Spidertrax | Thom Kingston | CC BY 3.0

W.E.Rock’s Dirt Riot National Championship heads to Bridgeport, TX next month, October 13th to be exact. With an already packed Ultra4 & TORC competition schedule, we’ve only been able to make one Dirt Riot race this year, namely Mountain #1 in Moab, UT. So, we’re going to make every effort to catch this last race of the year, in person, so as to come back with some stories and photos to share right here on the blog.

Again, the final Dirt Riot race will be held in Bridgeport, TX on October 13th. The schedule of events should go as follows:

Saturday October 13
Race Day
8 a.m. Mandatory Drivers Meeting
9:00 Qualifying for U4 buggies only (Drivers may skip qualifying, will start at end of cars if skipped)
9:30 – 10:30 Trail classes/UTV race – One hour endurance race
11:00 – 1:00 – 4500/4600 class race – Two hour endurance race
2:00 – 5:00 – Ultra4 cars – Three hour endurance race
All finishes Grand Prix finish

We’re expecting a big turnout at this last race, so it should be a blast.

We took this shot of Loren Healy back in April, which marked the first Mountain Dirt Riot race of 2012. Unfortunately, due to other race commitments we have missed attending the Colorado Springs Dirt Riot races in person for the last three years straight. It’s really too bad as this course is the single closest event to Spidertrax HQ.

Oh well, our lack of attendance certainly doesn’t take away from the event, or the results. We’re happy to say Loren Healy drove his Spider 9 powered Ultra4 to victory, claiming 1st out of 14 racers for this years Colorado Springs Dirt Riot Mountain #2 competition. Congrats to Loren for a well deserved win. Results from this 2nd mountain series Dirt Riot race are below, courtesy of W.E.Rock.

Brad Lovell grabbing top honors. More photos on Flickr.

Dirt Riot competitions have been gaining in popularity these days, as evidence by not only enthusiasm but by the increased number of vehicles showing up at each event. This style of endurance racing offers something unique for those already owning an Ultra4 vehicle, and with a focus on local based competitions it’s easy to see why Dirt Riot is growing in popularity.

We had the great pleasure of attending our first Dirt Riot competition last weekend in Moab, UT. It was this years 1st competition in the Mountain Series (there are 18 events in all), and with 23 Ultra4 vehicles in class the competition was fierce. While most Dirt Riot events are designed to be a 3 hr lap based endurance race, the tight course in Moab had Big Rich, the race owner & coordinator, changing things up a bit. Instead, this event had teams running 2 heats for a total of 3 hrs of racing and to keep the endurance theme intact, vehicles couldn’t be worked on in-between heats.

In the end, Brad Lovell grabbed top honors with an over 3 minute lead. He was followed by Levi Shirley in 2nd and his father Brian Shirley in 3rd. All three teams were powered by Spider 9 axles, which for us is always nice to see. Finish times provided below, courtesy of W.E.Rock.

So, in summary, Dirt Riot is a great format for both racers and spectators. Be sure to hit up an event this year, and with 18 of them there’s a good chance one is not far from your house. Also, we had a blast taking photos at this last race and posted them up on Flickr. They’re all licensed under Creative Commons so feel free to share with your friends.

Brian Shirley powering through the start gate. More photos on Flickr.

Photo courtesy of Ashley West.

Looks like Derek West got a bit muddy at this years kickoff central Dirt Riot race . Happy to see his continued hard work pay off as he battled his way thru an epic 3 hour endurance race to take none other than 1st place. Also happy to see his Pro Series Spider 9 Axles are holding up to the challenge. In his own words:

“I just can’t believe how much abuse my Spidertrax Pro Series components can take, from the rocks and desert at King Of the Hammers to the severe mud at the last Dirt Riot race. Thanks Spidertrax!” – Derek West

No, thank you Derek and congrats on the finish! For those looking for more details, here’s a complete press release of his victory courtesy of Ashley West.

Derek West wins the first WE Rock Central Dirt Riot Race of the 2012 season…
(March 9th, 2012) The 1st central WE Rock Dirt Riot Race of the season was held at The Coppermines in Altus, OK. The weather conditions were awful to say the least, it was cool & rainy which equals a lot of MUD!! In total 15 competitors in the Ultra 4 class showed up despite the conditions. Derek said “the hardest part was keeping the mud out of our eyes or finding something to wipe our helmets off with. It was one of the most physically demanding races yet.” The team toughed out the 3 hour race to take their first win of the 2012 season. The team would like to thank their great sponsors and their products that got them to the finish line first: Jimmy’s 4×4, Nitto Tires, ATX Wheels, Spidertrax Off-Road, Radflo Suspension, Slime, FK Rod Ends, PSC Steering, Yukon Gear and Axle, Advanced Metal Fabricators, TK 1 Racing, Northstar Batteries, Branik Motorsports Powertank, Rigid Industries, Custom Splice, Griffin Radiator, Warn, AEM and special thanks to Kirk Nelson of TDT for some last minute help. Also, thanks to our pit, crew Travis Cook, Dennis Matthews, Travis Brake, & Allen O’Neal. We couldn’t of done it without all of you!

Once Derek hits the car wash many times the team is headed out to attend the Easter Jeep Safari out in Moab, Utah April 3-7th. There they plan on competing in the Western Dirt Riot Race being held there. They will also be showcasing their Jimmy’s car at the Big Meat run in Disney, OK on April 17th.