KORRBC Summer 2013

Trails

By Jennifer Loucks, Photos by Jeff Allen – Fat Kid Photography

The 2013 KORRBC Kamloops Off Road Racing series is well under way. The May and June races have been put to bed, leaving us salivating for the continuation of the series in September and October. The action on the track has been fast paced, and full of carnage and spectacular crashes, delivering every spectator’s secret desire, and every racers worst nightmare.

The May race opened with an incredible crash during the first heat of the Pro 1000 UTV’s, combined with the 1000 UTV’s. The flag dropped, and Cecil Sinow, Al McBeth, Rob Bouchard and Tyler Backus all exploded off the line like they were on fire. There was a little rubbing and nudging, when all of a sudden, less than 100 feet from the start line, Sinow’s UTV turned sideways, and started barrel rolling down the track. It was an incredible, yet horrific, collision to witness from the stands.  In the scorekeeper tower, we heard nothing but a collective gasp from the grandstands, and we all watched in silence as the track workers rushed to tend to Sinow. The “he’s ok” call was made, and everyone erupted in to applause and cheers. Sinow climbed out, waved to the crowd, and made the long walk back to the pits, knowing that his day was over before it even began.

The restart of the UTV race went off without a hitch. However, the bad luck seemed to be following the group, as Backus’ motor blew up during the first heat, leaving him stranded on the side of the track. The remaining 6 UTV’s managed to complete the day, and put on a fantastic show. McBeth and Bouchard had a photo finish in the main event, with McBeth taking the win for the day. The 1000 class saw Travis Squair and Mike Skiba tied for first place, with Dennis Beebe and Kirk Long taking 3rd and 4th.

The Outlaw class, open to everyone, took the line next. We saw another spectacular crash by Troy Armstrong in his S10 pickup during the first heat. Armstrong went in to corner one in 3rd place, and ended up rolling his truck twice, before landing on his roof. Armstrong was able to get back into the race, and finished the day in 4th place. Troy Monsees, Derek Carson and Lane Carter all raced hard throughout the day, with Monsees and Carter’s pro trucks going head to head with Carson’s limited lite. Carson held his own, using his smaller vehicle to his advantage, and took second place by one point. Monsees took the checkered flag, and Carter came in 3rd.

Next up was the pro buggy class, with Mike Strange, Ron Hart and Keith Webster, combined with the limited lite trucks, with rookie Blake Jensen, in his father’s championship winning truck, and Cody Carson, in his tried and true Ranger. In the buggy class, newcomer Webster used his years of desert Baja racing experience to his advantage, and gave Strange and Hart a run for their money. The buggies were neck and neck through out the day, swapping positions and rubbing bumpers, but in the end, the hometown advantage won out, with Strange in first, Webster in second and Hart in third. The limited lites followed suit, and swapped paint throughout the day. Jensen managed to hold his own against Carson to take first place.

Finally we had the Pro Truck class. Ryan Munden and Jim Jensen were both in brand new pro lite trucks, and were joined by Lane Carter and Daryl Goldsby. Munden and Carter were wheel to wheel, with Jensen and Goldsby hot on their heels. The fans were cheering loudly as Munden took the checkered flag, followed by Carter, Jensen and Goldsby.

The June race saw a perfect storm, so to speak, when it came to a dirt track surface. The hot sun came out, the wind picked up, the water system was taken out during hot laps by several eager racers, and both of our water trucks went down with mechanical failures. The track went from greasy to dusty in a matter of minutes, and the officials were completely helpless. There is nothing quite like driving into a cloud of dust, and not knowing what is on the other side waiting for you, especially during a high speed race! The racers were also plagued with engine trouble and mechanical difficulties, and worked feverishly throughout the day to keep their rigs on the track.

The call was made to take an early break after the first heat was completed, as no one, track workers, officials, racers or spectators, could see what was going on. Just as we thought we would have to cancel the remainder of the day, a lone cloud rolled in, and the skies opened up. It poured for 10 minutes, and then the cloud disappeared as quickly as it came. We quickly lined up, turned on what sprinklers were still functioning, and racing was back on.

The UTV classes tore it up, taking full advantage of the now perfect track, and put on a thrilling show. Mike Skiba had the fans on their feet as he sailed over the front tabletop, high in the air. On landing, Skiba snapped his rear stabilizer arm, causing him to do barrel rolls in the first corner! He came through unscathed, and the race was restarted. McBeth and Backus were neck and neck through the main, edging each other out each lap. The crowds were wild as they came around the corner in the final lap, side by side, and the cheering as McBeth took the checkered flag by a bumper was deafening. In the end, McBeth took first, Backus second and Squair third.

The Limited Lite class pitted Blake Jensen and Cody Carson against one another, joined by newcomer Ryan Beers. Beers was taken out of the race early with engine troubles. Jensen and Carson raced hard through out the day, bumping and rubbing each other frequently. Jensen once again took first place for the day.

Next up was the large Outlaw class, with nine trucks taking the line. The class was made up of half-ton trucks, pro trucks and rock crawlers. The Outlaws lived up to their name, with their fast paced, fender-rubbing racing. They toed the line over and over, nudging and bumping, racing with the throttle wide open. When the dust settled, Matt Nieman, in his rock crawler, and Troy Monsees, in his pro truck, tied for first place, with Derek Carson in his limited lite truck taking third.

Our final class of the day was the large pro truck class, made up of pro trucks, pro lite trucks and rock crawlers. Several racers from the Outlaw class were doing double duty, and competed in both events. Once again, they put on a superb show, swapping paint and rubbing bumpers. Ryan Munden put on an unintentional, yet astounding show in the 3rd corner. He did a complete roll over, landed on his wheels, took a moment to give his head a shake, and took off after the pack, with virtually no damage to his freshly painted truck. In the end, Matt Nieman sailed to victory, with Lane Carter taking second, and Daryl Goldsby taking third.

The first half of the 2013 season has shown us, once again that anything can happen, and has kept us on the edge of our seats since the first green flag was dropped. Come on out and join us on September 8th, at the KORRBC raceway in Whispering Pines, and witness the thrills, and spills, for yourself! Visit www.korrbc.ca for more information.