Riot 68 News Archive: Riot Racing

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Primm 300 ends early for Riot after high speed rollover

Navigating through the wash, the Riot Racing trophy truck was steered with high hopes and a confident driver. With the first 15 miles of the Terrible’s Primm 300 underway, Marc Ewing was just beginning to establish a rhythm for a race the entire crew had been anticipating.

In a sudden turn of events the wheel jerked uncontrollably from the driver’s hands. Within a split second the truck began to barrel roll, flipping over twice and pirouetting on the back bumper before landing on the passenger’s side of the vehicle. It happened so quickly that the driver and co-driver of the #68 had no time to react.

“We came out of a really shallow right hand turn and the next thing I knew we were rolling on the cage instead of the wheels,” Ira Conn, the co-driver said.

“It was a big surprise,” Ewing recalled. “As it happened there was really nothing to do but wait for you to stop rolling.”

After landing on the ground and confirming they were both alright their next objective was to climb out of the truck as quickly as possible.

“Hanging in the five-point harness and smelling a lot of fuel was pretty scary and a real good reason to get out of the truck fast,” Conn said.

“As soon as I pop out the top of the truck I can see a big three inch column of gas pouring out into the desert,” Ewing said.

Conn grabbed the satellite phone from the ditch pack to call for help. Both Conn and Ewing weren’t seriously injured, but Ewing suffered a rib injury and bruised left hand.

Back at the main pit, the crew weren’t aware that the truck had rolled. “Everyone was feeling really confident so it was quite a shock when my iPhone started ringing with the number from our satellite phone,” Harvey Knapp, Riot’s development manager said. “I wasn’t expecting a call from the co-driver.”

Conn explained what had happened to Knapp and said that they were both ok. A SCORE helicopter had landed near the truck and was bringing Ewing back to the main pit so he could get checked out at the hospital. Conn insisted he was not injured, and wanted to stay with the truck to try to flip it right-side up.

“I was convinced we could get the thing back on its wheels,” Conn said.

With a jack, spare tires and an ever-increasing rock pile the guys were able to inch the truck up far enough that they could push it onto its wheels. It was a demanding task in the midday heat, but they were determined to achieve their goal.

“Everybody had put in so much hard work and effort (for this race) the last thing I wanted everybody to see is the truck on its side,” said Mike Lucey, who was a tremendous help.

Finally the truck was pushed upright. Conn’s voice came over the radio, elated for the first time since the rollover. “We got on its wheels!” he exclaimed.

They checked the fluids twice, removed the hydraulic lock on the engine, and were ready to drive it home.

Conn beamed over the radio once more. “The truck is running! We’re headed to the main pit.” Conn hopped in the driver’s seat and Lucey squeezed on Ewing’s gloves and helmet and climbed into the co-driver’s seat.

“The track rod was bent so we were in a struggle between wanting to go fast not to get rear ended and making it to the pit,” Conn said. They ran the track through Beer Bottle Pass and then steered off course for most of the return.

“It was exhilarating,” Lucey said of riding back.

The Riot truck appeared driving along the power lines just outside of the main pit in Primm. The crew began to gather around as the truck approached the Riot tent. Conn and Lucey climbed out of the truck, Lucey jumping and flailing his arms with joy as the guys gave them hi-fives and applauded their efforts.

“It felt great,” Conn said. It was an exciting moment that helped raise the team’s spirit given the circumstances.

“It sucks we went out that early, but it was definitely an accomplishment just getting it back,” Sammy Zaranti, the lead mechanic said.

Not only was everyone pleased that the truck returned, but that the driver and co-driver as well made it out of the experience with minor injuries.

“Marc and I feel super fortunate to both come out of it in tact,” Conn said. “The whole thing was very lucky.”

“Lucky or not it just makes you appreciate all the advances in the safety equipment,” Ewing, who is still recovering from some bruising said.

After rolling three times, the truck was also in rather good shape. “It shows you how well engineered these machines are that you can have such a catastrophic crash and the driver and co-driver walk away with a few minor bruises. Kudos to Rick Geiser for building a great vehicle. The fundamental Geiser design from a safety perspective is about as tough of a product as you could want,” Knapp said.

While relieved that everyone was safe, it was still an unfortunate situation that ended an exciting race day for Riot.

“It’s a lot of effort everyone put into prepping the truck and getting organized,” Ewing said. “It’s a disappointment for sure. It was a local race. We had a bunch of family there. We expected to do pretty well and have a super fun day on familiar territory. Obviously it was not meant to be.”

Still, the team isn’t discouraged. “Unfortunately our day ended early, but it doesn’t detract from our goal to produce high quality race cars,” Zaranti said.

Ewing also feels that the incident hasn’t detracted from his confidence in getting behind the wheel and racing again in Parker.

“The whole thing happened so rapidly and so unexpectedly that there wasn’t much time for me to fix it. It was completely out of my hands. When I get back in the truck when I’m healed hopefully I won’t have any trepidation going into it. It almost feels like it didn’t happen to me,” Ewing said, “but it’s a learning experience.”

The team is going to take their lessons and apply them as they prepare for BlueWater Desert Challenge in Parker, Arizona on October 16 and 17.

“I cant wait to go back out and race some more,” Conn said.
- Tuesday September 21, 2010
- By Riot Racing
Home field venue boosts confidence for Riot at Primm 300

With the dust barely settled from its last event, Riot Racing is still in gear and ready for another exciting race. The SCORE International Terrible’s Primm 300 starts at 1 p.m. for the trophy truck class on Saturday, September 11 and consists of four 68-mile laps. About 125 vehicles have entered the race, 31 of which are trophy trucks.

Many of the biggest names in off-road racing will be competing on SCORE’s roughest course. B.J. Baldwin will start third, Cameron Steele 10th, Robby Gordon 14th and Rob MacCachren 19th.

“The competition is going to be as tough as it gets this weekend,” said Ira Conn, co-driver for the #68 Riot trophy truck, which will start 28th. The other race classes will race in another group at 6 a.m. Saturday morning.

Despite the competition, Marc Ewing and the Riot team know they have the ability to perform well on their home turf.

“We definitely want to have a strong showing for Primm,” said Sammy Zaranti, lead mechanic on the truck that raced Vegas to Reno and will race again Saturday. “We have the vehicle and the talent.” But the course is challenging. “Primm is a very rough, physical and mental race. There’s a lot of attrition at the end. Hopefully everything stays together.”

In the Best in the Desert series where Riot is currently first in the points, “finishing each race is really critical, which makes you temper your aggression on the course,” Ewing said. “This one you can just go for it.”

Ewing often tests in the Primm/Jean area, which he said will give him an advantage going into this race. “We know a lot of the terrain, and with a little bit of luck we should do well,” Conn said.
 Another advantage for Riot is the truck’s large 95-gallon fuel cell which will only require the team to splash gas once. “It’s going to shorten our pit stop because we aren’t waiting for fuel,” Jordan Poole, a Riot mechanic said.

“I have confidence in our team to do its best and get the job done,” Steve Sloan, Riot’s shop manager said.

Contingency and technical inspection will be held on Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. behind Buffalo Bill’s Resort. Riot will be there with their new pre-runner and the race truck selling shirts and handing out stickers and posters to fans. On Saturday spectators can watch the race at the grandstand behind Buffalo Bill’s Resort near the start/finish line. SCORE plans to have unofficial race results posted at 9 p.m. Saturday evening. The awards ceremony begins at 10 a.m. on Sunday in the Terrible’s Primm Valley Resort conference center.

Throughout the race on Saturday fans can track Riot’s progress on http://www.riotracing.com through the IRC and IonEarth tracking. The latest updates on the race vehicle will be available on Riot’s twitter, http://twitter.com/riotracing. Watch the truck and crew in action as Ewing strives for another strong finish in this 2010 season. Keep an eye out for Riot’s post-race video by VitaBrevisFilms. Riot Racing thanks its sponsors Vision X, F&L Racing Fuel, Pole Position Raceway and Geiser Bros for all of their support.

http://www.riotracing.com
http://twitter.com/riotracing.com
- Wednesday September 8, 2010
- By Riot Racing