Would you race on April Fools' Day? Would you dare to add practical jokes on top of all of off-road racing's unknowns, gotchas, and other mayhem? This year's MDR Mojave 250 took place on April 1, but 108 racing teams readied their rigs and signed up for battle in spite of the date.
Barstow's "B" course is a familiar route for MDR regulars, but a wet winter had been in full swing for weeks prior to the race. Rain tends to come down in torrential bursts in the desert, carving new channels and ruts into the desert floor. Familiarity often breeds complacency.
When the time limit ran out and the MDR Mojave 250 came to a close, only 50 teams finished. Those teams had overcome complacency, mechanical failures, and driving errors. They had successfully faced off with the mighty Mojave.
In addition to the traditional buggy and truck classes, the Jeep Speed series paid MDR a visit at the Mojave 250. Jeep Speed entries accounted for one-fourth of the racing field, with Charlie Peltzer, Eric Heiden, and Jason LaFortune taking the top three spots in that order.
April Fools' Day proved to be an excellent day to be out in the desert. Temperatures were crisp, dust was minimal, and puffy white clouds overhead added scenic value. It was a made-to-order day to go racing. Racing on April Fools' Day? No problem. There's only one day we'd never race on: Friday the 13th.
Bill, Tom, and Chris Nissley were hoping that the second time at Barstow would be the charm. Their Class 3 XJ Cherokee suffered extensive damage the previous time in Barstow, and the Nissley Racing Team set about building the truck back to better than its former self. "Everything we fixed we made stronger. We were confident that our efforts would be rewarded with a successful race," Bill Nissley reports. Chris and Tom took the green flag and were slated to run the first three laps before Bill got in to drive the fourth and final required lap. The game plan went out the window after only 9 miles of racing. "I was at the main pit monitoring the radio, when I heard Chris come on the radio," Bill comments. "I knew right away something was wrong. Usually, you can hear the noise from the engine in the background, but his voice was perfectly clear." Chris had ominous news: "We broke the driver-side steering knuckle." The Nissleys had fortified their 2WD front axle with 4WD steering knuckles and didn't have a spare. Other teams were asked for a spare, but there weren't any to be found. "Those things don't break," Nissley was told. Without a replacement, the team's new goal was to get the Jeep back to the trailer. Ultimately, the Nissley Racing Team had to wait for an XJ with a 4WD steering knuckle to finish the race so the part could be taken off and loaned to Bill, Tom, and Chris. Getting the XJ back to the trailer was a group effort, with Tony Sato, OC Off Road, T&J Performance, Eric Helgeson, Giti and Andrea Gowland, and F.A.I.R. each lending help, tools, parts, or transportation. "One of the great things about off-road racing is that everyone helps each other," says Bill "I haven't come across anyone not willing to lend a hand, tools, or even the parts off of their own vehicle to help out." It looks as if the third time's gonna be the charm. | 
Kevin Knight was one of 28 sportsman prerunners (1450 class) to enter the MDR Mojave 250 and one of 15 to cross the finish line. It didn't come easily. The G.K.R. Ranger's lap times tell the story. Lap one went well; the team didn't push the truck too hard. Races aren't won during the first lap. Tough times struck in the opening miles of lap two when the ball joints parted ways with one of the Ranger's I-beams. New ball joints were pressed into place, but the truck was now running poorly on only five cylinders. A broken spark plug turned out to be the culprit, and the motor regained its former strength with a simple spark plug swap. Where lap one had taken just over an hour, the second lap gobbled up three and a quarter hours of the race's eight-hour time limit. Luckily, laps three and four rolled by at a good pace with no more major trouble. The checkered flag is a beautiful thing. | 
How rough and rocky is the Barstow course? Check out Art Savedra's scallop-shaped left front wheel, which continued to hold air even after a thorough beating. Class 5-1600 Baja Bugs combine limited wheel travel with a high center of gravity and a short wheelbase for a combo that's tough to keep on course through the rough and at high speed. Don't count these machines out though. They're light weight and nimble dimensions maneuver very well through narrow, rough sections of the course. Savedra navigated six required laps on the 36-mile course, which was good enough to take Second in Class. |