SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/726957
suspension on it. Even now, most of the parts on my pre-runner are the original parts. It's a 1972 Ford and in 2000 Dave Snoddy wanted to put a new cab on it. We literally cut off the cab and dropped on a '97 F-150 cab. The I-beams and radius arms are the same ones that Curt modified for me; they were used Venable parts that were in a junk pile and probably on one of the first Hay Hauler Class 8 trucks that Robby Gordon drove. I gave all the parts to Curt and asked if he could make any of them work. I have different trailing arms now. The truck has gone through some major upgrades. I first used it in 1994, so it's been around for 22 years. The Herbst pre-runners were built around the same time, I remember going to Mike Smith and talking to him about shocks and springs and he gave me some old springs. Dave Smith helped me, Tony Vanillo and Mario at the Baldwin shop. I was always picking their brains and looking for parts they would throw away. I can't imagine how many miles are on my truck. I've driven from home to Baja, pre-run to La Paz, come North, pre-run again a few times and then after the race drive it home. SJ: You often pre- run by yourself, do you prefer is that way? LR: Yes and no. Everyone has jobs and commitments, for me I want to spend some quality time pre-running and it's in the middle of the week two or three weeks before the race. For me to just jump in my truck and go, I don't have to meet anybody. If I don't make it, I don't make it. If I want to go farther I just do it. It just works out, and coming from the motorcycles, it helps to concentrate and memorize the course. I use GPS a little bit but it's mostly the memory. I go into motorcycle mindset and do a section four or five times but another section maybe only twice. If I got it in my head, then I move on. If I don't I will do it again until I do. It's hard to memorize 500 miles, but if you do it in sections it's a lot easier to get it etched into your brain. Depending on access roads it might be 50 or 100 miles. Do it, bail out, do it again, over and over. Come race day it just plays back in my head like a video. You don't second guess anything and I'm not relying on GPS or my co-driver saying anything. On a bike there is no room for error, you overshoot a corner and you are over the bars and nine times out of 10 you are hurt. SJ: How did you go from bikes to trucks? LR: 1975 was my first win at the 500. In 1976 I started riding for Husqvarna, and that was my first overall win at the 1000. In 1987 I started racing for Kawasaki and in 1994 I won the SCORE Baja 1000 with Danny Hamel and Ty Davis. That was my 10th overall SCORE Baja 1000 win. I said to Kawasaki, that's a nice round number, and I think I want to leave it at that. I was taking risks. I had already been racing in Baja for 20 years. I had bounced off of a VW van, hit closed gates, had close calls with horses and cows. At the speeds we were going I felt enough was enough, so I stepped down ROESLER'S BEST MEMORIES IN BAJA ARE RACING IN THE HERBST LANDSHARK, SHOWN HERE IN 2007 AT THE SCORE BAJA 500 027 SCORE JOURNAL