Events « SoCalTrucks.com

Joe Sylvester Wins Young Guns Shootout and a Spot in Monster Jam World Finals

Posted on Thursday at 2:37

Sometimes childhood dreams do come true. For Joe Sylvester, they came true at the Monster Jam World Finals℠ in Las Vegas in March. Sylvester and his Bad Habit monster truck shocked the racing community on his way to a win in the Young Guns Shootout, garnering his small-town Ohio team a spot in the World Finals main event and a showdown with the most harrowing monster truck of them all, Grave Digger.

“Winning the Young Guns Shootout was definitely the highlight of my career,” said Sylvester, a former dirt bike racer. “It ranks right up there with my world record jump back in 2010. My team prepared tremendous amount with our sights set on winning in Vegas and it was very gratifying to take home the trophy.”

Sylvester and his team couldn’t celebrate too much in Sin City, as they had to turn around and be prepared for a full day of racing and freestyle on Saturday night. While the truck and driver were both up to the task, Grave Digger driver Dennis Anderson did what he has done to so many others in his illustrious career: claim another victim. “This was my first time against Dennis in seven years of monster truck racing,” Sylvester said. “I’ve raced against all of the other Digger drivers, but never Dennis. It was a close race for sure.”

While Sylvester put in a solid performance in freestyle, the team came up just short there as well. Still, for a team working on such a tight budget, Sylvester was all smiles. “We have a very limited budget and a part-time crew,” Sylvester said. “It takes my focus in more directions than just driving because I also drive the transporter, wrench on the truck, run the business and pay the bills. It is definitely challenging to compete against trucks with an unlimited budget and a dedicated driver, but hey, we did it. “The notoriety has been great for my sponsors.”

Sylvester was already working on a busy summer schedule working the independent tour and local shows, one of which he is promoting. But those aren’t the only goals Sylvester has this year. “The show I am promoting at the Canfield Fairgrounds on June 29th is taking a lot of my time right now, but I’m also planning another world record jump. I also want to break in to the scene of short course off road racing in the Pro Light class. We are currently seeking partnerships to support us in entering the rapidly growing sport.”

Sylvester is thankful to have some time back for himself after ending the busy Monster Jam® schedule. “I get back on my normal training routine and just keep moving forward with my latest projects. 2013 has been a great year so far and it has only really just begun.”

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

Casey Currie Takes Over LOORS Pro Lite Points Lead

Posted on Thursday at 2:28

This past weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Casey Currie and the Monster Energy/General Tire team built on the solid foundation it established at the opening rounds of the 2013 Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series (LOORS) season last month. Currie was the most consistent driver on the track all weekend long in Las Vegas, posting back-to-back runner-up finishes in the third and fourth rounds of the championship to take over the Pro Lite points lead.

On Friday afternoon, Currie spent the day dialing his Monster Energy/General Tire truck over the course of two sessions. Currie positioned himself with the seventh and sixth-fastest times within each session. The following morning in qualifying, Currie put his truck in 6th place on the grid for Round 3 on Saturday afternoon.

As the green flag waved on the first Pro Lite Main of the weekend, Currie quickly made moves towards the front, picking up two positions on the opening lap. He continued his forward progress throughout the remainder of the first half of the 12-lap race and sat in sixth at the time of the full-course caution at the halfway mark. When racing resumed, Currie was on the charge yet again, grabbing two more spots and beginning a hotly contested battle for fourth. On the final lap, Currie refused to let up and grabbed two more spots before taking the checkered flag in second.

“We struggled all day Friday and it was because of a decision I made at the shop,” Currie commented. “My team worked really hard Saturday morning and fixed the issue. Starting in the back made it tough to get to the front, but with the truck working awesome we took our time and made it all the way to second.”

As Round 4 got underway with qualifying on Sunday morning, Currie’s momentum from his runner-up effort led to his quickest lap of the weekend, which lined him up in seventh on the grid.

At the drop of the green flag, Currie asserted himself just outside the top five and patiently waited for his opportunity to strike. On Lap 2 he made his move and jumped into fourth, where he would stay through the break at the halfway point. Currie battled hard over the final half of competition, jumping into second with one lap remaining to claim another runner-up performance.

“The track was hammered for our race on Sunday,” said Currie. “To finish this round shows how durable the truck is. On another note, I’m excited to see all three trucks that were built in my shop finish 1-2-3. Also, with two solid days of racing we took over the points lead.”

Currie was rewarded for being the driver to score the most points on the weekend by taking over the championship lead heading into the third weekend of competition next month. He currently holds a 3-point lead in the standings after posting 3-4-2-2 results through the first four rounds of action. To cap off a successful weekend for Currie and his Monster Energy/General Tire team, the top three finishers on Sunday – RJ Anderson, Currie, and Kyle Hart – all piloted trucks that were built at Currie’s Corona, Calif., race shop.

Currie and his team will set their sights on defending the Pro Lite points lead at Rounds 5-6 of the 2013 LOORS season from Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park in Lake Elsinore, Calif., on May 17-19. With three weeks to prepare, Currie will look to continue improving his Monster Energy/General Tire truck in search of success under the SoCal sun.

To keep up with all of Casey’s racing visit www.caseycurrie.com

Tags: casie, racing, trucks

Pastrana and Menzies tackle X Games

Posted on Monday at 2:12

KMC drivers Travis Pastrana and Bryce Menzies joined a 15-car field of international racing stars for the first round of the 2013 Global Rallycross Championship in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil. The duo tackled the slick and dusty course in a pair 600-horsepower Dodge Dart Rallycross cars. Neither made the podium, but the KMC-backed team is looking forward to their next shot in May.

In rallycross, drivers progress through a series of heats to a last-chance-qualifier and then to the winner-take-all final. Unfortunately Pastrana and Menzies both qualified into the same opening heat and while Pastrana moved directly to the Final, Menzies had to battle it out in the Last Chance Qualifier.

Menzies suffered bad luck when the car that was gridded in front of him stalled just a few feet from the starting line and Menzies crashed into his bumper, unable to continue. In the Final, Pastrana also got caught in a crash when all 10 cars dove into the first corner and four tangled. When a red flag stopped the race, medal favorites Pastrana, Ken Block, and Tanner Foust, along with IndyCar veteran Buddy Rice, had all suffered too much damage to restart.

Pastrana won his first Global Rallycross contest for Dodge in 2012 at the fourth round held at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He returns to rallycross this season while also contesting a full NASCAR Nationwide schedule. He scored his third top-10 finish of the season this past weekend in Richmond. Menzies also competes for KMC Wheels in off-road and desert racing. He ran his first two rallycross events in 2012 and will take on a full 2013 schedule.

The next round for the team is in Barcelona, Spain, on May 19 at X Games. Coverage will be shown live on ESPN. For more info on their wheels sponsor, KMC, visit KMCwheels.com

Tags: racing, trucks, x-games

All American Four Wheelers Organize Big Bear Trail Run to Support Troops

Posted on Friday at 9:45

A group of vets known as the All American Four Wheelers have organized a trail run in Big Bear, California to support our troops and pay respects to the fallen. The Wounded Warrior Trail Run happening May 3-5 has over 30 rigs participating and includes a raffle to raise money for the Wounded Warriors Project.

“We started talking about it amongst the guys in our Jeep Wrangler forum and we thought it would be great to have a meet and greet for the veterans,” says Joe Johnson, Army Staff Sergeant and co-organizer.

The inaugural run this weekend will take on the Gold Mountain trail, Onyx summit, and Holcomb creek. A special honorary run to Pontiac Sluice/Heartbreak Ridge will pay respects to fallen Marine captain Alan Rowe. Rowe was killed nine years ago during Operation Iraqi Freedom and was posthumously promoted to major. He was a wheeling enthusiast and member of the So-Cal Broncos club.

“The overarching theme of the Big Bear Trail Run is taking care of our own,” says Johnson. He admits that the organizers didn’t expect to have the numbers involved and the Jeep forum got them sparked. “We have 40 who are interested in going and 90% have been military or are active duty.” Each branch of service will be represented with veterans from Vietnam, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom wheeling.

“We’re going to be Jeep Wrangler heavy, but it’s for all 4x4s and we have some full-size trucks going with us as well,” says Johnson. The event is open to anyone in the 4×4 community who wants to show their support for the military and forge bonds with other Jeepers.

Teraflex and GenRight are among the companies donating items for the raffle and all proceeds collected will go to the Wounded Warriors Project. Raffle tickets are $20 and purchasers are eligible for a chance to win a 25% off gift certificate from ARB along with other prizes.

The All American Four Wheelers Facebook page is the go-to resource to learn more about upcoming events and see pictures posted of the Wounded Warrior Trail Run.

The goal is to go semi-annual, holding one trail run in May near Memorial Day and a desert run in November around Veterans Day. For those who want to join the Wrangler Forum members when they break new ground at Big Bear, meet at Hanna Flats Campground in the San Bernardino National Forest May 3-5. There are 87 camp sites and 18 first-come first-served sites at Hanna Flats.

David Beran is a Copywriter at 4WD

Tags: big bear, jeeps, mud run, soldiers, trucks, wounded warrior

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