Taylor Racing WSORR Bark River Race Report
Taylor Racing Recovers to Land on Podium Belvidere, IL (July 17, 2007) - Taylor Racing came to Bark River, Michigan looking to retake the PRO-2WD points lead, but that’s easier said than done. In recent years, the natural terrain track has been tough on Scott Taylor. For whatever reason, podium finishes have been few for a team that has been successful everywhere they compete. Round 5 Late Saturday morning, Scott fired up the #8 Skyjacker BFGoodrich Tires Ford F-150, and immediately knew something wasn’t right with the motor. The team determined there was enough time to make a motor change, and off to work they went. Scott, along with Mike Kasch, Allan Brenner, Geoff Dorr, Mitch Dorr and other volunteers, made the change with time to spare. Undaunted, Scott took his spot in staging, looking to regain the points lead in PRO-2WD. The land rush start saw the Skyjacker Ford fall in line behind #99 Probst. The top two trucks were slowly pulling away from the third place truck. Then, just past the start finish line on lap 5, the torque converter failed, causing a transmission line to fail, spraying fluid all over the exhaust. A spectacular fire ensued, that was quickly put out by the onboard extinguisher and the track safety team. After the truck was towed back to the pits, the crew went to work replacing the transmission and any wiring that was damaged in the brief fire. Sunday morning, Scott took the Skyjacker Ford out for practice, and deemed it as good as ever. Afterward, Scott took a few minutes to talk to BUMPRACER.COM You had a very intense day. First off, what happened for you to change your engine only a few hours before your race? “Late morning, I took the truck down for the contingency inspection and noticed a scraping noise. Then it started limping on one of the cylinders. All we could figure is, a roller, on a rocker arm, broke. Unfortunately, we’ve had practice changing a motor, quickly. First time was in Crandon, and now again, here.” You were running well, in second place, when the fire happened. What caused the DNF? “The torque converter was the cause. We think a something inside broke and then wiped out the impeller, causing all kinds of heat, which in turn melted the hoses and sent fluid flying, all over the exhaust.” So how’s everything after practice? “Practice went really well. The truck is spot on. We are looking to spit out that bad luck bug we’ve had at Bark River. It’s been an on going thing. For a time, we used to be very dominate here, but lately, it’s been frustrating. This new truck handles great here and is really quick. Today, we plan to turn it around.” Round 6 The start saw Scott come out of Turn One in third place, just behind Renezeder and Probst. The race was uneventful for Taylor Racing, as the #8 Skyjacker BFGoodrich Tire Ford F-150, took the checkered flag, in third place. “Well, we finished one here in Bark River,” commented Scott Taylor. “I probably chose the wrong tire compound; this track really needs a rigid tire, especially off the start. The softer tire I ran folds over too easily for the dirt at this track. I didn’t get the jump I needed at the start, because of the tire choice. Our backup motor doesn’t have the extra push our primary had, so we didn’t have everything we needed to catch the leader. All in all, it was a good comeback, especially after Saturday’s events.” Currently, Scott Taylor is in second place in the chase for the 2007 WSORR PRO-2 Championship. Next Race: Aug. 10-12, 2007 - Rounds VII, VIII & IX - Bark River, MI The list of Taylor Racing supporters includes: Skyjacker Suspension – Jesus Rocks, BFGoodrich Tires, Ford Trucks, Roush Performance, ATD, Russ Wernimont Designs, Justice Brothers, Miller Electric Mobil 1, MSD Ignition, Phil's Inc., Precision Gear, Auto Meter, Boatec, CNC, K&N Engineering, Mastercraft and Ringer Gloves. -Mike Reusche, marketing MTG. - www.taylorsoffroadracing.com