Ross Hoek Racing–Hoek Handles Red Bud, Looks Forward to Crandon

Hoek Handles Red Bud, Looks Forward to Crandon

 
Holland, MI (August 13, 2013) – The track at Red Bud MX is unlike any other course on the Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL, and the time on the track for Ross Hoek and his PRO-4×4 race truck was unlik
e any race weekend so far in 2013. The technical design of the Red Bud track really had driver and crew chief re-think how to set the truck up for such a challenging layout. The race results really didn’t reflect the amount knowledge gathered on the truck when it comes to racing on such a tight and tough racetrack.

As mentioned the one-mile long track at Red Bud is very unique to the TORC series. It offers fast high flying jumps as well as very technical and soft dark dirt in many of its corners. The ground is so loosely packed that deep holes formed very quickly during a twenty minute race. If you get out of the groove too far to avoid the holes and ruts, the loamy soil can nearly stop a nine hundred horsepower PRO truck.
After two short practice sessions the Friday qualifying session saw the #10 Motive Gear ATD Toyota turn the eighth quickest lap in the class. Afterwards Hoek realized he needed to pick up the pace for the weekend of racing.
The racing both Saturday and Sunday wasn’t really a struggle for the team; it was more of a test session. Without any experience on a track like Red Bud, Hoek was trying different approaches to the various obstacles in the track learning how the truck reacts to the different types of soil, bumps, jumps and turns.  Cornering the Pro-4 on such a tight track was the real challenge.  Finding the correct balance of aggressive driving, cautious driving, and reacting with the traction of four-wheel drive, proved to be a weekend long adventure for the team.  Ross Hoek stayed near the leaders and finished in seventh place both days.
“We really looked at the weekend as a test session,” commented Ross Hoek. “Right now I need to learn more about the truck so I can improve my driving. The four-wheel drive makes this a totally different animal from when I was racing in PRO-2. My driving ability needs to come up to the level of the race truck.  You really have to understand how the truck reacts in certain situations before you can really attack the race track. It’s real easy to get in over your head and end up on your lid. Our goal for Red Bud was to keep up with the fast guys and we did that on Saturday. All in all it was a good weekend for the team.”
Ross Hoek Motorsports will make its first return visit to a race track with his Motive Gear, ATD. Toyota PRO-4×4 on Labor Day Weekend for the Crandon Off-Road World Championships. Ross finished in the Top 5 at Crandon in the spring and he’s looking to improve on that Labor Day weekend. The truck is in great shape and ready to run up front at Crandon.