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

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 :) .

Spidertrax | Thom Kingston | CC BY 3.0

We’re at the end of our American Rocksports recap, and we can’t sign off without a shot of Derek West. He managed to break a 300M stub shaft, after 3+ years of hard racing, which is a  friendly reminder to always carry a spare. Unfortunately, his only spare on hand was an old non-Spidertrax stub which, after installed, only lasted a few laps. Too bad, Derek was very fast and certainly one of the top drivers to watch. Although ARSC didn’t go the way he planned, he still manged to grab a 7th place spot overall for the Pro Series. Which leads us into the next bit of information.

Ultra4Racing.com just released the official Pro Series placings. As expected, Brad Lovell did capture top honors (congrats Lovell Racing!) with Erik Miller in 2nd and Loren Healy in 3rd. Can’t resist, but all three top spots were won with Spider 9 axles (we’ll take that!). Here’s the list of Pro Series champions:

Looking over the list, it would appear Spider 9 axles & components actually took 9 out of 10 Pro Series spots! Now that’s pretty cool, and always nice to see. More action is on the way, with both Ultra4 and TORC taking to the short course track this weekend. We’ll be there, yet again, to capture the action so stay tuned for more photos and stories.

Spidertrax | Thom Kingston | CC BY 3.0

Rob Lynch, who’s featured above, has been out of the drivers for a while  due to a leg injury. With the help of HazzarFabWorx, and some new Ultimate Unit Bearings, Rob got his IFS racer back in action. Not only did he finish the American Rocksports Challenge without a single known issue, he ended the day with a 10th place spot, guaranteeing his place in the 2013 King of the Hammers.