Spidertrax | Thom Kingston | CC BY 3.0

We’re starting to see a trend here. Quick background to set this one up.

Ultra4 drivers had the chance to race alongside TORC Pro teams this past weekend. Yes, for those following our blog, they’re racing the same venue where Brad Lovell took home the Pro Light series championship. This event marks the second time Ultra4 drivers raced in TORC, with the first one at the legendary Crandon Big House.

At that first Ultra4 short course race in Crandon, we got to see the remarkable short course skills emerge from Ultra4 racer Garry Ferravanti. He won both races that weekend, and showed the crowd he’s a short course force to be recorded with. So, how did Gary do this past weekend? Yup, he swept both races again.

The first day Gary hands down beat the field of racers. The second day played out a bit different, with Gary having to hot pit in the race to fix a flat. Despite being in the back of the pack after retaking the field, he managed to pull ahead and take another win.

It won’t surprise us to see Gary behind the wheel if a Pro Light, he just seems right at home on the short course. We have a few stories and photos to share from last weekends TORC Rounds 13 & 14 competition featuring Ultra4 drivers, and in typical fashion we’ll share a few each day throughout the week. And before we sign off, congrats to Gary Ferravanti for sweeping another TORC weekend, his rig powered of course by Spider 9 Pro Series Knuckles & Ultimate Unit Bearings.

Spidertrax | Thom Kingston | CC BY 3.0

We’ll never forget Brad’s first ever TORC short course race. It was roughly three years ago, and took place at the legendary Crandon International Off-Road Raceway. This was also our first TORC race and after staring at Crandon’s death defying Turn 1, we may have been more nervous than Brad!

He got thru that first race, somewhere in the back of the Pro Light pack, and although he spun out a few times he didn’t get hurt or destroy the rig, so we thought it was a win. In our minds, we knew it was just a matter of time before the world we see Brad Lovell on the TORC podium. Yesterday, that idea became reality.

After two solid runs in TORC’s rounds 13 & 14 competitions, Brad Lovell of Lovell Racing was honored with winning the entire Pro Light series. When Brad spoke on the podium, he gave thanks to all of his early sponsors for taking a chance on a rookie team. The feeling was mutual for us, but in the opposite way. This was also our first venture into Spider 9 components specifically for short course, so we greatly thank Brad and his team for trusting in us as well.

Congrats again to Brad Lovell, his family, and the entire Lovell Racing team for proving once again that hard work does pay off.

Spidertrax | Thom Kingston | CC BY 3.0

And just like that, Brad Lovell of Lovell Racing moves up to first place  in the TORC Pro Light short course season. There’s just one weekend left (two races) where the pressure will surely be on for claiming the series victory. With permission, here’s a recap of last weekends race in Crandon from the driver himself, Brad Lovell.

Enter Brad Lovell and Lovell Racing.

Colorado Springs, CO 9/6/12 – 2012 hosted an epic fall Crandon event. It is always said and its always true – nothing beats Crandon. The small town came out in droves for the yearly parade. The weather was perfect, competition stiff, and racing dramatic. Especially tight was the points race in the Pro-Light division. Brad Lovell came to conquer a 1-point deficit on leader Andrew Caddell. While he only has one race win at Crandon, Lovell is known for his speed on the track.

Brad made the first jab in qualifying setting the fast time and grabbing 2 points in the process. Caddell returned the volley by qualifying 2nd and earning a single point – the pair would line up on the grid in a season points tie. Brad added, “Our Nissan is the fastest truck at Crandon and I knew we had to make it count this weekend. The inversion of the starting grid is always a factor but we are here to score points.”

In the first race, Lovell failed to get the hole shot and emerged from the start a few truck lengths off of Caddell. The two trucks battled it out, several times making contact until it came to a head in a sharp right hander. Caddell, on the outside, over rotated a bit while Lovell left him no room on the inside. The trucks collided spinning Caddell and crashing together a total of 4 trucks. Lovell emerged in front of last years champion but not without damage. The #1 spark plug wire had broken free in the impact and Lovell worked his way around the course on 7 cylinders to finish 4th. Caddell would finish 7th. Lovell said, “The collision did neither of us a favor. Luckily, the BFG’s held up and I didn’t cut a tire. No one, other than the Traxxas camp, has put my driving under scrutiny so basically, thats that. We’ll win the championship through skill, not dirty driving.”

The #44 AMSOIL/Torchmate Nissan now held a 6 point lead. During the 2nd race Lovell pushed through the pack in the treacherous Turn #1 and took the lead until NIssan teammate Casey Currie forced his way to the front on the outside of the Gravel Pit. Caddell found himself in 3rd and the three trucks separated from the pack all turning lap times within .1 seconds of each other. The order would remain the same until a driving error let Caddell slip by Lovell for 2nd. “I’m always happy to get on the box but dissapointed I didn’t beat Caddell. I have no one to blame but myself. The team was excellent this weekend and all the pieces of the puzzle were there for me. But hey, the bottom line is that we are leaving Crandon 5 points up!”

The drama filled weekend certainly adds to the intensity of the points race. No doubt that two rounds of racing in the same day will mix things up as the TORC Series holds their final 2012 event in Lancaster, CA Sept. 29 & 30. The Lovell Racing team will have to be on their toes for what is sizing up to be a David vs Goliath battle for all the marbles. Now leading points in two series, the team must first face off challengers in Ultra 4 at Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City, UT Sept. 22nd. More news soon as the exciting season comes to a close!

Brad Lovell takes on The Big House this weekend, for the Traxxas TORC rounds 11 & 12 short course Pro Light competition. There’s just 4 races left in this years Traxxas series, and as it stands today Brad is just 1 point away from 1st place. Translation… very, big, deal. Traxxas should be streaming the event live all weekend, so be sure to bookmark their site http://torcseries.com for details.

We took the shot in this post from Brad’s 1st place finish at The Big House earlier this year. He knows this course well, so the heat is definitely on. Best of luck to Brad Lovell and Lovell Racing, we’re rooting for you!

And just like that, another solid weekend run for Brad Lovell and his Spider 9 powered Pro Light push him into 2nd place in Traxxas TORC series points. There’s just 4 short course races left, so the battle for 1st is officially on. Below is a press release direct from Lovell Racing, recapping their back to back 2nd place finishes from last weekends Bark River competition.

Also worth mentioning Lovell Racing is also competing in the 4400 Ultra4 class in today’s Vegas to Reno competition. At the time this blog post goes live, we should be at the Vegas to Reno start line where over 300 drivers will race from, you guessed it, Vegas to Reno in what is the largest US off-road race of it’s kind. If you’re looking to stay up on the action, especially from the point of view of Ultra4 drivers, head over to http://ultra4racing.com/live/ where we’ll be adding our own photos throughout the day.

Now, enter Lovell Racing.

TWO AND TWO FOR #44
LOVELL NOW ONE POINT OUT OF SERIES LEAD

Bark River, MI 8/14/12 – Two was Brad Lovell’s lucky number this weekend in Bark River, MI, for the latest rounds of the 2012 TORC season. The track, one of Lovell’s favorites, has not been kind to him in the past. This weekend, however, it highlighted the battle between him and Andrew Caddell for the pro-light championship.

Lovell made the first strike by qualifying 2nd and earning a series point thus closing the gap to 16. Traffic at the start put Lovell in 5th for the majority of the race. Caddell earned a point at the mandatory caution and was poised for a top finish but got a flat and rolled the truck in the moguls. This enabled Lovell to slingshot into 2nd and hold the position for a podium finish. Lovell stated, “We had a bit of luck today and drove a smart race. I worked on staying clean and the team put in a lot of extra effort to make sure we had a winning truck. We have worked really hard to finish every race.” The effort paid off as the team moved into a point leading tie with 2011 pro-light champion Andrew Caddell.

Never content with 2nd place, the team relentlessly worked on the #44 AMSOIL / Torchmate Nissan to squeeze out every last bit of speed. At the start of Sunday’s race, Lovell’s BFGoodrich tires found traction where others could not and gained him 3 positions. He chased down newcomer Matt Cook and put the slide job on him to take the lead in the race and points championship at the midway caution. It wasn’t long before the Caddell and Lovell bolted from the pack and began to battle. A bobble from Lovell on the last lap left the inside open allowing Caddell to bang through and send the #44 into the fluff. “It’s disappointing to loose a battle like this but the war is far from over,” added Lovell. “The next race is in Crandon where we took the track record from Caddell last spring. We’re on the attack and he knows it!” Lovell trails by a mere point with 4 races to go.

Before the ensuing battle at Crandon, however, Lovell will tackle the 530 mile route of BITD Vegas to Reno with his brother Roger. The pair will chase the Ultra 4 Pro Series Championship where they currently sit in 6th place. The race starts Friday, Aug 17th, and live tracking is available through racetheworld.net. Look for the #4432 AMSOIL rock racer of Brad Lovell.

Source: Lovell Racing.