Driving Line VOLUME IV ISSUE 1 | WINTER 2018 | Page 62

DL: There are a few out-of-the-box build approaches on
this rig, such as the upper-mounted trailing arms. Can
you talk a little about build strategy on this rig?
LH: The upper trailing arms aren’t new to the team at
Jimmy’s 4x4. My old two-seat IFS car was designed that
way back in 2013. Jimmy’s probably has at least 10 Ultra4
cars running upper trailing arms—this one is just a little more
refined. The cool new thing to us on this car is moving the
seats forward 12 inches and putting the fuel in the cab with
us, allowing the weight to be lower and centered better.
DL: Moving to a two-seat, mid-engine chassis likely
added a bit of weight; did you up the horsepower or make
powertrain adjustments to offset the change?
LH: It did add about 500 pounds, so JGRE racing out of
California built a new tall-deck, 454ci LS motor that should
be right around 800 hp at the crank. The old car was closer
to 720 hp.
DL: Obviously, KOH is brutal on equipment, with tires
taking the lion’s share of abuse. What combo are you
running on the new car?
LH: We will be running the same wheel and tire combo
that we have had since 2012, which is forged 17-inch KMC
beadlock wheel and 40x13.50R17 Nitto Trail Grappler. Nitto
did a bunch of testing at the end of the 2017 season to help
strengthen the sidewall of its already amazing tire, which
should give me a great advantage over everyone else.
DL: What kind of testing are you hoping to get
in before KOH?
LH: I’ll go spend a few days in Barstow [California] with King
Shocks dialing in the suspension and making sure the car
is ready for KOH. I’ll probably also run out to the Hammers
trails for some seat time there as well.
DL: Since you now have a spot for a co-pilot, have you
picked who that’s going to be?
LH: Casey Trujillo, who was my co-driver in 2014 before I
went to a single-seat car, will be jumping back in with me.
DL: We know you broke out of the Ultra4 series and raced
the Baja 1000 last year. Do you have any race aspirations
for 2018 outside of the normal U4 race circuit?
LH: I’m hooked on Baja! I have three bucket-list races planned
for 2018: the Mint 400, Crandon, and the Baja 1000—all in
my new Ultra4 car.
DL: What’s the best way for fans to follow along on your
racing adventures?
LH: I’m on Facebook as Loren Healy and Instagram
as @loren_healy.
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