ITP Racers Earn Numerous SxS Racing Podiums
OutdoorHub 07.03.14
Team ITP side-by-side racers tallied podiums in three different regional racing series over the weekend in Southern California, including round four of the Lucas Oil Regional Off-Road Series, Ave. Racing PURE 200 and the first two rounds of the Mystik Lubricants Terracross Championship.
“It was another busy-but-successful weekend for our ITP-supported side-by-side racers in Southern California. To earn several podiums at LORORS, the PURE 200 and the brutal Terracross event was certainly an accomplishment for our riders and our tires,” said Ryan Edwards, ITP tech support representative / West Coast race coordinator. “I was pleased with how Cody Rahders performed in LORORS, winning a class and notching a tough second-place run. And Kyle Melville has been driving really well, having posted wins on back-to-back weekends for ITP.”
AVE. Racing PURE 200
The mid-season AVE. Racing PURE 200 was held Saturday night, June 28th, in California City, Calif. The 200-mile, open-desert course pitted racers against a rugged desert terrain, thick dust and very warm temperatures. ITP had several of its supported teams competing in at least three side-by-side classes, including the popular Production 1000cc Pro ranks. The team unofficially earned one class win and three total podiums.
Rancho Racing / ITP racer Adrian Orellana had the best finish in the Production 1000cc Pro class for the team, earning third. Despite starting at the back of the pack and having to overcome a broken axle, Orellana finished just seven minutes behind first place and only seconds behind the runner-up car.
“We drew 16th off the starting line out of 17 cars. We knew we would have to work hard to put it up front,” said Orellana. “Fighting through heavy dust, booby traps, sun in our face and crazy locals, we pulled off an impressive third-place finish. We knew with a great team such as Rancho Racing and great support by our sponsors we can be a force that no one can deny.”
ITP had several other racers competing in the Pro class. In fact, ITP-supported drivers had six total (counting Orellana) finishers in the top 10. Josh Westling, Cain Smead, Robert Powell, Logan Gastel and Bradley Howe finished fifth through ninth, respectively.
Kyle Melville (All Valley Carb / ITP / PRP), coming off his win at the inaugural UTV SRA GP June 22 at Glen Helen Raceway, won the 850 Sport class using ITP tires on his Kawasaki. He completed five laps in a time of 3:29:59.3 to take the victory. Kim Dunn, in her Arctic Cat Wildcat X outfitted with ITP tires, finished second in the 1000 Sport division. Competing against six others, she compiled a time of 4:13:59.3 over seven laps to earn a spot on the box.
The Ave. Racing PURE Side-By-Side Off-Road Desert Series continues August 8-10, with the PURE 225, also to be held in California City, Calif.
Terracross
The opening rounds of the Mystik Lubricants Terracross Championship series were held at the San Diego County Fairgrounds in Del Mar, Calif. Terracross combines a few different disciplines, including short-course racing and endurocross mixed with manmade obstacles forcing the racers to drive under control while, at the same time, hammer the throttle for the checkers. The two-day format included qualifying on Saturday and, once last-chance qualification is determined, the main events (both rounds one and two) on Sunday. Pro, Pro-Am and Women’s classes were offered.
ITP driver Nick Thompson piloted his Polaris XP1000 to a third-place finish in the Pro-Am ranks in the Day 2 standings. Sara Price (IMG Motorsports / ITP) challenged for the win in the Women’s class, but had to settle for a close second in the end.
The next leg on the Terracross tour is slated for September 6-7, at the Sno Barons Snowmobile Club Hay Days event near North Branch, Minn.
LORORS – Round 4
Round four of the seven-round 2014 Lucas Oil Regional Off Road Series (Southern California), presented by Kartek, was held at Lake Elsinore MX Park in Lake Elsinore, Calif. ITP-backed side-by-side driver Cody Rahders earned one overall win and two podiums in all. Price was fourth in the 900 class.
Round five of the series, a night race will run July 19, at Glen Helen Raceway near San Bernardino, Calif.
