Fabtech Desert Crewzer
Fabtech is working exclusively with OFF-ROAD magazine to create the Desert Crewzer, an '02 Ford F-150 SuperCrew 4x4 that will be built for the off-road enthusiast. Fabtech is going to use this truck to develop new products, such as a 6-inch suspension lift, multiple front and rear shocks, traction bars, front and rear prerunner guards, and an interior rollcage. The truck will also use bead-locked wheels with 35-inch BFGoodrich tires, a Warn winch, and PIAA off-road racing lamps. In addition, the engine and drivetrain will receive a series of upgrades, including Precision Gear ring-and-pinion differential gears, a Gibson after-cat exhaust, an Edelbrock high-flow induction, and a Con-Ferr polished aluminum differential cover. There are also plans to radically modify the interior. Future issues of OFF-ROAD will feature the transformation of this SuperCrew into a truck that is ready to perform on the trail in cutting-edge style.
CORR EXXON Superflo Series Returns to Fort Dodge
Fans at the Midwest Off-Road Raceway in Fort Dodge, Iowa, were ready for the rumble of 800hp pickup trucks soaring through the air and kicking up dirt when the 2001 season of the CORR EXXON Superflo Series made its season debut on May 19, 2001. In the EXXON Superflo Pro Series, seven rookies started their professional racing careers in Round 1, including five in the Pro-Lite division. Pro-Lite drivers Steve Federico (2000 Single Buggy Champion), Chad Hord (2000 Super Buggy Champion), along with racing veteran Jimmie Crowder, as well as Joe Price and Tom Hoppock, experienced their first professional off-road races at perhaps the fastest track in Championship Off-Road Racing.
Sixteen Pro-Lite trucks started in Round 1, the largest field ever assembled in that division. Rick Huseman's Fabtech Ford raced to an early lead and was dominating the track, opening up a sizeable lead over the field. Heading into the straightaway on the back part of the track with full power, his truck immediately stalled. He lost his transmission, which allowed Jason Crowder and his Wicked Willies Ford to take the lead and win the first round.
Chris Brandt, the only Iowa driver competing in the CORR EXXON Superflo Series, finished second, but was penalized five points in the season point standings for an illegal front bumper. Brandt, from Council Bluffs, is competing in his third season. His Toyota Tacoma gained speed as the race went to the second half, showing that his truck will be strong in 2001. In 2000, he finished in Second Place with 18 starts and two victories, one at Fort Dodge (Round 7) and one at Indianapolis (Round 13). Rookie Steve Federico, in his Ingles Market Toyota, finished third, and Jimmie Crowder finished fourth. Pro-Lite Champion Jeff Kincaid finished twelfth.
In the Pro-2 division, Scott Taylor and Evan Evans are starting the season where it left off in 2000. Taylor blistered to the front, followed quickly by Carl Renezeder and Evans. After Evans passed Renezeder's Lucas Oil Chevrolet, his GM Hydra-Matic transmission-equipped Chevrolet was gaining ground, quickly heading right for Taylor's EXXON Superflo Ford. The fans roared with anticipation when Evans was rubbing Taylor's back bumper, which was a familiar scene several times last season. Evans, one of the more popular drivers, is paralyzed from the chest down, and drives using hand controls.