Compiled by SEMA Editors
 The 2010 King of the Hammers winner Loren Healy started the race in the pole position and never looked back. Photo credit: Thom Kingston of SpiderTrax | |
Healy Finds Redemption at Arkansas RCV ULTRA4 Race
The 4WD Hardware ULTRA4 Eastern Regional Series came to a finale two weeks ago at the RCV ULTRA4Race at Superlift ORV Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The 2010 King of the Hammers winner Loren Healy started the race in the pole position and never looked back.
ATX Wheels and Nitto Tire team driver Healy decided to run the race in his newly re-acquired three-year-old straight-axle ULTRA4 car and opted to leave his independent front suspension (IFS) ULTRA4 car at home. Healy finished the race more than four-and-a-half minutes ahead of second place. Clay Gilstrap maintained a second-place position until the third lap when Nitto Tire driver Derek West managed to make his way up from a 22nd starting position. Ultimately, Healy took first, Gilstrap second, and West took third, finishing less than three minutes behind Gilstrap on corrected time.
The final race in the 2013 ULTRA4 Series will be the Nitto Tire National Championship race, to be held September 27, on Moapa Indian Reservation Land just outside of Las Vegas.
Mazda6 Wins in Kansas
The Mazda teams took wins in both the Grand-Am GX and the Continental Tire ST races at the Kansas Speedway. The race was similar to Road America with the #70 Castrol Edge Mazda6 of Sylvain Tremblay and Tom Long qualifying on the pole with teammates Joel Miller and Tristan Nunez scoring the race win in their #00 VISITFLORIDA.com Racing Mazda6.
With their seventh straight Grand-Am GX class win the SpeedSource Mazda6 SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel team extended the manufacturers championship points lead for Mazda over Porsche. The win also closed the gap in the drivers’ championship with Mazda racer Joel Miller in second behind Porsche racer Jim Norman.
Earlier in the evening, the i-Moto MAZDASPEED3 team of Taylor Hacquard and Derek Jones scored their first Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge ST class win. The win was the fourth of the year for Mazda who is in a tight three-way battle with BMW and Honda for the manufacturers’ championship. Five Mazda teams are in the top-10 in team points.
 In GTS, former Pirelli World Challenge GT Drivers' Champion and Rookie of the Year Brandon Davis took the first win for the new TRG-Aston Martin partnership in the No. 27 Barracuda Networks Aston Martin Vantage GT4 in only his second start of the year. Photo: Weber/PWC | |
Andy Pilgrim, Brandon Davis Take First 2013 Wins at Sonoma
Andy Pilgrim and Brandon Davis took GT and GTS class wins in Round 13 of the Pirelli World Challenge 2013 season, at the Cadillac Grand Prix of Sonoma. Both drivers scored their first wins of the season in the race that was part of the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma weekend. Pilgrim took the No. 8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V.R to his 12th career series victory after leading all 27 laps of the race at an average speed of 79.561 mph, around the 2.3-mile Sonoma Raceway circuit.
Duncan Ende scored his first podium of the season in the No. 24 STANDD.org/Merchant Services Audi R8 LMS, after a drive from 13th and last place on the GT class grid to finish second. Finishing third was Ende's GMG Racing teammate and new official class points leader James Sofronas in the No. 14 The Thermal Club/Swisher Racing/GMG Audi R8 LMS. Mike Skeen in the No. 2 CRP Hawk Performance Chevrolet Corvette, finished in the second position on the road, but series officials stopped scoring the driver after Lap 18. The No. 2 car was shown the black flag three different times. Skeen was classified 11th after the change in position was confirmed.
In GTS, former Pirelli World Challenge GT Drivers' Champion and Rookie of the Year Davis took the first win for the new TRG-Aston Martin partnership in the No. 27 Barracuda Networks Aston Martin Vantage GT4 in only his second start of the year. It's his sixth career win. Andy Lee and Lawson Aschenbach finished second and third in the No. 20 Best IT/Bondurant/Crown Seven Chevrolet Camaro and No. 10 Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Camaro, respectively.
Points are final and in GT, Sofronas now leads Johnny O'Connell by 21 points, 1360–1339, heading into Houston. Sonoma winner Pilgrim is third with 1284, Randy Pobst is fourth with 1210 and Alex Figge is fifth with 1101. In GTS, Jack Baldwin still leads but by only 46 over Aschenbach, 1297–1251, and by 47 over Mark Wilkins, on 1250. Lee is fourth with 1108 and Alec Udell has moved ahead of Peter Cunningham, 960–953, for fifth.
 Jesse Jones will debut the brand-new FOX Pro-2 this weekend at Crandon International Raceway for TORC Series rounds 14 and 15. | |
Jesse Jones to Debut New FOX Pro-2 at Crandon
This weekend marks Jesse Jones' return to short-course off-road racing, jumping behind the wheel of the brand-new FOX Pro-2. Jones will debut the new truck at Crandon International Raceway for TORC Series rounds 14 and 15 as well as competing in the AMSOIL Cup where the Pro-2 and Pro-4 go head-to-head for $40,000, winner takes all.
Behind the build is Ricky Johnson's ’11 and ’12 Traxxas TORC Series Championship-winning Pro-4, Mike Krahling. The truck was built from the ground up in the Las Vegas shop of Menzies Motorsports. Jones will have continued support from his other Trophy-Truck desert program partners with Impact by Mastercraft Saftey, BFGoodrich Tires and KMC Wheels all on board.
The Crandon International Raceway festivities kick off this Friday as the race trucks parade through downtown Crandon, Wisconsin.