Sometimes opportunities present themselves in a subtle manner, even in the form of simply sitting on the couch and watching some great race footage. We all talk about how awesome that car drifts, how amazing those hill climbs are, and wow those rocky sections chew the tires. Many of us leave it at that. Some of us see it as an opportunity to not just talk about it, but live it.
Such is the experience of Two Larrys Racing and the Green Booger. Three years ago, the Booger was saved from the crusher and re-born of need for adrenaline, dreams, wishes, and sheer willpower to overcome whatever obstacles lie ahead. We decided to not only talk about it, but make our own experiences and LIVE IT. Today marked a culmination of three years of learning about Class 11 racing, the real side of it, as we raced. Today we are proud to say that we raced with the incredibly supportive and accepting associationVORRA and achieved the distinction of not only taking first in our class in a 535 mile race, the USA 500, but also taking the newly introduced bracket system award for the overall title and $1,000 purse offered in VORRA’s bracket system. Imagine that – a Class 11, taking the overall. It is unheard of. Ever.
As outlined in previous posts, we worked on the car up until the night before the race. The dawn was beautiful and the desert stoic, and we arrived at the starting line at the exact moment #1142 was being released at 6:30am on Saturday. Perfect timing. Larry G at the wheel and Larry M navigated the course, and one of the highlights of the lap was the four miles of surreal drifting the car through technical turns on a decent road. The car was straight maybe twice – the rest of the stretch it was sideways either left or right, until the brakes glazed. Time for a cooling off at that point. They made excellent time until mile 137. The hill climb there proved too much for the Booger, and we were resigned to wait about 45 minutes until our tow assistance arrived. We made the best of it, and it was an interesting show watching the other cars struggle over that hill. The next 18 miles were somewhat riddled with anxiety as we knew the car was very literally out of gas – whatever drained from the sponges kept us going. At pit 1, Larry C took the wheel with Larry G as co-driver and continued their long trek into lap 2. We knew this race was us against the desert – it was the time to take it easy and save the car. With each lap, the silt grew worse and the 20 miles of rock garden more treacherous. Larry C and Larry G switched seats at pit 3, and once again Larry C was required to play as a mule and push/pull the Booger on the mile 134 hill climb. Upon reaching pit 1, Larry M took the co-driver seat and Larry G remained at the wheel – Larry G iron-manned 535 miles of difficult race course.
About 445 miles into the race, our alternator light came one and while slight cajoling and revving to clean the brushes temporarily helped, we were soon left without an effectively charged battery. We shut down every unnecessary item, such as fresh air pumps, radio, GPS unit, all lights except the amber and blue lights and two KC’s, and discontinued use of the squirters and wipers. Twice in the last 35 miles of the race, we lost the nuts off of our throttle pedal and had to stop the car to make repairs, but of course we could not let the car shut down for fear it would not have the battery power to start again. The second rock garden, a spectacular fifteen mile criss-crossed stretch of disaster and razor rocks between pit 1 and finish loosened the nut again and we lost it for good. A strong zip tie was the final answer the second time, and we continued on our way to the finish line. The sudden release at 3am from the taut anticipation, anxiety, doubt, hope, vigilance, and Nevada silt while crossing that finish line is a feeling like no other and a rush of relief. We didn’t know or care what place we were in, we were thrilled that we had overcome our biggest adversary: the desert.
The awards ceremony commenced Sunday at 10:30. I think the three hours of sleep we had was more than any of the Vorrateers received. We were so pleased so be awarded the first place – just finished the race was euphoric enough. VORRA introduced this year a new award system based upon mathematical averages. For each class they establish an average in what they think the class will finish the race in, and then the car in that class that comes the closest or beats the time is considered for the overall award. Each class top car is then compared to each other to determine which class came the closest to their average time (or beat it), which allows even the smaller cars a chance at the big overall prize, where usually it’s the fastest car in that receives it (TT or C1). Imagine our surprise (and many racers) when Wes announced that the winner of the overall $1000 purse this year was a Class 11 for beating the average: Two Larrys Racing. We were stunned and elated. We never expected anything like that, and are so grateful to VORRA for allowing us “little guys” the opportunity like they did. Who would think an 11 would win an overall award? No other association has done this.
We would like to thank VORRA again for all of their support and hard work to make this race happen. They are a very professional association with big hearts and solid goals – it shows in their handling of their races and racers alike. Weatherman was on top of every situation and handled it promptly. They have created a fun and innovative atmosphere that we are proud to say we are a part of, and are always looking forward to our next race with them.
We would also like to take the moment to thank those who helped our little three-man team this weekend. Without your efforts, we would not have achieved the very difficult, and to you we owe much gratitude. David Meek Jr. #1142 with Bob Messer and also group 707 their loaned fuel when our cans didn’t make it to pit two before we did. Tony Bond #1007 and Scuzzy Motorsports for their excellent fueling skills and for carting our cans to pit two. Jim Graham of the Desert Dingoes #1107 for his excellent lug torquing skills. “Shortbus” and the Vorrateer in the Range Rover for their assistance at the mile 134 and 137 hill climbs. The Class 10 car group pitting next to us in Pit 1 for blowing out the alternator and engine compartment with their compressor. Jeff Lee of the Desert Dawgs #1106 for loaning us their base radio. Jason Smalle for the loaned fuel can when we did not have enough for both pits at this race. Chris Herrod for the use of his GPS unit. Dean Cook andBig Mamaz Tow for their generous assistance with our entry fee. VW Enterprises for their generous assistance with obtaining parts for the Booger. And as always, thank you to every respectful racer and team who made this race such a great one.
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