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Pro Modified in Hannibal
Danny Rohrer jumps right up the B4 climb that denied so many teams before him
::: Photo Cedit: England Photo | Pirate4x4.com
Hannibal, MO: The beginning of the Eastern U.S. Nationals Round 1 Started out at the Hannibal Inn for
Tech and Registration. From there, W.E.ROCK Officials took a close look into every single vehicle, even
during intense rains. These intense rains would make teams antsy in getting out to the courses due to
knowing that rain in the Midwest brings mud and mud makes for a huge show of high horsepower, amazing
rolls, and fantastic saves.
Lou Levy "BroncoLou" attampts a save on A1 that rolled him out of bounds and down a 20 foot revine
::: Photo Cedit: England Photo | Pirate4x4.com
In attendance from the regular East Coast Cast was Western U.S. Nationals Drivers Jesse Haines (removed
from Indiana to Nevada) and Nick Campbell (Unlimited Spotter turned Driver). Both in Pro Modified
expected to see big results and podium finishes where Campbell saw a strong 4th and Haines saw breakage
that pulled him out of contention in the last few moments.
Jesse Haines battles, stuggles, saves a roll over, then finishes B4 with 7 seconds left
::: Photo Cedit: England Photo | Pirate4x4.com
However the story of the Pro Modified Class was Rookie's Derek West and Ritchie Keller, who took first
place by 8 points and lead into The Shootout by 35 points. With the cousin, West and Keller were able to
make a few mistakes and still come out victorious. When asked before his final run West stated, "Of
course I am nervous, Look at all these top teams throwing down some great scores and putting the pressure
on." Looking at his scores and driving style with a new vehicle in a class where he has never competed
before, many wondered how West and Keller were looked over as Modified Stocks. Turth is, West and Keller
has won every single Eastern U.S. Nationals event that they have competed in, mostly with the Modified
Stocks and the largest deriving from the 2007 Grand Nationals.
Derek West lines up moments before he jumped a "Belly Hanger" that trapped so many
Unlimited Teams ::: Photo Cedit: England Photo | Pirate4x4.com
Second place was Mike Cole, who was the only of the top 4 that was in a vehicle older than 2 years old,
and the only in the 9 in a vehicle over 3 years old. Cole drove a vehicle that was build in 2000 and
obviously shows the veteran driving characteristics that helped him pull in 2 prior championships with
other promoters. 3rd place was 2006 Eastern U.S. Nationals Champion Danny Rohrer and Chad Rolfert who
drove their newest Wombat creation to a great finish in their first pro event with the latest crawler.
Nick Campbell and Spotter Jason Berger get ready to take off up the "Launch Pad" in
Hannibal, MO ::: Photo Cedit: England Photo | Pirate4x4.com
4th was Nick Campbell in the Monster Energy Pro Modified. A far cry from what the Campbell's took 5th in
at Perris two weeks earlier (Unlimited Class Moonbuggy), fans saw Nick Campbell step in for his brother
Shannon but saw very little change in driving characteristics. 5th was Rusty Bray after entering The
Shootout in 3rd but saw a front axle failure that resulted in an extremely high score. Ken Blume rounded
the field in 6th after breaking a passenger rear shock, which broke his fuel pressure line and stopped
Blume several feet from gate two.
Ken Blume sqweeks through Gate 1 of The Shootout only to break a Passenger Side rear Shock
(pictured) ::: Photo Cedit: England Photo | Pirate4x4.com
Overall the Pro Modified Class was on fire as we all saw great saves, rolls, and a ton of close calls. If
this first Hannibal, MO event is any indication of how the action will hit during the Grand Nationals in
Hannibal where 24 of the BEST teams in the world will be battling it out for the National Title, then it
will be one of the greatest Rock Crawling events in history and it all goes down September 6th and 7th…
Related Links:
InCar Cameras with W.E.ROCK Drivers |
The Pro Modified Class Story |
The Unlimited Class Story |
The Modified Stock Class Story |
The Formula Toyota Class Story |
Live Coverage |
Itinerary, Directions, Weather |
Hannibal Rocks Event Poster |
2007 Eastern U.S. Series |
Official Scores
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