Race Write-up from Rusty's Walnut Creek (2017 TORCS Rd 1)
#1
02-07-2017, 08:28 AM
Race Write-up from Rusty's Walnut Creek (2017 TORCS Rd 1)
On Superbowl Sunday, my son (Cash) and I loaded up "Old Faithful" (our trusty 2012 RZR 900xp) and made the 2.5 hour road trip to Rockne, Texas to compete in the first UTV race of the 2017 season. What made this race special was that it was the TORCS series' first UTV race ever! TORCS has hosted MC cross-country racing for several years in the Austin to Houston area, but this year they finally decided to host side-by-side racing too... and I couldn't be happier about it! My son and I enjoy racing in the TORN series (Dallas/FW area), but the 10-hour round trips to the Bridgeport area get old. Thanks to TORCS, now we can compete in the same exciting UTV races without spending all day on the road. Below is my race write-up.
WHERE:
Rockne, TX… it’s a tiny town 35 miles southeast of Austin and only a stone's throw from Bastrop. This property has a large pasture area for parking plus a few ponds, creeks and lots of wooded trails through thorny mesquite trees and cactus. The soil seemed pretty soft and sandy in most places.
TRACK CONDITIONS:
On race day, we enjoyed 70 degree temps and cloudy skies, but it later gave way to sunny skies by the end of the race. Recent rain kept most of the dust down, but it also made a few spots on the course muddy and slippery.
PARADE LAP & HOT LAP:
In lieu of practice laps, TORCS allows its UTV racers one parade lap at a slow pace followed by one "hot lap" where racers can stretch their legs and get used to the course at their own pace. Then UTV racers line up on the starting line according to their class (Turbo class in the front row, Non-turbo class next, and the 800cc class on the back row).
When it came time to start the parade lap around 2pm-ish, I counted 16 UTVs gathered around the starting line. We followed the lead vehicle slowly around the 4 mile course during the parade lap. As we made our way around the course, my first impression was there were lots of tight, twisty trails through the woods with very few passing opportunities. Other than a few wet/muddy trails near creek crossings, most of the trails were dry and had lots of deep, soft sandy loam.
CLASSES:
3 Polaris RZR Turbos lined up in the Turbo class, including one driven by my old pal Collin and his gf/co-pilot Madison -- who Cash and I know well from past TORN races. It was good to seesome friendly faces at this TORCS race!
In my class (Non-turbo class), we had a total of 8 UTVs, including 2 Yamaha YXZ1000Rs, 5 Polaris RZR 1000s and my lil Polaris 900xp. As usual, I was outgunned by bigger, faster side-by-sides... but I'm used to it by now. I lined up in the middle of the line with a tall RZR 1k to my left and a yellow YXZ on my right (driven by Shandy). I definitely recall the tall RZR b/c his tires looked like monster truck tires next to my RZR's 27" tires. (more on this later)
In the 800cc class, 5 UTVs lined up including a couple of RZR 800s, a couple of Artic Cat 700s and one RZR 570. One of the Artic Cats was driven Larry Gustine, my long-time friend from many other XC series, including ATVCCS, SouthTexas Cross-Country Series and TORN. Again, it was nice to see familiar faces at this race.
THE START:
When we lined up for the start, we had approximately 50 feet to the first right turn. But before the first turn there was a barrier on both the left and right that was not wide enuf for all 8 UTVs to continue racing alongside each other... meaning some folks in our class would have to get in line. 60 seconds after the Turbo class left the line, it was our turn to go. The green flag went up and off we went. My 900xp fired right up and left the line just as expected. Within the first 25 feet or so, the cars to my immediate left and right were already a wheel length ahead of me and started squeezing me out. I had no choice but to drop back or else get sandwiched. As we made our way around the first turn, Cash and I found ourselves in 6th place. Ugh!
LAPS 1 THRU 3:
As we entered the first set of woods, I fell in line immediately behind Shandy (yellow Yamaha YXZ). I stayed on his heals as we made our way past the scoring schute area and down a narrow dirt road alongside the parking lot area. Eventually, the trail makes a hard left and then zig-zags through the tight wooded trails.
I stayed on his tail as close as I could with the hopes that he might make a mistake or decide to let me pass him. A little further into Lap 1, Shandy and I suddenly came to a stop behind the same tall RZR 1k that I lined up next to on the starting line. Apparently, his extra large left front tire nailed a tree immediately before the trail goes down a short downhill section. It took a little back and forth movements, but finally the driver was able to move his big RZR off the trail and out of the way so the rest of us could proceed. That meant Cash and I moved up to 5th position. Alright!
A little further up the trail, the course takes racers over two short concrete slabs that serve as bridges above a wet creek crossing. There were no side rails or anything to stop you from going over the edge, so you had to be careful not to do anything stupid and slide off the sides.
A bit further up the trail was a wide open area where the trail zig-zagged around large trees, then runs alongside a dry creek before going back into the tight woods. This wide and fast area was one of the few places to possibly make a pass. I was hoping Shandy would make a mistake here or let me pass, but no such luck on this lap.
Onward we went with me clipping at Shandy's heals, and the whole time I was eating his roost. Occasionally we rode through muddy areas and large chucks of his mud roost would fly directly into the cab of my RZR. On future laps, I decided to drop back during those spots to avoid taking another mud bath.
On the next lap, we entered the wide open area where the trail zig-zagged around large trees and Shandy accidentally turned left around a tree (the long way) instead of going straight… this was the break I was looking for! Alas, I was following so closely that I didn’t realize Shandy’s mistake until I had already made the left turn too. Grrr.
On the next lap or so, a track official re-routed us around a small section of trail in the woods. I later found out the reason for this was that the RZR 570 (with 26" tires) driven by Cory high-centered in the deep sandy ruts and blocked the trail. Tough luck for him.
LAP 4:
As the race progressed, I continued to follow Shandy closely with the hope of passing him. Finally, on lap 4 we came to a spot on the course where the trail has alternate lanes on the left or right side of a few small trees. This time, Shandy took the left route and I went right. I mashed the gas pedal hard and we somehow passed him just before the next turn at the end of this straight-away. YES!! Cash and I fist-bumped in celebration! We finally moved up to 4th position. More important, we could finally see the trail ahead of us and stop eating roost sandwiches!
Not long after that pass, we caught up to another RZR 1k in our class just before we entered the wide open area that zig-zags around large trees. We followed closely on that RZR's heals as we made a wide left turn over soft, wet ground with lots of ruts. I took the inside corner and squeezed past that RZR immediately before the trail runs between two trees. Yippee... now we were in 3rd position!
LAPS 5 THRU 7:
As the race continued, I was starting to feel a bit warm and sweaty and began looking forward to the checkered flag. From time to time, I would run past a clearing in the trees and see the RZR that we last past not far behind us, which was a constant reminder that I needed to keep pushing myself to maintain our position.
RACE RESULTS:
Congrats to Jazz (#23) and Wayne (#66) for taking 1st and 2nd in our class. They were hauling the mail, and I never saw those guys after the start of the race! LOL Somehow, Cash and I managed to place 3rd in our class. Not bad considering we started out in 6th position around turn number one. According to the results posted at the TORCS trailer after the race, Jazz, Wayne and I took the top 3 spots overall out of 16 UTVs in the race. Hey, I can't complain about that! But more important, Cash and I had a blast racing together and we thoroughly enjoyed meeting new UTV racers.
Of course, I have to say a BIG THANK YOU to TORCS for hosting a FUN event, and Cash and I are looking forward to Round 2.
I hope you enjoyed my write-up!
WHERE:
Rockne, TX… it’s a tiny town 35 miles southeast of Austin and only a stone's throw from Bastrop. This property has a large pasture area for parking plus a few ponds, creeks and lots of wooded trails through thorny mesquite trees and cactus. The soil seemed pretty soft and sandy in most places.
TRACK CONDITIONS:
On race day, we enjoyed 70 degree temps and cloudy skies, but it later gave way to sunny skies by the end of the race. Recent rain kept most of the dust down, but it also made a few spots on the course muddy and slippery.
PARADE LAP & HOT LAP:
In lieu of practice laps, TORCS allows its UTV racers one parade lap at a slow pace followed by one "hot lap" where racers can stretch their legs and get used to the course at their own pace. Then UTV racers line up on the starting line according to their class (Turbo class in the front row, Non-turbo class next, and the 800cc class on the back row).
When it came time to start the parade lap around 2pm-ish, I counted 16 UTVs gathered around the starting line. We followed the lead vehicle slowly around the 4 mile course during the parade lap. As we made our way around the course, my first impression was there were lots of tight, twisty trails through the woods with very few passing opportunities. Other than a few wet/muddy trails near creek crossings, most of the trails were dry and had lots of deep, soft sandy loam.
CLASSES:
3 Polaris RZR Turbos lined up in the Turbo class, including one driven by my old pal Collin and his gf/co-pilot Madison -- who Cash and I know well from past TORN races. It was good to seesome friendly faces at this TORCS race!
In my class (Non-turbo class), we had a total of 8 UTVs, including 2 Yamaha YXZ1000Rs, 5 Polaris RZR 1000s and my lil Polaris 900xp. As usual, I was outgunned by bigger, faster side-by-sides... but I'm used to it by now. I lined up in the middle of the line with a tall RZR 1k to my left and a yellow YXZ on my right (driven by Shandy). I definitely recall the tall RZR b/c his tires looked like monster truck tires next to my RZR's 27" tires. (more on this later)
In the 800cc class, 5 UTVs lined up including a couple of RZR 800s, a couple of Artic Cat 700s and one RZR 570. One of the Artic Cats was driven Larry Gustine, my long-time friend from many other XC series, including ATVCCS, SouthTexas Cross-Country Series and TORN. Again, it was nice to see familiar faces at this race.
THE START:
When we lined up for the start, we had approximately 50 feet to the first right turn. But before the first turn there was a barrier on both the left and right that was not wide enuf for all 8 UTVs to continue racing alongside each other... meaning some folks in our class would have to get in line. 60 seconds after the Turbo class left the line, it was our turn to go. The green flag went up and off we went. My 900xp fired right up and left the line just as expected. Within the first 25 feet or so, the cars to my immediate left and right were already a wheel length ahead of me and started squeezing me out. I had no choice but to drop back or else get sandwiched. As we made our way around the first turn, Cash and I found ourselves in 6th place. Ugh!
LAPS 1 THRU 3:
As we entered the first set of woods, I fell in line immediately behind Shandy (yellow Yamaha YXZ). I stayed on his heals as we made our way past the scoring schute area and down a narrow dirt road alongside the parking lot area. Eventually, the trail makes a hard left and then zig-zags through the tight wooded trails.
I stayed on his tail as close as I could with the hopes that he might make a mistake or decide to let me pass him. A little further into Lap 1, Shandy and I suddenly came to a stop behind the same tall RZR 1k that I lined up next to on the starting line. Apparently, his extra large left front tire nailed a tree immediately before the trail goes down a short downhill section. It took a little back and forth movements, but finally the driver was able to move his big RZR off the trail and out of the way so the rest of us could proceed. That meant Cash and I moved up to 5th position. Alright!
A little further up the trail, the course takes racers over two short concrete slabs that serve as bridges above a wet creek crossing. There were no side rails or anything to stop you from going over the edge, so you had to be careful not to do anything stupid and slide off the sides.
A bit further up the trail was a wide open area where the trail zig-zagged around large trees, then runs alongside a dry creek before going back into the tight woods. This wide and fast area was one of the few places to possibly make a pass. I was hoping Shandy would make a mistake here or let me pass, but no such luck on this lap.
Onward we went with me clipping at Shandy's heals, and the whole time I was eating his roost. Occasionally we rode through muddy areas and large chucks of his mud roost would fly directly into the cab of my RZR. On future laps, I decided to drop back during those spots to avoid taking another mud bath.
On the next lap, we entered the wide open area where the trail zig-zagged around large trees and Shandy accidentally turned left around a tree (the long way) instead of going straight… this was the break I was looking for! Alas, I was following so closely that I didn’t realize Shandy’s mistake until I had already made the left turn too. Grrr.
On the next lap or so, a track official re-routed us around a small section of trail in the woods. I later found out the reason for this was that the RZR 570 (with 26" tires) driven by Cory high-centered in the deep sandy ruts and blocked the trail. Tough luck for him.
LAP 4:
As the race progressed, I continued to follow Shandy closely with the hope of passing him. Finally, on lap 4 we came to a spot on the course where the trail has alternate lanes on the left or right side of a few small trees. This time, Shandy took the left route and I went right. I mashed the gas pedal hard and we somehow passed him just before the next turn at the end of this straight-away. YES!! Cash and I fist-bumped in celebration! We finally moved up to 4th position. More important, we could finally see the trail ahead of us and stop eating roost sandwiches!
Not long after that pass, we caught up to another RZR 1k in our class just before we entered the wide open area that zig-zags around large trees. We followed closely on that RZR's heals as we made a wide left turn over soft, wet ground with lots of ruts. I took the inside corner and squeezed past that RZR immediately before the trail runs between two trees. Yippee... now we were in 3rd position!
LAPS 5 THRU 7:
As the race continued, I was starting to feel a bit warm and sweaty and began looking forward to the checkered flag. From time to time, I would run past a clearing in the trees and see the RZR that we last past not far behind us, which was a constant reminder that I needed to keep pushing myself to maintain our position.
RACE RESULTS:
Congrats to Jazz (#23) and Wayne (#66) for taking 1st and 2nd in our class. They were hauling the mail, and I never saw those guys after the start of the race! LOL Somehow, Cash and I managed to place 3rd in our class. Not bad considering we started out in 6th position around turn number one. According to the results posted at the TORCS trailer after the race, Jazz, Wayne and I took the top 3 spots overall out of 16 UTVs in the race. Hey, I can't complain about that! But more important, Cash and I had a blast racing together and we thoroughly enjoyed meeting new UTV racers.
Of course, I have to say a BIG THANK YOU to TORCS for hosting a FUN event, and Cash and I are looking forward to Round 2.
I hope you enjoyed my write-up!
