Photo courtesy of Ultra4Racing.com.

Get ready for the most epic short course race yet. Ultra4 racers are heading to Crandon International Raceway to take part in TORC’s round 5 & 6 short course competition. Yes, TORC is the same series Brad Lovell races his Spider 9 powered Pro Light. This time, Ultra4 vehicles will get their chance at one of the most legendary short course tracks in the world, The Big House.

While likely obvious, the above graphic shows the 18 brave Ultra4 drivers who will give it their all this weekend. In addition to knowing which Ultra4 drivers will compete, here’s a few other pieces of information worth knowing ahead of time.

1) When? There will be two races this weekend, one on June 16th (TORC Round 5) and one on June 17th (TORC Round 6). There’s a number of classes competiting that weekend, but Ultra4s go live at 4:45 pm, right between the Pro 2 and Pro 4 classes. Full Crandon schedule can be found HERE.

2) Where? Crandon International Raceway in Crandon, WI. Also known as The Big House.

3) Live coverage? We’ll be there supporting teams, drivers, and capturing the live action as it unfolds. We’ll do our best to post updates during and after the race on Facebook, Twitter, and right here on our blog. Having that been said, be sure to keep an eye on the main TRAXXAS TORC page, where they will likely have a live, and highly professional, video stream available for free.

So, with that, we’re hitting the road and heading out to Crandon. To say we’re excited for this weekends race, would be an understatement.

We couldn’t be happier to announce that Brad Lovell won his first ever TORC race this past weekend at RedBud. With two seasons under his belt, it’s a well deserved victory that lends credence to the phrase hard work pays off. Congratulations to Brad Lovell and team Lovell Racing for an amazing weekend run. It’s a privilege and honor to be part of the Lovell Racing team.

So, without further delay, here’s a recap of the weekend in Lovell Racing’s own words.

Enter Lovell Racing.

Colorado Springs, CO 5/29/12 – The second round of 2012 TORC racing held at the famed RedBud facility this weekend welcomed a new champion – Brad Lovell. The new layout was as technical as it was unique giving the “rock donkey” an edge.

The Lovell team entered the weekend hungry for their first win and excited about the track. The new RedBud track is more flowing than last year and features lots of elevation change. It carries no comparison to other tracks and adds a new challenge to the season. “I put myself under a lot of pressure to do well this weekend,” said Lovell,”Its our 3rd season of TORC racing and time to produce.” Equal to the determination to win is the equipment and the team has made years of improvements to produce a top truck.

The effort paid off early when Lovell qualified the #44 AMSOIL / Torchmate Nissan in the top spot. “The balance between the power, traction, and chassis setup was like nothing I have felt before. I knew I had the crew to fix it if I crashed so I drove it right on the edge of control.” With the inversion of the field, Lovell would start 6th for Round #3. Passing proved extremely difficult and the team finished 5th. Brad adds, “I was frustrated after the race and questioning some of my tactics.”

While disappointing, the finish put Lovell on the front row for Round #4. The #44 AMSOIL / Torchmate Nissan fell in behind Eller for the first few laps before making a pass on a slick corner. Brad continues, “The control from the BFG’s on the slick dirt put me in position. I got to clean air in the front and ran like I had lions chasing me. The track had huge holes, deep sand, and brutal whoops. At the caution, I mentioned to JT (Brad’s spotter) that the tranny was acting up but just as quickly realized I didn’t care. The guys at AMSOIL have said 300 degrees is fine and I was prepared to win or go down in flames. JT was worried I was going to ease up kept telling me I had two car lengths when I really had about ten! I wasn’t about to lift and had confidence that I could carry it to the finish.”

Needless to say, the whole team went wild when the checkered flag flew. Lovell adds, “We have been working towards this goal for three years. While I might be the point man, this win is the result of tireless effort from my family, friends, and sponsors. We’re all very proud!”

The win comes at the forefront of a mammoth effort for the team – TORC Crandon. Brad Lovell had 4 podium finishes in as many races at Crandon in 2011 and is looking for top honors. New for Crandon is an Ultra 4 class where Roger Lovell will pilot the #232 AMSOIL / Torchmate Ultra 4. Crew Chief JT Taylor will pulling double duty and race the #13 Torchmate Ultra 4.

Looks like the the Traxxas TORC schedule is out for Rounds 5 & 6, and would you look at that. Ultra4 racers will be running right after Pro 2s and right before Pro 4s.

Translation: all eyes are on Ultra4. In an effort in keeping the course as safe as possible, Dave has limited the number of Ultra4 vehicles to 15. So far, here’s the list of registered drivers:

1 JT Taylor
2 Cottin Rodd
3 Kevin Yoder
4 Thomas Grady
5 Jason Scherer
6 Erik Miller
7 Scott Decker
8 Roger Lovell
9 Bill Baird
10 Loren Healy
11 Kevin Sacalas
12 Mike Colville
13 Gary Ferravanti
14 Will Carter
15 Nick Nelson

We’ll be making the trip out to Crandon, posting updates when possible. Till next then.

Sources: Traxxas TORC & Pirate4x4.

So, what’s an Ultra4 and a Pro Light doing at a hill climb you say? Believe it or not, competition hill climbs demand an incredible level of vehicle durability and driving skill, with each competition packaging in a delectable level of racing, carnage, and rolls beyond what one would imagine. Last weekend, Brad and Roger Lovell took out their Pro Light and Ultra4 vehicles, respectively, to battle it out at Temple Canyon, a CHCA Hill Climb competition. In the end, Brad drove his Spider 9 powered Pro Light to 3rd place while Roger drove his own Spider 9 powered Ultra4 to a all time best time for the team. Some great photos, and videos, from the weekend provided below courtesty of Lovell Racing.

Enter Lovell Racing.

Colorado Springs, CO 5/15/12  –  It has been many years since a CHCA Hill Climb has been packed with so much carnage. Rollovers, wrecks, and ejections from the racing surface filled the weekend. Navigating through the mayhem were brothers Roger (in the #232 AMSOIL Ultra 4) and Brad (in the #44 AMSOIL Pro-Light).

The Lovell team spent much of the practice day tuning the vehicles and finding the right line – getting set for the times that count on Sunday. Brad faced off in the Comp Truck class that allows a Pro-Light but also leaves it woefully underpowered in comparison to the competition. Even with the handicap, Brad was able to slide his way onto the podium in 3rd place with a time of 3:24.57 after qualifying 4th.

While Roger was the only Ultra 4 in attendance, that did not mean he wasn’t trying to win a race. His goal – Brad’s 2010 class winning time of 3:37.87. Roger had a unique opportunity to best his brother’s time under similar conditions in the same vehicle. Roger was able to beat the time in qualifying and pick up an additional 3 seconds on race day for a best time of 3:34.73. Roger adds, “It was good to get back behind the wheel after Pikes Peak and a confidence booster to whoop up on Brad’s time.”

For those interested in a comparison between the two, check out the side by side run from each vehicle. The Ultra 4 was sped up by 10 seconds so the trucks start and finish at the exact same time (for comparison of segments where each vehicle is faster). The loose marbles in the last corner really cost the 2wd.

This race served as important test time for changes to the Pro-Light for the team’s next race – TORC action in Red Bud, MI on Memorial Day weekend. If you are unable to be in attendance, look for live coverage of the weekend’s action on TORCseries.com. You can also follow the team on their Facebook page: Lovell Racing .

Never thought to show this off, but we were asked on Reddit yesterday for pictures of the jig we built for Brad’s uprights. Well, here you go. Simple, but certainly effective for non production.