Metro Motorsports Team
Metro Motorsports kicked off the 2014 off road racing season in dramatic fashion at the legendary Best In The Desert Parker 425. Located on the boarder of California and Arizona, the town of Parker has played host to some of the most iconic off road racing action that has ever taken place. Deep sand whoops, rocky goat trails and long straight sand washes take no prisoners and isn’t for the faint at heart.
Metro Motorsports rolled through Parker Arizona with their red, white, and black number 6025 TrophyLite in tow and a few unfamiliar faces wearing their team gear. Although not new to off road racing, Metro Motorsports is a combined effort of veteran off road racers, local Southern California master mechanics, machinists and businessmen alike. Though it may seem to be an eclectic group of people from the outside, the dynamic of Metro Motorsports stretches far beyond your average pit crew. Metro Motorsports is a newly formed team but is by no means new to the sport of off road racing. With thirty plus years of combined experience, Metro Motorsports is more than prepared to take on the entire 2014 Best In The Desert racing series and the 2014 TrophyLite racing series at full speed.
Metro Motorsports Team
The Metro Motorsports TrophyLite #6025 drew the number one starting position earning them the luxury of clean air ahead of them, but along with that came the added pressure of 11 other TrophyLites doing all that they can to chase down the #6025.
Jeff Proctor – BITD Parker 425 starting line
When the green flag dropped, the Metro Motorsports TrophyLite hit the streets of Parker Arizona with team owner Jeff Proctor at the wheel. Immediately leaving the pavement, Proctor made his way into the Arizona desert and started pounding away at the 140mile loop that would quickly become the worlds largest off road graveyard.
Starting line BITD Parker 425
As each mile of the course became rougher and rougher, the noticeable side effects of fatigue became prevalent. Thankfully the Metro Motorsports TrophyLite underwent a complete prep job and hundreds of test miles went into making the #6025 the very best truck it could be. Putting the #6025 through the paces and picking off faster classes one by one, Proctor brought the Metro Motorsports TrophyLite in for a splash of fuel half way though the first lap. The Metro Motorsports pit crew at the Midway pit wasted no time and performed a flawless fuel stop keeping the Metro Motorsports TrophyLite in the first place position. Immediately leaving Midway, the #6025 would really be put to the test; some of the most technical sections of the course were just a few miles ahead. Keeping the hammer down, Jeff Proctor made it though the technical rock section and faster class carnage unscathed and made his way to the start/finish line where the rest of the Metro Motorsports crew would be waiting for another fuel stop.
“The crew did an amazing job, I really can’t say enough about this group of guys and their ability to adapt to any situation. These guys were on it, they even knew what my favorite mid-race snack was (a cold snickers bar) and had everything all worked out before I showed up with the truck, our pit stops were flawless”, commented team owner Jeff Proctor.
After leaving “main pit” with a full tank of fuel and a reenergized driver, the #6025 went back to work in the harsh Arizona desert. Picking his way past more broken vehicles on the course, Jeff Proctor ran lap 2 with patience and precise aggression, the Parker 425 is won and lost in the last lap of the race. Making their way back to the main pit for a drivers change, the Metro Motorsports TrophyLite made its way though the “Parker Python” with nearly a 5-mile lead over the second place TrophyLite. Anxiously waiting to jump in the drivers seat, secondary driver Kevin Davis and Co-rider Justin Grossmann prepared themselves for a smooth driver and Co-rider change.
Davis and Grossmann took over controls of the #6025 and left main pit maintaining their 5-mile lead over second place. As the sun started to go down, Kevin Davis began to stretch the lead over the competition and was focused on bringing the Metro Motorsports TrophyLite to the finish line.
Just 60 miles into lap number three, the unexpected happened; Parker sunk it’s teeth into the 6025. A mechanical failure left the Metro Motorsports TrophyLite dead in the water without all forward gears and even reverse gear. The crew was quickly notified that the Metro Motorsports 6025 was unable to move and the damage was catastrophic, it seemed as though our day was done. The Metro Motorsports team went from a 20-mile lead to watching from the sidelines. After some swift actions and quick planning from the Metro Motorsports crewmembers, a replacement transmission had been located and a plan was in place to attempt to replace the broken transmission in the field. After a short game plan overview and pep talk to the rest of the crew that the 6025 wasn’t out of the race just yet, the Metro Motorsports crew donned their battle gear and prepared themselves for a long night in the desert.
After some much needed help from the Checkers Pits and a well organized transplant plan, the Metro Motorsports TrophyLite roared back to life and the crew was confident it could get to the finish in order to salvage valuable championship points.
Trans swap with Checkers Pit crew
Kevin Davis and Justin Grossmann crossed the finshline in Parker Arizona just in time to meet the anxious Metro Motorsports crew and celebrate their 6th place finish.
Team owner Jeff Proctor went on to say, “We thought we were done. I’m so proud of the whole team and their ability to overcome such a horrific mechanical failure. Championships are won on your worst days and I truly believe that the Metro Motorsports team has what it takes to be a championship winning team”.
Metro Motorsports would like to thank all of the amazing companies who choose to support Metro Motorsports throughout the 2014 season: Metro Honda, Metro Acura, Turn Key SEO and Digital Marketing, United Diesel Services, Claremont Automotive Electronics, MasterCraft, KC highlights, New Life Collision Center