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Canadians Invade The King Of The Hammers 2013
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Rich Walker
The King of the Hammers is the kind of race that isn’t just a show up and race type deal. The preparation for this spectacle of a race starts many months before (people are prepping for KOH ’14 as you read this) and runs throughout the year as teams try to qualify for “the big show”. The other option if you don’t qualify throughout the year is the LCQ (Last Chance Qualifier), which runs a few days before the main KOH race. This year we had one team already qualified for the main race and three teams trying their luck at the LCQ.
Matt Nieman (#4487) and past cover boy of this mag qualified for the big show at the Vegas To Reno race (also featured in this mag) and was ready to race with a brand new V8 motor freshly swapped into the car. The other Canadians in the LCQ were; Rocco Baldassarre (#308), Curtis Warner (#4410) and Dustyn Friesen (#313). Also on the Lakebed racing in the Everyman Challenge was Barry Cherneske in car #4502 from Alberta. I was lucky enough to be camped and pitting with 4 of the 5 teams mentioned above.
First off I should mention that we were very lucky this year weather wise. Anybody who follows this race knows that the weather and wind in particular can be quite nasty out there, especially in February. We were lucky enough to be able to wear shorts most of the time (some of us – Matt – even wore flip flops). Maybe it’s because we are Canadian, but we weren’t cold at all!
The week leading up to the big race on Friday was very busy and packed full of action. Tuesday and Wednesday were the LCQ and qualifying runs. Each driver was to face a timed course consisting of fast desert, whoops, ruts as well as some gnarly rock sections and canyons. The LCQ’ers were racing for a spot in the race while the others were racing for starting position (fastest getting the pole position). Through Tuesday and Wednesday, more than 150 racers tried their luck pushing the limits to see where they would end up.
The Canadian boys had some mixed results from the qualifying runs. Matt and Daryl were off the line putting up a very good time when for some reason the cooling fans quit. They struggled to finish, crossing the line in limp mode with the motor approaching 260 degrees. Curtis and Dave had some similar luck. They did very well through the fast whoops and ruts, but when they approached the tough rock section they had to DNF due to a broken output shaft in the transmission. Rocco and Dad, Mario, brought a brand new car to the Lakebed and this was actually the first time Rocco had even driven it (other than onto the trailer). As a matter of fact, Rocco and his team worked like men possessed for 3 days leading up to this run just to finish the thing! This is no small feat considering it’s a dry lakebed in the middle of nowhere (that means no power, no nothing). As they lined up, Rocco nailed the throttle and I don’t think he lifted his foot until they crossed the finish line. Only time would tell if they got in. The only Canadians to run on Wednesday were Dustyn and Jamie (or as we call him, the Angry Little Midget) in the #313 car. They also put down a great run and would be awaiting their time to see where they placed for Friday.
When all the times were reviewed, Dustyn and Jamie were fast enough to earn a spot in the main race on Friday. Rocco and Mario missed by a mere 10 seconds (not bad considering what they did just to get there). Curtis and Dave also missed a spot, but due to their relationship with another racer, they were able to use his spot, as he didn’t currently have a car to race. Matt and Daryl were already in, but their starting position was near the back due to the fan malfunction.
Thursday was spent in full preparation mode. Some teams were busy trying to pass tech, while others used every available person to check and re check every single piece on the race cars to make sure they were up for the 180 miles of brutal course. Daryl worked to get the new fans in and tested, Dave (and team) were pulling wrenches to get the new transmission in (again, all this on a lakebed with no amenities), and Jamie was busy swapping in a new driver’s seat. I do have to mention that Jamie was going to take over driving duties for Dustyn. On a very sad note, one of the pit crew and very close friend to Dustyn was hit by a car in Yucca valley and was pronounced dead shortly after. It was a very tough situation for many people on the team, but they decided that Barney would have wanted them to race so Jamie took over in the driver’s seat. May Barney Brown rest in peace and our condolences go out to his family and friends during their time of grief.
Friday morning came fast. Having to be up at 5am took its toll on us, but soon the adrenaline and excitement took over and we were in full race mode. We got everyone lined up and we got ready to head out to the remote pits. It is quite the site to see 128 race cars all lined up with one goal in mind, but very quickly (30 second intervals) they were off the start line in pairs heading out into the dust.
Matt and Daryl in the #4487 car were doing very well in the open desert when the motor started to lack power. They were able to slowly get the car to remote pit#1 where we had a laptop and Daryl’s software there to try and diagnose the problem. Time just wasn’t on their side and they weren’t able to get it back up and running well enough to continue. Recently, I found out it was an injector issue and they are now fixed and ready for the next race.
Curtis and Dave were also doing quite well. They got through the fast desert section and into the rocks when the car leaned over fairly off camber. It stalled and they couldn’t get it running. As they looked into it, their fuel was too low for the pick up to feed it to the engine. Dave actually hiked over 2 miles to the next pit where he whipped up a special belt to carry a 5 gallon jerry can another 2+ miles back to the car! They got back on track, but had to call it quits due to further breakage later on in the race.
Jamie and new co-driver Wayne Israelson were well into lap 2, making decent time when they got to Wrecking Ball (one of the famous Hammers trails). They started having steering and axle problems. Turns out they broke an inner axle and knuckle. We (the pits) were actually able to use Curtis and Dave as a delivery car to get them the parts they needed. Curtis got close enough before they broke, so that Wayne could hike down and get the parts. They made their repairs and got back on track. However, when they finished lap 2, the course was shut down for further racing and they had to call it a day (even though it was 10:00 at night).
So unfortunately, the Canadian teams had bad luck during the race and they all succumbed to breakage. Of the 128 cars started this race, a mere 27 finished in the given time, proving that this is in fact the most difficult one day race in all the world.
All in all I do have to say that this is a never give up race. It is amazing to see the attitude these guys have when it comes to helping out other racers or doing what they have to do for every single mile of progression. From finishing a car on the lakebed, to hiking for fuel or parts, or taking parts off your car to help another team, it is just awesome to see this camaraderie and passion in the sport. The turn out and sheer numbers involved in this event only make it that much more amazing.
I am not exaggerating when I say there are thousands of pictures, videos and write ups out in internet land for this event. Take a few minutes (or hours) to visit web sites like; www.crawlinbc.com, www.ultra4racing.com or www.pirate4x4.com to catch up on other highlights, lowlights, and awesome stories from within the race. I could be here for hours filling you in, but I think I have said enough about our fellow Canadian racing enthusiasts. Till next year!