Alexander Motorsports Takes 3rd in Debut Race at the 2012 BITD Parker 425
- 20 Feb 2012
Steve Alexander and his Alexander Motorsports team debuted their new look at the Parker 425 as one of the official KC HiLiTES race vehicles. Alexander and co-pilot, Gavin Ferguson, started the race second out of five in Class 5000. The team suffered a 20-minute set back during the second lap due to a nut coming loose on the lower link pin. Once the crew from Las Vegas Dissemination identified and rectified the problem Alexander and Gavin continued to chase the leaders. At the end of the second lap Alexander was so impressed with the handling of the car he made the decision to stay in the car and drive the last lap. With the sun setting and visibility down to zero they clipped a rock with the rear tire suffering their only flat for the entire race. Just under 10 hours and 425 miles later the brand new Bill Shapley racing engine, which never missed a beat, no matter how deep the washes or silt got, crossed the finish line in third place. "The 2332cc power-plant, protected by K&N had plenty of torque to get the job done," remarked Alexander.
You obviously enjoyed the feel of your new vehicle, as you made the decision to drive the last lap, what is the most significant difference in handling as you see it? "To start, the ICON Vehicle Dynamics shocks made the car handle much better and actually smoothed a lot of the bumps out. We also changed up our Mickey Thompson tires from a 31" tire in the front to a 33". Between the two, the car was so much more enjoyable to drive." Is there one moment of the race that stands out? "The only thing that comes to mind as a highlight is when Robby Gordon's helicopter got in front of us and flew backwards to let us know that Robby was coming up on us. We were able to get out of the way without either one of us losing any speed." (Gordon went on to win the race).
Are there any lessons you learned in 2011 that you would like to change or improve on during this season? "Being that the Class 5s weakest point is the front arm, we are in the process now of developing a new front arm design for the car and plan on debuting this for the Silver State 300 in May 2012." How much did the flat tire slow you down? "Normally it only takes about 4 to 5 minutes to change a tire but due to some very ambitious older spectators/course workers and a very old floor jack it cost us about 15 minutes. I just didn't have the heart to tell them we can just do it ourselves, but it was the last lap, and we were only 15 miles from start/finish, and I really think it made their day to know they did their part to help a racer." When and where do you race next? "BITD Mint 400 on March 24th, 2012." Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
