Rough Weekend for Western Motorsports at Vegas to Reno
An Attempt to Gain Horsepower Provides Set Back
Friday, September 2, 2011
Vegas, NV
Best in the Desert held the 15th “Vegas to Reno” race August 18-20th, which is certified as the “longest off-road race in the United States.” Western Motorsports was at the starting line ready to push their trucks to the limit.
Sean Backus and co-driver, Bryan Lyttle started the 7203 truck in eleventh position off the line and quickly gained spots. A transmission problem developed at road marker 25 and slowed the truck to a painful crawl. Backus and Lyttle were able to limp the truck into pit one where several team members worked quickly to change the transmission and get them back into the race. They took off from the pit approximately an hour and half behind the field. At pit three (road marker 98), Backus and Lyttle stopped for a ten gallon fuel splash and a quick fluid check prior to attacking the sixty mile run into pit four. Fuel issues slowed the team again at road marker 140. The fuel filter and lines had to be flushed before the team could get the truck fired and into pit 4, costing them another half an hour. Leaving pit four the team was two hours down, but still in the fight. Backus and Lyttle got back on the road with high hopes that their mechanical problems were behind them. At road marker 220, electrical issues surfaced caused a safety concern and ultimately lead the team to load the truck back onto the trailer.
In the 7256 truck, Martin Christensen and co-driver Tyler Irwin left the starting line in ninth position and shot past the competition to the front of the field. At pit one, Christensen was second on the road and first by corrected time. Shortly after leaving the pit, Christensen was able to make the pass to be first on the road and was running away with the race. By road marker 43, Christensen and Irwin had a fifteen-minute lead on the class and seemed to be setting up for an amazing finish. Just five miles later, the truck lost oil pressure in the motor and the team was forced to call it a day.
After some initial investigation, it was discovered that changes made in an effort to gain additional horsepower had proven to be fatal. Investigation will continue is the coming days, as the team regroups and prepares for the Bluewater Desert Challenge in October.
Western Motorsports would like to thank all of the thirty-eight volunteers who made the trip to Vegas and are the backbone of our team. Your positive attitude and “can do” spirit, even on a tough weekend when things are clearly not going our way, make Western Motorsports the successful team that it is. The teams flawless execution of the race plan, radio communication, and willingness to do whatever it takes are truly appreciated.
As always, Western Motorsports owes a huge debt of gratitude to all of our sponsors including Eleven Western Builders and BFGoodrich for their continued support.
Media Contact: Kristina Snell
760-822-4704
