Talk about an exciting event! Wes, Jenny, and the whole VORRA crew managed to pull off yet another spectacular race for everyone who attended! It all started on Friday, with tech, contigency, the parade, and so many festivities to boost the racing atmosphere it left your head spinning and your heart light. Many booths were set up so that the cars made their way through a labyrinth of advertisers and awesome racing gear. A rock-crawling demonstration as well as a motocross exhibition were featured, along with a massive monster truck with tires taller than the Green Booger. The display of race cars was impressive, and the National Anthem and night-time parade was exciting for all. Here’s agreat photo of the Green Booger in front of John Ascuaga’s Nugget in Reno by Reno Photographic.
Bright and early Saturday morning found the racers lined up for the start. Tensions and expectations were so high, it was tangible. Alternate Larry C and Larry M had to leave Larry G and Larry C at the start to make it to Pit 1 and set up in time. Even the amount of travel between pits was amazing – around 100 miles. 4WD Mechanix Magazine did get a starting shot and even video of the Green Booger’s start. Additional photos and videos are available on their page – they did a great job of documenting many facets of the race.
Unbeknownst to Larry G, who was well on his way on the race track, Alternate Larry C managed to sink the beloved and trusty 2WD 454 Chevy Suburban Beast into the silt at Pit 1. A special thank you to the generous Rod Hall Racing crew, who used their awesome chase Hummer to pull the Beast out, and Rob Messer who used his 4X4 Chevy to pull our trailer to where we could attach the Beast to it once again. The assistance from both teams is deeply appreciated.
The race for Two Larrys and the Green Booger was under a black cloud from the beginning…literally. One minute before the green flag waved The Booger on, the oil cooler fan and helmet fan/fart fan vibrated to a stop. Larry G and Larry C traveled the over 40 miles to Pit 1 cruising the car so it would not overheat. A loose connecter wire on the relay was thought to be a problem at Pit 1, and was “fixed.” Ten miles later at the long hill climb, both fans gave out once again. After a quick replacement of the faulty relay, which was indeed the REAL problem, The Green Booger was once again on its way. It flawlessly ran the race, and with the assitance once again from Heston at Pit 3 for refueling, it actually had better than expected gas mileage. At about 40 miles before Pit 1, we passed #1177, Bob Messer Motorsports, with a missing wheel that had bounced down the ravine. Shortly thereafter, we caught #1107, the Desert Dingos, and honked courteously to them as we passed. Upon reaching the straightaway, the GPS read 87 miles per hour and we were fourth gear. Pulling into Pit 1 at exactly 2pm 30 minutes ahead of our competition, we switched drivers and continued on our way. The car was running marvelously.
Both Larry C’s were enjoying the scenery and challenge of off-road racing. Lap two marked Larry C’s first time behind the wheel in a desert race, and he handled everything spectacularly. At mile 113, that black cloud reared its ugly head once again and without warning the cage hoop that holds the shock towers completely snapped in half. We have since been asked questions such as “Was it at the weld,” “Was it steel,” etc. The answers are unsettling…the Chromoly cage snapped right in the middle of the shaft, not next to a weld, not at a pressure point. It was something we didn’t foresee as ever being a problem with the Booger. A chromoly specialist informed us that we may have obtained a stick that had been heated too much, thus creating a brittle section of our cage. It’s impressive that it hung in there for now three years of racing, one of those being a full season with eight races.
With a break such as this, the rear shock no longer had support and was flexing the cage side to side. The Larry C’s removed the rear shock to relieve the additional stress to the rest of the case. As you can imagine, the last 42 miles was excruciating for Larry C and Alternate Larry C. Through the rocky section, it took them two hours to make ten miles. The race radios did not have contact, so communication was established through cell phone. Arrangements were made within Pit 1 for the use of a welder and manpower from Bob Messer Motorsports and Hunter Motorsports in the case that after evaluation we believe we could continue the race. A special thank you to both teams for their generosity. When the determined Larry C and Alternate Larry rolled into the pits after 11pm, they had spent an impressive nine hours in the car together for one lap. It was determined in Pit 1 that the car could not go. From being driven 42 miles with no rear shock, the cage had fractures, the frame horn had fractures, and the transmission mount had broken. We deemed it wise to save the car and pulled out of the race. 21 of 47 entries did not finish the first annual VORRA USA 500. Thank you so much Wes, Jenny, and the Vorrateers for putting on such a fun, challenging, and spectacular race for the enjoyment of off-road enthusiasts. We look forward to the 2012 season and what you have in store for us!
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