SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/590058
to seeing this project through. At the Rigid Industries SCORE Imperial Valley 250, the truck ran extremely well at the start but had a yoke shear from the front driveshaft which put the truck out of contention. While not completing the race was a disappointment, this prototype truck keeps getting refined with every race and will soon be a game-changer in the Unlimited Trophy Truck division. The Rigid Industries 4x4 Trophy Truck is equipped with a Dougan's Racing, Kinsler fuel-injected, 480 cubic inch engine that provides plenty of power. While Ray Field of Dougan's Racing is well known for building some of the most reliable horsepower for Trophy Trucks and Class-1 vehicles, getting all that power to the ground was a bit different for this race truck. Geiser Brothers added a Weismann transfer case and a Fortin front differential that sends the power to a Tubeworks front hub and CV assembly that fits nicely within the Trophy Truck's custom chassis. "It was a tight fit," said Rick Geiser of Geiser Brothers. But we mocked it up and got it all in there. To make everything work correctly, we had to move the motor back farther and raise it up a bit, but it all ended up working out very good." While there are a lot of new components to the truck, Gieser said the overall vehicle weighs in at 6,350 lbs., making it about the same weight as the company's two-wheel drive Trophy Trucks. "The only drawback is that it's a nightmare to work on," says Geiser. "A full prep on this new vehicle requires a complete teardown. You have to pull everything apart!" Nevertheless, with four wheels driving lots of POWERED BY A DOUGAN'S RACING 468 CID ENGINE, MATNEY'S SCORE TROPHY TRUCK HAS PLENTY OF POWER TO BE COMPETITIVE. horsepower, the truck has shown great potential. The added traction, however, makes this truck drive and handle much differently than what drivers like Matney are used to. "The truck feels completely different than anything I've driven before," says Matney. "It handles so well, and it's easier to get out of trouble in silt beds and water crossings because of the four-wheel drive. I have to get more seat time and fine tune the suspension to really see what the truck can or can't do." While previous attempts at 035 SCORE JOURNAL