SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/726957
take his place and be the main driver for PPI and Cal Wells. Ivan was scheduled to drive the last day of the Nevada 2000 and Mark Johnson said we are out of the race and Larry needs more seat time, let him do day six. Mark said, "Larry, show me what you got". We started 16th, and I finished third physically and we won the day. That last day I had the green light to let the reigns go. That was really fun. Preparing for the SCORE Baja 2000 we split the race into quarters. Ivan brought me the truck in second place and I ran down Brian Stewart in one of the Vortec Trailblazers and at the half way point, we had a 45-minute lead. There were some motor problems and they worked on it, then Ivan took off and we heard on the radio 10 minutes later that it was done. I think a valve spring broke. It was a catastrophic failure. Right after that, we got the news that the team was going away. A real double whammy, a DNF and learning that PPI would longer be with Toyota. SJ: How did you end up driving the Landshark? LR: I got a call from Troy Herbst and we teamed up. At that time the Truggy was getting big and I teamed up with Troy in 2001 and I think you know how that went. We proceeded to kick ass for the next six years. We won two SCORE Baja 1000 overalls and multiple championships. If we didn't win the overall, we won Class 1 over and over and over again. It was an awesome run. In 2007 the economy took a hit. A lot of guys were let go including me. In 2008 I drove for Roger Norman and we won the SCORE Baja 1000 overall again; I had a couple of good years there. I had left the Herbst team on good terms and in 2010 we got the band back together. Tim and I became partners and Troy teamed with Ryan Arciero. SJ: You have raced in several eras of off-road racing in both bikes and trucks. Who was your toughest competitor? LR: In the motorcycle days, Dan Smith was a son of a bitch. He was a thorn in my side, a tough, tough guy to beat. He dug deep, he knew how to play the game, and he was very determined and talented. We met again after we both switched to trucks. He was always a tough competitor. In the motorcycle days, Jack Johnson was the same thing; he was tough as nails. The guys with off-road bike experience seem to rise to the top. To this day Rob MacCachren has been so consistent, I look up to him. We have talked about it and we have a mutual respect for each other. He knows if he looks over his shoulder that nine times out of ten I am going to be there. I feel the same way about him. Guys like MacCachren are rock solid. Andy McMillin reminds me of me. I started on mini bikes and he had a steering wheel but it was at a very young age. He's a young man but he already has 20 years of experience. He has five SCORE Baja 1000 IN 2001 ROESELER TEAMED UP WITH TROY HERBST AND WON SIX CLASS 1 CHAMPIONSHIPS AND TWO SCORE BAJA 1000 OVERALLS IN THE TRUGGY 030 SCORE JOURNAL