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Vegas to Reno ULTRA4 Coverage

6K views 21 replies 2 participants last post by  Charlene 
#1 ·
Four days until the start of the BITD Vegas to Reno The Long Way Race, and we are ramping up the plans for the coverage on this epic event!

I will try and post here as "live as our electronics will permit in the middle of the Nevada desert"...

To get you started... here is the official list of the entries and a little background on the 4400 class! Also check out Home - Best in the Desert Racing Association for more information.

Here is the official Entry for the Ultra4 Class (This is a qualifier for the 2010 King of the Hammers; Top 10 cars that start on Saturday will earn a entry.)

As of 8/14/09 Official BITD Registrations for Ultra4 Class are as follows:
4403
Jason Carner (34) Birmingham, AL,
James Schofield (27) Birmington, AL,
Troy Johnson (40) Riverside, CA,
Superior Axle, Turnkey, JE Reel, Ruggeo Radios, SpiderTrax, PRP,cQal, Fox, The Fab School, Howe, CTM, BFG, United Rentals, ProComp Wheels, Safety Solutions

4405
Travis Carpenter (28) Orangevale, CA,
Dan Trout (23) Rancho Cordova, CA,
Hasa Pool Products, Yukon Gear, Powertank, infinit Graphx, Solid Axle, Fishmouth Fabworks, MFS, Rock Zombies 4x4 Club

4406
Robert Usnick (36) Fayetteville, NC,
Steve Tolbert (37) Fayetteville, NC,
Brandon Kasnick (25) Raeford, NC,
Billy Brown () Fayetteville, NC,
Performance Off-Road, Final Touch Powder Coating, Trail Tough, HeiserOil.com, Paraclete, Raceline Wheels, BF Goodrich

4411
Dean Bulloch (51) Cedar City, UT,
Tom Allen (49) Weatherford, TX,
PSC, MasterCraft, BFG, Stak, CTM, Currie, Mast Motorsports, Heavenly Bodies, Winchline, Tom Woods Driveshafts, MS Inc, Seymour Martin, Warn, TrailGear, D&P Perf

4435
Kevin Sacalas (26) Riverside, CA,
Douglas Williams (32) Redlands, CA,
Jon Jonsson (51) Ferndale, WA,
Sam Wiseman (44) Riverside, CA,
Viking Off-Road, Winchline, Bilstein, Griffin Thermal Products, RCV
Performance, Trail Gear, BFG, Twisted Stitch, Livorsi Marine, JE Reel Driveline

4454
David Cole (38) Twin Peaks, CA,
Chris Ridgway (38) Apple Valley, CA,
Brandon Naves (29) Camrillo, CA,
Steve Schneider (30) Temecula, CA,
Kirby Off-Road, Griffin Rad, BFG, Raceline Wheels, RCV, Vision X, PRP, High Angle Driveline, Longfield, G&J Aircraft

4455
Joseph Thompson (38) Grass Valley, CA,
Richard Mooneyham (33) Lake Havasu City, AZ,
Scott Ward (36) Lake Havasu City, AZ,
Les Figeuroa (44) Lake Havasu City, AZ,
Trick Toys Fab, Sims Trucking, BFG, Raceline Wheels, PSC Steering Comp, Turnkey Engine Supply, Sway-A-Way, Figspeed.com, Longfield-Super Ax, Brannik Machine

4461
Ben Napier (26) Sydney, Australia
David Camp (32) Brisbane, Australia
Randy Slawson (32) Cotton, CA,
Bomber Fab, BFG, Raceline Wheels

4464
Matthew Legg (32) Boulder, CO,
Jason Tomas Walton (30) La Porte, CO,
Camron Abernathy (31) Fort Collins, CO,
Philip Christensen (26) Wellington, CO,

4471
Jeff Knoll (39) Menifee, CA,
Dave Schneider (34) Reno, NV,
Wayne Israelsen (40) Menifee, CA,
HammerKing, Raceline Wheel, BF Goodrich, Vision X, PSC, Griffin, Bilstein, Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Superior Axle & Gear, S&N Fab, The US Stimulus Package!

4488
Brandon Watson (34) Glenwood Sprongs, CO,
Stephen Watson (36) Carbondale, CO,
James Watson (58) Carbondale, CO,
Our families, Off-Road Design, PSC, Bighorn Graphics, Tom Woods Custom Driveshafts, Premier Power Welder

___________

The UNITE Team Combines Royalty for a Heavy Hitter Ultra4 Vegas to Reno Race

JOHNSON VALLEY, CA, AUGUST 10, 2009:

Best In The Desert (BITD) is including a new class of cars for the first time ever at their 1000-mile Vegas to Reno three-day race August 20-22, 2009. Classified as Ultra4, the new King of the Hammers-style rock crawlers will be laying down all their cards. With a switch at the table, Hammerking Productions Dave Cole and Jeff Knoll will be drivers of record under the "UNITE" banner which will field a three-car team, also including Australian Ben Napier who hopes to qualify for the 2010 Griffin King of the Hammers. The UNITE team, originally formed by Brian Kirby and Bobby Ouellette in 2005 after racing the Baja 500, is composed of a virtual who's who in rock-sports circles for the epic BITD Vegas to Reno race and is sure to produce a winning hand.

Vegas to Reno the long way, the brainchild of BITD's Casey Folks, is the longest off-road point-to-point race in the United States, and this year he made it tougher. Not wanting to miss a once in a lifetime adventure, Hammerking Productions approached Folks about the addition of King of the Hammers-style Rock crawlers, now branded Ultra4 cars. "Our type of racing is all about the harsh environment and brutal terrain, and we felt this would continue that test of man and machine," said Hammerking Productions Dave Cole. Cole will pilot a Brian Kirby purpose-built, cross breed of desert car that is also capable of climbing vertical walls and accelerating through the deep silt-beds found in the Nevada desert. "This is my dream car!" exclaimed Cole.

To sweeten the deal and attract a class of racers, Hammerking Productions attached the event to its widely popular Griffin King of the Hammers series of regional qualifiers. "Our approach this year has been to force our teams out of their comfort zone and introduce them to multiple forms of off-road genres," says Knoll. He then went on to say that "the partnership between Hammerking and Best In The Desert has been working out great so far with more than a dozen Ultra4 teams signing up for this epic adventure."

The UNITE team partners drivers who regularly participate in multiple motor sports and fabricators from six states and three countries who could be considered royalty in their own racing category. Drivers have experience ranging from the X Games, SCORE/BITD Desert Racing, Gumball 3000 Rally, Drag Racing, and Professional Rock-Sport Racing. Personalities include Adam Woodlee, Wyatt Pemberton, Dan Barcroft, Brian Kirby, Ken Mercer, RJ Brown, Matt Sisson, Dave Camp, Wayne Israelsen, Randy Slawson, Ben Napier, JR VanOrtwick, Dave Schneider, Chris Ridgway, and Chris Pook, who will join forces with Dave Cole and Jeff Knoll of Hammerking Productions and will be lead by the efforts of crew chief JC Andrews the Mojave Desert Racing 2008 overall points champion. "JC is the type of driver who puts together solid, consistent wins. We will all learn from him out in the Nevada desert," said 2007 SCORE Baja 1000 winner Dave Schnieder and owner of the 4471 car piloted by Jeff Knoll for this event. "Half the fun is just going to be working with these guys!" added Knoll.

Signing on to support the effort of the UNITE team has been a number of the leaders in the off-road motor sports arena, including Griffin Thermal Products, BFGoodrich Tires, Raceline Wheels, Vision X Lights, and Ready Welder. Greg Mulkey, race director for Raceline Wheel, expressed his company's position: "Raceline Wheels is proud to be associated with Hammerking Productions and we hope to carry over our success in rock-sports to this exciting new class of desert racing. We believe our wheels are perfectly suited for the demands of this type of endurance racing." Mulkey will join the UNITE team for Vegas to Reno and utilize the opportunity to see first-hand testing of their line of racing wheels. Darick Schmitt, distributor for VisionX lighting systems, added, "We see King of the Hammers as the fastest-growing off-road racing series in North America. The commitment by Jeff Knoll and Dave Cole to create a race and build a series that combines so many different off-road disciplines has created a following by top racers which, in turn, brings fan support never seen before in this type of [rock-sports] racing."

To learn more about the UNITE off-road racing team, get race week live updates and coverage, and King of the Hammers, please visit: King of the Hammers

Sponsors:
Griffin Radiators and Thermal Products
BFGoodrich® Tires
Raceline Wheels
Halogen, HID, and LED Lighting. XPC Batteries. | Vision X Global Lighting Systems, Vision X Off Road Lighting, Vision Motor Sports
Readywelder.com | There's nothing like it!

Hammerking Productions, Inc. created the "King of the Hammers" off-road race in 2007 (King of the Hammers) and released its first full-length film in 2008. The 2009 running of the King of the Hammers was featured on Spike TV and in the film "Second Crusade." In 2009, Hammerking expanded race action to include three additional regional qualifiers for the 2010 race. Over 15,000 drivers and fans from around the globe will descend on the desert of Johnson Valley for over a week of off-road related activities in 2010.
 
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#2 ·
First UPDATE:::::

It is Sunday, and after MANY MANY hours of work on these great cars, it is TESTING day! I know of 3 cars for sure that headed up to Barstow this morning to give the cars a run...

Jeff Knoll and the crew from car 4471 left around 10am and by 2pm called to say they have a Broke Rear Axle Housing. The car is back on the trailer and headed to the shop to rebuild the rear end.

The 4461 Ben Napier/Randy Slawson car is running great with no worries.

There was another car up there that was experiencing troubles also.
 
#3 ·
Jeff just called;
Reporting in for Cole #4454 -> they had a good day testing and will be staying out there and testing again tomorrow. No issues, just tuning

Knoll #4471 has completely taken a part the rear end and has already started putting it back together...over 50% done. Those boys rock!!
Here is a pic from the shop:
 

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#4 ·
Dave #4454 just reported in: Over 65mph passes through the Barstow Pits... (that area has some pretty BIG whoops!) They have shut it down until daylight and the crew is celebrating on site in Barstow and will resume testing in AM.
 
#6 ·
4405 Update: Travis and Dan are having some tranny issues after testing the rig yesterday. Found out that the Intermediate servo is messed up in the tranny...Jeff from MFS is working on it now.
They are on a shoe-string budget, so even though the team leaves for Vegas tonight, Travis has to WORK all day long! (Bet hes real productive LOL)

4488 Update: Still in CO and they are thrashing like crazy trying to make a test date with king tomorrow morning. Lots left to do but a lot of details are coming together. New King bypasses are mounted, amsoil being dumped in, new rear driveshaft from Tom Wood just showed up, extra fuel cell is in and plumbed, new oil cooler is together, PSC pump, and cooler are in with a filter change, new Nitto desert grapplers are all mounted up with new hardware on the trail readys, about 100 small brackets are welded everywhere for every dinky little part like the ballast for the lightforce 170's, on and on and on.
 
#7 ·
Update #4471: Knoll just checked in while I was away running some last minute errands.... They have the car practically ready. They found the brake parts that they needed at Kartec and they are done and good to go. They are loading motorhomes, chase trucks and doing their last minute errands!! Plan is to leave in the morning still...

Update #4454: Dave Cole also checked in. He said that it was too bad that I wasn't at Kirby's shop watching the synchronized swimming that was happening inside LOL They are working on a list about 30 items long, but nothing too major. Adjusting suspension, wrapping the car, adjusting the seats etc etc. Nothing that can't be handled.
Their biggest issue is they did brake their shifter cable...but they have already sourced one and was on the way to pick it up right then!
He is stoked on the car!!! He is soooo ready to run it. They are ready to get there and have a great time! Nothing but good words!
I told him to send me some pics!!! He said they will once the wrap is done.
 
#8 ·
4405 update from Kurtuleas: Tranny MAY NOT be salvageable. :( If they can't get it fixed today, MFS may have another tranny drop shipped to Vegas. MFS is REALLY coming thru for them on this race.
 
#9 ·
Update 4471: Car is back together, brakes are fixed, axle is as good as it is going to get, hoping to schedule last minute test and tune with Bilstien early AM Tuesday.

Here are some beauty shots...he sure picked the right co-pilot for this race! :)
 

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#10 ·
Update 4411: The boys from PSC checked in from somewhere outside Vegas. I don't think they know where they are..."closer to the start line than Vegas, and I'm lucky to have enough service to get out!" said Lance.
Dean Bullock and the whole crew (less one) are already there and ready to roll. They have been working on getting the case trucks prepared and pretty much kicking back. The car is handled, and running perfect. Lance said that they are ready to go a day early...and there is something really, really wrong with that

By the time I made it home, they must have found some better cell service cuz I got these pictures

The last pic is of rock crawling past and present: Jeff Rector and Todd Stevenson both vital members of team 4411.
 

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#11 ·
4471: is on the trailer and headed to early morning test session with Bilstein.
After that we will be headed directly to Sunset Station in Henderson, NV.

I will be on that bus ride...so the updates will change a bit tomorrow....
Gotta get packin!
 

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#12 ·
5:50am team 4471 texted in leaving the house...and headed to pick me up! Here we go! We are already through Victorville and trying to get through the pass before they close if for blasting this morning. Stopping somewhere near stateline for testing....
"On the road again...." dodadodado

My buddy Crowdog is leaving Nor-Cal in a couple hours and hopes to make the whole trip by tonight. If you are into UTV's aka SXS's also watch for coverage of that class on UTVWeekly.com
 

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#13 ·
Beauty Shots 4454: Finally got some pics of Dave's car...not the best but here is a sneak peak. I will get some better ones when they show up.
They were just starting their dyno pulls at noon. Haven't heard how it went yet....
 

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#14 ·
Update 4471: Just jumped back on the 15.... Testing went great. Only 2 hours...Joel helped out a lot getting it to ride perfect. Got some good action shots that I will grab for tonights post... walking around out in the middle of the desert by myself in flip flops I figured that it was better than the forest...at least I eliminated bear attacks :blush:
 

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#15 · (Edited)
#16 ·
Headed out to the pits to get a couple of pics before the sun goes down...then I got this special invite picture that I think I may just have to go and check out....
 

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#17 ·
All kinds of action happening here at the Sunset Station! Went and checked out contingency and the camping area then headed into the air conditioned casino...think it got down to 97 or so around 10pm tonight. Whew! The heat is going to be an issue for sure!

Got to hang out with more of the crew from the #4471 team tonight...great group! Crowdog from UTVWeekly.com showed up to join the fun and eventually we all headed back out to the parking lot to remember that it is still HOT in vegas even at night!

UPDATE #4454: Dave Cole checked in at 7:30 to say he was leaving in an hour...so we expect to see him "sometime"

MORE TESTING FOR 4411: Lance from Dean Bullocks crew checked in saying that they hadn't had enough testing or driving opportunity, so they grabbed some go-carts and had a ball!
 
#18 · (Edited by Moderator)
Vegas To Reno "Live" Coverage of Ultra4 King of the Hammers Qualifier

JOHNSON VALLEY, CA, August 17, 2009: Full coverage of the Best In The Desert (BITD) "Vegas to Reno the Long Way" Ultra4 Class will be featured on KingOfTheHammers.com starting Wednesday August 19th from contingency, Thursday-Saturday from the course, and wrapping up Sunday August 23rd at the awards ceremony.

Vegas to Reno the Long Way is the longest off-road point-to-point race in the United States. Hammerking Productions approached BITD about the addition of King of the Hammers style rock crawlers, which are now branded as the Ultra4 class. "Our type of racing is all about the harsh environment and brutal terrain, and we felt this would continue that test of man and machine," said Hammerking Productions Dave Cole.

Hammerking Productions has attached this event to its widely popular Griffin King of the Hammers series of regional qualifiers. "Our approach this year has been to force our teams out of their comfort zone and introduce them to multiple forms of off-road genres," says Jeff Knoll of Hammerking Productions. The top ten that start day three and potentially finish will earn a starting position and a chance at being the next King of the Hammers in February 2010.

There will be a live link to coverage of the Ultra4 class (and all other classes) on KingOfTheHammers.com. "Our goal is to cover the entire event as live as our electronics will permit in the middle of the Nevada desert," says Charlene Bower. Coverage will start at contingency Wednesday morning from the Sunset Station Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, NV talking to drivers and industry representatives. We will chase the first running of the Ultra4 class through multiple pits during the day on Thursday, Friday and Saturday with nightly updates. Coverage will wrap up on Sunday at the 11am Awards Ceremony in Reno, NV at Terrible's Sands Regency Hotel & Casino.

Please bookmark kingofthehammers.com for live coverage and future King of the Hammers updates.

More information about the BITD Vegas to Reno the Long Way race is available at Home - Best in the Desert Racing Association
 
#19 ·
WOW What a GREAT day on the 120 degree asphalt of the Sunset Station Hotel!! I hope that you all had a chance to check out the live coverage... there are some great audio threads interviewing all of the Ultra4 teams and some special guests including Ivan Stewart!

Check out the live coverage, and stay tuned ... there is a lot more to come!
King of the Hammers -> click on the HERE in the post

Thanks for all your nice comments on the threads and coverage...I know how it is to not make it to a race that you want to be at...it sucks...I will do the best I can with the internet access that I have over the next 3 days to take you with us on this awesome adventure.
 
#20 ·
The morning started at 4:45am :censored: lol

Everyone finished up the last minute preps, and we hit the road at 6:05 am...only a 5 minute penalty assessed. Not too bad for 30 people, 3 race cars, 4 motorhomes and a slew of trucks.

On the road now to Beatty. Staging starts at 8:45. 9:30 start at :30second intervals. See ya there!
 
#21 ·
made it through the day yesterday! It was pretty amazing!
As for the 4400 class there were two that crossed the finish line...
The 4471 team of Jeff Knoll was the first to cross and the Kevin Sacalas 4435 team crossed with only about 15 minutes left on the clock.

Lots more racing coverage again today!
 
#22 ·
Wanted to make sure you had a heads up on this one....

This is the Lucas Oil TOTALLY OFF ROAD RADIO Show for Wed August 26th 2009!
Co Hosts: Austin "Fish" Farner

Other Guests include:
Andy McMillin
Ryan "Bonzen" Lewis
Dan Vance
ESB Mike
Jeff Knoll
Dave Cole
Kevin Sacalas

And More
Plus "Breaking Newz" with Shaun Ochsner and all the lastest Dirt!

We'll be talking 1450, King of the Hammers & Vegas to Reno!!

It's going to be another great show and as always,
We want to hear from you 'The Fans" with any questions or comments that you have!
The station call in number is 760-720-5236, You can also Email questions to
desk@torrshow.com or text questions to 760 805-6994

The show is LIVE from 6-8PM on AM 1000 & can be heard at index
 
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