 | FABTECH VICTORIOUS AT XRRA CORTEZ
COMPETITION OUTPLAYED BY TEAMWORK
After a tough final round cost Fabtech driver Brad Lovell the win at the Colorado Springs XRRA race in June, he was able to reach the finish line as the fastest in Cortez. While fast and consistent driving poised him for a podium finish, tactics contrived by the team resulted in a win.
Behind any name, there is always a group of great people responsible for building it. For this race, 9 people showed up under the Fabtech Motorsports / Lovell Racing banner with the goal of putting #32 and #232 at the top. With this resource comes responsibility and pressure as a driver to perform. 4 runs at about 50 seconds a piece will get you into the finals but any one error sends you home. It creates intense, do or die racing.
The #32 Dirt Logic Shocks Ranger of Roger Lovell and co-driver Mike Foster started the race near the front of the pack which is exactly where you don’t want to be since much can be learned about the course by watching other racers. Two quick runs put Roger’s morning total at about 2:30 and in the top 1/3 of the pack. Because the #232 car was further behind in the running order, it gave the team an important edge as there was enough time to review Roger’s runs before the Fabtech truck took the green flag. With inside knowledge, Brad (with co-driver Mark Hayward) was able to bring in blazing fast times good enough to rank 3rd before the course direction was changed for the afternoon runs.
It instantly became apparent to the team that the race would be won or lost on a single loose rock hill that was extremely technical. The team inspected the rocks and chose the best of a bunch of bad lines for Roger. The Dirt Logic Ranger made quick work of the course and reached the hill with a lead but that quickly evaporated as piano sized boulders shifted under the tires. Between each rock lay a bottomless bed of loose dirt and Roger stabbed the throttle trying to reach the top. He kept working his way across the hill before a lot of throttle and a good bounce put him over the top. “Seeing Roger struggle and the rocks move changed our game plan completely. I had no idea what we were going to do,” recalled Brad. The Lovell team gathered again and their rockcrawling roots shown through as they saw a difficult and untested climb that bypassed the eroding hill. The risky call was eventually made for Brad to take the risk and try the climb. It went like clockwork as Brad easily shot up the rock and eclipsed previous fast runs.
Brad soon found himself leading the race as Brian Shirley (1st) had to attempt the hill several times and Shannon Campbell (2nd) broke on the hill and was unable to finish. From there, smart clean driving (what the team does best) handed the #232 Fabtech Ranger the victory. “We were fast and consistent, which anyone must be in order to win a race,” commented Brad, “But what put us over the top was creativity and teamwork. We regret not finding the right line for Roger but in the end, it did help the team get a win.”
While Roger finished 21st in a field of 42, his effort was good enough to qualify for the US finals in Jellico, TN (series ranking unknown) to defend his National Championship. Brad gained enough points from this race to finish 3rd in the Western Series. “The breakage I experienced in Albuquerque really cost us. This season, #232 has finished 1st, 20th, 3rd, and 1st,” said Brad, “If that 20th was only a 12th, we would have won the series. Regardless, we are thankful and proud of our team.” The team has only two events left this year, the next being the WE-Rock Grand Nationals in Hannibal, MO Sept. 5th – 7th. Stay tuned for more coverage!
|
King of the Hammers Race Report
The inaugural King of the Hammers 50 Mile Rock Race can be chalked up as both a success and a learning experience for Lovell Racing. Due to several factors, the brothers decided to split forces which proved to be a wise move as only one Fabtech sponsored Ford Ranger would finish the destructive race.
The story is told in Brad’s own words below:
I arrived a few days early with plans to pre-run the course and get a good feel for Johnson Valley so we would not get lost. I also needed to put some miles on our new Fabtech Ranger. Everything from the lug nuts to the steering wheel was new and the truck had zero miles on it when I arrived. I was able to put in some high speed desert runs and get it back in the trailer before bad weather blew in. The next day, I took our tried and true #232 Ranger (#32 for the race) through some of the rock sections and then put another 20 desert miles on the new truck. My pre-running effort only covered half the course but it was better than nothing. That night the rest of our team showed up and it was time to get serious.
Our team was the best we could ask for – Kris Hernandez and Miles Hadden (Fabtech Motorsports), Jeff and Dan Huseman (Rick Huseman Racing), Eric Filar (Alloy USA), Cameron Steele (Desert Assasins), Woodrow Carroll and Brian Bingamon (K&N Filters), and Rob Kirby. As final prep was made to the trucks and our pit strategy worked out, it was decided that Cameron Steele would co-drive for me in the new #232 Ranger and Eric Filar would co-drive for Roger in the tried and true version #32. #232 would go all out for the win and #32 would shoot for a top 5 and support #232 if necessary. The rest of the team would test, chase, and pit.
The first thing I learned about this type of racing is that there is never enough time to get everything done. We were fighting bugs in both vehicles and the rest of the team had done no pre-running. While Kris Hernandez and the crew from Rick Huseman Racing tuned the suspension, the rest of us did some last minute pre-running in the Fabtech, Alloy USA, and K&N Jeeps. Once we returned and as the light faded, Jeff Huseman and I did the final test runs in the new Fabtech Ranger. Having never run whoops before, I am absolutely astounded by the performance of the new #232. Simply put, I floored it and ignored the bumps in the road. They kept telling me, “Trust your suspension,” and once I did, I knew this car was going to make up a lot of time in the desert.
Race day arrives. Roger and Eric start 6th out of 43 while Cameron and I start 15th. As the adrenaline rises, I control my excitement and focus on the green flag. The 2008 season starts and the 400 hp Ford roars to life. Unfortunately, the motor was far too noisy for any type of intercom and Cameron is forced to use hand signals. We fly off the lakebed and into the sand. I know we are moving plenty fast but don’t see any dust trails yet. 2 miles out, we make our first pass. The truck is running flawlessly but around mile 3 I see Roger off the course and out of #32. What happened? I fight the urge to stop and concentrate on the terrain. More traffic, this time on a hill. We have to slow down on the rocky hill and loose time. Over the top and into the sand, two more passes and back into the lake bed. As I am wide open in high gear (90+ mph) and hope no problems arise. We then passed 3 cars at once and I was reassured of our chances to win. As we entered a light whoop section the media chopper swooped in and paced us for a few minutes and I was convinced I was a trophy truck driver. Calm down, focus, the race has only started. By checkpoint 2, we had gained 10 positions out of 15.
As we entered the first rocky section we had the lead in sight but the new truck blues came around. As I shifted into low range, the front linkage broke meaning that we had to pull the floor panel every time I needed to shift from high to low. In the next couple miles an electrical connection came loose and we were forced to stop again. In the excitement of the repair, a short circuit occurred and melted a power wire. By the time we had these problems fixed at checkpoint 4, we knew the win was gone but could still finish well. It was unbelievably frustrating as we would pass 4+ racers before having to stop, pull the floor, and wrestle with the shift linkage. The slower cars would get by and we would once again be stuck in traffic.
We then opened up into a long desert section and Cameron coached me as we struck barely controllable speeds on the whoops. Misfortune came at race mile 25, however, when we both felt a lurch that was not in the desert. We pulled to the side and saw a smoking 1” separation in the sealing surface of the rear axle. Mechanical damage had occurred somewhere in the differential. Given the lack of parts, time-frame, and terrain, we were forced to throw in the towel.
As we started the long limp back to the pits our chase crew found us and we stopped to exchange information which was limited during the race due to engine noise. Confusion abounds during a race like this and as we tried to figure out what happened to Roger in #32 Fabtech Ranger he came screaming around the corner. The team immediately flew into action to help Roger through the rocks and get him fueled.
It turns out that a last minute fan repair before the race punctured the radiator at race mile #3. Along with volunteers, our amazing support team fixed it with pliers and pepper. Unbeknownst to me, Roger was still in the race and had an excellent chance of finishing. Our team worked as if we had been racing together for years and helped Roger and Eric pilot the Ranger through the rocks. The chase crew hit the desert to get in front of the race truck. Only yards before Roger came into pit #3, a radiator hose let go. Once again, the team came together and made the repair with parts scavenged from ever helpful volunteers and spectators. 15 minutes later, #32 headed out for the final leg of the race. Roger and Eric would finish 14th in a race that consumed nearly half the field. Neither truck experienced a flat which is more than can be said for a lot of tires being used out there.
We have dozens of people to thank for helping us get the new truck ready and supporting us while at the race. I probably could not name them all if I tried. What I can say, however, is that the off-road community is a great place full of people who would give you the shirt off their back to get you another 50 yards down the course. Lovell Racing would like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who has helped us.
More news soon as the brothers will display both vehicles at the Off-Road Impact Trade Show in Anaheim, CA March 6-8.
|
|
|