I will be using this forum to share with the members and casual viewers, the history and chronology of our race car.
A bit of history about the car
My brother Rick and I started building the car in February of last year. Around January of 2013, Marc had brought a near new 2013 Maverick 1000 R Xrs to another shop to be built, and the builder somewhat dropped the ball on the project. He started to build the roll cage, and that's as far as he got. My brother and I took over from there, completing the project in time for a short race in Mexico to use as a shake down for the 2013 Baja 500.
The Rosarito 200/Our First Race
Mostly a locals race, we showed up a day early to pre run the 50 mile loop. Starting near the back of the field, Marc had the car up to 3rd or 2nd overall by the end of the first lap. We raced for the overall lead most of the day until clutch problems and a broken p/s box gear took us out.
The 2013 Baja 500
We entered this race anxious to see how our car matched up with the best of the best. Confident as always, Marc was off the line 4 or 5 places back. By the Ojos road crossing 40 miles in, he had already passed every car in our class, and had a 5 minute lead. Vapor lock issues started to cause problems around RM 60 or so, and by RM 150, our day was done. DNF #2 for The Monster Mav.
The 2013 Vegas to Reno
In preparation for this race, w rebuilt our exhaust system from the header pipes back, in an effort to solve the vapor lock issues suffered during the Baja 500. We removed the muffler from under the fuel cell, and replaced it with 2 smaller ones dumping out the side, right behind the driver side rear bulk head.
Right off of the start, 2 miles in, we got our first of what would be 5 flats on the day. Early on, Marc clipped a motorcycle that was stuck in a silt bed and ripped off his foot peg. Then, the vaporlock demons re-emerged, and plagued us all day. Lost a clutch around RM 370, and finally the motor let go around RM 400 or 450. DNF # 3.
The 2013 Baja 1000
We prepared tirelessly for this race. Marc knows the Baja terrain as good as anyone, and better than most. This race, was the debut for the Monster green frame and ITP tires. The car was on display at the 2013 SEMA show in Las Vegas the week of the big race. It had been totally gone through and detailed for the show, and was looking as badass as ever. We learned that our vapor lock problems were more fuel pump mounting issues than exhaust/heat transfer issues, and replaced the complete fuel cell along with all of its plumbing to address them prior to this race. We ran in the top pack of cars for the first half of the race. Our crew missed a planned re-fueling at RM 370 right before the gnarly silt beds. We consequently ran out of gas, and lost about 1/2 hour. Then, at RM 450 or so, things took a turn for the worse. We lost a clutch, and broke off the stud inside of the crankshaft to boot. It took Marc 3-4 hours to repair it and make his way to the next checkpoint/pitstop at RM 495. We just made it through the check minutes before it closed and then lost the motor at RM 515. Another DNF
The 2013 Henderson 250
We were determined to finish and win a race by years end, and entered the Henderson 250 to accomplish just that. We had clutch issues, as well as a flat tire or two and couldn't make it around in time to be allowed to start the third lap. Something about a grand prix finish or whatever. Missed it by just a few minutes. The Cognito boys were the third or fourth and final car allowed to do lap 3. It was an epic battle for the Murray's as they were racing for the points championship. Their finish tied them with JX, and they lost the championship due to prior race standings. DNF #5 for us.
Needless to say that, after a lot of hard work and effort, our 2013 season was a disaster! A learning curve to say the least, we were way over confident in our readiness to compete in the big leagues in the Pro Sportsman 1900 class. Adjustments were made in the off season in preparation for the 2014 campaign. Our goal for 2014 was to run for the points title in the SCORE series, and throw in a couple of BITD races as well.
A bit of history about the car
My brother Rick and I started building the car in February of last year. Around January of 2013, Marc had brought a near new 2013 Maverick 1000 R Xrs to another shop to be built, and the builder somewhat dropped the ball on the project. He started to build the roll cage, and that's as far as he got. My brother and I took over from there, completing the project in time for a short race in Mexico to use as a shake down for the 2013 Baja 500.
The Rosarito 200/Our First Race
Mostly a locals race, we showed up a day early to pre run the 50 mile loop. Starting near the back of the field, Marc had the car up to 3rd or 2nd overall by the end of the first lap. We raced for the overall lead most of the day until clutch problems and a broken p/s box gear took us out.
The 2013 Baja 500
We entered this race anxious to see how our car matched up with the best of the best. Confident as always, Marc was off the line 4 or 5 places back. By the Ojos road crossing 40 miles in, he had already passed every car in our class, and had a 5 minute lead. Vapor lock issues started to cause problems around RM 60 or so, and by RM 150, our day was done. DNF #2 for The Monster Mav.
The 2013 Vegas to Reno
In preparation for this race, w rebuilt our exhaust system from the header pipes back, in an effort to solve the vapor lock issues suffered during the Baja 500. We removed the muffler from under the fuel cell, and replaced it with 2 smaller ones dumping out the side, right behind the driver side rear bulk head.
Right off of the start, 2 miles in, we got our first of what would be 5 flats on the day. Early on, Marc clipped a motorcycle that was stuck in a silt bed and ripped off his foot peg. Then, the vaporlock demons re-emerged, and plagued us all day. Lost a clutch around RM 370, and finally the motor let go around RM 400 or 450. DNF # 3.
The 2013 Baja 1000
We prepared tirelessly for this race. Marc knows the Baja terrain as good as anyone, and better than most. This race, was the debut for the Monster green frame and ITP tires. The car was on display at the 2013 SEMA show in Las Vegas the week of the big race. It had been totally gone through and detailed for the show, and was looking as badass as ever. We learned that our vapor lock problems were more fuel pump mounting issues than exhaust/heat transfer issues, and replaced the complete fuel cell along with all of its plumbing to address them prior to this race. We ran in the top pack of cars for the first half of the race. Our crew missed a planned re-fueling at RM 370 right before the gnarly silt beds. We consequently ran out of gas, and lost about 1/2 hour. Then, at RM 450 or so, things took a turn for the worse. We lost a clutch, and broke off the stud inside of the crankshaft to boot. It took Marc 3-4 hours to repair it and make his way to the next checkpoint/pitstop at RM 495. We just made it through the check minutes before it closed and then lost the motor at RM 515. Another DNF
The 2013 Henderson 250
We were determined to finish and win a race by years end, and entered the Henderson 250 to accomplish just that. We had clutch issues, as well as a flat tire or two and couldn't make it around in time to be allowed to start the third lap. Something about a grand prix finish or whatever. Missed it by just a few minutes. The Cognito boys were the third or fourth and final car allowed to do lap 3. It was an epic battle for the Murray's as they were racing for the points championship. Their finish tied them with JX, and they lost the championship due to prior race standings. DNF #5 for us.
Needless to say that, after a lot of hard work and effort, our 2013 season was a disaster! A learning curve to say the least, we were way over confident in our readiness to compete in the big leagues in the Pro Sportsman 1900 class. Adjustments were made in the off season in preparation for the 2014 campaign. Our goal for 2014 was to run for the points title in the SCORE series, and throw in a couple of BITD races as well.
Attachments
-
151.7 KB Views: 51
-
796.3 KB Views: 48
-
642.3 KB Views: 52
-
138.4 KB Views: 47
-
185.5 KB Views: 39