Riot 68 News
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SNORE Rage at the River
In a blur of a week the Riot crew had turned a thousand-point punch list into a handful of jobs as they eased the little convoy of race and chase vehicles down from the mountains and into the valley at Laughlin. With the still bitter taste of a mechanical failure limiting our success the prior weekend at the Henderson Desert Classic the team was determined to create a different outcome on this ground.
Early arrival gave us a choice spot to place our camp, right on the infield straightaway with a commanding view of all the action. Immediately upon arrival we began assembling the hospitality suite. The frame went up easily enough, although the canopy proved to be a real trial in the 15 to 20 mph breeze that seemed to magically appear as the canopy came out of the bag. Eventually, we had it all together with carpet, heat and Christmas lights creating a nice atmosphere for the work left on the truck and in the days to come a view of high octane thunder only feet away.
Shortly after dark we made our way down to the hotel and joined the group of racers looking for the illusive meet and greet that SNORE was holding along with registration. After a couple of laps between the parking lot (34 degrees) and the lobby, it was determined that registration was the meet and greet and anyone who was tough enough to stand out in the parking lot could meet themselves.
Morning brought the drivers meeting which was held in a loose crowd around the start/finish line and was conducted from the back of a pickup. You have to love the SNORE style: no non-sense and completely adequate with room for some good color commentary. Aside from the usual safety and rule information, the meeting addressed the time trial which was to be run mid-day. The time trial was quite short, and rather than being run in a loop it was the first two miles +/- of the course in reverse. A lottery for start spots put us pretty close to the front of the TT and Class 1s. As we waited for our turn it was hard to not notice that the actual timing was not quite as scientifically controlled as one might hope for, but given the spread in the field this probably did not matter in all but one or two racer’s bids for start position.
Saturday, with all of our last-minute prep complete, we cruised to the line-up at the start to take our place alongside Robert Strunk’s #22 TT, and with Skylar Nielsen of VitaBrevisFilms overhead in a heli shooting video as we charged off the line. With the rev limiter pinging as Marc stoked the RWR-built demon under the hood we moved through the first half mile with the hordes on the hills cheering. The first test section on the track was a fourth mile of g-out whoops that followed a narrow ridge before spitting the trucks out into more open ground of the power line. #68 devoured the climb uphill in style, and within the first five miles of the race we were on the bumper of the #53 truck and looking for an opportunity to get by. The track stayed up on the hill for a mile or two before a puckering drop off delivered the trucks down about 150 feet to the track below.
At one point while chasing the #53 truck, a misread on a hard left resulted in a slide over a berm and a stalled motor, which cost a bit of time, but we reeled them back in before long. On #53’s heel is where we lived for the better part of four tough laps. We would charge into the choking hail of rocks and dust off of their ass only to be slowed by peek-a-boo g-outs and jumps that would send us into a series of linked recoveries just long enough for them to once again gain ground on us. The track did not offer that many spots for a clean pass and it seemed more and more certain as we gained and lost on #53 that the infield was going to be our passing zone.
As the infield strategy was developing, so was an increasing vibration in the back of the rig. We could not believe it. After the previous weekend’s troubles it was impossible to accept that the differential was taking itself apart again. With the format of the race there was no plan other than to go for it, so with the mental baggage of an exploding gear Marc bore down and drove the truck like a rental car. On the last lap after eating the dirt off the bumper of the #53 for 54 and a half miles we finally had our chance. With their truck’s right rear quarter exposed on the first button-hook turn in the infield Marc took the high ground and let them out of the turn clean despite my screams of “Hit the fuckers!” But this gave us great speed coming out of the turn, and with enough runway in the straightaway we caught and finally passed them, in the air no less, and right in front of our own cheering pit.
After the first day of racing we were third in class with six minutes to make up to Cameron Steele’s first. A long afternoon and evening of a differential exchange was a bit of a buzz kill in the Riot camp as the question loomed: How long will this one last? Despite tireless support and vigilant effort to remedy the issue, the Riot team and every bit of support from Gear Works still could not erase the plaguing doubt about the fifth third member in two weeks.
Day two of racing had us starting in the fourth flight off the line. We were lined up next to a class one #124, and they moved off the line a little faster than Riot, but became nothing more than a memory as soon as we hit the first section of g-outs in the now familiar loop. With time to find on the course and clear air ahead Marc screamed around the track in what would prove to be our fastest lap of the weekend.
In that first lap about two thirds of the way through we saw how quickly we were gaining on Ron Whitton’s G&R TT. With rekindled fury Marc hammered the now utterly torn-up, whoop infested, organ grinding highway to hades that the course had become. After about two miles of gain and loss we had an opening in the bottle-necked crucible of violence just before the infield. As we won the inside line on the last hard right Whitton slammed the door on the pass and we traded some paint. Again, despite my screams for blood, Marc showed his class by lifting and waiting rather than driving through the right side of Whitton’s pretty yellow truck. Blasting into the infield we hovered over the bumps in Fox Shock-induced invulnerability, and in a heartbeat we won the inside line on Whitton again and this time passed them cleanly. Our pit cheered loudly enough for us to hear them inside the truck as we passed the Riot camp.
Before we knew it the truck was flying up the power line again. This is where we felt the same old shit starting to emanate from the poisoned pumpkin again. Feeling it and also recognizing how well Marc was moving on the course I did not dare to even talk about it for fear of distraction. The second, third and fourth laps were much like the first with mostly clear air and a comfortable knowledge of the loop. The growls in the rear end of the truck, however, were not the same. The power line straightaway saw us moving at speeds approaching 100 mph earlier, and now with the truck completely wrung out in third it was making only 84 mph. With the same same list of options (none) we charged on and crossed our fingers for just 20 more miles out of this gear to capture a place on the podium. We had passed Cameron Steele parked on the side, and the reports from our pit had us clearly in first. Having passed Whitton all we had to do was maintain our position and finish. Another lap down and into the fifth and final lap, reports of Whitton being close on our heels caused us to hammer out of the start for the last time around. As Marc pushed up through the gears it was pretty clear we were in trouble. The differential sounded like a blender full of lug nuts. No speed build and then the death rattle of the pinion gear throwing whole teeth as the oil in the axle tube became expensive chunky ferrous chowder. Marc had the wisdom to rip the truck to the left just before it stopped in a convulsive screech. Game over. Whitton blasted past and I started swearing like an over-caffeinated Tourette’s victim in a cigarette burn contest.
Tough break and still impossible to accept, but with an incalculable number of things that can go wrong we had managed to have only one slow us down in the last 360 odd miles of racing between the two events. Even with the short turn around, the truck ran exceptionally well on a course that was wicked in every way. Marc drove his heart out and the desired results were so near. Finishing third in class despite the DNF on day two is pretty okay. The whole team worked hard, long hours leading into and during this race, and despite the failure being a bit out of anyone’s control it still made for a long and quiet ride home (except for the hose incident at the gas station leaving Laughlin).
- Wednesday January 27, 2010
- By Ira Conn
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F&L to Sponsor Riot for 2010
F&L Racing Fuel announced its sponsorship with Riot Racing for the 2010 race season. Riot Racing has used F&L fuel since the team’s start last year. F&L will supply SP1 — 111 octane fuel for the Riot trophy truck’s 750 horsepower engine throughout their SCORE, SNORE and BITD series races.
With over 30 years of experience, F&L is well-known and proudly used in the motor sports industry. They have fueled numerous overall winners of the SCORE Baja 1000 series as well as many other champions. They have a tremendous product that will reinforce Riot Racing’s bid for podium finishes at every event this year.
“F&L Racing Fuel/Amber Racing Services is proud to be a sponsor of Riot Racing for the 2010 season. We are excited to see what the future will bring!” Cristy Chavez of F&L Racing Fuel said.
Riot entered the off-road race scene last season at Parker 425 with a surprising seventh place finish. Years of grueling mountain climbing from Alaska to Patagonia gave Marc Ewing, #68’s team owner and driver, the grit to pound through rain and mud in conditions that 30-year, off road veterans called the worst they had ever seen. From there they vaulted through the rest of the season with enthusiasm and perseverance as Riot reeled in top 10 finishes. Met with challenge and hardship as they battled to establish a competitive race program, Riot Racing has proven resilient and will be a force in the 2010 season.
“We are very excited to start our 2010 race season, the addition of F&L fuel as a team sponsor is fantastic,” Marc Ewing said. “F&L supplies us with an excellent product that has proven itself to be consistent, and from our experience in testing and racing an overall superior fuel. Thanks to everyone a F&L! See you in the desert!”
Riot’s debut in the 2010 season will be at the Parker 425, and their eyes are already set on the podium. Their presence at events will be an easy one to spot with the 2,000 square foot hospitality suite and a new communications trailer with live satellite uplink streaming media and tracking information throughout race events. Fans can follow the Riot team at http://www.riotracing.com, which is constantly updated via twitter, videos, photos and the latest news.
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http://www.twitter.com/riotracing- Monday January 18, 2010
- By Marc Ewing
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BITD 2010 Henderson Fabtech Desert Classic
Marc Ewing – Driver
Ira Conn – Co-driverIf midnight mechanical thrash sessions and an unexpected major component replacement are a good way to practice days before and during a race, then Team Riot has been to Olympic boot camp and back in preparation for and during the Fabtech 400. Despite the setbacks, #68 charged into the race and started reeling in the competition from the flash of the green at the start. Casey Folks crafted a signature serpentine switchback fest off of the line that put Marc’s truck into bicycle mode for half a breath at the start. This peek at the shiny side pulled a cheer out of the crowd as the truck came back on all fours and charged off. The first lap was a blast as the course unfolded to reveal devilishly toothy technical sections with violent g-outs, miles of corkscrew berms and wide open runways with Marc’s right foot trying to push the fun pedal through the firewall.
Flying through the pits the Riot went into the second lap with a fierce pace and growing familiarity as the previously unseen portions of the course now were woven with the areas that had shaped many practice sessions earlier in the year (albeit backwards). A third of the way around we caught our first glimpse of yellow as the Zorba TT #60 bounced through the green hell of a lunar scape that formed the track. There is nothing like having a bunny to chase and the fluorescent fenders of that truck called out like a taunting lighthouse. We quickly started to gain ground, and in the course of a few minutes our two trucks were separated by less than a hundred yards. Just as we entered the heavier dust in Zorba’s wake an unsettling vibration began to rumble from the rear end of our truck. As we confirmed the vibration a class one car slammed into the left rear quarter hard enough to slide us sideways. In the dust cloud visibility was terrible and seeing the class one we charged after it realizing a moment later that in the impact the buggy had spun out also and neither of us was on course or certain of where the track was. We re-oriented ourselves, took a hard right and steamed back into the battle with a fresh dose of adrenaline and a temporary distraction from the growing vibrations in the truck.
Between the short side trip off the track with the class one and the increasing drag in the driveline the Zorba TT had done a horizon job on us, and a quick inspection stop was in order. A cursory glance showed no obvious impact related damage, nor did the rear brakes look like they were melting off. This along with a very recent similar vibration narrowed the trouble to the differential. Bad. Hammering as hard as we could we finished the second lap and pitted for fuel and a drive line diagnostic investigation. Before the truck was even stopped, Braxton Southwick, crew chief for #68, dove under the back end to inspect the third member and instantly received a backwards brand reading Tubeworks on the palm of his hand as the blistering pumpkin quickly confirmed a new diff had to go in. All hands ripped into the trouble with electric intensity and in 38 minutes the Riot charged back onto the course with a new gear and jaws clenched in the determination to try and run the clock back with a go for broke attitude.
As we neared the last quarter of the third lap the track opened into braided whoop-filled lines that crisscrossed for a couple of crazy miles providing some exciting passes and a break from the hellish fog-like cloud that enveloped us as the moonless night closed in. Ripping towards the pit, an intermittent warning light and high coolant H20 temperature on the Race Pack data screen caused concern enough to make a fast inspection of the cooler cores and cap. All visuals and hand-felt temps seemed okay, so we charged along and cruised into the fourth and final lap. With little traffic to disrupt the visibility the now familiar loop was disappearing under the truck in record time. Three-fourths of the way around Marc passed a few slower rigs, and in the final whoop infested straightaway hauled in a class one with only feet to spare before the medians of house sized boulders closed the passing zone to the finish. We finished just 11 seconds behind the Nunley’s, which put us in 10th for class and 31st overall. Despite the setback of the tortured differential, Team Riot was happy with the way #68 ran, and given the simple math of the long pit we hope that Marc Ewing’s Riot is going to be a truck to try and catch in the coming year.
- Thursday January 14, 2010
- By Ira Conn
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Riot Racing’s First Race of 2010
Team Riot will charge into the new decade February 4th to 7th in Parker, Ariz. at the Best in The Desert Blue Water Resorts and Casino Parker 425. Last year, Marc Ewing and the Riot team had their debut at the Parker 425 and battled through rain and cold temperatures to finish 7th in the Trick Truck class. This year we hope to continue to improve on our results. With new Crew Chief Braxton Southwick and new Co-Driver Ira Conn, Marc expects to be finishing on the podium this year!
Everyone on the team is busy preparing: prepping the truck, making new modifications, assembling and outfitting new support vehicles, creating a whole new graphic look, improving the website, and planning the year’s schedule. In a few days we will be back on the dirt for the first time this year to prerun the Parker course. We are all anxious for the season to start!
This year we are planning a number of new and exciting ways for fans to follow the Riot team throughout the year. With more action photos, videos, twitter updates, audio reports and advanced race tracking than any other off-road race team, fans will feel closer to the action than ever before. Visit http://www.riotracing.com and follow us on Twitter to keep up to date on all things Riot.
- Wednesday January 6, 2010
- By Marc Ewing
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