3rd at Parker “425” for Western Motorsports 7256 Truck
Great start for Backus/Christensen in the BITD 2011 season
Post Race Parker “425”
Parker, Arizona
The Best in the Desert Blue Water Resort & Casino Parker “425” held February 4th - 6th was the kick-off to Western Motorsports’ 2011 race season. And was it ever a huge weekend…
The weekend started with the debut of the new 7256 truck driven by Rick Backus and Martin Christensen. Sean and Brett Backus returned to the Best in the Desert series fresh off their third place finish in 2010 with a new number, 7203, and a revamped engine. Both the 7256 and 7203 trucks arrived ready to race with a brand new black and red paint scheme.
The 7203 truck piloted by Sean Backus and Bryan Lyttle started in 13th position and quickly gained on the competition. By mile marker 26, they were third on the road, only a few minutes behind teammate, Martin Christensen. Near the end of lap one, trouble hit and Backus lost a transmission. Western Motorsports’ incredible pit crew quickly swapped out the transmission and had Backus and Lyttle back out on the track. Unfortunately, a finish just was not in the cards for the 7203 truck and within 20 miles, the second transmission was lost. The Backus brothers were forced to call it a day. Although it was a rough start for the 7203 truck, Sean Backus is optimistic about the season, stating that, “although the race did not go the way we hoped, we have a more powerful truck this season and are ready for an incredible season!”
Starting in 9th position with Martin Christensen and Tyler Irwin, the 7256 truck had an incredible debut. By mile marker 26, Christensen had already gained seven positions and was ahead of the pack at mile marker 91. Even after stopping to swap out a flat tire, Christensen handed the truck over to Rick Backus with a thirteen-minute lead. Backus, with co-driver Mark Moffatt, started strong and quickly overcame a flat near the section referred to as the rock garden. A second flat, by the river, left Backus and Moffatt stranded for several minutes. This hiccup allowed Hogan and Caspino to pass. A quick look into pre-race tire pressure adjustments to horsepower ratio uncovered an issue causing the tires to go down. Strong driving quickly had the team in third place by the start of the third lap. Backus held onto this position throughout the lap finishing third out of nineteen. After an amazing finish in their debut race and a powerful engine, Backus and Christensen are only a few minor adjustments away from being a force to be reckoned with in the Best in the Desert 2011 season.
Western Motorsports would like to thank their title sponsor, Eleven Western Builders, and BFGoodrich for their continued support. SignPros and Dave Smith Painting also deserves a huge “thank you” for the incredible job they did getting the trucks painted and stickered for race day.
