UTVRR – Southern Series Round 3 Race Report
Round 3 of UTVRR’s Southern Series kicked off promptly at 5:30pm on Saturday April 20th, 2013. Over the past several months Stony Lonesome’s UTVRR track has undergone some significant changes, most notably the inclusion of a completely new Short Course section. While the Short Course section is not complete, 90% of the section was ready and available for Round 3. The intent is to create an action packed, spectator friendly section and wow… Stony Lonesome really delivered. Most of the new section is wide enough for several UTVs, allowing the racers to get to grips with the new section quickly. With the intent and willingness to present the best driver experience possible, park owners worked with Quantum Racing to modify the track during the race. The weather was perfect with the temperature around 64 at race start, dropping to a chilly 45 throughout the event. At approximately 5:00pm the racers began to take their positions on the grid.
Along with a large Polaris RZR presence were Arctic Cat Wildcats, Can-Am Mavericks , Can-Am Com-manders, a John Deere Gator and a Joyner Buggy.
This round of the Southern Series saw several new faces and UTVRR first time drivers. As is always the case, our veteran racers were more than happy to offer help and advice where possible. The parade lap contained almost 20 drivers looking for an opportunity to preview the new section and check out overall track conditions. Three (3) water trucks worked hard to soak the track providing a fast surface while limiting the amount of dust. Great job!
The racers are issued their starting positions at a pre-race drivers meeting. Their finishing positions from the previous round denotes their starting position for the current round. If a driver did not finish the prior race, or did not attend the prior race, their starting positions are randomly drawn.
QR1 grid first, QR2 second and QR3 third. This format ensures a safest possible start with the faster vehicles having an open track for the first lap.
With the race starting at 5:30pm, there was plenty of time for the racers to catch-up with each other, discuss strategy, vehicle settings and even meet some new people.
Several drivers had the opportunity to take a lap of the track earlier in the day and were more than willing to spend a few minutes discussing and offering advice to their peers. Great sportsmanship and Comradery!!!
In attendance for the first time was Matt MacNeill from Vision X, a UTVRR racer contingency partner, and Nick Zierden from Innovative Off-road, a UTVRR series sponsor.
Above: Team #113, Roberts Racing striking a confident pose to start the race. Team #113 raced in QR1 in a RZR XP900
Above: Team #333, Mean Green, preparing for their very first UTVRR event. Team #333 raced in QR1 in a RZR XP900
Above: Team #57, MT Racing, contemplating his first UTVRR Southern Series start. Team #57 raced in QR1 in a Can-Am Maverick
With the addition of the new Short Course section, the expectation was that overall lap times would increase by 2-3 minutes. The current lap record is 12m 27seconds held by LCB racing.
How would the new section truly impact lap times? The new section of the track is so fast it slowed the fastest drivers by only 90 seconds! Overall track conditions were just about perfect compared to the snow we experienced at Round 2.
Above: Team #34, TSR Racing, discussing matters at hand 15 minutes before the start of the race. Team #34 raced in QR2 in a RZR S.
Round 3 saw families and potential future racers watching and learning how to race UTVRR. We love to see the kids getting excited!
Local county EMTs and Sheriff Dept were on hand just in-case any anyone attending the event required attention. As is the case, everytime, the EMTs responded quickly and effectively to any requests. Thank you all for your work and support!
Above: Team #213, Basch Brothers Powersports, receiving the sup-port of his pit chief!
Above: Team #23, Strenflex Racing focusing on the start. Team #23 raced in QR1 in a RZR XP900
Above: Team #747, 747 Motor Sports preparing for UTVRR in his Joyner Buggy. Team #747 also attended Round 2 of the Southern Series and represented the Joyner UTV buggy platform nicely.
Team #747’s UTV has a unique look, feel and sound. You can hear him coming as he screams through the Alabama hillside. Team #747 raced in QR1.
In both the Northern and Southern Series the field is becoming increasingly diverse!
Round 3 Action Shots From The New Short Course!
Above Left: Team #517,LCB making a first impression on a new track feature. Team #517 always gives 100% and raced in QR1 in a RZR XP900.
Above: Team #13, Pearson Racing getting it done in his high flying Can-Am Commander. This jump carried Team #13 about 25yds. Team #13 raced in QR2.
Above: Team #503, Cycle Nano, trying hard on his very first Lap. He did a fantastic job and did complete the full 4 hours! Look for a great picture of Team #503 later in the report. Team #503 raced in QR2 in a RZR S.
Above: Team #312, Basch Brothers PowerSports hard on the gas through a fast sweeping left hander. Team #312 had a special guest co-pilot for this race, Matt MacNeill from Vision X, and he endured the entire 4 hours!
Above: Team #316, CS Racing putting the moves on a fellow QR1 racer right from the start.
This section of the track is wide enough for several UTVs to take the jump at once. Team #316 raced in QR1 in a RZR XP900. The racers reported great things about this particular jump in the Short Course section. We can’t wait for Round 4 to see the Short Course section completed!
Above: Team # 05, Outlaw Motorsports at their 2nd UTVRR event. This team is working hard devel-oping their Can-Am Maverick into a force to be reckoned with in QR1. Great work guys! Team #05 completed the entire event and finish 6th in their QR1 class.
Above: Team #68, Team Buff keeping his momentum as he approaches the top of the hill in the first wooded section of Stony Lonesome. This RZR 570 really amazes us each and every race with Russell behind the wheel. Team #68 raced in QR2.
Above: Team #225, Team Cmw, hard on the gas as he slides his way through this high speed left hander. The water truck worked hard on the new Short Course section for several hours before the race making the race surface nice and grippy. The tires earned their money this weekend! Unfortunately Team #225 had to retire after 5 laps. Up until his retirement, he was right on the leaders pace. Team #225 raced in QR1 in a RZR XP900.
Above: Team #316, Cs Racing, passing Team #35 in the John Deere Gator. This was Team #35’s very first UTVRR event and they followed the racing etiquette perfectly. Realizing that Team #316 was faster than they were, Team #35 moved over as soon as they heard Team #316’s horn, signaling a pass was imminent. Fantastic work Team #35 and welcome to the UTVRR community.
Above: Team #235, Hall Racing driving hard through Section 3 as the light starts to fade. Team #235 raced in QR2 in a RZR S. In the background you can see Team #612, Double E Racing charging hard. Team #612 raced in QR1 in a RZR XP900.
Above: Team #940, Bellevue Racing, with lights blazing in the twilight hours. This was Team #940’s very first Southern Series race. Bellevue Racing experienced UTVRR’s 3rd Round at Windrock Park and is hooked. Team #940 has a solid platform to work with and is sure to challenge for the win with a couple more rounds under their belt. Team #940 raced in QR1 in a RZR XP900.
Above: Team #05, Outlaw Motorsports drove a very smooth, solid UTVRR event. Their Can-Am Maverick looks to be the real deal as the driver dials the track in nicely. We look for great things to come from the Can-Am Maverick platform!
Above: Team #120, Team Ford pushing hard to keep his lead from the hard charging LCB. Team #120 is 100% full-on from the start of the race right through to the last lap. Team Ford missed their 16th lap of the race by 38 seconds! Notably, Team #120 would have been the only driver to book 16 laps in Round 3. More pictures of Team #120 to come.
Above: Team #469, Bonehead Racing flying through Section 3 with their LEDs burning bright. Team #469 raced in QR1 in a RZR XP900 and finished 4th in his class. Great lighting is essential to compete in UTVRR. Vision X has Industry leading lighting equipment to give every driver the edge in the darkness!
Above: Team #503, Cycle Nano taking a second to acknowledge the cameraman!
Above: Team #612, Double E Racing with plenty of effort as he flies off the jump in Section 6. Double E Racing would finish the day 9th in the QR1 Class and 14th overall.
Above: Team #461, Keyscrete Racing putting on a fine display of how to make a RZR fly. Keyscrete would finish the day 5th in his QR1 class and 6th overall. Team #461 put in a solid race and was barely off the podium.
Above: Team #11, MADRAM Motorsports absolutely flat out over the Section 6 jump. With lights blazing, Team #11 came from within a few feet of the cameraman. Great effort guys! MADRAM Motorsports took 3rd place in QR1 and 4th place overall.
Above: Team #517, Team LCB on his 7th lap of the race. Team #517 was on fire and battling back and forth with Team #120 for 1st Place in QR1 and 1st Place overall. Great work both Teams, these guys were flat out the en-tire day!
Above: Team #23, Strenflex Racing. Team #23 would finish the day 10th in QR1 and 13th overall.
Above: Team #35, Moose Knuckle Racing had no problems with his John Deere Gator all day long. With smart driving and consistent lap times, Team #35 made an impres-sion in their very first UTVRR event.
Above: Team #615, JC Racing embodied the spirit of UTVRR in his Arctic Cat Wildcat. JC Racing was racing hard and challenging for a podium place when he flipped his UTV on a jump in the dark. Team #615 managed to get the UTV back to the pits, repair the damage and get back out to complete the race. Absolutely fantastic race spirit and a desire to get back out there.
Finishing the race, managing your fuel, preserving your ride and laying down consistent lap times will decide who claims the overall series Championship.
UTVRR’s Southern Series Round 3 was very exciting indeed. With a very low attrition rate, great weather and fantastic atmosphere, Round 4 has a lot to live up to.
THANK YOU to all the Drivers and their teams, The facility and track staff and our UTVRR series sponsors and partners!
