Will Higman's Racing Blog
Updates directly from Will Higman's Off Road Race Team
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06/07/11
Free Will Higman Motorsports Decal
Filed under: News
Posted by: site admin @ 2:33 pm

We are giving away free Will Higman Motorsports decals to anyone who would like to have one. For International fans please send a “self addressed postage stamped envelope” to Will Higman Motorsports, PO Box 191 Huntington Beach, CA USA 92648. Postage is free for anyone in the Continental United States. Please email your address to info@willhigman.com and we will do the rest. This information will not be used for anything other than sending your free decal.

These decals will also be used in an upcoming Photo Contest where many prizes will be given away. More details to follow soon!

 

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02/06/11
Super Croc 2012
Filed under: News
Posted by: site admin @ 11:56 am

More Information Coming Soon!

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11/21/10
Oshkosh Extreme Racing Team Event Summary
Filed under: News
Posted by: site admin @ 12:45 pm

 

Motorsport.Com News Report

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11/15/10
2010 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 Announcement
Filed under: News
Posted by: site admin @ 4:00 pm

 

November 15, 2010

 

Will Higman will drive for Oshkosh Corporation and California Gold Racing at the 2010 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. The event is a 1062 mile peninsula run starting in Ensenada on November 18, finishing in La Paz, Baja Calif. Sur.

The vehicle the team will be racing is a Light Concept Vehicle (LCV) designed and built by Oshkosh Defense. The LCV features the company’s latest advancements in off-road mobility, performance and protection for the U.S. Military, including the next generation of TAK-4 independent suspension system and ProPulse diesel-electric powertrain. The new systems provide increased off-road mobility with 20 inches of independent wheel travel, improved vehicle maneuverability and performance along with a smoother ride quality.

 

“It’s a huge honor for me to drive for Oshkosh, they are a high tech and forward thinking company, along with being a very large corporation with over nine (9) billion dollars in fiscal sales. The level of trust they have put in me is very rewarding,” said Higman. “The LCV is an impressive piece of machinery and I can’t wait to show the off-road community how well this vehicle moves across the desert.”

 

About Oshkosh Defense
Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, is an industry-leading global designer and manufacturer of tactical military trucks and armored wheeled vehicles. For more information,

please visit http://www.oshkoshdefense.com/

 

About Oshkosh Corporation
Oshkosh Corporation is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of specialty access equipment, commercial, fire & emergency and military vehicles. For more information, please visit
http://www.oshkoshcorporation.com/

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12/28/09
2009 Year in Review
Filed under: News
Posted by: site admin @ 12:36 pm

When I look back on the wild ride 2009 had to offer all I can think about is how successful the year was for me on a personal level.

The year actually started in late December 2008 when I left for South America and the Dakar Rally as a member of Team Dakar USA. My job was to be the team manager and navigator of the T-4 Race Truck again. Tom Geviss was back as the driver as well and we were very lucky to have Glen Wheeler along for his first Dakar. Glen races thirty (30) plus races a year on the NASCAR team and he is a very dedicated and hard worker. The Dakar Rally is very tough both mentally and physically and Glen fit the mold perfectly, it was a pleasure working with him.

As previously reported our race in the T-4 Truck didn’t go to well with the crash but thankfully we were in friendly South America and nobody was injured. After a day and a half camped out by the truck in the Patagonia desert we were able to scramble back and catch up to the team on rest day in Chile. Our reward came a week later when Robby finished 3rd overall in rally. This was a huge accomplishment and congratulations again to everyone on the team.

In retrospect my biggest moment came near the end of the Rally when Robby asked me to drive a car for him in the 2010 Rally. The plan was to modify his four seat buggy and turn it into a very fast chase and support car. To say I came home from the rally excited is an understatement.

In March I traveled with the team to Mexico to work as support for the SCORE San Felipe 250. Robby finished 2nd and I had a great time because I got to go prerunning and test drive the buggy while I was down there.

Later in March it was time to shift the focus back to my own race team for the Mint 400, also known as The Great American Desert Race. For the first time in many years the event would be held in North Las Vegas which brought back many memories including my first desert race as a driver in 1983. Good memories went bad briefly when we broke an axle two thirds of the way through the race putting us back to 6th place in the end.

In June and next on the schedule was my favorite race the SCORE Tecate Baja 500. I always look at this race along with the Baja 1000 as a race that I have the best chance of winning. Also spending time prerunning in Northern Baja is definitely a key element.

Even though I finished in 2nd place it was a very successful race for me. The strong finish was a good rebound from the disappointment at the Mint and I was very happy with the way I drove the car because I really felt like I was on top of my game. I have driven the Baja 500 solo many times but I can’t remember feeling so good after a ten (10) hour stint behind the wheel.

Late in the summer I found out my seat for the 2010 Dakar was going away. Carlo de Gavardo with backing from the government of Chile put a deal together with Robby to run a third Hummer. This made running the buggy as a fourth car impractical and pointless. If the whole thing didn’t make perfect sense I would be really disappointed. Hopefully I can create another opportunity to make it back in the race and on the team again in the future. I have the utmost respect for Robby and I really enjoy working for him and his team.

I am very proud of all my accomplishments that took place this last year and I am looking forward to formulating plans for the future. Special thanks go out to Jake Johnson of Jake’s Fabworks for all his help.

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07/22/09
Durka Durka Media Baja 500 Race Report
Filed under: News
Posted by: site admin @ 7:31 pm

 

Durka Durka Media Baja 500 Race Report

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06/20/09
2009 Baja 500 Race Report
Filed under: News
Posted by: site admin @ 1:15 pm

The Baja 500 is my favorite point to point race and I am very happy with this years 2nd place result. With that said at this late date, SCORE International is still in the process of reviewing the IraTrack recorder information so that they may be able to declare the results official. If something changes I will update it here but for now please take the time and listen to a post race interview I did for Totally Off Road Radio shortly after coming home from

Mexico.

 

Thank you to everyone who came down to help out and special thanks goes out to Jake Johnson of Jakes Fabworks for preparing an awesome car.

 

 

2009 Baja 500 Race Report Audio Slide Show

 

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05/14/09
2009 Mint 400 Race Report Audio Slide Show
Filed under: News
Posted by: site admin @ 6:09 pm

2009 Mint 400 Race Report Audio Slide Show

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04/06/09
2009 Mint 400 Race Report
Filed under: News
Posted by: site admin @ 4:49 pm

After many years of lying dormant the land of North Las Vegas and the Moapa Indian Reservation would once again host “The Great American Desert Race” better known as The Mint 400. The rough terrain of this area would once again test the hard core off road racer with iconic places like The Rock Garden and The Valley of Fire with its sharp cross grain and powder like silt beds. Staying true to tradition the race would be composed of four (4) 100 mile loops. In the old days this race would start at the Las Vegas Speedway but with development comes change so the start/finish and main pit area was accommodated by the Indian Fireworks Stand off of the I-15 Freeway thirty (30) miles outside of town.

So what’s so great about this race? I would have to say that the Mint 400 always brings out the best competition and it has always been known as one of the Triple Crown events along with the Baja 500 and Baja 1000. Maybe the glitz and glamour of The Fremont Street Experience along with the crowning of Miss Mint 400 could be considered great? That’s all part of the show and one thing is for sure this race is one of the most coveted trophies in all of Off Road Racing.

Great are all the people that come out to support my racing program. People like Jake Johnson and family along with Dave Bufé, Kermit Rima, John Gengler, Craig Granados, Michael Hottinga, Thomas Perry and last but not least Joe and Mary Bowman.

Great are the companies that support me and they are Slime, AutoZone, BF Goodrich, Reliable Lumber, Wik’s Racing Engines and nothing would happen without the awesome car preparation by Jake’s Fabworks of Anaheim, CA.

Great was the prerun this year because I got to take my friend and Team Dakar USA teammate Andy Grider along for the ride in my car.

So how great was the race itself? That is a very tricky question that involves a ying and yang because when you don’t come through with the first place trophy you have to resurrect all the positives. You got it I came away with a lot of accolades but no hardware. You have to love this sport to get any satisfaction out of a weekend like mine here at The Mint because it can be grueling and it most certainly is a lot of hard work. With dedication, hard work along with knowing you had a chance to win, this sport can give you something back that no one else can take!

The course was a real challenge this year because the terrain was unarguably the roughest we have raced on since I can remember in all my years of racing. On top of that the wind went still on race day which compounded the difficult driving conditions especially right of the start. Many cars didn’t make it past race mile four because of a huge pile up in the first silt bed off the start.

So how did we do? WE DID GREAT! I always get so many compliments on how professional my team is on and off the track and for the first two and a half laps of the race no one would debate who was in the hunt for a win in class and just maybe a podium overall? Jake and I ran trouble and flat free and we were solidly in second place in class with the third place car over twenty (20) minutes behind when things went south.

So what was the problem? The answer is part failure and it happened two thirds into the race when an axle let go. With that we were stuck with no way to get help and that was the end of our great run. We eventually made it out to the pits and in the end we came home with a 6TH place for the weekend.

The Mint 400 is a great race that I want to win and we will be back next year to claim that prize!

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04/04/09
2008 Baja 1000 AutoZone Promo Video
Filed under: News
Posted by: site admin @ 4:01 pm

2008 Baja 1000 AutoZone Promo Video

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