Official Results for Ultra4 American RockSports Challenge
July 25, 2011 – Tooele, UT: Question: What do you get when you cross a dirt short course track with a formidable man-made rock crawling course? Answer: The Ultra4 American RockSports Challenge.
Hammerking Productions, Inc. the organizers behind King of The Hammers and The Ultra4 Stampede put their own twist on short course racing last weekend at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, UT with a brand new race called The American RockSports Challenge which fans are describing as “the best new race since King of The Hammers.”
None of the 40+ Ultra4 drivers in attendance knew what to expect. For some, the K-rails, tight turns and table top jumps proved intimidating. For others, it was the steep slopes of the man-made rock pile that made them uncomfortable. When the track was declared open for practice rounds, the normally competitive Ultra4 drivers did something no one had expected: They waited for someone else to go first. Once the initial jitters wore off and the first cars took to the track it wasn’t long before Ultra4s were soaring high into the air and attacking the rock pile with a vengeance.
Saturday’s race format was comprised of 6 laps of short course paired with 2 trips to the rock pile. Once the drivers completed one full lap on the short course, they could choose when to hit the rocks adding an element of strategy never before seen in short course racing. Unlike other Ultra4 events, the drivers were allowed to have their spotter/co-driver outside the vehicle in the spotter stand assisting with strategy.
The American RockSports Challenge proved to be a great showcase for the Ultra4 cars and drivers. Many of the top names in Ultra4 racing came out including current King of The Hammers, Shannon Campbell with both his brother, Nick and son, Wayland all racing. The Campbell family dominated almost every heat in which they competed. By the end of the day, it looked as though Ultra4 Series leader Shannon Campbell would have another win under his belt.
However, in a surprising upset, Team GenRight’s Kevin Sacalas would come back from a Last Chance Qualifier round to defeat Monster’s Shannon Campbell in the last 30 seconds of the final race. Sacalas wowed the crowd throughout the day with high-flying jumps and mid-air passes in his turbo-charged V8. His final laps racing neck and neck with Campbell are sure to go down in the history books of Ultra4. When the checkered flag came down it would be Sacalas followed by Cambpell with Torchmate Racing’s Jesse Haines claiming 3rd place on the podium.
The racing action was streamed live online at Ultra4 Racing’s web site: www.ultra4racing.com. For those that missed the main event archived video is still available at www.ultra4racing.com/live.
Please see below for official results for last weekend’s race. The next Ultra4 Race will be the Ultra4 Stampede held on September 10th in Reno, NV at Exit 28 Motorsports Park.
Official Ultra4 Series Points for the 2011 Ultra4 American Rock Sports Challenge can be found at http://www.ultra4racing.com/racers/grid
1
4435
Kevin Sacalas**
23:54:00
2
5
Shannon Campbell
23:57:00
3
4499
Jesse Haines
24:01:00
4
4431
Mike Klensin**
24:09:00
5
81
Levi Shirley**
24:09:00
6
4446
Gary Ferravanti
24:19:00
7
8
Nick Campbell**
24:22:00
8
5252
Bill Baird
24:49:00
9
4138
Craig Ross**
24:50:00
10
4484
Casey Beach
DNF
11
232
Brad Lovell**
DNF
12
4498
Rusty Bray
DNF
Consolation Standings
13
4410
Curtis Warner**
14
4434
Kevin Yoder**
15
50
Dave Bovich
16
4461
Ben Napier
17
4474
Richie Carter
18
27
John Cagliero
19
966
Jason Blanton
20
4481
Alex Hardaway
21
4478
Les Figueroa
22
53
Chris Hoyt
23
4411
Dean Bulloch
24
4428
Loren Healy
** indicates those drivers that qualified for the 2012 Griffin King of The Hammers
Ultra4 Racing is part of Hammerking Productions, Inc., creators of the “King of the Hammers” race termed, “the hardest one day off-road race in the world.” The Ultra4 series now includes six races, fived produced by Hammerking Productions. The 2011 Griffin King of the Hammers was the 5th event with over 150 drivers and 15,000 fans from around the globe in the desert of Johnson Valley. Hammerking Productions has produced three full length feature films and multiple TV episodes around King of the Hammers. For more information on Ultra4 Racing please visit www.ultra4racing.com or become a fan on facebook at www.facebook.com/ultra4racing.