Any racer from Baja to Daytona will tell you the same thing; you can't win without support from your teammates. In the world of Trophy Truck desert racing that means a fleet of chase trucks, support vehicles and numerous people checking, rechecking and busting knuckles to assure your Team has the best possible outcome it can. G&R Racing brought out one of their chase trucks during our recent shooting covering their incredible Geiser Brothers built prerunners. Here is an inside look at what they require to be successful in Baja.
Originally, this truck was born a '05 Ford F-350 Super Duty equipped with a 6.0L Power Stroke diesel engine. Ford Super Duty trucks are common in the desert because of their very powerful engines and solid towing ability. Although the team has modified much of their Ford, the engine remains stock so it retains its reliability. The last thing you want to deal with on race day is having to support a support vehicle.
The first thing you noticed on a chase truck like this is the Knapheide utility bed. A standard pickup bed loaded to the gills is not adequate in carrying all of the parts and supplies needed. These utility beds are extremely functional. The suspension to hold all of the additional weight added to the truck is not far from stock. The front coil rate has been increased and the rear leaf springs have been re-arched and given additional leaves with supplemental air spacings. | 
If your team races the likes of the Baja 1000 then you are bound to spend time chasing in the dark. KC HiLites have provided the team with enough light support so their race trucks and chase trucks never get lost. G&R mounted four KC halogen lights up front on their chase truck, which provides plenty of night vision. | 
Taking a closer look into the utility bed compartments reveals a plethora of equipment. This is not the only chase truck that G&R runs during the races. Each truck is setup with different tools and parts and strategically placed at various support points throughout the racecourse. This will insure the team the proper parts at the proper time, which could mean the difference between first and last place. Some small parts are shared among all support vehicles but replacement parts such as transmissions are carefully places in the appropriate vehicles. |
Some of the items you would find on a chase truck are welder, lift jack, shocks, coils, tools, uniballs, batteries, jumper cables, fuse blocks, generator, fuel, tires and more. This is where a Knapheide utility bed is crucial. Trying to simply pack off of these parts in bins laying in the bed would cost precious time during the race trying to sort through and find what you need. Support needs to be fast and ready at a moments notice. |  | 
Geiser Brothers built this 100-gallon fuel dump for G&R. This provides a mobile fuel station for the race trucks when needed. Race fuel is carried in the bed of the truck in steel drums. When the fuel tower is raised, an electronic pump transfers the fuel from the drums to the tower where the fuel can be dispensed to the race truck. |
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Compressed air and nitrogen, two very important items to have in a support vehicle. Tires and shocks take a huge amount of abuse in the dirt and often fail if they are not filled and maintained properly. |
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