservoirs as a piggyback system makes installed incredibly easy.
The front reservoirs come with a specially designed bracket from Fox. On this 2017 F-150, the factory turbo intercooler had already been replaced by an aftermarket unit that relocated behind the grille, leaving a prime location for the bracket to bolt to. Pro Tip: Using heat shring tubing cleans up the look of the provided hose clamps.
Raised about 2-inches and ready to blast down dirt roads on a whim! DIRTSPORTSWORLD.COM | 31
CHAPPY’S PIT STOP
STOP AND WAIT... Words: Steve Hanson Photos: Bink Design & Dick Gray
I
t is amazing how quick things can change. Just a month ago everything was running smooth, our businesses were operating at max capacity, everyone was making money and having fun. The talk in the pits circled around too many events, not enough time to prep race cars and how to get it all done. We were all going full-throttle and had it pinned; set for an exciting year of racing. Two-thousand twenty was set to be a record year-ready or not, green, green, green than wham! We go from green, to full-course yellow and now red flags waving at each corner. Uncertainty is setting in as the coronavirus changes the course of the track each day. So, what does God say about uncertainty? What does God say when we feel scared or begin to fear the unknown? When the events our lives circle around get cancelled, it leaves us wondering who is in control. ISAIAH 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am
with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” God is with us; we do not have to fear because he is in control even though the circumstances around us are out of our control. This verse promises us that God will see us through our financial struggles, our business operations, and even the racing season. I encourage you to put down any distractions and use this time to align your heart with Him. God has a plan! JEREMIAH 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. The Christian walk, standing firm in times of uncertainty, is not a walk to take by yourself. We need each other in order make the grid, stage, and peel out! God bless you in 2020.
Coronavirus: What if its not about self-preservation, but God’s glorification. ~ Melissa Faisst
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CALENDAR
UPCOMING EVENTS may Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Round 1 & 2- Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park (Chandler, Arizona) May 8th-9th Best In The Desert Silver State 300- Alamo, NV TBA Off-Road Nights Expo- San Diego, CA (Del Mar Fairgrounds) May 23rd - 24th
june SCORE BAJA 500- Ensenda, Baja June 17th-21st Championship Off-Road Crandon, Wisconsin (Crandon International Raceway) June 20th-21st UTV Takeover- Coos Bay, Oregon June 24th-28th Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Round 3 & 4- Tooele, Utah (Utah Motorsports Campus June 27th -28th
EVENT TO ATTEND OFF ROAD NIGHTS DIRT LIFESTYLE EXPO
D E L U HED
C S E R
Off Road Nights Dirt Lifestyle Expo has been rescheduled to Memorial Weekend with 2-days of action packed fun. The event takes place at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, near San Diego with plenty of off-road vendors and live entertainment. Not to miss are the races inside of the arena. Watch race trucks, prerunners, UTV’s and buggies battle it out on an all new and longer course that features plenty jumps with high flying door banging action. More information can be found at www. ornscene.com
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