SNORE

Cameron Steele collects close win in SNORE’s KC HiLiTES Midnight Special

By Mike Henle

        Jean, Nev. – It might have seemed fitting that the annual KC HiLITES
Midnight Special would start an hour late since the race sponsor was
introducing new 70-watt high-intensity discharge light in carbon fiber
housing specifically made for challenging off-road racing during night
time conditions.
        The 31st annual event started Saturday at 8 p.m. following a slight
delay related to a huge crowd that attended, and once the sun went
down, Unlimited Truck competitor Cameron Steele and his the remainder
of his team sliced through the darkness and the dust to collect an
impressive victory that required a last-lap pass of T.J Flores to
mount the victory and highlight a 121-car field here south of Las Vegas.
        In a race presented by the Southern Nevada Off-Road Enthusiasts
(SNORE), Steele drove the first two laps of a five-lap event as the
team mounted an overall time of five hours, 11.14 minutes to narrowly
beat Flores, who finished with a time of 5:14.55.
        The impressive overall victory came following a rugged battle with
Flores, the talented Class 1 driver who was attempting to collect his
second straight SNORE victory after taking the win in the Dusty Times
250 in Caliente earlier this year. A last-lap pass of Flores by
Steele’s co-driver Rick Geiser highlighted a rugged but clean battle
between the two in the rough desert that presented virtually ever
possible challenge.
        Steele shot to a first-lap time of 56.54 minutes to headline the
early competition, but Flores was less than 60 seconds behind.
        And when the two came across the line after the fourth of five laps,
Flores had an overall time of 4:11.11, while Steele’s team was close
behind with a 4:11.46 in what turned out to be a one-lap shootout to
end the evening.
        “We had an awesome race,” said Steele, a prominent ESPN commentator
and accomplished off-road competitor. “Yokohama Tires and us are big
believers of SNORE. It was a great event. We have been working on tire
tests and it’s awesome that we went 250 miles without a flat tire.”
        When darkness hit the course, the end result was heavy competition
especially coming out of the hills heading west. Only the strong
survived in an event held at Jean after being run for countless years
in Eldorado Valley south of Boulder City.
        “Curt Leduc told after he won Class 8 that the lights were so good he
didn’t even need to use them all,” said KC HiLITES owner and CEO
Michael DeHaas. “He also said the amount of light in the beam pattern
was the best he has ever had.”
        DeHaas pre-ran the course, which he said was basically the same as
the Mint 400 run earlier this year.
        “We built the light specifically for desert racing,’’ he said.
        Other class winners included 2008 SNORE Kar Tek points leader T.J.
Hutchins, Class 10; Jay Shain, 1-2 1600; Rob Fiege, 12; Monte Tibbets,
Heavy Metal; Mac Marmon, 16; Curt Leduc, 8; Richard Glaszczak,
5-1600; Brandon Hughes, 9; Wesley Stephens, 15; Tracy Fuller, 13; Joe
Stone, 7; and Louis Chamberland, TrophyLite.
        SNORE’s next event will be the annual SNORE 250 Oct. 3-4 north of Las
Vegas near Apex.
              Further information can be found at www.snoreracing.net.

Unlimited Truck competitor Cameron Steele is seen on
the second of five laps in the 31st annual KC HiLites Midnight Special
Saturday near Jean, Nev. Steele’s team combined for the Unlimited
Truck and overall victories of the event. (Trackside photo)

Cameron Steele is hugged by wife, Heidi, while
celebrating his victory in the 31st annual KC HiLites Midnight Special
Saturday near Jean, Nev., as the remainder of his team joins in the
festivities. (Trackside photo)

31st annual KC HiLiTES Midnight Special
Jean, Nev., 52-mile laps
Saturday’s final results

        Overall (five laps): Cameron Steele, 5:11.14.
        Unlimited Truck (five laps): 1. 16 Cameron Steele, 5:11.14; 2. 78
Kory Thomas, 2:35.52, 2 laps.
        Class 1 (five laps): 1. 100 T.J. Flores, 5:14.44; 2. 107 Alan Roach,
6:11.48; 3. 114 Michael Tieman, 6:18.08; 4. 121 Mike Szlauko,
6:24.08; 5. 152 Shawn Wanzek,7:29.47. four laps; 6. No. 181 Richard
Boyett, 1:22.19, one lap.
        Class 10 (five laps): 1. 1000 C.J. Hutchins, 5:45.47; 2. 1011 Adam
Wik, 5:55.43; 3. 1020 Kyle Woodward, 6:07.54; 4. 1003 Lonny Hart,
6:21.34; 5. 1069 Rick Lance, 7:08.54; 6. 1054 Dave Terrell, 7:10.58;
7. 1098 Garfield Davies, 7:47.33; 8. 1088 J.C. Dean, 1:08.19, one lap.
        Class 12 (five laps): 1. 1206 Rob Fiege, 6:36.16; 2. 1214 Jessica
Freeman, 7:34.40; 3. 1255 Steve Fuller 5:19.08, four laps; 4. 1211
Frank Baird, 3:36.24, one lap.
        Class 1-2 1600 (five laps): 1. 1677 Jay Shain, 6:26.46; 2. 1619 Rick
Gutierrez, 6:46.11; 3. 1601 Kenny Freeman, 6:50.03; 4. 1608 Ken Cox
Jr., 7:05.41; 5. 1607 Don Wall, 7:20.33; 6. 1676 Gerardo Iribe,
7:28.52; 7. 1641 Robbie Madison, 7:33.00; 8. 1636 Jason Hansen, 7:49.18.
        Heavy Metal: Monte Tibbets, no laps completed.
        Class 8 (five laps): 1. 8001 Curt Leduc, 6:09.05; 2. 806 Mike Horner
6:55.05; 3. 815 Trent Beaver, 7:5845, four laps; 4. 808 Michael
Licari, 4:07.03, two laps; 5. 840 Mike Bailey, 5:28, two laps.
        Class 18 (four laps): 1. 1808 Mac Marmon, 5:44.02; 2. 1824 Rusty
Ruby 5:45.50; 3. 1866 Lucas Hand 6:33.35; 4. 1808 7:28.55; 5. 1811 Bob
Dziurawiec, 3:27.10, two laps.
        Class 5/1600, four laps: 1. 577 6:14.05; 2. 575 Patrick Dailey,
6:24.25; 3. 555 6:27.39; 4. 580 Justin Rougemont, 6:46.15; 5. 552 Glen
Mayernick 7:46.26.
        Class 9 (four laps): 1. 903 Brandon Hughes, 6:06.09; 2. 915 Jackson
Randall 7:04.47; 3. 947 5:14.43, three laps; 4. 999 Rick Moran
6:03.37, three laps; 5. 971 3:19.15, two laps.
        Class 15 (four laps): 1. 1528 Wesley Stephens, 6:08.41; 2. 1527 Jerry
Stewart, 6:32.06; 3. 1599 3:35.52; 3. 1599 John Pfeffer 3:35.52, two
laps.
        Class 13 (four laps): 1. 1355 Tracy Fuller, 5:35.25; 2. 1305 Ashley
Davis, 6:01.41; 3. 1313 John D.O. Houlton 7:39.21.
        Class 7 (four laps): 1. 7218 Joe Stone 7:28.35.
        TrophyLite (four laps): 1. 6061 Louis Chamberland, 5:08.57; 2. 6027
David Scaroni 5:44.45; 3. 6069 Randy Blacker 5:49.50; 4. 6099 Mike
Jenkins, 5:50.33; 5. 6065 Matt Armstrong 6:07.53; 6. 6023 Broc Hersam
6:10.33; 7. 6011 Vance Smith 6:28.33; 8. 6024 Mitch Mathers 7:18.49;
9. 6084 Bruce Finchum 7:45.27; 10. 6025 John Murray 7:51.57; 11. 6028
Mike Emerson 2:43.59, three laps; 12. 6056 Logan Knecht 3:01.28, three
laps; 13. 6033 Brian Deegan 3:01.28, three laps; 14. Brian Freemal,
3:51.28, three laps.
        Mini Metal (four laps): 1. Greg Hempel, 6:37.00.
        Class 7S (three laps): 1. 734 Tyler Casoria 7:43.59; 2. 748 Dave
Blakely, 7:37.56, three laps.
        Class 1450 (four laps): 1. 1477 Eric Ludian 6:03.55; 2. 1433 Frank
Russell 7:02.36; 3. 1488