UTV Rally Raid Round 8 Race Report

UTV Rally Raid Round Eight (8) took place at Stony Lonesome OHV in Bremen Alabama, the venue this year for all Ten (10) of the UTV Rally Raid Races.  UTVRR has become known in the racing community as being a hard fought series with new teams coming to each race, filling the place of teams that couldn’t make a round or two keeping the series with a healthy and consistent driver count.

Round Eight (8) was no different with almost Forty (40) drivers coming out to race on this Halloween weekend.  The scene was set for yet another fast paced race for over 100 miles through the forest of Alabama.

Headline sponsors RT Pro (www.goracertech.com) have been the Headline Sponsor of this unique and original series since its inception in 2010. Race-day retirements related to items like suspension systems failures are way down due to the excellent quality of RT Pro’s equipment.  At each race, the lap times are getting faster due to the high performance of RT Pro’s equipment functioning properly in demanding circumstances.

The evidence is present when a close look is taken at vehicles in the pits to see the abundance of racer Tech hardware.

Joomgo is not directly related to motor racing but they have a real desire to see this UTV sport excel.  Joomgo provides web hosting, management and creation  facilities to the small business sector

Class two did Joomgo (www.joomgo.com) proud with fast lap times though out the race. Joomgo is the Class 2 sponsors of UTVRR for the 2012 season and with their efforts they continue to see the series grow and prosper.

Class one worked hard on race day and put in a respectable show with consistent lap times.  Class One sponsors, The SxS Store (www.thesxsstore.com), is proud to be able to work with the series and sponsor the entry level class.

As the race was getting ready to start you could see teams working hard on their vehicles before going to tech inspection.  Several drivers had driven through the night to get to this race.  The dedication to the sport and UTV Rally Raid comes as no surprise to Quantum Racing, Inc.  We have always believed that UTV racing is a top level competitive racing competition.  What continues to surprise us is to see racers and friends come so far to support race a series that is grass roots racing.  That being said, some drivers took the chance to try and relax a little while in the line for tech and get some much needed rest!!!

The conditions on race day were great for racing. There was a light breeze allowing the dust to clear and the temperatures to drop so drivers could stay cool during the race.

The dedication our teams continue to give the series is always Top Notch!  You don’t have to have the biggest baddest rig to be in the hunt.  No matter the class of driver, they come to race! It’s this type of enthusiasm that makes this series successful.  Our racers consist of everything from the National Guard team seen below;

To the private racer that comes along with their trail riding machine!

Race day communications are always fun to hear with chatter over the radios from those teams who choose to use in-car radio systems.  Series sponsors PCI Race Radios (www.pciraceradios.com) have signed a three year deal with Quantum Racing, Inc to supply radio equipment to the UTVRR series.

PCI Race Radio’s high quality equipment continues to help Quantum Racing manage UTVRR to a higher level.  Their radios provide clear and reliable communication with the staff and race teams for safety purposes.  Many of the radio systems used by teams for pit communications to the driver are supplied by PCI Race Radios.  Without a doubt, the technology supporting PCI Race Radio’s equipment is first class and affords the teams an opportunity the change their race strategy on the fly.

During the night hours you can see teams coming over to the live timing screens looking at the positions and lap times, assessing their competition and relaying messages to their drivers.

The evolution of UTVRR has been rapid since its humble beginnings.  Round Eight (8) not only saw enhancements in the check-in procedure, it introduced a race caller!!!  The check-in process dramatically reduces the time to register and check-in on race day.  The entertaining race narration (via a PA system) was very well received by all the teams as they didn’t need to come down pit lane to see the live timing for a quick update.  In addition, the race call really enhanced the race atmosphere during the night session.

The Top Three (3) places for each class were hard fought.  The fastest lap of “All-Time” was posted from LCB Racing in the Outlaw Class with a blistering 14m07s on their Fifth lap. Another record was broken for the highest lap count!  This was broken by several teams with a staggering 15 laps recorded of the ten mile course, that’s racing for 150 miles!  There is no doubt about it; the speeds seen in Round 8 further demonstrates that UTV Rally Raid is the fastest UTV racing series out there, period!

Third and Fourth place in the Outlaw Class were separated by only 8.5 seconds with MSR Racing just taking a money spot from Ford Racing in their first ever UTVRR race after 150 miles and four hours of racing!

The Top Three positions for each class are as follows:

Class one;

1st Edub Racing
2nd H.O.R.S
3rd Amberly Ford

Class Two;

1st Team Buff
2nd Team Blue Torch
3rd Basch Brothers Power Sports

Outlaw Class;

1st LCB Racing
2nd UTVTV.com
3rd MSR Racing

As the night wore on and the darkness fell, the lap times remained consistently fast with a lot of teams owning the fifteen minute zone.  The secret to UTV Rally Raid is not to go out and be the fastest on every lap.  Consistency and vehicle reliability will gain ground in the championship by finishing the race and getting the laps in. Endurance racing is based on strategy and smart efficient driving.  Pit lane strategy always counts with teams making fuel stops and repairs in a timely manner.  There was a real sense of urgency when drivers came through the timing gate and headed for their pit. You could see teams preparing for their drivers, getting fuel ready and making efforts to get the driver back out as quickly as possible.

Information on UTV Rally Raid can be found at www.UTVRallyRaid.com and www.SouthEastSxS.com

If you have never experienced a Quantum Racing event like UTV Rally Raid, you owe it to yourself to give it a try.  Who knows, you may have a little fun and win some cash too!