MDR Mojave 250 Desert Race - April Fools?

Ouch! Desert damage hurts not only the pocketbook, it hurts in terms of time. Dozens, sometimes hundreds, of hours are spent building and prepping desert assault vehicles. A wasted trailing arm was merely one of several components to suffer damage when Bret Hartman's Class 1 Unlimited buggy went for a tumble.

There's a lot of talent behind the wheel of this Ranger. Steve Looney's day started well but ended early. Looney and his V6-powered Ranger set blistering-fast lap times on par with the V8-powered Class 1 buggies. Unfortunately, his torque convertor called it quits with two laps left to go. Number 1404 and its crew are fairly new to desert racing but have made their presence known with several strong finishes to date.

Steve Herrera's Camburg-backed, C&D-prepped F-100 is one of our "usual suspects" at the races. For good reason: Steve fields a superbly built truck and drives skillfully and aggressively. Herrera had to stop briefly when a battery cable came loose and his electrical system stopped charging. Danny Guernsey (blue hat) and several other crew members got the F-100 underway again via a jump start and a reconnected battery cable. Herrera took home top honors in the Pro Prerunner class.

In Baja, racers must occasionally share public roads with local traffic during a race as they go from one dirt section to another. The roads aren't closed in Baja. The roads aren't closed in Barstow either. Although the race takes place in the Stoddard Valley OHV area and away from public streets, racers still have to stay alert for off-road traffic in the form of weekend recreational riders. This crossing on Hodge road is one of seven such crossings on the course.

Spools are the differential of choice for many truck-class racers. A spool locks the rear axleshafts together, turning them in unison. They're lightweight, affordable, and tough. Tough, however, does not mean indestructible...

Fabtech's Barry Karakas split a spool in his Ford 9-inch rearend but recovered to finish second in Class 7 thanks to a competent chase crew and ample spare parts. Josh Lopman contemplates his next move during a lull in the action.