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Video recap of Josh Cobb’s Journey to the Mint 400, and race with Team Safecraft in the Trophy Lite Class.

Bakersfield, CA (4/5/2017) – H&M Motorsports’ David Haagsma ran a smart race and finished fourth in the WORCS series SXS Pro race at The Orleans in Las Vegas. Haagsma now leads SXS Pro championship by 28 points.

The event was held at The Orleans Casino Arena and the parking lots and grounds surrounding the venue. The track featured a terrain that went from hard-packed dirt to pavement outside to a log section, a sand pit and a big air jump inside the arena.

Haagsma’s car was perfect on the pavement in practice. However, prior to the race, officials watered the track. Pavement that was tacky and had grip in practice was super slick during the race. Knowing he didn’t have the setup, Haagsma made the call to run a consistent race, stay smart and focus on the points.

“I couldn’t turn on the pavement and actually spun out a couple of times,” said Haagsma. “I knew I didn’t have the setup, so I just tried to play it smart. All of those guys were running really well and I couldn’t run that pace comfortably without making a mistake. The Maxxis Tires and Sparks Racing engine were perfect. I just didn’t have the setup to run up front.”

Haagsma is fully focused on the 2017 WORCS championship. This year, he’s won two races and scored two additional podiums.

“Overall it was a great race because I have a good lead in the championship,” said Haagsma. “I just wanted to make sure I came out with a good finish. When you race a SXS in the WORCS series you just never know what is going to happen. The season is definitely not over yet and I have to take it one race at a time and try not to make any mistakes.”

Interestingly, his accomplishments came at the wheel of a naturally aspirated car in a class that allows turbocharging. The turbo cars seem to break down more often, so the reliability of the non-turbo has been an asset for Haagsma.

Haagsma will return to WORCS competition as the series heads to Hurricane, UT for the next race at Sand Hollow State Park April 21-23.

H&M Motorsports 2017 Sponsors:
Maxxis, H&M Motorsports, HP Dairy, Haagsma Farms, SPARKS Racing, Cognito Motorsports, Tire Blocks, FOX Shocks, Shoei Helmets, K&N Filters, PRP Seats, Method Race Wheels, Lusardi Motorsports, Finish Line Signs, The Winning Team Apparel, ATVRiders.com, Fly Racing

*Originaly posted by Harleen Foley on ATV Riders.com

From Harleen Foley of ATVriders.com

Bakersfield, CA (3/23/2017) – H&M Motorsports’ David Haagsma won his second consecutive WORCS Pro SXS race in Lake Havasu City, AZ. Haagsma has now finished on the podium in all four WORCS races and brings his points lead to 19.

With typical rough and hot Lake Havasu conditions, Haagsma used the skills he honed as an ATV racer to dominate the track’s lagoon jump. Driving a naturally aspirated car in a class that allows the higher horsepower turbo cars, Haagsma took the lead late in the race and ran off with the victory.

“The Maxxis Tires and Curtis Sparks engine really hooked up and we led most of the first lap,” said Haagsma. “I decided not to hit the lagoon jump on the first lap and went back to third. I got up to second right away and then battled it out. We went back and forth for most of the races. On the final lap, he took the chicken lane and I followed the lappers through the jump to take the lead.”

While Haagsma has been developing a turbo car all season, his streak is leading him toward continued reliance on his current ride. That move has paid off so far.

“We have a turbo car built, but the more I run the non-turbo, it’s pretty competitive because it doesn’t break,” explained Haagsma. “Everyone with turbos is having issues. The overall dependability of the non-turbo seems to be the way to go.”

Interestingly, Haagsma went into the main with little practice time. “We had some issues in practice; I broke a belt and missed the whole session,” said Haagsma. “The car worked great. This was a great weekend.”

Haagsma’s mechanic Theo Lasardi is pleased with Haagsma’s progress this season. Most teams are happy to get out of Havasu with a finish, so a victory is huge.

“We’re fortunate to have good products on our car and Davie drives so smooth,” said Lasardi. “With the track like this, you have to have a little luck and not break stuff.”

Haagsma will be back in action as the WORCS will next head to a special indoor race at The Orleans in Las Vegas March 31-April 2.

Top Racers from around the globe come to Johnson Valley, California every February to compete in the hardest one day off road endurance race in the world! This year there were 122 racers in the 4400 class and only 50 finished the race.

February 2-10, 2017….

Derek West and team # 20 left for Johnson Valley, California on Thursday Feb. 2nd after months of preparation for the opening race of the 2017 season, which is also the biggest race of the every season. The week was full of media, photo shoots & prepping for qualifying. Derek qualified on Tuesday Feb. 7th during “Power Hour” taking a great starting position of 19th overall out of 122 racers.

Friday Feb. 10 “Race Day”…

Derek and his team had everything in tip-top shape ready to start the race after qualifying earlier in the week. Early Friday morning the #20 car took the green flag and was off to a great start catching other cars until a large boulder appeared out of the dust and damaged some crucial components.  A quick stop at pit 1 and they were off again chasing dust trails.

An alternator belt came off and the team did not notice it until the battery had been drained to a critically low point. Arthur Richtmyre (co-driver) hopped out and began replacing the belt. Once things were back in order the battery was too drained to start the car, during this process Mel Wade, one of Derek’s competitors stopped and give him their jump pack.

Art and Derek tried this but the car still would not start. Quickly, Derek cut the battery cables that feed his winch with a plan to use them as jumper cables. Derek stood on the hood of his car and waited for the next competitor to come by and signal them for help.  That next person was Jeremy Hammer, a fellow Nitto Tire teamate. He stopped and was successful in getting the car going again!

Things were now going as good as they could for being at the back of the pack. Again, Derek began passing cars again in the rock trails until a rock took out the rear slip yoke on the drive-line. Derek knew he had no choice but to quickly hike to pit 2a, which was 4 miles away through the mountains. He quickly got to the pit and then back to the car with the needed part. From there Derek drove at a conservative pace in order to finish the race and gain series points. They had no more issues and completed the race in 49th place at 9:30 pm just 30 minutes before the time cap. Derek & Art endured a long, hard day in the race car with an ending time of 13 hours & 18 minutes. The team showed their racing perseverance and hard work pays off! Derek and team 20 are looking forward to an amazing season!

Derek West Racing upcoming events:

Feb. 25 – Outlaw Racing Series @ Booneville, Ark.

March 26 – Big Meat Run @ Disney, Ok.

May 6th – Outlaw Racing Series @ Jadwin, Mo.

May 20th – Ultra 4 East Coast Series @ Davis, Ok.

May 26-29 – Maddness In May @ Cass, Ark.

Follow us on FB and Instagram!

Images provided by Derek West and Bill Bailey

Copyright 2017 Derek West Racing, All rights reserved.

This year’s Mint 400 was the first race for the DWT Bomb Squad RZR. We were wide open to get the car done in time for the race. We did a shakedown on the Wednesday before in Barstow. The RZR felt great. This is hands down the best UTV that I have ever driven. We could have used a little more time to test and dial some things in. But overall, we felt ready and confident in our set up.

We did a photoshoot and pre-tech on Thursday. Tech and contingency went smooth on Friday and we were done early and ready to go.

The morning of the race, we got up early, headed to the main pit, and got ready to stage. There were over 50 Pro Turbo UTV’s and somewhere around 110 UTV’s total. Starting positions were done by drawing and we started in the back at 47th. We were off to a good start and maintaining a fast, but controlled pace. We worked through the pack quickly and I believe had passed about half of the field in the first 25 miles. According to split times, we were running in the top 5 to that point with the lead group only seconds apart. We were having to work through a lot of slower traffic, so I’m confident we would have been even faster with an open course.

Just before Pit A, we started having some issues that slowed us. Those problems persisted and we ended up loosing quite a bit of time. By the time we got back to the main pit, we were a lap down and decided to put it on the trailer and not risk damaging the car or being stuck on course all day.

We learned a lot and will take all of the data from the Mint to improve for the San Felipe 250. We showed that we have the speed to compete. We now need to fine tune our program to get it to the finish.

I really appreciate all of the support from everyone involved and I can’t thank you enough.

Mint 400 Race Highlight Video – www.facebook.com/pg/WesMiller70/videos/

Proving Grounds Racing

The Mint400, also known as the Great American Race, has been a part of Proving Grounds Racing for the past few years. The Mint 400 has held the title of the toughest, most spectacular off-road desert race in North America since 1968 when it was first run. Taking on the Ultra4 series the team has dipped into other series such as Best In The Desert Racing. The Mint400 is set in the heart of Las Vegas each year. Fremont Street hosts contingency for the race which spreads over 8 blocks of the Vegas strip.

Prepping:

With back to back races from KOH to the Mint, the team has worked 120% to get the car back together and dialed for the race. With the help of our great sponsors we are able to take on the race next week with a prepped and finished car. Poison Spyder has been amazing to the team with parts, fab time, and use of the facility in setting up the car for the race. Huge thank you to Currie Enterprises for getting us the necessary parts for our brand new rear Currie Fab9″ rear full floating axle. Rock Krawler suspension was quick on turning around new parts, valving, and help in tuning the car for the long desert race. Top Line Industrial Supply has been great with new hoses and fittings for our power steering and shock hoses. Grateful for BFG being on our side for the race, we were able to run a set of BFG 37″ Krawlers without one flat all race! PSC steering has also stepped up for this race in supplying us with new cooler components to keep the PS system at a good operating temp. Without the help of all of our sponsors we couldn’t do what we do and have the amazing car we have built.

We had the opportunity to stage the car in Rigid’s booth for tech and contingency Friday along with the Method pit challenge on Thursday evening. The day was spent meeting with sponsors and getting the car tech’ed while the team enjoyed Fremont street and the race festivities.

Race Day:

Saturday morning the car was staged at 5:00AM with a 6:00AM start time. We were in the 8100 class for the race and started further back from the other classes. We were 5th off the line in our class and we hit the green flag running. Starting off in Prim headed out to the outskirts of Vegas, we were picking off cars in our class and others one by one. The car was running great and temps were in the clear. Pit A on lap 1 was flawless, the team checked tire pressures, suspension, steering for leaks, and we were off to continue lap 1.
From pit A to B there was a large grade of uphill soft sand trails that got the car to warm up and overheat. This caused us to back down our speed until we were through the rough sections and the car cooled down. once the car was cooled we were back at it again picking up speed and the car was starting to settle into the racing groove.

As we came into pit B, we stopped to check the car once more and splash some fuel before making our way to main to start lap 2 for the day. car was running fine, tires were good, and we were off. From pit B to main pit stretch there were a few spectator areas where some of the photos have come from. This involved large rollers, short course, and high speed sections where we were haulin’ the mail!

We were running strong for all of lap 1 with mo mechanical failures. we can into main pit to refuel and we were off. lap one completes and we were barreling down the course to complete our last lap. Pit A we reached in no time, and a quick check of tire pressures and we were back on course. Picking off 2 cars in our class between A and pit B we knew we would place up in front if we help the car together. We hit Pit B for the last time and needed a splash of fuel but we did not have enough. Thanks to the Jeep Speed Guys on Team 3711 for hanging around after their car was broken down already and supplying us with fuel for the remainder of the course! After Pit B we were on the home stretch when the car started to overheat. This caused us to slow down our speed and also the others in our class to catch up. we were not at a battler for positions on the last 20 miles of course to go! We pushed the car and amongst our overheating the car stayed at a working temperature for us to get us across the finish line!

Results:

We were able to take home 8th in class and a 14th over all for the morning race!
Our pit stops were flawless thanks to our team and others who pitched in to help us through the day. We are grateful to have had such a good race day without failures. The car was prepped and sound for this race and it paid off in the end. Thank you for your support and we look forward to the race season as we dive back into the Ultra4 Series in Texas April 8th!

D2R arrived on the lakebed early in the week with the brand new Jimmy’s 4441 car in tow, named Hank – so new not only did it have the new car smell, but the only drive time included an engine dyno session that took place just days prior in Colorado.

After a couple days of making some final tweaks on the car and time for some initial shock tuning, the car was ready to qualify. Darren would qualify first during Power Hour (televised qualifying for top 20 national drivers) on Wednesday at 4pm CST, and started off the line with less than 15 miles driven on the new car. The team would start 26th in the main event of 140 total in the lineup.

Race day came, and besides the ultimate ending being a DNF, the race couldn’t have went better. After starting 26th, in three laps the car moved from 26th to “unofficial” 8th before we were out. At one point with corrected time, the team was in 5th place just after the start of lap 3.

During the race, the only stops the car made were for fuel. The new car, Hank, is a monster and the new engine is much faster than anything we have had prior. This car is bigger and heavier than the previous, and handles much better. At top speeds of 117mph on the dry lakebed, we experienced no vibrations and in the rock sections, the visibility and clearance is astonishing. With not one tire change, the pit stop we did have was just to fill the massive fuel cell, do a visual check, and we were on our way. The Achilles’s heal at KOH was a front end issue, something that is currently being addressed in Cortez, and, with slight modification, should make it solid for the rest of the season.

We completed 168 miles of the race on a car that has now has 212 miles total on it – meaning only 44 non race miles. Hank is currently at Jimmy’s 4×4 in Cortez under the knife, and next will go to Las Vegas for additional shock tuning and get Darren more time behind the wheel. Given the car and his performance at the hardest off-road race in the United States, we are pretty excited to see what will happen the rest of the season once the car is fully dialed in and Darren a bit more seat time.

For KOH, our sponsors benefitted from the buzz around the new car and how well Darren did – not only with our almost 10,000 followers but also the media and spectators on hand. Another benefit sponsors received is that we had both cars in a qualifying, Power Hour, and the main event. Originally the team brought “Lisa,” the car everyone is familiar with, fully race prepped and ready to race in the event unforeseen issues came up with the brand new car.

In a crazy, unbelievable twist of events, a teammate for Jimmy’s 4×4, a competitor, and a friend of D2R had his car burn down pre-running, leaving it a complete and total loss. On top of the devastating event, we learned it was even on his birthday. Very, very long story short, the team decided to loan him “Lisa” to race during qualifying and the main event in an act of true sportsmanship and compassion. Although the car did sport a for sale sign on the body panels, it did give additional exposure for all of our sponsors – sort of a two for one deal for this year’s KOH. The media conducted a ton of interviews and we believe it will be one of the stories they feature in the upcoming TV series on NBC Sports.

Two of the three cameras worked on the car, so if anyone is interested in on board footage please let us know and we would be happy to send it your way. We also have many great pictures coming in from The Redline Projects as well as other photographers and would be happy to share those as well.

The next race is April 8th in Sierra Blanca, TX – just outside of El Paso. This race will be a 212 mile desert race and the team is really looking forward to getting Hank back out, putting a winning strategy together, and following through with a win. As mentioned before, with a heavier platform, top notch handling, power, massive fuel storage, sponsors, and a team that won’t let us quit, we feel this is a winning recipe for the next Ultra4 battle!

Thank you for all your support for us, our team, and our racing program.

Darren and Darlene Henke

DsquaredRacing #4441 .

The MINT 400 is the premiere race of the Best In The Desert series. The MINT has a rich history in off road racing. Fans flock to the MINT in droves to be part of the action. Contingency starts just east of the Fremont Experience and go for 6 city blocks.

Thursday morning we would hit the road and head to Primm, NV to grab a spot in main pit which a friend of ours already secured for us on Wednesday. We dropped the trailer and then head north to watch the class1 cars and Trick Trucks qualify.  We had an epic spot to watch but my wife would get a rock to the head from some roost of a passing trophy truck. At the time it was scary but no long after we were able to joke about it for a little bit. With all the hustle of the MINT things can go wrong fast. We picked up some food and were headed back to the pits. One of our trucks would turn into the pits to early and get hung up on a drain pipe haha , no damage so we could once again joke about it .

At 4:30am the pits were starting to come alive. The flash of blue lights fill the sky. It was 27 degrees and zero wind. Cold and dusty was how the day was going to start but this is the MINT 400. If it was a cake walk everyone would do it. Around 5am we pulled into the staging line. 106 UTV’s were scheduled to race and we were lined up with 80 machines in front of us. It was starting to look like everyone with a UTV showed up for this race. It was finally our turn. The green flag dropped and flew over the first couple jumps. Pushing hard at this stage of the race is a poor decision. You cant win the race on the first lap but you can definitely lose it.

We decided to take it easy first lap and mark on-course dangers. This proved to be a great strategy after seeing the course littered with racers who pushed early in the race and lost it all. We would make our way half way through lap one and our brakes started fading, I was having to keep pumping them through out the rest of the first lap. As we came around the track section beside Buffalo Bills hotel and would hit some of the jumps I noticed the brakes getting worse. We radioed the pit crew to let them know of the issue as we come in. The crew was fast to look over the car and find the issue of a loose hub. Some quick repairs, fix the brakes and get us fuel and we were back on course.

Another new addition to the KMC Yamaha at this race was our Walker Evans racing velocity shocks, this made a huge difference in how the machine was handling. The confidence to finally push through the rough desert and handle great was long awaited. We started passing cars and making up time. Big boulders and new exposed rocks had been unearthed in the sand from all the race cars, at mile 28 we would come in contact with one of those demon rocks and have to pull over to make repairs. My co-driver had a issue with a jack and I want to thank another team who was out of the race for helping him change it and let us use there jack that was awesome. We would get back in and start charging again. My co-driver would radio in to pit A and let them know we would need the spare on the car changed out with a new one and to give the car a good look over. They were quick with us in pit and we were on our way again.

Hitting speeds of 90 mph over the dry lake bed the KMC was on rails. The new Walker Evans shocks made the car very easy to control. Pulling into pit B and the crew checked us over as we passed by and give us the thumbs up. We pushed through long big sand whoops sections, rocks, lake beds and silt sections. The punishing MINT course was getting worse lap after lap. As we came trough main pit completing lap 2. The crew would give us fuel and look over the car and we were off on lap 3, they also informed us we had lost some time and we around 12th in class now.

Leaving main pit and charging up that grueling rocky wash again me and my co-driver decided we would not be able to do another lap. The course was so brutal that staying on course was becoming a challenge. Our bodies were starting to get fatigued and the punishing course was taking its toll on the car. We would charged hard , stay smooth and keep the car together through pit A. At this point this stage of the race the Trick Trucks were on course and closing in fast. We could see the first truck cresting a hill in the distance but at 120mph they caught us fast. From that point on that last 15 miles of the race we would get passed by the superstars, one roosting us and hitting my co-driver in the shoulder with a huge rock, he is ok of course and we would make it across the finish line…. we conquered the grueling Nevada desert and the 2017 MINT 400. Words cant describe the feeling to finish this race let alone 5th in class. At the end of the day this is a team effort. Now it is time to regroup, prep and get ready for the UTV World Championships in mid April.