The 256 acre Glen Helen Raceway complex played host to the Lucas Series on a newly constructed track built for off-road truck racing. The 0.8 mile track had tight turns but was wide enough to allow many passing opportunities. CJ took advantage the passing lanes by charging to the point position before the end of lap one in the Friday night race.

CJ would hold the top spot through multiple full-course cautions from roll-overs behind him and a near catastrophic collision in front of him by lap traffic on the final lap. Fortunately, he had built a sizable lead, setting the fastest lap time in the process, and allowing him to get away from the ruckus without loosing his position and taking home his second win of the season.

Saturday’s race would be another hard fought battle for CJ Greaves as he would go head-to-head with Metal Mulisha’s Jeremy Stenberg and Jeff Kargola in the closing laps. CJ was sitting in the third spot following the competition caution, but a crash in turn four shuffled things up pushing him back a position. CJ was able to battle back and recapture the third position and patiently settled in behind Stenberg and Kargola who were trading licks in front of him. As the final laps approached, CJ seized the chance to pass Kargola with a great outside move to take the second spot. However, he ran out of time with Stenberg taking the win just in front of him.

With his outstanding performance this weekend, CJ Greaves moved into the third position in the points standings and just 32 points from the leaders (the top two are tied for first).

CJ will head back to the Midwest and crawl into his Super Buggy once again this coming weekend,  August 14-15th, at Bark River International Raceway in Bark River, MI. He will be defending his points lead in this class that is chalk-full of veterans. The races will be streamed live on the internet on  TORCseries.com and USAC’s USTREAM portal. ]]> http://www.methodracewheels.com/news/super-lite-super-kid-cj-greaves-goes-1-and-2-at-loorrs-glen-helen-race-in-southern-cal/feed/ 0 http://www.methodracewheels.com/news/method-race-wheels-featured-in-2xl-trophylite-rally-app/ http://www.methodracewheels.com/news/method-race-wheels-featured-in-2xl-trophylite-rally-app/#comments Fri, 09 Jul 2010 21:33:34 +0000 admin http://www.methodracewheels.com/?p=805

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Abrams, WI (July 6, 2010)–CJ Greaves is beginning to make his presence known in off-road racing–leading the points standings in the Traxxas TORC Series Super Buggy class and walking away from rounds 7 and 8 of the Lucas series (LOORRS) in third place in the Super Lite class. He was the only Greaves to race at the Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, UT, located just outside of Salt Lake City, in pursuit of the “arrive and drive” Super Lite title for Traxxas/ Monster Energy/ BFG/ FoxShox/ Oakley/ Simpson/ VP Racing Fuels in the LOORRS.

Friday Evening Under the Lights

The weekend’s Super Lite action began with the Grill ‘N’ Thrill—Dash-for-Cash Challenge Race, a ten lap shootout race Friday evening under the lights. Greaves started on the second row and was a little cautious in the early going but worked his way around the slower trucks and managed to have his number 33 Traxxas/ Monster Energy machine in the top five by the competition caution midway through the race.

The lead truck of Jacob Person broke on the last lap allowing Jeremy Stenberg to move into the lead. CJ poured on the coals and made a final charge to the front to try to capture a podium spot which he managed to do, pulling the fastest lap time of the race in the process. CJ took the third podium spot for a great start to the weekend of racing.

The Big Win on Saturday

For the all important points races on Saturday and Sunday, CJ knew he had his work cut out for him having had some mechanical problems during qualifying. For Saturday’s race he started deep in the field on the fourth row. Friday night’s winner, Jeremy Stenberg, lead the first half of the race while CJ worked his way patiently into the top five by the competition caution.

At the restart, the second place truck nearly spun-out causing the other trucks to check-up behind him. CJ took advantage of the situation and made an impressive inside move to shoot from fourth all the way to second. He began to size up the Stenberg truck but was able to take the lead without a fight when the number 88 pulled off the track with mechanical problems. CJ was able to take the illusive checkered flagfor his first career Super Lite victory!

Sunday: Another Podium

The race on Sunday found CJ struggling with an extremely wet track, but he tried to be patient until the track dried. Friday night’s winner and Saturday’s runner up both went out of the race early. CJ had some troubles of his own: a spin after the caution and then narrowly escaping a crash when the number 9 truck of John Harrah flipped and rolled just in front of him, meant that he would have to make up a lot of ground.CJ worked his number 33 Traxxas/ Monster Energy truck into the top five, picking off positions one by one, eventually winning the third position. Greaves would run out of time though and had to settle for a hard fought third place to complete the podium spots.

Riverside, CA (June 22, 2010)–Rick Huseman Racing headed to the Traxxas TORC Series season opener in Crandon, WI, carrying a lot of momentum having already claimed multiple off-road wins thus far this year. As usual, thousands of off-road fans converged on the “Big House” in Crandon this past Father’s Day weekend to see the best short-course off-road racers take on one of the most exciting and challenging tracks in the country.Huseman continued his winning streak by winning Round 2 and came in a close second to fellow Monster Energy/ Toyota/ BFG teammate Johnny Greaves in round 1. Along with his win, Rick took 2 Oakley Bomb Awards presented by Oakley Watches for the fastest lap. He also broke the track record in the process which was previously held by non other than the man himself… Rick Huseman. He also received the Power Pass Award, the award given after each round for the pass of the race. Rick advanced from fourth position to the lead in only two corners on the restart after the competition caution during Sunday’s race.

Saturday, Rick lined up his number 36 BFG clad Toyota Tundra 4X4 in the number 2 position alongside fellow Johnny Greaves on the pole. The famed land rush start forced competitors to converge on the turn-1 hole shot at speeds around 100 mph! When the dust settled, Rick found himself at the back of the field and a lot of ground to make up. But Rick made quick work of the field and wound up in the 4th position by the end of the first lap on the 1.5 mile track.

On lap 3, Huseman drove the Traxxas Toyota in hard in the gravel pit turn making slight contact with the 3rd place running Scott Douglas. The BFG’s hooked up and shot Rick past to begin work on the machine of Steve Barlow. With Johnny Greaves way out in front, it meant Rick would need to be in a good position for a good restart at the competition caution. He worked hard to get around Barlow and made the pass in the gravel pit just before the halfway point caution.

At the restart, Rick made a run on Johnny but was unable to make the pass. With Douglas and Barlow trading licks behind them, Rick and Johnny checked-out and battled throughout the remaining laps. With one last attempt to pass Johnny on the final turn known as Calamity Corner, Rick ducked inside of Johnny but he fell just short of the win.

“That was some great racing! Johnny and I both had everything working. I just ran out of time,” said Huseman.

On Sunday, the tables turned somewhat. Scott Douglas was leading the field up to the mandatory caution followed by Steve Barlow, Johnny Greaves and Huseman. At the restart, Douglas suddenly slowed causing Barlow to rear-end him. Barlow swung to the outside to get around Douglas getting into Johnny who had also taken the outside line. Rick took advantage of the situation and shot past Douglas, Greaves and Barlow to claim the first Power Pass Award. He went on to win the race and claimed the top spot in the points standings. He now sits atop the standing in both the TORC series and Lucas series.”It is a tall order, but it would be great to when championship in two series in the same year. I’m not sure if that has ever been done before,” said Huseman on his way to Utah to compete in the Lucas race this coming weekend.

Rick Huseman racing will bring the Monster Energy/ Traxxas/ Toyota back to the Midwest for rounds 3 and 4 of the Traxxas TORC Series. The race is scheduled for July 10-11th at Bark River International Off-road Raceway in Bark River, MI, and can be seen live on the internet at TORCseries.com.

]]> http://www.methodracewheels.com/news/huseman-continues-monster-streak/feed/ 0 http://www.methodracewheels.com/news/johnny-jeremy-and-cj-all-hit-the-podium-at-crandon-2/ http://www.methodracewheels.com/news/johnny-jeremy-and-cj-all-hit-the-podium-at-crandon-2/#comments Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:36:11 +0000 admin http://www.methodracewheels.com/?p=419

Crandon, WI (June 22, 2010)–Johnny Greaves and Jeremy McGrath and the entire Monster Energy/ Toyota/ MasterCraft Safety/ BFG team of Greaves Motorsports headed back to Crandon, Wisconsin, all stoked and ready to kick-off of the 2010 Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL season. A great Father’s Day weekend crowd showed up at the fabled track to see the best of the best take on the 1.5 mile track at the “Big House.”

With a new season and a new feeling like they had their respective trucks dialed-in, Greaves and McGrath were ready to get the Pro class opener underway with sponsors onboard Monster Energy, Toyota, BFG Oakley, Fox Shox, Boatec, Method Wheels, VP Racing Fuels and new comers MasterCraft Safety and Liquid Force.

Also, making his Crandon debut, 15 year old CJ Greaves—this time, instead of riding his bike and hanging out with his friends, behind the wheel as a professional race car driver.

On Saturday’s opening round or racing, Johnny would complete the epic Father/Son victory sweep by winning the Pro 4X4 and CJ Greaves winning the Super Buggy class earlier in the day. Johnny started on the pole with Monster Energy/ Toyota/ BFG teammate Rick Huseman along side. Johnny took the hole-shot and checked-out, leaving the rest of the field to battle for the other podium spots. When the green flag flew following the competition caution, Johnny slammed the door on a hard charging Rick Huseman. Both Greaves and Huseman pulled away from the rest of the field with Johnny holding off several attempts by Huseman to get around him. Johnny fought off one more attempt by Huseman in the final turn (Calamity Corner) to take the first win of the season with Huseman a close second.

Seven-time AMA Supercross Champion, Jeremy McGrath took on the Pro 2WD class which featured 9 competitors including several drivers moving up from the Pro Light class such as local guys Jeff Kincaid and Chad Hord. Jeremy qualified third on the starting grid and ended up taking the 3rd podium spot for Monster Energy/ Toyota/ MasterCraft/ BFG.

Earlier in the day, Johnny’s son, Colton “CJ” Greaves, made his first race at Crandon in the Super Buggy class. Even though CJ has grown up going to Crandon, this was his first time to compete as a racer. And compete he did, sweeping the entire weekend and walking away with first place in the points and a 23 point lead over veteran Scott Schwalbe for Traxxas, Monster Energy, Toyota, and BFGoodrich.

“Racing Crandon was very exciting-something I’ve dreamed about all my life,” said the teen Greaves. “I was a little nervous about turn one but after getting the hole shot, I just tried to keep smooth lines and not make any mistakes.”

Sunday’s Pro 4X4 action was a little tougher for the Greaves team. Johnny got off to a good start, winding up in the 3rd spot behind Scott Douglas and Steve Barlow. At the restart, following the competition caution, Douglas missed a gear causing him to be rear-ended by Steve Barlow. As the racers bunched up and Barlow swung wide to get around Douglas, he slammed into Johnny, who was also taking the outside line around Douglas, pushing him into the wall breaking the sway bar.

Johnny continued in the race but well off the pace finishing in 6th place.

Johnny said this about the race: “Barlow apologized for the incident but it was just one of those racing things that happens. I was bummed because we were sitting in the third spot-I had a great truck-the Toyota and BFG’s all working great. I was just going to be patient and look for the opportunity to get around Barlow and Douglas.”

Jeremy also ran into some bad luck on Sunday. He was running hard and making his way to the front battling hard with Scott Taylor. Jeremy drove in hard in the heir pin turn on the back stretch taking the inside line in front of Taylor. But he swung wide and tried to hold the position, but Taylor got into the rear spinning the Tundra around, off the track and to the rear of the field. Jeremy worked hard to recuperate but time ran out and he managed a 6th place finish.

For CJ, Sunday’s race was much more difficult than the one on Saturday. The track was very wet at the start of the race. CJ patiently took the high and dry lines during the first half of the race. As the track dried out, he was able to move into the racing groove and pushed his way to the front to complete the weekend Super Buggy sweep.

“It was a great win for the family, especially on Father’s Day weekend,” said Johnny as he watched his son take the checkered flag. “I was sitting on the line and was getting so nervous when he took off because he’s never been through that first turn and I know what it’s like. It was a fast car and when he got out in the lead and led the race and on the last lap came around and won, it brought a tear to my eye. That’s not fair! How can I go to battle when he’s got me all soft now! It was a great feeling.”

Have you heard the saying: “If I didn’t have bad luck, I would have no luck at all?” Well, Johnny is beginning to believe it. The Monster Energy Toyota team of Johnny Greaves has had its share of bad luck already this year, but they do not give up! At a couple days notice, they set out again to the LOORS race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, hoping to bring home some podium finishes before the TORC season gets underway in just a short few weeks.

Friday’s qualifying put Johnny and Rick Huseman on the pole. It was looking like it was going to be a 1-2 Monster Toyota blow out, Rick getting out front on the start with Johnny on his rear bumper. This tight battle remained for 4-5 laps. Johnny was working every line trying to make the pass, however, coming into turn 2 he tried an aggressive move and bicycled on two-wheels into the K-rail. His BFGoodrich tires kept him in tact and he was able to get back on the track only losing two positions. The K-rail however cut a brake line, and Johnny was left to race with no brakes. Remarkably, he retains his position for the rest of the race, giving him a 4th place, just short of the podium.

Sunday’s race put Greaves and Barlow on the pole. Frustrations have set in, and Johnny really is looking forward to being back in the winners’ circle. The plan was to get out front right away and stay out of trouble. The green flagged dropped and Johnny got a clean jump right into the lead. The Tundra ran hard and flawlessly, as he began to make a gap on the rest of the pack. At the caution, it looked as if finally the Greaves team was going to be back on the podium. Unfortunately, after the restart within a lap Johnny could feel something was wrong, and soon thereafter the rear axle failed. Johnny had no choice but to pull off, and again relinquish his win. Talking to Johnny after the race he quoted: “I’m really disappointed. I’m waiting for everything to go right for once, but I’m confident my team is determined to have things right for TORC, so we’ll test again before Crandon, and make sure were ready!” Thanks to all the sponsors, especially FOX Shox that helped Johnny and his team get to another LOORS event, when the budget didn’t allow it.

CJ Greaves Nicknamed ‘Whitey’ after Giving-up Win on the Last Lap!

CJ had the perfect opportunity on Saturday to reclaim the win he’s been awaiting. Leaving Surprise, AZ with losing both wins on the white flag lap, he has had a lot of time to think about what he would do differently. Qualifying left him on the pole, so he was anticipating a clean start. He got pushed to the outside, but still maintained second behind the leader. They battled for the first half of the race, with CJ waiting for his opportunity. Still in second as the caution came out, Johnny coached him on the radio. Just after the restart, CJ made a sweet inside pass on the leader and captured first place. With the white flag out, and two corners to go, CJ makes a wide turn, leaving room for second place to try a pass, resulting in the two trucks tangling and CJ spinning out. The truck wouldn’t restart and CJ sat for quite awhile before he finally made his way across the finish line. CJ “Whitey” Greaves seems to be cursed by the white flag.

Sunday’s race didn’t prove to be any better for CJ. This time the invert wasn’t so kind to him. Starting in the third row, he knew if he was to make it to the front, he would have to move up quickly. The start left him in 6th, but by the second lap he had already worked his way up to third place. Battling with second CJ got a little sideways and inadvertently went off the side of the track. From that point there was a lot of passing and carnage going on. CJ began his push to the front, but only to be set back again. Going into turn-2 alongside Ward, they touched, and the contact sent CJ on his top. Track workers tried to get him turned over, but by the time they did the truck was left with no oil pressure, and CJ had to be towed off. CJ wasn’t too discouraged, he loves driving the SuperLite, and isn’t afraid to tell you he’s still learning, he was just a little too impatient this time, and still very hungry for a win!

Please visit JohnnyGreaves.com for the latest news of Johnny and Jeremy’s off-road racing.

Rick Huseman Returns to Vegas with a Vengeance, Remains Atop Points Standings in Lucas Oil Series Pro 4 Unlimited for Monster Energy, Traxxas, Toyota, BFG

Riverside, CA (May 25, 2010)–Rick Huseman continues to set the off-road racing world on fire by taking a 2nd place on Saturday and a 1st place on Sunday in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS). This was the second race at the new off-road track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway held on May 22-23, 2010.

After sweeping rounds 3 and 4 in Surprise, AZ, Rick was looking to continue the momentum for Monster Energy/ Traxxas/ Toyota/ BFG at the Vegas track.

The Toyotas of Rick Huseman and Johnny Greaves started Saturday’s race on the front row after qualifying 2nd and 3rd (Carl Renezeder won the pole but had to go to the rear of the pack due to some mechanical issues just before the green flag) in front of a field of 14.

When the green flag fell, Rick got the whole shot followed closely by teammate Johnny Greaves. By lap 3, Rick had checked out to a huge lead. At the competition caution, Huseman was still on point with the likes of Adrian Cenni, Travis Coyne, Johnny Greaves but a hungry Carl Renezeder lurking in the 6th position. Cenni out jumped Rick at the green flag to take the lead while Renezeder moved up quickly to the 3rd spot leaving the three veterans to duke it out for the lead.

As the laps wound down, Rick made a great move to get around Cenni who pushed hard to retain the lead. As a result, the two got together and swerved off the track sending Renezeder to the lead. Huseman recovered quickly and was able to take the second spot at the checkered flag.

Sunday, Round 6 found Rick Huseman pulling the fastest qualifying time to capture another pole position but started on the 3rd row due to the inversion.

The top five trucks changed positions throughout the first half of the race with a lot of fender banging and carnage going on behind them. At the mandatory caution, Rick Huseman settled in to the 3rd position behind Renezeder in 2nd and fellow Monster Energy driver Johnny Greaves in the lead.

Greaves eventually had to pull out of the race due to steering problems allowing Renezeder to take the lead. Rick was pushed to the outside of the track trying to avoid the ill handling Greaves truck, Adrian Cenni went to the inside of both Toyotas and managed to pass Huseman and it looked like the race would end that way. Renezeder and Cenni were running in 1st and 2nd with Huseman in a close 3rd on the white flag lap. When Renezeder slowed due to mechanical problems, Cenni crashed into him and the two became tangled together allowing Huseman to shoot by into 1st place and take the win in dramatic fashion!

“That was an incredible finish!” said an excited Huseman. “I was hoping for one more opportunity to get around Cenni and possibly Carl. Their bad luck became my good luck when those two got together. I want to express my appreciation to Mike Jenkins and Traxxas for stepping up and helping me get to this Lucas race. All the sponsors make it possible to have a competitive team and we do our best to put them on the podium each race.”

Rick is preparing to start the Traxxas TORC Series season on June 19th-20th in Crandon, Wisconsin, and shoot for a two-series championship!

LAS VEGAS— The Menzies Motorsports “Big Red Machine” entertained loyal fans all weekend long beneath the awnings of the team’s beautiful Featherlite race haulers.  But when it was time to race, the star of the team, Bryce Menzies, transcended into the fierce off road racer he’s well regarded for.

Bryce energized the crowd with his dazzling performance, racing door-to-door with old teammate, Rob MacCachren.  The two trucks rotated through the corners in unison, reminiscent of the 2008 off road racing season.  Both trucks are identical and were designed and built by Dave Clark.  After 13 laps of intense off road racing, Bryce earned a solid second place position for his #7 Blanco Basura/Bully Dog/Super Clean backed Unlimited Pro-2 in Sunday’s Round 6 of the Lucas Oil Series.

The 2010 Lucas Oil Off Road Series came into the Las Vegas Motor Speedway under clear blue skies, but by Sunday’s race action, the temperatures dropped drastically and the Las Vegas metropolitan area was besieged with wind, rain and cold. The Menzies Motorsports Pro 2 truck crew, which supports the off road racing phenom, has worked tirelessly in search of the correct setup for the 1.1-mile race course at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  In fact, the team has tested extensively and there is no doubt the testing proved to be positive. Bryce explained, “We’ve been working to perfect the setup and we finally nailed it during the Sunday morning practice session.  The race truck really felt good and we found the right combination of adjustments allowing me to wheel this truck to the front of the pack.  I felt extremely comfortable all day Sunday and I’m looking forward to replicating Sunday’s performance throughout the rest of the season.  We are definitely onto something and I’m confident we’ll be right there competing for the season championship against the nation’s best drivers.”

Bryce struggled a bit as the season kicked off, but if this weekend’s performance is any indication of what’s in store for the #7 Blanco Basura/Bully Dog/Super Clean backed Unlimited Pro-2, the field may want to steer clean of the Las Vegas racing young gun. Menzies Motorsports Team Owner, Steve Menzies commented, “We’ve spent many hours testing and working towards an optimum setup for Bryce’s truck and it certainly paid off well as he was able to get the truck around this difficult Las Vegas Motor Speedway track in fine fashion.  And we’ve also added several key elements to our program, which includes some key personnel enhancements and I’m excited to see improvement so quickly. Bryce was fast today and I know the crew is really excited to see the lap times that we ran during race conditions.  We will continue our quest to gain more speed as the season continues.”

The combination of the weekend’s performances by Bryce Menzies will ensure that he will maintain his top five position in the very close race for the season point’s championship. Menzies Motorsports unleashed a total of 5 race vehicles throughout the weekend as the “Big Red Machine” entertained their hometown fans each day.  Leading the group of four racers was Limited Buggy standout racer, Justin Smith, who qualified in the top two for both race days. Smith was a victim of racing circumstance as a first turn crash on Sunday forced him to stop as the race buggy landed on top of him in the midst of his first turn.  Due to the safety of the other driver, Smith stopped and when he was allowed to start moving again,  race officials scored him being a lap down although Menzies Motorsports timing showed him finishing in the top three.  Justin Smith met with Lucas Oil race officials after the race to protest the official’s call.  Smith was told by Lucas Oil officials they would notify him by May 26 on their final decision.

Toby Bost raced the 307 Limited Single Buggy both days and ran solid lap times finishing both races under the green flag.  Sunday’s race saw the Bost finish just out of the top ten. Television celebrity announcer, Cameron Steele, raced the #916 Unlimited Pro Buggy and teammate, Larry Job, raced the #907 car.  The two off road racing veterans rallied to overcome some minor issues on their race cars all weekend long and both had strong finishes in the top five.

Cameron Steele worked in front of the television camera for Lucas Oil Off Road Series in addition to racing the #916 car and spent Saturday evening wrenching on his race car with the Menzies Motorsports crew.  Cameron explained, “We’ve experienced a slight issue with the shifting and I think we finally solved the problem.”  Steele battled throughout Sunday’s Round 6 and ended up just missing a podium position by less than a second. Veteran desert racing legend, Larry Job, drove his #907 buggy to a top five spot as well, just missing the third step on the podium box by a couple seconds.  Larry said, “We had a great car and we were close to making the box, but we were just off the lead pace by a slight margin.  We’re going to make some slight adjustments and I’m sure we’ll be right there battling for the lead when we get to Miller Motorsports Park in Utah next month.”

Menzies Motorsports continues to expand operations within the off road racing world as Bryce Menzies heads to Baja California, Mexico to race the world famous SCORE Baja 500.  Bryce is scheduled to race this year’s SCORE Baja 500 and SCORE Baja 1000 in addition to a full schedule of Unlimited Pro 2 and partial schedule of Unlimited Pro 4 racing. “We continue to forge ahead and make fantastic strides in performance.  I’m very pleased with the team and their dedication to be the best in off road racing.  Of course, we must thank our marketing partners who continue to support all of our racing efforts.  Blanco Basura, Super Clean, Bully Dog, BFGoodrich Tires, O’Neill, Rusty are all integral components of our team and they support all of our race programs.  It’s a pleasure to be associated with such quality sponsors,” said a smiling Steve Menzies.

The team’s Unlimited Pro 4 is slated to debut next month on June 25-26 in Rounds 7 and 8 of the 2010 Lucas Oil Off Road Series season.  The “Big Red Machine” will kick off the weekend of racing in beautiful Tooele, Utah at the exquisite Miller Motorsports Park.

In the meantime, stay tuned as Bryce Menzies and his race team head to the wilds of the Mexico’s desert in search of victory at the SCORE Baja 500.

Follow all the Menzies Motorsports action at www.menziesmotorsports.com

Facing two days of sold out crowds, Menzies Motorsports launched an off road racing offensive against the nation’s top racers in Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2010 Lucas Oil Off Road Series.  Over 10,000+ fans jammed into the SPEEDWORLD Off Road Park to enjoy the competitive racing under the sunny skies and hot temperatures that Arizona is known for.  Although the thermometer peaked near the 100 degree mark, the “Big Red Machine” was not affected in the least.

“We all live in Las Vegas and we are used to the heat whether it’s weather or racer related,” said the smirking crew chief of the Blanco Basura/Bully Dog Pro 2, Chris Faulkner.

Driving the #7 Ford F150 was off road rising star, Bryce Menzies.  He charged his Blanco Basura/Bully Dog Pro 2 race truck around the 1.1-mile race track in the main event that saw 22 Pro 2 trucks face off in one of the roughest races to date.  The shining pearl in the fleet of Menzies Motorsports off road race trucks was smashed and battered by the end of the weekend, thanks to many of Bryce’s racing competitors.

“You could say it was a bit rough out there,” said team owner, Steve Menzies.  “I think we were the target this weekend.”

Target or not, Bryce Menzies soldiered onward claiming a top five position both days.  In Saturday’s Round 3 Bryce earned a 4th place finish and when the racing was over on Sunday afternoon, he claimed the 4th spot earning a solid top five finish.

Afterwards Bryce commented, “We have some work to do, but we earned important points in the race for the season championship and that is our ultimate goal.  I was trying to stay out of trouble, but even when I moved out of harms way, it seemed to catch me at an odd position and we suffered.  We’ll be back on top and with a month between races, you can be sure we’ll be testing again very soon.”

The Menzies Motorsports Limited Buggy driver, Justin “Bean” Smith, dominated his class by qualifying the fastest all weekend long, as well as winning in Sunday’s Round 4 and finishing in second on Saturday.  The “Big Red Machine’s” Kingpin, Steve Menzies commented, “This is the story of the little buggy that could.  Without Justin dominating the entire weekend, the box score for Menzies Motorsports was looking rather bleak, that was until our hotshoe “Bean” came through with a solid performance.  Menzies Motorsports has quite a history in the Limited Buggy ranks since we started racing and it looks like Justin will continue the tradition.”

Action sports television commentator and off road racer, Cameron Steele, is an integral part of the “Big Red Machine” as he pushes the edge of the envelope on a regular basis.  He and his Pro Buggy teammate, Larry Job, rolled out their Rusty sponsored Alumi Craft race cars for the second race weekend of the season hoping to make ground on the top three in the ultra competitive Pro Buggy class.

Cameron explained, “We have struggled a bit here early in the season, but we’re getting faster.  I was running real good in Saturday’s race and all of a sudden I had a cooling problem that forced me to back down on the throttle so we didn’t hurt the motor.  We decided to swap to the back up motor and the crew worked late into the evening led by Kroyer Racing Engines kingpin, Kevin Kroyer.  I wouldn’t be racing without the solid support from the entire Menzies crew.  These guys make it happen race after race.  Unfortunately in Sunday’s Round 4, I caught a rock in the throttle assembly and the throttle was stuck wide open and there was nothing I could do.  I’m disappointed about not making the podium, but we finished in the top five, so that will help our overall race in the point’s championship.  It’s a long season and you’ll see both of the Menzies Motorsports Pro Buggies charging towards the season championship at the next race weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Steve Menzies reflected, “It was a very long weekend of racing and we could have had better results, but this season is made up of 16 races and we are only a quarter of the way through the year.  On the upside, our driving force, Justin Smith, in the Limited Buggy, got the job done and brought home the hardware.”

Menzies Motorsports “Big Red Machine” will rollout their new Menzies-built Pro 4 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on May 22-23, for Rounds 5 & 6.  Please come by the Bryce Menzies PIT ZONE and visit with the Menzies Crew.

2010 Menzies Motorsports Sponsors: Super Clean, Bully Dog Technologies, Blanco Basura, BF Goodrich, Mastercraft, Fox, O’Neill, Rusty, Tilly’s, Method Race Wheels, K&N, Ahern, Ringers Gloves and Soltek.

The team of Johnny Greaves and Jeremy McGrath decided to get in one more test race in preparation for the TORC Series opener in Crandon, WI. So what better way than to put the team to the test, and go race rounds 3 and 4 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Series. Last month, the LOORS Las Vegas opener showed that this Monster Mastercraft Toyota team is a force to be reckoned with, although displaying some bad luck that weekend, they came to Surprise, AZ with the same crazy fast speed and their game faces on!

After putting in the fastest U4 practice times, Greaves found himself starting in the third row with the inversion. With help of his BFGoodrich tires, and Toyota motor, Johnny displayed his usual “Greaves style” as he maneuvered himself around the outside of the pack in turn one, and completed another smooth pass in turn two, finding himself already looking at the back of the leader. On the 2nd lap, Johnny made a quick switchback pass, for the lead. Hungry for a win, he continued to charge hard, as he laid the next 4 fastest laps, and had a 12second lead by the mandatory yellow, only to find out what he had suspected was true, he had a rear tire going low. The decision was made not to pit, and Johnny continued to lead for 2 more laps, until the tire finally blew forcing him to the pits for a quick change.

McGrath losing no speed from the previous rounds 1 and 2, proved once again to be one of the fastest on the track. Qualifying second, put him on the pole, along side Carl Renezeder. The two drivers put on an awesome display of “cat-n-mouse” right to the finish, with Jeremy putting on several charges to get pass Carl, but unfortunately couldn’t make any of them stick. Jeremy and his new Monster Mastercraft Toyota U2 are showing incredible speed, and have definitely got the attention of all the other drivers, including Rob MacCachren, multiple champion, who fought to get past him, but to no avail!

Optimism was high in the pits for Sunday’s race! The team felt confident the Toyota Tundra’s were going to be strong, both Jeremy and Johnny qualified 2nd, however, the inversion put them both starting in the third row.

U-4 was all but exciting, and kind of short lived for Johnny. He had worked his way up to 3rd position, behind Carl Renezeder, and was waiting for the door to open to make a clean pass. Rick Huseman, running 4th, was trying to work Johnny at the same time. Contact was made as Rick tried to get on the inside of Johnny. As the front wheel was turned and in motion, this contact caused the seal to get knocked out of the power steering, which eventually lost all steering fluid. Johnny after a few laps was forced to pull over.

U-2 on the other hand, was full of excitement, almost too much to recap in a race report. There were multiple accidents and a lot of carnage throughout the entire race. Jeremy got turned around backwards on the face of a jump, from some rear contact, already on turn 3. Starting from 18th, Jeremy and his Monster Energy Toyota made some serious headway, working his way all the way up to 5th position, closely behind the lead pack. Things were looking good, with plenty time to still make it to a podium finish. Finding an opportunity, Jeremy tried to make a pass for 4th place, only to get a severe hit in the rear from another competitor, spinning him completely around, and then driving completely up over the front end of the Mastercraft Toyota, and putting it out of commission for the day.

Lastly, we all knew the day would come, where Johnny’s son would take the field. CJ Greaves, at the young age of 15, ran his Traxxas SuperBuggy at the LOORS Las Vegas opener only to run in the lead the entire race until the last lap, his very first time in short-course. At that time we knew we had a racer here! CJ brought his same upbeat, fun, and of course a very fast truck to the track here in Surprise—this time in a SuperLite.

Given a great opportunity by Speed Technologies, CJ was out to show the fans what these small trucks are made of. Saturday CJ started in pole position. He let a few guys get him in the first few corners after the start, but not for long. As a small battle happened in front of him, CJ took advantage of the moment and passed the pack for the lead. For the next 5 laps CJ held off the pack, and made it look like he was going to take his first race in checkered style! Two corners before the checkered flag, CJ went in tight to protect his line, and hit an unexpected rut, flipping him over, and giving over the lead. He crossed the finish in 7th position.

Almost identical to Saturday’s race, CJ again started in the pole position, this time getting the lead early, and maintaining it for the entire race. Two laps from the finish, expecting the white flag to come out, nerves created CJ to be very conservative on his last lap, not wanting to roll again, but inadvertently left the door open and let Chad George pass him making CJ have to settle for 2nd! All in all, I would say he’s definitely a “chip off the old block!”

At the end of the weekend, the team felt that they are ready for the TORC Series to begin. The trucks are very competitive and the drivers are stoked for the battle in the Midwest!

Please visit JohnnyGreaves.com for the latest news of Johnny and Jeremy’s off-road racing.