Crew 35 Update: Vegas to Reno 2011

Ok, folks. Here's a quick status update. Around New Year's we discovered our roll cage had some design issues which, as a result, meant the entire cage needed to be completely rebuilt. This was a bit of a wake up call, as it caused us to realize we would have failed tech if we'd brought the truck out to race in '09. Massachusetts to Nevada is too costly of a tow to fail tech, so it was decided we had to make sure the truck we build is certain to pass tech and prove itself in the race. To guarantee this, the adult leaders got together in March and began pooling their resources and saving their money to buy a well built and highly successful class 7300 Ford Ranger (one that also comes with an abundance of spare parts). The truck will be brought back to Massachusetts and used as a template for the Venture Crew 35 Ranger.

Next week, August 16-22, Crew 35 is going out to Las Vegas for the truck. We are going to run it in this year's Vegas to Reno desert race, competing in the sportsman class (a "run what you brung," no points, no payout, purely for fun class) before bringing it home. This race is our training run to learn what to do, what not to do, and what it will take to successfully run this race with the Crew 35 Ranger.

We will be posting updates when possible via Facebook and Twitter. There will also be a link on Race-Dezert.com where you will be able to track us and all vehicles competing in the Vegas To Reno race. This link will likely show up on the page either the evening before or the morning of the race. The Race-Dezert Vegas to Reno page will have live satellite tracking, timing and scoring, and occasional text, audio, and video updates. Our truck is number 1824 in the sportsman class (class 1800).