As businesses and companies start opening back up their doors, life races on in the off-road industry. Ultra4 Racing picked a course for the series this season new to all drivers’ classes; Area BFE in Moab! Super excited to head out to Utah, the PGR team partnered with longtime supporter of the program, Shawn Wood of Tom Wood’s Custom Driveshafts, for co-driving duties. Shawn was also in the passenger seat last season when the team took on the Teardown at Tennessee in Pittsburgh.
Special thank you to Shawn Wood for all the hard work in the car, in the pits, and at camp. The team really enjoyed having you over the weekend and look forward more opportunities to drive together in the future!
Pre-run:
Even though the location for this race is the closest in the series for the Phoenix team, when Proving Grounds Racing arrived Wednesday evening, they found they were not team to arrive early to the track. After a quick set up of camp, the team hit the course to scout out what Ultra4 had prepared for this challenging venue. Moab is best known for the slick and rocky terrain and this course proved why; five miles of steep waterfall climbs, sandy silt beds, loose rock descents, and that iconic slick rock terrain.
During the pre-run, John and Shawn discussed strategies and ran each line in the technical areas, hoping to be prepared for race day.
This will be the first race using the new Wilwood brake set on the 4570 car. What better testament of performance then a rock racing event to break in the new set up.
Qualifying:
The team decided to take the conservative route during qualifying as the course was rough, rocky, and created to separate the boys from the men. After watching many cars roll, revers, and finish on flat tires, the 4750 drivers made it their mission to keep the car in good shape with a solid lap time. With Shawn and John speeding down the course, they landed a 20th starting position out of over 35 cars.
Race Day:
The green flag dropped, and the team was off in a cloud of dust, ready to pick off 19 cars. Running the course in hi-range, it was more difficult with traffic and maneuvering around other cars, so they shifted to a lower gear for the car. Special thanks to Motive Gear for supplying PGR’s race gear sets; the 6.20 gear ratios made quick work of 4-lo passes on the course.
Making way around the course, lap after lap, weaving through the carnage of broken cars, John and Shawn were picking off positions. With Goodall stuck on an obstacle at Greenday, they chose a bypass. This move allowed Rants to take an alternate line as well and ultimately gain a pass. The team followed Rants for almost a full lap until making a pit stop for a power steering and tire check. The 3 cars (Goodall, Rants, and PGR) were neck and neck on the course towards the 4th and 5th laps, nearing the finish. Last round of the track, down a 4-foot ledge drop, and then up the bend, they saw the checkered flag and received a 4th place finish.
Post-race:
With a solid sound car and zero flats on the BFGoodrich tire and Dirty Life Racing wheel combo, the PGR team preps one final time for the Ultra4 Racing series. October ends the season with Nationals at Davis Oklahoma! As the prep continues for the next few weeks, the team will also be focusing on the new Miller Motorsports 4400 chassis, eager to show it off at Off-Road Expo in Scottsdale!