Trent Blew and Corey Kruchkowski make up the TNT Motorsports race team. They decided to take a different approach when it came to race rig design. They built a tube chassis around a Jeep YJ and put TTB front suspension in it. Instead of just throwing a V8 in between the frame rails they built the inline six and added a healthy shot of nitrous. The nitrous would help them keep up when hauling the mail across the faster sections of Johnson Valley. They were one of only two vehicles to compete with a TTB style front suspension in the 2011 Griffin King of the Hammers Race in Johnson Valley California. Ragnar Robertsson came all the way from Iceland to pilot the rig and guarantee the crazy Canadians an international spot in the race. Prerunning the rig went well. The team spent the 3 days leading up to the race wrenching on their YJ Buggy to make its date with destiny. Team TNT with Ragnar at the wheel and Corey at the Co-driver position pulled up to the line with their hearts pumping louder than the pistons of their built motor. They were counted down until the flag dropped. Ragnar stabbed the throttle and they were on their way. Their opponent beat them off the line but once the rig got up to speed the TTB suspension started to shine as they reeled in and passed numerous competitors. Just after the 1st checkpoint a boulder the size of a refrigerator took out the front steering. Ragnar and Corey spent 45 minutes replacing everything with spare parts and were back on the race course. They walked through Elvis which was the first major rock obstacle of the course. They pulled up to arguably the hardest trail of the course Outer Limits and had to swap propane tanks. This was at Mile Marker 28. They beat their way up the beginning of Outer Limits and the rig was doing great. The TTB suspension was allowing them to take some really tight lines through the obstacles. They pulled up to the first of two waterfalls and noticed that the steering was acting up. The fittings had finally crumpled. Corey decided to hoof it to the remote pit 2 miles away for parts while Ragnar stayed and worked on the buggy. Corey walked past a huge traffic jam at the 2nd waterfall where Dave Cole was perched up on a rock directing traffic and continued on to the remote pit. After a while he returned overheated and tired with parts and some JB weld. They made the needed repairs and assessed their situation. At 2:30 in the afternoon and only 29 miles into the race Team TNT decided to call it a day. They limped back to the pits with their heads held high. They had brought a new rig with an unproven suspension and a green team to the toughest one day off road race in the world. They had competed with the best of the best. Less than half of the teams that began this brutal race finished it. Team TNT will be back next year with a new rig ready to prove to the world that they have what it takes to Finish the 2012 King of the Hammers Race. Read more about their race rig buildup HERE.
The Busted Knuckle Crew will be on hand for the 2012 King of the Hammers race with the cameras rolling. Contact us if you are interested in documenting your trip with a professional video and or photo shoot. Let Busted Knuckle take your race team to the next level. Contact Us for a FREE Quote. We strive to deliver a quality product that fits your budget.
Congrats Ragnar! Great Footage!
Bongo!