Peak Powersports
Member
The journey to Parker for the BWDC started with a little more comfort and style than previous races as we welcomed Wasatch Trailer Sales and Haulmark aboard as official sponsors of the team. The new hauler and tow rig made the trip much more comfortable for everyone involved. If you have a need for a custom trailer hit up Todd Campbell, owner of Wasatch Trailer Sales at 801-544-7575 or www.wasatchtrailer.com. He is the very best at customizing trailers to meet your specific need to haul, store, work, play and sleep out of the hauler of your choice. He is also my co-dog and a big part of the Peak Powersports team enjoying our first year of racing in the desert.
We stopped at Apex outside Vegas on Thursday to fine tune suspension and clutching on the way to Parker. We like to get a little seat time on the whoops after rebuilding shocks to confirm no internal issues. A few tweaks on rate and dampening and we quit screwing with it – it was as good as it has been all year! We then turned our attention to clutching as we needed to adapt for the heavy sand of BWDC. Tuning went well and we felt the car was stronger than ever…until we started hearing a loud bang in the drivetrain followed by the 4WD disengaging. Luckily we were happy with the changes made to that point and ready to load the car and get to Parker. We arrived late and stopped at the local liquor store to stock up on purple bags for the MANY people we needed to thank for their support, advice, encouragement and friendship throughout the season. If you did not get yours we must have not seen you and still have several in the trailer!
Friday came and all went well through registration and tech/contingency. We were done and set up in the pits by noon (a record) and started pulling the front differential. Sure enough, the roll pin had sheered and made a mess of things (armature plate, cage, etc). We carry a spare and rotate each race so it went in quickly and we drove a little to confirm 4WD was working. All was well and we put it away for the evening.
Saturday we lined up 17th next to Angal and planned to push for the lead OR fall in behind him and pass people together in the dust. He pulled the holeshot and we chased him through the first few long straights. We could catch him on the straights and felt good about our clutching. We were feeling good about the speed of the car and ready to brave the dust on his tail. Just then we see a figure running to the edge of the course waiving his hands. Burnett’s co-driver was signaling trouble and we were at full speed headed into a twisty section of the course. We slowed enough to get off to the side of Mark’s car as it was laying on its side diagonally in the course. Could have been a three car pile-up easily if not for the 100 yard warning! We continued on and the dust started to roll off the cars ahead of us. We realized this was a game we are not very experienced or good at. Using all our senses and a GPS that was acting up we pushed forward as fast as we dared, but I have to be honest in saying I drove what I could see and maybe a little more…but not blind. We planned to be a little conservative on day one and it was costing us time in the dust. We could see a few cars ahead of us and started catching them when visibility was good. We made huge time on them once we got to the sand whoops and stretched our legs. The car was soaking up the whoops with ease and we were surprised to see 60+ mph on these sections. It was definitely a place where we passed other cars before heading back into the dusty trail that forced us to back off again. As we entered the back side of the course we started having GPS issues and missed a turn completely, flying over the berm while Sappington darted ahead of us. A mile later we misread a sweeper on the GPS and slowed only to see Fisher carry speed and go for the pass. We tailed him along the river at 82 mph and gave chase back into the dust. We held our own until we caught more traffic and had to take turns passing in the dust/clear spots. Lap one complete and with our miscues we dropped to 21st position on time. Lap two started to thin out a little and we saw less dust as we got into a more comfortable pace. We ran fairly clean and uneventful which allowed us to move clear up to 11th on time. Lap three was more of the same and we ended 6th in class and 8th overall. We were happy to have kept the car together and honed our skills in the dust without incident. In the back of my mind I had a few tweaks planned for the car AND I had heard that same popping noise in the drivetrain a few times. We went to work right away and adjusted suspension for day two planning for deeper ruts and more sharp edged bumps after the trucks pounded the course late in the day. We also made subtle changes to the clutching to help hold peak rpm in the deep sand. Our car was good but not perfect so we lightened the weights .8 grams and hoped for the best. We spent the afternoon watching the trucks and buggies in awe of the speed and ability to drive in the dust. The crew was ready to go to dinner but I could not help myself….we pulled the differential again to check the condition (despite the fluids looking good on routine service right after the race). Sure enough, another roll pin failure but luckily no other damage. We replaced the necessary components and put the car away ready for day two. At dinner we talked about putting my brother in the car to give him a taste of the fun. He is a certified Polaris tech and a tremendous asset in the pits…but that is not as fun as being in the car. I was ready to turn over the driving duties but the crew talked me into driving as this was our best finish/pace all year. It was the first race in which we did not suffer a mechanical delay. They were right, we needed to try to run clean again on Sunday to see where we stacked up with the factory teams. We thought we could run with them early in the year but had failed to pull it all together. Was this our race to show our potential?
Sunday came and the crew was well rested and anxious to start up front. The reduced dust was appealing but came with some nervousness being surrounded by the many fast guys who finish up front consistently. We drew the outside line which had a mud hole on the launch pad which killed everyone’s chances of a holeshot from that lane. Gastel got the holeshot in his Can Am and we pulled up on him on the straightaway. As soon as the dust rolled we backed off and kept him at a safe distance for 5 miles or so. We anxiously waited for the sand whoops and our chance. Gastel entered the whoops about 300 yards ahead of us but we were able to catch him and pass going 20 mph faster than him by the end of the section. I later saw him on the side of the course with a mechanical problem so he may have had issues that allowed us by. At any rate, we settled into a good pace and watched the mirrors expecting the other fast cars around us to be coming. Scanlon, Guthrie, Angal, Burnett, Red Lands, Schueller and other proven podium guys were all back there and we pushed hard to keep it that way. As we finished lap 1 I asked the pit crew to give me splits on cars behind us…expecting they were catching us. To my surprise we had held our own and the gaps were the same as the starting splits (at least for the next few cars behind us). Encouraged, we pushed on and gave chase to the few cars ahead of us. I must say that running up front is WAY easier as we fought far less dust running pace with faster cars. We could close a little and then lose a little in short dusty sections but in general lap 2 was uneventful until just after the section near the river. As we headed up the hill and into the rocky section we saw Fisher grooming the course with the front of his car missing. Must have lost an a-arm or ?? – we did not stop to ask or see him after the race. We were now up 2 positions physically and not being challenged by cars moving up through the pack. We were feeling good…a little too good as the noises and weird feelings from the car started to creep into my head. I thought the LR tire was going down as we neared the pits. I considered stopping but it seemed intermittent and was too stubborn to give up track position without being sure we needed to stop. We radioed for a visual as we passed the hot pits and got the all clear from the crew. That worry seemed to go away for a few miles and then the car started feeling squirrelly like a broken axle. I could not believe our luck…5 trouble free laps and now this!! We pushed on trying to feel the car. What made it worse or better OR was it just the ruts and sand?? Whatever the case we started counting down the miles as we were going to finish even if we had to limp it in. We backed off a little in the rough sections trying to save an axle (or whatever it was that felt odd). Lady luck was on our side as we took the checker flag with a heavy sigh of relief. We celebrated a little in the car…not knowing where we would finish on time but elated that we finished our first race without a mechanical delay. A quick roll through the mesa and we learned that we finished 4th in class and 6th overall…our best showing in our first year of racing. To think that this program was just getting started exactly 12 months ago when we dropped the stock RZR turbo at Lonestar for a complete build. And, we did not sit behind the wheel of a long travel UTV until the day of the first race at Parker in January. The whole team has learned a TON and it is appropriate to thank those who helped us get here.
Top honors goes to team owner Robert Johnston who owns South Side Racing, the Peak RZR and Peak Powersports/Geiser Trophy Truck. His passion for the sport brought us into the game and has made it possible for Peak to compete as well as support many other Polaris racers.
Peak Powersports gets the second nod as the hub for all things racing and race support via the Peak team, vehicles and racer support program - www.peakpowersportsllc.com. Randy, Nicole, Brandon, Justin, Jordan and Dustin assist with the Peak race activities and keep the Peak Powersports Polaris/Yamaha/Kawasaki dealership rolling while I am gone racing. Regardless of where I am they can always be reached and are happy to help fellow racers and enthusiasts alike. 307-672-6414
Wasatch Trailer Sales rounds out the podium with tireless support of our program. I call it blind faith but Todd has been there all season, all in at all cost. He too has the bug and has brought Haulmark to the party for a multi-year sponsor of the race support hauler. www.wasatchtrailer.com 801-544-7575
LonestarRacing served as the builder of a very safe chassis as well as best suspension on the market. They have also become a great supplier and customer of Peak Powersports as well as good friends. Much thanks to Dan, Heath, Garrett, Langston and the gang who help our program each and every event.
Western Powersports has been a great partner with tire and wheel sponsorship as well as marketing assistance. They are a major supplier at Peak Powersports and have assisted with the Sedona brand Rock-a-billy tires as well as Raceline wheels. We ran most of the season with these products with great durability results.
Airdam Clutches joined the team at the second race of the season and Adam worked with us until 5AM to perfect our clutching. I am proud to say that since that time we have not suffered a belt failure in a BITD race. His stuff simply works and he has become a great supplier for retail sales at Peak Powersports.
RCV Axles joined the team after the Mint 400 and some challenges finding the right combination on the car and behind the steering wheel. We have ran their products since without fail and relatively minor maintenance race to race. We are proud to retail their axles as well as service and wear components.
ITP tires joined the team most recently as we sought a taller tire for V2R and our existing sponsor was limited to 30”. The Ultracross R Specs have held up great and the added height has made a huge difference in the condition of out skid plate after each race.
Raceline Wheels stepped up recently as well with fresh rims for the new rubber. We have smashed a few rims but in every case amazed at how well they held up for the stupid things we put them through. Great product and great people…who attend EVERY race to support their racers!
Rugged Radios came to the program as the supplier of choice by the builder (Lonestar) and the product has been flawless. More importantly, the support at the races is priceless. They have bailed us out on many self-inflicted issues and always worn a smile while doing it. Luckily we have not needed to use the Rugged Relay but this alone is enough to earn my commitment to them…plus they are generally nice guys!
Weller Racing gave a late assist as we looked to calm overheating issues for V2R. We struggled with space to put a huge radiator on the back of the car and sought a different solution. After some begging, Kyle conceded and shared info with me from oil cooling on non-turbo cars. He had not tested this on the RZR Turbo and was reluctant to put out untested products. We worked together on the concept and tested before V2R. The outcome has been amazing and we rarely see 200 degrees on hot race days.
Midas of Sheridan not only holds down the fort while I am gone racing but they put up with the Peak RZR race prep tying up a hoist for weeks at a time and storing the race support necessities between races. Chad, Cody, Tim and DJ give an assist from time to time working on the car as well and are ever supporters of the local race team traveling 20 hours to compete in the desert. Their commitment to their jobs make it possible for me to throw money into the racing pit and enjoy every minute of it.
Family and crew are those who put in more time and put up with more crap than all sponsors. They are people who either share the passion for racing or support the dreams of their loved ones. They are the glue who holds our program together and worth mentioning here. Todd risks all by sitting in the RH seat as well as staying up too late while I test, tune and tweak things at EVERY race. He also contributes greatly to the logistics and transportation of the team while helping cover general expenses of the crew. My brother, Mike, tags along happy to be part of the crew and lends great confidence to the program with his mechanical expertise and RZR experience, Felipe (FLIP) joined the crew late but has risen to be one of our go to guys learning the car rapidly and always with a smile. Dustin makes races as his schedule allows and adds to our depth in the pits when things go wrong. Shelley and Chris support from afar with totes of food, healthy snacks, clean clothes and perhaps the wisest support of this mid-life crisis we call a race team. And that does not even begin to include the many customers and friends who follow our new team. Their confidence and ever present support helps us push forward as we develop this race team and race support business model.
I am proud to list as well as know each of these sponsors and supporters personally and hope to one day give back to others as much as I have received.
See you all in Pahrump!
Matt
