Mike Childress and THR Motorsports came to the Best In The Desert (BITD) Biltek Silver State 300 (SS300) with high expectations after winning the prestigious Mint 400. With less than a month to prepare Childress’ Porter/ES Motorsports buggy for the Silver State 300, there was little time to celebrate their victory at the Mint. Childress qualified 14th at the SS300, finishing less than eight seconds behind the fast time in an extremely tight field of 24 Class 1500 (the equivalent of SCORE’s unlimited Class 1) buggies and 22 Trick Trucks.
When the green flag dropped, the wind made dust less of an issue than it was in qualifying and Childress was able to reach speeds up to 137 mph in the #1565 THR Motorsports buggy. By the first pit Childress was in the top ten overall and advancing on the competition, but brake issues slowed his progress. With no visible leaks, the THR Motorsports pit crew was unable to determine the cause of the brake issue, so Mike Childress continued on at a conservative pace. Still, he was the fourth physical finisher in the race. When all of the times were compiled, Mike Childress and THR Motorsports finished third in Class 1500 and in sixth place overall, less than one second from a Top Five finish!
In addition to the Class 1500 buggy of Mike Childress, THR Motorsports campaigned numerous motorcycles in the Silver State 300 as well. Despite starting in frigid temperatures, the Open Expert team of Garrett Osteen & Ty Renshaw finished first in class and fourth overall amongst 59 motorcycles and quads. Teammates Shane Esposito & Bobby Garrison finished just ahead of Osteen and Renshaw at second overall and second in Open Pro, despite a crash half way through the race. Unfortunately, a questionable 15 minute penalty for roosting on the pavement bumped Esposito and Garrison back to third overall and third in Open Pro in the official standings.
The next stop for Mike Childress is the 43rd annual Tecate SCORE International Baja 500 on June 5th. Childress drew the 13th starting position amongst 23 Class 1 cars and intends to show the competition what he is capable of with a fully functioning car. Meanwhile, THR Motorsports will be campaigning four bike teams at the BITD Blue Water Grand Prix this coming weekend on May 14th and 15th in Parker, Arizona. For the latest team information please visit: http://www.thrmotorsports.com/.
1565 Mike Childress & Jimmy Hook Class 1
7266 Rob Sims Class 7200
N5 Shane Esposito & Bobby Garrison Open Pro
306 Garrett Osteen & Ty Renshaw Open Expert
351 Jason Jacobson & Scott Jacobson Open Amateur
352 Russ Scarce & Joe Jacobson Open Amateur
506 Don Cambell & Eric Caudillo & Zack Dodson Over 30 Expert
Mike Childress and THR Motorsports are sponsored by:
General Tire • Hoosier Precision Machining • Chiron King • Shocks
Monster Energy • MasterCraft Safety • PCI Race Radios • F&L Race Fuel
Team 71 • Hostyle • Method Race Wheels • ZLT • Es Motorsports • Checkers Pit Club
THR Motorcycle Team is sponsored by:
THR Motorsports • Hoosier Precision Machining • Chiron • Precision Concepts
Dunlop Tires • Corona Motorsports • ZLT • KLEN • Oneal • GPR