XRRA Rock Racing Ignites Colorado Springs
Lovell Racing Wins in Front of Hometown Crowd

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XRRA Rock Racing set southern Colorado racing fans aghast this weekend with what is best described as a cross between technical rockcrawling and stadium racing. The Colorado Springs track at the RAM Off-road Park has become known as the fastest in the circuit. Recent changes have been made by park staff to include more rock, steeper climbs, and even a double jump. A field of 28 teams entered the race including Shannon Campbell, veteran rock racer JT Taylor, Red Bull’s Becca Webster, and 2005 XRRA champion Peter Wells. Being that rock racing is relatively new to the scene some may wonder how it works. It is simple – four timed runs, lowest cumulative time wins; two-minute penalty for breaking the banner or knocking over a pylon.

Colorado Springs natives Brad and Roger Lovell had little time to prepare their modified class rockcrawler for racing. Roger described the effort, “Brad made repairs to the body while I got the ballast out of the front tires and welded in a co-driver grab handle. That’s about all we had time for, the paint was still wet at tech inspection.” While the team’s Ranger is specifically designed for highly technical rockcrawling courses, it hides a 250 horsepower Ford 302 under the hood. The V-8 power combined with a 3-speed Art Carr C-4 transmission and moderate gear reduction proved to be a competitive combination for racing as well as crawling.

The team put down consistently low times on the first 3 runs and faced a tough decision on the last course – go for the double jump or lose precious seconds with a conservative approach. “We were up against the best racers in country in front of a hometown crowd,” Brad explained, “They bought a ticket and we are the show.” The Ford roared to life and Brad hit 3rd before the FABTECH/AMSOIL Ranger sailed off the jump. Unfortunately, the team spent valuable space lining up for the jump and lacked speed. The truck crashed into the second berm eventually sending the vehicle into a nose stand, destined for disaster. “I remember feeling the hit and seeing a lot of dirt. I guess instinct told me to mash the throttle. I did and it paid off. The rear came crashing down knocking the breath out of Roger, but we were on our wheels.”  The brothers quickly recovered and struggled to make up for lost time, finishing with another jump through the exit gates.

The resiliency of the Ranger and piloting effort by the brothers was enough to earn the team a 1st place finish overcoming 2nd place finisher Shannon Campbell by less than 20 seconds.  “I think we won it through communication, consistency, and teamwork,” said Brad, “I have to give a lot of credit to Roger for seamlessly switching roles from spotter to co-driver. He was operating the lockers, transfer case, and cutting brake – basically half the truck. We had the clearest communication ever through a new Roundeyes intercom radio.” The FABTECH/AMSOIL Ford Ranger became the first vehicle to win both a UROC Pro National rockcrawl and an XRRA rock race.

Both Lovells would like to thank XRRA staff, RAM Off-road Park, PSC Performance, fellow competitors, and local supporters for a fantastic race. Action continues in a few weeks as Lovell Racing continues their quest to the top of 2006. Click here for more information on Lovell Rock Racing.

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

News Contact:
AMSOIL Racing Coordinator
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racing@amsoil.com