81 UTVs showed up to take on Round 2 of the 2014 WORCS Racing season at Primm, NV. EIGHTY ONE! Can you believe that? I can, and so can the staff at WORCS. The UTV class is the fastest growing class at WORCS and has been for 3 years now. But never have we seen a car count that high and boy was it exciting.
Everyone we spoke too was pumped to take on the amazing track that Tim Shelman A.K.A. TPQ laid out. Primm, like Glen Helen, utilizes an existing short course track that most recently was used by TORC. 81 UTVs staged on the short course track and left the line in rows of 10, 30 seconds apart. One row at a time was sent off into a wide turn one allowing for lots of momentum and speed as they made their way through the short course track and then off into the Nevada desert. From the desert the racers would make way into a make shift MX track fully loaded with rocks, berms, jumps, and bumps! One of the course highlights and certainly the most exciting spectating location was the road crossing jump. WORCS never fails when it comes to adding fun and exciting elements and we couldn't be more happy for TPQ, Sean Reddish, and the entire WORCS staff on this successful turnout.
With the stage set for action, the racers did their part to excite the crowd and lay down one very impressive race. RJ Anderson and Beau Baron, both in Holz Racing Products built Polaris RZRs, laid down the fastest laps and battled against time, the track and lap traffic. Despite RJ's turn 1 hole-shot and the fact that he physically led the entire race, it would be Beau Baron who would win the Pro UTV race by seconds over the round 1 winner RJ Anderson. Beau drove like a man possessed as he worked his way through the pack all race long. It was a fantastic performance by the reigning Pro UTV WORCS champion! Jeff Obering would round out the podium in the Pro UTV class at Primm. He also ran a near flawless race in his Polaris RZR.
While the pro's naturally garner the most attention at WORCS, the racers in the Production classes are not to be overlooked. Production 1000 is hosting some extremely fast and smooth drivers and Saturday's race proved just that. David Haagsma once again would put his Polaris RZR on top of the box, running a perfect race and showing why he is the early favorite to win the class championship. An accomplished ATV racer at WORCS, Haagsma without a doubt takes full advantage of his ATV races earlier in the day to learn and perfect his lines on the track. Finishing in second was Mathew Hancock who also ran a clean race in his Polaris RZR. Rounding out the podium was UTVUnderground Race Team driver Mike Gardner who was contending for the win until he suffered a rear flat tire which he had to stop and change. Despite losing the tire and a ton of time, Gardner was able to pilot his Polaris RZR to the podium in a class with well over 20 competitors!
While the Pro UTV and Production 1000 classes seem to grow every week in car count, the Production 850 class seems to be hanging on with a small but steady count of vehicles. This race saw 8 racers line up to take the green flag, 6 Polaris RZRs, 1 Kawasaki Teryx and the series' lone John Deere RSX 850i Gator. While Polaris does enjoy the majority of podiums at WORCS, the Production 850 class is the ONLY class at WORCS where a Polaris RZR does not currently lead in points and in this race only 1 Polaris would even make the podium in the Production 850 class. Danny Rosenzweig in his John Deere Gator is driving the best he ever has. Not only did he take the top spot in Round 1 at Taft, he just went back to back for his first time ever completing the Primm race also in 1st place. Rosenzweig, captain of the 12+ car Magnum Off-Road UTV race team at WORCS is not just a racer, he is the lead designer at Magnum. Danny is the mind behind many of the sports best looking and best performing UTVs. Danny took on the challenge of racing a John Deere, a machine all but none gave any chance at winning a race. 2013 was no walk in the park as Danny fought for each podium he got to enjoy, but 2014 so far is looking like the year that the Gator actually garners some legit respect from the competition. Adam Levings of Lake Havasu City made a hard run at running the Gator down but in the end would have to settle on second place. Not a bad spot to be in considering there were 80 other competitors on course at the same time! Levings and his RZR looked good and clearly he enjoyed his podium finish! Rounding out the podium in the 3rd position was Jim Berry in his Kawasaki Teryx. Jim will proudly take his 3rd place trophy back to Kingman,AZ and we look forward to seeing his return to WORCS in round 3!
We want to congratulate Carlos Quintero for his win in the Production 700 class. "Los" as he is known to his friends was the sole competitor in his class but that doesn't mean he didn't put it down in his Polaris RZR 570. Quintero ran a solid race winning his second race of the year and putting some lap times down that rivaled those of guys in the Production 850 and 1000 classes. We want to extend a special congrats to the 2 marines who competed in the UTV Sportsman class solely under the name of WARRIOR STRONG. These veterans, both who sustained injuries while serving this great country at war, competed in a Kawasaki Teryx for the first time. We enjoyed seing these hero's on course and we were stoked to see them do so well in their first race. We look forward to their return!!
As I wrap up my re-cap I want to bring up something cool that I took notice of this round. Its no secret that athletes who have suffered spinal cord injuries have gravitated towards UTVs to bring back their sense of adrenaline and competition. This round reminded me of the challenges these previously injured athletes have overcome, and how cool the UTV as a platform is not just in general but as a therapeutic option for these athletes who are limited in their capabilities due to their handicap.
[caption id="attachment_11199" align="alignnone" width="640"]
Josh Frederick is BACK catching air in his Can-Am Maverick[/caption]
This round I took notice of 4 athletes, 3 of which I know were amongst the best at what they did prior to injury. Josh Fredrick just 1 year ago was competing at the highest level of ATV racing. Frederick was one of the best in the sport, but on March 24th 2013 at the Lake Havasu round of WORCS, Josh suffered a crash that would leave him paralyzed from the chest down. Fast forward not even one full year, and Frederick is back at WORCS competing in the Pro UTV class in a Can-Am Maverick. Its an amazing story, one that I hope everyone takes the time to hear and learn by visiting www.JoshFrederickFoundation.org.
[caption id="attachment_11268" align="alignnone" width="640"]
Tanner Godfrey kickin' up dust in his Arctic Cat Wildcat[/caption]
You might see Tanner Godfrey standing on his 2 legs, leaning against a wall and think that there is no way that man with the physic of an MMA athlete has any sort of physical handicap... that is until you see him grab his canes and methodically work his way step by step to his destination. Godfrey, a 20 something from Utah was an aspiring Pro motocross racer. Having progressed through the amateur ranks, Godfrey was set on going pro when his life forever changed. Over Thanksgiving weekend in 2007 Godfrey suffered a severe spinal cord injury during a crash while competing in a MX race in Mesquite, NV. The crash left him with paralysis from the chest down and doctors informed the strong willed youth that he would never walk again. Now, you might recognize the Godfrey name, yeah, he is one of those guys.. ya know, the Nitro Circus nuts that like to launch themselves off mega ramps in bath tubs. As you could imagine, Tanner wasn't settling with what the Dr. told him and for the next 5 years worked to regain his balance and eventually work to teach himself to walk again with the help of a couple of canes. But Tanner wasn't satisfied with just that accomplishment. He wanted the taste of competition the thrill of adrenaline, and naturally he just wanted to get back to doing what he has always done and thats be a living, breathing nut case!! haha Now I say that with all due respect, Tanner and I have built a friendship over the past year and during that period he has backflipped a dirt bike into a foam pit and set a world record long jump in his Arctic Cat Wildcat. The same Wildcat he placed 2nd in Production 1000 last year at WORCS Utah, and the same one he competed in this last weekend at Primm. Tanner is more than an inspiration, he is a hero to me. There is something special about him, then again, there is something special about his whole family. But Tanner exemplifies what it means to never give up. I'm proud to call him friend, I am thrilled to see him progress as an athlete, and I think I speak for the entire UTV community when I say we are honored to have him part of our sport. Check out this full story we did on Tanner last year:
http://www.utvunderground.com/tanner-godfrey-sets-new-record-4791.html
On November 18th 2010, Justin Imhoff was competing in the Baja 1000 when he suffered a crash that would put him into a 20 day coma. Imhoff was one of the fastest up and coming MX racers IN THE WORLD! His accident left him with an injury called brachial plexus. When he crashed he landed hard on his upper body resulting in the brachial plexus injury which essentially is defined as damaged nerves that originate near the spine and neck. The injury as previously mentioned left Justin in a coma for 20 days and forced him to have to re-learn to walk, feed himself, speak, and perform the tasks that we as healthy humans all take for granted. Never once did Imhoff complain about his injury, instead he committed to physical therapy and doing whatever it took to get himself back in a position to get back into off-road racing. A little over a year ago Justin purchased a raced out Polaris RZR from RJ Anderson, outfitted it for his needs, and got himself back out on the track! With support from Malcolm Smith, Walker Evans Racing, and a host of other sponsors, Imhoff is competing in the Production 1000. In addition, Justin has landed a job working for Walker Evans Racing which puts him right back in the middle of working in the sport he loves. While Justin may not be clicking off the triple digit speeds he once used to do in on his Honda moto, he is not back in the dirt, kicking up dust and competing! Learn more about Justin Imhoff here:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Team-Justin-ImHof/245610648820470?sk=wall
[caption id="attachment_11215" align="alignnone" width="640"]
James wheeling his Arctic Cat Wildcat around the track![/caption]
James Jaramillo is a guy I don't know a ton about, but we do have a history with James via UTVUnderground.com since 2009. What I do know about James is he may be one of the most creative racers I have ever had the pleasure of speaking too. James like Tanner, Josh and Justin was also injured while racing MX in 2004. He was only 17 when he crashed and shattered his C5 vertebrae which left him paralyzed from the chest down and also rook away most use of a his arms and hands. The injury however only fueled the creative fire that burned within James to adapt a machine so that he could get back out on the track racing with friends. With soem help from friends and family, James created a killer power steering set up for a Polaris RZR which he spotlighted via a detailed build thread on UTVUnderground.com. He has since sold that machine to another injured off-road racer and has built himself a new Arctic Cat Wildcat with help from Dean Bulloch and D&P Performance. We plan to feature this build here soon but until then, check out the old RZR build to see just how cool and creative James was in getting himself back out on the track!
http://www.utvunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2664
As is always the case I want to finish up by saying THANK YOU to each and everyone of you who came up to tell me how much you enjoy what we do at UTVUnderground.com. It means more than you know to hear all the positive comments and feedback. And I also want to say thanks again to the WORCS staff for allowing us to be a part of their program. And to all of you racers, teams and families representing us on and off the track, you know we love you guys for it! Thank you a ton and I can't wait to see you all again soon!
Until next time.....
Joey D.
I also took some photos this time!! lol
MORE PHOTOS COMING!!!
| Place |
Nbr |
Name |
Overall Pos |
Points Earned |
Fastest Lap |
Laps |
Elasped Time |
| 1 |
#1 |
BEAU BARON - POL
ATASCADERO, CA |
1 |
25 |
09:49.303
Lap 2 |
5 |
00:48:34.965 |
| 2 |
#37 |
RJ ANDERSON - POL
RIVERSIDE, CA |
2 |
22 |
09:45.139
Lap 2 |
5 |
00:48:45.716 |
| 3 |
#457. |
JEFF OBERING - POL
CEDAR CITY, UT |
3 |
20 |
09:53.484
Lap 2 |
5 |
00:49:19.325 |
| 4 |
#79 |
DEAN PRICE - POL
CANYON LAKE, CA |
4 |
18 |
10:12.198
Lap 2 |
5 |
00:50:18.286 |
| 5 |
#11 |
DOUG EICHNER - POL
EL CAJON, CA |
7 |
16 |
09:56.672
Lap 4 |
5 |
00:51:35.000 |
| 6 |
#69 |
RICHIE LAATZ - POL
N LAS VEGAS, NV |
15 |
15 |
10:50.767
Lap 2 |
5 |
00:54:01.813 |
| 7 |
#55 |
TIM WYATT - POL
CANTON, GA |
16 |
14 |
10:51.886
Lap 2 |
5 |
00:54:29.865 |
| 8 |
#23 |
PABLO VEGLIA - CA
MANHATTAN BEACH, CA |
19 |
13 |
10:24.295
Lap 2 |
5 |
00:55:18.319 |
| 9 |
#435 |
RAY BULLOCH - OTH
CEDAR CITY, UT |
20 |
12 |
10:52.643
Lap 2 |
5 |
00:55:25.524 |
| 10 |
#33 |
CADEN ROWLEY - OTH
LAS VEGAS, NV |
22 |
11 |
10:29.716
Lap 3 |
5 |
00:55:39.153 |
| 11 |
#111 |
NOLAN REMLINGER - KAW
FULLERTON, CA |
24 |
10 |
10:30.953
Lap 2 |
5 |
00:57:31.908 |
| 12 |
#919 |
JOHNNY LEACH - YAM
LAKE ELSINOR, CA |
26 |
9 |
11:14.209
Lap 3 |
5 |
00:58:11.129 |
| 13 |
#722 |
NIKO SKIPARNIAS - POL
SAN CLEMENTA, CA |
27 |
8 |
11:39.086
Lap 2 |
5 |
00:58:45.000 |
| 14 |
#17 |
STACEY PIKE - OTH
KINGMAN, AZ |
29 |
7 |
11:01.604
Lap 2 |
5 |
00:59:22.324 |
| 15 |
#191 |
JACOB SHAW - POL
LAKESIDE, CA |
30 |
6 |
10:01.648
Lap 2 |
5 |
01:02:18.688 |
| 16 |
#303 |
GILBERT FLORES - CA
CORONA, CA |
31 |
5 |
10:22.224
Lap 2 |
4 |
00:41:27.072 |
| 17 |
#9 |
DAVID MARTINEZ - CA
HIGHLAND, CA |
41 |
4 |
11:26.964
Lap 3 |
4 |
00:47:41.029 |
| 18 |
#52 |
JAMIE ANNONY - POL
WINSTON, GA |
43 |
3 |
11:05.736
Lap 2 |
4 |
00:49:10.041 |
| 19 |
#95 |
MICHAEL CAMP - POL
LAKE ELSINORE, CA |
45 |
2 |
11:12.490
Lap 3 |
4 |
00:50:36.520 |
| 20 |
#418 |
KEENAN ROGERSON - POL
BAKERSFIELD, CA |
48 |
1 |
10:00.028
Lap 2 |
4 |
00:59:19.315 |
| 21 |
#176 |
NICK THOMPSON - POL
LAKE ELSINORE, CA |
50 |
1 |
10:36.312
Lap 2 |
4 |
01:05:51.733 |
| 22 |
#51 |
MITCH GUTHRIE, JR. - POL
GLENDORA, CA |
51 |
1 |
10:07.394
Lap 2 |
3 |
00:30:31.318 |
| 23 |
#603 |
JOSH FREDERICK - CA
MOAPA, NV |
52 |
1 |
10:45.955
Lap 2 |
3 |
00:32:33.394 |
| 24 |
#152 |
DANA CREECH - POL
EUREKA, CA |
58 |
1 |
10:15.079
Lap 2 |
3 |
00:45:53.339 |
| 25 |
#94 |
TYLER WINBURY - POL
OJAI, CA |
59 |
1 |
11:09.984
Lap 3 |
3 |
00:52:49.286 |
| DNF |
#21 |
CLINT ROBERTS - POL
CORONA, CA |
DNF |
0 |
10:07.582
Lap 2 |
2 |
00:19:30.704 |
| DNF |
#3 |
JAMES HILL - CA
LAKE ELSINORE, CA |
DNF |
0 |
10:58.039
Lap 2 |
2 |
00:21:26.562 |
| DNF |
#999 |
ANDREI ISAC - POL
LAS VEGAS, NV |
DNF |
0 |
11:28.325
Lap 2 |
2 |
00:21:50.237 |
| DNF |
#8 |
JOHN PACHECO - CA
LAKE ELSINORE, CA |
DNF |
0 |
13:31.687
Lap 2 |
2 |
00:26:06.947 |
| DNF |
#19 |
GREG ROW - POL
ALPINE, CA |
DNF |
0 |
- |
1 |
00:09:57.118 |
| DNF |
#4 |
NICK NELSON - POL
TEHACHAPI, CA |
DNF |
0 |
- |
1 |
00:10:11.552 |
| DNF |
#76 |
TJ LAVIN - OTH
HENDERSON, NV |
DNF |
0 |
- |
1 |
00:10:13.989 |
| DNF |
#15 |
RYAN PIPLIC - POL
LAS VEGAS, NV |
DNF |
0 |
- |
1 |
00:53:31.026 |
| DNS |
#22. |
CODY BRADBURY - POL
NUEVO, CA |
DNS |
0 |
- |
0 |
|
| DNS |
#5 |
TOMMY SCRANTON - POL
PERRIS, CA |
DNS |
0 |
- |
0 |
|
| Place |
Nbr |
Name |
Overall Pos |
Points Earned |
Fastest Lap |
Laps |
Elasped Time |
| 1 |
#422 |
DAVID HAAGSMA - HON
BAKERSFIELD, CA |
5 |
25 |
10:03.552
Lap 2 |
5 |
00:50:41.188 |
| 2 |
#93 |
MATTHEW HANCOCK - HON
TEMPE, AZ |
6 |
22 |
10:11.662
Lap 5 |
5 |
00:51:19.573 |
| 3 |
#108 |
MIKE GARDNER - POL
LAKE FOREST, CA |
8 |
20 |
10:08.650
Lap 3 |
5 |
00:51:38.259 |
| 4 |
#520 |
RONNIE ANDERSON - POL
RIVERSIDE, CA |
- |
18 |
10:32.222
Lap 4 |
5 |
00:51:46.099 |
| 5 |
#312 |
KEITH JOHNSON - POL
WEST HILLS, CA |
9 |
16 |
10:16.004
Lap 2 |
5 |
00:52:38.489 |
| 6 |
#35. |
CASEY WALLACE - POL
SAN DIEGO, CA |
10 |
15 |
10:46.805
Lap 3 |
5 |
00:53:12.817 |
| 7 |
#661 |
KYLE MELVILLE - CA
ACTON, CA |
11 |
14 |
10:39.983
Lap 2 |
5 |
00:53:15.255 |
| 8 |
#210 |
JOHNNY WHITE - POL
HERBER, CA |
12 |
13 |
10:38.066
Lap 5 |
5 |
00:53:34.770 |
| 9 |
#456 |
ALFREDO RAMIREZ - POL
PASO ROBLES, CA |
13 |
12 |
10:43.467
Lap 2 |
5 |
00:53:40.771 |
| 10 |
#217 |
DAVID MAYHEW - POL
BAKERSFIELD, CA |
14 |
11 |
10:46.474
Lap 5 |
5 |
00:53:53.239 |
| 11 |
#107 |
BRYCE LAMONT - POL
OKOTTES, ALBERTA , |
17 |
10 |
10:55.456
Lap 2 |
5 |
00:54:58.962 |
| 12 |
#78 |
SARA PRICE - POL
CANYON LAKE, CA |
21 |
9 |
11:08.281
Lap 2 |
5 |
00:55:35.272 |
| 13 |
#205 |
TRAVIS RASMUSSEN - POL
EUREKA, CA |
23 |
8 |
11:11.851
Lap 2 |
5 |
00:56:12.032 |
| 14 |
#67 |
DAVID ELIA - POL
ANTHEM, AZ |
25 |
7 |
11:26.003
Lap 3 |
5 |
00:57:35.108 |
| 15 |
#194 |
KIPP MICKELS - POL
APPLEY VALLEY, CA |
28 |
6 |
11:32.103
Lap 2 |
5 |
00:58:55.819 |
| 16 |
#209 |
TANNER GODFREY - YAM
SANDY, UT |
32 |
5 |
10:43.685
Lap 3 |
4 |
00:42:55.488 |
| 17 |
#207 |
CHRISTOPHER WITCHE - POL
COOLIDGE, AZ |
36 |
4 |
11:13.404
Lap 2 |
4 |
00:45:57.618 |
| 18 |
#88 |
BENJAMIN HOOPES - POL
PROVO, UT |
38 |
3 |
11:09.367
Lap 2 |
4 |
00:46:56.383 |
| 19 |
#206 |
JAMES TAYLOR - POL
SAUGUS, CA |
39 |
2 |
11:48.863
Lap 2 |
4 |
00:47:01.881 |
| 20 |
#234 |
JUSTIN HUTCHINSON - CA
APPLE VALLEY, CA |
40 |
1 |
11:44.824
Lap 3 |
4 |
00:47:40.340 |
| 21 |
#26 |
DALLAS HASH - POL
LOCHBUIE, CO |
49 |
1 |
11:45.533
Lap 3 |
4 |
01:05:47.137 |
| 22 |
#796 |
SPEEDY GONZALES - POL
GLENDORA, CA |
53 |
1 |
10:52.100
Lap 3 |
3 |
00:32:36.924 |
| 23 |
#717 |
LOGAN OBERING - POL
CEDAR CITY, UT |
54 |
1 |
11:34.527
Lap 3 |
3 |
00:34:07.538 |
| DNF |
#99 |
STEVE NOTTOLI - POL
SAN DIEGO, CA |
DNF |
0 |
13:27.124
Lap 2 |
2 |
00:31:02.748 |
| DNF |
#212 |
TODD STEPHENSEN - OTH
CEDAR CITY, UT |
DNF |
0 |
- |
1 |
00:10:20.653 |
| DNS |
#14 |
ROBERT OLANDER - POL
WITTMANN, AZ |
DNS |
0 |
- |
0 |
|
| DNS |
#56 |
JUSTIN IMHOF - POL
ALTA LOMA, CA |
DNS |
0 |
- |
0 |
| Place |
Nbr |
Name |
Overall Pos |
Points Earned |
Fastest Lap |
Laps |
Elasped Time |
| 1 |
#760 |
CARLOS QUINTERO - POL
VISTA, CA |
37 |
25 |
11:35.803
Lap 4 |
4 |
00:46:39.439 |
| SXS Sport - Class Results |
|
| Place |
Nbr |
Name |
Overall Pos |
Points Earned |
Fastest Lap |
Laps |
Elasped Time |
| 1 |
#98 |
WARRIOR STRONG - KAW
SAN DIEGO, CA |
46 |
0 |
13:14.814
Lap 2 |
4 |
00:53:18.851 |
| 2 |
#393 |
JAMES JARAMILLO - OTH
LAS VEGAS, NV |
57 |
0 |
15:31.876
Lap 3 |
3 |
00:44:42.810 |
| DNF |
#394 |
KEVIN COFFMAN - POL
PHOENIX, AZ |
DNF |
0 |
- |
1 |
00:10:38.007 |
| SXS Unlimited - Class Results |
|
| Place |
Nbr |
Name |
Overall Pos |
Points Earned |
Fastest Lap |
Laps |
Elasped Time |
| 1 |
#77 |
ROGER KIRKPATRICK - OTH
EUREKA, CA |
44 |
0 |
12:25.622
Lap 2 |
4 |
00:49:30.502 |
| SXS Youth 600 Stock - Class Results |
|
| Place |
Nbr |
Name |
Overall Pos |
Points Earned |
Fastest Lap |
Laps |
Elasped Time |
| 1 |
#16 |
KAYLA LAATZ - POL
NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV |
56 |
25 |
15:16.564
Lap 2 |
3 |
00:44:15.052 |
[gallery link="file" order="DESC" orderby="post_date"]
