Renegades on the Ridge 150
The Renegades Racing Series held the biggest race on the east coast at the Good Evening Ranch in West Virginia. Sean came into this race third in a close 3 way battle for the national series points. The good thing about this race is that the course is very rough and very technical, 2 things Sean favors. Because of a bad storm rolling through, qualifying was canceled and the starting order would be based on current point standings. With his closest competitors directly in front of him, Sean knew he had to push hard and win this race to take the points lead.
The field takes off and now we wait to see who emerges from the woods first. The first pair comes out and Sean is right on the bumper of the leader. Physically he is second, but in corrected time, he already has a 30 second lead. Shortly into the second lap he makes a pass for the lead and puts some distance on the rest of the field.
Around lap 7 Sean rolled the car at the top of one of the big hills. A sway bay bolt had broke forcing the car to lean over on the climb too far and over it went. He quickly recovered only losing 1 position. He hammered down and charged back to the lead. A quick fuel stop past the halfway mark made it a one stop race strategy that would help stay up in front.
Coming out of the woods on the twelfth lap, only Sean and the second place car would have enough left on the clock to try and complete another lap. Second place came out of the woods way off pace struggling to complete the lap. At this point Sean was confirmed the winner. No other car could challenge his finish. In fact, only one other car would even be able to finish 12 laps in the allotted time.
This was a huge victory and a well fought battle. The course was brutal and certainly lived up to its expectations. While it certainly took its toll on the car, it proved that a Polaris was the car to have for such a race. The MotoRaceTires and MRT Muscle wheels were incredible and survived this torture for 5 and a half hours without a single issue. Every part of this car and all its equipment was designed around this type of race. We now go into the series Nationals race with a substantial points lead.
Renegades Racing Series Flexrock 4x4
We finally had a great race with the car. It still got exciting in the beginning and made it a hard charge all race long, but we were still able to walk away with the win. Alicia also had a great race in the Pro/Am Class finishing second, making it 2 podiums in a row.
Lap one we had a towel stuck in the clutch exhaust duct and had to pit losing about 3 minutes due to the issue. Once that was cleared, it was time to get back to it. We had the Polaris RZR XP Turbo spooled up tight with the MRT - Motoracetire.com XR's clawing hard. Even in the bright sunlight, the Competition LED headlights powered by the ODYSSEY Batteries made a big improvement in the dark woods. The Super ATV suspension easily handled the tight trails and big jumps with Ed "The Suspension Guy" Walker Evans Racing shocks soaking it all up and the Performance SXS Bushings kept it smooth. The Razorback Technology belt temp gauge was screaming at the beginning telling us the Ultimax Belts by Timken was hot, but we knew it could handle the punishment so we kept that Gear Grabber Shifters in high. Speaking of punishment, those rocky creek beds were no match for the super strong Factory UTV skid plate. As we got closer to the end of the race, Mark came on the Sena headset and told me to hammer down. Knowing we had plenty of fuel in our Pyrotect Safety Gear fuel cell, I let that Bikeman Performance power pin me deep into the PRP Seats alpha and let it ride. It was a great hard fought win right to the finish, now we just have to let Woodys detailing clean up that Checka Signs & Graphics wrap designed by Racer Prep and get another coat of Nano Ceramic Protect North America on there.
2019
Dirt Riot
East Coast Finals
What a crazy race but we pulled it off. We started second and caught the leader in the first couple miles and got stopped coming into the start finish from course issues. After a restart dropped the hammer and set a strong pace. Came around in the second lap and saw Alicia's car flopped on its side. Went to swing around and give her a tug back over and dropped into the same blind hole that sent her over. Pulled a little rock crawling maneuver and got into a position for them to pop me back up. Still out front kept pushing hard but after the roll I only had 1/8 and full throttle, this was gonna be fun. Things with the car were just not right at this point. Coming through for the last lap, still with a small lead, kept pushing hard to try and finish. Ended up over 2 minutes ahead of second with the other front teams having their own issues. What a great seriously difficult race. We managed to both win the race and seal our Dirt Riot north east championship. Alicia was able to get back on course and able to finish 2 more laps. Alicia finished 3rd for her first full season.
Dirt Riot
Burning Rock WV
What a race down here for the Dirt Riot race at Burning Rock Off Road Park. This was set to be a real fast real fun race. We brought out the XP Turbo for this one to see just how much of that Bikeman Performance power we could put down. Sean qualified with a conservative shakedown run in third giving us a close view of the leaders heading out. Our killer MRT - Motoracetire.com 32s clawed off the line and charged out into the woods. Our Competition LED headlights lit up the heavy tree cover as we started the first long climb. Ed "The Suspension Guy" Niemela's incredible tuning to our Walker Evans Racing shocks just soaked everything up even down over the nasty water bars on the coal road. The Super ATV a arms and trailing arms took the beating with ease.
But one of the things that helps our team be so successful, is the quick thinking and ability to adapt on the fly. We may have got a little greedy with all the new power and the Airdam Clutches were pushing the Ultimax Belts by Timken really hard in the 230's according to our Razorback Technologybelt temp gauge. Because of this we were losing ground on the leaders. On lap 3 Mark jumped out to try to save weight and lower the belt temps. This was just enough to pick the pace back up and make up time on the leaders. Levi lost a wheel on a rock dropping him back behind Sean. Ryan and Sean both came in for fuel with 3 laps to go. Mark and the N.O.E racing team gave Sean a flawless nascar style splash and go putting him out first on course. Coming into the finish all Sean had to do was maintain position. With the belt temp at 250 he let Levi past knowing he could still hold the lead on time with only the 30 second short course left to finish. All the great companies that support us and our fellow racers that help at the track along with some quick thinking and ability to adapt are really what make wins like this possible. Along with those already mentioned we need to thank
Sena Checka Signs & Graphics ODYSSEY Batteries @Woodys detailingNano Ceramic Protect PRP Seats Factory UTV Performance SXS BushingsGear Grabber Shifters and Racer Prep
Pro Rock/Pro UTV
Windrock TN
What a weekend at Windrock Park for the Pro Rock Racing event. Down there with teammates Brian and Donny of Brian Stone Racing for a great weekend of racing. For whatever reason, Pro Rock qualifying seems to be our kryptonite regardless how prepared we are. With starting so far back, we made the decision to keep Mark in the pits to keep Sean updated on track position and keep him on pace. One thing we knew for sure is both the siren and the bright Competition LED lights were going to make the difference to get through this pack. Knowing we have the best tires on the market on the car MRT - Motoracetire.com, we knew we could throw down every bit of the Bikeman Performance power through the Airdam Clutches. A new element was added to the start of this race, 5 wide dead engine start. No problem, we had this covered with the power of our ODYSSEY Batteries. We got off the line clean and started knocking down spots right from the start. Ed Niemela THE Suspension Guy making our Walker Evans Racing shocks and Super ATV suspension work so well the Factory UTV skid barely touched the ground, Performance SXS Bushings kept it all silky smooth. Just as things were rolling along, a competitor tried to limp a broken car across a single wide bridge blocking the course for everyone behind. Quick thinking by driver Cody Martin got him cleared off the bridge and got everyone back up to speed. Mark kept Sean on pace using the Sena headsets and told him to drop the hammer and keep picking up positions. Cody and Sean were flying to the end laying down the fastest laps going into the finish, by far the quickest cars on course at that point. On the last hill climb to go, the Razorback Technology belt temp gauge was showing 260, but he knew the Ultimax Belts by Timken could handle one more charge to the top. He was real happy to be sitting in the PRP Seats Alpha on the final nasty steep drop to the checkers to finish the race in 5th place. Fortunately the Checka Signs & Graphics wrap coated with Nano Ceramic Protect North America didn't get much mud on them for Steve at Woodys detailing to clean. Racer Prep taking care of this race report getting all of our sponsors the credit they deserve in this entertaining report.
UTV Rally Rush
Wheeler Springs ME
Dirt Riot
Renegades on the Ridge PA
What a week, drove 1120 miles to race 185 miles in 2 races. In the end, got the win at UTV Rally Rush in the pro class, and both a second place in pro and second in stock at #renegadesontheridge Dirt Riot race. Our great sponsors are the only reason we are able to accomplish all this.
MRT - Motoracetire.com
Competition LED
Super ATV
Checka Signs & Graphics
Sena
Ultimax Belts by Timken
ODYSSEY Batteries
Razorback Technology
Woodys detailing
Nano Ceramic Protect North America
PRP Seats
Performance SXS Bushings
Factory UTV
And Ed "The Suspension Guy"
Dirt Riot
Rausch Creek PA
Had another great weekend racing the Dirt Riot series, it was moved due to flooding which meant it was closer to home letting us bring 2 of the cars. Sean had a great race holding a steady pace to bring home the win. The big news is Alicia leading the race for 3 laps, only losing her spot after a quick pitstop for a tire change, but still holding on to second place. Donny McQuait from Brian Stone Racing co-drove with her for the podium spot while Mark manned the pits. The girls even got to come and stand on stage for the trophy. Our great sponsor continue to make all of this happen, these are the companies that make our cars so fast.
MRT - Motoracetire.com
Super ATV
Competition LED
Checka Signs & Graphics
ODYSSEY Batteries
Ultimax Belts by Timken
Razorback Technology
PRP Seats
Factory UTV
Gear Grabber Shifters
Woodys detailing
Performance SXS Bushings
Sena
Airdam Clutches
Walker Evans Racing
Polaris RZR
And as always
Edward Niemela "The Suspension Guy"
Dirt Riot
Season Opener
Rausch Creek PA
What a great weekend. Got the RS1 on the top of the pro podium the first race out and Alicia got the trusty 1k up there in third in the stock class. We thrashed hard the last few weeks getting both cars ready for the season. Edward Niemela "The Suspension Guy" hooked up the new car with an amazing set of Walker Evans Racing shocks, and Super ATV supplied the stout trailing arms and radius rods as well as their frame stiffener for the front. Performance SXS Bushings kept it all smooth. PRP Seats Alpha is so comfortable you almost forget what your racing through, almost. Razorback Technology kept track of the Ultimax Belts by Timken running through the Airdam Clutches. Checka Signs & Graphics provided us with another amazing wrap. Competition LED set us up with the new 4 inch frame mounted headlights with Desert Vision cutting through the fog and rain. And none of this would have been possible without the absolute BEST TIRES IN THE WORLD MRT - Motoracetire.com. Their RACE tire is simply the best you can put on your machine. Race after race they never cease to amaze us with what that handle. And now they are on their new beadlock wheels making it a complete package. Woodys detailing, ODYSSEY Batteries, Factory UTV, Gear Grabber Shifters, Sena help to keep our team strong.
Ultra 4 East Series
Battle in Bluegrass
Ultra4 Racing Battle in Bluegrass is in the books for Sean Haluch and Mark Shea.
What a Race! We have been working hard to make the Turbo the fine tuned race car the XP 1000 has been. It has taken much longer than expected, but with the help of some great companies, it is finally at that point. Leading up to this race, we looked forward to the wild short course and fast technical wood sections we enjoy. Mark from MRT - Motoracetire.com even sent us a brand new set of softer compound race tires that we expected to thrash on all the dry rock the property has. We got the Super ATVpower steering installed so we could fly through all the hard corners, had Mikes killer tune from Aftermarket Assassins programmed in, a set of Competition LED lights mounted in the grill, and Edward Niemela “The Suspension Guy” had the Walker Evans Racing Shocks dialed in perfect. Ben Caesar from Checka Signs & Graphics even treated it with a new wrap, while Steven Wood from Woodys detailing got it all polished up. Everything was set to KILL! Then the rains came. That’s right, it poured, poured all night Thursday, poured after practice Friday before qualifying, and poured yet again all night before race day Saturday. We were still well prepared, but certainly now had a bit of a different race strategy. Most importantly, like the PA race, we needed to limit any and all mistakes on course. Heading out in 5th position, we had a strong yet still conservative pace. We caught a couple front runners before the first climb passing James Cantrell on the hill. We fought back and forth with Dustin Robbins before finally get a little distance back out on the short course for lap 2. Deep into the woods we caught the leader Jay Shaw, fighting his way through a mud hole that just wouldn’t give due to his 2 flat tires. Once he was cleared off to the side, we hammered into the hole and dug our way through. That was the hardest hit we ever slammed the Factory UTVskid on, but it took it like a champ. From there we took the lead and worked hard to hold the position and maintain a fast pace. The Razorback Technology temp gauge said the Ultimax Belts by Timken UXP belt was holding up just fine in the Airdam Clutches clutches so we pressed on. By the end of lap 5 we had passed the entire field and heading out for the last time. Still running strong and firing on all cylinders, we came to the last major climb. As we rounded the corner we found one of the Zollinger Racing Products cars on it’s side being tugged back down the left, and much preferred line, leaving just the steeper slick right side. Stuck the car in high gear with the Gear Grabber Shifters, Sean hit it with everything that car had and let that turbo eat. Once at the top, we cheered like we had won the world. Passing by pit lane, we saw our crew chief Nick Sanderson holding the pit board saying YEAH BOYS! And waving us by. We powered through the last few corners in a full 4 wheel drift before coming out to the short course to take the checkered flag. Jennifer Gohra from Wicked Powersports called to congratulate us while we waited for Dave Cole to give us the official word that yes we were the winners! We must thank so many people and companies that help us achieve these results. On top of those listed above we have to thank
Racing Addix
ODYSSEY Batteries
MSA Offroad Wheels
Torq-Masters Industries
Superwinch
PRP Seats
Motorsports International
Hess Motorsports
Sandcraft RCR
Savage Arms
Appalachia Technologies
Factor 55
Turner Cycles
Ultra 4 East Series
Showdown in Shamokin
The seasons first Ultra4 Racing east coast series race is in the books and we couldn't be happier. This was a huge win for us in so many ways. Yes we are from Massachusetts, but we have raced more in PA than anywhere else. When they announced that Ultra 4 was coming to PA and working together with the Line Mountain series, we were very excited. We never raced at AOAA, but the terrain is very similar to what we race on at Line Mnt. After weeks of hard work following the King of the Hammers, the SHR XP Turbo finally felt completely race ready. We went down with a very strong game plan and followed it start to finish. Like every Line Mnt race, we actually went out Thursday night and walked as much of the 13 mile course that we could. Friday we preran the entire course several more times with the 1000 leaving the Turbo ready for qualifying. Sean was the first UTV up and following Dave Coles request, he laid down a very solid run that would hold up against all but the very last pass of Scott Decker, stealing the pole from us just minutes before the end.
We left the line 30 seconds behind the leader, but knew we needed to push hard knowing Scott is a seasoned racer in a fast machine. We caught up to him at the bottom of the first major rock climb. He cut a tire on a rock pushing hard to stay in front of us, so we knew it was only a matter of time before we would get by him. Once we got around him, we poured on the Aftermarket Assassins power and pulled away. With fresh new valving from Edward Niemela The Suspension Guy, our Walker Evans Racing Velocity shocks were spot on soaking up the nasty rough terrain. Our Competition LED lights led the way blazing through the woods. The Super ATVsuspension components, MSA Offroad Wheels and the Ultimax Belts by Timken were all up to the challenge of the rocky track. We held a solid pace for the first 3 laps conserving fuel when possible knowing there might be a 5th lap. Our partners and friends from Torq-Masters Industries were ready in the pits for a quick splash and go if needed. At the top of the first rock climb on lap 4 we were informed due to time, this would be the last lap. Not knowing how close the next competitor was, Sean dropped the hammer and screamed to the finish. The MRT - Motoracetire.com tires took every bit of the beating we could give them without fail. We finished an almost full 7 minutes in front of the next competitor. This was not only our first Ultra 4 win, but we got to do it on our home turf with our Line Mountain friends and family. On top of the above mentioned, we must also thank ODYSSEY Batteries, Checka Signs & Graphics, Motorsports International, Gear Grabber Shifters, Superwinch, Turner Cycles, Savage Arms, Appalachia Technologies, Factory UTV, Razorback Technology, Factor 55, PRP Seats, Sandcraft RCR,and Hess Motorsports.
2020
Renegades Racing Series Nationals
We head into the last race of the season with the lead in national points, but this is 2020, anything can happen and probably will. We are back again at the Good Evening Ranch for a second time which is a plus for us with Sean’s strength on tough courses. The weather is beautiful so there will be qualifying for this race.
Friday afternoon qualifying goes very well. The short course is set between to hills with sweeping jumps and tight corners. The car looked great, nice and flat on the turns, and solid on the landings. Our competitors tried their best, but in the end, Sean was able to lay down the fastest lap and qualify on the pole.
Sean left the line first and headed out into the woods in clean air with no traffic in front of him. Unfortunately, that would not last long. Even though the car felt strong, the gauge was telling him he had an overheating issue. With this being the first race for a brand new motor and turbo, he decided to limp the car back to the pits to prevent any damage. Once in the pits, we discovered the gauge was receiving bad signals as everything else checked out fine. Knowing we lost 6 minutes from this ordeal, he headed back out on course looking to make up time. When I said anything could happen, well, it did. Part way into the next lap, high gear blew up in the transmission. Low range still worked but now he had to deal with trying to finish the race. Failure to do so would seriously put the title in jeopardy. Around lap 6 the horrible noise from the tranny got suspiciously quiet but it kept going. At this point we were beyond the halfway point in the race and still holding a solid pace. In fact, he was making up time nearly every lap. With nothing left to lose, he threw down as hard a lap as the low gear would allow and set the fastest lap time of the race. Performance like this shows just how strong he is in the rocky technical courses.
With everything against him, he posted fast lap times for 5 of the 10 laps and made up over a minute on the leader after that disastrous start. In the end he would finish 3rd and even more importantly, capture yet another national title. It’s been a crazy year for sure, but the title was the one thing we were after and the one thing we managed to accomplish.