Reigning Pro 2 Champion Jerett Brooks Begins Title Defense with Weekend Sweep

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (July 29, 2020) – It was long overdue, but the 2020 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Presented by GEICO is officially underway, and it was worth the wait. The opening weekend of the season kicked things off in the off road hotbed of Southern California, with a doubleheader from Glen Helen Raceway. The OPTIMA Batteries SoCal Shootout Presented by K&N Filters was limited to participants only, and while the presence of fans was certainly missed, the action on the track was as competitive as ever. As an added challenge for the weekend, the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series made slight changes to the course layout from Saturday to Sunday, which made the racing even more exciting. All eight classes, from the Pro divisions to the UTVs and Juniors, saw exceptional battles all weekend long. After the dust settled on Sunday afternoon it was reigning Pro 2 Champion Jerett Brooks who left the opening weekend brimming with confidence on the heels of the best outing he could ask for to begin his title defense.

The premier Pro 2 class highlighted the opening round of the 2020 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series from Glen Helen Raceway. Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series

Pro 2Saturday All eyes were on the Pro 2 field when the trucks rolled onto the track for the first time in 2020, where reigning champion Jerett Brooks would begin his title defense. Brooks rolled off the line in fourth and would need to do some work to get around polesitter Ricky Gutierrez, former champion Brian Deegan, and perennial contender RJ Anderson. When the field roared to life at the drop of the green Gutierrez was able to maintain his position at the front of the field, leaving his rivals to duke it out for track position. Gutierrez had a comfortable gap in the early laps but a slight bobble allowed Deegan and Brooks to close in, from which Brooks snuck under Deegan to take over second. The champ’s persistence carried him to the rear fender of Gutierrez, where he fought his way into the lead a few laps before the halfway point. When they returned to action for the second half of the race, Brooks put the hammer down and quickly established a cushion over the field. He never looked back and carried on to take an emphatic opening round victory by nearly six seconds over Gutierrez, who captured his first podium result. Deegan completed the podium in third.   Results 1.     #77 Jerett Brooks 2.     #78 Ricky Gutierrez 3.     #38 Brian Deegan 4.     #51 Ryan Beat 5.     #81 Doug Mittag

Reigning Pro 2 champion Jerett Brooks (front) opened the season with an impressive win on Saturday. Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series

Sunday After a thrilling race on Saturday, the final race of the weekend on Sunday afternoon was destined to carry the same level of excitement as Brooks chased the weekend sweep. The champ’s ability to do so would be somewhat influenced by his starting spot, where he lined up alongside polesitter Ryan Beat on the front row. When the field charged down the front stretch at the wave of the green it was Beat who emerged with the lead, with Brooks in second. Beat, a Pro 2 rookie and two-time Pro Lite Champion, looked like the veteran that he is leading his first laps in the premier class, where he paced the field through to the halfway point. When racing resumed for the second half Beat came under fire from his fellow Pro Lite titleholder immediately. Brooks attempted to slide under Beat for the lead, but the rookie didn’t flinch. On the following lap Beat pushed wide in the final corner and dug into the cushion, which pushed his right rear tire off the rim. That gave Brooks the opening he needed to seize control of the lead, while Doug Mittag moved up to second. For the second straight day Brooks nailed the setup on his truck and ran away from the field in the closing laps to solidify the weekend sweep by more than four seconds over Mittag, while Beat managed to recover with his first podium result. The near perfect weekend for Brooks allowed him to already establish a double-digit lead in the Pro 2 standings, where he holds a 13-point lead over Beat after two rounds.   Results 1.     #77 Jerett Brooks 2.     #81 Doug Mittag 3.     #51 Ryan Beat 4.     #38 Brian Deegan 5.     #67 Erik Jacobus   Points (Round 2 of 10) 1.     #77 Jerett Brooks – 110 2.     #51 Ryan Beat – 97 3.     #38 Brian Deegan – 95 4.     #81 Doug Mittag – 93 5.     #78 Ricky Gutierrez – 88

Brooks capped off a dominant start to his title defense by sweeping the weekend doubleheader on Sunday. Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series

Pro Lite Saturday  With a vacant title up for grabs, the Pro Lite class is expected to be one of the most competitive divisions in Lucas Oil Off Road, and it lived up to that billing in Glen Helen. On Saturday, a fierce battle at the front of the field saw rookie Mason Prater go door to door with title hopefuls Christopher Polvoorde and Ronnie Anderson. Prater started from the pole and controlled the early laps, but soon both Polvoorde and Anderson applied heavy pressure for the top spot, with Polvoorde pushing his way to the front of the field just before the halfway point. When the second half of the race got underway, Polvoorde was able to put a firm grasp on his hold of the lead, while Prater suffered his first miscue while running second, causing both he and Brock Heger to drop to the tail end of the field. With the field slowed up, Polvoorde proceeded to check out behind the wheel of his new Ford backed truck, cruising to an easy opening round victory more than two seconds ahead of Anderson, while Madix Bailey rounded out the podium in his first start driving a Lucas Oil backed Pro Lite.    Results 1.     #94 Christopher Polvoorde 2.     #52 Ronnie Anderson 3.     #29 Madix Bailey 4.     #59 Jimmy Weitzel 5.     #35 Cole Mamer

Christopher Polvoorde (front) made the first statement of the Pro Lite season with a victory on Saturday. Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series

Sunday  With the Saturday victory under his belt, Christopher Polvoorde found himself in a position to sweep the weekend by starting from pole position on Sunday. However, as he attempted to assert himself as the leader on the opening lap Polvoorde over rotated in the second turn and lost valuable track position, which handed the lead over to Cole Mamer. Polvoorde would drop out of the race soon after. With a clear track Mamer was able to build a comfortable lead over the field, which he carried through to the halfway point. When racing resumed, Mamer looked to reestablish his advantage but a hard-charging Brock Heger applied pressure on the top spot. The lead duo stepped up the pace to pull away from the field and as the laps wore down Mamer gradually distanced himself further and further from Heger, eventually taking his first win of the season by three seconds. Madix Bailey capped off a stellar debut weekend in Pro Lite with back-to-back podium results. The win puts Mamer atop the championship standings after two rounds, where he holds an eight-point lead over Bailey.    Results 1.     #35 Cole Mamer 2.     #12 Brock Heger 3.     #29 Madix Bailey 4.     #59 Jimmy Weitzel 5.     #65 Dave Mason Jr. Points (Round 2 of 10) 1.     #35 Cole Mamer – 103 2.     #29 Madix Bailey – 95 3.     #12 Brock Heger – 93 4.     #94 Christopher Polvoorde – 89 5.     #59 Jimmy Weitzel – 88

Cole Mamer (35) held off all challengers to take his first win of the season on Sunday. Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series

Pro Buggy Saturday   After a wild end to the 2019 season, reigning Pro Buggy champion Eliott Watson came into Glen Helen with a target on his back as a lot of challengers were prepared to make a statement during the opening weekend. The first race of the year saw Matthew Brister start on pole alongside Darren Hardesty Jr., with Watson lining up fourth. When the race got underway, Brister was able to take advantage of his track position to grab hold of the early lead. As the field jockeyed for position behind him, Watson was forced to take evasive action and went off course, leaving the No. 1 to fight his way from the back. Out front, Brister continued to build on his lead through the halfway point of the race. When the second half of the race got underway, Brister continued to control the pace out front and went unchallenged through to the checkered flag. He took his first career Pro Buggy win just under a second ahead of Hardesty, who prevailed in an intense battle for the runner-up spot. Watson recovered well from his early excursion to follow in third.    Results 1.     #5 Matthew Brister 2.     #99 Darren Hardesty Jr.  3.     #1 Eliott Watson 4.     #15 Trey D. Gibbs 5.     #7 Dale Ebberts

Matthew Brister (front) broke through for his first career Pro Buggy win on Saturday. Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series

Sunday   Matthew Brister’s hope for a weekend sweep faced a stiff challenge from the get go on Sunday, when he lined up third on the grid behind polesitter Trey D. Gibbs and Darren Hardesty Jr. When the green flag waved, Gibbs quickly jumped out to a multi car length lead over Hardesty while Brister slotted into fourth. After making the pass on the No. 1 of Eliott Watson for third, Brister lost traction in the final corner and spun. Out front, Gibbs built a huge lead over the field, while Watson settled into a firm hold of second. Brister, meanwhile, was on a mission back to the front and worked his way up to fourth at the halfway point. When the field roared back to life for the second half of the race, Gibbs was forced to fend off pressure from Watson, while Brister faced even more adversity battling for third as contact with Dale Ebberts sent him off track. The battle for the lead in the closing laps was exceptional, as Gibbs and Watson were never separated by more than a car length. Despite the constant pressure, Gibbs never wavered and held on for his first career win. Brister’s strong start to the season has him atop the Pro Buggy standings over Watson after two rounds.    Results 1.     #15 Trey D. Gibbs 2.     #1 Eliott Watson 3.     #7 Dale Ebberts 4.     #5 Matthew Brister 5.     #74 Brady Whitlock

Trey D. Gibbs (front) made it back-to-back first-time winners in Pro Buggy with his win on Sunday. Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series

Turbo UTV & Production 1000 UTV Saturday   With back-to-back Turbo UTV titles under her belt, Corry Weller has been the standard bearer for the division and she found herself in a familiar spot to start the opening race of the season from pole position. As the green flagged dropped she put the pedal to the floor and opened up a comfortable lead over Ronnie Anderson in second, which Weller easily maintained through the halfway point. When the racing resumed, Anderson did well to keep his Polaris RZR on the rear fender of Weller’s Can-Am, which allowed the lead duo to pull away. While Anderson kept Weller honest, the champ was dialed in and she stormed to a Round 1 victory over 10 seconds ahead of Anderson. Chance Haugen finished in third. In Production 1000 UTV, defending champion Robert Stout was unable to compete in Glen Helen, which meant one of his many challengers would have the chance to make the first statement of the 2020 season. In Stout’s absence, Robby Hornsby put himself on pole alongside Myles Cheek. When racing got underway, Cheek jumped into the top spot to open a gap on the field in the early laps. He continued to build on that lead as the battle for second ensued behind him, and was in firm control as the race reached the halfway point. A series of cautions slowed the pace of the race over its second half, but Cheek successfully withstood heavy pressure from former champion Brock Heger on each restart, eventually holding on for a wire-to-wire victory over Heger in second and Hornsby in third. Turbo UTV Results 1.     #1 Corry Weller 2.     #752 Ronnie Anderson 3.     #718 Chance Haugen 4.     #703 Trevor Leighton 5.     #742 Keith Brooks Production 1000 UTV Results 1.     #957 Myles Cheek 2.     #912 Brock Heger 3.     #916 Robby Hornsby 4.     #927 Cody Hodgson 5.     #923 James Price

(Left to right) Corry Weller opened up her Turbo UTV title defense with a Saturday win, while Myles Cheek earned his first career Production 1000 UTV victory. Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series

Sunday   The key to Corry Weller’s success in Turbo UTV has been her ability to start the season off strong. With a dominant win on Saturday she was once again in a position to capture a wave of momentum that she could carry throughout the season. After starting from pole position for Sunday’s race, Weller assumed her familiar spot out front with Ronnie Anderson in tow and cruised through the first half of the race. When they got back racing Anderson made sure to take advantage of the opportunity and made an impressive pass to take the lead. The Polaris RZR driver was able to pace the field for a couple laps, but Weller responded with a savvy pass of her own and checked out to secure a clean sweep of the weekend. She holds a six-point lead over Anderson in the Turbo UTV standings after two rounds. In Production 1000 UTV, Myles Cheek was going to have his work cut out for him in his attempt to take the win on both Saturday and Sunday. Cheek started Sunday’s race in sixth, behind a slew of tough challengers, led by Robby Hornsby on pole. From the moment the green flag waved the jockeying for track position ensued, with both Brock Heger and Cheek making moves forward to join the lead pack. Out front, Hornsby paced the field for a few laps before Heger powered his Yamaha into the front and led the field to the halfway point. When the racing resumed, Heger maintained his strong performance and brought home his first win of 2020 over Cheek. With his consistent weekend Cheek sits as the early Production 1000 UTV point leader, where he holds a slim three-point margin over Heger.   Turbo UTV Results 1.     #1 Corry Weller 2.     #752 Ronnie Anderson 3.     #764 Robert VanBeekum 4.     #703 Trevor Leighton 5.     #715 Jessica Gibbs   Turbo UTV Points (Round 2 of 10) 1.     #1 Corry Weller – 111 2.     #752 Ronnie Anderson – 105 3.     #718 Chance Haugen – 89 4.     #764 Robert VanBeekum – 89 5.     #703 Trevor Leighton – 88   Production 1000 UTV Results 1.     #957 Myles Cheek 2.     #912 Brock Heger 3.     #916 Robby Hornsby 4.     #974 Dallas Nord 5.     #923 James Price Production 1000 UTV Points (Round 2 of 10) 1.     #957 Myles Cheek – 104 2.     #912 Brock Heger – 101 3.     #916 Robby Hornsby – 96 4.     #923 James Price – 84 5.     #974 Bronsen Chiaramonte – 80

(Left to right) Corry Weller earned the weekend sweep in Turbo UTV while Brock Heger captured the Sunday win in Production 1000 UTV. Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series

Mod Kart, JR2 Kart & RZR 170 Saturday As the stepping stone into full size vehicles, all eyes are usually on Mod Kart to find the sport’s future stars. Based on the performance put forth by Connor Barry at the opening round, there could be another bright career in the making. Barry had the perfect setup on his kart for the first race of the season and simply dominated Saturday’s race, leading every lap en route to his first win. JR2 Kart has also emerged as a proving ground for up-and-coming young drivers, and that was on full display during Saturday’s race. After starting from the pole, Dane Culver looked to be the driver to beat as he successfully maintained a hold on the top spot despite constant pressure from both Brodie Martin and Rhyan Denney. However, on the final lap Culver pushed wide in a corner and it gave his rivals the opening to pounce. Martin moved into the front late and led the only lap that matters to take the first checkered flag of the season.   After an exciting debut season one year ago, the RZR 170 class is already known for its incredibly tight and intense competition. Reigning champion George Llamosas came into Glen Helen in search of more success, but he got a stiff challenge from TJ Siewers in the opening round, where these two budding rivals duked it out over the entirety of the race. Llamosas found a way to rebound from some adversity in the closing laps to make a late pass on Siewers and capture the win.   Mod Kart Results 1.     #528 Connor Barry 2.     #590 Trey Eggleston 3.     #573 Braden Chiaramonte 4.     #514 Brody Eggleston 5.     #577 Ethan Ebert   JR2 Kart Results 1.     #413 Brodie Martin 2.     #460 Rhyan Denney 3.     #401 Dane Culver 4.     #411 Talan Martin 5.     #415 Chaden Zane Minder RZR 170 Results 1.     #188 George Llamosas 2.     #101 TJ Siewers 3.     #102 Ian Torfi 4.     #164 Ryder VanBeekum 5.     #161 Daxton Ruane

(Clockwise from left) Mod Kart’s Connor Barry, JR2 Kart’s Brodie Martin, and RZR 170’s George Llamosas emerged victorious after a highly competitive Saturday in the junior divisions. Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series

Sunday Following his impressive drive on Saturday, Connor Barry had everyone’s attention going into Sunday’s Mod Kart action. Barry started on the front row, but found himself in a heated battle for position as Braden Chiaramonte stormed to the early lead. Barry looked to mount a charge to the front until a flip took him out of contention. That allowed Chiaramonte to continue his dominance out front, where he raced to victory over the Eggleston brothers. The win put Chiaramonte atop the Mod Kart standings, where he holds a seven point lead over Trey Eggleston. With an opening round win under his belt from Saturday, Brodie Martin entered Sunday’s JR2 Kart action with an eye on the sweep. He started the race in third and was able to jump into the lead early, but his time out front was short lived as Logan Leggitt moved out front and controlled the middle of the race. As the laps wound down, Rhyan Denney successfully battled her way into the lead, where she held on to take a big win. The victory moved Denney to the top of the JR2 Kart standings, where she sits 13 points ahead of Dane Culver. After letting a win slip away on Saturday, TJ Siewers entered Sunday’s RZR 170 race looking to rebound, and he did just that. After starting up front, Siewers had a perfect set up for Round 2, which allowed him to dominate the entirety of the race. The youngster led every lap and even held off some late pressure from Ian Torfi and Ryder VanBeekum to take his first win of the season, while George Llamosas quietly finished just off the podium in fourth. Siewers sits atop the RZR 170 point standings after two rounds, where he holds a nine point lead over Torfi.   Mod Kart Results 1.     #573 Braden Chiaramonte 2.     #514 Brody Eggleston 3.     #590 Trey Eggleston 4.     #577 Ethan Ebert 5.     #554 Luke Knupp   Mod Kart Points (Round 2 of 10) 1.     #573 Braden Chiaramonte – 106 2.     #590 Trey Eggleston – 99 3.     #528 Connor Barry – 98  4.     #514 Brody Eggleston – 93 5.     #577 Ethan Ebert – 91   JR2 Kart Results 1.     #460 Rhyan Denney 2.     #481 Logan Leggitt 3.     #415 Chaden Zane Minder 4.     #497 Jessie Owens 5.     #411 Talan Martin   JR2 Kart Points (Round 2 of 10) 1.     #460 Rhyan Denney – 108 2.     #401 Dane Culver – 95 3.     #415 Chaden Zane Minder – 90 4.     #481 Logan Leggitt – 89 5.     #411 Talan Martin – 86    RZR 170 Results 1.     #101 TJ Siewers 2.     #102 Ian Torfi 3.     #164 Ryder VanBeekum 4.     #188 George Llamosas 5.     #124 Zoe Easton   RZR 170 Points (Round 2 of 10) 1.     #101 TJ Siewers – 110 2.     #102 Ian Torfi – 101 3.     #188 George Llamosas – 98 4.     #164 Ryder VanBeekum – 94 5.     #161 Daxton Ruane – 87

(Clockwise from left) Mod Kart’s Braden Chiaramonte, JR2 Kart’s Rhyan Denney, and RZR 170’s TJ Siewers brought home the junior class victories on Sunday. Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series

The 2020 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series will return to action in late August with a historic weekend from Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri. The anticipated return to the track for the first time since 2018 will feature the series’ first ever tripleheader with three afternoon showcases in the heart of the midwest. The first race of the weekend will take place on Friday, August 21, followed by back-to-back races over the weekend on Saturday, August 22, and Sunday, August 23. Tickets for Rounds 3, 4, & 5 are now available, while live streaming coverage of the weekend can be seen on Lucas Oil Racing TV.