OFF-ROAD WARRIOR : Truck Driver Finds Success in Sport That Keeps Him Behind Wheel

Frank Chavez is an off-road racer with a clean driving record. Sounds contradictory, huh?

But it has to be that way for Chavez. Not only because his job as a freight-truck driver demands a clean DMV record, but because Chavez demands it of himself.

Chavez, who grew up in Escondido and lives in Lakeside, has too much respect for the machines he drives.

Whether it’s the 18-wheeler he drives at work, the 1970 Chevy truck he drives at leisure or the 360cc Superlite he drives in events such as tonight’s Mickey Thompson Off-Road Championship Gran Prix at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium (7:30), Chavez is serious behind the wheel.

Chavez, 30, knows all too well the dangers of recklessness.

Seven years ago, his younger brother, Tony, was killed in an accident. He was sitting on his idle motorcycle when he was struck by a cyclist traveling 90 miles per hour on a residential street.

“I never got on a bike again, out of respect for my parents,” Chavez said. “I still have my Class IV license, and I used to have a street bike. I went down one time and had asphalt burns all over. I learned the easy way. He didn’t.”

While Chavez is a bit on the quiet side, he is adamant about safety.

“There’s a place for street bikes, but not out in traffic,” said Chavez, who offers an alternative time and place for their enjoyment: “Sundays, up in the mountains.”

Said Bob Russo, the public relations director for Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group: “Most people, if they don’t know racers, think they’re all on the wild, crazy side. Frank is not like that.”

“He’s not a real aggressive-type driver,” said Mike Lovelle, Chavez’s car owner. “But he’s real consistent. He’s real good as a front-runner. In this class, the key is to get in and out of the turns, and he does that well.”

Chavez began riding three-wheelers when he was about 5. His parents, Ray and Virginia, took Frank and Tony to the desert every Thanksgiving.

He agreed to give up riding three-wheelers after twisting his knee, when his parents said they would buy him an Odyssey, as the vehicle was known before its name was changed to Superlite.

Chavez was hooked but never envisioned himself competing in front of 50,000 fans in large stadiums.

“That was so far-fetched at the time,” Chavez said.

After having a second car built by Triple E Enterprises, he joined the Mickey Thompson series and won the 1986 main events in San Diego and four months later in the Los Angeles Coliseum.

“You never think about being the best in the world,” he said. “You’re just out there having fun.”

Chavez now races for the Lovelle Racing Team along with El Cajon natives Ron Pierce, who is second in career main victories with seven, and Sean Finley, who won the four-wheeler main here in 1988. Chavez is the Superlite points leader with 39 after one event this season. Pierce is fourth with 28 points.

“It started out as a hobby, and now it’s a business,” Chavez said. “I try to treat it as such.”

Chavez, married with two daughters, is not ready to quit his truck-driving job just yet, but the off-roaders’ pay is increasing every year.

Companies such as Goodyear, Cal Bumper and Klemm Research began sponsoring Superlite drivers this season. Previously, their interests were solely in the larger-class vehicles.

Improvements in the suspension and a longer chassis have made the Superlites safer and less susceptible to flipping, but Chavez says he has never been injured in one.

“It used to be people would come out just to see the Odysseys flip,” Chavez said. “I used to flip every race. But they enjoy the racing, too, and that’s what we’re here for--entertainment.”

He added, “The feedback I’ve gotten from the crowd is they like the (smaller) cars because they can identify. The car fits the track.”

Racing Notes

Gates for the Gran Prix open at 5:30 p.m. . . . Other San Diego County drivers competing tonight are Alpine’s Ivan Stewart (points leader in the Grand National Sport Truck class), Lemon Grove’s Marty Coyne (fourth in the Super 1600 class), Alpine’s Jimmy Nichols (Super 1600), San Diego’s Tommy Croft (Super 1600), Escondido’s Ryan Hughes (UltraCross Pro Motorcycle), Oceanside’s John Jacobson (Four-wheel ATV) and San Diego’s Mike Bell (UltraCross Pro Motorcycle), Wes Miller (Four-wheel ATV) and Todd Davis (Four-wheel ATV). . . . There will be an expo in the stadium parking lot from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. featuring off-road related products and vehicles, music and an off-road track for radio-controlled cars. Stewart will challenge all comers in his video game “Super Off Road” under the Toyota tent between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. . . . The track at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium is one of the longest on the 10-stop Thompson series, approximately one-third of a mile per lap. The main event is eight laps. Top drivers complete a lap of eight turns and bumpy terrain in less than a minute.

WHAT THEY’LL BE DRIVING

Series points will be awarded in six different vehicle classes in tonight’s Mickey Thompson Off-Road Championship Gran Prix at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. This is the second of 10 stops in the series:

Grand National Sport Truck--Agile trucks capable of traveling 125 m.p.h. Restrictions include maximum engine displacement of 2,850cc and no more than six cylinders.

Super 1600--Also known as Formula 10 or Class 10, the classic desert machine. Open-wheeled and powered by rear-mounted 1,650cc engines. Drivers use turn brakes for quicker turns.

UltraStock--Created by the late Mickey Thompson in 1985, these plastic-bodied vehicles are exclusive to this series. Familiar factory names and styles make them easily identifiable to fans.

Four-Wheel ATV--All-terrain production is exclusively four-wheeled now, pushing three-wheelers near extinction. The driver’s arms and legs absorb most of the shock, and body-shifting is essential for maneuvering with a 250cc engine.

Superlite--Has undergone many changes in design since it was known as Odyssey. Specially designed frames, fully independent suspensions, disc brakes, automatic clutches and a super-tuned 360cc two-stroke engine on 700-pound vehicles.

UltraCross--The newest Mickey Thompson class is a familiar brand of motocross with 250cc cycles. Spectacular jumping is a trademark. Cyclists race in the opposite direction from four-wheel vehicles.