1 of 9
photos courtesy of Josh England of Rise Above Photography
2 of 9
photos courtesy of Josh England of Rise Above Photography
3 of 9
photos courtesy of Josh England of Rise Above Photography
Nieman raced his way into the final without having to deal with LCQ’s.
4 of 9
photos courtesy of Josh England of Rise Above Photography
Conditions were dusty and silty making for some great racing.
5 of 9
photos courtesy of Josh England of Rise Above Photography
Baldassarre also strong-armed his way into the final.
6 of 9
photos courtesy of Josh England of Rise Above Photography
7 of 9
photos courtesy of Josh England of Rise Above Photography
Unfortunately, a blown diff would take Baldassarre out of the main event.
8 of 9
photos courtesy of Josh England of Rise Above Photography
It wouldn’t be an Ultra4 race without some drama, this guy saved it.
9 of 9
photos courtesy of Josh England of Rise Above Photography
By Rich Walker
Once again, the dedicated, not to mention hardcore Canadian racers set out on a 5,000 kilometre round trip to match their machines against the world famous Glen Helen racetrack. Glen Helen is a privately owned facility in San Bernardino, California, that is home to many types of racing, including all levels of Motocross and the Lucas Oil Off-Road Championship (LOORS). It is a site full of all the amenities and services a racer could ask for, which coupled with the added support of the vendors in the pit area, makes for a favourite on the Ultra4 calendar. Especially when you travel as far as we do!
Unfortunately, again, Eric Brinker in the #312 car was unable to make this trip. The new motor was in and running, but with little time to test, it wasn’t worth the journey all the way to southern California to “see what happens”. Instead, he stayed home and put some miles on the car to get ready for the Ultra4 race in Tooele, Utah. I was especially looking forward to this trip to see what Eric and his monster car can do against the rest of the field.
Both Matt Nieman (#4487) and Rocco Baldassarre (#308) did make the long haul down to Cali with their teams. Daryl, Matt’s parents and I were all lucky enough to fly in for the race, which was nice. It’s a bit of a sore spot with the rest of the guys who drove, but they will get over it! I plan to drive Matt’s car to Tooele for him so he can fly in like a Rock Star! Anyway, we all settled into the pits nicely and got ready for the qualifying heats on Friday.
With over 115 teams in attendance throughout the classes, it was sure to be a busy weekend with non-stop racing. The day kicked off early for the UTV’s and other classes, but the first 4400 class qualifying heat wasn’t until 10:00 am. Matt was in the first heat and Rocco the second. Both of them had to finish in the top 18 (both races had 30+ cars) to receive a spot in the final race on Saturday afternoon. If not, there was an LCQ (last chance qualifier) on Saturday morning where the top four from that race would get a spot in the final. That’s right, there was to be 40 cars racing for the win!
Matt’s race went great. He kept a steady pace and just kept knocking out laps. He had no major mechanical issues, the car held up amazingly, and attrition helped out a little too. In the end, Matt finished in 18th and secured a spot in the final race for Saturday. Rocco’s race was similar. Very consistent lap times, a steady pace, and no mechanical issues. Of course, attrition always helps, but Rocco did have a great race and earned himself a spot in the finals.
We gave both cars a quick check before we took off for dinner and an early bedtime (Note to those that were at the hotel with us: You can’t argue with me on that, it was “early”!).
Saturday started like any other race day. We hung out in the pits and watched the other classes finish their heats before suiting up and getting ready for the main. It’s surprising how quickly time actually goes by when you’re waiting for your turn on the track. All the other classes finished up and we got lined up for the main. The main race for the 4400 class was a non-stop two-hour race. The person with the most laps in the two hours would be the winner.
With 40 cars in the line-up, the start of the race is always quite chaotic, yet very entertaining. All the fast guys are trying to get out into the lead to get the fresh air. Then, at the back, all the fast LCQ’ers, are driving like mad men to pass as many people as possible to get as far up front as they can. It’s always my favorite part of these races. As you can see, this is how the attrition rates at these races can be quite high.
Matt and Rocco both started mid pack and kept the same philosophy as their qualifying heats; steady and consistent, but pick up a bit of time on every lap. Everything was going quite smooth for both of them, but on lap seven something broke in Rocco’s rear diff. One of the rear axles shot right out of the car and the passenger side rear rim broke into pieces seizing up the tire. Without drive to the rear diff, Rocco’s day was done. This was very upsetting as Rocco was pushing quite hard and was picking up spots in the pack. He was close to the top 10 when the break occurred.
With Rocco out, we all stood on the fence line and watched as Matt (with Andrew co-driving) went by lap after lap. He did have to pull into the pits for a quick look at his brakes. Some quick wrench work from the pit crew and he was back out there fighting. Who needs brakes anyway? When the two hours ran out, Matt crossed the finish line with 16 laps in the bank. It was a very smooth and well-planned race for the #4487 team.
In the end, Loren Healey took home the win (with 20 laps) in the 4400 class and continues to dominate the 2014 Ultra4 season. Levi Shirley came in 2nd in his Campbell Enterprises car and this is only the 2nd time he has raced this new car. Watch out for him in the near future. Jake Hallenbeck brought home 3rd.
We all waited anxiously at the awards, as we knew with the finish Matt was close to getting one of the ten qualifying spots for the King Of The Hammers in February 2015. As they went down the list, we waited with baited breath as the names were read out. Matt Nieman and the #4487 team came in 15th place overall and I am proud to announce that we qualified for KOH ’15!
Up next for all of us will be Tooele, Utah, for the Ultra4 American Rocksports Challenge at Miller Motorsports Park. Stay tuned as Rocco and Eric will do everything in their power to secure one of the very sought after KOH ’15 spots.