King of the Hammers a “Learning Experience” for Race Prep Racing #4474

Simon | March 15, 2012

King of the Hammers a “Learning Experience” for Race Prep Racing #4474

March 14, 2012, Simi Valley, CA: The 4474 Race Prep Racing team known for consistency and perseverance encountered a day ending break at the 2012 Griffin King of the Hammers race in Johnson Valley, CA on February 10, 2012. At race mile 68 (of 171 miles) the driver Richie Carter was told by his pit crew that fluid wasn’t going to be enough to keep the rear differential happy. Carter, thinking he was simply leaking a little fluid from the rear axle due to a seal failure, had planned to add fluid at the pits as needed. But when he stopped there for fluid and fuel the crew had to tell him the issue was larger than that. Upon further inspection it seemed the rear axle housing had suffered a break at the spindle and the axle was being held together by the brakes on the passenger side. The team had no choice but to end their race efforts there.

This was unfamiliar territory to Carter and the team who had been able to finish all but one race in their rookie season and in the one they didn’t finish they simply timed out, having suffered a roll over earlier in the day that slowed them down. “I hated to end it there. I was so sure it just needed a little fluid! We had just come through 5 miles of punishing rocks without any trouble and we were running in the top 20”, Carter said about this end to his race day.

Race Prep Racing had signed with Falken Tire for the 2012 season and raced on Wild Peak 37” A/T tires, which Carter reported were working beautifully. Changes made to the cooling system in 2011 and adjusted during race week were also working well as were the new driver/co-driver pairing with Jessi Combs in the right seat for the first time with the 4474 race team.

“We were doing exactly what we had planned. I felt like we had a real shot at a top 20. But if KOH was easy, everyone would do it!” Carter further noted.

The team is making repairs to the car now and looking forward to their other races this season. They will be competing in the Ultra4 Pro Series which includes this King of the Hammers race, Vegas to Reno in August and American RockSports Challenge in September. Carter also plans to race in the Glen Helen Grand Prix in July. And while their King of the Hammers race didn’t end with the result they were hoping for, they are able to improve the car and learn from the failure, making them a team to keep an eye on throughout 2012.

Race Prep Racing is proudly sponsored by Falken Tire, GenRight Off Road, Race Prep Hobbies, Warn Industries, Coast Motor Supply, West Coast Cylinder Heads, SW Airflow Services and Odyssey Batteries. The team would also like to thank the Raceline Wheels, Griffin Thermal Products and King Off-Road Racing Shocks for their support.

Race Prep Racing always displays the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation logo in support of finding a cure for the devastating disease, Spinal Muscle Atrophy. For information about SMA, Gwen or the foundation, visit their website at www.theGSF.org, call Bill Strong at (818) 231-5935 or e-mail him at bill@theGSF.org.

About Richie Carter: Currently residing in Simi Valley, CA with his wife of 12 years, Richie (39) was raised in Calabasas, CA, attended Sonoma State University, and is the owner of Race Prep Hobbies, an “ALL RC” hobby store selling remote control cars, boats, planes and helicopters and all of their parts. He proudly co-drove for Tony Pellegrino at KOH 2010 and Kevin Sacalas at the Colorado Hill Climb 2010 before striking out on his own to race Ultra4. In his rookie season Richie raced the entire Ultra4 Series and finished in 11th place out of 182 registered racers. He is known for his perseverance and consistency.

If you would like more information about the driver, co-driver or the team, are interested in sponsorship opportunities, or would like a chance to interview them or photograph the car, please call Kristen Carter at (818) 590-9436 or e-mail her at justacagirl@gmail.com. Their Facebook page can be found at www.facebook.com/raceprepracing and web presence is currently under construction.