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June 28, 2020 – Lake Elsinore, CA- I am happy to report that one of my RS1’s is back up and running with a fresh new motor! We’ve been busy rebuilding after losing both motors in Mesquite, and we were able to get my stock car together in time to race at the Dirt Series, round 3 in Lake Elsinore, CA last weekend! I was stoked to get back in the driver’s seat and couldn’t wait to see how the car would do.

I decided to race in two classes, the Open 1000 class, and the Unlimited class, even though I was racing in my stock car. We arrived at the track on Sunday morning, got checked in, and ran my car through tech. My classes raced later in the day, so after heading back to my pit, we finished up some last-minute prep on my car.

The Open 1000 class was race 11 in the line-up for the day, and when it was time, I headed to the line for moto 1. The green flag flew and we took off! I got the holeshot and rounded the first turn! I hit the gas coming out of turn one and hit the step-up jump going up the hill. I came up a little short on my landing and my car landed hard and bucked in the air. I was able to save it and took off on the course. I did not run in practice, so I had to learn the course on the first lap. I stayed out in front of P2 on my bumper. As I completed lap 1, I wasn’t confident enough to hit the step-up jump again so I slowed down and rolled over it. I continued to roll that jump each time, but I was able to maintain my lead for the duration of the race, and crossed the finish line in 1st place! It’s been a while since I’ve seen a checked flag and I was super happy!

The Unlimited class was race 16 in the line-up for the day, so after my Open 1000 race, I headed back to my pit to get some water and relax for a few minutes before heading back to the line for moto 1 in that class. After lining up, the flag flew and we all took off! I was in P2 off of the line as we headed on to the course. I was able to make a pass early in lap 1, taking over the lead. P2 was on my bumper and I knew if I wanted to put a cushion between us, I was going to have to take a few chances. Coming into lap 2, I hit the gas out of turn 1 to hit the step-up jump that I came up short on in moto 1 of the Open 1000 class race. I was able to get enough speed to fly
over the jump and land it! I had learned what I needed to do, so with each lap, I was able to do that jump when my competitors weren’t. I gained a few seconds on them each time I did it. I stayed in the lead for the rest of the race and crossed the finish line in 1st place!

After going through the line-up again, it was time to line up for moto 2 in the Open 1000 class. The flag flew, and I got the holeshot as we rounded turn one! I hit the step-up jump and headed out on to the course. P2 was on my bumper again, but I stayed focused and on the gas. I was super comfortable on the course by this time, as I had completed two motos already. The course was awesome and I was having a great time driving through the turns and over the jumps. My car was handling perfectly. I was able to stay in the lead and crossed the finish line in 1st place, taking home the 1st place overall spot for the day in the Open 1000 class!

I took a quick break back at my pit and got ready for moto 2 in the Unlimited class. We lined up but had to wait to go because someone got hurt during the quad race before ours. I always get more nervous when I have to sit on the line and wait, but I took a deep breath and was able to calm my nerves. The quad racer had to be taken by ambulance, but we heard later that he was going to be ok. After the course was cleared, it was our time to go. The green flag flew, and we took off! I got the holeshot again, hit the gas, and took off onto the course! I was able to maintain my lead for the whole race and crossed the finish line in 1st place, taking home 1st place overall in the Unlimited class for the day!

It felt really good to be back in the car. Everything stayed together and the car ran flawlessly. I couldn’t have asked for a better race day! We are waiting on the second motor to fix my production car and plan to get the cars ready to go for the next local race that comes our way. Because of COVID, race schedules are moving constantly, but I plan to race wherever I can throughout the summer before returning to WORCS in September.

We set out on this journey with under six weeks to build a class 11 car and race the Mint 400 for nothing but a finish. Class 11 is known as the stock VW class and the warrior class because it is a very competitive class yet somewhat basic some might think. Any form of racing has its tricks and ways to modify a car’s performance and prove it worthy. My team and I did just that. We through all of our common knowledge at this class 11 car we called the SLUG SHARK in order to show up on race day with a competitive car. 

As the car was being built I documented the build on my YouTube channel which gained a lot of traction. The how to build series showed a lot of people a lot but not all of my tricks when building the Slug Shark. Showing up to Fremont Street in Las Vegas with the Slug Shark I knew people had followed the build but had no idea it was as big of a deal as it was until seeing the old to the young take pictures and ask questions. The relatability to a VW Bug has made an everlasting impact on the offroad community that will never be diluted it seems like. Coming into race day after vibing with everyone on Fremont street I knew I had to finish or give it all I had for everyone involved and watching her debut!

Race day once again cameras were out and the hype had come down to make or break time! Staring out 10th out of 11 seasoned class 11 builders/drivers it went time. Seeing the shaka on the starting line by a ton of fans standing on the fence line was humbling and the skinny pedal was ready to hammer down! Getting the holeshot next to my competitor we were off. 

First lap we had pulled into pit A to make a minor shock adjustment on the fly with the King Shocks clickers. A quick look over and everything was solid and we were back on track in under a minute. Passing class 11 cars that couldn’t keep up with our pace or were broken our spirits were high and the car was solid! Through a super rough section, I did get bucked a little through some deep whoops. I learned quickly how fragile the stock VW wheels were as I bent a wheel bad. A quick change and we were back on the road like it never happened. Mile marker 105 of 107 on the first lap we stopped at the main pit to fuel up and make one more suspension adjustment, new spare tire as well as a co-driver change. Running strong we kept charging hard into the night sitting around fifth place. 

Second lap after getting more familiar with the car I was getting in the grove and pushing hard knowingly the Slug Shark was on the hunt! With zero issues and zero pit stops needed on lap 2, we came across the finish line all smiles being greeted by our team and fellow enthusiasts! Receiving a Mint 400 finisher medallion by Matt Martelli the owner/promoter of the Mint 400 was a special feeling that’s unexplainable. After many sleepless nights and efforts by so many this was a goal I set out to achieve and an accomplishment many involved got to celebrate! 2nd place in my eyes was a win! Winning against the course and the odds of us finishing a fresh car with little test and seat time proved that we were a force to be reckoned with in future class 11 races! 

Respect to all the other class 11 warriors out there who have fun in such a simple class. The elements are a true testament to these race cars and driving smart is a big part of racing. We will continue in this class 11 journey as well as the new main focus on the Trophy Bug I’m calling the Mako Shark while sharing the build and story leading up to the Mint 400 debut in 2021. Your support has been appreciated by not only myself and my team however many whom we get to share the story with. We have built a new culture in offroad through Shreddy and hard work! Many more adventures and stories to be shared again thank you!

So new year,
new car, new series, new, new, new! That would come back to bite me a bit this
weekend but more on that soon.

We headed down to @dirtyturtleoffroad for @prorockracing UTV Survival Racing. I was fortunate enough to get to intercept @tire_spine in Frankfort, KY to get the new Tire Spines installed. So big thanks to them! I got to the track and went to put the new OMF HPO wheels and tires on with the new L&W Suspension, and quickly discovered I had routed my brake lines on the front A-Arms in the wrong location and the wheels were hitting them. So I had to relocate the lines. I called up my good friend Devin Smith who was en route to the track the following day and asked for him to grab me a couple of parts on his way so I could get the lines moved. Thanks, Devin for the help! I got those all moved and took the car out on the short course for some quick practice 15 minutes before qualifying only to discover another initial build bug and triggered limp mode. A quick message to @aftermarketassassins for some tune band-aid help and that was temporarily fixed.

I went up locked and loaded for qualifying and went and turned what felt like a good fast lap, only to find out after I pulled off the track that I had to run again because snow tripped the timer and my time was invalid ☹️ so to the back of the qualifying line I went for another run. By this time the snow was really coming down and track conditions were getting even worse. I think I was the last UTV to qualify for the day. I went out and gave it the best I could slipping and sliding and hitting the ruts hard. I ended up mid-pack 15th and row 3.

The next morning cold, snow everywhere from overnight, we took off for the race. I was able to pull the holeshot off-row 3 and held onto the row leading into the woods. Once I came up to what I’m calling Ice Mountain, where I was told at one point had 13 UTV’s trying to make it up it at one time, the ground was frozen hard with all the snow and cold. In an attempt to make it up the hill the coolant line ended up blowing off the thermostat housing of the engine due to a loose clamp dumping all the coolant. It was at this point I decided I’m not risking a brand new engine trying to finish the race with no coolant. I had to call the race off at that point.

So I have a list of bugs to work out from the initial new build. This is very very rare for me to not finish, but this is 100% my fault for letting this happen. I just ran out of time trying to get everything 100% tested and tuned and validated before the first race. I’m confident ill have everything worked out before the next race. I have a busy couple weeks ahead that’s for sure! This new Polaris RZR Pro XP feels amazing, I’m really looking forward to this season!!