Whiplash Snowflake
2003
After a "season high" 2nd place finish
in our previous race, the SCORE Henderson 250, the Doherty Motorsports Purple
and Yellow Class 8 Chevy, failed to finish the annual Whiplash Snowflake Race,
held this past Labor Day Weekend. The Snowflake event, held high in the Arizona
White Mountains, is typically the largest event held in the Whiplash Arizona
Desert Racing Series. This year the entry count was down from previous years,
but was still a well attended race, with 74 Car and Truck entries held on
Saturday, and 350 Bike, Quad, and Pee Wee, guys on Sunday.
Our race
weekend started out as usual, with two flat tires on the trailer, about an hour
from home. Since Friday was a regular business day, we were able to buy two new
tires in Globe Az (about half way from Tucson to Snowflake). Arriving in the
remote area of the race, we were not really suprized to see a hundred Off
Roaders already marking out their pit locations. The pit area we choose was a
good one, as we knew from previous years which way the wind blows ! After
setting up, and reserving space for my brother, and co-drivers' motorhomes. we
started doing last minute prep stuff. That afternoon, my wife and I did 5 good
hard "test" laps, on the 1 mile Jetting Loop. It was a good shake down, and a
good chance for Ellen to get in a short ride. The important thing we learned
during the test, was that the black mud that was present on the loop, was
coming in through a gap between the firewall, and the lower visor of the hood.
A quick fix of cardboard, and sheet metal screws should hold for a lap or two,
until all the cars splash the mud out of the corners. This was
important.
My co-driver for this race, Steve Gonzales, is a seasoned
Baja 1000 bike racer, and he and his wife arrived at the track in their
motorhome, just as they closed the Jetting Loop for the evening. This means
that if we don't have a chance to test early in the AM, that Steve was climbing
into a 670 Hp, 5000 lb race truck, as a virgin ! He said he was "up to it".
Race morning began with the few last minute prep items, and the obligatory
Whiplash drivers meeting. The race promoter Jay, gave a little speech about
future Whiplash events planed for next year, and the 'rules of the road" for
this race. I remember seeing Elk, and firewood cutters, out on this course.
Steve and I suited up, and climbed in, ready for the next five, 27 mile
laps. Our plan was to stop for fuel, after 3 laps, instead of chancing our
mileage, at 4 laps ( 108 miles). We had drawn 2nd starting position in our
class of eight "true" class 8 entries. The reason I state "true' is that
Whiplash has run a "Heavy Metal' class, at previous races to included 3, 4, 7,
and 8. The class 7's and 3's voted to run their own race this year, (class 4 in
class 8). The flagman waved us off, and we immediately ran up through the
gears, heading toward the big "table-top jump", one mile into the race. It had
the usual 100 spectators there, camera ready. The front entry, the Chevy
previously owned Jesse Jones, and currently owned/driven by the team of Thomas/
Ottersburg, was having a great race, and we were trying hard to stay just
behind them, out of their dust. The course, which hasn't changed much in the
last 25 years or so, was a familiar one to me. Co-driver Steve, said it was
obvious to him that I knew my way around the 27 miles of curves and straight
aways, even though Whiplash does not allow pre-running here.
Our Great
Weekend, ends on the second lap about 50 miles into the race. On our second
lap, we were driving along a stretch of wire fence line, and then the course
turns away, and down a hill, into a draw. At the bottom, was a big wash-out
from the previous weekend's rain (down pour). We hit the 2 ft deep rut, and our
right side suspension gives out, and we make an emergency, but graceful, slow
right turn off the course. The co-driver was crossing his fingers as we come to
a halt BETWEEN a couple of big pine tree's. We climb out to find the suspension
had dug a 7" deep rut from the course, to where we stopped. The tire is now
off, sitting off to the side of the course. We jack up the truck, out of the
soft, black, forest floor to see what broke. My heart drops as we expose the
front spindle, MINUS the snout !
My brother jumps on his Honda quad,
and skirting around the Whiplash sentry's, finds us by our radio directions. We
have no spare. I have never broken a spindle. Never. I think years ago we used
to bring a spare, but since we never broke one, we got lazy about bringing
spares. We pull off the broken part, finally found the snout, off under a tree
somewhere, and wire it to the bumper of the quad. Back in the pits we weld it
back together, hoping that the welded part will stay together for the 10 mile
shuttle, back to the waiting trailer in our pit. It did. Thanks for the ride
back, Pete.
We then began the recreational part, of our 4 day weekend,
in the Az White Mountains, we went fishing. Class 8 was eventually won, the the
Thomas/Ottersburg Chevy Second place was a fast white F-150, a local racer from
Juarez Mexico. Congrats to all of them.
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