Feature Vehicle Blake Wilkey’s JAWS Trophy Bug

[Curtis Guise]

Despite successfully building and racing a class 11 stock VW nick-named the Slug Shark and creating wildly popular video content with his “Class Fun” long travel bug he calls the Megalodon, Blake Wilkey still had an itch to race off-road with the big boys. In keeping with the theme of Volkswagen vehicles named after sharks, it’s appropriate the biggest baddest build to date would be named after the most fearsome of all (fictional) sharks, JAWS.

“The goal was always to have a trophy truck and race at the highest level but I was also a buggy dork so we cross pollinated the two and this is what we got.”

Engineered with Kevin Butts of Quixotic...

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[MTPyle]

I think it turned out amazing. In person it’s way larger than I thought. I totally dig it.

Pretty cool to see them do something new and I think it worked.

Mike

 

[J Prich]

Look forward to seeing this thing in action. Innovation has always been one of the bedrocks of desert racing IMO. Cool to see these guys pushing boundaries and trying new things.

 

[mrlentle]

Nice article and very cool bug. Any suggestions as to who the buyer of the other car is? Likely to be American or shipping out to the Middle East perhaps?

 

[racechase01]

During his build videos/pics I was thinking that the rear fenders were way too long and looked funny but now that it's all done, it turned out rad!

 

[partybarge_pilot]

So what "big race" is he planning on racing this in? SC rules it out of a lot of class's. Bug body a few more, strait axle out of others.......

 

[scracing]

Great job

 

[michael.gonzalez]

So what "big race" is he planning on racing this in? SC rules it out of a lot of class's. Bug body a few more, strait axle out of others.......

Fits TT rules.

 

[partybarge_pilot]

Fits TT rules.

Except the "truck" part. And the motor only fly's in BITD I think.

 

[Klaus]

Except the "truck" part. And the motor only fly's in BITD I think.

It flies wherever promoters like entries.

 

[MTPyle]

pretty sure SCORE added supercharger’s a couple years ago.

The way I understand it the rest of the TT’s would have to approve anything that’s not a Truck body and bedsides.

Mike

 

[J Prich]

I can’t imagine why any TT guys would say no to allowing this.

 

[NIKAL]

Is he really going to race this? It’s got a super charger, open exposed air filter under the front hood and a few other things make me think this is more of a Terra Crew, track & dune jumping, video stunt truck vs a purpose built race truck with VW body on it.

 

[MTPyle]

The air filter is fine for state side races. The supercharger should not be a issue and is legal.

The thing looks pretty well built. Better than a lot of TT’s I have seen. Looked pretty balanced in the video I saw. I don’t see why they wouldn’t race it.

Mike

 

[dan200]

Is he really going to race this? It’s got a super charger, open exposed air filter under the front hood and a few other things make me think this is more of a Terra Crew, track & dune jumping, video stunt truck vs a purpose built race truck with VW body on it.

He’s gonna race it. Hasn’t picked the events last I checked.
It will be on display at the SDHQ vendor booth at KOH on Thursday or Friday, or both days.
BTW-Wilkey just won the KOH class 11 race.

 

[Dezertpilot]

He’s gonna race it. Hasn’t picked the events last I checked.
It will be on display at the SDHQ vendor booth at KOH on Thursday or Friday, or both days.
BTW-Wilkey just won the KOH class 11 race.

Again? The white Eric Solorzano(sp?) lol

 

[JBuggy21]

Car looks pretty great. It’s awesome that it’s different. If we are talking about it honestly, it looks very hard to work on.

 

[BajaFand]

Aesthetically I want to throw up in my mouth a little. Functionally I question the visibility over that hood.

 

[MCM MOTORSPORTS]

pretty sure SCORE added supercharger’s a couple years ago.

The way I understand it the rest of the TT’s would have to approve anything that’s not a Truck body and bedsides.

Mike

Thats how it worked for the BMW, Toureg and Camaro.

 

[MCM MOTORSPORTS]

He’s gonna race it. Hasn’t picked the events last I checked.
It will be on display at the SDHQ vendor booth at KOH on Thursday or Friday, or both days.
BTW-Wilkey just won the KOH class 11 race.

Thats 2 in a row. They say you need to start limited and work up.