Spidertrax | Thom Kingston | CC BY 3.0

Brad & Roger Lovell, otherwise known as The Lovell Brothers, had a good thing going. They were on top of their game during the rock crawling craze, and were top contenders during the growth of Ultra4. A household name by any measure in the rock scenes, they knew how to run a team, how to race, and how to win. Then, in 2010, Brad left their comfort zone and signed up for TORC Short Course racing. We were there for his first Pro Light race, COVERED HERE, and it was a start from scratch racing experience for all of us. Fast forward just a couple of years from this start, and Brad was back on top. Named driver of the year, winning himself Pro Light season title… this was it! Or was it?

Never satisfied with the status quo, Brad started from scratch again, left that comfort zone in the dust, and decided to take the next step in his professional racing career — building a TORC Pro 2. This is the big boy, 2WD 800+ horsepower raging machine. Fast, expensive, crowd pleasing, and expensive, the Pro 2 is the natural evolution for the best of the best Pro Light drivers. The 2015 race season marked his debut Pro 2 year, and in a small liking to his Pro Light entrance, things don’t always go perfect. However, they sure did go well, especially given the amount of fine tuning required to have a podium finishing Pro 2 vehicle.

Keys to the Big House, which took place last Saturday & Sunday at the Crandon International Raceway, marked the final two rounds for the TORC 2015 season. Brad had a mixed weekend, securing 4th on his first day and near last on his second after a spun out vehicle blocked his path and took out his rear shock (that’s racing). When the dust settled, this put Brad in a 4th place season finish (unofficial as of this post), not 1st as Brad demands on himself but a respectable place given his effective rookie year and out of box, never been tested, Pro 2 machine. Congrats Brad and the entire Lovell Racing team for a great season finish, from scratch to 4th is a big deal!

Worth mentioning of course, Brad’s Pro 2 is running a 4″ Spider 9 housing, which looks right at home in his ultra high horsepower machine. We have been proudly working with the Lovell Brothers since the inception of all things rock crawling and racing alike, now add short course racing as well. History has a way of repeating itself, so if you’re going to bet on a winning team for 2016, make sure you keep the Lovell’s on top of your list.

Brad has been a busy racer this year. He’s breaking serious ground in his all new TORC Pro 2  short course racer, and despite his insane racing schedule (and as such, his insane on-road driving schedule) he found some time to talk with Charlene Bower on the Bower Power Hour. From why he considers himself a professional cleaning team & how many spare body panels you’ll need per season (answer is a good one), to what’s changed the most for Brad since he started, it’s a fantastic show with deep insight to all things racing.

Brad’s interview kicks off at 6:57, but best to let this one play start to finish.

Spidertrax | Thom Kingston | CC BY 3.0

Rock racing & short course legend Brad Lovell will be back for an all new 2014 TORC Short Course season. The first short course race of 2014 kicks off on April 5th in Primm, NV. There’s roughly 14 races total that make up this year’s schedule with locations ranging all the way from Primm Nevada to the legendary Crandon International Raceway in Wisconsin. The Pro Light field was packed last year, somewhere in the neighborhood of 27 drivers total, so we’re expecting this year’s competition to be every bit as tough. Best of luck to Brad Lovell and the entire Lovell Racing team this year!

Spidertrax | Thom Kingston | CC BY 3.0

Take a deep breath… the Ultra4 Nationals are cancelled. Like everyone else, we received word yesterday from an open letter Dave Cole posted to all. In typical Cole style, the letter is honest and transparent, and all said and done it is what it is. Read for yourself if you haven’t yet seen, http://bit.ly/17Uz5Kg .

We’re already half way thru this month, but make no mistake things are busy still on the off-road racing circuit; why not use this post to recap what’s happening in September. This weekend marks the first ever King of Portugal, and our very own Levi Shirley <insert plug>and his Spider 9 powered Ultra4</insert plug> will be representing the US in this soon to be epic battle. Be sure to follow the action on the King of Portugal Facebook page.

As it happens, there were two other off-road races the same weekend as the previously scheduled Nationals. September 27th-28th marks the final TORC short course installment at Primm, NV. Rock legend, and last year’s Pro Light champion Brad Lovell is currently sitting in 3rd for the Pro Light class, and as they say anything can happen in the final weekend of racing. Be sure to keep an eye on the Traxxas TORC Series Facebook page for updates.

Last, but certainly not least, W.E.Rock’s Grand Nationals takes place September 28th-29th. Yes, there’s a Facebook page for that too, W.E.Rock Nationals , and we have no doubt this race is going to bring good times all the way around. Always fun having East and West coast teams battling it out, and watching the action go down in our own state of Colorado is always a good thing.

So.…with all of that did we get your mind of the Nationals being cancelled? Probably not, but it is the weekend and it’s time to carry on. The photo in today’s post (used simply to cheer us up) is of Jesse Haines, and is one of our older favorites which shows off the technical side of competitive rock crawling. Alright, that’s it for now, enjoy the weekend everyone!