Dirt Riot endurance racing started the Central Series in Marble Falls, Texas, on March 14, 2014. The Hidden Falls Adventure Park was the chosen location to mark out the three-and-a-half mile course.
Do not let the limited mileage number make you think this was an easy course. Course designers Josh England and Big Rich know how to use a small space to set up a course to entertain spectators, as well as the drivers. This course, in particular, snaked through the back section of Hidden Falls Adventure Park and had lots of high speed turns and a few jumps that would kick drivers sideways if they were not in the zone. Josh England and Big Rich designed this course for drivers to be able to improve their lap time each lap, so that the most consistent team would come out on top. After the awards racers were sharing strategies about each turn and jump, saying how they would need to come into a turn or jump at just the right speed to navigate it smoothly. Even though the turns and jumps were constant, the rock sections were also there to challenge the drivers on every lap.
The first Central Series Dirt Riot race had a great turnout which allowed them to run three races. The first race of the day was the UTV class with 18 drivers for a one-hour endurance race. Next up were the Unlimited Trail, Modified Trail, and Stock Trail classes for another hour-long race, and at the same time the 4600 and 4500 class ran an hour-and-a-half-long race. This gave a total of 11 racers on course for the second race. It was then time for the main event: a two-hour race with nine 4400 rigs to go all out and battle for the top spot.
There is a reason why Dirt Riot is called “endurance racing,” one to two hours on a three mile course might not sound very hard but after 30-45 minutes the drivers and their rigs start to get fatigued. With short laps like this, every turn and every second counts – drivers need to hit their marks and be consistent. At the same time they need to make sure not to push the rig beyond its limits. Sometimes the smallest things will end your day in endurance racing, but at the same time it is likely that other drivers have similar problems. Drivers will try to fix problems trackside to get back on track. During this race we saw everything from zip tied heim joints, self-recovered rollovers, winching up hills backwards, and removing a broken axle shaft to run in three-wheel drive.
This was a really fun, fast course for drivers and spectators and we can't wait get out to another Dirt Riot event. Make sure to check out http://www.werocklive.com to find the next event near you.
Photo Gallery Link http://www.rockcrawler.com/forum/media/albums/dirt-riot-in-marble-falls-texas-march-14th-2014.5/
Do not let the limited mileage number make you think this was an easy course. Course designers Josh England and Big Rich know how to use a small space to set up a course to entertain spectators, as well as the drivers. This course, in particular, snaked through the back section of Hidden Falls Adventure Park and had lots of high speed turns and a few jumps that would kick drivers sideways if they were not in the zone. Josh England and Big Rich designed this course for drivers to be able to improve their lap time each lap, so that the most consistent team would come out on top. After the awards racers were sharing strategies about each turn and jump, saying how they would need to come into a turn or jump at just the right speed to navigate it smoothly. Even though the turns and jumps were constant, the rock sections were also there to challenge the drivers on every lap.
The first Central Series Dirt Riot race had a great turnout which allowed them to run three races. The first race of the day was the UTV class with 18 drivers for a one-hour endurance race. Next up were the Unlimited Trail, Modified Trail, and Stock Trail classes for another hour-long race, and at the same time the 4600 and 4500 class ran an hour-and-a-half-long race. This gave a total of 11 racers on course for the second race. It was then time for the main event: a two-hour race with nine 4400 rigs to go all out and battle for the top spot.
There is a reason why Dirt Riot is called “endurance racing,” one to two hours on a three mile course might not sound very hard but after 30-45 minutes the drivers and their rigs start to get fatigued. With short laps like this, every turn and every second counts – drivers need to hit their marks and be consistent. At the same time they need to make sure not to push the rig beyond its limits. Sometimes the smallest things will end your day in endurance racing, but at the same time it is likely that other drivers have similar problems. Drivers will try to fix problems trackside to get back on track. During this race we saw everything from zip tied heim joints, self-recovered rollovers, winching up hills backwards, and removing a broken axle shaft to run in three-wheel drive.
This was a really fun, fast course for drivers and spectators and we can't wait get out to another Dirt Riot event. Make sure to check out http://www.werocklive.com to find the next event near you.
Photo Gallery Link http://www.rockcrawler.com/forum/media/albums/dirt-riot-in-marble-falls-texas-march-14th-2014.5/