About three hours into our drive home, all of a sudden I saw a huge trail of smoke behind us and the truck no longer moved when I hit the gas pedal. I had blown the transmission in the middle of nowhere and could only think, "You've got to be kidding me!" An hour-and-a-half wait for a tow truck, only for a couple of guys to show up with a rickety old tow truck complete with holes in the cabin floor, which obviously had seen better days. We had mentioned that we needed two trucks, one for the Suburban and one for the trailer. But the tow truck driver assured us they could tow the truck with the trailer attached, which we reluctantly allowed them to do. As we exited the highway in Santee, South Carolina, sure enough our truck fell off of the tow truck and began rolling with no one behind the wheel, no brakes (the drive shaft was unhooked), and my life's savings attached to the back of this runaway mess. My heart about sunk through my stomach as I helplessly watched the whole rig wander across the road in neutral.
After thinking this rig was going to careen down a steep hill in a tumbling mess, the truck stopped on its own when it ran onto the curb, blowing out the front tire and footballing the front wheel. After sitting in a motel for the next three days, we went to pick up the truck and when we looked under to inspect the "new" transmission, it was obvious that these guys had picked up a junk transmission from a scrap yard. They even spray-painted it blue to hide all of the rust. The garage demanded cash-only transactions and charged us double what a brand-new transmission costs at a dealership. After a heated argument with these con artists, it was clear that we needed to get out of town immediately! I called an old friend from my dirt bike days who was not too far from us, filling him in on the situation. He arranged for a friend to pick up my trailer from the hotel parking lot and hide it at his house so that the twisted business owner wouldn't mess with my equipment. We came back a week later to finally get the truck to a reputable shop and take the trailer from Brad's house. We actually made it back home this time and was even able to hit up a few more races that year before I got injured in July in London, Kentucky.
For others who race ATVs, you've more than likely experienced adventures similar to mine. Honestly, I like looking back at that season as something that I will always be able to laugh about. One of the best things about ATV racing is the experiences and the people you meet. Because of those people and the drive to compete on four wheels, come hell or high water I will get to the next race.