We set up a temporary camp when we arrived due to the mud at our normal spot. Pre-running the desert and figuring out the fuel mileage was the first step. The next thing on the list was pre-running the rock sections. We flopped the truck on Wrecking Ball at the waterfall and acquired some new body damage. The body was hammered back "straight" at camp and pre-running continued. During a pre-run in the rocks I ripped out both the rear, lower diff studs which caused a good leak to form. We topped off the diff and went back to camp to make the repairs. Nothing too exciting happened after that leading up to race day. On race day we lined up, took the green flag and started working our way to Turkey Claw. I nerfed a Jeep going slow on the way to Turkey Claw and smashed up my hood real good. Once we got stuck in the traffic jam on Turkey Claw my co-driver took the hood off and put it off the course to the side. We made our way through the traffic, into the desert and headed to pit 1 for fuel. At some point in the desert the tube welded to the bed holding the spare tire in ripped off. This broke the positive battery cable terminal and caused the truck to shut off. We got everything back together with a bunch of ratchet straps, swapped over to battery 2 and started moving again. Coming into Pit 1 the tool bag that was helping hold the spare tire down came loose and landed on top of the fuel pumps. A post pump fuel fitting was knocked loose and was dumping fuel in the bed of the truck. We shut the truck off, got out and tightened up the fitting. We cleaned up, the crew finished fueling and we were off headed back to Main Pit. We worked out way through the desert section and made it to Main with no issues. At Main Pit we took fuel and the crew noticed the rear diff was dripping. They topped the diff off with gear oil and we started lap 2 of King of the Hammers for the first time. During lap 2 we went back through Turkey Claw, a small desert section and then into the rocks. The truck did great in the rock sections, we winched a few times and eventually made it to Pit 2.
Arickvan was running Pit 2, he got us fuel and sent back out racing. Everything was going good till around Mile Marker 109 at the trail Tumble Weed. The truck started acting like the fuel pump was going out. I switched over to fuel pump 2, this worked for a second and then the same thing. Me and my co-driver swapped out the two fuel pumps with the two spares we keep onboard. This didn't work and we started checking every sensor, plug, connector, switch and still nothing. With the truck not running and only having a limited amount of time remaining we decided to end our race there and get a tow back to Hammer Town. This was by far the best we have ever done at KOH and I am excited for the next one.
