Red Bull World Cup 2022

The Crandon Red Bull World Cup is a showstopper for the Labor Day holiday weekend. This town was born to race!

Crandon Wisconsin, the epicenter for off-road racing. For 53 years, Crandon has been home to the world’s elite short course track calling professional drivers from all over the globe. This is the fourth year Ultra4 has been thrown into the action to compete on this high-octane course. Calling for over 60,000 people for the Labor Day race, the Crandon Red Bull World Cup is a showstopper for the holiday weekend. From camping on site, to shutting the town down for the Labor Day Parade, this town was born to race. We pack up our team from Arizona and trekked northeast for some good cheese and some fast racing!

Prerun

With weather in the 70s and the Proving Grounds Racing awning casting shade over the team and pit, the crew got a game plan for the three separate heats of prerunning. One of our races would be in the dark and using the back stretch of rocks and hills for the Ultra4 classes. Each session for the 4400 Ultra4 Unlimited class was set for three laps. This would give us some track time to feel the car on course and to make any adjustments before the next go around.

On the first session on the second lap, we ran into a power steering issue where a rock had crashed a line in the front rock garden ending our session early. Getting back to the pits Big B Motorsports was able to help us with creating a new power steering line for our car. After putting the car back together Brent from Climax Off-Road was able to make guards to shield the lines from any rock damage. With no time to spare we were back in business and geared up for the next practice heat.

With the heats so short and track time for each class predetermined. This was used for our staging of the first race, Saturday night. Ultra4 was taking the fastest lap from the three for us to stage on the land rush start. Fast in the turns and fast out of the turns we worked through the course. Still purging air through the system, John and Dawson stayed on pace landing a qualifying spot in the “Dirty Dozen” for a 12th place starting point.

For over 50 years, the KC brand has been a symbol of outdoor freedom, adventure, quality, and performance. We take features engineered for off-road racing and design them into unique lighting and adventure products used by those who have a thirst for the paths less traveled. We stand for the outdoor enthusiasts - from off-roaders to hikers to mountain bikers and anyone in-between - because that's who we are, and we make products to allow us all to adventure further.

Taking our last run we played the corners fast with some changes made to the car. Setting faster lap times and getting a better understanding for the track. For perspective, turn one coming out of the back stretch we are well over 80 mph with the car sideways in the hunt for the two front tabletop jumps. The back stretch into the hairpin we are triple digits before hard on the brakes. This fast track is like no other when it comes to short course.

While we were preparing the car for the race evening, HP Tuners stopped by the pits to help us on a small RPM issue we had when the aux fans would come on, or we would dig hard into a turn with the lower RPM's. Every second of throttle response counts in racing, and their team understands the importance of that just as any racer does. With a swift connection into our Holley Performance ECU we were ship shaped!

Friday Night was a little different occasion being that this race landed on John's birthday weekend. Rallying up the teams at the track Brent and the team threw a cookout with amazing brisket slabs and deli treats thanks to Drago's Deli, a local eatery in Crandon.

Night Race

Lined up with the top drivers waiting for the green flag to drop is a rush of nerves, adrenalin, and focus. Race fuel fills the air. In a blink of an eye the flag drops, the grandstands rumble as 1,000 horsepower chariots barrel through turn one looking for the hole shot. This being a night race we had our KC HiLiTES brighten up our sights keeping our eyes on course. With heavy, congested traffic we take to the gravel pit turn where Shannon Campbell was turned 180 on course directly in the line of sight. With a swift pitch to the left we miss him by a thread, escaping a crash while taking the turn into the front section of rocker where we see Tom from Fire River Racing putting his name to the test with his driver front wheel on fire, locked up, as he takes a tumble into the turn.

Running through the rocks with speed we keep our lines straight as we enter the back stretch of the rock course built just for Ultra4. Coming over the Rugged Radios our spotter Joe Gatlin calls out a red flag and an immediate course stop. Not knowing the situations, we slowed to a stop as we waited for more details. Joe over the coms was able to tell us there were a few crashes and course workers were getting them right sided before starting the race again. Unannounced to us, there was a more serious condition with one of the crashes. Medical teams worked track side while the situation grew tense. Over the radio Joe calls in stating Ultra4 has canceled the race and to slowly drive off course back to our pits.

Three fellow racers were air flighted in critical conditions after the crashes that occurred. The vehicles we build and drive are machines we push to the limit every time we take the green flag. Even with our safety equipment and gear, danger lurks in every corner of what we do. 5,000-pound machines with 1000 horsepower can turn dark in any moment while on course.

Ultra4 made press release Sunday morning about the occurrences of the previous evenings race:

A message from Jason Robinett, Ultra4 USA owner:

The sun came up and reality set in on the tragic events that unfolded yesterday evening. By now most have heard Zandy Willems has passed doing exactly what he loved. There simply are no words to express the sorrow and pain his friends and family and myself are going through. Last night, like so many, I went to bed broken. I woke up broken and still at a loss for words. How do you move forward when tragedy of this magnitude presents itself? How do I properly represent and honor this man that unfortunately I didn't know that well? Thankfully as the day goes on and the calls come in, this task has become much easier. I feel I know exactly the man, the friend, and the family Zandy is and always will be to so many. I am honored to have been able to be a part of his world. I have been shown how respected and loved he is. Zandy will always be a part of us all. He has given us moments that leave purpose in all our hearts.

This is a larger than life moment. He is a larger than life man and to honor that we will do as Zandy would. We will race!

Today we do it for you my friend.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

Sincerely,

Jason Robinett, the Robinett family and your Ultra4 family

With saddened hearts at Sunday’s drivers meeting, emotions ran while discussion the reality of what had happened to a fellow friend, driver, and loved one. Zandy was an amazing driver and an impact to the Ultra4 community for years racing side by side all of us. In memory of Zandy, Ultra4 for the Red Bull World Cup did a parade lap in his honor in remembrance of his life. Tens of thousands of people stood across the grandstands and lawn paying respects to the fallen. Zandy took the checker flag for the last time on Saturday night, but was with every single driver on Sunday, there was no doubt.

Red Bull World Cup

Emotions and tension fill the air. Uneasy from the tragic turn of events announced to us. Staged in line, with less cars in the field felt empty in so many ways. This race was for Zandy. Devoted to doing what he loved, we took the green flag as one in remembrance of him.

Hot into turn one for the start of the race we had ten laps to stay focused and alert. Open wheel racing is a whole other element into racing. Finding our place after being 12 wide, to 6 wide, to 3 wide, to single file, we stuck to our lane and worked on getting around the track finding the lines our straight axle Miller Motorsports Pro Chassis liked best. Keeping our BFGoodrich Tires and Dirty Life Race Wheels hooked to the ground we barreled through the course taking positions and falling suite with the groove of the track.

As the heat of the race continued, temperatures started to rise in the car. We could see on our Holley Performance digital dash gages starting to flash as we got into danger zones. Needing to continue racing we throttled back some to let temps drop and save the car. Keeping pace with track conditions and what we were experiencing in the car for temps John and Dawson took the checker flag for a top ten finish, taking 9th for the 2022 Red Bull World Cup!

The team takes a top ten for the weekend as a win. Coming home to loved one’s safe had a new meaning for this weekends racing. Our hearts go out to Rufus Racing and Zandy’s family, BigB Motorsports and the Blyler family, along with all the other families and teams hurt from this weekend’s tragedy. We as a team and a family strive to keep each other safe and cognizant of what can happen. This weekend is a testament that with the sport we do, we put our lives on the line each time the helmet goes on and we take the green flag.

Finishing top 10 gains us entry into the 2023 King of the Hammers race!

Our Hearts are with you Zandy. Race on.