Herman Motorsports: Standing on the Brink of Victory
-- New Truck, New Team Set to Wrap-Up --
-- Nearly Perfect Rookie BITD Season --

November 30, 2001 -- When the shiny new silver Ford F-150 Trophy Truck of Herman Motorsports rolled out of Fabricator Danny Porter's race shop last April, it was the culmination of nearly 1,500-man hours of sweat and intensive labor. With a brand new truck and driver Damen Jefferies never having competed in the off-road racing's top class, this season's expectations were set on having a successful development year in preparation for an all-out assault in 2002.

What a difference ten months makes. Just one day before the final event in 2001 Best-In-The-Desert (BITD) racing schedule, Jefferies and his Herman Motorsports teammates stand on the brink of winning the prestigious Trophy Truck title in their very first year. Coming into this weekend's BITD "Las Vegas 200," Jefferies enjoys a strong 82-point lead over his nearest competitor in the season long title chase. In fact, the Herman Motorsports effort needs only to finish this weekend's race in order to cap off their somewhat unexpected run into the history books.

Scheduled for Saturday, December 1, the 2nd Annual BITD "Las Vegas 200" in the rough and rocky desert will take place just west of the sprawling city limits in the town of Jean. The last stop on the Four-race "Silver State Series," the event will feature three complete loops around a challenging 72-mile desert circuit. The Herman Motorsports team comes into this weekend with a quiet confidence about their title run, a spirit bolstered in large measure thanks to their class victory in the BITD "Las Vegas to Reno" endurance marathon run in September. The Ford/BFGoodrich/Off-Road.com entry also posted a victory at the previous race at the Tonopah 300, while debuting with a strong second place run at the season opening "Terrible Town 250."

The pressure of this weekend's championship hunt is not an indication that Jefferies has any intention of backing off the pace and being to conservative. Scheduled to be the second truck off the Las Vegas starting line, the 29-year old driver from Oak Hills, CA, is more intent of setting an aggressive early pace.

"There is an old and proven rule in racing that slowing down too much to protect the equipment also opens the door for mistakes," explained Jefferies. "Our goal is to try and run to the front before the first big mountain pass. That way we are clear of the dust and can then set our own pace. If we run into some trouble or some early flat tires, focus will then switch to just getting our truck to the finish line. Winning this championship really mean something to us, so there's no letting up."

Always an integral part of the team's overall vision and success, team owner Rob Herman is taking an even more active role in this weekend's race. Herman, a highly successful business executive from Duncansville, PA, will join his young driver on the run to their championship as the team's official co-driver. For this race, team owner Herman will take over the duties from Casey Jefferies, the younger brother of Damen.

"The truth is that I haven't even sat in the truck once," explained Herman, a life-long outdoor and automotive enthusiast. "We use a lot of high-technology navigation systems in our vehicle, so I'm just a little concerned about getting the right information to Damen. Beyond that, I'm just thrilled to be back in the co-drivers seat again. The last time I did this was in a really fast Class 1 (open-wheel unlimited) car. That was a thrill, but they tell me that our new Ford truck is in another league."

"In another league." For the other competitors in the Best in the Desert series, that is how the Herman Motorsports effort is now being described. From a development year into a possible fourth desert championship in five years, the team at Herman Motorsports is on the brink of adding another winning chapter to their growing off-road legacy.

For additional team information and sponsorship information, please visit their new website at www.HermanMotorsports.com.

For more information, call or write:
Best In The Desert Racing Association
3475 Boulder Highway
Las Vegas, NV 89121
(702) 457-5775, (702) 241-6431 fax
www.bitd.com