Press Release for Immediate Release
Date: January 7, 2011
Iquique, Chile

The Dakar Ford Raptor Team Reaches The Pacific Ocean

The saga continues at the 2011 Dakar Rally. In the past two days competitors made their way from Argentina’s wine country near Calama, over 16,000 foot passes of the Andes and through the Atacama Desert before descending back to sea level at the Pacific Ocean.

Big news is that American’s own Robby Gordon, who suffered a blown transmission on State Two but was able to get back in the race, lost a wheel bearing yesterday.  The result was a long tow back to the bivouac, disqualification from the race and an empty slot in the starting order this morning.

Though today’s dust has not settled yet, and dozens of teams remain out on the track in the dark, Mark Miller was able to hold a respectable 5th place in the auto class, just twenty minuets behind rally leader Peterhansel of France.

Dakar Ford Raptor Team USA

After yesterday’s 700 kilometer effort, which began in a torrential downpour near Jujuy, Argentina, Sue Mead and Darren Skilton were in good spirits. They’d regained the ground that they’d lost on Stage II, and were back in position 105 for this morning’s start. This would be the first day of extended sand, and the team decided to install their Walker Evans Racing beadlock wheels with a new set of General Grabber tires. The first set was still in great shape, but ultra-low air pressures required for the Atacama sand dunes required the beadlock wheels.
While the support team of Dan Moore and Troy Johnson were busy with the Raptor, Mead reflected on the day (yesterday). “ It is really scary when the T4 trucks need to pass you in a narrow section of track. They are so big, and all you can see is their headlights and grill in the rearview mirror.”  “But Darren and I  are getting into our groove. It is ironic that we had less than one hour in the car together prior to the start. But it is working out. Darren has so much experience and is a great coach.  

“Tomorrow we head into the Atacama Desert. The guys are installing our Walker Evans Beadlocks and I’m sure our ARB air-locker is going to be a great help in maximizing traction in the sand. I think the guys are changing all fluids tonight as well. We chose Royal Purple lubricants because in a race like the Dakar, only the best will do.”

Calama, Argentina: 15,000 feet elevation

After clearing the near-16,000 pass over the Andes and driving for several hours through the moonscape that is the Atacama, competitors lined up an the base of a canyon for this morning’s start.  

Details are slow coming in, but Sue and Darren are currently limping the Raptor towards the bivouac with a broken rear shock mount.  This is a set back for the day, but not a race-ender. As long as they are rolling under their own power, they only take the hit for the extended time.  Troy and Dan will be up late repairing the shock mount and inspecting the entire vehicle for secondary affects.

Tomorrow the 2500+ people of Dakar Village will move north to Arica, Chile, the northernmost point of the race. After seven days of completion, competitors will enjoy a well deserve rest day.

You can view real time Iritrack position updates at Dakar.com and follow the team at Facebook under Dakar Ford Raptor. Or, stay tuned here.
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Please see attachment and images, and contact the team’s media manager Chris Collard for additional information or to set up an interview with Dakar Ford Raptor team members. 
Chris Collard
Adventure Architects Photography
PH: 001-916-952-3630
FX: 001-916-644-6380

Press Release for Immediate Release
Date: January 4, 2011
Salta, Argentina

The Dakar Ford Raptor Team Endures Marathon 72 Hours

It’s been a brutal seventy-two hours for the FabSchool – General Tire Ford Raptor Team USA. After departing Buenos Aires late afternoon on New Year’s Day and making the long drive to Victoria, the team finally went to bed at 0200hrs. 0600 came fast, and the four-hour nap would be an indication of the schedule to come.

The Special section (the dirt) heading to Cordoba was mostly hard-pack with many rocky sections. They lost some ground mid-way in the stage due to a few unexpected stops and large concentrations of spectator traffic on the road and pedestrians clogging the start line. They were also warned for speeding in two places during the liaison stage (a whole three km/h over the limit). The Iritrack system monitors speed throughout the day and automatically flags teams for infractions. The penalty is 100 Euros, the second infraction could cost 500 Euros.

With the big crunch to get the Raptor completed before shipping it to Chile, this was Darren and Sue’s first hours in the truck together. They were both happy with the Raptor’s performance and handling gave kudos to the combination of the General Grabber tires and King racing shocks.

The entire team was in the bivouac by 2100hrs but would not see a pillow until after midnight. Troy Johnson and Dan Moore detailed diagnosed a check engine light that came on mid-day, and inspected and cleaned the Raptor. Sue Mead and Darren Skilton reviewed the next day’s roadbook and discussed the pros and cons of the day. Media Manager Chris Collard finalized details for a 0200 departure with a Bulgarian media team and threw his sleeping bag down for a one-hour nap before heading out for the next Stage.

January 4, 2011: San Miguel de Tucuman to San Salvador de Jujuy
Drivers Sue Mead and Darren Skilton took their place in line for a 1000hrs starting time, behind the 130-plus motorbikes that traditionally begin before four-wheeled vehicles. The beginning of the dirt section, or Special, was a 2.5-hour drive from the bivouac. Since organizers pushed the motorcycle start time down to 0430, so Chris and the Bulgarians were again out of camp by 0200 after arriving at midnight. He snapped the attached image at kilometer marker 157.

Sue and Darren are still on the track as this is written, but sailed the Raptor passed Chris at about 1300hrs in a sandy section of wash on the lee of the Andes. Chris is pirating an Internet connection at a roadside café, and Troy and Dan are in route to San Salvador de Jujuy to set up the camp. Tomorrow, if all goes well, they will cross into Chile through a 15,000 pass and head for the highly revered sand dunes of the Atacama Desert. You can view real time Iritrack position updates at Dakar.com and follow the team at Facebook under Dakar Ford Raptor.

End

Please see attachment and images, and contact the team’s media manager Chris Collard for additional information or to set up an interview with Dakar Ford Raptor team members.

Chris Collard
Adventure Architects Photography
PH: 001-916-952-3630
FX: 001-916-644-6380

For Immediate Release
Dakar Ford Raptor Team USA Begins the 2011 Dakar Rally
Date: January 1, 2011

Buenos Aires brought the New Year in with a bang today with the beginning of the 2011 Dakar Rally. Considered one of the top five adventures in the world of motor sports, it is on the Bucket List of every off road racer and race fan. Synonymous with grit, determination, and guts, the Dakar, over the next fifteen days, will demand every thread of character from the four-hundred-plus who crossed through the grand stage arches this afternoon. Celebrating its third year in South America, the rally continues to draw larger crowds and expanded international attention.

At 1837 hrs this afternoon, America’s own Sue Mead and Darren Skilton parked the FabSchool/General Tire Ford Raptor atop the starting line stage and jumped out waving an American flag. To their right was the only other Ford Raptor in the race, along with its pilots Javier Campillay and Pablo Rodríguez. The two teams not only started this 9500-kilometer adventure together, they will be collaborating throughout the race to make sure that both Raptors cross under the checkered flag in fifteen days.

After and early New Year’s night (1am), the morning began for Team Raptor with the regular 0800 meeting where the team manager Darren Skilton shared his thought on the upcoming day and making sure the support crew, Dan Moore and Crew Chief Troy Johnson, we squared away with the route to tonight’s bivouac in Victoria. Breakfast was followed by a comprehensive driver’s meeting at the Dakar Village, and a few hours back at the hotel with final organizing of their MAN 4×4 support truck. About 1600, media guy Chris Collard headed for the starting line at the Obelisk in the city’s center.

The electronic issues of the previous day were behind them and everyone was charged up to jump in the Raptor and make their way through the streets of Buenos Aires.

Troy, who was chief mechanic for the team a decade ago when Sue navigated for Darren in the Dakar to Cairo rally, said “It feels good to be back at Dakar with the team from the 2000. Sue was navigating for Darren on that race. It was really rough go but they learned to work like a well-oiled machine in the process. That race was 7000 miles, this one is about 5000, and we’ve got a great vehicle with the Raptor. In the preparation phase we set the rear differential with an ARB locker, fitted King Shocks at each corner, and wheels from Walker Evans Racing. We chose Cobra seats for and Crow Harnesses because of their reputation for comfort and quality. Under the hood the Raptor is mostly in factory form except for a pair of Odyssey batteries and Royal Purple Racing oil. I’m really excited to be here and thing Sue and Darren are going to do great.”

With an 1830hr starting position, it would be another late night for everyone. The team charged off to Victoria, a 377 kilometer sortie, for the first stop of the race and will continue on to Cordova tomorrow. Stay with us for daily post on Team Dakar Ford Raptor as they make their way to Arica, Chile in the 2011 Dakar Rally.

Image Captions

Dakar Day 1 - 01
The Dakar Ford Raptor Team of Dan Moore, Darren Skilton, Sue Mead and Troy Johnson

Dakar Day 1 - 02
New Years morning the team met for their final stategy meeting before the start of the 9500 kilometer Dakar Rally.

Dakar Day 1 – 10
The two Ford Raptors in the Dakar, Team Dakar Ford Raptor and Chilean Dakar Raptor, get ramped up at the starting line on New Year’s Day.

Dakar Day 1 – 11
Sue Mead, America’s first female Driver of Record, and co-driver/navigator Darren Skilton wave Old Glory at the stating podium of the 2011 Dakar Rally.

End:

Please see attachment and images, and contact the team’s media manager Chris Collard for additional information or to set up an interview with Dakar Ford Raptor team members.

Chris Collard
Adventure Architects Photography
PH: 001-916-952-3630
FX: 001-916-644-6380

For Immediate Release
December 31,2010
The FabSchool – General Tire Ford Raptor Team Clears Scrutinering at the 2011 Dakar Rally

After a long day of paperwork, official stamps and dotting and crossing Ts, the Dakar Ford Raptor team cleared scrutinering for the 2011 Dakar Rally. The day, which began with a team meeting at 0800, started early considering they were up until 0200 with last minute preparations. At 1000hours Sue Mead took the wheel while Troy Johnson, Dan Moore and Chris Collard jumped in the back for a windy ride through the streets of Buenos Aires to the Dakar Village.

After two hours of paperwork, collecting required stamps for everything from personal blood type to support vehicle registration, the team headed back the holding area where more than 400 motos, Class 4 Semi trucks and four-wheeled vehicles waited. The final preparations before pulling the Raptor in front of the scrutinering judges was to install rally-required electronics: a ERTF GPS, Sentinel safety warning communicator, Iritrack satellite monitoring system, and the Terra Trip rally computer. All lights were green until they turned the key and lost all power to the vehicle.

Though time was short before their assigned scrutinering time slot, and emotions were high, Troy, Dan and Darren dug into the Raptor’s web of new electronic wiring to diagnose the issue. Wiring schematics, circuit testers and tools joined a clatter of discussion as the crew reverse-engineered everything they had done. The culprit turned out to be crossed positive/negative wires on the Sentinel system, which tripped a fuse.

The Sentinel is a driver-activated accident-avoidance system with two functions, and has significantly enhanced safety on the track. Primarily, if a team needs to overtake a slower vehicle, the driver can use Sentinel to send a loud warning alarm that they intend to pass. The slower vehicle can return the ‘acknowledgement’ signal. In the case of an accident or stopped vehicle on the course, Sentinel can emit a signal to any competitor vehicle within 1500 feet. The oncoming vehicle’s Sentinel sounds an audible and visual alarm warning the driver that another vehicle is stopped.

With the issued diagnosed and power restored, the team proceeded to scrutinering where Dakar officials inspect everything from the welds on the roll cage, lighting and tires, to helmets, safety harnesses and fuel cells. Fortunately, Raptor is sporting new General Grabber Tires and Soltek lights and Fab School’s fabrication work is bar none. Sue and Darren’s Oakley racing suits are the best on the market and the Raptor’s Crow harnesses and seats are industry standards.

Chief Mechanic Troy Johnson said, “Last minute hiccups are rough, but we worked through them. I’m stoked that we got the car through tech with minimal problems. The Raptor is spot on with on all accounts. I’m confident at this point that Sue and Darren will pilot the car through each stage. I’m happy with the group coming together as a team at this point. We’ll be working under tight conditions in the next two weeks and it is crucial that we work as a fine tuned machine. “

The team will be up early on New Year’s Day for the diver’s meeting while the Troy and Dan address last minute details on the MAN support truck. At 1730 hours they will roll across the giant starting platform near the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean and head for the Pacific three thousand miles to the west.

End
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Please see attachment and images, and contact the team’s media manager Chris Collard for additional information or to set up an interview with Dakar Ford Raptor team members.

Chris Collard
Adventure Architects Photography
PH: 001-916-952-3630
FX: 001-916-644-6380

For Immediate Release
December 29, 2010

Ford Raptor Dakar Media Release 3
By Chris Collard

December 29, 2010: Buenos Aires, Argentina:
Four days ago, after a three thousand mile transect of South America, Team Manager Darren Skilton arrived in Buenos Aires with the Fab School/General Tire Dakar Ford Raptor. Sue Mead, America’s first female Driver of Record to enter the Dakar Rally, arrived Monday followed by mechanics Troy Johnson and Dan Moore, and media manager Chris Collard who arrived yesterday. Though they have received considerable help from aftermarket industry leaders such as Royal Lubricants, ARB, Walker Evans Racing and Soltek Lights, the group represents America’s only independent team at the 2011 Dakar Rally.

The group spent the past forty eight hours retrieving Skilton’s MAN 4×4 support vehicle from aduana (Argentine customs) and tackling last minute preparations on their 2010 F-150 Ford Raptor. Tomorrow, December 30, at 1600 hours, the team will get in line at the Dakar technical inspection and scrutinering along with more than four hundred other competitors from two-dozen countries.

While at media registration today, Collard and Mead made contact with the only other team piloting a Ford Raptor, Chileans Juan Pablo Rodriguez Salizar and Javier Campillay Paez. The two Raptor teams will be working together throughout the race, sharing technical support or spare parts were needed.

Because the U.S. team is not a high-dollar, corporately funded, the team rented a few spots in a parking garage to work out last minute details on the Raptor. Accustomed to the rigors of desert racing, the crew feels right at home in this format. They will however, embrace the moral and technical support, as well as the camaraderie will come with working with the Chilean team.

2011 Dakar Stats
- 9500 kilometers total distance
- 5000 kilometers of special stages
- 430 competitors
- 800+ vehicles
- 2500 people at the bivouac each night: Organizers, -competitors, support teams and media.

Sue Mead reflected on the events leading up to this epic point.
“ Each day the excitement grows as we approach the start of the Dakar in three days. It’s great to be a working team now together in Buenos Aires and to see the Ford Raptor become transformed to a truly race-ready truck with tools, parts, fluids and gear tucked into every conceivable place of stowage. It was also wonderful to begin the registration process with the Dakar organization and see friends and colleagues from over the years who love this international event. We also met up with our new friends and fellow Ford Raptor competitors Javier and Juan Carlo and their team, from Chile. We already have a bond as we champion the same truck and have made plans to help each other and camp together at the bivouac each night.”

In three days Mead and Skilton will nose the Raptor under the green flag near the Obelisk in the center of one of South America’s most beautiful cities. Stay tune for regular updates. Or, for additional information on Dakar Ford Raptor Team U.S.A. you can find them on Facebook (Dakar Ford Raptor) or contact team media manager Chris Collard: chris@adventurearchitects.com

Image captions
Image 9276:
Sue Mead, America’s first female Driver of Record at the Dakar Rally, and media manager Chris Collard join forces with the Chilean Raptor team. The two teams will be piloting the only for Ford Raptors in the 2011 Dakar Rally.
Image 9277
Sue Mead prepares for interview with French TV crew.