Category Archives: Short Track Racing

My XC race write-up from Oak Hill Raceway 3 (2015 TORN Rd 9)

Last weekend, my son and I drove to Alvord, Tx to compete in Round 9 of the 2015 TORN cross-country series. This was the *final race* of the 2015 season and the last chance for racers to compete for UNTOLD FAME AND GLORY!!! Errr, I mean their last chance to earn season points and bragging rights. Below is my race write-up.

WHERE:
Alvord, TX… it’s just a speck on the map about 50 miles north of Ft. Worth. This race was located at a MX track called Oak Hill Raceway. The track was laid out in the large, open pasture areas surrounding the main MX track. The course had tons of dirt work and resembled a giant MX track for UTVs, minus the big scary jumps and whoops sections.

TRACK CONDITIONS:
On race day (Sunday), the UTV racers endured chilly temps in the mid-30s during morning practice. After practice, sunny skies filled the sky and led to warmer temps in the mid-50s by race time. It turned out to be a beautiful day for XC racing!

The UTV track length was 2.7 miles in length. The front half of the course (near the property entrance) was relatively smooth and included several small to medium sized, man-made jumps, berms and table top jumps set in the large pasture areas. The back half of the course was rougher and included more natural terrain along a fence line and in and out of a dry pond.

PRACTICE:
Due to the long drive to this property, Cash and I drove to Decatur the night before and stayed in a local hotel. On Sunday morning, we arrived at the track around 9:30am to do some practice laps. It was bitter cold, so we decided to put on our full race suits over our clothes to keep warm during practice. I stepped away from the truck to remove the tie-downs and unload the RZR while Cash got suited up in the truck. When my son finally emerged from the truck, I jumped in the truck to get my suit on. I grabbed the race suit from my back seat and immediately realized there was a problem. My sleepy son put on MY race suit instead of his. Doh! We swapped race suits and drove the RZR to the track.

During our practice laps, I noticed a few things about this course.

First, this course is very different than a typical woods course. In fact, there were no tight woods. Instead, it was set-up like a large MX track for UTVs with lots of man-made jumps, small rolling hills, berms and a few sections that allow racers to choose alternate routes as they make their way around corners. There were a few sections that had multiple, zig-zag turns around mounds of dirt. If you cut the corner too close, you could easily send your RZR up on 2 wheels and/or roll over on its side.

In fact, during our last practice lap I saw two RZRs turned onto their sides at 2 different spots on the track. The 2nd one I saw had rolled over after making right hand turn over DEEP RUTS. I was the first person to arrive on the scene, so I jumped out of my RZR and ran over to help the driver flip his machine back onto 4 wheels. Once we got it on all fours, I noticed a small flame coming out of the tail pipe, which was very odd given that the motor was shut off. It was just a slow burning flame coming out of the muffler. I suspect fuel must have dripped into the muffler while the vehicle was laid on its side. In any case, I told the driver and he decided to start up the motor and try to blow out the flame. Luckily, that extinguished the flame and a large smoke ring (similar to a smoke ring from a cigar smoker) came out followed by a large puff of dark smoke came out as the motor roared to life. I’m glad I noticed the flame and it didn’t end up burning his UTV to the ground.

Second, I also noticed the course was relatively smooth, especially on the front half of the course.

Last, I noticed the course had plenty of wide sections to allow for passing opportunities, especially when riding over table tops or small man-made jumps/rolling hills.

UTV INTERMEDIATE CLASS:
Only 3 side by sides lined up on the starting line of the UTV Intermediate class, including JW on his blue RZR 1k, Eric on his white RZR 1k and myself on my red RZR 900xp. This was the smallest turn-out of the season as we typically enjoyed 7 or 8 UTVs in our class. A few of the regulars from our class showed up to race, but didn’t actually race due to last minute mechanical problems or other reasons. Even tho my fellow UTV racers didn’t compete on this day, it was great to visit with Serento, Zack, Rut and others before our race.

STRATEGY:
As the last race of the season, all racers were very much aware of their standings in season points. In my class, JW was currently the points leader, followed by Eric in 2nd overall and then myself in 3rd overall. JW was far enuf in the lead that all he had to do to clinch the championship was to finish the race without a DNF. Similarly, Eric only needed to finish the race without a DNF to claim a 2nd place overall for the season. As for me, I could not catch either JW or Eric unless they happened to break down early and get a DNF. Because no one else raced with us this day, that meant I had already clinched 3rd place in season points regardless of how I finished this race. That took some pressure off, but it would have been more interesting if I had a fighting chance of winning the championship.

All 3 of us were looking forward to an easy, mistake-free race without any DNFs. At least that was the plan until 30 seconds into the race when I finally realized that Cash and I had NOTHING TO LOSE even if we got a DNF. In fact, I realized that I didn’t even have to race that day to secure 3rd place overall for the season. With nothing to lose, I decided to push hard in this race and try to accomplish something I have yet to accomplish this entire season… take the win! CHARGE!!!

THE START:
On the starting line, we were facing a short run (maybe 30′) to the first left-hand turn. I was lined up in the middle with JW on my left and Eric to my right. The green flag went up and off we went.

JW jumped out to take a commanding lead and made the turn just in front of Eric and me. With JW about 1 car length ahead, Eric stayed right beside me as we made the first few left-hand turn together and hit a small rolling jump. As we made our way to the the first right-hand turn with two separate lanes to choose from, I fell in behind JW on the left and Eric took the right lane. We came out the other side with JW first, Eric 2nd and me in 3rd.

LAPS 1 through 4:
As lap 1 progressed, the course ran alongside a fence and then made a sharp right turn towards some rolling hills/jumps and then it made a 180 degree left hand turn and took riders toward the fence again. On the next corner, the course split into 2 separate lanes and made a sweeping right hand turn. JW took the outside lane and Eric and I took the inside lane. When the lanes came back together about 200′ up the track, Eric took the lead from JW and I fell in behind JW. I stayed on JW’s bumper for the next mile or so through the rough section near the back of the property and then we proceeded towards the smoother sections near the front of the property. On one of the left hand turns in the large pasture area, JW pulled to the side and let Cash and me pass. With JW in my rear view mirror, I mashed the pedal and set my sights on Eric who was only about 7 seconds ahead of me at that point.

For the next 4 laps, I maintained the same distance behind Eric despite pushing my RZR as hard as I could while also trying to avoid any costly mistakes like flipping it over onto its side.

LAPS 5 through 10:
About half way through the 5th lap, I saw a Pro class racer (Hunter Miller) catching up to Cash and me near the rough section at the back of the property. I held Hunter off as long as I could, but it wasn’t long before he passed me and then I could see both Eric and Hunter in front of me. At this point, Eric was starting to gain distance on me and soon Eric and Hunter were both out of my line of sight. I continued to race hard and try to catch Eric.

As we hit the smooth jumps and berms near the front of the property, I suddenly saw Eric pulled off the side of the course. I waive and it appeared he was ok and it was just a mechanical problem of some sort. I later found out that Eric had taken a turn too fast and damaged an axle, wheel bearing and/or knuckle that caused one of his wheels to almost fall off. That meant Cash and I had finally taken over lead position and were on track to take the win! Cash and I high fived each other… Yee haw!

On one of the last laps, I caught up to JW again. He was taking it easy and playing it safe to finish the race and secure his season championship. (I would have done the same thing). I lapped him and kept the pedal to the floor.

Near the end of my 9th lap, I could see a yellow Yamaha YXZ not too far behind me and he was slowly catching up to me. Just for fun, I decided to try my best to stay ahead of him and avoid getting passed before we hit the finish line. Unfortunately for me, I soon discovered that was not the last lap and I had another lap to go to hold him off til the checkered flag.

RACE RESULTS:
After the dust settled, Cash and I took the win!! This was our very first win in a UTV race and also my very first TORN win after 3 years of ATV racing and 1 year of UTV racing. We were also able to avoiding getting passed by the Yamaha during the final few laps, which was not easy as he was getting very close to us when we finally reached the checkered flag. JW took 2nd place in the race and Eric took 3rd.

CONGRATS to JW for winning the season championship in the UTV Intermediate class and also to Eric for taking 2nd place overall. I finished 3rd overall (just 3 points behind Eric!). Not bad for my first year racing a UTV. I thoroughly enjoyed racing this year with JW, Eric, Cash, Serento, Zack, Rut and the rest of the guys from the UTV Intermediate and Novice classes. My lil red 900xp was definitely not the fastest UTV on the track, but it was very reliable and consistently kept me in the top 4 spots each race.

As always, I have to say a big THANK YOU to TORN for putting on another FUN event!

PICS:

Hope you enjoyed my race write-up! 😎

PNWOR 2016 Race Series

Pacific Northwest Off Road Racing Series 2016 Race Calendar
Dec 30,2015, Tacoma WA – PNWOR (Pacific North West Off Road Racing Series) is excited to announce the 2016 Race Calendar. With 8 events held at 3 different venues, including 3 new tracks, this is sure to be an exciting race year.
Mar 19 – Riverdale Raceway – Short Course
Apr 02 – Goldendale WA – Starvation Ridge 100.0 UTV Challenge
Apr 30 – Stradeline WA – Short Course
May 21 – Stradeline WA -Short Course
Jun 25 – Eddieville WA – Short Course
Sept 10 – Stradeline WA -Short Course
Oct 08 – Eddieville WA – Short Course
Nov 5th – Riverdale Raceway – Short Course

Following the current PNWOR format there will be classes for limited and unlimited UTV’s, Trucks, Buggies to be able to accommodate most any vehicle. Know for unique race formats and venues, PNWOR will be sure to provide some incredible racing action in 2016. Additional event information will be coming very soon.
About PNWOR (Pacific North West Off Road Racing Series) is the premier off road racing series serving the Pacific NW and Canada. With classes for UTV’s, trucks, buggies, and Trophy Karts, this family friendly organization was founded and is operated by people with a vast background and passion for off road racing. Please visit us at www.pnwoffroad.com and www.facebook.com/PNWOffRoad
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My XC race write-up from Endeavor Bridgeport 2 (2015 TORN rd 8)

Last weekend, my son and I drove to Bridgeport, Tx to compete in Round 8 of the 2015 TORN cross-country series. If this place sounds familiar, it is b/c we raced at this same property (called Endeavor Bridgeport) just 3 weeks ago. Below is my race write-up.

WHERE:
Bridgeport, TX… it’s a small town about 50 minutes northwest of Ft. Worth. This rural property has a little bit of everything, including hills, loose sand, rocks, large pastures, thick wooded areas filled with thorny mesquite trees, cactus, ponds, etc. TORN raced here 3 weeks ago, but this time they swapped the MC track and UTV track, so the race course was completely different this time.

TRACK CONDITIONS:
On race day (Sunday), the racers enjoyed sunny skies and colder temps in morning that warmed up to around 60 degrees or so at race time… which is PERFECT RACE WEATHER in my book, but my son thought it was a little too cold for his young hands and face.

The UTV track length was 2.6 miles in length and included a mile of zig zag trails across a large, flat pasture area, followed by another mile of wide trails through the woods that led to a steep hill climb and descent. After conquering the hill, the trail winded back to the large pasture area and started all over again. The large pasture area included a few small jumps plus several turns with deep, sticky mud that tended to slow down racers’ momentum. The wooded trails included several thorny mesquite trees and lots of cactus along the edges of the trail. The woods also had a few spots with standing mud/water and lots of trails with deep, soft ruts that caused problems for many racers (more on this later).

PRACTICE:
During the last race, my RZR incurred front end damage thanks to a broken lower a-arm bolt and a destroyed (stock) skid plate that took big hits from the large rocks on the track. With only 3 weeks since that race, I had a mad scramble to buy replacement parts and make the needed repairs on time. My son (Cash) and I finally wrapped up the much needed repairs on Saturday afternoon at 3pm. That left us with just enough time to quickly load the RZR onto the trailer and immediately hit the road towards a hotel in Bridgeport, TX (300 miles away). Unfortunately, we had no time for a good test run to see if our repairs would hold up. That would have to wait until our practice laps on Sunday morning.

After leaving the hotel on Sunday morning, Cash and I arrived at the track around 8:45am and unloaded the RZR for practice laps. It was bitter cold at this time, so we dressed in our full race and warm under clothes suits to keep warm. During our practice laps, I noticed several things about this course.

First, the course is drastically different than the last race at this property. Specifically, the last race was much more technical and ran through 4 miles of tight, twisty wooded trails that were often hilly, rocky, and whooped out and had almost no places to easily pass slower racers. By comparison, this track is much shorter, a lot less technical and runs through mostly wide, rutted trails in a large pasture and woods.

Second, the trails are mostly wide and allow for more opportunities to pass (especially in the large pasture area).

Third, there are at least a few open areas in the pasture to pick up good speeds and allow the 1,000cc UTVs to really stretch their legs (meaning the 900cc UTVs like mine could be at a slight disadvantage on this course).

Cash and I made 8 practice laps and headed back to the truck to rest. At this point, I was satisfied that our repair work was going to hold up for the race.

UTV INTERMEDIATE CLASS:
A total of 7 side by sides lined up on the starting line of the UTV Intermediate class, including five RZR 1ks and two RZR 900xps. We usually have at least 1 Can Am on the line with us, but Cash F. chose to race with the Pro Class this race. I was excited for Cash F. to try out the Pro Class with the big boys, but also a little disappointed that I wouldn’t get to race with him given that I have raced with him all season (including the first 2 races in the UTV Novice class). Also missing from this line-up was a Yamaha 1000R (Sandy) who showed up at our last race and finished 2nd place (just a few seconds ahead of me), but Sandy was missing this time around.

THE START:
When the 7 UTVs in my class lined up for the start, we were facing a short run (maybe 30′) to a narrow area that was probably only wide enuf for 3 or 4 UTVs to pass at the same time. This bottleneck meant it was critical to get a good start and avoid being pushed back to the rear of the pack. After the bottleneck area, the course made a left turn and headed towards lots of zig-zag trails in a large open pasture area.

On the starting line, I was lined up near the middle. To my immediately left was Mike F. (a new UTV racer who has the only other 900xp besides mine). We were flanked on both sides by RZR 1ks…. "surrounded" is probably a better word. LOL As I’ve said before, I kinda like being the underdog.

The green flag went up and off we went. My 900xp fired up a tad slow and suddenly Mike F. (on my immediate left) and an orange RZR 1k (on my immediate right) both shot ahead of me about 1/2 a length. As the entire line quickly approached the bottleneck, my front fenders were simultaneously bumped by Mike F. and the orange RZR 1k in an old fashioned "squeeze play." I instantly hit the brakes and tried to fall in line right behind them as the entire pack quickly passed through the bottleneck area and made the first turn. Before I could say, "Oh crap!", Cash and I found ourselves in last (7th) position as we headed into the pasture area. In any case, hope was not completely lost b/c I have faced this same situation earlier this season (Oak Hill 1) and still managed to finish the race in the middle of the pack. So Cash and I held our chins up and pressed onward.

LAPS 1 through 4:
As lap 1 progressed, the course runs 1 mile through a large pasture area with several wide turns that are coated with thick, soft, sticky mud. Most of the time, this mud slowed my momentum to a crawl and/or bounced me around the turn as I tried to avoid the deep ruts. After the large pasture area, the course takes racers into the woods that contained lots of deep ruts through soft, sticky mud. There were a few places that were tight, but must most of the woods were wide and fairly easy to navigate at good speed were it not for the deep ruts to slow you down. Near the end of the 1st lap, the trail makes a run up a steep hill about 20′ tall and then it makes a hard right turn and drops back down the right side of the hill with a 2′ kicker bump at the very bottom of the hill. Not far past this kicker bump was a short jump and then more wide, zig zag trails through a few more trees before dumping you back out to the same large pasture where it all began.

As the race continued, I started noticing UTVs pulled off the sides of the trail here and there due to apparently mechanical problems, etc. Slowly, I started seeing a few UTVs in my class on the sides of the trails and pressed onward with the hope of getting a top 3 finish.

LAPS 5 through 9:
About half way through the race, I saw the Pro class catching up to Cash and me in the large pasture area. So I knew it was only a matter of time before the Miller Brothers lapped me. As soon as the first Miller Brother (not sure which one) reached me, I pulled over and let him pass. I fell in behind him and kept pressing forward. In the woods, the ruts in the soft, sticky mud got deeper and deeper with each passing lap. I think it was my 5th lap when I first noticed that were slowing down to nearly a crawl as we passed through the deepest section of ruts and all 4 tires were slinging mud violently in a desperate attempt to get traction and keep momentum. I could hear the (brand new) skid plate sliding across the top of the trail as my RZR pushed onward. It was this point where I started to wonder if my RZR would get stuck in the deep ruts. It sure didn’t help that my lil RZR 900xp only has 26" tires.

When I approached the same section of deep ruts on lap 6, I hit it with more speed to see if the extra momentum would carry me over the ruts. Unfortunately, the trail makes are hard right turn just as the deep rutted section begins. When I hit the sharp right turn at speed, my right two wheels came up and only my left 2 wheels stayed on the ground and continued to push me forward. That approach didn’t work well as I lost most of my momentum going around the corner on just 2 wheels. At that point, I had a sinking feeling that my RZR would not make it around the track again without getting stuck/high centered in that section. But we pressed onward anyway.

As we made it to the same section on lap 7, Curtis (race organizer) had just arrived and opened a trail immediately alongside the deeply rutted trail. This new section had ruts from the UTV race earlier that same day, but those ruts were not nearly as deep. As Cash and I came around the corner, Curtis pointed to the new trail. Unfortunately for me, I was already running in the deep ruts of the old section and there was no way at that point to climb out and cross over to the newly opened of trail. I continued on with my gas pedal on the floor. We made it just past the half-way point of that long stretch of deep ruts when suddenly my tires lost traction and we got stuck/high centered in the ruts. At this moment, a Yamaha 1000R from another UTV class was in my rear view mirror and he also got stuck in the ruts. What a helpless feeling!

Luckily, Curtis was right there with a tractor, quickly hooked up to my front bumper and pulled Cash and me the rest of the way through the rutted trail. This rescue took only a few minutes, but a few UTVs (probably from my class) passed me. As Curtis went back for the Yamaha, Cash and I continued racing through the woods and quickly hit another section of deep rutted trails that were also getting more difficult to pass.

On the following lap, I took the new section that Curtis opened and it was much easier to pass. At the end of that section, Curtis pointed us to a new section that bypassed the remaining deep ruts that immediately followed the old rutted section. Onward we went.

As Cash and I climbed the big hill near the end of the very last lap (lap 9), I saw JW’s blue RZR 1k just up the trail from me (JW was in 1st position at that time). I mashed the go pedal harder and caught up to him just as he went through the checkered flag. Not long after that, Eric (white RZR 1k) joined us at the finish line.

RACE RESULTS:
After the dust settled, it turns out that JW and Eric completed 10 laps and I was next in line with 9 laps completed. Most of the remaining racers in our class broke down/pulled out of the race several laps earlier. Congrats to JW for finishing 1st and Eric for finishing 2nd. Cash and I were excited to finish in 3rd, especially considering our lousy start and getting stuck in the deep ruts along the way. Oddly enough, the top 3 finishers of this race just happen to be in the exact same positions in season points for our class (JW is currently in 1st season points, Eric in 2nd and I’m in 3rd). With only 1 remaining race of the 2015 season, I hope to maintain my 3rd place standings in season points.

As always, I have to say a big THANK YOU to TORN for putting on another FUN event!

PICS:

I hope you enjoyed my write-up! :ride:

2016 AZOP Race Schedules

AZOP is offering two series for 2016:
Grand Prix Series
Hare Scrambles Series

Each series will have its own year end awards Champions. Your $25 membership fee will be good for both series. If you have a membership you will use the same number for both series. There will be 1 drop for each Series. You can pick either series or race them both. Go to azopracing.com for more info.

Here is the full 2016 Race Schedule:

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