The Factory Racing

Dan Chamlee & Thomas Chamlee from The Factory Racing didn’t want to wait until September to race again and get more miles on the new truck so they decided to try another series of racing. They signed up for the MORE (Mojave Off Road Enthusiasts) Freedom 250 in Barstow on July 18, 2009. Barstow in summer is a very hot place so they run this race at night when it’s cooler. The new truck handled the course’s 5 36-mile loops really well with no problems. The Factory Racing placed first in class 7 in 4:21:12 with average of 40 mpg. Barstow is a very rough course and was a perfect testing ground. The lack of wind made the dust stay over the course affecting the visibility but it didn’t stop Dan from passing slower traffic. Dan is amazed at the newfound speed with the new suspension. The team is excited to check over the truck and make sure it’s handling the abuse it’s receiving. They will be ready to go on Sept 11-13 for the Primm 300. This race will be able to watch live on a tracker at www.racetheworld.net.

After a unprecedented assessment of penalties after the Baja 500 due to Score International finally have the tracking system to prove course deviations and speeding on freeways. Dan Chamlee was accessed no Penalties. On corrected time Dan still completed in 11:46:18 and second place’s Aaron Celiceo completed in 16:08:21.

Dan Chamlee and The Factory Racing win 4^th Consecutive Baja 500 in Class 7

Dan and Thomas Chamlee have spent every possible minute since late January working on building a brand new truck to replace the current truck that has run almost 7 grueling seasons. The goal was to have the truck done and tested before June 6^th to race at the Baja 500. They were able to have 2 test sessions with King Shocks that were very successful and found the truck was running even better than expected. The new 4” King Kong shocks soak up all the rough stuff. The new 37” BF Goodrich tires are a much stronger tire that help with traction and more ground clearance. Richard at Stuckongraphs.com jazzed up the graphics to give it a more showy paint theme. As the team traveled to Baja to compete, they were really excited but nervous they may have missed something in the preparation.

Friday was spent at Contingency where the truck was unveiled to the public. The response from the crowds made all the hours and sleepless nights worth it. After a quick pre-run the crew worked until 2 am finishing details to be ready for a 10:45 am start.

Dan was second off the starting line. At race mile 10 the fan belt fell off. It was a quick fix and back on the road. We had problems with the two-way radio, at the first pit the antenna was replaced which improved it but didn’t fix it so talking with the race truck was difficult but fortunately it didn’t affect the race. The starter would intermittently not work delaying him a bit. The team started breathing easier when they knew he had a 45-mile lead over 2^nd place at race mile 199 of the 432.51-mile race. The terrain varied between rough rocky sections, mile long silt beds, smooth graveled roads, steep hills and beach areas of soft ball size rocks. They completed the race in 11:46:18 with an average speed of 36.74 mph. His closest competitor, Aaron Celiceo completed the race in 13:25:21.

Dan drove the entire race. Ryan Kimball was his co-driver to race mile 199 then Amy Tate took over co-driver responsibilities for the rest of the race. Chase crew was Laurie Chamlee, Thomas Chamlee, Valerie Chamlee, Bill Chamlee, Megan Suiffe, Tyler Kimball, Chad Neeley.

San Felipe 250

 

The factory racing always looks forward to March’s San Felipe race.  It’s about a two-hour drive from Mexicali at the top of the Sea of Cortez.  San Felipe is a sleepy fishing village that comes alive each March for the Score-International San Felipe 250 this year was no exception.  The San Felipe course is notorious as the roughest course all season.  It has miles and miles of whoops the road turns into 3 foot high rolling waves of sand. 

 

A high light of the March 13-15 race was contingency/technical inspection along the malecon with the ocean along the side.  The factory racing was able to complete the 232-mile course in 6:25:13 to place 3^rd in class 7 with an average speed of 36 mph.  Time was wasted when the shocks overheated due to the roughness of the course.  They broke a clevis bolt that holds the tie down straps, which was welded at the pits.  They also had a flat tire near the end of the race wasting a small amount of time.  Dan Chamlee drove the entire race while Amy Tate was his Co-driver.  Support was given by Laurie Chamlee, Thomas Chamlee, Jake Spear, David Owens, AJ Denunzio.  The team is now preparing for June’s Baja 500.

 

The Factory racing traveled to the 14^th annual Laughlin Desert Challenge January 21-25, 2009 with revenge on their mind.  After last years bittersweet first place finish but no one in class was able to finish the course in the allotted time and receiving a DNF. 

 

Thursday was the famous Laughlin Leap; the jump was reworked from last year giving the trucks a bigger jump.  The factory racing jumped 108 feet to place 4^th. 

 

This year’s racecourse was a 6-mile loop with 6 laps on Saturday and 6 laps on Sunday on some of the roughest terrain you can imagine.   Saturday Dan Chamlee placed third in 54 minutes only 1 minute behind 2^nd and 2 minutes behind 1^st. 

 

Sunday, Dan’s biggest concern was finishing and not having a DNF for the first race of the season.  The two leaders from Saturday took an early lead on the first lap.  The crew knew that they would battle hard and possible take each other out of the race.  Sure enough during the 2^nd lap one broke, and Dan passed the other one.  Another competitor, who DNF’d on Saturday, took the lead but was not in contention for the overall.  Dan battled between second and third for the remaining laps. On the final lap the overall leader pulled into the pits giving Dan the win.  He completed Sunday in 57:01 minutes with a combined time of 1:51:01 with an average speed of 40.5 mph.  BF Goodrich had lined Dan up with some mud terrain tires and inner liners that gave him the traction he needed to keep up the fast pace and the win.  Thomas Chamlee was Dan’s co-driver for Saturday and Daniel Chamlee was his co-driver on Sunday. 

 

Now the team is back to the shop to prepare the truck for it’s next adventure in San Felipe in March.  The factory racing would like to thank its sponsors for the support.  BF Goodrich, Super Six Motorsport, KMC, Tubeworks, Simple Digital Systems, The Factory Appliance, Inc.