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TEAM DESERT ASSAULT®
TAKES THE PODIUM
IN THE 39th ANNUAL TECATE®
SCORE BAJA 1000
LA PAZ, MEXICO – On
November 16th, 2006, three Stock Full©
race trucks flying the KORE logo left the starting line
to take on the notorious SCORE Baja 1000. KORE’s 2006
Team DESERT ASSAULT®
consisted of #865, RPM Off-Road, from Bristol,
Tennessee, #866,Worthington Racing from Los
Angeles, and #867, Team Canada Racing, from
Alberta. Each team drove similarly-equipped Cummins
diesel-powered Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 pickups.
“We’ve been doing this
for so long now, we’ve got the whole thing down to a
science. Prerunning and racing are standard Baja – you
prepare the best you can but anything can happen. But
by using proven,
off-the-shelf parts we eliminate
a lot of variables and increase our chances of
success,” said Kent Kroeker, President and CEO of
Kroeker Off Road Engineering [KORE]. “We use Toyo
tires, Weld Wheels, Fox Racing Shocks, Baja Designs
Lighting Systems, FASS fuel pumps and AEM filter
systems. This not only makes the build easier, but
facilitates logistical support, since each truck uses
common parts.”
1047.8 miles of whoops,
silt beds, exposed rocks and standing water from recent
hurricanes made this year’s Baja 1000 particularly
challenging, claiming 146 of the 283 Four Wheel class
starters – a 51% attrition rate. Team DESERT ASSAULT®
didn’t have it easy.
“We had passed everyone
within the first 50 miles, but then we broke a sector
shaft,” said Loren Worthington, owner of #866. “We were
right in the middle of the race course which made
changing out the steering box dangerous, awkward and
time-consuming. We barely made check point two without
timing out.”
Meanwhile the rookie
drivers Kevin Ostlund and Richard Thomas made no errors
and drove #867 consistently, maintaining a solid second
place behind Team Hummer’s Josh Hall. The
team members of KORE pit 4 in San Ignacio changed
out a broken half shaft in record time then John Zambie
and Mike Sedway took over driving duties. But luck was
not on their side. By Race Mile 650 it was all over for
the Canadians.
“When the turbo came
apart it sounded like a 35,000 RPM Calliope thrown down
a sewer pipe. I’ve never heard anything like it,” said
former Marine Harrier pilot John Zambie.
RPM Off Road’s
#865 was plagued with mysterious electrical problems,
causing a DNF early in the game.
“It was very
disappointing to come all the way across the country
only to DNF. It wasn’t what we were expecting after a
near flawless prerun,” said RPM’s Justin Matney. “But
racing the Baja 1000 was one of the greatest things I’ve
ever done. Baja is in our blood now, so we’ll be back
next year for sure - with two race trucks and more
people. ”
Kent Kroeker and Robin
Stover took the bruised but not beaten #866 at Race Mile
340, prior to
Bay of LA. Barely making check closures and inching up
the speed average was the name of the game for the next
22 hours.
“The frame cracked
twice and twice we welded it up. This slowed us a bit,
but pulling multiple stuck vehicles out of the mud,
water and silt took a lot of time. I couldn’t believe
the silt beds south of Loreto. They were so deep that
twice they swallowed the entire passenger side of the
truck. I couldn’t see anything. That was definitely
the gnarliest wheeling I’ve ever done,” said Stover.
2AM, Ciudad Insurgentes,
Landon Worthington took over in the left seat while
Kroeker co-drove.
“It was like a
graveyard out there. Cars were everywhere stuck in the
silt. Drivers stood near by with long faces and
tow-straps in hand. We just couldn’t help everyone.
There were so many. So close to the finish too. It was
heartbreaking,” said Landon.
Conservative, precise driving by Landon Worthington
brought #866 down the Steps to the finish line in the
city of La Paz. As the sun rose over the Sea of Cortez
forty hours and seventeen minutes after the start in
Ensenada the race was over. KORE/Worthington Racing had
made it to the podium for third place.
It was Landon’s first
desert race ever.
“This was a great Baja
1000,” Kent Kroeker said later, “KORE sponsored three
unproven race trucks that were piloted by people totally
new to the sport. The Canadians and the team from
Tennessee had never even seen a desert before. And they
chose to race the Mount Everest of motorsports in a
professional class! Their dedication and commitment to
the mission was unbelievable. Our chase and pit crews
performed admirably and everyone on the KORE team
returned safely to the U.S. The Fox shocks worked
great, we had zero flats from the Toyo M/T tires, and
superior performance from the Weld Commando P.R.O.
beadlock wheels. The new LED light technology from Baja
Designs was absolutely amazing – especially in heavy
dust. We had some bad luck, but overall it would be
hard to ask more from an adventure like this.”
KORE is
currently building a new race truck that uses
never-before-seen navigation and communication
technology sourced from U.S. military. The first race
for this new vehicle should be the 2007 SCORE Baja 500
in June. Currently the number of race trucks on KORE’s
2007 DESERT ASSAULT®
team is six.
# # #
For more information
contact: KORE
P.O. Box 2628
Valley Center CA 92082
760-749-8687
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