Aug. 22 was a memorable day for officials at the Super Truck Racing Association of North America (STRANA). In the first of three scheduled demonstration runs at the Road America racetrack outside of Elkhart Lake, Wis., two of the group's four trucks blew their turbochargers. One coasted into the pits; the other stopped on the track and caught fire.
Unfortunately for STRANA, the other half of the fleet was unavailable to replace the disabled pair. Those units were parked at Georgia-based Elan Motorsports Technologies, where they'd been built. Both were waiting to be repaired after a wreck at Road Atlanta last year.
Turbo Troubles
Turbo failures are the latest in a series of mechanical problems that have plagued the three-year-old organization since it began promoting European-style truck racing in North America. So far, the effort to start a Class 8 series here has generated a lot of interest from race fans and the trucking industry, but no investors have been willing to buy a truck and field a team.
"It seems like everyone is waiting for someone else to take the first [truck]," says Chuck Kleinhagen, president of Haldex Brake Systems and one of STRANA's founding sponsors. "As long as we don't have a list of teams already signed up or committed, it can be tough to expect others to climb on board-even though the sport is popular and proven in Europe."
Kleinhagen says part of the problem has been timing. The first attempt to launch STRANA was in 2002 when the U.S. economy was on the skids.
"Things are starting to recover a little bit now," he says. "We know of a number of fleets and distributor-type companies that have an interest in the series. I am hopeful that people will see value in this as a promotional endeavor, and I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll get this off the ground next year."
Such an achievement will require a healthy dose of optimism and good fortune. STRANA would need at least eight trucks on the track to make its events competitive and interesting. Attracting that many investors between now and the start of the 2005 race season, tentatively slated for mid-July, will be a challenge.
Not necessarily, says Steve Lerner, STRANA's communication director and a consummate promoter. He says the list of prospective investors isn't limited to a few large OEMs and component makers. "A number of carriers have expressed interest in fielding a team," he says. "You know, one of their biggest challenges today is finding and keeping good drivers. We think that the exposure a truck race team could bring them might help with recruiting efforts."
Many truckers are racing enthusiasts, of course, but their interest is generally limited to the oval-track, either quarter-milers or NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). STRANA, however, has teamed with the American Le Mans Series, a road racing organization mostly populated by European sports cars.
"We considered all of the options and felt that American Le Mans was a better fit for us," says Lerner, adding that road courses offer a wider variety of driving situations: turns in both directions and hills.
"The trucking industry loves racing. Just because this is road racing, which is sort of non-traditional among truckers, it's still racing, and it's still big trucks, and they love it," he says.
Awe-Inspiring
Lerner's assessment might be based more on hope than fact, but big trucks were clearly a hit with road racing fans in Wisconsin. After the disastrous first run, many of them strolled over to STRANA's tent on the far end of the paddock to inspect the partially charred Tonka truck. They stood silently, gazing upon the rig as though it were a big piece of space junk that had fallen to earth. Some took pictures; others just shook their heads. Small children pointed at the big red logo they couldn't read but still recognized.
Several of the same people stood in awe the next day, as the bright blue Haldex truck roared to life again-thanks to a new turbo that was shipped to the track overnight-and slowly rolled passed diminutive Audis, Ferraris, Lolas and Porsches on its way to the staging area, the track's launching pad. To the disappointment of many, though, this solo run was also cut short when heat indicators near the turbo registered near-meltdown conditions.
STRANA's 2004 season effectively ended at Road America in July. With three disabled trucks and the mysterious, annoying turbo trouble, organization officials canceled their scheduled demonstration runs in September at Road Atlanta. At this point, the promise and potential of heavy-truck racing in North America would seem as illusive now as it was when STRANA was founded three years ago.
STRANA Super Truck Specs
Price: est. $310,000 (race ready)
Curb weight: est. 10,000 lbs
Wheelbase: 147.25 inches
Track, f/r: 87.5 inches front / 84.5 inches rear
Length: 214 inches
Width: 100 inches
Height: 102 inches
Fuel Capacity: 26 gallons
Engine & Drivetrain
Engine: Detroit Diesel 6-Cylinder Series 60
Bore X stroke: 5.24 inches x 6.61 inches
Displacement: 855 inches (14.0 L)
Compression ratio: 15.0:1
Horsepower (DIN): 800 bhp at 2500 rpm
Torque: 2200 ft. lbs.
Fuel delivery: Fuel injection
Transmission: ZF 5-speed electronic shift sequential
Chassis & Body
Layout: mid engine/rear drive
Brake system, f & r: Haldex front & rear pneumatic disc brake system; 430mm x 45mm rotors
Wheels: Alcoa 22.5 x 9
Tires: Continental 315/70R22.5
Steering type: Rack & pinion
Suspension: Front: upper & lower A-arms, pushrod tube shocks and coil over springs, anti-roll bar; Rear: solid axle, pushrod tube shocks and coil over springs, anti-roll bar.
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