Weller and Heger Victorious in UTV; Chiaramonte, Denney, and Siewers Top Juniors

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (July 29, 2020) – It was long overdue, but the 2020 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Presented by GEICO is officially underway, and it was worth the wait. Saturday afternoon kicked off a doubleheader weekend from Southern California’s Glen Helen Raceway, where the OPTIMA Batteries SoCal Shootout Presented by K&N Filters was limited to participants only.

Pro 2

After a thrilling race on Saturday, the final race of the weekend on Sunday afternoon was destined to carry the same level of excitement as Brooks chased the weekend sweep. The champ’s ability to do so would be somewhat influenced by his starting spot, where he lined up alongside polesitter Ryan Beat on the front row. When the field charged down the front stretch at the wave of the green it was Beat who emerged with the lead, with Brooks in second. Beat, a Pro 2 rookie and two-time Pro Lite Champion, looked like the veteran that he is leading his first laps in the premier class, where he paced the field through to the halfway point.

When racing resumed for the second half Beat came under fire from his fellow Pro Lite titleholder immediately. Brooks attempted to slide under Beat for the lead, but the rookie didn’t flinch. On the following lap Beat pushed wide in the final corner and dug into the cushion, which pushed his right rear tire off the rim. That gave Brooks the opening he needed to seize control of the lead, while Doug Mittag moved up to second. For the second straight day Brooks nailed the setup on his truck and ran away from the field in the closing laps to solidify the weekend sweep by more than four seconds over Mittag, while Beat managed to recover with his first podium result.

The near perfect weekend for Brooks allowed him to already establish a double-digit lead in the Pro 2 standings, where he holds a 13-point lead over Beat after two rounds.

Results

1. #77 Jerett Brooks
2. #81 Doug Mittag
3. #51 Ryan Beat
4. #38 Brian Deegan
5. #67 Erik Jacobus

Points (Round 2 of 10)

1. #77 Jerett Brooks - 110
2. #51 Ryan Beat - 97
3. #38 Brian Deegan - 95
4. #81 Doug Mittag - 93
5. #78 Ricky Gutierrez - 88

Pro Lite

With the Saturday victory under his belt, Christopher Polvoorde found himself in a position to sweep the weekend by starting from pole position on Sunday. However, as he attempted to assert himself as the leader on the opening lap Polvoorde over rotated in the second turn and lost valuable track position, which handed the lead over to Cole Mamer. Polvoorde would drop out of the race soon after.

With a clear track Mamer was able to build a comfortable lead over the field, which he carried through to the halfway point. When racing resumed, Mamer looked to reestablish his advantage but a hard-charging Brock Heger applied pressure on the top spot. The lead duo stepped up the pace to pull away from the field and as the laps wore down Mamer gradually distanced himself further and further from Heger, eventually taking his first win of the season by three seconds. Madix Bailey capped off a stellar debut weekend in Pro Lite with back-to-back podium results.

The win puts Mamer atop the championship standings after two rounds, where he holds an eight-point lead over Bailey.

Results

1. #35 Cole Mamer
2. #12 Brock Heger
3. #29 Madix Bailey
4. #59 Jimmy Weitzel
5. #65 Dave Mason Jr.

Points (Round 2 of 10)

1. #35 Cole Mamer - 103
2. #29 Madix Bailey - 95
3. #12 Brock Heger - 93
4. #94 Christopher Polvoorde - 89
5. #59 Jimmy Weitzel - 88

Pro Buggy

Matthew Brister’s hope for a weekend sweep faced a stiff challenge from the get go on Sunday, when he lined up third on the grid behind polesitter Trey D. Gibbs and Darren Hardesty Jr. When the green flag waved, Gibbs quickly jumped out to a multi car length lead over Hardesty while Brister slotted into fourth. After making the pass on the No. 1 of Eliott Watson for third, Brister lost traction in the final corner and spun.

Out front, Gibbs built a huge lead over the field, while Watson settled into a firm hold of second. Brister, meanwhile, was on a mission back to the front and worked his way up to fourth at the halfway point. When the field roared back to life for the second half of the race, Gibbs was forced to fend off pressure from Watson, while Brister faced even more adversity battling for third as contact with Dale Ebberts sent him off track.

The battle for the lead in the closing laps was exceptional, as Gibbs and Watson were never separated by more than a car length. Despite the constant pressure, Gibbs never wavered and held on for his first career win.

Brister’s strong start to the season has him atop the Pro Buggy standings over Watson after two rounds.

Results

1. #15 Trey D. Gibbs
2. #1 Eliott Watson
3. #7 Dale Ebberts
4. #5 Matthew Brister
5. #74 Brady Whitlock

Turbo UTV & Production 1000 UTV

The key to Corry Weller’s success in Turbo UTV has been her ability to start the season off strong. With a dominant win on Saturday she was once again in a position to capture a wave of momentum that she could carry throughout the season. After starting from pole position for Sunday’s race, Weller assumed her familiar spot out front with Ronnie Anderson in tow and cruised through the first half of the race. When they got back racing Anderson made sure to take advantage of the opportunity and made an impressive pass to take the lead. The Polaris RZR driver was able to pace the field for a couple laps, but Weller responded with a savvy pass of her own and checked out to secure a clean sweep of the weekend. She holds a six-point lead over Anderson in the Turbo UTV standings after two rounds.

In Production 1000 UTV, Myles Cheek was going to have his work cut out for him in his attempt to take the win on both Saturday and Sunday. Cheek started Sunday’s race in sixth, behind a slew of tough challengers, led by Robby Hornsby on pole. From the moment the green flag waved the jockeying for track position ensued, with both Brock Heger and Cheek making moves forward to join the lead pack. Out front, Hornsby paced the field for a few laps before Heger powered his Yamaha into the front and led the field to the halfway point. When the racing resumed, Heger maintained his strong performance and brought home his first win of 2020 over Cheek. With his consistent weekend Cheek sits as the early Production 1000 UTV point leader, where he holds a slim three-point margin over Heger.

Turbo UTV Results

1. #1 Corry Weller
2. #752 Ronnie Anderson
3. #764 Robert VanBeekum
4. #703 Trevor Leighton
5. #715 Jessica Gibbs

Turbo UTV Points (Round 2 of 10)

1. #1 Corry Weller - 111
2. #752 Ronnie Anderson - 105
3. #718 Chance Haugen - 89
4. #764 Robert VanBeekum - 89
5. #703 Trevor Leighton - 88

Production 1000 UTV Results

1. #957 Myles Cheek
2. #912 Brock Heger
3. #916 Robby Hornsby
4. #974 Dallas Nord
5. #923 James Price

Production 1000 UTV Points (Round 2 of 10)

1. #957 Myles Cheek - 104
2. #912 Brock Heger - 101
3. #916 Robby Hornsby - 96
4. #923 James Price - 84
5. #974 Bronsen Chiaramonte - 80

Mod Kart, JR2 Kart & RZR 170

Following his impressive drive on Saturday, Connor Barry had everyone’s attention going into Sunday’s Mod Kart action. Barry started on the front row, but found himself in a heated battle for position as Braden Chiaramonte stormed to the early lead. Barry looked to mount a charge to the front until a flip took him out of contention. That allowed Chiaramonte to continue his dominance out front, where he raced to victory over the Eggleston brothers. The win put Chiaramonte atop the Mod Kart standings, where he holds a seven point lead over Trey Eggleston.

With an opening round win under his belt from Saturday, Brodie Martin entered Sunday’s JR2 Kart action with an eye on the sweep. He started the race in third and was able to jump into the lead early, but his time out front was short lived as Logan Leggitt moved out front and controlled the middle of the race. As the laps wound down, Rhyan Denney successfully battled her way into the lead, where she held on to take a big win. The victory moved Denney to the top of the JR2 Kart standings, where she sits 13 points ahead of Dane Culver.

After letting a win slip away on Saturday, TJ Siewers entered Sunday’s RZR 170 race looking to rebound, and he did just that. After starting up front, Siewers had a perfect set up for Round 2, which allowed him to dominate the entirety of the race. The youngster led every lap and even held off some late pressure from Ian Torfi and Ryder VanBeekum to take his first win of the season, while George Llamosas quietly finished just off the podium in fourth. Siewers sits atop the RZR 170 point standings after two rounds, where he holds a nine point lead over Torfi.

Mod Kart Results

1. #573 Braden Chiaramonte
2. #514 Brody Eggleston
3. #590 Trey Eggleston
4. #577 Ethan Ebert
5. #554 Luke Knupp

Mod Kart Points (Round 2 of 10)

1. #573 Braden Chiaramonte - 106
2. #590 Trey Eggleston - 99
3. #528 Connor Barry - 98 
4. #514 Brody Eggleston - 93
5. #577 Ethan Ebert - 91

JR2 Kart Results

1. #460 Rhyan Denney
2. #481 Logan Leggitt
3. #415 Chaden Zane Minder
4. #497 Jessie Owens
5. #411 Talan Martin

JR2 Kart Points (Round 2 of 10)

1. #460 Rhyan Denney - 108
2. #401 Dane Culver - 95
3. #415 Chaden Zane Minder - 90
4. #481 Logan Leggitt - 89
5. #411 Talan Martin - 86

RZR 170 Results

1. #101 TJ Siewers
2. #102 Ian Torfi
3. #164 Ryder VanBeekum
4. #188 George Llamosas
5. #124 Zoe Easton

RZR 170 Points (Round 2 of 10)

1. #101 TJ Siewers - 110
2. #102 Ian Torfi - 101
3. #188 George Llamosas - 98
4. #164 Ryder VanBeekum - 94
5. #161 Daxton Ruane - 87

The 2020 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series will return to action in late August with a historic weekend from Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri. The anticipated return to the track for the first time since 2018 will feature the series’ first ever tripleheader with three afternoon showcases in the heart of the midwest. The first race of the weekend will take place on Friday, August 21, followed by back-to-back races over the weekend on Saturday, August 22, and Sunday, August 23. Tickets for Rounds 3, 4, & 5 are now available, while live streaming coverage of the weekend can be seen on Lucas Oil Racing TV.

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