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June 5, 2021- Preston, ID- I am happy to report that I was finally able to put my Polaris RZR RS1 on the podium in the SXS PRO Stock class! It’s been a rough season so far, but I have been working extremely hard on myself and my car, and it paid off this weekend at WORCS racing round 5!

I left my house on Wednesday to start the 825-mile journey north to Preston, ID. I made a stop three hours in to hook up with the Mandle family who I would ride with the rest of the way. We finally arrived at the track on Thursday afternoon and got our pits set up. Due to work obligations, my team flew in on
Thursday evening. Once they arrived, we headed to the hotel for the night.

I’m just two weeks away from my high school graduation, so on Friday morning, I went to my classes online and then headed to the track. I got checked in at registration and then got ready for practice that afternoon. The 6.5-mile track was totally different than tracks in the past and I really liked it! There were
tight, rally-style turns, long straight-aways through cornfields, and the infield jumps were super smooth.
Practice went great and I felt my car was running perfectly after two practice laps. After practice, I got my
car teched and then washed it to make sure everything was good for my race on Saturday.

On Saturday morning, I headed to the track early to radio for the two RZR170 racers I coach. One finished his race in 3rd and the other finished his race in 1st, so the day was off to a great start! My class was the last race of the day, and when it was time, I headed to the line. I started on row two and there were 13 cars in my class. Row one took off and then we waited two minutes for our green flag. I got ready, the flag flew, and we took off! I was in P3 off of the line and was able to make a pass in the first few minutes of lap one, moving me to P2 in my row. I was on the gas, able to catch P1, and stayed on his bumper through lap 1 and into lap 2. After coming through the timing chute, crossing the bridge, and winding through a few tight turns, we reached the straightaway heading out into the first cornfield. I took the corner on the inside and floored it, coming right alongside P1. I didn’t lift and took the next corner on the inside making the pass and taking off in P1 in my row. I knew I had some time to make up, and now I had clean air because the first row had taken off two minutes ahead of mine.

I raced through the course for the next 2 laps, eventually catching and passing some of the racers from row one. On my 5th and final lap, I gave it everything I had and pushed my car to its limits. I even
clocked the fastest lap of the race with a 10:19.233 and took the checkered flag! After the race, we had to go through post-tech before exiting the track. I passed post-tech and was excused to head back to my pit.
At this point, I was unsure of how I had finished and we had been told that it would be a week before we had resulted due to multiple motor protests in my class. I was not protested, but the WORCS officials told us they could not produce results until the cars that were protested had been inspected. I felt really good
about the race, and I knew I had done my best.

Early on Sunday, I headed back to the track to help out some of the Youth 1000 racers get ready for their race and to load up to start the journey home. On my way to the track, my mom received a message stating that I had received an unofficial 1st place and they were going to do podiums that morning! After arriving at the track, I received clarification that the “unofficial” was for the 2nd and 3rd place finishers because they were part of the protests in the class. I was beyond stoked! Hard work really does pay off…

Thanks so much to all of these amazing companies and people that support my program: Polaris RZR,
GBC Motorsports, Benchmark Performance, Candle Motorsports, Method Race Wheels, Crow
Enterprises, Elka Suspension, Super ATV, Roll Design, Energy Coil Racing, Factory UTV, Baja Designs,
PRP Seats, Rugged Radios, Maxima Racing Oils, Tireblocks, JAMAR Performance, Race Team Sites,
Crown Performance Products, Got Sand Performance, Oceanside Driveline, HOK9, Vision Canopy,
Perrault Motorsports, Dirt Rider Designs, and my parents who make this possible for me! Thanks to WORCS for putting on the series and Harlen Foley for the awesome pictures!

Casey Sims runs our Alpha Seat & Race Harness!

More on WORCS Racing

Tuesday April 13th

Worked a long day and headed to the race shop to finish the car and get it loaded for an early departure on Thursday . 

Thursday April 15th. 

We headed out at 6 am from Jeremy’s house.  Drove about 45 minutes East and picked up Clifton and Garrett Pappasan.  We were delighted to be given a sack full of delicious breakfast Biscuits loaded with cheese, bacon, sausage, and love from Tina Pappasan. We loaded all the Pappasan’s gear and headed East.  We rolled on at a steady pace until reaching the Kentucky area where we raided the local Wally World for our weekend eats.  Steak, fajita meat, stuffed yardbirds, little diabetes snacks, and all the other good food we needed to rough it for a couple of days.  We exited the store, loaded all our groceries, and then grabbed a late lunch at a good local Mexican joint.  Stuffed and bloated we began making tracks to Rush Kentucky for Round 1 of the Ultra 4 Eastern Series.  We stopped to fuel up just outside of the park at the Flying J.  One last stop before setting up camp.  We arrived at Rush Offroad Park at about 10:30 pm. We signed in grabbed our armbands and headed into the park.  Our good buddy Frank Vonderheide was waiting for us at the gate. He had left a day earlier to shock tune his car so he had already set up camp and was kind enough to save us a good spot. The camping/ parking arrangements were a mess due to the previous weather and the influx of Kentucky residents still under mask mandates.  We managed to get the coach parked and set up for the night.  

Friday April 16th

We woke up and cooked some breakfast burritos and gave the car a once over for prerunning.  Looking at all the other race cars we knew the track was a huge mess.  Jeremy and I loaded up along with Frank and Drew and we headed out in a nice easy lap to mark some spots and see what JT and the crew had laid out for us. The track was slick and nasty, but it was all manageable at a nice easy pace. The several hill climbs were stupid slick so we had to throw some ponies at em here and there, but overall the track was fairly wide for a woods race, the climbs weren’t crazy and the rocks were at a minimum.  

We navigated our lap and returned to camp.  At camp, we checked over the cars, made a few adjustments, and went out for a second look.  On lap 2 we picked up the pace and realized the course was gonna be a fun one at speed. Frank was the lead car on lap 2 and he was gone before we knew it.  We stopped to ask a few questions to a course director and by the time we were off, Frank was out of sight.  Jeremy and I kept a nice 20-25 MPH pace and marked a few more turns.  The course was like an ice skating rink in spots, but it was also nice and fast in other spots.  It was a nice balance of hauling ass and losing control for small fractions at a time.  Nice and fun.    

We headed back to camp to prepare for qualifying and grab some lunch.  We grilled up some brats and relaxed for a few minutes.   We loaded the water fire extinguishers and cleaned the cars up some for our marketing partners.  We went over to the driver’s meeting and got the scoop then returned to camp to gear up for qualifying.   We watched a bunch of the SXS’s quality before lining up so we had a better idea of what to expect.  We geared up and lined up awaited our turn.  The line slowly moved and we inch closer and closer until we were 3rd in line.  The # 1 car took off and they moved Jesse Oliver up to the starting line.  Just as the # 1 car came down trail 39 they sent Jesse and we were about to move to the starting line.  As the #1 car came around the mud hole and hit the big g-out the rear of the car shot up almost throwing it end over.  The driver smashed the throttle and the back came down extremely hard and catapulted it back up and over then over again while twisting in the air and catching fire.  It was a terrible crash and very scary to watch.  Jesse has been very close to it and pulled over as the safety crews ran out to attend to the passengers.  We shut the car off and watched as the fire was put out and the passengers escaped safely.  Everyone took a deep breath.  The passengers were ok due to all our safety gear and the quick action of the crews, but it was still a shocking sight to see. Everything cleared out and Jesse was up again and we were on deck. Jesse has a nice clean run so we knew we had to be quick.  JT dropped the flag and we were off! Making quick work of the Yukon Launch climb and through the trees we eased our way down trail 39 being careful to not cut a tire.  Smashing the throttle and blasting around as much of the mud as we could.  We headed straight towards the g out.  Still fresh in our minds we checked up a bit just to be safe, not sorry.  We rounded the turn and our qualifying run was in the books.  We managed to beat Jesse but still had to wait for several more 4500 cars to run.    At the end of the day, we had done enough to land the top spot in the 4500 class and would start 6th overall on Saturday.  We made our way back to camp and washed the car again while the mud was fresh and easy to remove.  We topped the car with fuel, check our fluids, and made our way back to the track to cheer Frank on during his run.    We cooked up some stuffed chickens and blueberry cobbler to finish off a great day.  Tomorrow was race day and we wanted to be up and at em early so we retired for the evening.  

Saturday 

It’s race day!  Excited to hear all the SXS revving their engines early at 7am while we cooked up some biscuits and gravy and began our last-minute prep.  We managed to eat, dress, check the safety gear for the pits, and load up by 9:10 am.  We staged at 9:15 am and we ready to blast off at 9:30. The # 1 pole Casey Gilbert was off the line at 9:30 sharp and we would start 30 seconds apart.  After watching the first 5 cars blast off, we were on the line and up next!     JT dropped the flag and  I smashed the throttle and we were off.  Passing the pits and being cheered on we once again made our way up Yukon launch hill and through the woods making our way down trail 39, back into the main area, and up horsepower hill and back into the woods.  We had nice clean air and didn’t see a car for a few minutes until we passed a 4800 car changing a tire they had cut in trail 39.  We splashed our way through the course slipping and sliding around each and every turn.  Trying to keep a clean pace and not drown the engine out in many of the water holes and creek crossing.   We knew it would be tough to catch the cars out front, and didn’t want to be caught so we tried to stay steady and clean. We didn’t see another car for the remainder of our first lap and we managed to check-in lap one still in the lead of the 4500 class.   We waved to the pits and pressed on hoping to pass some cars and retain our position.  We began to see cars scattered all throughout the mountains, some stuck in the deep mud holes, a few rolled over and a few just have minor issues.  We pressed hard and tried to maintain a clean visor and keep the car on all 4 tires. We checked in our second lap and were still maintaining our position so we pressed on.  By now we had a good idea of what holes showered the car and visors and what holes we could skate through cleanly.  Jeremy called the turns and kept clean towels on hand for me to use as needed.    The car was great and issue-free.  We navigated through a clean 3rd lap and we’re still maintaining the lead. As we made our way down trail 39 and into the open area we radioed in for a position call.  The pits said we were 2:30 ahead, so we just tried to keep it clean and mistake-free.  We had a few backups earlier in the race and didn’t want to have any now.  We navigated about 1/2 the track at a nice consistent pace and then I thought.  2:30? Where did Oliver, Sinclair, Grounds start? Was 2:30 enough? Shit!  I mashed on it and picked up the pace as fast as I felt like we could without making a big mistake.  A backup wouldn’t be good, but we couldn’t afford a rollover. We kept the car moving well and maintained a faster pace and were soon checking in our 4th and final lap. We crossed the finish line and waited.  It was all up to the rest of the field now.  We had done all we could.  We waited and waited and then were told we had officially managed to win the 4500 class!!  As we celebrated the remaining 4500 and 4800 cars were making their way into the pits and we waited for our tire check. Whew!  What a race.  From wide open full throttle sections of dust to the slickest no traction spots you can imagine.    This was Eastern Series Racing at its best.   Clifton, Garrett, Frank and  Drew all came over to congratulate us and celebrate for a few minutes before Frank and his 4400 debuts would begin.  We jumped on the top step of the podium for our awesome Laser Nut 1st place trophy and a quick interview. We made our way back to camp to get Frank ready, grab some lunch and Load a few things.    We pitted for Frank as he managed an awesome 8th place (KOH qualifying) spot. After the race, we laughed and lived and decided to pack up and roll out while we could.  Jeremy iron-maned the wheel until 1 am where I took over and managed to get us home early Sunday morning so we could enjoy the day with our families.  It was a great weekend and we couldn’t have done it without the support of all our friends, families, coworkers, and marketing partners.  Thank each one of you so much.  Jeemey once again poured hours of prep into the car, managed to get us to the track in 1 piece and also kept us going during the race. Clifton, Garrett, Frank, and Drew have an easy day in the pits,  but the sacrifices they made just to be there are huge and we appreciate the awesome team effort.

We’re so incredibly proud of Team PRP Drivers Wes Miller & matt Burroughs for finishing the Baja 1000 in the PRO UTV EFI Class! Wes took 1st place with a time of 26:01:43 and Matt was right behind with a time of 26:41:31! Both Matt and Wes run our PRP Alpha Composite Seat! It is the ultimate race seat for that are seeking comfort while out racing. Both of these guys sat in an Alpha Race seat for over 26 HOURS! We strive to create custom, comfortable, and proven off-road race seats.

October 18, 2020- Blythe, CA- My team and I headed out to Shorty’s Sports Park in Blythe, CA on Friday morning to race round 7 of the 2020 WORCS season. We arrived that afternoon in time to get checked in at registration and run the unclassified full course practice. I took my production car out and ran a few laps. The course was rough with tight turns, but my car handled the track great! I was looking forward to racing on Saturday and Sunday!

I headed to the track early on Saturday morning to coach one of the RZR170 racers that I have been working with. After his race, I headed to tech with my Production 1000 car. I watched a few of the other races and when it was time, I headed to the line. I lined up on row 1 of the SXS Production 1000 class and there were 21 cars in my class. When the green flag flew, we took off! I was P3 off of the line and charged hard right away to make a pass moving me into P2. I pushed in lap 1 chasing down the leader. During lap 2, I hit a rut in an area of the course that had rock walls on either side of me.

The rut pitched me into the air. I landed on my roof and then my car bounced over finally landing on my wheels. I was facing backward on the track and was in an extremely tight and blind area, so I knew I needed to get back on the course quickly. P3 passed me right as I was pulling forward to back up and turn around. As I was backing up, another racer hit me from behind. I wasn’t sure if there was any damage to my car from the roll or the hit, but I got back on the course as quickly as possible. I figured I would know pretty fast if something was wrong with my car. My car felt good as I got going again so I focused on chasing down P2.

I had lost some time and a physical position. I raced as hard as I could to catch P2, but after 7 laps I couldn’t get it done. I crossed the finish line physically in 3rd place but finished the race in 4th place on corrected time. We headed back to the track on Sunday morning to get ready for the SXS 1000 Stock class race in the afternoon. When we arrived, I ran my car through tech, checked the tire pressure, and fueled. I was ready to go! When it was time, I went to staging and lined up on row one of my class. There were 26 cars in total and we were lined up 5 in a row. The flagger waived the one-minute warning and I got ready to go. The flag flew 60 seconds later and we took off! I was P2 off of the line and focused on chasing down the leader.

I knew the track well from running the day before, but it was really torn up after a day and a half of racing. The ruts were way bigger and I didn’t want to get stuck and flip like I did the day before. I raced as fast as I could over the jumps, through the turns, and on the straights. After 7 laps, I was able to maintain position and crossed the finish line in 2nd place. I was happy to have put one of my Polaris RZR RS1’s on the box that weekend!
We’ve got the cars torn down and are gearing up for the final WORCS rounds of the season. We will beat Buffalo Bills in Primm, NV in November to race rounds 8 & 9. I can’t wait to be back in the seat!