ROD & JOSH HALL TEAM UP TO TAKE THE H3 TO VICTORY IN ‘PARKER 425’

February 04, 2006 - Parker, AZ: In a tight Class 3100 race that saw the lead change several times, the Team HUMMER H3 SUV overcame shifting problems to emerge victorious in the season opening ‘Parker 425’ held last week in Parker, Arizona. The first race in Best in the Desert Racing Association’s five race Silver State Series, the ‘Parker 425’ featured three laps around a very demanding 133 mile course South of this Western Arizona resort town.

Shortly after the start of the race, the H3 suffered a malfunction in the computer module that controls the transmission resulting in the loss of all but second gear throughout the entire 400 mile event. “Second gear seemed to be enough”, said team owner, Rod Hall. “I took the lead from Scott Douglas in the #3107 Ford Explorer about eight or ten miles into the race and we ran neck and neck during the next 350 miles. Douglas got by me while I was stopped for fuel at the end of the first lap and it took me another 50 miles to put the H3 back in front”. At the end of the second lap, 266 miles into the race, Hall pulled into the main pit to fuel for the last time and saw the H2 in the pit with the hood up. Apparently the #4101 Team HUMMER H2 SUV had developed metal fatigue in an internal transmission component about 100 miles into the race. The transmission failure caused ATF to erupt out of the overflow tube and into the engine compartment.

Subsequently, the fluid ignited resulting in significant collateral damage to the wiring harness. The incident put driver Josh Hall on the sidelines, bringing the H2’s eight-race winning streak to an end. “After coming into the pit, I asked Josh if he would like to take the H3 around for the final lap”, Rod said, “but as he was getting into the truck, the #3107 Ford passed us again, taking over the lead by about 30 seconds before we could get back in the race”.

In spite of the fact that Douglas was setting a fast pace in the Explorer, Hall caught and passed him in Osbourne Wash, about 10 miles into the final lap, padding his lead over the Ford by 2 1/2 minutes until the H3 was forced to pit at Graham Well (race-mile 317) to tighten the steering, when the Explorer got by him again. Within 20 miles the #3111 Team HUMMER H3 had closed the gap to less than a minute when Douglas suffered some catastrophic failure to the front suspension on the #3107 Explorer. Josh passed him for the final time taking the H3 in to the finish line for the win.

Chad Hall finished a close third in Class 8100, just nine minutes off the winning pace, after excessive fuel consumption caused the #8102 H1 Pick-up to lose about 15 minutes prior to the end of the first lap. “I’m not certain why the fuel milage was so bad,” commented Chad, “but the truck performed better than it has in a long time, aside from the fuel issue.” Normally the H1 has a range of close to 175 miles on a tank of fuel, however at Parker the truck unexpectedly ran dry after 125 miles. The new H1 Alpha Duramax Diesel powered race truck will be introduced at the ‘Terrible’s Town 250’ in April, so we may never know the root cause of the fuel problem since the old H1 has been officially retired. A more detailed race report, complete with photos, will be available in the Team HUMMER Insider, which will be published quarterly during 2006. The first issue, which will cover the ‘Parker 425’ and the ‘Terrible’s Town 250’, will be sent out in early May and will coincide with the newly upgraded Team HUMMER website, currently under construction.

Team HUMMER’s next race is the BitD ‘Terrible’s Town 250’, April 28 - 30 in Parumph, Nevada.

For More info on Parker Arizona visit: ColoradoRiverInfo.com/Parker