Weather in the Midwest during the summertime can quickly change plans and that’s exactly what happened. Championship Off-Road had plans to run rounds seven and eight at Dirt City Motorplex in Lena, Wisconsin over the weekend. By Saturday afternoon, mother nature had other plans. Series officials were forced to delay pro racing until the weather let up and the track dried out enough. While the side-by-side races and Pro-Lite races were able to make it to the track, the decision was made to move Pro-2 and Pro-4 racing to early Sunday morning making for a full day for many.
Racing at Dirt City is always tight and technical. This marks the second year in a row Championship Off-Road has visited this venue. Some changes were made including adding new clay for better grip and a new table top on the front stretch.
Johnny Greaves has struggled in the last several rounds to win in the Pro-4 class. He has however been consistently on the podium in either second or third. Greaves finally got his win this season in Round seven. The win finally marked Greaves’ 100th win in the class. Kyle Leduc was back out on top in Round eight. Andrew Carlson was out front when the race started. A rollover would shut down his hopes for a victory. Leduc cleanly moved through the field as the laps ticked away.
Ricky Gutierrez introduced a brand new Mittag-built truck this season. Gutierrez started out front in Round seven and never looked back, even with an extreme amount of pressure from both Cory Winner and Jerett Brooks. This is Ricky G’s first career Pro-2 win. Later in the day, Ryan Beat took home his second career win in the Pro-2 class leading every lap of Round eight.
Officials were able to get laps completed in the Pro-Lite class before Saturday’s rain delay. Madix Bailey was out front until the restart. Cole Mamer took that spot away. A mechanical failure would cause smoke to pour out of his truck with just three turns to go. Brock Heger took advantage of the situation to claim his sixth win of the season. In Round eight, Dillon Pointon finally got his first victory in the Pro-Lite class.
Everyone is laser focused on points as there are only four rounds left in the season. CJ Greaves leads Kyle Leduc by five points. Surprisingly, with only two wins, Ryan Beat takes the lead in Pro-2 points. Brock Heger is currently enjoying a comfortable fifty-point lead in Pro-Lite.
Photos: Amanda Fonferek
