ARCA in 2000

Spidertrax does ARCA

Continued...

The steering arm was sheared completely off.

"The rig was pulled off of stage A1 when we broke and our support truck was there in no time flat. Our support vehicle is fully outfitted with all the tools we would need for most major repairs. We filled it with a generator, compressor, welder, plasma cutter and the normal assortment of hand tools just in case we had problems. We got to work on the steering system right away. It took us 52 minutes to repair the damage. The problem was the fact that ARCA only allows for 45 minutes for a repair. Even with a well prepared support team we weren't ready until 7 minutes after the allowed time limit. This forced us to forfeit the remaining stages that day."

"Lower and Upper B5. On our third attempt to conquer the tall ledge in the photo on the right, we broke a front axle shaft.

This was on the first day, it was also the first break of the competition. It took only 22 minutes to replace the shaft."

"This was our first stage on day 2.
After a good

nights rest and several learning experiences on day 1, we felt more relaxed and ready to face the challenge. We crawled right up this v-notch with no problem. Many trucks rolled backwards on this obstacle."

Enelio holds the strap as Eddie walks up this tall ledge on A5.

Many drivers were psyched out before they hit the very first obstacle. Eddie found that control was the key to conquering the rocks. The obstacles were very technical in nature and had to be driven well to get through on the first try. Everything started out slow and sped up as time went on.

"Our Spotter - Enelio Ortega. Enelio hustled and worked like a horse throughout the competition. He came back with some bruises to show for it."

Everyone lending a hand to get the job done. "As you can see in the photo to the right, we had great support from friends through out the competition. This was in the evening after Day 1 of competition. The locker began making some noises, so we did not hesitate to change it. We had a fresh third member ready to go."

There were 60 competitors scheduled to compete at each ARCA event. If competitors couldn't make it to the event, they are given 50 points (equal to a forfeit) for each stage. Out of the sixty sets of scores, Eddie placed 40th. Not bad considering the breakage and the penalty points associated with it.

Next season Eddie plans to compete with a newly designed rig of lighter construction. With the experiences learned in Farmington, Eddie and the rest of the Spidertrax team will be turning more heads and amazing his competitors. Look for the Spidertrax logo all over the ARCA coverage in the spring. Finishing in the top 10 shouldn't be problem for the yellow wall crawler in 2001!

It's hard to believe all of this started with a "punk kid" from New Jersey with a Samurai and a set of lift shackles. He would beat the rig to a pulp and then wonder how to get to school the next day. Eddie, along with good friend and Spidertrax co-founder Tom Kingston, has brought many of our Zooks up to 'The Next Level in Offroad Performance' with their wonderful products. And it all started with something called a Birfield Ring...

08/11/10 15:35

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