Ultra 4 racers are gearing up for the Badlands Off-Road Event happening June 28-30 in Attica, Indiana. The race course's terrain is so varied and challenging that one trick ponys need not apply. Driver in the Ultimate Motorsports Challenge have to be jacks of all trades to master the track's diverse landscape.
Taking the Punishment
The Badlands is part of the Ultra 4 4WD Hardware Eastern Regional Series. "Most of the Ultra 4 stuff west of the Mississippi is very dry and rocky, but The Badlands is one of two places with lots of trees, mud, rocks, and sand," says Mike DeVore, who will co-drive with Jonathan Turhune. And he should know – The Badlands track is right in his back yard.
According to DeVore, the course is varied and if you're running it you have to have a vehicle capable of taking all kinds of punishment. "You get some racers that aren't used to that and when they're out here with slick stuff and slopes they get lost," he says. "The Badlands terrain throws everything at you."
Getting Buggy
Last year, Turhune and DeVore - known as Fat Head Racing Team - semi-retired their rockcrawler and bought a buggy. "It's a proven Ultra 4 car originally built by Jesse Haines and Rusty Bray raced it three times at King of the Hammers," says DeVore. He describes their new rig as made to look like a CJ-5 Jeep. The Fat Head Racing Team is running Maxxis Tires specially designed only for competition. Other parts include ARB lockers and a customized Griffin radiator.
Back in 2010-2011 they were successful in the more regional TREC (Trail Racing Endurance Circuit) series and achieved a series championship in WEROCK modified stock rock crawling. They ran the 2013 King of the Hammers, but like most of the field, were not able to finish the 165-mile course within the 14-hour allotted time limit. Terhune also earned a fifth place finish at Rausch Creek, PA back in April.
Stiff Competition
The most recent Ultra 4 race in the 2013 Series was late May's Glen Helen Grand Prix. Shannon Campbell is currently the Ultra 4 leader with 2,679 points, followed by Jason Blanton with 2,502 points and Jason Scherer with 2,305.
"I really wanted to race The Badlands event," says Rubicon Express driver Jason Scherer. He's quick to acknowledge that the course features great, challenging terrain and hopes to put it on his schedule next season. Under the new Ultra 4 points structure, a racer's three best races of any series count toward the championship. Scherer will finish out this year by running the Miller Motorsports Rock Sports Challenge in July, the Hot Springs Arkansas race in August, and the Nitto Tire PSC Brawl in Blackwell in September. "If you examine the competition level right now, the winner will probably have to sweep those three events to be crowned champ," he says.
In addition to the race, The Badlands weekend will feature a parade in downtown Attica with monster trucks and activities for ATVs and dirt bikes. A country music performance from Moccasin Creek and a fireworks show are also slated for the event. Sponsors include 4WD Hardware, 4 Wheel Parts, Smittybilt, Pro Comp, and Poison Spyder.
Research by: CJ Bantam
