united Prerunners Dirt Wars Latest Campaign - silverado Pro 4 - Photo 30276334

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If you're in the pits, take a look under the front end of George Reiss's tube framed Silverado Pro-4. The truck came to life under the hand of (and was first raced by) Curt LeDuc. We dig the extended Traction Beams, which are steered by a swingset steering system, and kept level via a Cal Pre-Fun sway bar.

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Nationally known speed showed up at Dirt Wars in the form of Curt, Todd, Kyle LeDuc, and the Skyjacker semi. This fast family will not only show you how a track should be driven, they'll lend a hand with mechanical help, too. This was the first time we'd caught sight of Todd's bad, black CORR Pro-2 F-150.

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Back in the day, Steve Ruddick's '85 Toyota Extra Cab 4x4 sported two solid axles, four leaf springs, and just enough suspension travel to smooth out a rolled-up newspaper or a parking lot speed bump. Things have changed. I-beams and links now control the wheel travel, allowing the Toy to skim the whoops instead of laboriously crawling through. Early in the Dirt Wars campaign, Steve got a friendly tug back to the pits courtesy of Belden Alivio, but got back on the track as soon as an electrical gremlin was discovered and dispensed with. The four-cylinder's performance doesn't match the suspension's ability anymore, so look for a V-6 in the near future.

Ok, ok, so there's been a lot of Matt Helton on our pages. What would you do if you happened across an off-roader who builds his own truck (including the A-arms up front) shows up to every grassroots-event starting line, drives hard, works a full-time job and takes care of a family? You'd probably take photos and write captions, too. We snapped the father-and-son shot after the ROR Jump Champs (see "Your Turn" December 2005).

If you're in the pits, take a look under the front end of George Reiss's tube framed Silverado Pro-4. The truck came to life under the hand of (and was first raced by) Curt LeDuc. We dig the extended Traction Beams, which are steered by a swingset steering system, and kept level via a Cal Pre-Fun sway bar.

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Chad McNeil successfully, and then unsuccessfully negotiated what we think should have been dubbed "I-beam corner." Chad joined others, including Greg Gagnon and Matt Torian, who have put their trucks shiny side down as their I-beams hooked the turn's awkward, sharp contours. Shiny side down isn't a lot of fun, but if your truck incorporates a well-built 'cage and you cover your cranium with a helmet, it doesn't hurt as badly.

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Jack Mitman, and the rest of the Dregs Racing Company, knows the meaning of "prepared" on race day. The Dregs trailer boasts an armada of tools, spare parts, and fabrication equipment, right down to a drill press, a hydraulic shop press, and MIG and TIG welders.

If this is the angle you usually see Dan Vance's Toyota from, you're not alone.

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We've seen Dillon Tomky's '97 Mazda B2300 consistently make the rounds and jumps at the ROR for a while now, so we delved a little further for the details. The stock four-popper and 5-speed manual tranny continue to motivate the standard cab chassis, which has been back-halved and 'caged by Dillon himself with the help of Josh Lucas. Sandidge Brothers Racing supplied the I-beams, radius arms, and the trailing arms for the rear suspension. Dillon and Josh set the rear upper links into place along with the rest of the 'cage work. "I didn't have enough money for a nice rearend and I was getting really anxious to drive it, so we used the stock 7.5" rearend with 4.10 gears. Surprisingly, it's held up to a year of abuse." The truck's near future includes a full engine cage, a built Ford 9-inch rearend and a sought-after SOHC Ford 4.0.