1600 SINGLE BUGGY 2009-'10
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2009 TORC SERIES - ROUNDS 9 & 10
CRANDON, WISCONSIN - SEPTEMBER 3 - 6, 2009
It has been a few years since we've been to Crandon, but after traveling up to Bark River, Michigan to race last year, we didn't want to miss Crandon's 40th, and the nearly 4200 miles round trip was more than worth it. Over the past 5-6 months we have found a better reason to race than we ever imagined. In March of 2009 our family started sponsoring 2 children that live in extreme poverty. Knowing that these children live without the basics such as clean water, we felt we had to do something more. An indescribable feeling of excitement just went thru us. A feeling that is so much more than the one you have when you finished on the top block of the podium, this was a deep feeling from within. Now we race to help our 2 kids in Africa and all the other kids throughout the world that live in poverty. One thing we're doing to create awareness is having flyers readily available at our race pit for anyone to take or ask questions. We printed banners and graphics for our trailer and 1600 Buggy (and quads) to also promote awareness of organizations out there that are in place and already making a huge global impact.
We rolled into Crandon on Thursday afternoon, got our pit which happened to be right next to Tim Crawley and his group. Tim is one of our graphic customers from Pennsylvania and we were quite surprised to see him there, let alone camp right next to him. Friday was a fun-filled day right from the start. Early in the morning we got Jeff set up in the buggy and Noelani and I loaded up our pit truck (Polaris Ranger) and joined in the procession down the highway and thru town with Noelani waving to all the locals as the Pro trucks, buggys, and classix made their way down to main street.
The parade events were fun to watch and during the parade there was a contest held for the "Badest Buggy". We were off checking out all the trucks and had no idea such a contest was being held. Later that afternoon while back at the track watching the pro's practice and race, our team was called to the south tower. Now unless our dog had somehow gotten loose (which he did later in the weekend) we had no idea what was going on. As it turns out, our buggy was the winner of the Bad Buggy contest. We were so surprised!
Saturday morning was our first look at the track from the seat of the buggy. We had done a few parade laps on Thursday night with our ranger, and our daughter loved it so much she asked if she could race. But the 3 laps Jeff got in practice weren't enough to really learn the best line for the corners, but at least he got a look at it and was ready to go for our 1st race. This was also the first time our new dual-port motor was pushed beyond the limits of our driveway. In practice Jeff was trying to be easy on the motor knowing we had a hairline crack at the oil return fitting and hoping the JB Weld would hold.
The races were extremely fun and exciting. From the spotters tower where we were at when the green flag waved, we couldn't see the 18 SRT Buggy's coming, but we could hear a little thunder as they made their way thru turn 1. Jeff said he got a great jump off the line, about 5th, but let off a little as buggys started side-walling each other a little coming into turn 1. He came out of turn 1 about 15th but started making passes right away. The race had some excitement when Larry Fitzgerald in the 311 buggy got into the back of Bob Blaney coming out of the Borg Warner turn (turn 2). Blaney ended up crashing hard and was out of the race early. This chain reaction wreck caused trouble for Jesse Plawman as well, but unlike Bob who took a quick trip to the hospital, Jesse was able to make the necessary repairs for Sunday's race. Jeff was smart to hang back or he could have been caught up in the mess as well. The rest of the racing action for us was great! Jeff battled with several others and although we were mid-pack, it was the exciting part of the race to watch. If there would have been one more lap we think we could have gotten by Ernster for 10th, but we settle with 11th and a lot of smiles.
Sunday's race started with Jeff getting another great jump off the line, but once again coming out of turn 1 with traffic in front of him. He was doing well and was in an intense battle inside the top 10. As the group was making their way into the hairpin of turn 3, Jeff picked a different line hoping to sneak in another pass while going thru the corner. As I was videotaping the action I could feel the adrenaline. But as they came thru the corner and headed towards the Traxxas jump I didn't see Jeff. I looked back and he was just coming out of turn 3. Disappointment hit the pit of my stomach. He was doing so well and now had to do everything he could to reel them back in. From Jeff's viewpoint, as he switched up his lines going into the turn his front tire hit a pretty good puddle of mud and spun him out. We all know that the layer of mud on the top surface can act like a sheet of ice and once your front wheels are cranked, but sliding a different direction there's not much you can do but correct and ride it out. He continued to fight his way back up but didn't have enough laps left to get inside the top 10. He finished on Sunday in 14th.
Even though we didn't finish as high as we were hoping, we had the time of our lives... and the JB Weld held the entire time. We would like to express our appreciation to all the members of the TORC Series for their hospitality, professionalism, and kindness. We're not a pro team, not even a big sportsman team, but it never fails that in the 3 races we've done in the midwest (due to travel cost), we have always been greeted warmly and by name. It's amazing how polite and courteous they all are. We even ran into Julie in the pits (member of the Kincaid family), she watched our daughter for us at our 1st CORR race back in 2005 when it was brought out to the southwest and Jeff and I were both racing. Our races were scheduled on top of each other and Julie volunteered to watch Noelani while I was in staging and Jeff was finishing his race. Another great moment was when Noelani and I were making our way to the spotters tower and I could hear a golf cart coming up behind us. I tried to make sure Noelani was out of the way only to hear "you guys are ok Missy, we have plenty of room". It was Tiffany calling out behind us from the golf cart. We have only met Tiffany and Julie at the CORR/WSORR/TORC races and certainly don't expect anyone to remember us, especially our names, but the hospitality of the midwest is genuine. That's definitely not something we've ever experienced in our 10 years racing in the southwest. Just an incredible group of people running the midwest series.
It has been a few years since we've been to Crandon, but after traveling up to Bark River, Michigan to race last year, we didn't want to miss Crandon's 40th, and the nearly 4200 miles round trip was more than worth it. Over the past 5-6 months we have found a better reason to race than we ever imagined. In March of 2009 our family started sponsoring 2 children that live in extreme poverty. Knowing that these children live without the basics such as clean water, we felt we had to do something more. An indescribable feeling of excitement just went thru us. A feeling that is so much more than the one you have when you finished on the top block of the podium, this was a deep feeling from within. Now we race to help our 2 kids in Africa and all the other kids throughout the world that live in poverty. One thing we're doing to create awareness is having flyers readily available at our race pit for anyone to take or ask questions. We printed banners and graphics for our trailer and 1600 Buggy (and quads) to also promote awareness of organizations out there that are in place and already making a huge global impact.
We rolled into Crandon on Thursday afternoon, got our pit which happened to be right next to Tim Crawley and his group. Tim is one of our graphic customers from Pennsylvania and we were quite surprised to see him there, let alone camp right next to him. Friday was a fun-filled day right from the start. Early in the morning we got Jeff set up in the buggy and Noelani and I loaded up our pit truck (Polaris Ranger) and joined in the procession down the highway and thru town with Noelani waving to all the locals as the Pro trucks, buggys, and classix made their way down to main street.
The parade events were fun to watch and during the parade there was a contest held for the "Badest Buggy". We were off checking out all the trucks and had no idea such a contest was being held. Later that afternoon while back at the track watching the pro's practice and race, our team was called to the south tower. Now unless our dog had somehow gotten loose (which he did later in the weekend) we had no idea what was going on. As it turns out, our buggy was the winner of the Bad Buggy contest. We were so surprised!
Saturday morning was our first look at the track from the seat of the buggy. We had done a few parade laps on Thursday night with our ranger, and our daughter loved it so much she asked if she could race. But the 3 laps Jeff got in practice weren't enough to really learn the best line for the corners, but at least he got a look at it and was ready to go for our 1st race. This was also the first time our new dual-port motor was pushed beyond the limits of our driveway. In practice Jeff was trying to be easy on the motor knowing we had a hairline crack at the oil return fitting and hoping the JB Weld would hold.
The races were extremely fun and exciting. From the spotters tower where we were at when the green flag waved, we couldn't see the 18 SRT Buggy's coming, but we could hear a little thunder as they made their way thru turn 1. Jeff said he got a great jump off the line, about 5th, but let off a little as buggys started side-walling each other a little coming into turn 1. He came out of turn 1 about 15th but started making passes right away. The race had some excitement when Larry Fitzgerald in the 311 buggy got into the back of Bob Blaney coming out of the Borg Warner turn (turn 2). Blaney ended up crashing hard and was out of the race early. This chain reaction wreck caused trouble for Jesse Plawman as well, but unlike Bob who took a quick trip to the hospital, Jesse was able to make the necessary repairs for Sunday's race. Jeff was smart to hang back or he could have been caught up in the mess as well. The rest of the racing action for us was great! Jeff battled with several others and although we were mid-pack, it was the exciting part of the race to watch. If there would have been one more lap we think we could have gotten by Ernster for 10th, but we settle with 11th and a lot of smiles.
Sunday's race started with Jeff getting another great jump off the line, but once again coming out of turn 1 with traffic in front of him. He was doing well and was in an intense battle inside the top 10. As the group was making their way into the hairpin of turn 3, Jeff picked a different line hoping to sneak in another pass while going thru the corner. As I was videotaping the action I could feel the adrenaline. But as they came thru the corner and headed towards the Traxxas jump I didn't see Jeff. I looked back and he was just coming out of turn 3. Disappointment hit the pit of my stomach. He was doing so well and now had to do everything he could to reel them back in. From Jeff's viewpoint, as he switched up his lines going into the turn his front tire hit a pretty good puddle of mud and spun him out. We all know that the layer of mud on the top surface can act like a sheet of ice and once your front wheels are cranked, but sliding a different direction there's not much you can do but correct and ride it out. He continued to fight his way back up but didn't have enough laps left to get inside the top 10. He finished on Sunday in 14th.
Even though we didn't finish as high as we were hoping, we had the time of our lives... and the JB Weld held the entire time. We would like to express our appreciation to all the members of the TORC Series for their hospitality, professionalism, and kindness. We're not a pro team, not even a big sportsman team, but it never fails that in the 3 races we've done in the midwest (due to travel cost), we have always been greeted warmly and by name. It's amazing how polite and courteous they all are. We even ran into Julie in the pits (member of the Kincaid family), she watched our daughter for us at our 1st CORR race back in 2005 when it was brought out to the southwest and Jeff and I were both racing. Our races were scheduled on top of each other and Julie volunteered to watch Noelani while I was in staging and Jeff was finishing his race. Another great moment was when Noelani and I were making our way to the spotters tower and I could hear a golf cart coming up behind us. I tried to make sure Noelani was out of the way only to hear "you guys are ok Missy, we have plenty of room". It was Tiffany calling out behind us from the golf cart. We have only met Tiffany and Julie at the CORR/WSORR/TORC races and certainly don't expect anyone to remember us, especially our names, but the hospitality of the midwest is genuine. That's definitely not something we've ever experienced in our 10 years racing in the southwest. Just an incredible group of people running the midwest series.
2009 GLEN HELEN SHORT COURSE SERIES - ROUND 4
JULY 10-11, 2009
Round 4 of the series was a scorcher! Practice started early on Saturday with extremely dusty conditions. But with several passes with the water truck, the racers were set to go. Our 1st heat just had 4 buggy's; Jeff Barrett - BRM OFFROAD Graphics #334, Gary Williams - Williams Performance #348, Rafeal Navarro in the #333, and Jim Sizelove in the #321.
The water truck did not come out before our first heat and it's too bad. It really made for some extreme visibility issues. We video taped Heat one and it had some excitement. Williams and Navarro put on a good show with their battle, then Williams and Sizelove started going at it. Contact was made at some point and Williams dropped back in the field. Barrett, in the meantime, had motor problems half way thru and was doing what he could to keep it running and salvage some points.
Heat 2 started with a freshly watered track which really helped the drivers and spotters better see across the track. This race was not as exciting as the buggy's quickly separated themselves and had little excitement to report. Barrett was having motor issues again and wasn't much competition.
We'll have things ready for Round 5 in August and hope to move back up to the top of the points standings.
Round 4 of the series was a scorcher! Practice started early on Saturday with extremely dusty conditions. But with several passes with the water truck, the racers were set to go. Our 1st heat just had 4 buggy's; Jeff Barrett - BRM OFFROAD Graphics #334, Gary Williams - Williams Performance #348, Rafeal Navarro in the #333, and Jim Sizelove in the #321.
The water truck did not come out before our first heat and it's too bad. It really made for some extreme visibility issues. We video taped Heat one and it had some excitement. Williams and Navarro put on a good show with their battle, then Williams and Sizelove started going at it. Contact was made at some point and Williams dropped back in the field. Barrett, in the meantime, had motor problems half way thru and was doing what he could to keep it running and salvage some points.
Heat 2 started with a freshly watered track which really helped the drivers and spotters better see across the track. This race was not as exciting as the buggy's quickly separated themselves and had little excitement to report. Barrett was having motor issues again and wasn't much competition.
We'll have things ready for Round 5 in August and hope to move back up to the top of the points standings.
2009 GLEN HELEN SHORT COURSE SERIES - ROUND 3
JUNE 12-13, 2009
Round 3 of the Glen Helen Short Course Series had a much bigger turnout than the prior two rounds. We arrived to cloudy sky's in San Bernardino Friday afternoon and had a couple hours to set up and relax before practice was to start. And once again, our gate fees for the entire weekend was just $10/adult.
It was great to see Gary Williams in the #348 Gibson Performance buggy there again (running a new number this time, he was #309). Joe Whiteley in the #363 recently had surgery, but still showed up to watch. Jim Sizelove in the #321 was out there again along with Oddie Munoz in the #356, Justin Davis in the #385, Navarro in the #333, Robert Lansing in the #330, and Big Joe in the #368 buggy. BRM Offroad Driver, Jeff Barrett in the #334 buggy, and all the competitors got a lot of practice time in on Friday aftenoon and Saturday morning, and we were ready for the races Saturday afternoon.
With a field of 8 on the line, it was the largest we have seen yet this year. The flag waved and they were off! Jeff Barrett in the BRM OFFROAD Buggy got a slow start and found his way in the back but making a charge early in lap 1. Justin Davis ran into some motor problems early and was out before completing a lap. Barrett made quick use of his time and quickly caught up to the guys in front of him battling for 6th place before the end of lap 1. As Barrett in the 334 was coming thru turn 3 on the inside of Big Joe in the 368. Barrett moved in front of Joe and was holding his line as they were entering turn 4. Joe's buggy decided it was time for some throttle sticking and he was having a hard time getting it to cooperate. Well, as they went into the lefthand turn, Joe's throttle decided to just stay down and BAM! He t-boned Barrett who was in mid turn. Barrett was re-directed to his right while Joe was able to make the turn. This dropped Barrett back into 7th, but at least it didn't cause any damage.
As the field went down the front stretch for lap 2, the BRM OFFROAD Buggy was clearly in the back. But we did manage to gain a spot as Big Joe fell the victim of attrition. After hitting Barrett in turn 4, he caused some serious damage to his front suspension and broke off his shock tower. Jeff Barrett was now in 6th and gaining on the close battle for 3rd, 4th, & 5th.
The next several laps were very exciting as Barrett was in a solid battle with Lansing, Munoz, & Sizelove. The four of them put on an excellent show for all watching. We had a camera mounted on our buggy that got some great footage and we have several pictures below of the battle. Barrett finally got by Sizelove, and was knocking on Munoz's door. After battling with Oddie Munoz for a few tight laps, Barrett got his pass to stick and had Robert Lansing in his sites. But, with just two laps to go, Barrett didn't have time to see what he could do. Gary Williams walked away with a solid 1st place finish, Navarro took 2nd, Lansing finished 3rd, Barrett finished 4th, Munoz finished 5th, Sizelove finished 6th, and Big Joe and Justin Davis DNF'd.
Heat 2 was even more exciting than Heat 1. This time we got a solid start and as Gary Williams and Justin Davis battled for 1st the entire race, Jeff Barrett found himself once again in a 4-way battle for 3rd place with Lansing, Munoz, and Sizelove. Unfortunately Big Joe wasn't able to make the necessary repairs for the start of Heat 2 and Navarro ran into some problems on lap one and took a DNF.
This race was amazing. Williams and Davis had an incredibly clean and heated battle the entire time. Williams just needed to hang on for 1st overall with Navarro being out, but that's not Gary's style (or ours). Williams and Davis had a few lead changes and radio communication was made to Barrett that he would be looking good if he could hold onto 3rd and Williams and Davis took themselves out. But that wasn't the case. As the race was announced with all the excitement in the Williams/Davis battle, Barrett and Lansing were putting on one awesome race of their own. They separated themselves from Munoz and Sizelove and fought hard in every corner for any advantage they could get on the other one.
Barrett managed to hold Lansing off and then Lansing fell off the pace a little as he hit a corner hard and had to recollect himself. The entire race was edge-of-your-seat exciting as Gary Williams once again took 1st place, just barely ahead of Justin Davis and Jeff Barrett finished a few lengths behind them in 3rd. Robert Lansing took 4th, Oddie Munoz in 5th, and Jim Sizelove in 6th. We were stoked with our 4-3 finishes and we ended up with 2nd overall on the day, and still holds the series points lead. It was another great weekend of racing and we're looking forward to round 4 in July!
Round 3 of the Glen Helen Short Course Series had a much bigger turnout than the prior two rounds. We arrived to cloudy sky's in San Bernardino Friday afternoon and had a couple hours to set up and relax before practice was to start. And once again, our gate fees for the entire weekend was just $10/adult.
It was great to see Gary Williams in the #348 Gibson Performance buggy there again (running a new number this time, he was #309). Joe Whiteley in the #363 recently had surgery, but still showed up to watch. Jim Sizelove in the #321 was out there again along with Oddie Munoz in the #356, Justin Davis in the #385, Navarro in the #333, Robert Lansing in the #330, and Big Joe in the #368 buggy. BRM Offroad Driver, Jeff Barrett in the #334 buggy, and all the competitors got a lot of practice time in on Friday aftenoon and Saturday morning, and we were ready for the races Saturday afternoon.
With a field of 8 on the line, it was the largest we have seen yet this year. The flag waved and they were off! Jeff Barrett in the BRM OFFROAD Buggy got a slow start and found his way in the back but making a charge early in lap 1. Justin Davis ran into some motor problems early and was out before completing a lap. Barrett made quick use of his time and quickly caught up to the guys in front of him battling for 6th place before the end of lap 1. As Barrett in the 334 was coming thru turn 3 on the inside of Big Joe in the 368. Barrett moved in front of Joe and was holding his line as they were entering turn 4. Joe's buggy decided it was time for some throttle sticking and he was having a hard time getting it to cooperate. Well, as they went into the lefthand turn, Joe's throttle decided to just stay down and BAM! He t-boned Barrett who was in mid turn. Barrett was re-directed to his right while Joe was able to make the turn. This dropped Barrett back into 7th, but at least it didn't cause any damage.
As the field went down the front stretch for lap 2, the BRM OFFROAD Buggy was clearly in the back. But we did manage to gain a spot as Big Joe fell the victim of attrition. After hitting Barrett in turn 4, he caused some serious damage to his front suspension and broke off his shock tower. Jeff Barrett was now in 6th and gaining on the close battle for 3rd, 4th, & 5th.
The next several laps were very exciting as Barrett was in a solid battle with Lansing, Munoz, & Sizelove. The four of them put on an excellent show for all watching. We had a camera mounted on our buggy that got some great footage and we have several pictures below of the battle. Barrett finally got by Sizelove, and was knocking on Munoz's door. After battling with Oddie Munoz for a few tight laps, Barrett got his pass to stick and had Robert Lansing in his sites. But, with just two laps to go, Barrett didn't have time to see what he could do. Gary Williams walked away with a solid 1st place finish, Navarro took 2nd, Lansing finished 3rd, Barrett finished 4th, Munoz finished 5th, Sizelove finished 6th, and Big Joe and Justin Davis DNF'd.
Heat 2 was even more exciting than Heat 1. This time we got a solid start and as Gary Williams and Justin Davis battled for 1st the entire race, Jeff Barrett found himself once again in a 4-way battle for 3rd place with Lansing, Munoz, and Sizelove. Unfortunately Big Joe wasn't able to make the necessary repairs for the start of Heat 2 and Navarro ran into some problems on lap one and took a DNF.
This race was amazing. Williams and Davis had an incredibly clean and heated battle the entire time. Williams just needed to hang on for 1st overall with Navarro being out, but that's not Gary's style (or ours). Williams and Davis had a few lead changes and radio communication was made to Barrett that he would be looking good if he could hold onto 3rd and Williams and Davis took themselves out. But that wasn't the case. As the race was announced with all the excitement in the Williams/Davis battle, Barrett and Lansing were putting on one awesome race of their own. They separated themselves from Munoz and Sizelove and fought hard in every corner for any advantage they could get on the other one.
Barrett managed to hold Lansing off and then Lansing fell off the pace a little as he hit a corner hard and had to recollect himself. The entire race was edge-of-your-seat exciting as Gary Williams once again took 1st place, just barely ahead of Justin Davis and Jeff Barrett finished a few lengths behind them in 3rd. Robert Lansing took 4th, Oddie Munoz in 5th, and Jim Sizelove in 6th. We were stoked with our 4-3 finishes and we ended up with 2nd overall on the day, and still holds the series points lead. It was another great weekend of racing and we're looking forward to round 4 in July!
2009 GLEN HELEN SHORT COURSE SERIES - ROUND 2
MARCH 21, 2009
Round 2 of the Glen Helen Short Course Series started with a big surprise for us. We were the featured buggy on their flyer Glen Helen Round 2 Flyer and couldn't believe it! As usual for us, we were working right up until the last minute, getting ready to head out. We arrived in sunny San Bernardino right at noon and had a couple hours to relax before practice was to start. And once again, our gate fees for the entire weekend was just $10/adult. We pulled into our pit and just relaxed for the next couple of hours until the scheduled practice time.
It was great to see Gary Williams in the 309 Gibson Performance buggy there again. Joe Whiteley in the 363 and Jim Sizelove in the 321 both showed up late and were only able to run the practice sessions on Saturday am. Friday afternoons practice was great and the sunset gave us some awesome photo opportunities. Jeff and all the competitors got a lot of track time and we were ready for the races Saturday afternoon.
Once again, there was a low turn-out, but our Pro Single Buggy class did grow by one along with the addition of 3 stadium-lites, that's right, Honda Pilot's and a true stadium-lite from the Mickey Thompson racing era were all on hand to thrill the fans. The amazing part about their races were 2 of the drivers are disabled; one is a paraplegic and the other a quadriplegic. It was amazing watching them in practice and their heat races! Along with the Pilot class, there was also a class 5 buggy, a class 10 buggy, a spec pro-lite, and 2 pro super buggy's.
Saturday's line up in Heat 1 consisted of 4 Pro Single Buggy's that followed the Pilot race. Jeff Barrett lined up on the inside in the BRM OFFROAD GRAPHICS buggy, while Gary Williams in the Gibson Performance buggy, Joe Whiteley, and Jim Sizelove all lined up outside of Jeff. The green flag waved and they were off. Williams was pulling away with a slight lead by the time the field hit the first jump down the stretch. Jim Sizelove put the ole squeeze play on Jeff Barrett and drifted over to his left as they approached the first jump. Not knowing Sizelove's racing background, Barrett got off the throttle to give him room. It's a long race and there's no sense in letting someone take you out within the first 1000 feet.
Going into turn 1 the field was tightly packed with Williams leading the way on the outside, Sizelove on the inside, Barrett behind Sizelove and hugging it tight, and Whiteley outside of Barrett. Coming out of the big turn one banked corner, Williams was the race leader. Whiteley moved into 2nd when Sizelove pinched Barrett down low and neither could maintain their momentum coming up and out of the turn. The positions remained this way thru the remainder of lap 1.
Lap 2, Williams had a commanding lead with Barrett closing the gap on Sizelove for 3rd. By the middle of lap 2 Barrett made a move and passed Sizelove in the doubles, then quickly took 2nd place away from Whiteley in the next corner. Williams was well out in front by several buggy lengths only to have a rocker stud break and send him limping into the pits. This left 1st place open to Barrett, who gladly accepted it knowing his 1600 single-port didn't have the power to pull on Williams and his dual-port. Sizelove got by Whiteley and Barrett pulled away from from the field for the victory.
Heat 2 for the Pro Single Buggy's had everybody back out there. The BRM OFFROAD GRAPHICS team happened to have a couple rocker stud nuts to help get Gary Williams and the Gibson Performance buggy back out there. The line-up was similar with Barrett in lane 1 at the drop of the green. And once again Williams took an early lead with Sizelove in 2nd, Barrett in 3rd, and Whiteley in 4th. It was a close battle with everybody just a few lengths apart for lap one, but as Williams came out of the final turn to head down the front stretch, his tranny once again, brought out disappointment for his team. This allowed Sizelove to move into first as they went in to turn 1. Coming down the back stretch Barrett was right behind Sizelove and the two of them put on an exciting battle thru the doubles and the next couple of corners. As they came out of turn 4, the action was close. Sizelove retained the lead down the front stretch for the start of lap 3. Going into turn 1, Barrett kept it tight and exited the corner in 1st place. Barrett had a very slim lead down the back stretch but opened it up a little more thru the doubles and the next few turns. Barrett held the lead on Sizelove, Whiteley was in a distant 3rd, and Williams limped around the track in search of the checkers for some much needed points. We have a great video clip of the action below, but the announcer was a little confused and didn't really know who was in the lead.
Barrett and Sizelove were running great out there, pulling away from Whiteley who was having troubles, especially in turn 4. Fatigue may have been setting in for him as he struggled thru turn 4 on the last few laps. With Barrett and Sizelove moving closer to lapping Whiteley, with just 2 laps to go, Whiteley again spun it out while exiting turn 4. He started tight, drifted wide, and then with Barrett right behind him, the back end of Whiteley in the 363 buggy came around and he lunged back towards the inside slamming the door on Barrett. Barrett locked up the brakes, but didn't have much choice but to slide into Whiteley's left nerf bar. With Whiteley's buggy sideways to the front stretch, but his front wheels pointing down the straight, Barrett's front right tire was facing a bad situation. BRM OFFROAD GRAPHICS Crew Chief, Missy Barrett, could tell that if Whiteley tried to go first he was going to pinch Barrett's front right tire and hook them together. She was radioing to Barrett to just put it in reverse, but it was too late. Whiteley was trying to keep from getting lapped and hooked them up momentarily. Sizelove was probably smiling from ear to ear as he came into turn 4 and saw the mayhem. Barrett and Whiteley were separated quickly, but the damage would prove to be done. As they came down the front stretch, Whiteley was slightly ahead and Barrett was given the white flag, with Sizelove moving closer. As the 3 of them went into turn 1, the field really bunched up. Coming down the backstretch Whiteley was trying to hold off Barrett and Sizelove as they fought for the lead. Barrett was doing all he could with a flat front right to get by Whiteley and hold off Sizelove, but Whiteley wasn't going to honor the standard 'blue flag' racing rule and move over as the leaders were coming by to lap him. Sizelove made his move in turn 3 and passed Barrett for the lead as Barrett fought to get the 334 buggy to turn. Coming out of turn 4 and heading to the checkers, Sizelove took the 'W' with Barrett a few buggy lengths behind and Whiteley a lap to go.
Congratulations to Jim Sizelove on a 2-1 finish and 1st overall! Jeff Barrett finished with a 1-2 and 2nd overall and the series points lead over Whiteley. Joe Whiteley finished in 3rd both heats for 3rd overall, and Gary Williams had another rough weekend with a DNF in heat 1 and 4th in heat 2... but at least he was able to salvage some points. Williams was by far the fastest in qualifying and we know he'll be ready for round 3 in June.
Hopefully more racers will start coming out instead of just sitting around wondering which organization they should race with or following the gossip on the forums. They are soon going to find out that they're really missing out on something great! There used to be 30+ Single Buggy's that raced with CORR in 2006 & 2007, but since that organization left a bad taste in everyone's mouth in '08, where are the racers? It's more than 50% cheaper racing at Glen Helen, only $300 for the Pro Single Buggy class, every person out there is treated with respect, not just the drivers or the pro's, but everybody. Every racer is given more track time than they know what to do with even after the races are over, the payouts are quite substantial, not to mention the added bonus that you actually do receive your check!
Round 2 of the Glen Helen Short Course Series started with a big surprise for us. We were the featured buggy on their flyer Glen Helen Round 2 Flyer and couldn't believe it! As usual for us, we were working right up until the last minute, getting ready to head out. We arrived in sunny San Bernardino right at noon and had a couple hours to relax before practice was to start. And once again, our gate fees for the entire weekend was just $10/adult. We pulled into our pit and just relaxed for the next couple of hours until the scheduled practice time.
It was great to see Gary Williams in the 309 Gibson Performance buggy there again. Joe Whiteley in the 363 and Jim Sizelove in the 321 both showed up late and were only able to run the practice sessions on Saturday am. Friday afternoons practice was great and the sunset gave us some awesome photo opportunities. Jeff and all the competitors got a lot of track time and we were ready for the races Saturday afternoon.
Once again, there was a low turn-out, but our Pro Single Buggy class did grow by one along with the addition of 3 stadium-lites, that's right, Honda Pilot's and a true stadium-lite from the Mickey Thompson racing era were all on hand to thrill the fans. The amazing part about their races were 2 of the drivers are disabled; one is a paraplegic and the other a quadriplegic. It was amazing watching them in practice and their heat races! Along with the Pilot class, there was also a class 5 buggy, a class 10 buggy, a spec pro-lite, and 2 pro super buggy's.
Saturday's line up in Heat 1 consisted of 4 Pro Single Buggy's that followed the Pilot race. Jeff Barrett lined up on the inside in the BRM OFFROAD GRAPHICS buggy, while Gary Williams in the Gibson Performance buggy, Joe Whiteley, and Jim Sizelove all lined up outside of Jeff. The green flag waved and they were off. Williams was pulling away with a slight lead by the time the field hit the first jump down the stretch. Jim Sizelove put the ole squeeze play on Jeff Barrett and drifted over to his left as they approached the first jump. Not knowing Sizelove's racing background, Barrett got off the throttle to give him room. It's a long race and there's no sense in letting someone take you out within the first 1000 feet.
Going into turn 1 the field was tightly packed with Williams leading the way on the outside, Sizelove on the inside, Barrett behind Sizelove and hugging it tight, and Whiteley outside of Barrett. Coming out of the big turn one banked corner, Williams was the race leader. Whiteley moved into 2nd when Sizelove pinched Barrett down low and neither could maintain their momentum coming up and out of the turn. The positions remained this way thru the remainder of lap 1.
Lap 2, Williams had a commanding lead with Barrett closing the gap on Sizelove for 3rd. By the middle of lap 2 Barrett made a move and passed Sizelove in the doubles, then quickly took 2nd place away from Whiteley in the next corner. Williams was well out in front by several buggy lengths only to have a rocker stud break and send him limping into the pits. This left 1st place open to Barrett, who gladly accepted it knowing his 1600 single-port didn't have the power to pull on Williams and his dual-port. Sizelove got by Whiteley and Barrett pulled away from from the field for the victory.
Heat 2 for the Pro Single Buggy's had everybody back out there. The BRM OFFROAD GRAPHICS team happened to have a couple rocker stud nuts to help get Gary Williams and the Gibson Performance buggy back out there. The line-up was similar with Barrett in lane 1 at the drop of the green. And once again Williams took an early lead with Sizelove in 2nd, Barrett in 3rd, and Whiteley in 4th. It was a close battle with everybody just a few lengths apart for lap one, but as Williams came out of the final turn to head down the front stretch, his tranny once again, brought out disappointment for his team. This allowed Sizelove to move into first as they went in to turn 1. Coming down the back stretch Barrett was right behind Sizelove and the two of them put on an exciting battle thru the doubles and the next couple of corners. As they came out of turn 4, the action was close. Sizelove retained the lead down the front stretch for the start of lap 3. Going into turn 1, Barrett kept it tight and exited the corner in 1st place. Barrett had a very slim lead down the back stretch but opened it up a little more thru the doubles and the next few turns. Barrett held the lead on Sizelove, Whiteley was in a distant 3rd, and Williams limped around the track in search of the checkers for some much needed points. We have a great video clip of the action below, but the announcer was a little confused and didn't really know who was in the lead.
Barrett and Sizelove were running great out there, pulling away from Whiteley who was having troubles, especially in turn 4. Fatigue may have been setting in for him as he struggled thru turn 4 on the last few laps. With Barrett and Sizelove moving closer to lapping Whiteley, with just 2 laps to go, Whiteley again spun it out while exiting turn 4. He started tight, drifted wide, and then with Barrett right behind him, the back end of Whiteley in the 363 buggy came around and he lunged back towards the inside slamming the door on Barrett. Barrett locked up the brakes, but didn't have much choice but to slide into Whiteley's left nerf bar. With Whiteley's buggy sideways to the front stretch, but his front wheels pointing down the straight, Barrett's front right tire was facing a bad situation. BRM OFFROAD GRAPHICS Crew Chief, Missy Barrett, could tell that if Whiteley tried to go first he was going to pinch Barrett's front right tire and hook them together. She was radioing to Barrett to just put it in reverse, but it was too late. Whiteley was trying to keep from getting lapped and hooked them up momentarily. Sizelove was probably smiling from ear to ear as he came into turn 4 and saw the mayhem. Barrett and Whiteley were separated quickly, but the damage would prove to be done. As they came down the front stretch, Whiteley was slightly ahead and Barrett was given the white flag, with Sizelove moving closer. As the 3 of them went into turn 1, the field really bunched up. Coming down the backstretch Whiteley was trying to hold off Barrett and Sizelove as they fought for the lead. Barrett was doing all he could with a flat front right to get by Whiteley and hold off Sizelove, but Whiteley wasn't going to honor the standard 'blue flag' racing rule and move over as the leaders were coming by to lap him. Sizelove made his move in turn 3 and passed Barrett for the lead as Barrett fought to get the 334 buggy to turn. Coming out of turn 4 and heading to the checkers, Sizelove took the 'W' with Barrett a few buggy lengths behind and Whiteley a lap to go.
Congratulations to Jim Sizelove on a 2-1 finish and 1st overall! Jeff Barrett finished with a 1-2 and 2nd overall and the series points lead over Whiteley. Joe Whiteley finished in 3rd both heats for 3rd overall, and Gary Williams had another rough weekend with a DNF in heat 1 and 4th in heat 2... but at least he was able to salvage some points. Williams was by far the fastest in qualifying and we know he'll be ready for round 3 in June.
Hopefully more racers will start coming out instead of just sitting around wondering which organization they should race with or following the gossip on the forums. They are soon going to find out that they're really missing out on something great! There used to be 30+ Single Buggy's that raced with CORR in 2006 & 2007, but since that organization left a bad taste in everyone's mouth in '08, where are the racers? It's more than 50% cheaper racing at Glen Helen, only $300 for the Pro Single Buggy class, every person out there is treated with respect, not just the drivers or the pro's, but everybody. Every racer is given more track time than they know what to do with even after the races are over, the payouts are quite substantial, not to mention the added bonus that you actually do receive your check!
2009 GLEN HELEN SHORT COURSE SERIES - ROUND 1
Round 1 of the Glen Helen Short Course Series kicked off on February 21, 2009 with a low turn-out, but a great race event. Practice was held Friday afternoon for the few that were able to make it out early, but by Saturday morning there were a lot more racers. The weather was great, a little breezy, but very comfortable temperatures with a little sun peeking thru.
We were amazed that our weekend gate fee was just $10 per adult. When was the last time you went to a race event and only paid $10 to get in? That's unheard of, but it's also the set price for the series. We also had the freedom to go back and forth between our race pits and the CMC/REM dirt bike races on the famous Glen Helen motocross track. Our $10 gate fee also included camping throughout the entire weekend. With the gate and camping fees being this affordable, how can more racers not come out? Well, we had several ex-CORR racers approach us, ask us what we thought of the track, and commented that they were bringing their buggy out for round 2 in March.
As part of keeping expenses down and not going bankrupt with unnecessary expenses, there were no bleachers for the spectators. Instead it was more like a desert race where everyone backed their truck or UTV up to the edge of the track well, about 30 feet from the track was as close as you could get. But once again, anyone who was on the property for either the Short Course races or the dirt bike races had free reign to come over and check out the short course races. It was a great family atmosphere with great sportsmanship in all the classes and some very tight racing.
The track itself was in great shape. Even after the Traxxas Team finished with their private practice Friday morning. Other pro teams were out there on Thursday as well. The track is 1mile long with a 1000 foot front straight and an 1100 foot back stretch. The track is laid out in the shape of a 'U' inside a 'U' and the 2 outside straights both have a couple of big jumps and tables to showcase what the buggy's and trucks can do. The inside 'U' is the technical aspect with 3 doubles down one side a high-banked right hand corner followed by a table and another double just before the flat left hand corner to go down the front stretch. This track has it all! High speeds, banked turns, flat turns, tables, singles, doubles, it's a track that keeps the drivers on their toes using all their skills, and not just dropping the hammer.
With a few late practice runs and a fresh look at the doubles coming out of turn 3, Jeff Barrett in the #334 BRM OFFROAD Pro Single Buggy was ready to go racing. The start of the race had Jeff Barrett on the inside with Gary Williams in the #309 to his right and Joe in the #363 on the outside. The Pro Single Buggy's ran off the same line as the Pro Super Buggy's, but even with the noticeable power between the Super Buggy's and the Single Buggys it was a very good start, all the way down to the 1000 foot straight and through turn one. Jeff Barrett had a great start in his 1600 single-port and was right on the heels of the 2nd place Pro Super Buggy. That was short lived as the Super Buggy's unleashed their power down the 1100 foot back stretch. But Jeff had opened up a gap between himself, Gary, & Joe. During the course of the race, Gary started reeling Jeff in. The 7 or 8 second lead was down to about 3-4 seconds when Gary blew a tire with 3 laps to go. This gave Jeff a solid victory in heat 1, Joe took 2nd place, and Gary settled for third.
After an exciting battle between the trucks we were once again ready to go for heat 2. Once again, Jeff had a great start leading the Pro Single Buggy's at the start of the race. Coming into turn 2, Gary was making his pass on Jeff for first. Gary maintained 1st until Jeff made a sweet pass in turn 4 that left Gary right in his roost. Gary was right on Jeff and the 2 of them had a great race going for several laps only to have that end in the doubles with Gary blowing his tranny. Jeff had a commanding lead on Joe with 3 laps to go, but that's where our day took a turn. Going off the last jump down the front stretch, a plume of white smoke billowed out. The BRM Offroad crew quickly radioed to Jeff that he may have lost his motor. Jeff responded thinking he blew a bead. As he limped down the back-stretch, the crew radioed that his left tires looked good. After making it thru turn 2, it was obvious that the right tires were also good, but the right rear shock mount was broken. With the shock resting in a safe position Jeff was able to continue around, hoping for the white flag. Thru turn 3 he went and as he came out of turn 4, the disappointment came as the white flag was not given. This gave Joe in the 363 plenty of time to make up the 1/2 lap lead Jeff had on him. Joe passed Jeff right at the end of the next lap, which is also when the white flag was given, and ran away with it for the checkers. With Joe taking 2nd in heat 1 and 1st in heat 2, he was awarded 1st overall. Jeff finished with a 1-2 for 2nd place and Gary a 3-3 for 3rd place.
We all had a great time out there and were very impressed with the crew Bob had running the show, hats off to them for putting on such a great event.
We were amazed that our weekend gate fee was just $10 per adult. When was the last time you went to a race event and only paid $10 to get in? That's unheard of, but it's also the set price for the series. We also had the freedom to go back and forth between our race pits and the CMC/REM dirt bike races on the famous Glen Helen motocross track. Our $10 gate fee also included camping throughout the entire weekend. With the gate and camping fees being this affordable, how can more racers not come out? Well, we had several ex-CORR racers approach us, ask us what we thought of the track, and commented that they were bringing their buggy out for round 2 in March.
As part of keeping expenses down and not going bankrupt with unnecessary expenses, there were no bleachers for the spectators. Instead it was more like a desert race where everyone backed their truck or UTV up to the edge of the track well, about 30 feet from the track was as close as you could get. But once again, anyone who was on the property for either the Short Course races or the dirt bike races had free reign to come over and check out the short course races. It was a great family atmosphere with great sportsmanship in all the classes and some very tight racing.
The track itself was in great shape. Even after the Traxxas Team finished with their private practice Friday morning. Other pro teams were out there on Thursday as well. The track is 1mile long with a 1000 foot front straight and an 1100 foot back stretch. The track is laid out in the shape of a 'U' inside a 'U' and the 2 outside straights both have a couple of big jumps and tables to showcase what the buggy's and trucks can do. The inside 'U' is the technical aspect with 3 doubles down one side a high-banked right hand corner followed by a table and another double just before the flat left hand corner to go down the front stretch. This track has it all! High speeds, banked turns, flat turns, tables, singles, doubles, it's a track that keeps the drivers on their toes using all their skills, and not just dropping the hammer.
With a few late practice runs and a fresh look at the doubles coming out of turn 3, Jeff Barrett in the #334 BRM OFFROAD Pro Single Buggy was ready to go racing. The start of the race had Jeff Barrett on the inside with Gary Williams in the #309 to his right and Joe in the #363 on the outside. The Pro Single Buggy's ran off the same line as the Pro Super Buggy's, but even with the noticeable power between the Super Buggy's and the Single Buggys it was a very good start, all the way down to the 1000 foot straight and through turn one. Jeff Barrett had a great start in his 1600 single-port and was right on the heels of the 2nd place Pro Super Buggy. That was short lived as the Super Buggy's unleashed their power down the 1100 foot back stretch. But Jeff had opened up a gap between himself, Gary, & Joe. During the course of the race, Gary started reeling Jeff in. The 7 or 8 second lead was down to about 3-4 seconds when Gary blew a tire with 3 laps to go. This gave Jeff a solid victory in heat 1, Joe took 2nd place, and Gary settled for third.
After an exciting battle between the trucks we were once again ready to go for heat 2. Once again, Jeff had a great start leading the Pro Single Buggy's at the start of the race. Coming into turn 2, Gary was making his pass on Jeff for first. Gary maintained 1st until Jeff made a sweet pass in turn 4 that left Gary right in his roost. Gary was right on Jeff and the 2 of them had a great race going for several laps only to have that end in the doubles with Gary blowing his tranny. Jeff had a commanding lead on Joe with 3 laps to go, but that's where our day took a turn. Going off the last jump down the front stretch, a plume of white smoke billowed out. The BRM Offroad crew quickly radioed to Jeff that he may have lost his motor. Jeff responded thinking he blew a bead. As he limped down the back-stretch, the crew radioed that his left tires looked good. After making it thru turn 2, it was obvious that the right tires were also good, but the right rear shock mount was broken. With the shock resting in a safe position Jeff was able to continue around, hoping for the white flag. Thru turn 3 he went and as he came out of turn 4, the disappointment came as the white flag was not given. This gave Joe in the 363 plenty of time to make up the 1/2 lap lead Jeff had on him. Joe passed Jeff right at the end of the next lap, which is also when the white flag was given, and ran away with it for the checkers. With Joe taking 2nd in heat 1 and 1st in heat 2, he was awarded 1st overall. Jeff finished with a 1-2 for 2nd place and Gary a 3-3 for 3rd place.
We all had a great time out there and were very impressed with the crew Bob had running the show, hats off to them for putting on such a great event.
