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Written by:
SPEED Staff
SPEEDtv.com
SPEEDtv.com
02/23/2008 - 05:09 PM
Me and my crew are in New Zealand now, and race day in Taupo is almost here, so I thought I’d give you guys a rundown on how we got to this point and what our plan of attack is for the 1000.
Our approach going into the event has been preparation, preparation, and more preparation. This is a new event for us, so we tried to do as much as we could with the limited amount of time for shakedowns and tests that we had.
We did the bulk of our testing back in the U.S. on familiar terrain, to make sure this new FJ Cruiser race truck was close to the one we built last year for the Baja 1000. But when we got to New Zealand last week, the truck arrived at about the same time, which was definitely a bonus, because we’ve been able to squeeze in a little testing down here on parts of the actual course. Being able to drive on some of the roads we’d be racing on helped us get a better idea of which BFGoodrich tire type to run.
Our strategy for the race is that we’ll be taking a pretty conservative approach. The goal is to run a steady pace, keep our lap times as consistent as possible and wait to see what everyone else does. Hopefully, qualifying will give us a good idea of where we stand compared with the opposition. We’ll put in a
good effort for qualifying, but not push the truck to its breaking point; there’s no point in damaging it, especially right before the race.
The thing about desert races back home, like the Baja 1000, is that they’re known quantity for me. With Taupo, I have no idea what the course is going to do, everybody’s saying its going to get really rough, and I don’t know how fast these local guys are going to go. Also, I’ve heard the average speeds here are pretty high, at least compared to Baja, so it almost sounds more like a rally than an enduro. I think we’ll be spending more time focusing on car control and maintaining momentum than watching the terrain and crossing dry riverbeds and those sorts of obstacles.
With all of this in mind, I think Taupo is the sort of race that rewards the more committed and talented drivers, and by that I mean the ones who are more willing to carry more speed through the corners and over the bumpy sections. The Baja 1000, by contrast, is much more focused on physical and mechanical endurance. Both races are challenging, but each in its own way.
Anyway, I’d say we’re as ready as we’ll ever be. Bring it on, and I hope you’ll tune in to SPEED and see how we do.
Our approach going into the event has been preparation, preparation, and more preparation. This is a new event for us, so we tried to do as much as we could with the limited amount of time for shakedowns and tests that we had.
We did the bulk of our testing back in the U.S. on familiar terrain, to make sure this new FJ Cruiser race truck was close to the one we built last year for the Baja 1000. But when we got to New Zealand last week, the truck arrived at about the same time, which was definitely a bonus, because we’ve been able to squeeze in a little testing down here on parts of the actual course. Being able to drive on some of the roads we’d be racing on helped us get a better idea of which BFGoodrich tire type to run.
Our strategy for the race is that we’ll be taking a pretty conservative approach. The goal is to run a steady pace, keep our lap times as consistent as possible and wait to see what everyone else does. Hopefully, qualifying will give us a good idea of where we stand compared with the opposition. We’ll put in a
The thing about desert races back home, like the Baja 1000, is that they’re known quantity for me. With Taupo, I have no idea what the course is going to do, everybody’s saying its going to get really rough, and I don’t know how fast these local guys are going to go. Also, I’ve heard the average speeds here are pretty high, at least compared to Baja, so it almost sounds more like a rally than an enduro. I think we’ll be spending more time focusing on car control and maintaining momentum than watching the terrain and crossing dry riverbeds and those sorts of obstacles.
With all of this in mind, I think Taupo is the sort of race that rewards the more committed and talented drivers, and by that I mean the ones who are more willing to carry more speed through the corners and over the bumpy sections. The Baja 1000, by contrast, is much more focused on physical and mechanical endurance. Both races are challenging, but each in its own way.
Anyway, I’d say we’re as ready as we’ll ever be. Bring it on, and I hope you’ll tune in to SPEED and see how we do.
Click here for more on the Two Roads to the Taupo 1000 on SPEED!
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