July 2001 -- After the
Factory exodus in 1997, many thought the "made for TV" SCORE Trophy
Truck class would die a quick, if regrettable death. After all,
weighing in at well over $250,000 per copy, plus support vehicles,
plus crew, plus spares, plus….well, you get the idea. These
bad boys of the barren sands aren't inexpensive to build, run, or
compete against.
The creation of this truck is
artistry. But, Herman Motorsports did not put fashion before
function.
But a funny thing happened on the way to
extinction….. The class simply refused to die. Like their
predecessors in Class 8, the Trophy Trucks developed a monumental
following in the desert, and the fans simply refused to let them
fade off into oblivion. Regardless of whether there were 10, 5, or
even one or two of the rapid racers on the starting line during the
dark years, the fans would drive great distances, showing up by the
thousands to get even a fleeting glimpse of what true "unlimited"
hardware looked like when the rubber left the road.
For the racers, Trophy Trucks were the brass ring to aspire to.
While no sane person can take credit away from the unlimited
buggies of Class 1, there will always be something about a truck
that shifts a desert racers' mind into "want" mode. And like many
before him, Damen Jefferies was just such a man.
But unlike many who came before him, Jefferies was practically
destined to fight in the Trophy Truck wars. At the forefront of
desert racing's "new breed," the Oak Hills California resident has
made a short but impressive career out of finishing atop whatever
class he happens to be racing in. With a SCORE Overall championship
and multiple class championships (9, ½ 1600, 10, 1) under his
belt already, it was just a matter of time before this closely
watched up-and-comer made the switch to the biggest of the big
leagues.
Every vital function of this
vehicle is closely monitored, including the rear end.
With many of the currently competing trucks in the
class being built around the time of the class' inception with
technology to match, Jefferies and team owner Rob Herman chose to
begin chasing their Trophy Truck dreams in some all-new hardware.
But rather than totally reinvent the wheel, or break new ground
with trick bits of ultra-exotica, Herman Motorsports contracted
Danny Porter to improve upon some already proven concepts.
While the general consensus is that 4-wheel drive is the way of the
future in desert racing's top trucks, it remains largely a new
science, and of the two high-dollar efforts to field such a truck,
only one has succeeded - and at tremendous cost. Although cost may
have been a determining factor, the team's decision to stick with
the traditional 2WD design, it's more likely that the goals of
light weight and simplicity were the greater determining
factors.
"We had a goal of 5500 pounds "wet" for the truck when it was on
the drawing board," said Jefferies, "But once we started building
it, we added a lot more bracing and reinforcement than we'd
originally planned. We were afraid we were going to end up with a
pig on our hands, but when it hit the scales, it came in at just
over 5200 lbs. Even with the added beef, were about 300 lbs. under
what we'd planned!"
The cab is comfortable enough
to sustain both driver and co-pilot for the full duration of such
races as the Baja 1000.
In addition to that light weight resulting in less
stress to the vehicle overall, it closely relates to Jefferies
buggy roots and driving style - I.E. skipping over the desert
rather than plowing through it. During the truck's initial
shakedown cruise, that's exactly what he did.
"Oh, it's fast" said Jefferies, "I'm surprised at just how fast it
really is. We don't have a lot of time on the truck, in fact, (as
of this writing) we only have about 6 hours on it out at Barstow,
but it's looking really fast. There's no doubt that it'll be
competitive."
No Power Crisis Here
To ensure the competitive nature of the fearsome Ford, Jefferies
left the engine building chores up to Keith Clark at Rancho
Performance Machine in Temecula CA. Beginning with the best of
Dearborn hardware, the midship/reverse mounted Ford SVO small block
features a non-standard 4.125 in bore / 3.850 stroke / 13 to 1
compression, roller cam, custom headers, and a Barry Grant fuel
system. The industrial strength TH400 3-speed automatic
transmission feeds the engine's high-spinning 740 HP / 580 ft. lb.
torque output. into, of all things, a Cassele "V-Drive" intended
for use in powerboats. From the V-Drive, it's back to an offset
Chrissman rear axle, featuring 2 1/4 in., 45 spline "rifle drilled"
axles for the ultimate in strength and reliability.
The exhaust is a massive
four-inch Borla.
Travelin' Man
The Porter/F-150 makes use of some serious suspension in the form
of a front A-Arm / Rear 4-Link combo. Out back, Tig welded control
arms formed of chro-moly plate form the backbone upon which 35
inches of vertical inches of travel reside. With coil springs from
Eibach and shock absorbers from King Shocks (1 4 tube bypass and
one coil carrier per wheel) accounting for all the rear suspension
needs, Porter matched the front of the 2001 F-truck body with
A-Arms - but arms far greater than the factory had ever
intended.
Constructed of tubular chromoly and plate steel,
the Porterbuilt A-Arms allow the truck a low slung, almost
"stadium" ride height, while providing over 24 inches of bump-free
vertical travel. Eibach springs and King Shocks mirror the rear
arrangement, and suspend the 37x12.5x17 BF Goodrich Baja "Project"
T/A Radials and Ultra 17x8 beadlock rims from hand built spindles
and CNC disc brakes.
Without its skin, you can see
how the Ford Trophy Truck works.
Fuelish Endeavors
With a mid-engine arrangement, and the 4-link rear suspension.
There's precious little room for anything in the chassis' rear
confines, yet Porter managed to stuff an 80 gallon fuel cell in
there regardless. Filled with VP Fuels "C12" race gas, the F-truck
is capable of about 200 miles between fill-ups, though that varies
with the type of terrain involved, and of course, Jefferies right
foot.
The Future So Bright
Even with lack of visible "Factory" support, the Trophy Truck class
is alive, well, and growing, thanks to team's like Herman
Motorsports, who, despite the costs, the sheer outlay in money and
manpower, refuse to let the obstacles get in the way of their
dreams.
Damen Jefferies and co-driver/brother Casey Jefferies will be
keeping Crew Chief Lee Perfect plenty busy during the 2001 season,
and you can look for the fearsome Ford at any or all of the
following venues….
The
Victories
September 27, 28, 29, 30 2001 BITD Vegas to Reno Trophy Truck November 8, 9, 10, 11 2001 SCORE Baja 1000 Trophy Truck November 30, December 1, 2 2001 BITD Las Vegas 200 Trophy Truck
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