Downey, CA (8/25/2017)
- Murray Racing’s Jason and Derek Murray were
en route to their 49th consecutive desert racing
finish when an engine problem took them out
of the Vegas to Reno Best in the Desert race
in Nevada. The Murrays were running a new extended
chassis Can-Am X3 Turbo in the 500-mile race.
Derek Murray started the race and noticed
300 miles in that the car was down on power.
Despite the issue, the car’s superior chassis
and suspension allowed him to make some passes
and stay in the thick of competition.
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Can-Am
/ ITP / LSR / Murray Racing's Jason
& Derek Murray started the 500+
mile long race near the town of Beatty,
NV on Friday Morning |
Jason Murray got into the car for his driving
stint at around the 300-mile mark when the
engine dropped a cylinder. Murray limped it
into the pits and was unable to repair the
engine. It marked the first time the Murrays
have had an engine failure in eight years
of competition.
“The car was moving, the suspension was working
great and we were picking off cars, but it
was running flat,” said Jason Murray. “We
were pushing hard and all of the sudden a
white plume of smoke came out of the exhaust
and the car lost power. We tried to fix it,
but there was nothing we could do.”
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| Can-Am
/ ITP / LSR / Murray Racing's Jason
& Derek Murray built a new Maverick
X3 Max for the BITD Vegas to Reno |
Despite the rare DNF, the Murrays were pleased
to have a nearly unbeatable record of 48 consecutive
finishes. DNFs are the norm for most desert
racing teams so to attain that many finishes
in a row is exemplary.
“The 49th got the best of us,” said Derek
Murray. “The new car was running well so we
were a little bummed. We put a lot of time
into prepping this car to make sure it was
ready to race. Unfortunately, it didn’t work
out. We knew eventually this day would come.”
With no rain in the area leading up to the
event, the race course was extremely dusty.
Jason Murray thinks that dust may have played
a role in the engine issue.
“This is one of the dustiest races we’ve
been a part of,” said Jason Murray. “The dust
may have played an issue with the engine because
we did have to change an air filter. The dust
was so heavy and they may have played a big
role in our bad luck.”
Despite being down on power, the new extended
wheelbase car was competitive. The larger
car was perfect for the long distance race
and the varied terrain of silt beds and rocks.
“We felt confident it would be the right
car for that course,” said Jason Murray. “If
we hadn’t had the engine issue, it would have
worked out great. We were within striking
distance of the podium despite the engine
issues. The ITP Tires kicked ass. We pushed
those tires through the rocks and silt and
there is nothing else out there we’d rather
be running.”
The racing calendar put the Murrays into
a bit of a conundrum. They are second in points
in the SCORE Series and are still in the BITD
points, and both series have races on the
same day in September. So, the Murrays will
split up so they can run two races in one
day.
“We have the SCORE Rosarita Race and the
Silver State 150,” said Derek Murray. “They
are both points races, so we’re planning to
split up to cover both races in the same day.
The Silver State is fast and wide open, so
we’ll stick with the long wheelbase car for
that and run the short wheelbase car in the
SCORE event.”
The Murrays will be back in action September
23 at the Silver State 150 BITD race in Caliente,
NV and the SCORE Tijuana Desert Challenge
in Mexico.
Murray Racing
2017 Sponsors:
Can-Am, ITP, Lonestar Racing, FOX, Yoshimura, Lazerstar, Torco, Beard Seats, K&N, Berts UTV, AMR Racing, Shoria, OMF, Rugged Radios, Streamline, Visual Impact, Pyrotech
