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We welcomed a sunny race day as part of the chase team headed out. Co-rider Fawn and I lined up early knowing the low turnout and short spacing between the starting vehicles would have us out of town earlier than usual. This race would have an extra touch to it as we had an onboard camera to record the action just as we experience it. 10:21am and the green flag waves us off, first vehicle in our class. Into the Ensenada Wash we sail over the well-groomed jumps. Back up on the pavement and towards the edge of town we pass our first car before the dirt. Parts of the trail look familiar and other are new to us. The usual grouping of spectators marked the booby traps and tougher spots where action might occur. We were patient and a couple of the typically faster trucks in our class went by. Fawn called out the turns well as the dust hung heavy in a couple of the more technical spots. Race mile (RM) 35 had us crossing Highway 3 in fine shape continuing to work through the twisting hilly terrain. Finally we hit 3rd gear on the high speed Ojos road. Soon the Tres Hermanos area approach with the wash and silt beds we've grown to respect. Since we didn't get a chance to pre-run, I hoped that our flagging from the 1000 would still be in place. Sure enough traces of ribbon were still present in the trees. We hauled ass on the high side and cut over to the fence, only to miss the opening again. A quick 360 got us through and back on our preferred line. Into the cut we went and the dust was still hanging from earlier traffic. Not wanting to jam us up in the silt I paused to get a better view and sure enough a couple of trucks snuck by us. We jumped in behind them and pressed on. The typical silt area was almost non-existent and we sailed through and up the mountain trails. On the backside we pick up confidence and speed. This combination leads us to a big whoop that kicked the rear end skyward. We're looking forward only at the ground waiting for the results. The truck settles back in and Fawn sez "good job." I reply that it was all gravity and physics, holding the steering wheel had nothing to do with it. Regrouped we're back pushing hard. We come upon another vehicle that we're just a bit faster than and want to pass. I think its Rod's Hummer, Fawn says it's the FJ (which at this time is still in dispute) either way I'm not going to nerf 'em and we're in their dust on the narrow trail for a long way. RM 81 has us on the highway for a short run. We're feeling good and running strong.
Back in the dirt the roads are well worn and fast. We start to call out that we're close to our first pit stop with BFG. The team radios that they missed the turn off for the pit and we need to stop for gas and then continue on for a few more miles for the rider change. I get on the horn and implore them to get the planned pit location. The reply is they can't make it as the first of our class is passing by them as we speak. At RM 87 I'm back on the mike trying to solve the perceived pitting problem just as Fawn is calling out a hard left-hander with a double skull & crossbones danger marking. I don't hear her due to my yakking on the radio and we hit the spot way too fast. I remember seeing a deep ravine with a couple of boulders blocking the course. The rear of the truck pitches off camber down the embankment and we slide sideways until nature takes over and I put the roll cage into the full operational mode. We luckily came to a quick stop and didn't roll forever. Hanging upside down for the first time ever was a bad feeling. Tranny oil began to drain onto Fawn's feet as she tried to open the window netting to escape. Unfortunately the crash had pinched the snaps closed and they wouldn't free up. A guy pokes his head on my side and says to sit tight as they're hooking up a winch line to flip us over. Fawn had already unbelted and was on the roof as we were rolled back upright. She got the double whammy. I radioed to the team what had just transpired and we would need crack mechanic PatN at our location. Locals towed us off the track so we could assess the big picture. Lots of sheet metal damage, all windows broken, all fiberglass cracked, Vision X light bar wiped out, etc, etc, etc. But drivable if the engine would fire. I gave it a quick bump but it was already hydraulically locked up. While the locals assisted us until PatN arrived it just wouldn't start. With way too may hands on the motor and a lack of bilingual participation we towed it to the BFG pit only 3 miles down the course.
As PatN worked over the engine with other team members we cut metal and replaced the lights just in case. Hours ran on as he chased down every item that could have been keeping us from restarting. As strange as it may sound the last thing we did was to change the oil and the engine fired up. While it was running, it was obviously not right. PatN jumped in shotgun and we got to checkpoint 1 and then on to Checker Pit 1 at RM 105. Along the way we discussed the situation. Way down on time early in the race, lack of full horsepower with a difficult trail still ahead, we're not racing for season points and a limited number of chase vehicles, I chose to call it a day. There was no need to limp along and put the team or truck in a more precarious situation. Let's regroup and live to fight another day. We headed back to Ojos Negros before putting the Ranger on the trailer and stopping for dinner. We wanted to burn some time to allow an earlier truck accident on the highway to clear. The plan worked, as it was clear sailing into Ensenada and back to the hotel way to early.
Sunday's awards showed that our class had a great race. Steele was first, with Holmes only 5 minutes back and then Sierra 10 minutes behind him. Horner finished fourth, four hours later. No other vehicles finished out of the 10 starters. This is our first SCORE DNF since the 2005 Baja 1000. A role the team isn't used to or accepting of.
As the days have passed, many pictures and videos have surfaced on the Internet of the crash, leading us to speculate that we fell victim to a well-executed booby trap. However it was avoidable on my part with better driver concentration and patience. A tough lesson learned. We'll rebuild and repair the truck but it will take some time. Keep your eyes open there's no telling where or when the Flamingos will attack again.
FOXY'S RESULTS
Coming off of a second-place finish at the Rally America rally for Rockstar Energy Drink last weekend, Tanner was cautiously optimistic that he would be able to secure a win at the new track in E-Town. "I like learning new tracks but this one certainly benefited the ultra horsepower cars on the long first corner," noted Tanner. "However, the NA superpowers driven by JR (Vaughn Gittin Jr.), Conrad (Grunewald) and Darren McNamara all had some issues as the event started, giving us an edge out of the gate."
Tanner wasn't too optimistic about his bracket, with pairings against Stephan Verdier, Ryuji Miki, Rhys Millen and ultimately Tyler McQuarrie in the finals. Verdier was quick, but the last three guys were the fastest in the competition by far. Tanner was able to take out Verdier's Subaru, stick to Ryuji's 160-decibel FD and take advantage of a small and rare error from Rhys Millen.
Leading Tyler in the Finals, the Rockstar/AEM Z topped 80 mph on the entry. Tyler fought hard to keep up but was only able to reel Tanner in on the last turn, giving Foxy the advantage. "Following Tyler's Porsche, I focused on getting the best acceleration possible off the line so he couldn't get out of reach. It worked out and I stayed in his draft through the entire track; that was enough to give Rockstar and AEM their second Motorsports podium in two weeks... for the second time this year; and our first win in Formula D this season!" exclaimed Tanner. "We're right on track for the season. Now if every month could just turn out like this we'll be set!"
BIG PAPA'S RESULTS
Steph performed very well in qualifying, ultimately capturing the #6 qualifier with a 91-point run to advance to eliminations. To put this in perspective, not even all of the top seeded drivers qualified over 90 points on the new track. On Saturday, Steph knew he would have to be aggressive to make the tandem rounds but was unable to advance to the Top 16, scoring 83 points in the 32-car elimination field.
"I was very pleased with my performance on Friday during qualifying," stated Steph. "This track is super fast and fun. It was also great to be back in E-Town again, having come full circle from drag racing to drifting and ending up at one of my all-time favorite venues. The staff at Englishtown and the fans here are incredible. I look forward to coming back next season."
FAST FACTS
This was the inaugural event for FD at Englishtown Raceway, after Wall Speedway was closed on short notice prior to the event...both cars have qualified for eliminations in 2008...the team has four top 5 qualifiers (one seeded 1st, 2nd, & 4th, one unseeded 5th) one victory and a third place finish this season...Tanner is the current series leader and both Rockstar/AEM drivers are ranked in the top 30 series competitors...the next event is at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on July 12th...
The Rockstar/AEM drift team is sponsored by Toyo Tires, Motegi Racing Wheels, Tokico Gas Shocks, Advanced Clutch Technology (ACT), Specialty Products Company (SPC), ChargeSpeed and C-West.
The Latest ProTruck event gives Jason Voss a 129-point lead ahead of nearest competitor, Ken Losch. Jason Voss, driving a Ford F-series platform with AEM DRYFLOW filtration leads the 2008 Baja ProTruck series in points. Currently, Voss leads the pack with 455 points. Whereas the next competitor has racked up 326 points.
What started out as a storm-filled weekend at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri last weekend, turned into a great day of racing on Sunday for Carl Renezeder. Saturday was a complete washout for the Pro classes in the first round of the Lucas Oil World Series of Off Road Racing, so the classes had to double up on Sunday to get all the racing in. For the first time in his career, Renezeder swept all four rounds of racing in his Lucas Oil Skyjacker Pro2WD and Pro4x4.
"I had a lot of fun racing today," commented Renezeder at the end of the day. "Not only did we have great battles on track, but we were able to find and fix a problem that's been nagging us for the past few races in the four-wheel-drive truck. And, I still can't believe the amazing job the track crew was able to do to make the track so racy after all the rain we had. It's a testament to their expertise and the commitment they have to putting on a first class show."
The team pulled out of the track Sunday night and headed straight for the West coast, driving through the night to get back in time to prep the trucks for rounds five and six of the CORR series at the LA Fairplex in Pomona, California this weekend.
"We raced here in April and finished on the podium all four races," explained Renezeder. "Between the good luck we had here to start the season and the great luck we had last weekend, we're hoping to parlay that into two more successful rounds of racing this weekend."
LAKE FOREST, CA (June 10, 2008) – "I just remember thinking 'how many times can a guy hit you in one corner,'" commented Carl Renezeder after his 72nd career win in a race that had greater resemblance to American Gladiators than off-road racing. If any driver left the L.A. Fairplex in Pomona after rounds five and six of the CORR season this weekend with all their fiberglass and no broken parts, it was from sheer luck.
"We won one and got nailed hard enough from behind in the three other races to get flats in all of them," explained Renezeder. Twice, while jumping out of "the hole" (turn four), he was hit in the air. The force of the landing popped the left rear tire both times. The third flat was caused by a fellow competitor using Renezeder as a brake going into turn five.
An alternator problem in his Lucas Oil Pro-2 on Saturday morning resulted in having to use a past champion's provisional to tag the back of the main event, which was an 18th-place starting position. He ran as high as seventh before being served a flat tire by Jeremy McGrath while jumping out of turn four in the closing laps. In the Pro-4 race, Renezeder was top qualifier, was leading by the mandatory caution, and then fought hard with Johnny Greaves for the last six laps, securing the win in the final turn on the final lap. Renezeder earned all the points possible in that race, which turned out to be the only bright spot of the weekend.
On Sunday, Renezeder again qualified the Pro-4 on the pole, and earned a respectable seventh place starting position in Pro-2. The invert put him on the pole in the Pro-2 race, but Jerry Welchel ran over the back of him after the mandatory caution, giving him a flat that had to be changed with only a lap and a half remaining. The invert put his Lucas Oil Skyjacker Pro-4 on the outside of the fourth row for the start of the final race of the weekend, and he raced his way to the front.
Another mid-air hit, this time by Rick Huseman, while jumping out of the hole had the makings of a horrendous wreck. Somehow, the truck landed on its feet, but the left rear tire didn't survive. Yet another flat relegated him to the pits and a finishing position outside the top ten.
"They say 'you can't win 'em all' and this weekend they were right," concluded Renezeder. "We'll regroup during this six-week break, put the trucks back together and start looking at our strategy for the second half of the season. This team is hungrier than ever for more wins and championship titles."
We welcomed a sunny race day as part of the chase team headed out. Co-rider Fawn and I lined up early knowing the low turnout and short spacing between the starting vehicles would have us out of town earlier than usual. This race would have an extra touch to it as we had an onboard camera to record the action just as we experience it. 10:21am and the green flag waves us off, first vehicle in our class. Into the Ensenada Wash we sail over the well-groomed jumps. Back up on the pavement and towards the edge of town we pass our first car before the dirt. Parts of the trail look familiar and other are new to us. The usual grouping of spectators marked the booby traps and tougher spots where action might occur. We were patient and a couple of the typically faster trucks in our class went by. Fawn called out the turns well as the dust hung heavy in a couple of the more technical spots. Race mile (RM) 35 had us crossing Highway 3 in fine shape continuing to work through the twisting hilly terrain. Finally we hit 3rd gear on the high speed Ojos road. Soon the Tres Hermanos area approach with the wash and silt beds we've grown to respect. Since we didn't get a chance to pre-run, I hoped that our flagging from the 1000 would still be in place. Sure enough traces of ribbon were still present in the trees. We hauled ass on the high side and cut over to the fence, only to miss the opening again. A quick 360 got us through and back on our preferred line. Into the cut we went and the dust was still hanging from earlier traffic. Not wanting to jam us up in the silt I paused to get a better view and sure enough a couple of trucks snuck by us. We jumped in behind them and pressed on. The typical silt area was almost non-existent and we sailed through and up the mountain trails. On the backside we pick up confidence and speed. This combination leads us to a big whoop that kicked the rear end skyward. We're looking forward only at the ground waiting for the results. The truck settles back in and Fawn sez "good job." I reply that it was all gravity and physics, holding the steering wheel had nothing to do with it. Regrouped we're back pushing hard. We come upon another vehicle that we're just a bit faster than and want to pass. I think its Rod's Hummer, Fawn says it's the FJ (which at this time is still in dispute) either way I'm not going to nerf 'em and we're in their dust on the narrow trail for a long way. RM 81 has us on the highway for a short run. We're feeling good and running strong. 
As PatN worked over the engine with other team members we cut metal and replaced the lights just in case. Hours ran on as he chased down every item that could have been keeping us from restarting. As strange as it may sound the last thing we did was to change the oil and the engine fired up. While it was running, it was obviously not right. PatN jumped in shotgun and we got to checkpoint 1 and then on to Checker Pit 1 at RM 105. Along the way we discussed the situation. Way down on time early in the race, lack of full horsepower with a difficult trail still ahead, we're not racing for season points and a limited number of chase vehicles, I chose to call it a day. There was no need to limp along and put the team or truck in a more precarious situation. Let's regroup and live to fight another day. We headed back to Ojos Negros before putting the Ranger on the trailer and stopping for dinner. We wanted to burn some time to allow an earlier truck accident on the highway to clear. The plan worked, as it was clear sailing into Ensenada and back to the hotel way to early.
FOXY'S RESULTS
BIG PAPA'S RESULTS
LAKE FOREST, CA (June 10, 2008) – "I just remember thinking 'how many times can a guy hit you in one corner,'" commented Carl Renezeder after his 72nd career win in a race that had greater resemblance to American Gladiators than off-road racing. If any driver left the L.A. Fairplex in Pomona after rounds five and six of the CORR season this weekend with all their fiberglass and no broken parts, it was from sheer luck. 
