FIBERCRAFT KEEPS ON ROLLING

RENO (Jan. 26)- There are many shops that support grass roots racing with general and specific parts. Some of those shops have become institutions and after almost 40-years in business Fibercraft is one of them.

Racers in this area and Northern California are familiar with this shop, as it’s been involved in off-road racing, especially with VORRA, for almost four decades.

“It started in I think 1967 by Jake LaFlure and his partner,” current owner Julee Lott said. “What he did mainly was fiber glass dune buggies. We have a body in the back he built and I’m going to build a dune buggy out of it eventually.”

Julee Lott, owner of Fibercraft, stands by an exact replica of the original Meyers Manx driven at Baja by Vic Wilson. The racers is on display in her showroom.

After a while the bodies didn’t sell as well as parts so the business shifted to supplying more parts. And by the time Lott and her husband William bought it, the business was just selling parts.

“We bought it in 1981,” she said. “My husband had been off from work for a year and just doing this and that. He had gotten his degree in business administration and he decided he wanted to have a business. Basically all we’ve ever done is parts.”

Originally the business was located at 880 East Second Street, across from the Coroner’s Office. About seven years later they moved further west to the corner of Second Street and Sunshine Lane.

Her late husband raced for many years with VORRA (Valley Off Road Racing Association) and also competed in some other events.

“He did run the Mint 400 once or twice with other people and the first couple of Vegas to Reno races back in the early 80’s I believe,” she said. “The last few years he raced with Wes Harbor (Former VORRA President.).”

Among the products it has the business sells Volkswagen parts for the early VW’s, old buses, Beatle, and the type 3 Gia. So if a VORRA racer competes in the stock class they’ll need Volkswagen parts and the store stocks them.

Julee Lott stands by some of the many Volkswagen parts her shop sells.

“If they’re going big then they run A-arms in the front, 3X3’s in the back so it’s a lot more pieces and stuff to build the car,” she said. “Those would be Class One, in Class 9 everything has to be stock buggy, like stock front suspension, stock rear and a stock motor. Same with the Class 11, which are VW bugs.”

While her husband was the person they sponsored for seven or eight years she was involved in the events helping run a checkpoint at the desert races.

“And at the short courses we’d run the gate for VORRA,” she said.

About four years ago in August the Lott’s moved the business down to its present location, 591 Sunshine Lane. She explained the move resulted in a building twice as large as the one they were in.

“We were really getting compact in that place down there on Second Street and we could have stayed there but the people didn’t want to sell and Bill wanted to buy a building,” she said. “So we bought this building here.”

Sadly she lost her husband about three years ago when he passed way. Now she runs the business with the help of Collin Wiley and Nick McGill but Lott is still very much a hands on owner.

“I don’t know everything, I can get them a Volkswagen part but to tell them how to set up their suspension, I couldn’t do that, but Collin is really good at that,” she said, “When he started working for us, he was still in high school. We taught him a lot, he’s learned a lot on his own.”

Nick McGill checks on a customer’s order while behind him is just a small portion of the parts Fibercraft sells.

She, like any business owner, has been going through her share of challenges lately.

Asked what her biggest was she said, “Staying in business, right now since we had the economic disaster. As far as the business goes it’s just been really, really slow. It’s been up and down but still hasn’t come back as it should or like it was and I’m sure that’s going to take quite a while but it’s slow.”

Another challenge is the rising price of parts. As an example she explained that a Bosch Coil used to cost around $36 while not the same product goes for around $62.

One bright spot she sees is the upswing in off-road events for this region.

The Ultra 4 National event in October has created some interest. While the store sells rod ends, FK Rod Bearing and related items she’s trying to get more products and parts to sell to these racers.

“And we’re getting more brackets and stuff that are more beefier for the Ultra 4’s as they need real beefy stuff,” she said.

Lott added they don’t get a lot of business from the Lucas Oil Off Road teams but they usually are self-contained. However if they need parts, Fibercraft is ready to help.

Currently she’s had Ultra 4 racers coming in and buying things like foot pedals because they need the really long throw types. The store also stocks rod-ends, tabs, Dzus Buttons and they also sell the Cree Brand of Light Bars, which replace the olds style headlights.

And it appears there will be at least one more Ultra 4 race this year.

“I think the guy that owns Ultra 4 wants to get involved in doing one desert race here too. So that’s why he’s getting involved with VORRA for the Fallon race.”

She added the October event was a success as there were almost 200 entries.

Looking at VORRA she feels the buggies are a cost effective way to get into desert racing. And the series has another way to make getting into this type of racing inexpensive.

“VORRA has a Sportsman Class so you can “run what you brung.” It just has to meet all the safety requirements.”

However looking toward the future, she doesn’t have a clear vision of what’s to come.

“I have no idea,” she said, with a laugh. “To me it looks scary the way things are going so I’m not an optimist. But as long as VORRA stays in business it should help us but if it goes away, I don’t know.”

Still the shop is in business with plenty of things to sell. Among the many types of parts is a small sand rail buggy (Only 15 were built) plus another off-road car.

And sitting in the showroom is an exact copy of the famous Meyers Manx buggy that raced at Baja. While no one knows the location of the original this is an exact copy built by the Manx previous owner Vic Wilson.

Nick McGill holds the door open to Fibercraft’s showroom that is packed with parts for many types of off-road racers.

For further information about Fibercraft their phone number is, 775-329-2155. Or one can visit their friendly show room at 591 Sunshine Lane check the large amount of parts they have in stock.

OTHER RACING NEWS

• Local racer Aaron Siminoe finally made it into the night show during the Oakland round of the Supercross series.

Starting 14th in his heat he worked his way to seventh then fell back to eighth, which was good enough to transfer him into the 250 West Main. He started the race 15th but his luck ran out and he eventually was out finishing 22nd but still earning his first point of this season.

• In NASCAR news, four time Cup champion Jeff Gordon announced last week this will be his final season as a driver. But he’ll still be around racing as he has an ownership position with the team five-time champion Jimmy Johnson drives for.

Four Time Cup champion Jeff Gordon announced last week that 2015 was his final year as a driver in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup series.
Photo courtesy – NASCAR