2009 M.O.R.E. Powder Puff Race Recap

2009 MORE Powder Puff

It’s not just about you, or them, but the entire community coming together to celebrate, raise awareness, money and enjoy the moment with family, friends and loved ones.

October 12 – The M.O.R.E (Mojave Off-Road Enthusiast) and ROYAL PURPLE Synthetic Oils held the 4Th annual Powder Puff Race for the Cure was held on October 9 – 10, 2009 near Barstow, CA.

Eleven UTV teams started the race in Bartsow with a spirit of cooperation and camaraderie. Getting everyone across the finish line seems to be an important component at this race, and it is awesome to see every pit crew jumping in to help anyone they can.

Seeing the women behind the wheels of their UTVs and the men in the pits at least once a year is pretty special.  Especially when the race benefits such an important cause. Proceeds and donations acquired from this event benefit the Cedars -Sinai Women’s Cancer Research Center. Last year the race raised $106,600 for the Cedar’s Sinai Breast Cancer Research Institution. This years participants worked hard to overcome last years donation and are already on the right track as Royal Purple Synthetic Oil has donated $40,000 to go directly to Cedar-Sinai Women’s Cancer Research Institute. We don’t know yet what the total amount raised, but the amount will be greatly appreciated  at Cedars-Sinai.

Here are the Official UTV Race Results:

1924 Lacrecia Beurrier
610 Corry Weller
1910 Kimberly Dunn
1902 Jeanette Sappington
1973 Michelle Briscoe
1929 Michele Ricci
1917 Kimberlee Wertens
1969 Renee Hudson
1931 Jessi Kohrell
1918 Terra Hagel

Race Recap from Lacrecia Beurrier, Rockstar Custom Motosports – Yamaha Rhino

My husband and I own and operate a small side x side custom shop in Lake Havasu City, AZ called Rockstar Custom Motorsports. My husband is an awesome fabricator and I take care of the office, parts running, and help wrench now and then. I am also a flight nurse. I have had many occasions to care for women with breast cancer and couldn’t think of a better way to help find a cure.

Race Recap from Corry Weller, Weller Racing – Yamaha Rhino

Weller Racing, LLC took a break from short course UTV racing and headed out to Barstow, CA to support the 4^th Annual MORE Powder Puff Race for a Cure this past weekend.  After racing for the first time in the 2008 Race for a Cure, Weller Racing’s Corry Weller and her daughter, Marlee, were excited to be given the opportunity to compete once again in this one-of-a-kind, “ladies only” desert race.

This year the familiar white #610 Weller Racing Rhino would be running their new SR1 motor swap package, which replaces the factory 660 Rhino motor with a chain-driven, Yamaha R1 street bike power plant.  What better place to finish testing this short-course R1 kit than the roughest desert course on the planet (ok, that might be an exaggeration, but its close).

The Weller Racing SR1 Rhino was drawn to start first in their class, and when the green flag dropped, it was all business as Weller and her co-pilot intended to put some space between themselves and the rest of the field as quickly as possible.

Towards the end of lap one, Weller radioed in to have her crew check her rear suspension. “My back end started getting really sloppy around mile 20, so I figured something must have happened with my suspension.  It was a rough ride for the last few miles!”

It was quickly discovered that one of the rear shocks on the SR1 was blown, and a decision had to be made whether or not to finish the race on three good shocks, or call it a day.  “Last year I raced the last 22 miles on a broken rear shock, and it was all I could do to not go end over end in the whoops on three shocks. I didn’t want to put daughter or my Rhino through the whole race like that again this year, so I did something I never do – I called it quits, and we thought we were done for the day.”  Weller and her co-pilot climbed out and started packing it up, when Cory Sappington from Dezert Toyz came up with a spare shock he had for his wife’s Rhino (who was also competing in the same race that day – talk about sportsmanship!)

Against the odds, the shock was the right length and fit the mounting brackets for the Weller Rhino, and before they knew it, the Weller Racing SR1 was back in the race. “We were about 20 minutes down by the time we got back out on the course,” said Weller, “but I had a rocket of a motor and two laps to catch up….I figured I could get back into the race if I really put the hammer down.  Besides, I love a good challenge!”

With no more issues, the Weller car burned up the course and was only five minutes behind first place by the end of their second lap.  “My husband said I was in fourth place at the start of our third lap.  I knew I had three UTVs to pass in order to take back first place, so that was what I focused on for lap three.  My daughter kept an eye out for the UTVs for me as we passed buggies and trucks and fought our way through the dust.”

Weller caught and passed all three UTVs on her third lap, putting her #610 Rhino back into the lead towards the end of the third and final lap, and was the first UTV to take the checkers, with the number 1924 Rhino close behind.  When time was adjusted, however, it was the 1924 Rhino that would actually claim first place overall, putting the Weller Racing SR1 into a close second place finish.

“It was a fun race, and it was for a great cause” says Weller.  “We are definitely looking forward to racing this event again next year!”

Race Recap from Jessi Kohrell,  Custom Creations – Kawasaki Teryx

WOW!!! another fun race in Barstow, Ca… Where do I start??? We had a great time this year.. Lot’s of energy all over this race… Pink Rocks! We decided not to run the Teryx for a pre-run this year and I just drove passenger in a desert car, and got to take in all the scenery…
We got to tech around 5pm.. and it went smooth and actually pretty quickly! The night before M.O.R.E had to extend the race course and extra 5 miles because of how many entries.. 244 entries on Thursday night!!!
Drivers meeting was at 7:30 and the race start was at 8:30. It ran a few minutes late and finally were were off… UTV’s got to leave int he middle of the race this year.. Last year we were dead last…
We left in the 3rd position and by mile 3 we had moved to 2nd position.. I was good and listened.. and took it way easy on the 1st lap… Just getting used the car and terrain.. I couldn’t be happier the car was working great! We came around the start finish line just a minute behind 1st place (610 Cory Weller)… So we decided to drive… and started pulling down miles about a mile every minute… we were haulin… Weller had a blown shock so she had pit for a bit.. and then she was back in it… I had the most awesome navigator… she made my day!! Laurie Dunlap from Web Cam Racing… So all of a sudden we were bookin along and this terrible grinding noise starts and all this smoke… wow… there she was… so I put the car in neutral and it moved backwards.. not a good sign, we were stuck between gears… so we held into gear and limped to mile 12 a nice safe place for us to be rescued… I got a nice crack in the case where the gear tried to jump right out of my case… I was bummed because it was so much fun driving… by this time it took 20 minutes for the 2nd place UTV to pass us… all we could do was wave them on and cheer as they went by…
So we got to see some great action while being towed back through ALL THE BUSHES!!! Thanks Kev.. LOL… 610 was back in with a vengeance. she had some serious time to make up! and she did.. she worked herself over 30 minutes behind all the way back up to crossing the finish line 1st..1924 Lacrecia Burrier in a Rockstar Customz Rhino was on her tail just seconds behind… eventually taking 1st due to time on the clock since she had left in 8th position.. Great Job ladies.. It was an honor to race with such great women and and the men and women supporting them.. Can’t wait to hear the final total money raised… See you all next year!!

Race Recap from Kimberlee Wertens – Yamaha Rhino

We made it out Thursday evening.  Got up Friday to a great sunny day with perfect weather.  In fact the weather was perfect ALL weekend.

We rolled out the Rhino from the trailer Friday morning & got to work.  We added all our sponsor stickers and did last minute checks on equipment and safety items.  We almost had a major oops!  I forgot my race suit at home.  But Thank goodness for networking and meeting people.  Thanks to Jessi Kohrell at Custom Creations, she loaned me a suit to get through tech that evening.  And SUPER HUGE thanks to Tom & Lucy Delisle for coming out to the race early Saturday to bring my suit from home.  HUGS & KISSES TO you all for helping me out.

We went through tech with only a couple of things to redo.  Had to re-run our fuel overflow on the our fuel cell and add some extra safety rings on the seat belts.

Saturday morning came early.  I was up before it was full light to start getting ready.  We went up to the drivers meeting at 7:30.  Got a brief rules of the road talk and started the morning with an awesome a cappella version on the National Anthem!!! Then back to the pits to hop in the car for the race.

We lined up and we’re 6th to leave.  We had an awesome run going.  After the 1st lap we were in 3rd place for our class.  We were passing 9-class buggy’s and 5/1600 class bug cars.

About 1/2 round the 2nd lap we started having trouble.   It was sputtering and stalled.  We were probably at one of the worst spots to, just at the top of this narrow craggy hill.  We pulled just off track and waited a second.  It started again, so got a bit further up the hill and it stalled again. Still not wanting to be on this part of the track, I think out of pure will it started again and made it down the other side and off the side of the track safely.

And, of course we were at the furthest part away on the track from the pit and they couldn’t hear us on the radio.  We had to contact the Race Relay to contact them for help.

With a big pit in site, we decided to start walking for help.  My hunch was we were out of gas.  We had been smelling gas all evening the night before and that morning.  But our guys thought it was just because our main tank was super full and was overflowing because of the rough terrain and sloshing.  About 1/2 through the walk a dirt bike came up & gave me a ride the rest of the way, Mom went back to the car.  We were able to get help, everyone was super nice and totally awesome.  We put more fuel in and it still wasn’t starting up.  Luck would have it that a line of people riding Rhino’s came up.  They started checking everything out and discovered the reason we were smelling gas is the fuel cell was back feeding into the main tank and overflowing.  Just as Sean, Dad & Ron got to us.  The other people rigged a solution, threw a couple of tubes of fuel in the carbs, so it was a quick Hi/Bye and we were off. (BTW  I think it was way cool that it happened to the the owner of Chapparell Motorsports who helped us.  Thankfully they just happened to be randomly out there that weekend breaking in some rentals).

With all that help we finished under our own power, but to say the least, extremely bummed we lost our 3rd place spot.  We finished 7th out of 11 UTV’s.

The only damage for the day was a lost left side mirror.  That rattled off about mile 21 on our second lap.  So I did much better this year than I did last year when I bent a front a-arm.

I’d like to extend huge thank you’s to my husband, Sean, without him I wouldn’t be able to do this race.  To my mom for being my awesome co-driver this year, my dad I think is super proud of her for getting in the car with me, I now I am!!  She saved us from all the hazards on the track.  And to all the people who made donations for our team.  Without your support we would not have been able to donate over $1,000 dollars this year. THANK YOU!!!

We will race again next year.  So hopefully more people can make it out, support us & cheer us on.

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If you raced a UTV (or know someone that did) and would like to share your story and/or pictures from the race, please send an email to jon@utvweekly.com.

Thanks to Jessi at Custom Creations for the pictures.

Royal Purple

About Cedars -Sinai Women’s Cancer Research Center

The Cedars Breast Clinic of the MUHC clinic opens a magnificent window of hope for women facing the prospect of breast disease. Our goal is to provide women of all ages and walks of life with fully-integrated, “one stop” health care and support during one of the most difficult times of their lives.

Tags: custom creations, Kawasaki Teryx, Powder Puff, Race for the Cure, Rockstar Custom Motorsports, Royal Purple, Weller Racing

Category: Featured, Race Recap