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- Jan 4, 2012
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Sorry it took a little longer then expected to get the post expedition report up but we had a race last weekend at the parker 425 so time was an issue.
In the off road world it’s rare that everything goes to plan and with Raptor Expeditions just getting off it’s feet I thought for sure we would have had a least a few issues on this run. We made a few changes to our procedures from last years runs. First, the course was pre ran and plotted on the GPS. Then we took the course and revamped it on the computer with our notes attached. The 3 day prep at the shop was flawless! Sponsor prizes started to roll in on time and RSV 2 and RSV 3 (Raptor Support Vehicle) were prepped and ready to go. The “Los Coyotes” run logistics were planned to the T and all emergency contacts were put in place. So far this was too good to be true. On our maiden voyage (as Raptor Expeditions) we had a full heard of 11 Raptors with participants coming from all over the US. We had 3 return Run seasoned veterans so I knew that would help lighten the load a little.
The Saturday morning wake up call was about 3:45 am. Our goal was to be on the road no later then 4:30. I had a 130 mile drive to Peggy Sues in Barstow, Ca.
On the road I started to make phone calls to ensure that everything was in place. All the Raptor Expeditions’ staff were on their way. The drive out was a challenge to say the least with wind gusts reaching 70mph the Raptor Expeditions chase truck and trailer was getting a true workout. I pulled into Peggie Sue’s Diner at 6:45 and saw 5 Ford Raptors in the parking lot. Soon after the rest of the group arrived.
The entire group made quick work of their breakfast and we started with the truck prep and drivers’ meeting. We passed out the Oakley trail bags filled with sponsor give aways from General Tire, Azunia tequila, Monster Energy and Oakley. The Raptor Expeditions crew installed and downloaded the GPS units, race radios and applied the Raptor Expedition truck numbers.
I could tell the “before run jitters” were present amongst the participants as we went over the days events and expectations.. We did a final GPS and radio check and headed out on the trail!
Our starting point was to run through the hills of Calico and make our way north to Ft Irwin Military base. As we began on the trail we set a slower but steady pace as the drivers were still adjusting to their own suited driving style. We tracked through the hills and across the Coyote dry lake bed on to Ft Irwin road. Ft Irwin Rd is a wide open road used for supply trucks by the military. It’s also awesome to drive on because it is very well maintained and you can really drive at a hight rate of speed, drifting the wide open corners.
On every Run I drive the lead truck with either a co-pilot or guest passenger. The Runs are always pre ran by myself to insure the route is driveable. But with changing terrain conditions and other unknowns that happen over time I am always on the look out for potential hazards that lie ahead.
Luckily I had all my wits about me that morning while drifting on the high speed road with Pat. S and Eric. S following hot on my trail! As we were just about to enter the military zone I noticed a closed gate denying us entry to the base.
As fast as I could I got on the radio and let Pat, Eric and the other drivers know to slow down fast. With all the dust I wanted to make sure everyone was very aware of the hazard. The entire group stopped safely and we all got out to see why the gate was closed. After a quick meeting, we let everyone know we were going to find a new course that would not be marked and we would only be relaying radio communication.
Soon enough we were off heading back down the road. My trusty little navigator Joey was frantically punching buttons on the GPS to find an alternate course for us. We uploaded some previous trails we had run in the past and with a hope and prayer we forged our way on a new route. With only having radio communication between all the drivers we worked out a perfect relay system between the trucks. As I went over things that were potentially hazardous (that I would have marked on a the GPS) I got on the radio and let the truck behind me know about it and then had them relay to the truck behind them and so on. All the drivers performed flawlessly as we did about 26 miles of unmarked trails until we reached another road that would let us access the base. During our off trail excursion we were trying to figure out why the gate was closed. After some further investigation work we figured out that they were doing live munitions training. We crossed through some super soft dried up river beds and reached the new entry point (the gate was open but military colors were showing letting us know training was taking place but we could enter here). After we were back on course we headed up the CQC (Close Quarters Contact) replicated villages on the base.
This is an awesome point of interest for those who have never seen this type of military training center before. We took some photos and moved out back on the trail. Next stop was the road crossing at Baker Rd. where we would meet up with the chase crew and replenish our supply of Monster Energy drinks. The trail up to the meeting point was quite technical and made for some good truck-handling drifting practice. We rendezvoused at the chase truck for only a few minutes and were off. The group was doing awesome! No issues, no flats and with the aid of the Lowrance GPS units, everyone was on point. We reached Primm by 2:30 and made a fuel stop. Even though we carry 25 gallons between both RSV trucks I wanted to make sure fuel would not become a problem due to our off trail excursion previously. At Primm we had some sandwiches and chatted. I told the group the next 80 miles was some of the best desert terrain in California. With that said we put our helmets on and were off heading North/West around Mesquite Wilderness area and up the state line.
The course was tight, technical and rocky but fast and with this group we were covering ground pretty fast. All of the drivers did exactly as instructed in the morning meeting. Everyone waited for the truck behind them at the turns even though all the drivers had a GPS unit with the exact course marked. It’s really easy to blow by a turn and lead the whole group off course. As we embarked on a small town called “Sky Ranch Estates” I took the group on a POI tour of the neighborhood that consisted of double wide trailers with air craft hangers for garages. These garages are filled with all types of aircraft from small planes to helicopters. After the short but enjoyable POI trip we were back on the trail for the final leg to Las Vegas.
I kept a close eye on the fuel level as we took off blazing through the desert to what I nick named the “Jack Rabbit Trail”. A small super technical trail that has every thing a Ford Raptor hates. We’re talking whoops, drops, rocks, tight turns, river washes and other hazards that are hidden in the trail. Once off the Jack Rabbit Trail I pulled the group over and treated some of the drivers to a ride in RSV2 with the new long travel kit we are currently testing. After watching the jaws drop as we took 2ft whoops at 60mph we continued on. We went through Spring Mountain Ranch Park on to the 159 and then on to the road for a few miles where we filled up the fuel tanks. I think most of the drivers thought we were done at this point because when I told them we still had about 45 miles to go I got the “is this guy for real!?!?” look. I reassured the the drivers it was a fast and fun section and they were all in.
The drivers blew though the last 45 off road miles like seasoned veterans and onto the streets of Vegas to the Hard Rock Hotel. Day 1 was in the books. The nights festivities consisted of a catered dinner at PF Chang’s restaurant followed by the awards and prizes for our sponsors. On every run Raptor Expeditions gives out 3 awards to the drivers. The “Most Challenged” went to Ronnie for having to be pulled out of the river beds soft sand. In his defense he was one of the last trucks to come through the soft turned up sand and was moving at a slower speed. “Top Raptor” award went to Josh for making the journey all the way from Texas to Cali to make the maiden voyage Run. The last award to give out was “First Flat” but luckily no one had fallen victim to this as of yet. Next we moved on to the sponsor prizes. Raptor Expeditions has built a great relationship with all of our sponsors. One thing we really like to be involved in is giving back to the participants and saying thanks to our Raptor Expeditions sponsors who generously give us the awesome prizes. it just adds to an all ready great experience. As I drew the numbers of the contestants for the prizes this is who won: Eric .S (Monster pack), Paul (Method Wheels), John .B (Volant), Ronnie (General Tires), Zac (Oakley Watch) John .S (Azunia Tequila).
