Spidertrax | Thom Kingston | CC BY 3.0
What short course action would be complete without a shot of The Big Ugly. Normally, you’d see Kevin Sacalas and his Big Ugly Ultra4 on the podium, unfortunately motor problems got the best of Kevin last weekend. Still a blast to watch Kevin race though.
Spidertrax | Thom Kingston | CC BY 3.0
Erik Miller is fast, so fast in fact he typically has one or two tires in the air when navigating the course. Here’s evidence of the latter. Day one of Ultra4 short course racing which took place last weekend went very well for Erik, finishing the day with a 2nd place podium finish. Day two was going just about as well, until Erik hit a rut coming into the final stretch of his lap, causing him to roll. The officials flipped him back, and Erik continued on. He managed to pull ahead to 3rd, but right before crossing the finish the same rut from earlier got him again, this time for good. His rig is a bit banged up, and the motor didn’t sound too happy either, but we suspect his team Miller Motorsports will be back in action in time for the Ultra4 Nationals in November.
Spidertrax | Thom Kingston | CC BY 3.0
We just met Corey Kuchta for the first time this weekend. We watched him race on the first day and could swear we’ve seen his car before. Sure enough, we learned he’s driving Jason Scherer’s KOH winning Ultra4, and took it on its maiden voyage this past weekend. Make no mistake, he looked good and fast out there, making it near impossible to tell it was his first comp. Unfortunately, crashes like this happen without warning.
After sailing through the start/finish line for another lap, Corey ended up kissing the front driver’s tire of Will Carter with his passenger rear. In an instant, this catapulted Corey down the field in what was, in person, a very scary crash.
We’re happy to say Corey stepped out of his Ultra4 and walked away. We do hope to see him back in action again, for his time on the field was nothing short of impressive.
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
For those wanting higher resolution photos from the American Rocksports Challenge, we have you covered. We’ve uploaded the full resolution photos to Flickr, available HERE. All photos are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 3.0), so feel free to download and share. All we ask for is credit :) .