BITD V2r

[Blanco]

E-Mailed to me from Don Moss

I'm not sure it was cool to post this. :o
But I was excited & wanted to share! :)
------------------------------------------------------------------

Just wanted to update everyone on the preparation for
the 2007 Best in the Desert (BITD) Vegas to Reno race.
The entry is in (or will be in for sure on Friday)
and we have a number, 1830. This is the Safari, or
prerunner class. It is cheaper to enter and we don't
have to modify the truck too much to meet the class
requirements, and Dave Grundman will be making his
driving debut.

[Blanco]

Bummer is that race is too close to the Primm race & I cant ask for both off. :o

[fj40]

Hey Cam, good luck at the race!!

[Grimm]

Who team is that? Moss's?

[Blanco]

Hey Cam, good luck at the race!!

http://www.thewebwheeler.com/forums/images/smilies/6.gif why you wishing me luck? I aint racing?
Heck I'm not even gonna be there.

Who team is that? Moss's?

Yes! it was e-mailed to me & I passed it along. http://www.class3racing.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

I'll fix the above post, so it more clear.

[fj40]

http://www.thewebwheeler.com/forums/images/smilies/6.gif why you wishing me luck? I aint racing?
Heck I'm not even gonna be there.



Yes! it was e-mailed to me & I passed it along. http://www.class3racing.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

I'll fix the above post, so it more clear.

Doo!!! Did not look at the top of the post.......
Anyways, good luck to you.

[Blanco]

Anyways, good luck to you.

Thanks, I'll take that luck & use it on my Primm pre-run.

[speed unlimited]

Speed Unlimited will be at v2r in a class 10.leaving to the pre run at 8 am today.

[straightaxle]

Here's the starting order for the 1800 class at the BITD Vegas to Reno race. We are #1830, starting 5th.


Class 1800
1 1807 Kincaid
2 1851 Howle
3 1877 Ludian
4 1823 Billington
5 1830 Grundman
6 1814 Gutierrez
7 1822 Cotham

Don

[Blanco]

1830 Grundman :confused:


Is dave gonna be the driver of record...?

[Orr Motorsports]

I sent our entry form in last week. Our number is 1821. It looks like dropping the ball on getting the entry form in will put us in the back.

[Grimm]

Don,
What if anything did you guys have to change on the Bronco in order to race in that class BITD? Just curious.
Thanks
Scott

[straightaxle]

Dave is keeping track of the rules, but the biggest ones are:

Yellow number plate
New numbers
Blue anti-collision light along with amber
no siren, horn only

Basically not much.

[Blanco]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 17, 2007


SACRAMENTO, CA - Moss Brothers Racing will bring their 5 time SCORE Class 3 Championship 1979 Black Bronco to the Nevada desert for their first ever Best In The Desert race, the 11th TSCO Vegas to Reno event on August 23 – 25. The team remains undefeated in SCORE Class 3 competition since 2002 and have amassed an unprecedented 23 SCORE class wins, all with the SAME 1979 Ford Bronco.

Eager for new challenges and competition, the Bronco will compete in Class 1800 (the nearest equivalent to SCORE Class 3) and long time crew chief and co-driver, Dave Grundman will move into the left hand seat for his competition driving debut. Owner/drivers Don and Ken Moss will also drive some sections of the course, be co-drivers and chase/pit with their loyal and tireless ‘Black Bronco Crew’ as they mount their assault on the longest Off Road race in the United States. Running over some of the same trails that the original Pony Express riders rode over in 1860, the Black Bronco crew of 11, including drivers, are ready for the extreme temperature and terrain changes as the 570 mile course speeds from the dry lake beds of the high desert floor at 2500 foot elevation to the narrow canyons and mountains at 9000 feet. “With only minimal modifications required to meet the rules for Class 1800, we are looking to do something different, see some different country, try out another race organization and not tear anything up,” quipped Don Moss. “We still plan on racing this Bronco in the SCORE Primm race in a couple of weeks !”
# # #
CONTACT: Michelle Read

[chupakabras]

live tracking for this race,
http://www.irctracking.net/2007/Vegas-Reno/

[chupakabras]

just an update, don't se the moss guys, but here are the donahoe team, class 8000s, looks like the team hummer already made it to the finish line,.
http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/557117/fullsize/vtr.jpg

[gunit]

What happened to Grundman/Moss in the V2R. I see that they DNF'd. That is not like them and I am curious what happened.

[Blanco]

What happened to Grundman/Moss in the V2R. I see that they DNF'd. That is not like them and I am curious what happened.

:eek: WHOLY CRAP!

that is a shock!

let me make a phone call! http://bestsmileys.com/talking/16.gif

[Blanco]

OH CRAP! they only made it to RM340 & Dave never even got to take the wheel!

I just got off the phone with Don & he says that he was driving after it just got dark & BANG he found a BIG rock with his front axle!
shattering it in the process! http://thewebwheeler.com/forums/images/smilies/bangdesk.gif

He's currently driving home right now as I type this, & he says hell post up his story later when he gets home....

This sucks, The unbeatable champs get taken out by a rock & DNF @ their 1st V2R race.. http://thewebwheeler.com/forums/images/smilies/8.gif

[chupakabras]

that's a shame, they didn't had a live tracking device, right?

[retroblazer]

One rock is all it takes. One mistake. And there are infinite ways to make one mistake. So where were they relative to the field when they went out?

[straightaxle]

One rock is all it takes. One mistake. And there are infinite ways to make one mistake. So where were they relative to the field when they went out?

That is SO TRUE! How many thousands and thousands of rocks we have missed, but this one got us. Impacted just on the right of the pumpkin, pretty much dead center on the axle. Split the housing right through the bearing area.

The heat was pretty tough, and we started just before noon. We stopped in the first couple of miles and pulled a buggy that had his tow strap out. The buggy was still attached when we pulled over to let the Orr and the other Bronco that started behind us by. The buggy guy jumps out and asks us if we were going to tow him to the road crossing, 15 miles up the course! We had to decline and he cut himself loose. At mile 7, we had the engine quit. Apparently it vapor locked due to the temperature, elevation, overheating for 30 minutes in staging, and topping off with pump gas. Got it running again, but were behind most of the Rhinos by then.

The silt is legendary on this race, and it was all they say it is. We motored through it, passed the UTV's again and apparently all the others in the class. Pulled the Stein Expendition off of one of the mini dunes that are out in the middle of the dry lake just before Soctty's Junction. Ken got in there and had some electrical problems before Goldfield, but was able to continue on and our average speed was really starting to improve. I got back in above Tonopah after we replaced the amber light. Had our own issues with the electrical system when we turned on the lights that killed the GPS and radio momentarily, but it worked out.

Somewhere in that 335 to 340 mile area, I dodged a group of large rocks, but just didn't see the one we hit until it was too late. Hit it at probably 40 mph. We motored on, and everything was still working, but the axle started to rattle just before the Mina pit at around 370. Dave was supposed to drive the next section, but was not wild about jumping in a severly wounded truck. With the Primm race in 2 weeks, the decision was made to just put it on the trailer. The truss was holding it all together, but there was no way to tell for how long.

From what we can tell, we were out in front of the class when we went down. I don't believe anyone else finished. Hope to hear from the others. Met the Orr guys, talked to them briefly. Did not get a chance to meet the other Bronco guys.

We grabbed another axle housing in Bishop, and the prep for the Primm race begins.

[Blanco]

Sorry to hear about your luck. :o

But did you guys get any Pics?
I know I was'nt there to take any this time, But might of anyone else?

[straightaxle]

I did see a box camera floating around, and maybe a couple of digitals. It is likely it will take a while for them to surface.

[Scott]

Damn -- tough luck -- other than the shooting, how was the play Mrs. Lincoln? Seriously,,,would you recommend that we make this race next year? We might actually have all of our mods finished!!!

Good luck at Primm --

[straightaxle]

I have something to prove now: to finish the thing! So that's what I have to shoot for. It is very strange though not to line up with similar vehicles. I would certainly not attempt it in a 2 wheel drive, unless it was very capable (lots of HP, lots of suspension) because of the silt, sand and the hill before Top Gun. I would not recommend it if you plan on running another race two weeks later, that's just too close together.

[Blanco]

I would not recommend it if you plan on running another race two weeks later, that's just too close together.

I remember asking you about the risk of doing this right before Primm. :rolleyes:

I hope you get it all together before then. http://thewebwheeler.com/forums/images/smilies/spaz_smilie.gif

[Dave G]

I’ve got a couple of points that I’d like to make in regards to the V2R race.

This race was NOT intended to be any part of the Moss Bros. Racing schedule. It was simply a race that I wanted to do. I was the Driver of Record, I paid the entry fees, most of the membership fees for the team, and when the fuel bill comes in, I’ll cover that too!

In essence, I borrowed the #300 Bronco to go out and play, and I offered to let Don and Ken drive (we’ll just call that rent!)

The goal of this race was to check out an unfamiliar organization (BITD), see some new trails, meet some new people, and get some driving time in the Bronco before the B1K! It was supposed to be a nice easy cruise pace to check out the course, maybe pull some stuck cars out, and get to the finish with no damage to the Bronco! However, it turns out that the Moss Bros. don’t know what an easy cruise pace is. If they’re in a race truck, they’re racin’! As soon as Don pulled into the BFG pit with the front axle broken in half, I really saw no option other than to stop the damage, and save what parts we could out of the broken axle. We had a spare front axle on the trailer, and we had enough willing crew members to slap it in. If I’d have given them the go-ahead, we could’ve been under way within the hour, but enough was enough. I didn’t want to risk any more damage to the brothers’ machine! I felt bad enough that my brilliant idea had already scrapped the axle, and that in itself would require 40-50 hours and untold $$$ to repair and replace, I just couldn’t see risking any more carnage, especially with a critical points race less than two weeks away!

I understand that many are disappointed with the decision to put the Bronco on the trailer, and I hope this helps you to understand my reasoning for making that call, and also to understand that it was NOT a DNF on the Moss Bros’ record! (It was, however, not a great start to my own record!)

I need to offer a HUGE thank you to B F Goodrich and all of their crews that were out in the blazing heat to fuel a mere handful of entries. That’s the kind of dedication that proves BFG is the best in the business! I can’t thank them enough!

Thanks also to Casey and his crew of over 400 volunteers that helped to put on this race. It was a refreshing change from the chaos that defines the Mexico races. Contingency and tech were very quick and efficient, and the layout of the course with pits every 30-40 miles, all within eyesight of the highway, made for a thoroughly enjoyable race. I’ll be back at it next year, maybe with the Bronco…maybe with something else!

[Blanco]

Good luck in your next attempt Dave. http://thewebwheeler.com/forums/images/smilies/7.gif

[BajaBronco13]

Hey Dave,

Are you taking some heat for DNF-ing?

Good luck on your next race.

CP

[Iowa Pete]

Tough luck guys. It sounds like another challange to take on next year.

I was hoping to see what Dave had behind the wheel. All good things must wait.

Sounds like before the front axle damage the event was going well.

I might have to make V2R as my race to visit for next year with Chris living in Reno now!!

Good luck at Primm and the 1000+ an I will see you guys soon.

I'm still putting the video from the 500 on DVD's. I just have to find the time to sit through the 5 tapes of footage I got. They might be Christmas presents at the rate I'm going.

Pete

[Blanco]

Video? What Video? http://www.thewebwheeler.com/forums/images/smilies/6.gif

[Iowa Pete]

The Video is some pre-running for the 500 in 07. I had a helmet cam and videod some sections of the course during pre-running on motorcyles. There is also some footage around BFG Pits 2 & 3 on Race day, buy not a lot.

[Blanco]

http://thewebwheeler.com/forums/images/smilies/16.gif Might you be up-loading that on to Youtube or something later?

[Iowa Pete]

I have not done that before but I could give it a try. There is some good footage of Pit at BFG #2 with Rod Hall pitting next to the Bronco talking at them.

[Dave G]

(From another thread!)...Good shot here of Daves road grader, I mean axle , in action!

C'mon now, without my grader attachment, the bronco might still be stuck in the side of the course in Nevada!

Here's a couple of pics of the axle from V2R!
http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/562892/fullsize/broke-44.jpg

The impact point!
http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/562893/fullsize/axle-impact.jpg

Bottom view! (The red line is just a straight line for reference)
http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/562894/fullsize/axle-strap.jpg

[chupakabras]

waw, what was that,. that was a big :eek: hit, daammmnn...

[Moss2]

[QUOTE=Dave G;5295]C'mon now, without my grader attachment, the bronco might still be stuck in the side of the course in Nevada!

QUOTE]

Yes! We probably wouldnt have finished very many races without it. With so many farmers in the seats perhaps some hardfacing rod on the cutting edge is in order.

Ken

[Blanco]

Looks like that Truss did even more than most people expect from them. :cool:

[Salttoy]

Man, it looks a lot worse in the picture than it did mounted in the vehicle!!!