Leavitt Mint 400 update:

[AngerIssues]

Hi all, so sorry for the delay on this. I've become busy moving and other personal stuff.

Here is the short version (you know already I don't tell short stories).

Pops brought the truck down from Idaho. He and Tom Blair looked over the truck until they ran out of things to look at! Our 400+ miles screwing around at the Baja 1000 convinced us we had worked out motor issues, electrical issues, transfer-case issues, etc. We played down there for 11 days and never touched the truck.

So thanks to Dad for all the hard work, and Tom too. At the last race Tom got mud in his eye, so he was due to run some more miles. Also joining us, for his first time, was C3Racing.com's own "Cam Correa". He was SO stoked you couldn't hold him down. It was pretty funny, especially his concern for bowel movements! (?). Cam was also nice enough to bring Blanco for the pre-run. Very cool of him.

Thursday: We are the VERY first truck to hit the tech line. We staged early, registered early, and LED the whole flipping thing up Fremont street. I was interviewed for TV, radio, and Playboy (OK, I made that last one up). I wish we could have hung out all day, but this race kept us moving from place to place.

The pre-run went ok. I've seen Cam's postings so I'm not going to get into it. It was rough, and long, and we took some pictures and had a beer or two.

Race Day: I had instructed Tom Blair (first co-dawg) to call out every mile marker to the team... but to tell ME how many miles were left. A few races ago (07 Baja 250) we crashed the car due to getting impatient with a slower 7s WAY too early. We took off next to the FJ, and beat them to the first corner. We passed Gale Pike pretty quick, and ran with the FJ for many miles. We just hung with them. They passed us, we passed them back, we ran similar speeds and lines, but I knew Moss was slowly getting ahead. I was running pretty conservatively. At about mile 30 or so, I decided to let the FJ go, and just hang back (Tom says: "370 miles to go"). It's a LONG and rough race.

We ran flawless the whole lap, although about 40 miles into it... I"m kicking myself for no "piss kit".


ah crud - I have a flight leaving... more tomorrow.

ken

[Blanco]

http://www.thewebwheeler.com/forums/images/smilies/16.gif

[AngerIssues]

So after about 50 increasingly uncomfortable miles, we stop for fuel and put Cam in the truck. I pee!

Anyway, my dad looks over the truck, things are fine. Moss is 8 or so minutes ahead of the FJ, and he is 11 minutes ahead of me, which is all fine.

Lap 2 was a direct repeat, including the discomfort! Cam did great as co-dawg. We were passed by numerous TT's and buggies, but avoided getting rear-ended. Cam has some suggestions regarding mirrors... which doesn't surprise me!! EVerything was great, and we just kept our conservative pace. The Pike Dodge was on the back-side of the wash, and although we stopped to check on them, I guess there wasn't much we could do, so they told us to "go get 'em". ha ha.

I decided to leave Cam in the car for one more lap, hoping it might speed things up in the pit, but I had to pee anyway, and get some gas. I think we only took about 20 gallons at each stop.

Lap 3 I decided it was time to pick up the pace. Perhaps I waited too long. Anyway, we still had 200 miles to go and anything can happen! We started to pick it up, and I believe the FJ did this lap also. We should try to get check-point times to compare lap 3. About 3/4 through lap 3, I can hear some clunking start, and it doesn't sound terminal, but I decided to just back off a bit and go back to the conservative pace. I kept expecting that Moss or the FJ might stop with SOME kind of an issue, but they never did.

Lap 4, Tom got back in, and just cruised around. No issues, but I did go pretty slow as the clunking was getting a bit worse. I think it's just the uniballs going away in the radius arms, nothing visible. We pulled into the very last pit before we head into "Hidden Valley". I remembered hitting a rock, but didn't know I had a flat. Our guys changed it quickly, and away we went. Tom and I had a great time in the crazy wind, silt beds, and seeing hundreds of stranded racers out there. SNORE couldn't let most of the vehicles be retreived, due to BLM restrictions. There were people stuck in the wind, dirt, and COLD for hours and hours. NO THANKS. We did NOT want to be one of them!!

Anyway, we just cruised lap 4, wondering if the other guys had soldiered on. Odly enough, our radio started fading on us. By the end we had very little communication. Not sure why.

The finish was a bit anti-climatic... no reporters, no adoring fans... just my good friends and family! It was really great to finish such a long and tough race with so few problems. (I had to wake Cam up!!) ha ha.

The next morning, my dad went to put the truck on the trailer. He pumped the throttle to start it, and the throttle cable SNAPPED!!!

Race highlights:

Trophy Truck number 7 raping the whole side of the truck (there was no good place to pull over, it wasn't really his fault).

Having the number 12 helicopter buzz (low and FAST) to let us know he was coming up.

Wanting SO bad (4 times) to nail that jump leaving the Primm area... it was flat, fast, and would have been MASSIVE air... (didn't do it).

Cam using the bathroom 20 times before the race!

The look on my Dad's face when we finally got across that line!!

I was in the race truck 13 hours. I was pretty sore the next day!

[Blanco]

I decided to leave Cam in the car for one more lap, hoping it might speed things up in the pit,
That was awsome!
We're approtching about race mile 96 when Ken asked you wanna stay in for lap 3?

& I was like wont Tom get upset? :confused:
But Ken assured me he'd be cool with it.
So I was like http://www.thewebwheeler.com/forums/images/smilies/spaz_smilie.gif YEAH! I'll stay in! Let's do it.

Funny at Times Ken was concerned on if I was feeling alright during the race, Because I'd be quite.
I was just trying to let him focus on driving while I did my thing.
Constantly scanning the gauge's & mirror & up comming terrain etc..

He'd be like " Cam, You ok?"
& I was like Yep! :D
Thanks for actually caring about me vs only focusing on your driving.
That was very cool of you Ken.
I know being my 1st race an all, you might of worried that I was getting sick or something.
I did hear about a guy that came in 2nd in I think it was a 1600 buggy had to stop 3 times to let his girlfriend puke. http://www.thewebwheeler.com/forums/images/smilies/barf.gif
Gladly I never felt uncomfortable at all.
The finish was a bit anti-climatic... no reporters, no adoring fans... just my good friends and family! It was really great to finish such a long and tough race with so few problems. (I had to wake Cam up!!) ha ha.
Yeah sorry about that.
This is actually the 1st I've heard about you getting a flat. :eek:
Heck I had two tire punctures myself that weekend. ( In the same tire. :rolleyes: )
& yeah Ken had to wake me up.
Besides the fact that I got up like at about 5am, I learned that this Off Road racing can really take alot out of a guy.
I can only imagine how Ken must of felt driving the racer for 13 hours!
Yeah as I was hanging out with Maggie in my dually telling her about the race & such & I was exhausted.
I reclined back in the drivers seat of the Dually & passed out.
Next thing I know Ken opens my door.
& he's like hey! We Finished!
& I followed him to his motorhome to hear the storys.


The next morning, my dad went to put the truck on the trailer. He pumped the throttle to start it, and the throttle cable SNAPPED!!!
:eek: Talk about cutting it close!

Race highlights:

Trophy Truck number 7 raping the whole side of the truck (there was no good place to pull over, it wasn't really his fault).
Leaving his whole bedside behind in the process!

Having the number 12 helicopter buzz (low and FAST) to let us know he was coming up.
Yeah that was sorta cool, at least you knew why.
I was just sorta like :confused:

Wanting SO bad (4 times) to nail that jump leaving the Primm area... it was flat, fast, and would have been MASSIVE air... (didn't do it).
Good thing too. would of sucked to finish our race right there. :rolleyes:

Cam using the bathroom 20 times before the race!
That was after I left the Hotel. :o

I was in the race truck 13 hours. I was pretty sore the next day!
I can only imagine, I was sore for about 3 days.
Rib cage.
Neck. ( Glad I bought that dounut to help support my helmet. :) )
Arms.

& another highlight for me was when we could'nt get that darn slow buggy out of our way & how he had no mirrors & could'nt hear me laying on the horn.
& then in all my excitement of wacthing him & Honking at him we get bumped from behind ourselves by an even bigger buggy.
Sorry I did'nt see him in the mirror Ken. :o
Heck neither of us ever heard his horn either. http://www.thewebwheeler.com/forums/images/smilies/shrug.gif

Looking forward to the next race. http://www.thewebwheeler.com/forums/images/smilies/ewg.gif

[Broncodawg]

Thanks for the writeup Ken and Cam. Good run on a rough course.

[fj40]

Great story guys!!