Racing
2017 RACE SCHEDULE
THUNDERHAWK UTV RACING at ROLLING W RANCH
Below is the 2017 schedule for the Thunderhawk Performance UTV series at Rolling W Ranch in West Sunbury PA. This track is located near Butler, PA - about 50 miles north of Pittsburgh, PA and 125 miles east of Cleveland, OH. This short-course track is designed so that you can run your UTV wide-open on a natural-terrain layout that features a few low-flying jumps that do NOT result in hard, nose-down landings and there are no trees to hit like you find in cross-country racing. This track is easy on machines and is perfect for a any group of trail-riders to bring their UTV's for a day of fun.
The 2017 race schedule is:
- Race #1 - May 13, 2017
- Race #2 - June 3, 2017
- *Race #3 & #4 - June 24 & 25, 2017
- *Race #5 & #6 - Sept 9 & 10, 2017
- Race #7 - Sept 30, 2017
- Race #8 = Oct 21, 2017
- * The two-day race weekends are run as two separate races, so racers can attend only one day, or both, as their time permits. There is overnight camping at the race track on these weekends.
To check out the detailed UTV-class rules for the stock, modified and power-adder UTV classes click here, or go to www.thunderhawkperformance.com/competition-rules/
For more information on the UTV racing at Rolling W Ranch, contact Thunderhawk Performance by e-mail at info@thunderhawkperformance.com or call us at (216) 965-4800
2016 MID-SEASON RACE REPORT
Thunderhawk UTV Classes at Rolling W Ranch
The Open Track day in April was an absolute blast!!! Do you remember when you were about 13 years old, and you'd get your dirt-bike or ATV out at the beginning of Spring? You'd go out and race around with your buddies for hours, only coming in to refill the gas tank and maybe for a bite to eat. Well, that's how much fun we had - I felt I was 13 again! If you skipped it, you really missed-out. We'll try to schedule another Open Track Day next year. Don't miss it!
Well, we have four races done and four to-go. The next race is September 10, so put it on your calendar! There are many more UTV's racing this year, with a great mix of brands. In fact, we have had Polaris RZR, Yamaha YXZ, Arctic Cat Wildcat, Can Am and even an old (and very fast) Honda Pilot out on the track at the same time. It's great to have more variety and competition!
The rules have also received a mid-year revision to create a "Pro" class and to re-align the current "Sportsman" classes by engine size. Gone are the "Stock", "Modified" and "Turbo" classes, replaced by Sportsman Lite (800 cc & under), Sportsman Open (801 cc & up) and Sportsman Turbo. We hope these new class divisions will encourage more owners of trail-ridden UTV's to come out and race, and for owners of RZR 800's and Wildcat Sport & Trail models to run the new Sportsman Lite class.
To check out the updated UTV-class rules click here, or go to www.thunderhawkperformance.com/competition-rules/
OPEN TRACK DAY for UTV's
Here's the details on the UTV Open Track day that we have arranged with Rolling W Ranch. On Saturday, April 30, 2016 the track is having a work-day in the morning, where some of the regular racers from all classes come to help clean-up the grounds and get the track and pits ready for the season. In the afternoon, these racers get to run a Test & Tune on the track. We have arranged to have UTV racers come in the afternoon and run a number of open track sessions without having to work in the morning. We basically want to get as many new people as possible out to the track to check it out.
Whether you are an experienced or a new racer that wants to test & tune to race at Rolling W Ranch this season, or if you just want to bring out your riding buddies for a fun afternoon on the track, everyone is welcome. You can also take a passenger if they also have the proper safety equipment. There is no charge for the open track, but a $5 one-day membership to the track's sanctioning organization is required. UTV's will be teched for safety.
THUNDERHAWK UTV RACING at ROLLING W RANCH - 2016 SCHEDULE
Below is the 2016 schedule for the Thunderhawk Performance UTV series at Rolling W Ranch in West Sunbury PA. This track is located near Butler, PA - about 50 miles north of Pittsburgh, PA and 125 miles east of Cleveland, OH. This short-course track is designed so that you can run your UTV wide-open on a natural-terrain layout that features a few low-flying jumps that do NOT result in hard, nose-down landings and there are no trees to hit like you find in cross-country racing. This track is easy on machines and is perfect for a any group of trail-riders to bring their UTV's for a day of fun.
The 2016 race schedule is:
- Race #1 - May 14, 2016
- Race #2 - June 4, 2016
- *Race #3 & #4 - June 25 & 26, 2016
- *Race #5 & #6 - Sept 10 & 11, 2016
- Race #7 - Oct 1, 2016
- Race #8 = Oct 22, 2016
- * The two-day race weekends are run as two separate races, so racers can attend only one day, or both, as their time permits. There is overnight camping at the race track on these weekends. On the evening of Sept 10, there will also be a live band for entertainment.
To check out the detailed UTV-class rules for the stock, modified and power-adder UTV classes click here, or go to www.thunderhawkperformance.com/competition-rules/
For more information on the UTV racing at Rolling W Ranch, contact Thunderhawk Performance by e-mail at info@thunderhawkperformance.com or call us at (216) 965-4800
THUNDERHAWK SPONSORS UTV RACING AT ROLLING W RANCH
It is with great pleasure that we would like to announce that Thunderhawk Performance will be sponsoring short-course UTV races at Rolling W Ranch in West Sunbury PA, which is about 50 miles north of Pittsburgh, PA and 125 miles east of Cleveland, OH. This is a natural-terrain short-course track that is easy on machines and is perfect for a regular-guy to bring his trail-ridden UTV for a day of fun, affordable racing. This isn't another big-bucks semi-professional race series and we're not racing in the woods where collisions with trees are common (and expensive). With both stock and modified classes, there is a place for everyone from the first-time-racer with a stock RZR, Maverick or Wildcat to more experienced racers with modified UTV's.
Let me tell you about the track. Rolling W Ranch is a natural-terrain short-course track that is approximately 0.6 miles long, is built on a hill-side with a 250 foot elevation change, is wide enough to avoid contact with other racers and to allow room for easy passing, and you can run your UTV wide-open on a natural-terrain layout that features a few low-flying jumps that do not result in hard, nose-down landings (like you would find on an MX track). Oh, and there are no trees anywhere near the track!
The 2015 race schedule is:
May 9
May 30
June 20
Sept 12
Sept 13
Oct 3
Oct 24
We have posted the 2015 UTV-class rules on the Thunderhawk website (the rules listed on the Rolling W Ranch website are from 2014). Click here to see the updated rules, or go to www.thunderhawkperformance.com/competition-rules/
STORM MILLER EARNS SECOND PLACE IN 2013 UTVRR CHAMPIONSHIP
Thunderhawk Performance congratulates Storm Miller and CS Racing on their second place finish in the year-end points championship of the 2013 UTV Rally Raid series. Storm showed great dedication throughout the season with an active role in building and maintaining the RZR 570 that CS Racing campigned in class QR3.
We met Storm and his father 3 or 4 years ago, when they were buying parts for their Ranger 400. They later upgraded to a RZR 570, then got the itch to go racing. During one of their races, their RZR's frame broke where the steering rack mounts and Thunderhawk Performance supplied our front chassis brace kit to reinforce this area after their repairs. In mid-2013, we saw Storm at the PRC Rally and provided another front chassis brace kit for the new RZR they are building for the 2014 season. Thunderhawk Performance is proud to have helped Storm in his championship run in 2013, and we wish him the best in 2014 and beyond.
TRAVALENA TERYX WINS GNCC UTV LITES LIMITED CHAMPIONSHIP
Thunderhawk Performance would like to congratulate Rich Travalena and his team on their 2010 GNCC UTV Lites Limited championship. Winning a season championship requires top-notch driving skills, lots of hard work and a fast & reliable UTV. Team Travalena took their Kawasaki Teryx to the winner's circle in the UTV Lites Limited class at all six races of the 2010 GNCC UTV series. A season championship is not easy to win, and a six-race sweep is especially uncommon.
Thunderhawk Performance is proud to have been able to assist Team Travalena in their 2010 championship run by providing chassis parts to strengthen their Teryx for the rigors of a full season of GNCC racing. Thunderhawk Performance looks forward to continuing to support Team Travalena as they defend their championship in 2011.
THUNDERHAWK-EQUIPPED RZR-S CONQUERS BORNEO
Congratulations to Shannon Bushman on completing the Borneo Equatorial Expedition driving a Polaris RZR-S. Shannon's RZR-S was the first, and only, UTV to complete this treacherous journey.
Participants from around the world converged on Borneo in December, 2009 to attempt to follow the equator across 1300 miles of jungle where roads are virtually non-existent, complicated by the fact that this expedition took place in the middle of monsoon season. Surrounded exclusively by off road trucks, which have been established as the standard for this type of expedition for many years, the RZR-S looked like an underdog. In the end, Shannon and his RZR-S proved the skeptics wrong by completing this journey, which over 20% of the trucks could not complete.
Shannon relied on about a dozen sponsors, including Thunderhawk Performance, to supply the parts needed to modify his RZR-S to complete this expedition. We are proud to say that Thunderhawk Performance products, such as the Expand-Lock frame tubes, fuel tank skid plate and chassis braces, have survived the jungles of Borneo. Once again, congratulations to Shannon for completing this difficult journey, and in making a mark in the history books as the first UTV to navigate the equator across the jungles of Borneo.
JIMMY WILSON WINS NMRA PURE STREET CHAMPIONSHIP!
With full fields and tight racing all year long, the NMRA Pure Street championship came down to the season finals in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Jimmy Wilson was running hard all season and came into the season finals leading the championship points by a slim margin. Jimmy qualified #2 in Bowling Green, with a 10.301 ET. With the top seven cars of this full 16-car field qualified faster than 10.353, Pure Street featured yet another very tight and competitive field.
Jimmy faced the #10 qualified car in the first round of eliminations, and posted a win. In the second round, Jimmy was facing the #6 qualifier, who was also sitting in the #2 position in the championship points chase. Jimmy cut a better light and was headed for another win when his engine let go, handing the win to the other lane. The points race came down to the end and despite his bad luck at this race, Jimmy's consistent performance all year long provided the points needed to claim the 2007 NMRA Pure Street championship.
Thunderhawk Performance is proud of Jimmy's championship achievment. We would like to congratulate Jimmy on his 2007 NMRA Pure Street championship and we look forward to an exciting and successful 2008 season with Jimmy in NMRA Pure Street.
