Raptor Art
If you love your Raptor, you can bring its ground-pounding action indoors thanks to the latest limited-edition prints from Ford Images. A 27x30-inch framed print will set you back about $450, but it includes a special plate that can be personalized with your name and your truck’s VIN. Your Raptor’s not orange? No worries. There’s a similar photo available for each of the Raptor’s paint colors. To find out more, log on to ford images.com and click on the “limited edition prints” button.
Earth Watch
• Chrysler, working with the U.S. Department of Energy, delivered a demonstration fleet of Ram 1500 plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) pickup trucks to municipal officials in Yuma, Arizona, recently. The 10 PHEV pickups are part of a national demonstration fleet of 140 vehicles that will be used during the next three years to evaluate customer usage, drive cycles, charging, thermal management, fuel economy, emissions, and the impact on the region’s electric grid. In addition to Yuma, 11 other municipalities and agencies across the United States will receive vehicles for demonstration and testing. Chrysler is calling this “strictly a demonstration program” and says there are no plans for a production version of the PHEV Ram 1500 truck at this time.
• The BlueRibbon Coalition has formally submitted comments in opposition to the expansion of the Twentynine Palms military base in Southern California. The comments state that the planned expansion would practically or functionally close the entire 180,000-acre Johnson Valley OHV area to public use. Don Amador, western representative for the BRC, called the plan “fatally flawed” and said it “should be withdrawn and shelved given its fatal flaws, public objection to the project, and national economic crisis.” Among the BRC’s objections are its belief that the Marine Corps hasn’t “meaningfully explained” the need for the base expansion in the plan and the fact that “the purpose and need statement blithely ignores any discussion of the balance necessitated by any project of this nature.”
• Two board members of the California Off-Road Vehicle Association (CORVA) were selected for the BLM Desert Advisory Committee (DAC). The BLM DAC has formed a subgroup dedicated to working with the agency to preserve motorized and competitive events in the desert areas of California as the public permit process is reconfigured. In an acknowledgment of CORVA’s expertise with these issues, two of the six representatives chosen for the subgroup were Clayton Miller, southern director of CORVA, and Wayne Nosala, assistant southern director, known for his longtime involvement with desert truck racing.
W.E.ROCK Rocks Oroville
The second round of the W.E.ROCK Western Pro Nationals traveled to the Urban Assault area at Surplus City in Oroville, California, where Brent Bradshaw took the Unlimited Class win in dramatic style. Bradshaw wowed the crowds Saturday when he attempted to climb the over-30-foot Terminator. He rolled backward on his roof but then continued rolling and pulled off a 360-degree rotation to get back on all four wheels before immediately attempting the climb again, this time successfully.
Sunday’s action was no less intense. Bradshaw found himself behind in points by the end of the day and had to make a final, flawless run—including an attempt at the 25-foot Half Pipe (which is truly vertical in its final 10 feet)—to get ahead of Jesse Haines, who had taken the class lead. Bradshaw made it over Half Pipe on his first try; Haines wasn’t so lucky, crashing hard on his second attempt.
Book Review
X Play Nation, by Alex Striler, available at www.x-play nation.com, and amazon.com
Striler’s new book chronicles the game changers in action sports, those people who created opportunities for themselves (or their companies) and not only made themselves successful but had a hand in shaping the nature of action sports, such as skateboarding, BMX racing, the X Games, and off-road motorsports.
“I wrote the book to raise awareness so athletes and racers can get new sponsorships, and so sponsors will learn to promote them correctly,” Striler said. “I also tried to explain the convergence of off-road motorsports with action sports by writing about the rise and fall of Championship Off Road Racing (CORR).” Striler worked for CORR for four years.
Motorsports fans will find plenty of recognizable people in here—4Wheel Parts’ Greg Adler, the LeDuc racing family, Ricky Johnson, and more—and aspiring racing stars will benefit from their experiences.
Toyo Wallpaper
Bored with the wallpaper on your computer? Toyo has released free, downloadable wallpaper featuring several of its racing stars (including Robby Gordon, shown here) and the easy-on-the-eyes Toyo models. Check ’em out at toyotires.com/tire-motorsports/downloads.