Behind the scenes with Team LTE

[Pappy]

A week or so ago, I was asked if I wanted the opportunity to travel with team LTE (Looney Tuned Exhaust) and spend a few days with them as they tested with Custom Axis. Throw in a local race and a trip to Derisi racing and I really couldn't turn it down!


So, a few calls were made and off I went heading south to North Carolina to meet up with the team. I have to admit I was a bit nervous, not about being with the team, but with Axis being involved. I had known they would be testing their new "Pro Air" shocks and I wasn't sure how I would be taken as I am a reporter/writer for this site. So, with apprehension filling my thoughts, I motored into North Carolina with an open mind about the whole deal.

[Pappy]

An hour or so from my destination, I got the call that we would have to change locations due to the riding area being closed due to rain. So a call was made and Santo Derisi was more then willing to host everyone for the afternoon so the entire crew headed even further south.

I arrived about an hour later then the team, and found them already knee deep in wrenching as I pulled in.

[Pappy]

GNCC Pro riders Brent Sturdivant and Duane Johnson discuss the new Can Am DS 450 they will be riding in the 2008 season. The DS 450 is new to the sport of XC racing and issues that need attention are being addressed to keep these machines running for the grueling 2 hour events.

One area that is of big importance is the dead engine start. The DS has a system check that it preforms prior to allowing the engine to fire that can be a issue when your trying to be the first atv fired up and heading to the first turn.

[Pappy]

Sturdivants DS was equipped with Axis new "Pro Air" shocks, and he had already been out testing on them when I arrived. I asked him what he thought so far and I thought I would need duct tape to shut him up! Now Brent knows me, and when he get's this excited about something he either has just crashed, won a race or is down right excited and not trying to blow smoke up my skirt. I will have a chance to ride his quad in the near future, so i will hopefully be as impressed as he appeared.

The new shock could be considered a direct competitor to the Fox Evol shock, however I was assured that there are some serious differences internally and with regards to how it works to be different and superior. hey, we all know hype when we see it, but the Axis guys were in no way trying to sell me, afterall, I am just a old guy with a Nikon:p I wont go in depth on the differences or give the specifics as they are to be officially released soon and they were kind enough to extend to me and this website the first look at them so we could share with our members.

As far as the upside down Houser logo? Well, if you have ever seen Brent crash then you know he wants to get every bit of advertising for his sponsors as he can, and taking the upside down lettering from the Jeep folks........he can now support Houser no matter how he lands!

(Keep in mind folks, some of the parts on brand new models are one off's and not afforded the typical manufatcuring speed of production items, so a mistake was made. Ofcourse I will take credit for it all if it becomes the latest trend in marketing!!!)

[Pappy]

LTE is well known for it's dual exhaust systems available for many UTV and ATV applications. They have been expanding non stop and have a growing presence in many forms of recreational and racing events. Jeremy Dudding is running one of their dual set up exhaust on his Renegade.

[Pappy]

Sturdivant, Johnson and Lexie Coulter will be running a more traditional style of LTE exhausts.

[Pappy]

Dark was coming and I wanted a few shots of the team in action during the testing so I hitched a ride with Dusty (One of Derisi's crew) and head down into the Derisi compound. Santo has a sweet trail set up that offers just about everything someone testing shocks would need.

The riders would go out, do a few laps and head back to the Axis trailer to give feedback so that changes could be made.

[Pappy]

Jeremy Dudding will absolutley make his Renegade rip through the trails, and how he does it is beyond me. He is not a huge burly bulky guy that can wrestle the beast around, but rather he coaxes the 4x4 around trees at blazing speeds with agility and an aggresive style that keeps the big machine charging forward.

[Pappy]

Duane Johnson was riding smooth, and it did not appear he was making many changes to his set up. The riders would head back to the Axis trailer, then back out, sometimes alone and other times they would hook up and push each other.

[Pappy]

They must have tweaked something right, because when Sturdivant came back down for more laps he was in the wind. Johnson was on his grab bar as they raced out of site, but after the second lap Brent had a small lead as they raced by my position.

[Pappy]

I could see the speed increase and did not need a stop watch to know he was riding much faster then before. He was on the ragged edge for sure but was going to keep pushing for more to wring out everything he could from the suspension and his machine.

[Pappy]

Dudding was like the energizer bunny as he just kept doing laps. He seemed content with what he had and was using the last 30 minutes of light for some seat time.

[Pappy]

I could hear the pair of Johnson and Sturdivant as they neared the end of a lap. As Sturdivant entered the open section, the exhaust note was telling us all he was rolling and headed for a corner. A quick throttle chop then nothing! I caught him out of the corner of my eye sailing over the embankment. The DS was off for a wild ride over one steep decent as Brent exited his ride in Pro fashion and slid to a stop unharmed. The DS suffered a bent axle after it's journey into the unknown!

Everyone ran over to see how the rider and machine were, but I had seen Brent bail off before and had every confidence he was fine...thankfully!

[Pappy]

A bad bounce coming through the corner had ended one riders day, but for others, a few more laps would be just the icing on the cake for a good evening of work.

[Pappy]

Lexie Coulter was wrenching on her ride as the Houser suspension and Axis shocks were installed. She was finally ready to start on her 2008 ride as the sun set.

[Pappy]

Back at Derisi's shop, the bent axle was replaced as Brents dad and brother work diligently to get it ready for the next days race.

[Pappy]

Brent was wore out from a long day, a close call, and being pretty sick. We all needed some down time but it would be several more hours before anyone could relax.

[Pappy]

Early the next morning, everyone headed to a local outlaw XC race to test more, have some fun and maybe figure these new can Am's out just a little more.

The new LTE graphics were looking sharp and added a race look to the machines

[Pappy]

The Axis crew stayed busy as they worked on every machine until the rider was happy.

[Pappy]

Sturdivants crew checks out everything prior to the race. Running a new machine opens up alot of the unknown and looking for issues before they happen can be daunting.

[Pappy]

Lexie would be running her DS 450 for the first time at the race, and she was busily adding parts all morning.

[Pappy]

The new Pro Air shocks were getting alot of attention from the Axis crew

[Pappy]

The racing action was good, with Johnson pulling a second overall. The others used the race to test and tune and it was Sturdivant who suffered the worst luck of the day.

Dudding had a few issues but stuck it out for the seat time

[Pappy]

Sturdivant was having issues right off the bat. After the race it ws found that during his crash the day before, the coolant resevior had filled with coolant and did not drain causing the computer to go into limp mode thereby shutting him down at the top of each hill. It was bad for him, but the knowledge will help him in the future and they already have a fix in mind.

[Pappy]

Lexie did well, and was pretty satisfied with the DS

[Pappy]

Johnson kept hard on the throttle and took home the second place plaque, and I have no doubt that him and Sturdivant would have one heck of a battle if Brents machine had been running at 100%

[Pappy]

The helmets were barely removed when the Axis folks were steadily asking questions and seeking even more feedback.

[Pappy]

Lexie gives her trusty mount a once over and hopefully it will carry her to a great racing season in 2008

[Pappy]

Johnson never even got of his ride and he was busily chatting away about how the race went

[Pappy]

The new machines get all but turned upside down after testing and now racing to see what if anything broke or to see what a beating parts may have taken. With not much more then a month to go before the GNCC series begins, time is very short for problems to be solved.

[Pappy]

The race over, it was time for some food and everyone made their way to a local resturant. Tired, cold and a bit weary, the hotel bed and hot shower would have to wait as more work was to be done.

We had to get a photoshoot in, but with all the testing and running around after the riding area was closed to us on friday, there just had not been anytime to get the graphics kits, proper colored handgaurds etc installed. New arms were needed and Don Sturdivant wrenched on Brents quad as the night air dropped to a chilly mid 30's

[Pappy]

Around 9pm we were able to start shooting and Dudding's hot rod was on deck

[Pappy]

Jeremy will be ripping up the GNCC series in 2008 and I wish him the best in his endeavors. Look for more big things from this very talented rider in the future!

[Pappy]

Lexie was a trooper as she shivered in the cold temperature.

[Pappy]

Duane was ready to get this thing over with, but by the way he handled the shoot you never would have geussed he was dead dog tired and freezing cold! Riders i think are starting to see that they have to promote themselves and their image well to the public if they want to grow with a sport that is exploding and with sponsor money now on the line.

[Pappy]

Brent Sturdivant is about as ready mentally for the upcoming season as anyone I know. He has worked hard and is now poised to do what he has dreamed of for many years, and that is proof hard work pays off. I met him several years ago when he was just a fast A class rider, and look at him now. I am proud to say that Mr Pro Row is still as down to earth as the day I met him and that says alot. I wish all of the racers a great season!

[Pappy]

Midnight came and went and finally we were done for the night.

Bright and early the next morning we were all headed to brushy Mountain Motorsports Park, which offered trails and a MX track. More testing was on tap as the riders got warmed up.

[Pappy]

While the MX track was really tame, it had alot of corners which would help everyone.

[Pappy]

With things going well, the guys from Axis unloaded a CR 250 and burnt off some energy

[Pappy]

Sturdivant isn't Mr Big Air, but he isn't afriad to let it rip!

[Pappy]

Dudding let the dogs loose as he hit the track on the hot rod!

[Pappy]

Testing doesn't mean be nice:D

[Pappy]

Constant questions an answers and more questions, but it will all be worth it if one or two things can be improved upon.

[Pappy]

A quick chat between teammates

[Pappy]

Lexie was ripping!

[Pappy]

All that jumping put Duddings hot rod in the shop for a minor repair

[Pappy]

My time was up for the weekend as the crew prepared for some runs at the trails. Some practice was ongoing as Johnson works on Andy from Axis (Blue jacket) and another rider that was with the team for the weekend

[Pappy]

I will end the thread with a shot of my ride home, much like I opened it. Yes, I admit i took a wrong turn and ended up in the mountains of Tennessee, burned almost a tank of fuel in 50 miles:devil: (Those mountain roads just begged to be driven HARD!:macho ) and it took me almost 9 hours to get home but i would do it all over again! A great time and some new things learned. I hope you all enjoyed the information!

[cincy250R]

well i saw the PENSKE racing shocks trailer pepping out in one of the pics so i'm guessing these new shocks are gonna be top notch

-Dave

[erac4019]

Wow, I didnt think anyone would pick up on that so quick.

[WhiteYFZ]

wow pappy looks like u had fun. those quads look awesome and those shocks look cool too. nice pics


espo

[cincy250R]

what can i say i have a good eye.....:blah:

[kawabunga]

great write-up Pappy! awesome pics as usual.
the new shocks look interesting to say the least.
i'm quite interested to hear more about them.

[my88r]

great pics!:macho

[54warrior]

Originally posted by cincy250R
well i saw the PENSKE racing shocks trailer pepping out in one of the pics so i'm guessing these new shocks are gonna be top notch

What's the big deal though?? Custom Axis is made by Penske, so it only makes sense!!!

[SirWilburWV]

I have a man-crush on Dudding, but he won't return my calls!!!

[Flynbryan19]

Wish I could have been at Brushy to see those guys run. Pappy, you missed the best part of that place...... The trails. :cool: The track is fun, but the trails are where its at for Brushy.

[Pappy]

I think we are going to try and go back to brushy once we get codys 250 done just before the start of the season. It sure looked fun, but with one way trails, trying to get shots from there would be a bit more work then we had time for.


I will be shooting with Dudding and Sturdivant in a few weeks but not sure where yet...im kind of scared now knowing that Dudding has a man crush stalker!:devil:

[SirWilburWV]

Just kidding about my man crush on J-Dud. He's a good friend. Just giving him down the road. (I'm happily married and I have 4 sons)

Great article/post about the weekend. Enjoyed the read.

[IOWAracer]

Sweet Pappy Duane is an awsome guy and very fast Ive grown up and learned alot fromw watching him at the races!

Cant wait till the start of the new Season!

BB