Lake Elsinore, CA – The RacePro Tech team was on track in more ways than one during rounds 3 and 4 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, (LOORRS) at Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park in Lake Elsinore, Ca. First off, it’s important to be specific because the team does double duty, racing their 6100 class truck in the desert and the Pro Lite trucks of team owner and driver Justin Peck, and teammate Ray Griffith in LOORRS short course events. Secondly, big changes were made to the set-ups on both Pro Lite trucks at the beginning of the season and they are both performing as expected. With so many systems on the trucks, and so many variables at each venue they visit, the ongoing tuning development has definitely been on track.
MORE LUCAS OIL OFF ROAD COVERAGE
Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Recap from Lake Elsinore
The team’s goal is consistency. Get the trucks to the finish, despite the carnage that takes place on the track. “It was gnarly on Saturday; parts and pieces were flying everywhere,” said Justin Peck, “My truck came in as a bare frame after the race. Some of these guys must not be writing the checks for their parts. Our crew really came through for me, I landed nose heavy off a jump and the skid plate got pushed up into the steering system. The truck was getting hard to turn; there was obviously a leak. We got a bit of luck as the yellow flag came out so I pulled into the hot pits. The crew pulled some of the damaged panels and fixed the fluid leak so fast I was able to get back out on the lead lap; I was back into my same position just as the green flag came out.”
The drivers are used to being in the spotlight in front of thousands of fans; the crew is usually behind the scenes. It’s extra rewarding when the crew has a chance to show off their speed during the race. Justin went on to finish in eleventh place. On Sunday, he bettered his finish by two spots to come in ninth place. Having the truck respond appropriately to tuning input and running consistently around the top ten; the team is definitely on the right track.
RacePro Tech’s other driver Ray Griffith is also pleased with the team’s progress. He qualified fifth fastest for round 3 and was looking for a top finish during the race. “We’ve done a lot of testing and made big changes to the entire set-up,” said Ray Griffith, “We are on the right path. The race on Saturday was a smash ‘em up derby. I got banged up and dropped back to tenth. I got taken out in the last corner; it was frustrating. After the race I tapped the bumper of the guy in front of me to let him know I didn’t appreciate the rough driving.”
There was an ugly incident in a previous heat where a driver went after another competitor; slamming into his door. That driver was rightly disqualified. Unfortunately for Ray, the race officials were in a zero tolerance mood. Despite the mild nature of Ray’s “Love Tap”, they disqualified him as well. It does no driver any favors to draw the ire of race officials. On Sunday, Ray did his best to steer clear of other drivers on the track. Not an easy feat when there is so much contact going on. He finished right in front of Justin in eighth spot; netting a pair of top tens for the team.
RacePro Tech’s primary sponsor, GiveawayGarage.com were at the event to further promote the Ultimate Off Road Package Sweepstakes, which includes a Custom Lifted F150 Truck and RZR Polaris Razor. Everyone can get 1 free entry by visiting GiveawayGarage.com. Additional raffle tickets can be purchased with proceeds supporting the United States Motorsports Association (USMA). The USMA promotes the powerful benefits of racing across the nation.
RacePro Tech is already off to their next event; the Best In The Desert series Laughlin Desert Classic in Laughlin, Nevada; a two-day, heat race style event where their short course racing experience will come in handy.
Photography By: Bink Designs