How's this for a happy coincidence? I was in a business meeting with a regular client in El Segundo, California and on a usually quite side street we kept hearing a car roaring up and down the street. Of course the sound of that much horsepower always gets me excited so I ran out on the sidewalk to see what was up...
Turns out the the COPS Racing Team is in the building right next to my clients - full bay, cars, equipment etc... Awesome! So of course I did what any speed fan would do - I walked right in and said "HEY GUYS!" Turns out they were a nice bunch of car enthusiasts like the rest of us on My Sick Ride and even though they were getting ready for a big race in Baja this weekend, they were nice enough to chat with me for a bit.
Me and the "Infamous" Joe Taylor!
The guys I met up with were Zach Langley, Bernie Carr, Mike Howell, Dennis Crowley, Brandon Chrisman, and of course the "infamous" Joe Taylor! I'll be writing more on each of these gents when they get back but for now am posting a few pictures and some details about the team below. Catch you all soon and enjoy reading!
COPS Racing Team was formed in early 2008, when eventual Crew/Car Chief Joseph Taylor approached his long time friend and neighbor John Langley, the Creator and Executive Producer of COPS to sponsor a SCORELite buggy that he was building along with other members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department through a charity to race in the SCORE series. John was so intrigued by the idea of what Joe was trying to accomplish, he not only sponsored the car that Joe was planning to build, but asked Joe to take on the task of putting together a car for him and his sons to drive. The car and the team made their debut at the 2008 SCORE Baja 1000. The fledgling team brought the car home with less than an hour left to spare in the 31 hour time limited event, besting the L.A. County Fire Project car by minutes but nonetheless bringing home both cars in epic fashion that ultimately propelled the team to expand and go on to greater achievements.
In it’s first full season campaign, COPS Racing placed 2nd in Class Points for the SCORELite division and 5th in Class Points for Classs 1 Unlimited. In the first outing for the Class 1 buggy at the 42nd Annual SCORE Tecate Baja 1000, the team took home the big trophy after winning the Class 1 Unlimited race.
The team currently fields three entries with plans to enter five races in the SCORE International off-road racing series.
Thanks for the time Joe, catch you guys in a week or two!
