UROC Pro Pacific #2 – UROC au’ Natural
Team Lovell Takes Series Lead with 2nd Place Finish

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Round #2 of the UROC Pro Pacific tour shook the rock, and the confidence of some pro rockcrawling teams, during its only stop on a natural course this season. Teams were absolutely pushed to the limit with the most technically challenging courses to date. Winning scores in the Modified Class, usually in the negative, topped 300 points after the final runs were completed. More than one driver wore a puzzled look as they were defeated by the remarkable courses.

It was a game of survival this weekend as gates were being intentionally taken to save precious seconds needed to complete courses. The first day found Team Lovell facing course #1 that consisted of a twisty climb, boulder field, 10’ drop, and undercut climb. The pair worked quickly to conserve time but only had 1:07 left before the final ascent. Smoke and rock flew as Brad stuck the throttle looking for the right line. Only 14 seconds remained as Brad made his last attempt hurling the Ranger into the wall. When the smoke cleared, the truck was on top of wall with 3 seconds to spare. The FABTECH Ford Ranger would be the only Modified to complete course #1.

If the courses were not enough to challenge teams, the weather on Saturday surely filled the void. 60 mph wind forced judges to nail cones to the rocks and blowing sand peppered diehard fans. The wild weather caused communication issues between driver and spotter due to wind noise through the radios. At the end of the elimination round, the Lovells found themselves in 1st Place and the weather improving. The brothers lined up for the semi-finals only to discover a flat tire. UROC rules allowed the team 3 minutes for the repair so Brad raced to the BFGoodrich Tires support truck under Roger’s direction. FABTECH teammate Tracy Jordan was ready with the air line and got the team back to the start gate with time to spare. “We really have to thank Tracy and the BFGoodrich Tires crew,” said Brad, “That was a life saver.”

The team twisted and clawed through the final courses until they lined up against Cedar City’s most infamous climb – a granite slab rising 23 ft at 68 degrees. “It’s been done, but we didn’t want the ride that we saw the other guys getting.” After a couple stabs, the roaring Ford V-8 put torque to the Alloy USA axle shafts and the Ranger shot to the top. The Lovells would find disappointment; however, as their custom transfer case shifter broke only feet from the finish gate. Roger added, “We were pushing a part way past its intended limitation for several years, at some point it is going to give up.” The effort was good enough to land the FABTECH sponsored team in 2nd Place giving them a strong lead in their bid to reclaim the UROC Pro Modified Championship.

Lovell Racing has a fast turn around as they prepare for the June 3rd XRRA Rock Race in their hometown of Colorado Springs, CO.  Be sure to watch as the team faces off against 35 of the nations toughest racers in a no holds barred race to the finish. Click here for more information on Lovell Rock Racing.

For more information on AMSOIL and Team AMSOIL racing, go to www.amsoil.com.

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