My background:  | Our “Race Truck”, right after
we got it home, and started to wonder what we were getting
ourselves into. |
We started racing quarter midgets when I was 6
years old, mostly on dirt tracks, where I won 2 “dirt
shootout” championships. At 13, I started racing Minicups on
a ¼ mile asphalt oval at Altamont raceway in CA (www.altamontraceway.com). There I won the 2002 Minicup
championship. My family has been active in recreational dune
buggies since I was 10 months old. My mom & dad used to put me
in a car seat next to my older sister in our four seater and go
trail running with our club on runs including the Yerington off
road course, and the Rubicon trail. About the truck:  | The first piece of the cage. I made it on our
home made bender, in between rain showers. |
We contemplated building a race buggy, but since
we already had a buggy, we decided to do something different. We
built a 7s Ford ranger, partly because my dad won’t let
anything but a Ford in the garage. Also, our friend Steve who races
a Ranger was upgrading to 7 open, and had good ideas, and lots of
7s parts for us. In VORRA, the 7 class is one of the most popular
classes, with good car counts, which makes the racing even more
fun.  | Finally got the truck in the garage (where
it’s dry & warm), Roll cage build up is in progress. Most
of the cab done, still needs rear bracing engine compartment, front
& rear shock mounts. |
I bought the truck for $150 from someone on
“Craig’s List”, it ran, but the transmission
would not shift. A friend and I stripped it down, completely
gutting the cab. Then my dad and I built our own tubing bender, and
started building the cage. A lot of the parts (gauges, air filter,
fuel pump, shifter, electrical parts…) came from eBay, which
helped keep our project in budget. I also made some parts in my
high school metal shop class (taught by Neil, whose son I had raced
Quarter Midgets with).
Racing Goals: Our goal this year was to run the last three
VORRA (www.vorra.com) races to get some seat time, test the
truck, and start building a good driving reputation. Because
I’m only 16, I want to make sure the other racers know
I’m a clean driver, not just some wild kid behind the wheel.
We ended the season 7 th overall in points, with a third overall
for the day at the last race. My mom & sister even took 4 th in
the powder puff race.  | Getting ready for the race to start, setting up
the video camera for an “in-cab” view. |
Our goal next year is to upgrade the truck,
attend and finish all the VORRA short course races, and run at
least one desert race (probably Yerington). We also hope to attract
some more sponsors so we can build a solid race team in the
future.
Base truck specs: Make: Ford Model: Ranger regular cab Year: 1987 Engine: 2.9L V6 Induction: Stock fuel injection Transmission: C4 (originally an A4LD
overdrive) Current design features:  | Start of the race, VORRA short course. Prairie
City CA, near Sacramento in the rain, “The Mud Bowl”.
October 17 th, 2004. |
To avoid frame cracks, every place we connect to
the frame we bolted a plate on, and welded to the plate. This also
allows easier replacement of cage parts. To help strengthen the frame, the cage is
attached directly to the frame, not the cab. Beard “Super Seats” are suspended
from the cage as well rather than attached to the cab. The Rear bumper folds down so we can get it in
the trailer. Stock fuel injection, with a single Mallory high
pressure fuel pump mounted in the fuel cell, so there are no
external pumps or connections. Dual Fox front shocks with extended spring
buckets to allow longer travel springs. Shock mounts & spring buckets braced to the
roll cage. Single Fox rear shocks with re-arched springs
and flipped shackles. Plans for the truck for next year
include: Replace sheet metal with fiberglass, (hood,
front, and rear fenders). Improve weight ratio (front to back). Integrate a stronger rear end (8.8 or 9”)
with a lower gear ratio. Increased suspension travel.
You can contact KC at: www.kellerbeesracing.com | 
