2006 MDR Ridgecrest Desert Race

Tyler Fain's Ridgecrest weekend was a difficult one. On paper, his linked, V8-powered single-cab Toyota had the goods to dominate the Sportsman Prerunner Class, but when the rubber hit the dirt, things unraveled. Seventeen miles into the first lap, his passenger-side front spindle snapped in half and took a brake line and a tire with it. The spindle, which was built neither by Tyler nor by his friend Mike Clark of ESB Fabrications, was about to be joined in failure by the driver-side spindle due to a design flaw.

The race for top 1400 class truck was a three-way battle between Frank Vernola, Steven Herrera, and Dan Vance. The Pro Prerunners were in for a six-lap day: the same distance as all the other pro classes on the track.

If you're in a stadium with a lot of mangled buses and wrecked cars and see a pair of red headlights, it's gotta be Grave Digger. If you're in the Mojave and see a pair of red headlights, it's gotta be Matt Helton's Super Yota Two.

Class 7 is a classic truck class, but the popularity of the Prerunner classes has put a damper on Class 7 (aka 7 Open) entries. Why? Restrictions are unpopular: Frame material may not be removed, engines are limited to V6s displacing not more than 4.5 liters, and engine placement must remain stock, plus or minus an inch.