SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/618747
championships because I feel like we're on the right path to do that. SJ: So what's it like working with Steven? Covey: (laughing). There are a lot of bleeps. Working with Steven, he's very passionate about racing and he's very knowledgeable in not only racing but also Mexico. He has a lot of history in racing and a long pedigree also. He's won championships in a lot of races and a lot of classes. I'm trying to help him succeed at this level. I think we're a team to be reckoned with, especially with him behind the wheel. SJ: What's your process in the cars you build and maintain like Zeus? Walk us through it? What's a typical prep? Covey: A typical prep goes like this. First a tear down of the drive train, engine, motor, tranny, and gear. Then get them to their prospective builders. We also rebuild the shocks. Basically at this point, I'm doing a full prep on the racecar leading up to the next races. We have a new, larger cubic inch Dougan's engine than what we've had in the last couple of races, so we're pretty excited about that. It's been great working with Dougan's, Rancho, and King especially. They're helping us build a new shock package. SJ: What's the most rewarding part of your job? Covey: Standing on the roof of the Trophy Truck at the finish line. If you're standing on the roof, it means you had the best truck, the best team, the best driver, and you were the best co-rider. I mean it's a culmination of a lot of effort. To win and stand on the roof, it's pretty special. SJ: What's the most difficult part of your job? Covey: The hours. There's a very high expectation at this level. It basically has to be perfection with the amount of guys that have competitive race cars. You don't see DNFs like you did five years ago. There's a greater amount of people finishing the races now; all the trucks and teams are very good. So you definitely have to be on point, if you want to win a race. SJ: Yes the times between first and second place are only by five seconds now after 500 miles. Covey: I've been on a team where we won a race by nine seconds and we lost one by eleven seconds. So it's ultra competitive. You can't even really have a flat tire these days and expect to win. SJ: Where do you see the sport going in the next couple of years or so? 045 SCORE JOURNAL