The world of off-road racing is opening doors for the top rockcrawlers. Not only can they crawl, but they can now also race on rocks, in the desert, and participate in hill climbs.
Team AMSOIL/Torchamate "rockcrawlers" Brad and Roger Lovell took in their first hill climb last weekend. They showed up Friday night and saw everything from rally cars to methanol burning open wheel monsters. Needless to say, the #232 AMSOIL/Torchmate Ford Ranger stuck out like a sore thumb.
Being that the rock racer class is new to CHCA, the organizers let the trucks make the first run up the hill. Brad Lovell was lucky enough to be the first victim in line. He pinned the gas and hoped for the best. He quickly learned how important it is to be smooth with the steering wheel as he flung the AMSOIL Ranger all over the road. His second run went much better as he started to
figure out the hairpin turns. He set the low practice time for the truck class of 3:39.
Race day consists of two timed runs, the best of which becomes your official time. Lovell was cautious on the first run, but went for broke on the second. The result was a 3:38 run and a lead in the class. For the final run, he stayed on the throttle and pushed through turn one, hitting 94 mph and setting a near record time.
"When I reached the top, I knew I had a good time, but the smile on (eventual winner's) JT Taylor’s face let me know he had a good run as well," said Lovell. "At the end of the day, Taylor had bettered my time by a mere 6/10ths of a second."
Photos courtesy of Jud Leslie.
Team AMSOIL/Torchamate "rockcrawlers" Brad and Roger Lovell took in their first hill climb last weekend. They showed up Friday night and saw everything from rally cars to methanol burning open wheel monsters. Needless to say, the #232 AMSOIL/Torchmate Ford Ranger stuck out like a sore thumb.Being that the rock racer class is new to CHCA, the organizers let the trucks make the first run up the hill. Brad Lovell was lucky enough to be the first victim in line. He pinned the gas and hoped for the best. He quickly learned how important it is to be smooth with the steering wheel as he flung the AMSOIL Ranger all over the road. His second run went much better as he started to
figure out the hairpin turns. He set the low practice time for the truck class of 3:39.Race day consists of two timed runs, the best of which becomes your official time. Lovell was cautious on the first run, but went for broke on the second. The result was a 3:38 run and a lead in the class. For the final run, he stayed on the throttle and pushed through turn one, hitting 94 mph and setting a near record time.
"When I reached the top, I knew I had a good time, but the smile on (eventual winner's) JT Taylor’s face let me know he had a good run as well," said Lovell. "At the end of the day, Taylor had bettered my time by a mere 6/10ths of a second."
Photos courtesy of Jud Leslie.
