klaus
August 2nd, 2002, 16:13
Glendora's Davis takes off-road to success
Original posted on <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.sgvtribune.com/sports/articles/0802/02/spo03.asp>San Gabriel Valley Tribune Dot Com</A>
By Keith Lair
Staff Writer
NOBODY has to pinch Kevin Davis. He isn't dreaming. He knows he finally has the ideal truck, he's paid his dues, he's winning races and he's at the top of his class.
Davis and his family, which includes father Gene, brother Steve and brother-in-law Stephen Lang, all from Glendora, compete in the Best in the Desert Racing Association and SCORE off-road series.
"It's like an instant adventure," Kevin Davis said. "It's a whole different ball of wax out there. It's not like any other kind of motor racing. It's crazy. It's an adrenaline rush because you don't necessarily know what's out there."
What's out there could be a man-made pit built by Baja Californians specifically for one of the SCORE races. Davis said they'll dig a pit in a field or take a dip and fill it with water and then cover the area with straw or brush.
"I guess they like to see cars crash into it," Davis said matter-of-factly.
He races a Ford Ranger in the modified stock mini- and mid-sized truck category. It's not the top-of-the-division Trophy Truck class, where trucks are entirely built race-specific and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Davis Motorsports' Ranger has a stock frame with bumpers, front grill, headlights and door skins and is two-wheel drive.
But that may be the extent of the comparisons between Davis' Ranger and those found on the street. The chassis, built by La Verne-based Lothringer Engineering, has a Hammes Bros.-built 2.8-liter small-block Ford V-6 engine that can generate 275 horsepower at 5,600 rpm.
The twin I-beam suspension system is sturdier than a standard Ranger, there is an air system installed in the cab to keep out some of the dust and a global positioning system for navigation also is present. Davis can easily cruise through the desert at more than 100 mph.
In his first race in the truck last year, the 26-year-old Davis finished third in the SCORE Primm, Nev., 300 and was second in the Barstow 300. He has won three times in four tries this year, including victories in the Parker, Ariz., 400 and Terrible's Town 250, near Pahrump, Nev.
The win in Pahrump earned him a $3,000 bonus, the first time he said he has won more money than it costs to race an event.
"I was sharing rides with others and wanted to branch out on my own," Davis said of the formation of his team last year. "I decided I want to go for a championship. It's been a fun challenge.
"We had this truck built specifically for what it is doing. It's as fast as a race car. We're pretty fortunate that we haven't had any motor problems."
Arcadia businessman Gene Davis was friends with Mickey Thompson and frequently would receive tickets for Thompson's stadium off-road races at the Rose Bowl. Kevin and Steve willingly went along and got hooked. He's been racing full bore since 1997, and has competed in several Baja 500s and 1000s.
But when he formed his own team, Davis who was a champion skeet shooter in his youth chose to race more Best in the Desert events.
"In Mexico races, you need 20 to 35 people," he explained. "In Best in the Desert, you can make do with 10 guys. You have to have people scattered throughout Mexico. In the other series, the stops are usually accessible so that the team can drive from one to the next."
Davis will run with only a navigator in races of less than 500 miles. But in longer races, he'll switch off with three or four teammates and allow some of his all-volunteer crew a chance to get behind the wheel.
Davis pre-drives the course at full speed at least a month in advance. He'll pre-drive a Mexican course four or five times. The course generally has marked outside boundaries, which he said makes it pretty hard to get lost.
If something happens in the middle of the course, Davis and his navigator usually must find a way to improvise until the truck reaches the pit area. That can include using bungee cords, tape or wires to piece parts back together.
Victories have helped land sponsors, he said. The truck's shop is at its main sponsorship, Superior Communications in Irwindale, where the team is preparing for next week's race in Tonopah, Nev.
-- Keith Lair can be reached at (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2272 or at keith.lairsgvn.com.
Original posted on <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.sgvtribune.com/sports/articles/0802/02/spo03.asp>San Gabriel Valley Tribune Dot Com</A>
By Keith Lair
Staff Writer
NOBODY has to pinch Kevin Davis. He isn't dreaming. He knows he finally has the ideal truck, he's paid his dues, he's winning races and he's at the top of his class.
Davis and his family, which includes father Gene, brother Steve and brother-in-law Stephen Lang, all from Glendora, compete in the Best in the Desert Racing Association and SCORE off-road series.
"It's like an instant adventure," Kevin Davis said. "It's a whole different ball of wax out there. It's not like any other kind of motor racing. It's crazy. It's an adrenaline rush because you don't necessarily know what's out there."
What's out there could be a man-made pit built by Baja Californians specifically for one of the SCORE races. Davis said they'll dig a pit in a field or take a dip and fill it with water and then cover the area with straw or brush.
"I guess they like to see cars crash into it," Davis said matter-of-factly.
He races a Ford Ranger in the modified stock mini- and mid-sized truck category. It's not the top-of-the-division Trophy Truck class, where trucks are entirely built race-specific and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Davis Motorsports' Ranger has a stock frame with bumpers, front grill, headlights and door skins and is two-wheel drive.
But that may be the extent of the comparisons between Davis' Ranger and those found on the street. The chassis, built by La Verne-based Lothringer Engineering, has a Hammes Bros.-built 2.8-liter small-block Ford V-6 engine that can generate 275 horsepower at 5,600 rpm.
The twin I-beam suspension system is sturdier than a standard Ranger, there is an air system installed in the cab to keep out some of the dust and a global positioning system for navigation also is present. Davis can easily cruise through the desert at more than 100 mph.
In his first race in the truck last year, the 26-year-old Davis finished third in the SCORE Primm, Nev., 300 and was second in the Barstow 300. He has won three times in four tries this year, including victories in the Parker, Ariz., 400 and Terrible's Town 250, near Pahrump, Nev.
The win in Pahrump earned him a $3,000 bonus, the first time he said he has won more money than it costs to race an event.
"I was sharing rides with others and wanted to branch out on my own," Davis said of the formation of his team last year. "I decided I want to go for a championship. It's been a fun challenge.
"We had this truck built specifically for what it is doing. It's as fast as a race car. We're pretty fortunate that we haven't had any motor problems."
Arcadia businessman Gene Davis was friends with Mickey Thompson and frequently would receive tickets for Thompson's stadium off-road races at the Rose Bowl. Kevin and Steve willingly went along and got hooked. He's been racing full bore since 1997, and has competed in several Baja 500s and 1000s.
But when he formed his own team, Davis who was a champion skeet shooter in his youth chose to race more Best in the Desert events.
"In Mexico races, you need 20 to 35 people," he explained. "In Best in the Desert, you can make do with 10 guys. You have to have people scattered throughout Mexico. In the other series, the stops are usually accessible so that the team can drive from one to the next."
Davis will run with only a navigator in races of less than 500 miles. But in longer races, he'll switch off with three or four teammates and allow some of his all-volunteer crew a chance to get behind the wheel.
Davis pre-drives the course at full speed at least a month in advance. He'll pre-drive a Mexican course four or five times. The course generally has marked outside boundaries, which he said makes it pretty hard to get lost.
If something happens in the middle of the course, Davis and his navigator usually must find a way to improvise until the truck reaches the pit area. That can include using bungee cords, tape or wires to piece parts back together.
Victories have helped land sponsors, he said. The truck's shop is at its main sponsorship, Superior Communications in Irwindale, where the team is preparing for next week's race in Tonopah, Nev.
-- Keith Lair can be reached at (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2272 or at keith.lairsgvn.com.