SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/501768
for would-be desert racers to consider this class as a way to get involved in Baja racing. SUSPENSION Front wheel travel will range between nine and 10 inches. Correctly positioning and mounting a well built front beam to the floor pan is critical. Rules state you must use a VW Type 1 ball joint or link pin style setup with any make of beam using two steel torsion tubes as long as it retains the stock VW width. Some 5/1600 cars run ProAm front beams with King Kong torsion adjusters. Front trailing arms must retain stock length and width, but they can be reinforced or replaced with aftermarket units. For example, an aftermarket option is to use Foddrill front trailing arms and King Kong spindles. King Shocks and Fox Shocks are popular with many teams. Some will use Fox 10-inch 2.0 4-tube bypass shocks up front. Others will use King 2.5 race series bypass shocks up front. Howe Performance Diablo steering racks and servo are often the choice many teams go to for reliability. Chromoly tie rod ends and high-quality Heim joints do wonders to manage the relatively small front 33x9.5x15-inch race tires and wheels on the race course. Brakes front and back are often ProAm, Wilwood, or other high-end disc brake manufacturers. At the rear, the suspension is based upon VW Type 1 swing axle. Many 5/1600 cars will use 3.0 to 3.5-inch bypass shocks damping anywhere from 15.5 to 18 inches of wheel travel. As long as the trackwidth does not exceed 58-1/4 inches you can use any trailing arm and torsion tubes, with torsion adjusters, you choose. Rear trailing arms can be one inch longer than stock, which most teams take advantage of. A good choice for aftermarket trailing arms for many teams is, again, Foddrill and ProAm amongst other highly regarded manufacturers. Rear tires and wheels tend to be consistent in the 33x9.5x15-inch category. Everybody has got to start somewhere when their passion for off-road racing takes them to the next step of actually settling on where and how to begin. From the guys on the YOLO Racing Team, Class 5/1600 was a good jumping off point to SCORE Baja racing. "This is a great class. The cars are limited in horsepower and suspension travel. Therefore, drivers must possess decent driving skills to be successful," Reisen said. "It is a great feeling when we can blast up a silty hill climb and see hundreds of thousands of dollars of race vehicle stuck. These are truly an amazing car and are respected throughout the off-road community." SJ ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES OF A LIGHTWEIGHT VW BEETLE WITH AN 85 HORSEPOWER 1600 CC ENGINE, IS THAT IT CAN FLY THROUGH DEEP SILT BETTER THAN HEAVIER RACING VEHICLES. LDL PRODUCTION 056 SCORE JOURNAL SCORE 101