DANVILLE, CA APRIL 8, 2013 Jason Scherer wins the first race in the Ultra4 Trail Gear Western Series, the MetalCloak NorCal Stampede, at Prairie City SVRA on Saturday April 6th. After finishing first in his pre-qualification heat race on Friday, he ran home to Danville, CA to replace and rebuild his differential before the main race on Saturday. Showing up just hours before the green flag, he started in the second row of the main and by the first lap was already leading the race putting on a very impressive show for the crowd that included many of his family and friends. “I am so excited to win this race! Not only is it a win for me and my core sponsors including Rubicon Express, Nitto Tires and PSC Steering, but also to be able to share it with all my family and friends at a local to home track is awesome!” said Jason Scherer, driver of the Rubicon Express #76 car at the awards ceremony on Saturday evening. “The track was a lot of fun and I am really excited to be able to come back to this new venue. Not only is it great racing, but it is nice to be close to home!”
Video on Jason Scherer at the Nitto National Championship Race
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10ffR7ZEYnY
This weekend’s MetalCloak Ultra4 Stampede race was close his home in Danville and the home of Sacramento based Rubicon Express, at Prairie City SVRA in Rancho Cordova, CA. Split almost equally between the Bay Area and the historic Rubicon Trail, Prairie City was an excellent place for Scherer’s family and friends to come and watch. “It was really neat to have all my family and friends that know I race, but have never been able to come out and watch, be able to join in on the fun,” said Scherer. “This is also the home track for Rubicon Express and our next race will be at Glen Helen in Southern California which will be the home track for 4 Wheel Parts, another exciting race to look forward to.”
The track conditions for the qualifying heats were perfect with rain showers most of the day on Thursday, but clearing for Friday and Saturday. “I was in a heat with Shannon Campbell, who is just plain fast; Kevin Yoder and Jesse Haines, who are both used to racing the NorCal Rock Races; and we battled! It was a very fun battle and with the attrition of cars, I took first with fair lead,” explained Jason. “But I could hear the front differential making a lot of noise and knew that if I didn’t want it to break during the main race that I would need to take it home and fix it.”
“We were up all night. The guys that came and helped me, including my brother Casey, were awesome. We pulled out the diff, completely rebuilt it, put it all back together again, then loaded the car back on the trailer and just barely got back to Prairie City with a couple hours to spare before the main race,” said Jason. “The race itself was intense. I was in the second row next to Loren Healey. Gary Ferravanti didn’t make it about a lap when he pulled off, and then JT Stephens fell back soon after. Loren Healey and I had a couple of great laps of heated battle before I started to pull away. Then it was just a matter of making the car last to the end. With it being a timed race, I knew I just had to stay out in front and finish to Win!”
The #76 car went to Texas to the PSC Steering shop after the King of the Hammers finish. Jason started on the pole position at the 2013 Griffin King of the Hammers presented by Nitto Tires and finished 21st with 25 minutes to go. Jason completed two entire laps of the race with no power steering, stating it was one of the most physically and mentally demanding races in his career. Back at the shop, after tearing the steering system apart, it was determined that it was internal pieces in the steering rack that was the cause of the issue. “The car really wasn’t beat up after King of the Hammers, it just needed a new steering rack rebuilt. Two years in a row we have had the same issue, and I will guarantee you after the fix we put on it this time, it won’t be an issue again!”
The army green colored race car with Air Force style panels complimenting the strong Rubicon Express, Nitto Tires and PSC Steering logos was at the Moab Easter Jeep Safari Vendor Show, and then it went straight to Northern California for the MetalCloak Stampede. Jason took first in his pre-qualifying heat race on Friday then went home and spent all night fixing a broken differential. The Scherer team arrived back at the race track with only a couple of hours to spare, but when the green flag dropped Jason was determined to Win the 45 minute grand prix finish main on Saturday.
The next race for Jason Scherer will be the Ultra4 4 Wheel Parts Glen Helen Grand Prix May 24th-25th.
Special Thanks to all the Marketing Partners that Make this Success Possible: Rubicon Express, PSC Steering, Nitto Tires, Spidertrax, PAC Spring, Method Race Wheels, Powertank, FOX Shox, Reid Racing, Baja Designs, Maximum Transmissions, High Angle Drivelines, Redline Oil, Tribe Customs 4×4
More about Jason Scherer: Jason Scherer has been racing for over 15 years and has stood on the podium at many events winning one of the most prestigious events: The 2009 King of the Hammers. He also has a third place finish in 2011 and won the 2012 Nitto National Championship Race in Blackwell Texas. His consistency and race car set-up is also proven winning the Pro-Rock Championship in 2006, repeating in 2007. Jason’s growing list of high profile finishes have earned him the honor of being nominated for Dirt Sports “Driver of the Year” award two years in a row. Scherer embraces his racing career with a very supportive wife and children who join him on the trails of Northern California in their 1972 Jeep CJ-6.
Photos Compliments of Bower Motorsports Media