When Tyler Vik and his father, Leo, woke up this morning at the Holiday Inn Express on Litchfield Rd. in Goodyear, AZ this morning, Tyler found a text message from AKA’s Brent Fiege that the Viks’ rental car, a white Chevy SUV, had been broken into.
“I hoped he was kidding,” Tyler said.
Their worst fears were confirmed when they walked out to the parking lot, finding both the rear windshield and rear driver side window smashed - and the car almost completely empty. The thieves left a painted body, a starter box, a small tool box, and fuel.
Veterans of traveling around the world for races, the Viks know the importance of bringing the important equipment inside - but didn't make it back out to the car in the wee hours of the morning. “We went to McDonalds around a quarter after 1 AM,” said Leo, “and when we got back to the hotel, we grabbed the food and both nitro cars and walked into the room. When we finished eating, both of us fell asleep.”
The items that came up missing included Tyler’s XRAY XB8E and three HUDY hauler bags with Tyler’s name screened onto them, a ProTek RC radio box with his Airtronics M12, and a large box of AKA tires and wheels. Inside the hauler bag were three FX engines, a HUDY LED pit light with Tyler’s name engraved on both the case and the light itself, an Elangears charger, and a blue Plano clamshell box full of tools.
“I keep looking for more and more stuff and thinking ‘man, they got that too!’” said Tyler, “they took almost everything. I had tools we’ve used for ten years in those bags.”
The Viks called the Goodyear Police Department to file a report, but the officers said they wouldn’t come out and take prints - after all, the doors to the car were still locked, so the thieves likely pulled everything out through the windows. The on-duty manager of the Holiday Inn Express said there are no security cameras covering the parking lot.
Luckily for Tyler, many of his sponsors are here at the race and other racers offered to pitch in to get him rolling. Not only is he qualified for the D-Main in Pro E-Buggy and the C-Main in Pro Truck today, along with tomorrow’s B-Main in Pro Buggy with a good shot at bumping into the final.
It’s impossible to know if the stolen gear will show up at a local track or if the thieves will try to unload it on eBay, forums, or elsewhere. Tyler asked that anyone with information, or those who think they might have seen his car or equipment, contact him via Facebook or at tylervik@gmail.com.
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