The 2018 Tatts Finke Desert Race marked the debut of Mick Magher Motorsports new 700+hp 6 litre V8 Narva Racing TSCO Trophy Truck.
Fresh from the USA, the TSCO truck piloted by Mick Magher and his long time navigator, Daniel Hose, is the first of its breed to run on Australian soil when it launched from the Alice Springs start line on the Queen's Birthday Saturday.
"Two years of hard work and a lifetime of planning has gone into this build and to say we are excited is an understatement," said Mick Magher.
"Narva has been lighting the way for our racing team as it has evolved from winch challenge and 4WD events through to off-road racing as we have developed the need for speed. First it was an Extreme 4wd GU Patrol and now thanks to Narva we have launched a state-of-the-art Extreme 2WD Trophy Truck on 17" wheels with up to 40" tyres and a future that looks extremely bright," he said.
Since a chance meeting in 2016, Mick Magher Motorsport has forged a strong alliance with TSCO especially since the build began, crewing for them at the Baja 1000 and Mint 400 while fine tuning their proven design to Australian rules and conditions.
Following exhaustive testing and tuning in California during March, the Narva TSCO Truck landed in Australia in April ready to make it's debut on the biggest off road racing stage in Australia.
Under the carbon fibre and aluminium lies a TIG welded 4130 chrome moly chassis. Up front is a Dougan's 6 Litre Chevy V8 matched to the new generation Albins ST-X 6 speed sequential transmission, which delivers the power to an ID Designs rear end. Fox 3.5" Bypass and 2.5" Coilover Shocks control the TSCO front upper and lower A-Arms, while the Fox 4.0" Bypass and 3.0 Coilover Shocks in the rear manage the huge rear suspension travel as they hit the famous Finke whoops.
The teams long term partner, Narva continues to light the way with a bank of their market leading Ultima 215 LED driving lights, while BFGoodrich Tires has stepped on board, equipping the truck with a set of Baja proven 40" BFGoodrich KR3's fitted to the 17" Method Wheels.
"While our trophy truck project has been in the pipeline we have done a number of reconnaissance missions to Finke to get the red dust pumping through our veins. After watching everyone else kick up the dirt the past few years, it has been our turn to spin a wheel in anger and unleash our own truck on this iconic track," said Mick Magher at the event.
"There hasn't been a dull moment in the lead up to Finke. The crew gave the Narva Ultima 215 LED driving lights a good work out on the chase trucks and transporter as they road tripped from Geelong up to Alice. Since we arrived in town we've had a test and tune session earlier in the week at the Alice Springs Off Road Track and the last few days leading up to the event have been filled with photo and video shoots," he commented.
Joining the Aussie Crew on the trucks maiden race over the weekend was a strong American contingent, led by the TSCO Trophy Truck's designer, John Vance. After a reconnaissance mission in 2017, TSCO's Jason Duncan was also back, this time experiencing the race first hand navigating for Dakar star, Toby Price.
The Tatts Finke Desert Race formalities commenced on Friday night with Scrutineering and a Show 'n' Shine at the Start /Finish line complex in Alice Springs, where the covers were pulled off the Narva Racing TSCO Trophy Truck. Mick then fired up the Dougans V8 in anger for the first time on the Saturday mornings 8km prologue in front of a huge crowd. As the sun crest the horizon on Sunday morning the Narva Racing TSCO Trophy Truck got down to business in the red centre, with the first leg of the race, a 225km Finke sprint. The team spent the night under the stars before heading north back to Alice Springs over the famous Finke whoops on Monday morning.
The successful debut in the first ever race in the brand new TSCO truck resulted in a credible 9th overall finish and 2nd in class
The team's progress can be followed on the Mick Magher Motorsport facebook page.
Mick Magher and Daniel Hose extend thanks to Narva, BFGoodrich Tires, TSCO, Albins and Dirtcomp Magazine for their support in 2018.
Narva
Narva is Australian owned and is a leader in the development, manufacture and supply of automotive lighting and electrical components for the automotive, marine and transport industries.
Additional details can be found by visiting the Narva website at www.narva.com.au or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/narvaaustralia