|
Unlimited in Perris
Rookie Mark Ruffing twisting his Rig in the first set of gates on A4, time spent here cost him big
later down the course as he ran out of time fett from the finish ::: Photo Cedit: HighRev Photo | Pirate4x4.com
Many look at the Unlimited class as the advancement of the sport, and for great reasons. "Tiny," a Nelson
built moonbuggy (the first of it's kind) revolutionized all aspects of rock sports with its low center of
gravity, specialized parts, and lightweight design. This has transferred to other divisions of rock
crawling as well, meanwhile the more conventional front engine rear steer vehicles of old would still
push the class as well. After the first event, an all out war broke loose between Rear Steer teams and
Moonbuggy teams. This has made for extremely heated arguments in the pits and more so on the rules
forums.
Rookie Matt Messer placed 5th in the event, even after a few big mistakes, he
found the right lines and forged ahead to a great finish ::: Photo Cedit: HighRev Photo | Pirate4x4.com
Either way most everything is just about evenly split in the class as either have a complete chance of
winning at every event. Then enter Shannon Campbell, an amazing driver jumps into an even more amazing
vehicle (Moonbuggy) and nearly dominates in other series. The only thing that would keep Shannon from
winning would be himself, and this showed as Shannon took Dirtsports Magazine's "Driver of the Year" as
well as many other big events, the largest capping the 2007 season with a win at the Grand Nationals.
2nd Place Cody Waggoner dropping off a 14 foot ledge called "The FreeFall" ::: Photo Cedit: HighRev Photo | Pirate4x4.com
Literally right behind Shannon by a mere 3 points was Eastern U.S. Nationals competitor and 2005 Grand
Nationals driver Jesse Haines (Rear Steer) in the 2007 GNC's. Over the off -season W.E.ROCK saw several
exciting things happen to the class. The mergence of rookie sensation Mark Ruffing in his Rear Steer
Moonbuggy and Jesse Haines' move to the rock laden Carson City, NV. Constant practice at local trails
and the ability to dial in the vehicles are two traits that every racer needs and Haines had them at his
fingertips.
The sequence of Shannon Campbell's roll over during the Shootout Course, yes, he did make the crazy save
and land on all 4 tires... ::: Photo Cedit: HighRev Photo | Pirate4x4.com
Now we hit Perris, CA with W.E.ROCK's Western U.S. Nationals Series Opener. All that time in the
off-season paid off as well as the addition to the team with 2007 Unlimited Class Eastern U.S. Nationals
Champion Matt Deas at the side of Haines as spotter. Every Racer has their day and it was Haines' and
Deas' without a doubt. Shannon still placed well, not as well as he would have liked, but still a 4th
in the most technologically advanced class is quite the feat. Haines did have some other fierce
competition as local Cody Waggoner with Detroit Locker threw quite a bit of pressure on Haines with
the last minutes remaining. Waggoner at one point pulled Haines into a 11 point gap, but didn't have
enough time to get closer.
Winner, Jesse Haines drops down A3 while getting caught in the action by High Rev Photos ::: Photo Cedit: HighRev Photo | Pirate4x4.com
Brent Bradshaw saw an amazing weekend as he took his best place at a W.E.ROCK event with a 3rd place with
new spotter Chris Pablano in Tracy Jordan's old Unlimited car from the past two years. 4th was Shannon
Campbell, 5th was Rookie Matt Messer driving the Trail Gear Moonbuggy and 6th was Robert McKinney in his
first ever shootout.
Related Links:
The Pro Modified Class Story |
The Unlimited Class Story |
The Modified Stock Class Story |
The Formula Toyota Class Story |
Pirate4x4.com's Live Coverage |
"Rock Smack" |
Itinerary, Directions, Weather |
Perris Raceway Event Poster |
Western U.S. Series |
Official Scores |
|
|
