W.E. ROCK :: World Extreme Rockcrawling

Oroville Wrap Up

By: Aaron Campbell

W.E.ROCK Live Editor-In Chief

The sleepy northern California town of Oroville would be the scene of the 2009 W.E.ROCK Pro-National West Series Finale. A couple of things were for certain. Justin and Mark Hall were going to capture the 2009 Stock class championship. John James, Brian Ellinger, and Jeff Mello were going to be fighting till the bitter end over the Formula Toyota championship. Brad Lovell just needed to keep his cool to find himself the 2009 Pro-Modified Champion, and Cody Waggoner and Jesse Haines were going to be locked in the roughest battle for the Unlimited Championship.

The Oroville Circuit would be the third and final man-made course to debut on the circuit this year. The unique circuit in Oroville would be composed of gunite. Unlike other circuits, a majority of the course would be troweled and the surface made slick. In addition to the unique slick surface, the circuit would be themed with military vehicles. This would include an ex-military truck being incorporated into the racing surface. Also, two major climbs would be incorporated. The Terminator would be home to a split level climb, with two different heights on the other sides. The Cannon would cause the teams to face down an almost vertical climb after shooting through a 12-foot round metal culvert.

The Formula Toyota and Stock Modified Class would find itself on some of the toughest courses ever constructed at Oroville. After a bloody battle that would include, Todd Stephenson having an engine failue, Chrystal McAuliff and Krissy Trinka would be the first all female team to reach the top step of the podium. Justin Hall would finish second and would clinch the 2009 Stock Championship. Justin Hutchinson would make his W.E.ROCK Debut with a third place finish. In Formula Toyota, John James, would bookmark the year with a win. His win would also hand him the 2009 Formula Toyota title. Brian Ellinger and rookie Nathan Unruh would round out the podium.

The Pro-Modified Class would find itself in a war all event long. However, it would all come down to the final shootout of the year to find the winner. Tracy Jordan, would come from behind to win the event, but Brad Lovell would have the final laugh with the 2009 championship. Tracy Jordan, Brad Lovell, and Shannon Campbell would round out the podium for the event.

The battle for the Unlimited championship would conclude with a bang. Cody Waggoner, would finally get the monkey off his back. He would recapture the glory he found at the start of the season, and would grab the final win of the season. However, the gorilla would disappear off Cody's back and he would grab his first championship. Jesse Haines would have a couple of mistakes, and would finish fourth in the running for Oroville, and would come up short in the championship fight. Jason Paule and Matt Messer would round out the podium for Oroville.

Next up for the W.E.ROCK Pro-National Championship will be the Pro-National East Series Finals at Dayton. That event will come your way on www.werocklive.com starting Thursday, July, 30, 2009. The event will be under the lights in the Tennessee mountains July 31st and August 1st.