Last Sunday, I loaded up “Big Blue” (my 2018 RZR Turbo) and drove 2 hours and 15 minutes to Knesek Ranch in Rockdale, TX for Round 3 of the 2021 TORCS cross-country series. After taking a win from each of the last 3 races in a row (going back to Nov. 2020), I was curious to see if I could keep my win-streak alive. Lucky for me, my son and “good luck” charm (Cash) was able to join me for this race on the last day of his spring break at Texas State. Win or lose, this was sure to be a fun event with “mini-me” by my side. Below is my race write-up.
WHERE:
Rockdale, TX… it’s a small town approximately 40 miles west of College Station. This property is mostly flat and covered with mesquite trees and cactus surrounding a large pasture area near the front of the property. I’ve raced on this track several times and always enjoy it.
TRACK CONDITIONS:
When I arrived at the track around 1:10 pm, the weather was nice… sunny and mid-70 temps. The ground was dry, so dust would be a factor in the race. However, the dust didn’t hang in the air for too long thanks to a constant breeze.
The track was 3.3 miles long according to Big Blue’s odometer. This year, the course looked very similar to past races held at this property, so I was very familiar with the layout and terrain.
PARADE LAP & HOT LAP:
When the parade lap started at 2:30 pm, a dozen or so eager side-by-sides gathered near the starting line.
After a quick riders meeting led by Terry D., the parade lap got rolling. Cash and I jumped in line near the front of the pack and followed slowly around the course. Like last time we were here, this track was pretty straight-forward with no scary hazards or technical areas to worry about other than tire obstacles, such as thorny mesquite trees and cactus.
Just like the last few years, the first half-mile of this course was a fast, zig-zag run around a big, open pasture. After several back and forth turns, the course makes fast run towards the far end of the pasture where racers have to make a left-hand, 180-degree turn followed about 100 yards later by a right-hand, 180-degree turn and then continues straight again.
Next, the track makes one last 180-degree (left) turn into the sparse woods and continues through the trees for about 2 miles. Unlike last year, the track wasn’t rutted up too bad this year, so that made it a little easier. However, the edges of the trail were occasionally lined with cactus, which kept racers on their toes.
At the end of the woods section, the course dumps racers into the pasture area again for a final half-mile run of fast, sweeping turns before going through the scoring schute and starting the next lap.
Strategy-wise, the game plan was the same as always for this property… the safest bet is to make a pass in the pasture area near the beginning and ending of each lap b/c there were not many places wide enough to safely pass in the woods. The only downside to passing in the pasture was the occasional presence of heavy dust.
CLASSES:
On the front row, there were 2 UTVs in the PRO SxS class. Next, our Turbo SxS class had a total of 5 side-by-sides (two RZR turbos and three Can Am X3s), and behind us were a handful of buggies in the Non-turbo SxS class. This turnout was a little light compared to last year, but I was happy to see 5 competitors in my (Turbo) class this time.
THE START:
The starting area was in the large pasture near the entrance of the property. From the starting line, we had approximately 50 feet to the first left turn. Cash and I were lined up to the far left side of the starting line. After we are all buckled in, Cash and I said a quick prayer for all the racers and finished it with a special fist bump for good luck. As always, this routine helps calm our nerves and gets us focused on the start.
When the green flag finally when up, I turned the key and quickly let go as soon as I heard the motor roar to life. But wait! We’re not moving. Oh, crapola. Apparently, I didn’t turn the key quite long enough to fire up the engine, so I cranked it once more and we were the last SxS leaving the line. Grrr!
LAPS 1 – 4:
As we came through the first (left) turn, dust was already heavy in the air and I could see just enough to know that Cash and I were somewhere near the back of the pack. I took the outside line for the next (right) turn and we exited in 4th place.
As we headed towards the next turn, dust covered everything in our path. I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. Ugh. I get anxious whenever that happens b/c I can’t tell if I’m still on the course, and I have no idea if the rider behind me can see me. GULP! I decided to play it safe and head towards the right side of the track in search of clean air. Finally, we broke free and saw the track again. Back on the gas we went in hot pursuit of the 3rd position car (X3). Several turns later, we were heading towards the last straight run near the back of the pasture and still chasing the same X3 from a distance of about 25+ yards.
Soon after we entered the trees, I noticed the X3 ahead of me backing up. He apparently took a turn too soon. He got back on course just about the time I caught up to his rear bumper. A few turns later, the trail makes a hard 180-degree right turn around a small tree and the X3 went wide and let me go around him. Woo hoo! Cash and I were now in 3rd.
That left only two racers ahead of us. So I kept the pedal to the floor as we chased down Collin (RZR) and Greg/Michael (X3).
Near the back part of the woods, I finally saw Collin and Greg/Michael ahead of us. I tried to pick a spot on the course and count the seconds til we got there… looks like we were running almost 20 seconds behind 2nd place. As we exited the woods, I also noticed my buddy Dwight (orange Yamaha) from the Non-turbo class was not too far behind. Hard to tell, but it looked like he was leading his class and making great time. That put the pressure on Cash and me to pick up the pace.
A few laps later, I started feeling comfortable on the course and got into a rhythm. My third lap felt like it was my fastest yet, and I was feeling good. In the woods, it appeared that we were still about 17 or 18 seconds behind Greg and Michael with Collin still hanging onto the lead.
As we started the woods section on the 4th lap, I asked Cash if he was okay and having fun. He said “yeah,” and I kept my right foot in the floor. Suddenly, I noticed Big Blue felt squirrelly around a left-hand turn. Then I heard a funny noise and something felt WRONG… almost like something was dragging from the rear of our RZR. I tried to pull off the trail immediately, but there was no place to safely move over. So I continued another 15 yards up the trail til I found a small clearing on the left side where I could pull over and inspect the damage.
As soon as I stepped out of Big Blue, I instantly knew our race was over. The left rear wheel was cocked at a 45-degree angle, which was apparently caused by the rear axle breaking off at the end (near the threads). Doh! Oddly enough, we had the same problem happen a year ago when my right rear axle broke near the threads during the Stick’s race. It won’t be a cheap repair, but at least I know how to fix it.
Breaking down in the middle of a race meant that Cash and I had a long walk back to the parking lot to wait for the checkered flag. After the race was over, Terry D. gave Cash and me a ride back to our disabled RZR. Cash climbed into Big Blue’s driver seat and I literally hung off the right side (standing on the nerf bars) to take off as much weight as possible from the damaged left rear wheel. With Terry following closely, Cash and I slowly maneuvered a half-mile or so of track til we safely reached the parking lot. Whew! It was a big relief when the 3 of us finally loaded Big Blue back onto the trailer.
RACE RESULTS:
Congrats to Collin for taking the win, and to Greg/Michael for finishing 2nd. I’m not sure who finished 3rd and 4th, but I know Cash and I ended up last. It wasn’t the result I was looking for, but it was still a blast while it lasted. As I always say, a bad day at the race track beats a good day in the office every time!
SHAMELESS PLUG:
In case you haven’t heard, my latest book about off-road racing with Cash entitled TEXAS OFF-ROAD RACING: A Father-Son Journey to a Side-by-Side Championship is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other book retailers. Get your copy today!
As always, I have to say a BIG THANK YOU to Gil and Jackie and the entire TORCS crew for hosting another FUN event! I hope you enjoyed my race write-up.
