I started the race with Tim in as codriver. El Chivo was running really well. The changes to the truck helped 100%. We were off the line just behind OTM and, with a one minute split, we caught them at race mile 6 or so and just hung in the dust for a couple of miles until John let us by. That wasn't all that interesting. What happened 1 second later was though! John has video!

A nice 1600 car passed us and then we were on the hunt to be the first truck on the road. At about RM25, we saw the dust cloud and started pushing really hard. The Superman (4 seat class one prerunner)) car passed us and then we reeled in the lead class 8 truck. We pushed him pretty hard and he made a mistake and blew a turn so we blew by him and had clean air for the rest of the lap. We also managed to get by that 1600 car when they got a flat or something in the rocks.

At the loop A pit stop, my 14 YO daughter Jessy took over from Tim as co-driver. She did a great job. Loop B was brutal. Slow, rough, rocky, narrow. You name it. I made an error on a corner at about RM36B and dynamited the brakes. The engine stalled and wouldn't turn over! The vibration had caused the starter bolts to strip out and the starter fell out!!!! I made a quick fix with some safety wire and we were back running in about 15 minutes. We lost about half of our 12 mile lead at that point. Then, just before we made it back to the pit, I got stuck trying to change lines on a silt hill. Dumb move!! Digging out all but erased our lead.

The pit was also a driver change for us. We tried to secure the starter. The time it took allowed OTM to pass us in the pits!

Jose and Jafo were off and running about 2 miles down. Sam was doing a great job in the FJ and we were entertained in the pits watching a battle unfold. Jose caught the FJ at around RM16A and played a little cat and mouse with him for quite a few miles until finally getting around.

On the short pavement section that leads back to the pit, El Chivo broke. Hard. Driveline, tcase, tranny, bellhousing.

It was a great day of racing with a great group of guys. OTM beat us heads up. Congrats boys on a well earned W.

Quote of the Day:

Tim: You just went through that corner at 35mph.

Jim: That's funny, I wouldn't have gone that fast through a corner that tight on dry pavement.

Boy, what a race. The truck was working so good up until the point where it didn't want to play anymore. Congrats goes out to the OTM posse'. That was a fun race. Well back to the drawing board.