Kevin “Big Air” Sacalas clearing tabletops like a Pro4.

What do you get when you cross short course racing with rock crawling? Just one of the most brutal endurance races of all time. This new style of Ultra4 racing, call the American RockSports Challenge, made its debut last weekend at Miller Motorsports Park. It was an intense competition and demanded more out of an Ultra4 driver & rig then any other race to date.

In terms of format, the event had 2 preliminary races, 2 semi-final races, and 1 final race (there was also an LCQ race for those still trying to get into the semi-finals). The race course was the exact same short course track used by the Lucas Oil Short Course series. However, to make this a true Ultra4 event, the short course track was modified so drivers would also have to complete the rock crawling section used for W.E.Rock events.

Why is this so insane? Because of wear and tear on both driver & vehicle, a normal short course competition would typically consist of 18 laps in a single day. Here, Ultra4 rigs were expected to race a total of 32 short course laps PLUS 12 rock crawling laps all in one day! As Shannon Campbell put it, “keeping your junk together” was the name of game.

When the dust finally settled, Kevin Sacalas and his Spider 9 powered Ultra4 went home with top honors for the American RockSport Challenge. What’s worth mentioning here is Kevin not only won the event, but he also ran the LCQ race pushing his total amount of laps at 38 for short course and 14 for rock crawling!!! Congratulations Kevin for a well deserved victory. With that said, enjoy some of the videos and photos we took over the weekend and be sure to stay tuned to our blog for the next W.E.Rock competition coming August 6th.

      

      

      

      

     

Once again, the Pro Modified & Unlimited drivers of W.E.Rock take on the man made course of Miller Motorsports Park for this years Round 3 rock crawling competition. The battle was fierce for two days, but in the end Brent Bradshaw (Unlimited) & Nick Campbell (Pro Modified) would prove victorious with their solid non-stop performance.

As this blog post is about 2 weeks late (sorry), I’ll skip the long essay and let you dive right into all the photos and videos from this event. Hope you enjoy and don’t forget to clear your calendar for W.E.Rock’s Round 4 competition which heads to Donner Ski Ranch, CA on August 6th.

For this entry I’ll spare you from a play by play recap and instead share some quick highlights I took away from The Silver State 300.

1) Out of 144 cars & trucks, the Ultra4 class was the single largest class in The Silver State 300.

2) Chasing was easy as all pit stops were located directly off the main highway. This was great for both teams and spectators alike.

3) Watching Ultra4s battle it out with not just each other but with other vehicle classes makes The Silver State 300 stand out from the crowd.

That’s it…short and to the point. I’ll wrap up with class positions & times below (congratulations Shannon!) followed by a few shots I grabbed while out there (thank you BITD for the media pass!). Be sure to check back here this weekend as we continue with more rock crawling/racing motorsports action on May 7th with W.E.Rock’s Round #2 in Oroville, CA.

Normally we just forward relevant Spidertrax press releases to Twitter & Facebook, but this news was so awesome we felt it deserved a spot here on our blog. Team Lovell Racing has secured a sponsorship deal with Nissan Motorsports for their 2011 TORC Pro Light series. The Lovell’s Pro Light short course racer is powered by Spidertrax Spider 9 axles and is now entering its second full season of competition. Their 2011 TORC debut will be on May 28th at Buchanan, MI with live coverage typically hosted on http://www.torcseries.com/. Here’s a copy of their press release and congratulations guys!!!:

Lovell Racing Teams with Nissan Motorsports
Lovell Racing Press Release

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO APRIL 20, 2011 – Lovell Racing today unveiled the redeveloped AMSOIL Nissan Frontier Pro-Light in preparation for the opening rounds of TORC in Red Bud, MI May 28th – 29th. The partnership with Nissan Motorsports is a highlight in the team’s preparations for 2011 and team co-owner Brad Lovell expressed his enthusiasm, “The racing heritage at Nissan runs deep. They have amassed plenty of championships and we are proud to be on the team. Nissan is passionate about racing as has some really exciting things in store for 2011.”

A year ago, Lovell had a tough start adjusting to the breakneck pace and intensity of short course racing but returns stronger and better prepared. The team has completed hundreds of test laps, built a barrage of spare parts, and finely tuned the truck. 2011 will take every bit of grip the team has as the burgeoning TORC Pro-Light class continues to draw new talent. Lovell added, “Last year was pretty hectic for us and I was not satisfied. We have been focused all winter quietly preparing to come out of the gates strong.” Nissan Motorsports Manager Ron Stukenberg commented, “We’ve followed Brad’s activities for the past few years and have been impressed with his performance and team operation. Nissan is thrilled to have Brad and Lovell Racing as part of our Nissan Motorsports team in 2011!”

In addition to the regular TORC schedule, Lovell will pilot the #44 AMSOIL Nissan in the 89th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and attempt to better his 3rd Place effort of 13:17 to the top of the 14,110 ft mountain. Roger Lovell will headline the team’s rock racing effort by chasing Ultra 4 season points and joining Brad for various rock crawling, desert, and short course events. Additionally, Brad will continue to pilot the #232 rock racer in choice rockcrawling, desert, Ultra 4, and hill climb events.

AMSOIL returns as the team’s title sponsor along with BFGoodrich Tires, Torchmate CNC Cutting Systems, Spidertrax, and 4 Wheel Parts. The team’s sponsors include TrailReady Wheels, Aeroquip, Fox Racing Shox, Eibach, FK Rod Ends, Dynotech Driveshafts, Howe Performance Steering, Motive Gear, Powertank, Proformance Unlimited, Robinson Construction, and WARN.

Today marked our final day with The Rock Bug prior to KOH and aside for the obvious general assembly, we managed to finish up the LS skid plate, battery panels, & video camera mounts (cameras don’t stream live for the driver, instead they’re just recording action for promo use). As of 4am the morning of January 17th, 2011 the all new Rock Bug 2.0 is heading back to Arizona where Tracy will continue the work still ahead, namely wiring & plumbing. Back at Spidertrax HQ, we still have a few odds & ends we’ll work on and ship out to Tracy before race day. On that list are body panels & new sway bar arms which we’ll be sure to cover in a later blog entry. Until that time, enjoy today’s progress below.