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Verano Caliente
Series at Milestone Ranch MX Park, Round 5
UTV Battle - second and third battling
for position.
One of the many rollovers in the first moto that kept many spectators on their
feet. |
There is a new series on the west coast for
ATV/UTV racers. The nice folks over at Podium
Productions have put together a great 7- round
series. All rounds are to be held at the NEW
Milestone Ranch out in Riverside, CA. The ranch
is equipped with lights on two of the main
tracks, so they offer night practice and even
racing under the lights.
With this being the fifth round that means
the point race is heating up as well as the
summer time temp. With the decent turn out came
vendors. We spotted SRF Racing, Triumph
Motorsports, and Works Shocks all with booths
set up helping racers with their questions or
parts needs.
Practice started at 9 pm and racing at 10:30
pm, so things were great for practice. By the
time we got halfway through the race schedule,
it was getting caliente (Spanish for HOT). There
haven't been as many pros showing up since they
moved the series over to the Vet track. Maybe
because the course is easier, or it could be
that it's just been that hot here. The end of
summer in California really heats up toward the
end, and the heat is almost unbearable. Even I
sat this race out because of the heat. The one
thing we did notice is the UTV numbers have
increased, and they were actually a blast to
watch!
Since the pro class had such a low turn out,
some of the A Class riders bumped up to pro.
Hopefully, the next round will be a better turn
out, and maybe we will have some cooler temps.
Even spectating at the point was unbearable, and
almost like a job in itself. The pros lined up
and off they went for the first moto. One of the
riders that bumped up was Justin Roache aboard
his new Honda race machines. Last year he was
racing the Yamaha YFZ450 and made the switch to
the big red machines. With his moto one
performance looks to be a good move for him. If
you remember, Roache is the lucky racer that won
the YFZ450 that Yamaha gives away at the end of
the ITP/Yamaha Quadcross season. Unfortunately,
Justin isn't racing the YFZ this year. Let's get
back to the race. Roache lead the pack from
beginning to end.
The A class lines up for battle.
Justin Roache leading the
pro class in both motos to take home the overall.
The Wagon Burner overall UTV winner. |
Next up were the UTV races. There were a few
classes combined and plenty of UTVs/pilots to
cause some carnage. The Wagon Burners showed up
with three UTVs of their own. They lined up for
the start and out of the hole one of the
barnburner machines snagged the lead early. Man,
what a show! These guys were going at it like
they were all in the same class. There were a
few rollovers and one that drove the tires right
off the wheels. You talk about some good racing
action! It had the crowd cheering and laughing
at what was the best race of the day. Now you
see why they are called the Wagon Burners. They
are out there to have nothing but a good time.
The #82 Wagon Burner machine of Jamie Winbury
would take home the moto overall and tops in his
class.
The temperature was in the hundreds for the
final pro moto of the day. Everyone was ready to
pack it up and go home. It was hot, and it was
even humid. That's definitely not the norm for
California, we usually have a really dry heat,
and it's not as bad. So, even with the heat and
humidity, the pros lined up for the moto. Again
Justin Roache got a jump on the rest of his
class and took the holeshot. Once out in front
he never looked back. His one-one finish earned
him the overall, of course. Let's see how he
does when he goes up against the usual pros that
normally race this series next round!
The final race of the day would be the UTVs,
and, man, what a race! We thought the first moto
was crazy, but this moto has proven to be just
as much fun, even though one of the Wagon
Burners didn't make it back out on the track
because of a bent/broken steering. He suffered
his second moto rollover. From the start the
remaining few of Wagon Burners were dueling it
out just like in the last moto. Fortunately,
there weren't any rollovers in this moto, but
some really fast-paced racing. The remaining two
Wagon Burner machines battled it out. However,
once again the #82 machine took first and the
overall in his class.
All in all, it was a great weekend of racing
for both ATVs and UTVs. Hopefully, the next
round won't be nearly as hot, and hopefully
there will be a much larger turnout. So, check
back with us and see the Verano Caliente series
wrap up. Who will prevail and take home the
championship?
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