NEW: This is the spot where you can read the racers reports of their experience, good, NOT SO GOOD, bad or plain UGLY about this event. No holds barred (except for profanity and libelous attempts)...Racers can share their story with us and with you.

Read on...

CHRIS BLAIS

#2010

Hey Lou,

Just wanted to let you know information on the incident just for your records. This happened right before mile marker 20 around 19.5. I caught this driver and tried to make the pass for at least 5 miles in different turns and places he was blowing the course. He blew those really hard left hand turns you had out there. I stuck a wheel in there multiple times as I stayed on course and made the tight turns as he blew a couple of them then cut across country and jumped back into the race line just in front of me a bunch of times.

Where the incident happened we had just turned off that fast road and made the very hard left into the sand wash. He blew this turn also and jumped right in front of me as I made the correct turn. We bombed down that wash and I slowed so I could see out of his dust. Where you were supposed to turn left out of this wash this driver went straight at least 300 feet. I made the correct turn onto the hardpack dirt open area and was on course watching him coming at me at an angle off course and cross country. He was carrying so much speed he couldn’t turn back onto the race course. He actually crossed the race course right in front me while we were going about 40+ mph. I was on the race course still and he was on the left side of the course now trying to come back into the race line again when I was still trying to just get in front of him so I didn’t have to deal with him anymore. He decided to try and re-enter the race course again while were both going 50+ now and tagged me right in the left rear tire sending me on 2 wheels at high speed. I got the car under control and we stopped to inspect the car. They were doing the same further behind us.

Pretty much broke my axle, bent my trailing arm, hub, rear knuckle and rear radius rods ($1500+ worth of parts which sucks). I am more frustrated than anything as it totally screwed my championship points lead but that’s racing sometimes. I believe this racer is new/ young and really just needs to learn a little racing etiquette. He was definitely a wild one but not going back to where he left the course and cutting cross country made it extra sketchy. Glad everyone ended up ok out of this for sure. I think he might just need a 1 on one talking to from you on explanation of how it works out here at your events. Need to be careful when blowing turns and go back to where you came from along with eventually pulling over when another driver is behind you in multiple places. I definitely don’t expect someone to just pull over when they are first caught but after someone is back there in multiple turns and 5 miles its time to move over and let the faster driver pass. I’m not the one to ever bash into anyone to make them move but this guy was asking for it. Don’t want to see him do that to someone else that isn’t as nice as me and get taken out either.

Thanks,

Chris Blais

Blais Racing Services
15250 Blackfoot Rd
Apple Valley, CA 92307
760-961-9127

KENT PERKINS

#1009

Lou,

It's not often that I feel the need to write about a race, and as you know we have had some crazy ones, but this one was one of a kind. We drew the last pro starting position and normally I would have been a little bummed about it but as luck would have it all the past winner were right in front of me. We left the line 14th with one mission on our minds and that was to work our way to the front, The first lap was going great, lots of dust, some crazy passing and a lot of grease-woods in the car. Right before the finish we caught two more cars and that's when chaos happened. Just prior to the race Lou changed the course so our GPS was not accurate and we had to follow the new arrows to the timing area, well with zero visibility and three top racers in the same corner at the same time none of us know which way to go. One car went south, we found ourselves going east through the bushes and I have no ides where the other car went. My co-pilot Abel was yelling at me to turn around and head back when all of a sudden I found myself heading in the direction of the timing and finish area, talk about dumb luck. I have no idea where the other cars wound up, or in what order. I did read a post from Lou that someone ran over the new arrows and I can almost guarantee it had to be one of us. sorry Lou but that's racing.

We finished the loop in forth and since we have a 15 gallon tank there was no need to pit. We exited the pit's right behind 3rd place, that was awesome more bumper to bumper racing. We caught and passed third within 3 miles and pulled a really nice lead on them. Everything was going great until around the 15 mile mark, the car lost all top speed and that could not have come at a worse time and place. Fourth place was now on my bumper ready to pounce but nice enough not to bump me into the weeds since I was not moving over. I was trying to hold him off until the next corner where the course got tight again. We hit the corner at the same time, I stayed on the course and made the left turn he went inside of the turn and darted past me, I think I deserved that pass since my pass on him was a little close earlier in the lap. But as it tuned out it really didn't matter, within a few feet of the turn our car idled to a stop.

We both jumped out thinking our day was over, after a few minutes of running aimlessly around the car we figured out that the throttle cable had stretched (reason for no top speed) and then finally broke, I quickly cut the cable close to the foot throttle, we fumbled around and found where the cable had actually came apart, trimmed the cover off the cable so it exposed the undamaged cable and guess what, we had power again. I told Able "that's awesome at least we can get back to the pits so we don't have to be stuck out here at night", Well Abel had other plans, he said " bullshit I will work the throttle and you steer". I thought to myself this will never work, we will be lucky to get back to the pits let alone go 100 miles like this. The first few miles were hilarious, don't think I have ever laughed that hard. We blew almost every corner, took out about 50 bushes, had the car on two wheels several times and we had only gone about 3 miles. Now we are on the power-line road heading north. we are starting to work together and our speed is starting to increase, now I'm thinking "hey we might just make it back to the pits alive". Before I continue I want to make sure everyone understands how helpless you feel when you have the wheel and someone else has the throttle, it's down right scary!!!!

By the time we made it back to the pits we were actually running at a competitive speed, so I ask Abel "what's the plan" he says "get fuel and finish this thing", so that's what we did, off we went for our 3rd lap. Starting the third lap we were running 3rd overall and 1st in our class, not bad considering how we were driving the car. Something happen on that 3rd lap, it was like Abel could read my mind, he worked the throttle like it had never broke, no more yelling no more fear, we were racing again. We finished the third lap with no issues, Not sure our lap time was that much slower than the the first lap. The only issue we had was that we had a few to many hard out of control hits and that would hurt us on the forth lap.

Going through the pits we were informed that we had a 10 minute lead over 4th place, well we would need this time since just out of the pits we broke the drivers side lower spindle. The car went right to the ground, My co-driver is a total animal within 12 minutes or so we were up and running again and only got passed by two cars.This 4th lap was like no amusement park ride could ever be. I'm normally the one on a mission but this time it was Abel's turn and he had the throttle and some very bad hearing. We took of like a bat out of hell, It was dead quite in the car and Abel only had one speed, full throttle!! About 10 miles into the loop we caught and pass the first car, about 5 miles later we see the second car, that was like a moth to a flame to Abel and all I'm trying to do is keep the damn car on four wheels.

Now there was zero wind and the dust was hanging like a thick fog, we could get close but not close enough to catch and pass this guy. Once we crossed the main road Abel knew we had to take some chances, It's not like he asked me, he had the throttle. Now seeing was not an option, passing this guy was just going to happen. Not sure how many corners we blew because of dust, not sure how many bushes we exploded but with about 3 miles left to go we were right behind car number two. Abel is now in full let's bump him mode but I convince him to give the guy a second or two to move over and thank goodness he did, That would have been a very hard bump.

So to finish 1st in our class and 3rd overall feels about as good as it gets, I think it is even better than an overall with no issues. Oh and to make this race even better we got the fastest lap time, that is if we don't get penalized for the finishing corner mess.

See everyone in September.

Kent Perkins 1009