Mears to enjoy offseason off road in dune buggy
Mears to enjoy offseason off road in dune buggy
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
November 13, 2006
02:01 PM EST (19:01 GMT)
AVONDALE, Ariz. -- It is exactly 14 minutes before drivers introductions at Phoenix International Raceway, but Casey Mears is nowhere near the stage. He is 500 feet away in the PIR infield, test-driving his newest toy.
Mears woke up on race day at Phoenix and was greeted by his recently finished Super Dual Sport dune buggy, which he plans to take to Mexico for some off-road fun after the season ends next week.
"It is just to play, not to race," Mears said.
Mears will spend his winter riding motorcycles and other off-road vehicles in the Baja section of Mexico with friend PJ Jones, a part-time Busch and Nextel Cup competitor.
"They got it done late last night and got it out for me so I can check it out before I have to take off," said Mears, who will store the $100,000 buggy at Jones' house in Phoenix. "PJ is going to meet me down [in Mexico] and we are going to do a motorcycle ride like we did last year."
Mears purchased the normally aspirated, 600-horsepower buggy from Phoenix-based Tatum Motorsports, owned by driver/off-road enthusiast Rich Ronco. Ronco's operation, named after his daughter, sells 100 of these high-end machines a year.
Tatum Motorsports employs 40 people and counts Robby Gordon Motorsports among its clients. The buggies use the 427-cubic inch engine block commonly found on Corvettes.
"It will go anywhere you want to go," Gordon said. "That car right there is probably 130 mph. They are pretty tough. They are made for it."
Ronco delivered Mears' dune buggy late Saturday night and parked it outside the tent that housed the drivers' meeting. Everyone from Jeff Gordon to Brad Parrott stopped to examine the machine, which took Ronco three weeks to build.
"It is a full-blown racecar," Mears said. "You could put numbers on this thing and race it. It will do about 110 through the rough stuff. It is unreal. One hundred-ten through the rough stuff feels like 200."
Dune buggies are not known for their comforts, but Mears worked with Ronco to create a buggy that features a helicopter-style audio system that allows a driver and three passengers to communicate.
"It has a GPS, full-blown stereo system and a two-way radio were you can talk to another car," Mears said." Plus, you can listen to your iPod or the radio through your headsets."
