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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
– The 2007 Vegas to Reno was difficult for team KORE.
Plagued by flat tires, broken axles, overheating and
eventually a seized motor, just finishing the grueling 500
mile course proved impossible. 2008 was better, but not
without its share of challenges.
For 2008, KORE attacked
Vegas to Reno with the latest generation General “Grabber”
competition tires, a new XV Motorsports Hemi motor, a more
refined truck and a much more experienced team.
Fourth off the starting
line, Kent Kroeker and Sean Hyland held their position,
driving conservatively to keep the truck together. Soon
after the first pit, an enormous “log jam” brought the race
to a standstill. At least 20 race cars blocked the course.
Passing was impossible. After waiting several minutes,
Kroeker and Hyland chose to take an old mining trail that
was barely visible – and only passable by a four-wheel-drive
vehicle.
“It was a risky move
because it was a tight trail and we didn’t know where it
would lead,” said Kroeker. “Backing down may have been
impossible.”
At Pit 3, KORE had the
lead. Sean Hyland took over at the wheel with Kroeker now
co-driving. Although the truck was running well, silt
clogged the air filter several times, slowing the speed
average and requiring Hyland and Kroeker to stop and clean
the intake.
After 100 miles of
flawless driving, Sean brought a perfect truck to Rudy Iribe
and John Zambie. A quick splash of gas and some
preventative maintenance was all that was required. But in
less than 50 miles, silt began to clog the transmission’s
shifting assembly, making gear changes difficult or
impossible.
Swapping out the clutch
master/slave cylinder assembly at General Tire Baja Pit 6
helped for a while, but shifting was still difficult, often
forcing Iribe to stop the truck completely in order to
change gears. Then, just prior to pit 10, Iribe and Zambie
snapped a stub axle at the U-joint. KORE’s lead Chase
mechanic, Joe Salas, threw in a new part and the truck was
back in the fight in under 17 minutes.
Coping with a
malfunctioning clutch, Iribe and Zambie were still able to
get the truck across the finish line for a Third Place
finish with a time of 14 hours and 34 minutes.
“We have yet to get
through a race without incident – Vegas to Reno was no
exception. Breaking parts is to be expected as we develop
this program and establish duty cycles. Next year we’ll be
more prepared and more competitive,” said Kent Kroeker.
See KORE’s General Tire
Hemi race SCORE’s “Primm 300” in Primm, Nevada on 6
September – then the world famous “Baja 1000” in Ensenada,
Mexico on November 21.
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For more information
contact: KORE
P.O. Box 2628
Valley Center CA 92082
760-749-8687
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