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Photos courtesy of Red Bull
Frozen Rush
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Photos courtesy of Red Bull
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Bryce Menzies soars through the over the crossover jump.
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Photos courtesy of Red Bull
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Carl Renezeder clawing his Nissan up the ski slopes.
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Photos courtesy of Red Bull
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Bryce Menzies airs out over one of many jumps.
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Photos courtesy of Red Bull
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BF Goodrich has much experience and winter rallying, however these big heavy trucks created a completely new environment that required something special.
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Photos courtesy of Red Bull
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Ricky Johnson getting a face full of ice on his way to victory.
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Photos courtesy of Red Bull
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Greaves had the best time, but lost the victory to a 5 second penalty for hitting a gate.
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Photos courtesy of Red Bull
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Johnson, Greaves and Menzies on the podium in the first ever Red Bull Frozen Rush.
Story by Budd Stanley, Photos courtesy of Red Bull (Brian Nevins, Garth Milan and Matt McDermott)
How fitting that while the entire North American continent went into an extreme Arctic chill, marketing giant, Red Bull, threw a winter bash that has never been seen before. Public Relation stunts are nothing new in the motorsports world, Ken Block drifts and slides his way around inanimate objects to get teenagers to think they need to buy more DC skate shoes and Monster Energy drink, likewise BJ Baldwin likes to jump over pretty ladies and Nissan GTR’s to push Monster and Toyo Tires.
But when Ricky Johnson went tearing around a Maine ski resort last year with his Pro4 in an effort to gain exposure for his sponsor, Red Bull, no one could have expected that this publicity stunt would turn into a full on event.
Well, on the 10th of January, eight of the sports best professional drivers traveled far and wide to conquer the unprecedented terrain of a snow and ice race track sculpted into the ski runs of a mountain resort. A custom built frozen race track of ice at Main’s Sunday River Resort would be the venue for the first ever Red Bull Frozen Rush. Set up in more of an auto-cross type format, trucks hit the track two at a time, staggered by a few minutes and racing the clock rather than each other in a shootout style of elimination.
The course would include sharp turns, ski-style gated slaloms, wide open jumps, long rooster-tail generating bends as well as the signature crossover jump that produced massive air as the first truck in each heat jump over its rival. All amidst the open and operating ski resort with gondola passengers getting a birds-eye view of the action.
While this is nothing new to rally cars and ice racers, trucks more accustomed to the heat, dust and sand of the desert, tearing up the slopes for the first time came with its own set of technical challenges. Maintaining speed while keeping traction on the icy surfaces was the main concern that required a new way other thinking when setting up suspension, as well as tires. Each truck was specifically modified in order to adapt to the previously unknown conditions with specially designed, one-of-a-kind studded Mud-Terrain tires from BFGoodrich’s Research and Development team would see their first introduction to motorsports racers as they ripped up and down the nearly one mile long course.
The amazing scene of frantically screaming V-8’s among the peaceful surroundings of an alpine resort, was playing out in front of a crowd of ten thousand winter weather worshippers and racing fanatics who braved the temperatures well below zero. Who wouldn’t want to take in such a unique form of entertainment in its inaugural event?
The competition itself proved to be intense from start to finish, as eight 900-horsepower Pro4 trucks screamed their way around the course, tearing up great clouds of snow and ice with every pass. Come the final eliminations, the final race pitting long-standing rivals Ricky Johnson against Johnny Greaves. With an extended four lap final (all other rounds were two laps), the two battled to the limit, with Greaves Toyota edging out the ford of Johnson by .24 seconds.
Unfortunately, for Greaves, he was docked a 5 second penalty for hitting a race gate, cementing both the victory for Johnson and the upper hand in the ongoing rivalry.
“It was great to bring motorheads to the mountain,” said Johnson after barely beating his fellow Pro4 racer Johnny Greaves. “What a thrill to cover new ground, literally, with guys that I respect and have been racing with for years.”
With the first ever Red Bull Frozen Rush in the books, the standings stood with Ricky Johnson on the podium flanked by Johnny Greaves and Bryce Menzies. Rob MacCachren would round out in fourth followed by Todd LeDuc, Scott Douglas, Greg Adler, and Carl Renezeder.