Falken Tires Takes 3rd at M.O.R.E. Racing Series Finale

MORE to Come, too

Known primarily as the midway point between Los Angeles and Phoenix, Barstow becomes one of the toughest off-road courses each December when the M.O.R.E. (Mojave Off-Road Racing Enthusiasts) Racing Series descends upon the community for one final race of the 2022 season. Running WildPeak M/T tires and competing in the headline show, the Class 1400/Class 2000 “Door Slammer Duel,” Driver Steven Olsewski and veteran off-road navigator Travis Vallo ran both the Saturday morning and afternoon races to take third overall in the event.

The team prepared the truck on Friday, December 2nd, shaking it down and practicing for an early Saturday morning qualifying. Placing sixth, the team sat in the middle of the pack but when the green fell, Olsewski and Vallo began to work their way through the field in their plan to chase down the leaders.

“The thing about this race is there are two tracks,” Olsewski noted. “We started the first race on the 25-mile outer loop, running four laps. This loop had technical sections and plenty of long straight fast sections along with a lot of elevation changes. Our truck made it up and down the hills without an issue, but we pitted after the first lap to make sure everything was tight and working right. That was the only time we had to stop.”

At the end of the morning race, Olsewski and Vallo finished third. They had 20 minutes to check over their rig before the beginning of the afternoon run which took place on the inner loop.

“The 15-mile inner loop was shorter, but it was ‘way more technical and contained cross ruts, soft sandy sections, rocks and plenty of dangers,” admitted Olsewski. 

Yet halfway through the first lap, en route to a 100-mile race, the team had physically moved into second place. Time was a factor, too. By the fourth lap, Olsewski had his truck in first. He kept this pace, pushing as hard as his rig and his Falken WildPeaks could go, and when the race was over, he and Vallo crossed the finish line in first place, both physically and based on time.

“When the dust settled, the M.O.R.E. Racing officials placed us in third, based on corrected time,” Olsewski said. “I was disappointed, but it was our first podium and a great way to end the 2022 season.”

“Steven, Travis and everyone at Clinical Racing really pushed the limits to secure that third position,” declared Doug Fletcher, Falken’s Supervisor, Light Truck and Off-Road Events. “I could see the determination coming from everyone on the team that they were here to show what they could do, and although they did cross the finish line first, the series prides itself on its timing aspect, the technical component. M.O.R.E. puts on some superb events, and we’re very pleased to be a part of this great racing series and what a nice way to end the 2022 race season.”

Falken’s Fletcher also noted that long-time Falken Tires veteran driver Brian McNamara, who, along with his brother Sean, runs Poor Boys Racing, and has consistently represented Falken sporting WildPeak M/T tires on their racing machine, also competed in Barstow, and while the team placed out of the podium group, Brian scored enough points to finish second overall for the Class 2000 Championship.

“We’re proud of everything Brian and Sean have done for racing and for Falken and having Poor Boys takes second overall in their class is great news. M.O.R.E. is an exciting program and we’re looking forward to returning next year.”

The 2023 season begins with the SLASH X Duel in the Desert, on February 25, at the Slash X Ranch in North Barstow, CA.