MDR Mojave 250 Desert Race - April Fools?

Bill, Tom, and Chris Nissley were hoping that the second time at Barstow would be the charm. Their Class 3 XJ Cherokee suffered extensive damage the previous time in Barstow, and the Nissley Racing Team set about building the truck back to better than its former self. "Everything we fixed we made stronger. We were confident that our efforts would be rewarded with a successful race," Bill Nissley reports. Chris and Tom took the green flag and were slated to run the first three laps before Bill got in to drive the fourth and final required lap. The game plan went out the window after only 9 miles of racing. "I was at the main pit monitoring the radio, when I heard Chris come on the radio," Bill comments. "I knew right away something was wrong. Usually, you can hear the noise from the engine in the background, but his voice was perfectly clear." Chris had ominous news: "We broke the driver-side steering knuckle." The Nissleys had fortified their 2WD front axle with 4WD steering knuckles and didn't have a spare. Other teams were asked for a spare, but there weren't any to be found. "Those things don't break," Nissley was told. Without a replacement, the team's new goal was to get the Jeep back to the trailer. Ultimately, the Nissley Racing Team had to wait for an XJ with a 4WD steering knuckle to finish the race so the part could be taken off and loaned to Bill, Tom, and Chris. Getting the XJ back to the trailer was a group effort, with Tony Sato, OC Off Road, T&J Performance, Eric Helgeson, Giti and Andrea Gowland, and F.A.I.R. each lending help, tools, parts, or transportation. "One of the great things about off-road racing is that everyone helps each other," says Bill "I haven't come across anyone not willing to lend a hand, tools, or even the parts off of their own vehicle to help out." It looks as if the third time's gonna be the charm.

Kevin Knight was one of 28 sportsman prerunners (1450 class) to enter the MDR Mojave 250 and one of 15 to cross the finish line. It didn't come easily. The G.K.R. Ranger's lap times tell the story. Lap one went well; the team didn't push the truck too hard. Races aren't won during the first lap. Tough times struck in the opening miles of lap two when the ball joints parted ways with one of the Ranger's I-beams. New ball joints were pressed into place, but the truck was now running poorly on only five cylinders. A broken spark plug turned out to be the culprit, and the motor regained its former strength with a simple spark plug swap. Where lap one had taken just over an hour, the second lap gobbled up three and a quarter hours of the race's eight-hour time limit. Luckily, laps three and four rolled by at a good pace with no more major trouble. The checkered flag is a beautiful thing.

How rough and rocky is the Barstow course? Check out Art Savedra's scallop-shaped left front wheel, which continued to hold air even after a thorough beating. Class 5-1600 Baja Bugs combine limited wheel travel with a high center of gravity and a short wheelbase for a combo that's tough to keep on course through the rough and at high speed. Don't count these machines out though. They're light weight and nimble dimensions maneuver very well through narrow, rough sections of the course. Savedra navigated six required laps on the 36-mile course, which was good enough to take Second in Class.

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.