Ballistic Off Road Racing headed into Crandon looking to improve on their first race weekend in the TORC Series back in Bark River. With a few changes to the setup, including a brand new set of custom built Fox Shox their Wildcat X was as ready as it would ever be for the first ever Red Bull/Crandon World Cup.
Thursday brought 3 practice sessions for the Pro drivers. Ironing out the majority of bugs the first 2 practices the 3rd time out would be the charm. Hitting the Rev limiter 1/2 the way around the track Jerry Townsend said it felt great, a tire size change and they would be ready to race. Looking at the time sheet, Jerry's stock Arctic Cat was 10th on the list of over 50 Pro UTV drivers entered. With only 1 second separating 2nd and 10th, that tire change would be all he needs to get his kitty on the box.
That's when tragedy struck. The fuel and timing programer was not working correctly, the same problem he faced in Bark River. When Jerry tried to start the machine it backfired, breaking the engine case and side cover where the starter gear is held in. Working late into the night they were able to repair it with a temporary fix to get out to the race. Power was low because of shutting down timing adjustments but it was still race-able.
Entering turn one in Crandon for the first time was, well, interesting. Rocks flying like you couldn't imagine, side by sides flipping end over end and people bumping and banging to get to the front. Halfway through turn one the guy next to us got hit and shoved in front of us. As he was shoved in our line he locked up his brakes. We were forced to slow down so he didn't pile up in the middle of the stampede in turn 1. Trying to get back on the gas, Jerry found himself not able to push the peddle all the way down. A laege rock flung into the drivers seat found its way under the throttle, he was slowing fast. Trying to keep his foot in it as much as he could while using his other foot to kick the rock out he was loosing ground. Thanks to a red flag, Jerry was able get rid of the rock and work his way back up about half way through the field on the restart.
Hitting turn 2, the barn corner Jerry was out for blood. Determined to get on the box, he was wide open. Just then, before the flag man could react, he rounded the barn turn wide open only to see 2 guys tangled up right in front of him. The moment he touched the brakes in the muddy, greasy turn he was sent sideways and into the concrete barrier at nearly 70mph. The next thing he knew is he was upside down and then on his side...Thankfully the track officials were right there to flip him back up and finish the race all the way back up in 22nd. Not bad considering he lost 4wd, power steering, bent a tie rod and bent the frame just to name a few things.
The damage was done and there was a lot of work left to do. Trying to straighten the frame, he decided practice might need to be skipped to remove the front differential and try to get 4wd back for the cup race. That's when they announced at the driver's meeting that the utv drivers would be qualifying to race the Red Bull World Cup race. Only the top 20 racers would make the cup.
Jerry only had minutes between the 8am drivers meeting and the 9am qualifications. Without the opportunity to fix the 4wd he would be forced to run in 2wd with no power steering. Giving it all he had, fighting a steering wheel that was snapping his wrists with the bent frame and tie rods pulling him all over, he gave it all he had. When the times were printed his heart sank. Jerry qualified 23rd. His rough first season, was coming to an end and he never made the race he dreamed of running.
After watching the morning Pro 2 and Pro 4 races he headed back to get things ready to load up. A gentlemen asked Jerry why he wasn't in staging to race. Jerry explained to him he placed 23rd and and missed qualifying by 3 places. The man replied "a guy on a blue atv came by when you were watching the races and said you were in". Jerry laughed it off as the guy swore he was serious. With only 5 minutes till the flag dropped, Jerry suited up and got to the line. The last person in staging, he made it in the race he worked all year for. Still without 4wd and everything else it would be a hard fight. After 4 laps the head gasket gave out. It was the final nail in the coffin for the BORR 2017 TORC season.
We had a lot of downs, a few ups, but in the end, we showed the world the dedication and determination Jerry Townsend has as he fights to get to the top in his stock Arctic Cat. Running lap times faster than machines with 30hp more, he proved it's not all hp and a good driver makes up for the hp gap.
Going into 2017 the team is unsure of the direction they will go. With new Wildcat models coming down the road, he is considering all options. Jerry is a die hard Cat guy and says he wants to be sponsored by them for the nezt season. He doesn't want to drive anything else, however with all the new machines coming out by next spring, sponsors to be found and winning a championship the goal, only time will tell what they drive in 2017.
Until then follow all their action on
www.facebook.com/ballisticoffroad
Instagram and Twitter @Pballistic
And www.ballisticoffroadracing.com
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Thursday brought 3 practice sessions for the Pro drivers. Ironing out the majority of bugs the first 2 practices the 3rd time out would be the charm. Hitting the Rev limiter 1/2 the way around the track Jerry Townsend said it felt great, a tire size change and they would be ready to race. Looking at the time sheet, Jerry's stock Arctic Cat was 10th on the list of over 50 Pro UTV drivers entered. With only 1 second separating 2nd and 10th, that tire change would be all he needs to get his kitty on the box.
That's when tragedy struck. The fuel and timing programer was not working correctly, the same problem he faced in Bark River. When Jerry tried to start the machine it backfired, breaking the engine case and side cover where the starter gear is held in. Working late into the night they were able to repair it with a temporary fix to get out to the race. Power was low because of shutting down timing adjustments but it was still race-able.
Entering turn one in Crandon for the first time was, well, interesting. Rocks flying like you couldn't imagine, side by sides flipping end over end and people bumping and banging to get to the front. Halfway through turn one the guy next to us got hit and shoved in front of us. As he was shoved in our line he locked up his brakes. We were forced to slow down so he didn't pile up in the middle of the stampede in turn 1. Trying to get back on the gas, Jerry found himself not able to push the peddle all the way down. A laege rock flung into the drivers seat found its way under the throttle, he was slowing fast. Trying to keep his foot in it as much as he could while using his other foot to kick the rock out he was loosing ground. Thanks to a red flag, Jerry was able get rid of the rock and work his way back up about half way through the field on the restart.
Hitting turn 2, the barn corner Jerry was out for blood. Determined to get on the box, he was wide open. Just then, before the flag man could react, he rounded the barn turn wide open only to see 2 guys tangled up right in front of him. The moment he touched the brakes in the muddy, greasy turn he was sent sideways and into the concrete barrier at nearly 70mph. The next thing he knew is he was upside down and then on his side...Thankfully the track officials were right there to flip him back up and finish the race all the way back up in 22nd. Not bad considering he lost 4wd, power steering, bent a tie rod and bent the frame just to name a few things.
The damage was done and there was a lot of work left to do. Trying to straighten the frame, he decided practice might need to be skipped to remove the front differential and try to get 4wd back for the cup race. That's when they announced at the driver's meeting that the utv drivers would be qualifying to race the Red Bull World Cup race. Only the top 20 racers would make the cup.
Jerry only had minutes between the 8am drivers meeting and the 9am qualifications. Without the opportunity to fix the 4wd he would be forced to run in 2wd with no power steering. Giving it all he had, fighting a steering wheel that was snapping his wrists with the bent frame and tie rods pulling him all over, he gave it all he had. When the times were printed his heart sank. Jerry qualified 23rd. His rough first season, was coming to an end and he never made the race he dreamed of running.
After watching the morning Pro 2 and Pro 4 races he headed back to get things ready to load up. A gentlemen asked Jerry why he wasn't in staging to race. Jerry explained to him he placed 23rd and and missed qualifying by 3 places. The man replied "a guy on a blue atv came by when you were watching the races and said you were in". Jerry laughed it off as the guy swore he was serious. With only 5 minutes till the flag dropped, Jerry suited up and got to the line. The last person in staging, he made it in the race he worked all year for. Still without 4wd and everything else it would be a hard fight. After 4 laps the head gasket gave out. It was the final nail in the coffin for the BORR 2017 TORC season.
We had a lot of downs, a few ups, but in the end, we showed the world the dedication and determination Jerry Townsend has as he fights to get to the top in his stock Arctic Cat. Running lap times faster than machines with 30hp more, he proved it's not all hp and a good driver makes up for the hp gap.
Going into 2017 the team is unsure of the direction they will go. With new Wildcat models coming down the road, he is considering all options. Jerry is a die hard Cat guy and says he wants to be sponsored by them for the nezt season. He doesn't want to drive anything else, however with all the new machines coming out by next spring, sponsors to be found and winning a championship the goal, only time will tell what they drive in 2017.
Until then follow all their action on
www.facebook.com/ballisticoffroad
Instagram and Twitter @Pballistic
And www.ballisticoffroadracing.com
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
