What would you endure to attend the VPAC? Shaun Martin shares...
Author: Shaun Martin	Wes Williams | Thursday, 15 October 2009 13:40

Wes,

What’s up buddy?

First off great job this past weekend, we had a great time!

O.K. now a quick story…..

Two days before we left, I noticed a leak under the front of my truck. Now this is a 2009 F350 sick, 13,000 miles, white with black wheels, kickin stereo, one owner, clean, never raced.

So I rush it to the Ford dealer and they decided the radiator needed replacing.

IT IS RAINING!

So they replaced the radiator and away we went heading to the Peach state, don’t know why they say that, I thought it was famous for carpets!

Somewhere in Mississippi, we get a blow out on my trailer. We stop on the side of the highway and assess the damage.

Completely blown tire, fender and side of trailer wasted, generator took hard hit lodging loose the muffler and the wires for the trailer brakes ripped out.

After unloading the golf cart and everything else on top of the spare tire, we change the tire and rewire the brakes, all while 18 wheelers are speeding by mire inches from my feet sticking out like the wicked old witch when the house fell on her. (Except I wear DVS shoes not ruby slippers)

So after we start moving we notice that the spare is flat so I start looking for a truck stop. Did you know that there are only twelve truck stops in Mississippi, and none on the road we were on?

IT IS STILL RAINING!

Finally we find one and fill up the extremely low spare tire. Then Vann’s mechanic (Jim) says, “Hey dude, uum I think you should check this out”.

After some close inspection, we discover a huge Exxon Valdez transmission spill.

We start looking around but cannot find the source of the bleeding, so we do a transfusion and add 4 quarts of fluid.

Now we have to stop every 200 miles and add 4 quarts of the red fluid. Did I mention that it was 4 bucks a quart?

IT IS STILL RAINING!

Now it was exactly 200 miles to the track, and do you think we stopped when we got close to fill the ever bleeding transmission?

No that would not make for a worth while road story would it.

I am calling Kevin Kelly every 2 minutes to get directions because our stupid GPS is lost.

In between the loud music and party activities, I am kind of getting directions, but we turn right at the Piggly Wiggly., about a half a mile sooner than we were supposed to.

IT IS STILL RAINING!

Now we are in a really tight neighborhood with a 44 foot trailer and a 4 door dually leaking transmission fluid like it was shot in a drive by.

Another call to our good buddy Kevin and he advises us to turn around and go back.

Right after I hang up from him there is a huge explosion.

Now we are from a big metro city, but usually when you here that it is followed by sirens and lights, but here in the back wood of Georgia, I guess it is normal.

Ok now back to our 550 point turn around in some red neck’s yard!

Now we are on the right track and find the real entrance to Bremen Race Park!

Yahoo!

IT IS STILL RAINING!

The girl at the gate is super cool, but she tells us that the R.V. spots on the top of the hill are taking so we have to back up about 200 feet and go to the lower spots.

Now normally, this would not be a super big problem, but the mixture of the very wet dirt, slight downhill then uphill to the spot and the slipping transmission makes this a somewhat sketchy maneuver.

But remember, I am a pro so I whip it in there like a Tokyo drifter and slid right into our spot.

IT STOPPED RAINING!!!

The races were awesome, Vann did very well, I am so stoked for him, he has been working very hard and it shows.

I think everybody is really surprised by his improvement, and he has only been on the bike for 6 weeks!

Jeremy Kress turned a bunch of heads and will show everybody who he is this year.

So after dealing with the clapped out 2002 CR125 with no silencer all weekend, my head still hurts, but we head back south and west.

We drive about an hour and it starts raining again!

Not wanting to have the combo of rain, darkness and leaking transmission fluid from a brand new truck we stop for the night.

It is a pretty uneventful trip, except for the rain and the ever leaking truck until we get 40 miles form the Honda of Houston Headquarters.

We are sitting in 6 O’clock traffic moving fairly slow while IT IS STILL RAINING!

Then all the sudden my truck stops moving and the rpms go through the roof.

We stop in traffic and lift the hood to find out that the constant leak came from a hose that did not have the clamp installed properly.

We found it because the hose blew off and puked all of the fluid all over my truck!

Looking around I see a Shell station about a ¼ mile down the road, so I start huffing it through the rain to get some more 4 dollar transmission fluid.

I huff it back while the traffic is getting more pissed because of the big read Honda of Houston trailer blocking forward movement!

We pour in the precious fluid, slam the hood and get moving again, but the first time I hit the brakes, the truck takes a hard left turn

Seems the fluid soaked the right brakes and they were not working!

 

Then we get back to the store and open up the back of the trailer only to find out that the golf cart seat came off knocking the parking brake off.

Thus the golf cart moved and beat a hole in one of the cabinets and ripped the door loose!

AND…….

I need some picture of Jeremy, can you send me any?

Thanks!

And again, Great job guys!!