2016 Blue Water Desert Challenge #xpWarrior Race Report
The Blue Water Desert Challenge is a staple in the Best in the Desert offroad race season. The race is conducted in Parker, Arizona and has many amazing aspects on and off the course. This event often becomes the key to a championship and season standings for all of the classes, especially UTV’s. This is an event that allows for great spectating of the action, the Colorado River, and great access to teams throughout the weekend.
Friday we drove from Las Vegas, Nevada to Parker, Arizona for Tech and Contingency and missed the action of Time Trials and the Welcome Party held on Thursday. Tech was smooth and hot. We had hoped for mild temperatures to hold through the weekend but it was apparent on Friday that we would see high 90’s/low 100’s. Friday was also the drivers meeting in which we hear about the status of the course and any important changes. It was told to all drivers that a last minute change to the course in two places were necessary for safety but would not be shown on the GPS maps teams had in the race vehicles. The start times were confirmed and I was happy that UTV’s were going to be in their own race and that we were racing well after sunrise.
Saturday, Race Day 1. We began getting the car ready for the race around 0700. Our confidence level was pretty high though anxiety always hits moments before the green light begins the clock. Staging went smooth and we were somewhere around 52 off the line. We lined up against the 1995 Maxed Out, they are working hard to take our #5 spot in the season points race. The green light is given and I roar from the line in the right lane. Traditionally, this is the slow lane and usually never allows for lead on the other vehicle. Luckily, we pulled on 1995 and didn’t have to deal with dust for a few miles.
Dealing with a dusty race course and much of the GPS being wrong we got caught by a couple of the cars the started after us, but by mile 8 they over drove their machine trying to stay in front causing failures. Our suspension was handling the whoops but we tried to keep the speed moderate due to the many kickers that could end our day early. Once we hit, John Wayne I put in some work. Our short wheel base Polaris RZR XP 1000 is really set up for this terrain better than the sand whoops. The car was running strong as we got to the pavement along the river and as immediately after reaching 70 MPH I heard a noise. The car kept speed but wouldn’t climb, belt temp was only 160 but just as I slowed for the turn back up the mountain the belt failed.
I pulled off to the right of the course just in front of a BITD official and Chris hopped out to begin changing the belt. I made a radio call to the pit to inform them of our position and status. I hopped out of the car and we quickly discovered that we had the worse belt failure we had ever seen. The belt was riding at the bottom of the secondary when it failed and the strings wrapped tightly around the core while the secondary closed. This caused us to not be able to clean out the secondary and trying to open in was nearly impossible. We decided the best option was to attempt removing the secondary and reattempt the clean out. Sadly we were not carrying the required tools and getting the secondary off with a crescent wrench was not working. We finally got some tools and removed the secondary but the cleanup required lots of hard work. Once the clutch and belt were handled we got back under way but we had been lapped by the whole field and had the leader on our tail for the Day 1 win.
We pushed hard to get in the mileage but needed to stop for spare belts in case we had another failure. Once we got our belt we tried to put on a clinic to prevent losing any more time than we had lost with the stop on course to fix the clutch. We ended Day 1 while the vehicles from Race 4 were on course and had to battle a couple Trophy Lites and avoid a crash from that race but managed to complete all laps just over an hour after the leaders.
Looking over the car, after the race we searched for a noise and discovered we had lost two of the four lug nuts holding the front drivers side wheel on the car. I was extremely relieved that the remaining two studs didn’t fail. We believed this was the noise and we wrapped up our look of the car finding that all major items looked good.
The morning of Day 2 began by fueling the racecar. Then two hours before our race my co-driver found it. My heart sank as he showed me the cross-member forward of the engine mount was smashed into the drive shaft. We began trying to figure out how to get this vital part of the chassis and drive train repaired. Beating it straight with a hammer was not possible in the time frame because we would have needed to tear down the whole car. The decision was made to try using a strap and then chains from the trailer after dropping the skid plate. We chained the bent part of the chassis to a support on the trailer and then used a jack to raise the vehicle in turn pulling the bent metal away from the drive shaft. After and hour or so we finally got some clearance between the two and decided to leave the damaged drive shaft in the car for this race due to time.
Off to staging, we had to start 45 and race 921 of Johnny Angal. We had the fast left lane, but Johnny and that Turbo pulled on us like and he was gone into the dust. We pushed and after almost flipping the car twice on the destroyed course in the deep sand whoops the 905 of Marc Burnett caught us followed by a couple other very fast cars that had bad Day 1 races. Shortly after the Mattahorn we found our zone and started really doing some work.
Lap 1 we had a 32 Min lap time, pretty damn good for a 2014 with zero engine work and old shocks. Lap 2 was a little slower and we tried to keep the Gordon Artic Cat off for 11 miles until I elected to not be a “dick” at the turn off of the River Road. Running down the high speed pavement section wheel to wheel and door to door with Max and Robby Gordon was pretty cool. I had the left lane and the advantage into the left turn. Max wasn’t giving up. The game of chicken was won by Max Gordon when I decided to brake and give him the corner, not being a dick. I chased him close up the hill and into the Devil’s Drop. He kicked up a huge dust cloud right before the corner at the top of Devil’s Drop and I could not see anything. The Artic Cat somehow passed Tech without a Blue Strobe that is mandatory and makes finding the course a little easier in the dust as you chase a competitor.
Let me state this very clearly. This one instance almost cost me and my co-driver our lives. Had my co-driver not screamed “STOP STOP STOP CLIFF!!” we would have went right off the cliff and seriously been injured if not killed. No matter what deal was made for this car that hasn’t been released as far as I know is bull when it didn’t have the required safety light. I do think it was cool that at 8 years old, Max who did put on a driving clinic, was driving in BITD. I think this car should have been held for not having the met Tech requirements. It is despicable that this car was running out there without safety lights required by the rules. I am very upset about this because it could have cost lives and would have never been allowed for Joe Shmoe showing up with a brand new car. I mean come on, its Robby Gordon, this was planned and that car didn’t have one of the main items all UTV’s must have. OK, off my rant. Congratulations to Max and I know this kid will have a long career in offroad.
So, this near death experience cost me my nerves for a couple miles and finally I got it out of my head and we pushed back into the sand to find Lap 3. We were slow on Lap 2 with a 38-39 minute lap but pushed into the final lap. Our car was bucking like a bronco at the rodeo…. I have never been to a rodeo but you get the point. The rear end of the 1965 car was constantly trying to find a way to get in front of the headlights.
We crossed the finish line in pretty good time in 13th in class and 30th overall. That was pretty good for starting 45 and almost being killed by a car that should have never been on the course. Our combined unofficial results had us 18 in class, the 45 minute clutch repair cost us dearly. I am so proud of my team, family, friends and everyone that cheers us on.
Our Sedona Rock-A-Billy tires were amazing. We didn’t have any tire failures and ran the same set from Vegas to Reno. We don’t run Tire Blocks or Slime or anything to prevent a flat. These tires are amazing. They give on hard impacts but are durable enough that we could rip them through the rock. They handled well in the sand, but sand is just a drain on HP no matter what your tire choice is.
Another big deal were our Raceline Wheels. It is amazing to finish a race with 50% of the lugs missing. I have to give credit to Raceline not only for a great wheel with a great offset, but the amazing lugs that hold under pressure that they should never be put through. Thank you Raceline, I need a box of lug nuts….hahaha.
I made mention of this but I want to try to give you a better insight to this team. We are running a 2014 Polaris RZR XP 1000. Our car was purchased at a RideNow dealership and immediately worked on to make race legal. I am an Active Duty Service Member retiring after 20 years of service in a few days. I have funded this car, prep and parts with zero outside financial help besides my teammates helping with a belt or something along the way. We have not had the engine refreshed or any of the stuff you hear about. We change the oil and plugs….that’s it. Two seasons of racing and we still have the original stock motor, transmission and differential in the car. All we have done is change the lubricants. All of these main components and clutch were all in the car when it erupted into flames a few races back. We got a replacement primary clutch from another race team and were happy just to have an operational clutch even if it was used. I just wanted to let everyone know that we are a true privateer race team. We don’t have funding nor any contracted sponsorships. I truly believe in the products and companies we use on the car and its not that we only use what we can afford. We have paid more for items because we want things that last rather than saving a few hundred dollars.
We have one race left in the season. I am hoping that we can get all the way to the finish line so we at least keep our 5th place position for the season. The Pahrump Nugget is gong to be tough, 255 mile point to point. No Grand Prix, finish is finish.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for photos from the race as we get them. Congratulations to the 10 fans we gave gifts to at the BWDC, I hope you enjoy them and keep coming out to the races.
P.S. We will be giving stuff away at the final race of the season so come out!!!
Lonestar Racing
Raceline Wheels
Sedona Tires
Aces Racing LED Lighting
S&B Filters
Fuel Customs
RideNow Powersports
This race was dedicated to those lost in Afghanistan from COP Michigan, BushMaster 27, when their vehicle was hit by an IED.
The Blue Water Desert Challenge is a staple in the Best in the Desert offroad race season. The race is conducted in Parker, Arizona and has many amazing aspects on and off the course. This event often becomes the key to a championship and season standings for all of the classes, especially UTV’s. This is an event that allows for great spectating of the action, the Colorado River, and great access to teams throughout the weekend.
Friday we drove from Las Vegas, Nevada to Parker, Arizona for Tech and Contingency and missed the action of Time Trials and the Welcome Party held on Thursday. Tech was smooth and hot. We had hoped for mild temperatures to hold through the weekend but it was apparent on Friday that we would see high 90’s/low 100’s. Friday was also the drivers meeting in which we hear about the status of the course and any important changes. It was told to all drivers that a last minute change to the course in two places were necessary for safety but would not be shown on the GPS maps teams had in the race vehicles. The start times were confirmed and I was happy that UTV’s were going to be in their own race and that we were racing well after sunrise.
Saturday, Race Day 1. We began getting the car ready for the race around 0700. Our confidence level was pretty high though anxiety always hits moments before the green light begins the clock. Staging went smooth and we were somewhere around 52 off the line. We lined up against the 1995 Maxed Out, they are working hard to take our #5 spot in the season points race. The green light is given and I roar from the line in the right lane. Traditionally, this is the slow lane and usually never allows for lead on the other vehicle. Luckily, we pulled on 1995 and didn’t have to deal with dust for a few miles.
Dealing with a dusty race course and much of the GPS being wrong we got caught by a couple of the cars the started after us, but by mile 8 they over drove their machine trying to stay in front causing failures. Our suspension was handling the whoops but we tried to keep the speed moderate due to the many kickers that could end our day early. Once we hit, John Wayne I put in some work. Our short wheel base Polaris RZR XP 1000 is really set up for this terrain better than the sand whoops. The car was running strong as we got to the pavement along the river and as immediately after reaching 70 MPH I heard a noise. The car kept speed but wouldn’t climb, belt temp was only 160 but just as I slowed for the turn back up the mountain the belt failed.
I pulled off to the right of the course just in front of a BITD official and Chris hopped out to begin changing the belt. I made a radio call to the pit to inform them of our position and status. I hopped out of the car and we quickly discovered that we had the worse belt failure we had ever seen. The belt was riding at the bottom of the secondary when it failed and the strings wrapped tightly around the core while the secondary closed. This caused us to not be able to clean out the secondary and trying to open in was nearly impossible. We decided the best option was to attempt removing the secondary and reattempt the clean out. Sadly we were not carrying the required tools and getting the secondary off with a crescent wrench was not working. We finally got some tools and removed the secondary but the cleanup required lots of hard work. Once the clutch and belt were handled we got back under way but we had been lapped by the whole field and had the leader on our tail for the Day 1 win.
We pushed hard to get in the mileage but needed to stop for spare belts in case we had another failure. Once we got our belt we tried to put on a clinic to prevent losing any more time than we had lost with the stop on course to fix the clutch. We ended Day 1 while the vehicles from Race 4 were on course and had to battle a couple Trophy Lites and avoid a crash from that race but managed to complete all laps just over an hour after the leaders.
Looking over the car, after the race we searched for a noise and discovered we had lost two of the four lug nuts holding the front drivers side wheel on the car. I was extremely relieved that the remaining two studs didn’t fail. We believed this was the noise and we wrapped up our look of the car finding that all major items looked good.
The morning of Day 2 began by fueling the racecar. Then two hours before our race my co-driver found it. My heart sank as he showed me the cross-member forward of the engine mount was smashed into the drive shaft. We began trying to figure out how to get this vital part of the chassis and drive train repaired. Beating it straight with a hammer was not possible in the time frame because we would have needed to tear down the whole car. The decision was made to try using a strap and then chains from the trailer after dropping the skid plate. We chained the bent part of the chassis to a support on the trailer and then used a jack to raise the vehicle in turn pulling the bent metal away from the drive shaft. After and hour or so we finally got some clearance between the two and decided to leave the damaged drive shaft in the car for this race due to time.
Off to staging, we had to start 45 and race 921 of Johnny Angal. We had the fast left lane, but Johnny and that Turbo pulled on us like and he was gone into the dust. We pushed and after almost flipping the car twice on the destroyed course in the deep sand whoops the 905 of Marc Burnett caught us followed by a couple other very fast cars that had bad Day 1 races. Shortly after the Mattahorn we found our zone and started really doing some work.
Lap 1 we had a 32 Min lap time, pretty damn good for a 2014 with zero engine work and old shocks. Lap 2 was a little slower and we tried to keep the Gordon Artic Cat off for 11 miles until I elected to not be a “dick” at the turn off of the River Road. Running down the high speed pavement section wheel to wheel and door to door with Max and Robby Gordon was pretty cool. I had the left lane and the advantage into the left turn. Max wasn’t giving up. The game of chicken was won by Max Gordon when I decided to brake and give him the corner, not being a dick. I chased him close up the hill and into the Devil’s Drop. He kicked up a huge dust cloud right before the corner at the top of Devil’s Drop and I could not see anything. The Artic Cat somehow passed Tech without a Blue Strobe that is mandatory and makes finding the course a little easier in the dust as you chase a competitor.
Let me state this very clearly. This one instance almost cost me and my co-driver our lives. Had my co-driver not screamed “STOP STOP STOP CLIFF!!” we would have went right off the cliff and seriously been injured if not killed. No matter what deal was made for this car that hasn’t been released as far as I know is bull when it didn’t have the required safety light. I do think it was cool that at 8 years old, Max who did put on a driving clinic, was driving in BITD. I think this car should have been held for not having the met Tech requirements. It is despicable that this car was running out there without safety lights required by the rules. I am very upset about this because it could have cost lives and would have never been allowed for Joe Shmoe showing up with a brand new car. I mean come on, its Robby Gordon, this was planned and that car didn’t have one of the main items all UTV’s must have. OK, off my rant. Congratulations to Max and I know this kid will have a long career in offroad.
So, this near death experience cost me my nerves for a couple miles and finally I got it out of my head and we pushed back into the sand to find Lap 3. We were slow on Lap 2 with a 38-39 minute lap but pushed into the final lap. Our car was bucking like a bronco at the rodeo…. I have never been to a rodeo but you get the point. The rear end of the 1965 car was constantly trying to find a way to get in front of the headlights.
We crossed the finish line in pretty good time in 13th in class and 30th overall. That was pretty good for starting 45 and almost being killed by a car that should have never been on the course. Our combined unofficial results had us 18 in class, the 45 minute clutch repair cost us dearly. I am so proud of my team, family, friends and everyone that cheers us on.
Our Sedona Rock-A-Billy tires were amazing. We didn’t have any tire failures and ran the same set from Vegas to Reno. We don’t run Tire Blocks or Slime or anything to prevent a flat. These tires are amazing. They give on hard impacts but are durable enough that we could rip them through the rock. They handled well in the sand, but sand is just a drain on HP no matter what your tire choice is.
Another big deal were our Raceline Wheels. It is amazing to finish a race with 50% of the lugs missing. I have to give credit to Raceline not only for a great wheel with a great offset, but the amazing lugs that hold under pressure that they should never be put through. Thank you Raceline, I need a box of lug nuts….hahaha.
I made mention of this but I want to try to give you a better insight to this team. We are running a 2014 Polaris RZR XP 1000. Our car was purchased at a RideNow dealership and immediately worked on to make race legal. I am an Active Duty Service Member retiring after 20 years of service in a few days. I have funded this car, prep and parts with zero outside financial help besides my teammates helping with a belt or something along the way. We have not had the engine refreshed or any of the stuff you hear about. We change the oil and plugs….that’s it. Two seasons of racing and we still have the original stock motor, transmission and differential in the car. All we have done is change the lubricants. All of these main components and clutch were all in the car when it erupted into flames a few races back. We got a replacement primary clutch from another race team and were happy just to have an operational clutch even if it was used. I just wanted to let everyone know that we are a true privateer race team. We don’t have funding nor any contracted sponsorships. I truly believe in the products and companies we use on the car and its not that we only use what we can afford. We have paid more for items because we want things that last rather than saving a few hundred dollars.
We have one race left in the season. I am hoping that we can get all the way to the finish line so we at least keep our 5th place position for the season. The Pahrump Nugget is gong to be tough, 255 mile point to point. No Grand Prix, finish is finish.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for photos from the race as we get them. Congratulations to the 10 fans we gave gifts to at the BWDC, I hope you enjoy them and keep coming out to the races.
P.S. We will be giving stuff away at the final race of the season so come out!!!
Lonestar Racing
Raceline Wheels
Sedona Tires
Aces Racing LED Lighting
S&B Filters
Fuel Customs
RideNow Powersports
This race was dedicated to those lost in Afghanistan from COP Michigan, BushMaster 27, when their vehicle was hit by an IED.
