On October 22nd, R&D Motorsports embarked on a journey from their home in Cypress Mill, Texas to a barren dry lakebed outside of Mexicali, Baja California known as Laguna Salada.  The endeavor was merely for one purpose – to go fast, really fast.  Jay Reichert sought to take the fastest official land speed recorded in a Trophy Truck.  R&D’s JIMCO built trophy truck affectionately known as “War Machine” would be his chariot of speed.

“I just wanted to start a war and see who was the fastest in off-road racing,” stated Jay Reichert, pilot of the R&D Motorsports Trophy Truck.

The Guinness Book of World Records recognizes the current world record at 124 miles per hour.  After multiple runs on the cracked crusty surface, Jay and R&D left Laguna Salada dry lakebed that day with a top speed of 136 miles per hour, officially setting the bar for an all out war on speed and the bragging rights to claim the title to the fastest Trophy Truck in the World.

“Our vehicles are designed for slower speeds over extremely rough terrain. The tires, suspension, steering, etc., are not designed to go much over 100mph.  They are designed to take on the roughest terrain on the planet,” commented Reichert.

For Reichert, the idea dates back to the early nineties when he watched Roger Mears at the Gold Coast 300 reach speeds of 115mph+. Jay was blown away at the speeds that were being recorded by a spectator with a radar gun.  This was around the time when the single seat Trophy Truck was debuted and Class 1’s were united with Trophy Trucks on race day.

Fast forward nearly a quarter of a century later and Reichert found himself staring down a corridor of dirt, locked and loaded.  The conditions were less than ideal.  The area had just gotten some rain so the traction needed between his BFGoodrich tires and the dirt was sketchy at best. Crashing a Trophy Truck above 100mph could prove to be deadly.

Reichert enlisted the expertise of automotive film production heavyweights Mad Media to handle the production and planning of the endeavor. Mad Media brought and entire film crew and utilized a variety of cinema tolls including the Red Camera system to capture the historic attempt.

“Jay and I have been talking about the land speed record for quite some time. We thought it would be a great way to start a war between drivers that would get some attention outside of the traditional off-road racing world. We had to time it with weather, location, and vehicle prep. Most dry lake beds still had water on them and were shut down due to the government shut down, so we went to Baja. The COTUCO Municipal Tourism Office, and the Mexicali Police and Public Safety Department were easy to work with.  Our Associate Producer on the project Alfonso Lacarra helped us put everything together,” stated Mad Media CEO/Creative Director Matt Martelli.

By definition, tires are one of the most indispensable components of a Trophy Truck in motion.  BFGoodrich puts hours of engineering, development and testing in to deliver a high-performance race ready tire designed to endure the harshest terrain at speeds that rival types of pavement racing.  For Jay Reichert, it was a matter of finding the threshold between technology’s tolerance and his desire to push the limits.

Jay dealt with the conditions he was given in typical off-road fashion and went for it. Storming off the start line, Jay aimed to reach speeds between 135-140mph, which are already at verge of what his tires would allow him to do. Personally, Jay wanted to go a little faster.  “I truly believe we have the best equipment and nicest trophy truck rolling up to the start line.  Others may be a little more tested and proven but we have all the right pieces and the best in the business that have all come together to build one of the nicest Trophy Trucks in the World,” said Reichert.

The Mar Machine is outfitted with a Kroyer Racing Engines Small Block V8 engine and a Kroyer transmission.  Kroyer Racing Engines became the first company in off-road racing to offer a complete powertrain package, which results in greater acceleration, better drivability, increased reliability and most importantly, higher top speeds.

This amazing new JIMCO was only the seventh Trophy Truck build of the new generation of lighter, stronger, faster chassis.  JIMCO lightened up the chassis to make it faster and reduce drivetrain strain.

Most everyone claims to have touched unthinkable speeds.   Now, a new competition has been established, the bar has been set and now’s the time for people to put their money where their mouth is.

For Jay Reichert and R&D Motorsports, it was a test of will, executed to define the limitations of both the #26 Trophy Truck and the driver taming the beast.  Simultaneously, it has awakened the entire off-road community in an effort to defy the most audacious drivers in our sport to back their claims of having the fastest Trophy Truck in the World.  For now, it’s the R&D Motorsports #26 War Machine that is just that – the fastest Trophy Truck in the World.  Reichert and the R&D Motorsports crew feels confident they can safely reach speed in access of 140mph in the right conditions and will be back to raise the bar for both speed and the sport of off-road racing.

About R&D Motorsports
R&D Motorsports is a premier off-road race team out of Austin, Texas.  Piloting the #26 Trophy Truck, also known as “The War Machine”, the driver combination of Charles Dorrance and Jay Reichert compete in the elite SCORE-International Off-Road Racing Series and select Best in the Desert races.  With only a few thousand miles on new JIMCO #26 Trophy Truck, The War Macine is a constant front-runner in the largest races in off-road racing.

For sponsorship, please contact Jay Reichert at (505) 681-5210 or by email.