Spidertrax | Thom Kingston | CC BY 3.0

We recently received a press release out of Jason Scherer’s Rage 4th race camp, and as always I love sharing those reports with you here. Hearing the stories direct from the driver is always worthwhile. Without further ado, let’s hear from Rage 4th.

Enter Rage 4th

DANVILLE, CA   OCTOBER 25, 2016

Jason Scherer’s success as the 2016 Ultra4 National Points Champion is a clear combination of consistently having a fast car and teaming up with the best partners in the industry.  In 2016, Scherer finished 1st at the Fallon 250, 2ndat King of the Hammers, 2nd at Metalcloak Stampede and 3rd at the Nitto National Championships.  The only non-podium finish was Hot Springs Arkansas where he finished 8th after a fluke mechanical issue while leading.  The Ultra4 series uniquely combines endurance racing, short course racing and desert racing to find racers that excel at all disciplines.  Scherer has proven to be such a racer taking wins in all categories among a strong field of contenders driving his #76 Rubicon Express Nitto Tire car.

“We started the year on the pole position for King of the Hammers and have maintained our consistency all year.  We had a fast car, but it was also reliable for the first time since we built it over a year ago.  I have clearly teamed up with the best partners in the industry to get the reliability that is needed for these extremely challenging races,” said Scherer.  “Our partners called to see how their parts performed after each race, taking the input to make their products better for the everyday consumer.  I really appreciate not only their attention to detail for our race program, but their commitment to building the best product available on the market.”

Scherer’s 2016 partners include: Rubicon Express, Nitto Tires, FOX Shox, Spidertrax, Method Wheels, Dynomax Exhaust, Rugged Radios, Tilden Motorsports, Red Line Oil, Wild West Off-Road, Fishmouth Fab Works, RCV Performance Products, Advance Adapters, High Angle Drivelines, Pac Springs, Reid Racing, Jamar Brakes, PowerTank, ARB USA, Power Steering Solutions, Rigid Industries, Motive Gear, WARN Industries and Elrod’s Performance Straps.

The Nitto National Championship race in Reno, NV last weekend concluded the season.  “I went into this points racing all the way.  I was being smart, and all about business.  There was a whole group of racers within striking distance to take the championship so I kept them all within my range while pushing, but maintaining the car.  I knew I didn’t need to win, but I needed to finish.  I am extremely happy with the 3rd place finish needed to win the National Championship,” reflected Scherer.

Jason, the Rage 4th Team and the #76 Rubicon Express Nitto Tire car are already prepping for the 2017 season.  The car is getting cut apart as they add a passenger seat for his co-driver, Jason Berger.  Historically just a one-person vehicle, Scherer is opting to have the assistance of a co-driver in 2017.  Testing will begin in December with the focus of King of the Hammers on the near horizon.  “I am very appreciative of a new partnership with Safecraft Safety Equipment who is opening up shop space for our team as my kids toys have helped us grow out of my 3-car garage!” said Scherer.

The Rage 4th Crew: Ole Stogesburg, Ben Ratto, Chad & Brett Lujan, Greg Hussey, John Webb, Brian Farris, Steve Headen, Dan Trout, Ben Bower, Gary & Gordon Uffins, Jason Willis and Doug Kennedy, Jonathan Haniger and his brother Casey Scherer.

Special Thanks to all the Marketing Partners that Make this Success Possible: Rubicon Express, Nitto Tires, FOX Shox, Spidertrax, Method Wheels, Dynomax Exhaust, Rugged Radios, Tilden Motorsports, Red Line Oil, Wild West Off-Road, Fishmouth Fab Works, RCV Performance Products, Advance Adapters, High Angle Drivelines, Pac Springs, Reid Racing, Jamar Brakes, PowerTank, ARB USA, Power Steering Solutions, Rigid Industries, Motive Gear, WARN Industries and Elrod’s Performance Straps

More about Jason Scherer: Jason Scherer has been racing for over 18 years and has stood on the podium at many events winning one of the most prestigious events: The 2009 King of the Hammers.  He also has a top 25 finish in 7 King of the Hammers races since 2008 and won the 2012 and 2013 Ultra4 Nitto National Championship Race, 2013 Metalcloak Stampede and 2016 Fallon 250.  His consistency and race car set-up is proven winning the 2016 Ultra4 National Points and Pro-Rock Championship in 2006, repeating in 2007.  Jason’s growing list of high profile finishes have earned him the honor of being nominated for Dirt Sports “Driver of the Year” award two years in a row.  Scherer embraces his racing career with a very supportive wife and children who join him on the trails of Northern California in their 1972 Jeep CJ-6.

Spidertrax | Thom Kingston | CC BY 3.0

Just a few of our favorite photos from the 2016 Nitto National Championship. Photos by Thom Kingston of Spidertrax. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution. Read more…

Spidertrax | Thom Kingston | CC BY 3.0

Jim Marsden of Gigglepin 4×4 was the man to beat at this year’s 2016 King of Britain. He just dropped a race report on us, and we wanted to share it with you here. It’s one thing to recap a race from outside a vehicle, it’s an entirely different thing to recap from within.

Enter Jim

King of Britain, WOW! I would never have believed that you could have a desert race in the UK, but this race changed that. With nearly 40 cars from 12 different nations racing over 200 miles it was always going to be epic. We only had two short weeks to prepare the racer after only recently returning from Portugal. But we have a great crew and they love high pressure situations. Grab 5 minutes and dive into our report from King of Britain the final round of the European Ultra 4  season. Click here for the full race report.

King of Britain was a blast! If you missed it, we posted up a race recap last week courtesy of Robb Pritchard. The final Ultra4 Europe race didn’t disappoint, with Jim Marsden taking the event win by mere seconds (over the course of 200+ miles and two days)! The 2016 Series Championship went to Emanual Costa, who took three 1st and one 2nd podium spot for the season. The races keep getting better, and the drivers keep getting faster; Ultra4 Europe is the real deal, and we can’t wait for next year. Read more…

The Maxxis King of Britain, the final round of the 2016 Ultra4 Europe championship, took place on a little island off the coast of France and was the last slim chance Nicolas Montador had of beating this year’s stand out talent Emanual Costa to the title. Slim because after France, Italy and Portugal it was 3:0 to the Portuguese driver, but the Frenchman wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

A full field of 39 crews pitched up in a soggy field and the first to make a story was Axel Burmann but, as is quite often the case, for the wrong reasons. Doing better than the third corner of the qualifying lap, as happened in Portugal, wasn’t too much to hope for here but a year of rotten luck ended in the King Shocks test zone when his engine died. Read more…