The SEMA Run

[MrGreen33]

damn it catfish..... you were holding up the group????

ya I found a short cut...lol

Nobody is ever thought to be holding up the group. We are all in this as a group. We finish as a group and it is enjoyed as a group. We never look back at someone wishing they would hurry up. This is fun and respectful event. Trust me, you get some of the dust we had in our faces last Saturday, you can get lost or set behind faster than you think. Everyone had a great run and an awesome time on the SEMA Run.

Ya man!!! Can't wait to this again!! Thanks for all the good times Kirk!!

Nice to see so many of you guys rocking Raptor Retrofit's !

Thank You !

You are the true Jedi Master of Raptor Retrofits!!

Geez, I am finally glad everyone is listening to me.. I have been saying this for damn near a year now! Way to go Ducati!

-Greg

Yep...you were totally right!!!

 

[paj1978]

Nice to see so many of you guys rocking Raptor Retrofit's !

Thank You !

Yeah man, would have hated to do anything at night with the stockers for sure.

Even with the monster FX-R projectors they did not move a bit.. For sure it was worth the extra for the 50 watt ballasts...

---------- Post added at 04:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:20 PM ----------

Nobody is ever thought to be holding up the group. We are all in this as a group. We finish as a group and it is enjoyed as a group. We never look back at someone wishing they would hurry up. This is fun and respectful event. Trust me, you get some of the dust we had in our faces last Saturday, you can get lost or set behind faster than you think. Everyone had a great run and an awesome time on the SEMA Run.

Yeah man, its was more "ohh snap" where did Felipe go.. But is why we all take our time and look out for each other..

But it was one of the more memorable moments for me, next to driving through a corner at 60+mph and hitting a tree that left marks halfway up my hood (IE the tree was probably over 6ft tall )

I can tell you for sure that no one felt rushed or off pace..

 

[Turf Tamer]

I feel left out...my truck has no damage

Ill be in Tuston tomorrow picking up my race bike from Cycle Mall, I can swing by a door ding ya if you want.

damn it catfish..... you were holding up the group????

No we were slowing him down so he passed us.

 

[RaptorSteve]

I started a thread to continue the bed separation discussion.

http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f52/bedspread-cause-correction-prevention-18177/

 

[The Car Stereo Company]

Nobody is ever thought to be holding up the group. We are all in this as a group. We finish as a group and it is enjoyed as a group. We never look back at someone wishing they would hurry up. This is fun and respectful event. Trust me, you get some of the dust we had in our faces last Saturday, you can get lost or set behind faster than you think. Everyone had a great run and an awesome time on the SEMA Run.

dont worry, i know. i just wanted to give mr giff some shit. the reno run was the same

 

[paj1978]

My little after action report...

I have been waiting for someone to do a write up on the run. I am kind of kicking myself for not going, ended up lacerating my hand on honey do.

Anyway, what time did you get on the road and why were you still running at dark? wtf I thought the plan was to meet at 10 am, should have finished by dinner time at the latest.

Hey Gordon,

Yeah man you missed a great day. Basically it took way longer then we thought, there were 15 trucks total and no wind to blow the dust away..

So we all took the safe approach and waited till the driver in front was far enough away so we were not driving in any dust trails and could see where we were going..

For the day there were only two flats, and mine was one of them. Of course mine happened in the dark.. But like all good boy scouts we were prepared and Mike and Brian chipped in and we changed it out no problems..

Some of the guys took a little damage to their undercarriage but that is about it..

I actually really enjoyed driving at night as it completely changed the dynamic of the run.. Good high quality HIDs and LEDs are a must.. I kept saying to myself, I need more light I need more light and I had more then most

This run, due to its controlled nature gave the me the chance to test the entire setup of my rig, including all the little things like aiming my offroad lights, finding out that I need amber filters for them as bright white is no good in the dust (I did know this going in, but the amber filters where not yet on sale, they had them at SEMA but would not sell me any....)

As Raptor Addict said and we all experienced lots of light down low is great but it does not give you a sense for what is over the rise or dip.. I feel a roll bar and some roof mounted lights in my future..

Also, some rear face dust lights are also going on the need list, I could see Raptor Addict pretty much when ever I had him in line of sight.. with his pair of rear facing amber LEDs..


Other than waiting for the Guys at RPG to get back on track with SEMA over and finishing up my Raceline Bumper.. everything worked perfectly..

 

[RPG]

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who visited us at the SEMA show and attended the run home on Saturday. I also want to say thank you to everybody for being respectful of each other and willing to stop and wait when needed. I also want to give a big thank you to Mr. Desert himself Brian Stoner. His easy going attitude and love of off-roading rubs off on the whole group and really lends a sense of security for everyone in between. I would also like to thank Kirk for agreeing to do this with us even though I know he was dead tired from the previous week and winning at the black jack tables the nights before (lucky bastard)

The SEMA run was the first one of these I have had the pleasure of leading and all I can say is it's a totally different experience than I'm used to. As some of you know, I have an issue waiting up for people, I like to be on the move and heading to the next stopping point and typically only care about how my own truck is working, and how can I make it handle better.

This time it was different for me, I really took satisfaction in seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces when we would gather back up. I found myself laughing at the uniformity of everyone getting out of there truck making the famous walk around with comments to anyone in ears length with saying like "man did you hit that rut" or "dude, I slammed my skid plate so bad". I took satisfaction in knowing everyone was out there as one unit looking out for each other’s best interest and safety. It was very much a mini band of brothers, with the credo "never leave a man behind" (Felipe).

I often find myself thinking how I can make what just happened better and more rewarding for those involved. I think terrain; knowledge of what’s ahead and a comfort of knowing what’s coming around the next corner can pay dividends on the fun factor scale. I also believe dust is the enemy of these events, and I'm confident I've come up with a format for a future event that will limit the variable that makes people uneasy. If those who attended the SEMA RUN or anyone else for that matter would like to do something like this in the near future then please let me know and I will start to set this up. These events offer a great sense of unity and build amazing friendships. You all were a great group with very good driving abilities and most importantly, amazing attitudes.

Thanks again to everybody who attended; it was a blast and a great way to end the 2012 SEMA SHOW.

 

[RaptorAddict.com]

Man! That first pic wasn't supposed to be posted. Haha! I'm gonna hear it. "RaptorAddict....Damn Show Off A-Hole!"

 

[bstoner59]

Thanks to you and Corey for making it all happen in the midst of all the SEMA drama! I've got a few trips I want to get done in the next few months (I'll be starting a new thread soon). My arm is always waiting to be twisted if you have some you need help with

 

[Chrisandalex1]

Looks awesome guys. I wish I could have stayed and joined the group. It was great to meet some of you guys at SEMA.

Peace,

Chris