Spidertrax | Thom Kingston | CC BY 3.0

Mud was everywhere at the Badlands UMC, and it continued to spring up in areas I otherwise thought safe from its wrath. Walking the course, I lined up for this spot which involved drivers quickly defending than climbing the last hill shown. Little did I know, there was… get this… a giant mud pit at the bottom. Got wet myself, again, but it was well worth it. Pictured here is Dave Fox, who pulled off a 7th place position with an impressive 8 lap finish.

Spidertrax | Thom Kingston | CC BY 3.0

Still amazing, every time I see it, when a properly tuned Ultra4 machine can tackle the nastiest of climbs with ease. It’s as if “the line”, that is the exact right path in climbing an obstacle, didn’t matter. Shown here is Mr. Chicky Barton himself, launching his brand new Spider 9 powered IFS racer up The Wall. Chicky took 1st in the last east coast Ultra4 race, Ultra4s at Hot Springs, and grabbed 4th in Badlands. We are still waiting on series points, but for the East coast series it’s definitely a tight battle between Shannon and Chicky. With the final East coast race being a brand new venue for all, the Sturgis Dirtplex in Sturgis Kentucky, it really is anyones game.

Spidertrax | Thom Kingston | CC BY 3.0

Happy Birthday America! Sure, you’re 238 years old, have gone through the highs and lows that are the makings of life, but you still got it.  Let’s take the day off, relax with the family, have some barbecue… just take it easy for old times sake. Yes, that sounds like a plan.

TL;DR – We are closed today, it’s Independence Day. Go spend time with family.

Spidertrax | Thom Kingston | CC BY 3.0

Loren Healy took 3rd place at last weekend’s Badlands UMC. The King sure knows how to drive a solid axle machine… but he also know’s how to drive an IFS. While most racers are still considering their first IFS build, Loren is finishing up his 2nd IFS Ultra4 machine right now. Rumor has it, while we are all sitting back and enjoying the burgers and potato salad this holiday weekend, Loren will be working hard, fine tuning his latest IFS creation. In time for next weekend’s Glen Helen Grand Prix? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Spidertrax | Thom Kingston | CC BY 3.0

In our first race recap earlier this week, we touched a bit on the camaraderie that makes Ultra4 so unique. Enter the spotters of The Wall, a Badlands tradition that found it’s way to this race since inception. On a drivers 1st lap, when they make their initial attempt at the Wall, they often leave their co-drivers/spotters behind. It’s a bit of strategy, no doubt, time spent getting in and out of the vehicle is costly and co-drivers are most needed at The Wall anyway. Since this is a lap based race, spotters can wait at The Wall and be immediately on call when their team returns on their next lap.

So, one may expect these spotters to just sit back and wait for their respective Ultra4 to make a return trip before getting back to work. No such deal. This year, we had Scott Decker (Mike Colville’s co-driver) & Casey Trujillio (Loren Healy’s co-driver), both of which just so happened to be the first two spotters at The Wall. For the next 2+ hours, these guys would work their asses off… winching, recovering, and just making sure every racer was at his or her best.

Pictured here is Scott Decker, running a winch line not for his own driver but for Erik Miller. These guys pushed themselves as if every vehicle was part of their own team. It’s an awesome tradition, the one at Badlands I most look forward to every year.