Crank pulley failure ends qualifier for Mint 400
The crew awoke to a cool and windy morning in the pits and hustled out to the early time trial for the Mint 400. By the time they arrived at Apex, the sun began to break over the mountains and warmed the gathering crowd. The new Geiser built trophy truck was sporting its fresh graphics, the sunlight gleaming over the black finish detailed with white webbing across the panels. Riot had high hopes for its new addition to the team and was looking forward to a strong performance.
As they waited for their start, the team saw a lot of intense action on the pre run lap. Cameron Steele flipped his trophy truck end over end twice, and then barrel rolled a few times. Their truck frame was bent, and the co-driver seemed to have some injuries on his knees and elbows. About 10 minutes after Steele came back into the pits, the Potts trophy truck turned over on its side near the end of the practice lap. The truck was then pulled upright with a tow strap, and then it drove away seemingly unscathed. Two more buggies flipped before the finish as well.
Finally, Riot reached the start line after a long wait, peeling off the line and sounding fantastic. The truck disappeared past the line of spectators in cloud of dust, and everyone was hopeful. Minutes later, the truck reappeared on the crest of a hill. With all eyes on it, Riot came thundering down with a long stream of dust floating behind, everything looking great. As it approached a turn, a sharp snap sounded and suddenly the truck slowed and pulled off the course. According to the guys, Marc first felt the power steering go, and feared navigating the upcoming whoops. Warning lights had lit up inside the truck. Marc pulled over, turned off the engine and they climbed out of the truck to diagnose the problem. They found the crankshaft pulley that drives the power steering pump, oil pump and alternator laying in the engine compartment, three bolts that hold the cluster of pulley’s in place had sheared off. Our hopes of a good qualifying run were dashed. We packed up the truck and headed back to Kroyer’s to get the truck up and running for tomorrow’s race.
- Friday March 26, 2010
- By Riot Racing
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