August 5th, 2013 – Corona, CA.
The Lucas Oil Off Road Series featured Rounds 9 & 10 with the popular night-time event schedule at Glen Helen Raceway. The well known Southern Californian motorsports facility is probably still glowing from the exciting mayhem that took place over the weekend. Part of the excitement came from a crazy door-bashing PRO-4 Race where Ryan Beat raced with the sports best drivers and held on for a 3rd place finish.
The weekend started out with a slightly different format featuring a very busy Friday. One practice session was allowed and than jumped straight into back-to-back rounds of Qualifying for Saturday & Sunday’s events. This accelerated format really pushed the mechanics & crews to perform all necessary duties and maintenance for each vehicle in a record time.
Premiere Motorsports Group’s Ryan Beat arrived to the track early knowing in advanced that he was well conditioned for the busy schedule ahead. Ryan is the only driver in short course off road that races in all three Pro Truck Classes during a single round of competition. The evening schedule at Glen Helen meant that Beat would spend the majority of the weekend behind the wheel of Premiere Motorsports Group’s – #51 MAVTV PRO-4, #51 Lunarpages PRO-2, and the #51 Lunarpages ProLite.
“I know that I am capable and up to the challenge,” Ryan firmly stated as he prepared for Friday’s practice. “I got through the last event and we have been training harder than ever. It takes some getting used to jumping in and out of each truck, but we are working hard to make the transitions less complicated. I can say that I am more comfortable than ever and we are looking forward to stepping up to the competition and racing our way to the front.”
The track at Glen Helen features an 0.8-mile, 5-turn course, three high banked corners, a hand full of high flying jumps, and two un-rhythm whoop sections with a technical sharp right hand turn that separate the obstacles. This shorter than normal off road course is one of the most demanding in the series which forces drivers to push hard to get ahead. The competition does not hold any punches and the racing delivers door-bashing entertainment for fans.
This hard impact motorsport is absolutely destructive on equipment which was evident in Rounds 9 & 10. Rough driving and mechanical failures left many with limited performance if they could continue at all. Premiere Motorsports Group did not escape the carnage and left Glen Helen with a variety of results.
Round 9 began with very high hopes as Ryan started from 7th place and quickly made his way into the top 5. As the laps thinned down and #51 MAVTV chased down the leaders it looked like Beat had secured a podium finish until the PRO-4’s front drive let go and sent the truck spinning around. Luckily it all held together and Ryan limped it in to the finish in 6th place.
The ProLite event was a similar story, however this ending is attributed to the chaos of ProLite short course racing or what could be called a blind-folded chicken chase. Even with the newly implemented LCQ (Last Chance Qualifier) and the ProLite field limited to the quickest 20, Round 9 witnessed a lot of rough driving, overly aggressive challenging and inexperience which all washed down the quality of what could have been. Ryan Beat, starting back in 10th, knew it would be like rush hour on the 91 Freeway and did his very best to stay clear of the carnage. The #51 Lunarpages Dodge did well to do until he was spun out in the last corner on lap 7. Ryan was now at the very back of the pack and went to work on making up lost positions. The V8 ProLite turned up the heat and the General Grabber Tires let the power loose. Ryan would go on to pass 10 other trucks in the 6 remaining laps on his way to a 9th place finish.
Sunday’s PRO-4 event set Round 10 off with a very exciting race which some say was the best of the weekend. Starting from 5th, Ryan got out to the front on Lap 1 in the very first turn. Beat charged forward and the General Tires ripped around the track sending the MAVTV Truck up to chase the reigning champion, #99 Kyle Leduc, for several laps. Beat hung on until the sports class veterans caught up and overtook the top spots. Ryan settled into 5th and battled around the track against the like of Rob MacCachren, Eric Barron and Todd Leduc. By the time the white flag came out Ryan was back in and was well positioned for a recorded 3rd place.
Another chaotic ProLite event with several delays soaked up the night and much of the crowds energy but Ryan was able to battle through for a mid pack finish. Beat would have to immediately climb into the #51 Lunarpages PRO-2 and reset.
The final event of the weekend was another to remember with exciting PRO-2 racing for 16 straight laps. At this point, PMG’s sole driver Ryan Beat, was likely exhausted and running off of pure adrenaline. The young driver gave a tremendous effort and raced hard against the sports fiercest competitors. Glen Helen and everyone in attendance, watched one of the worlds most exciting forms of motorsport at its very best.
These weekend highlights for Premiere Motorsports Group is attributed to the continued progress and driver development of Ryan Beat. He has clearly showed great aptitude as a driver. His willingness to learn, train, and do what it takes equates to true skill and the heart of a racer.
The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series will continue August 23-25 with Rounds 11 and 12 at Wild West Motorsports Park in Sparks, Nevada.
Premiere Motorsports Group is one of the core driving forces in Lucas Oil Off Road since the series 2009 inception. Now in 2013 the “Super Team” has continued backing from MAVTV, Lunarpages, General Tire, and Lucas Oil along with many other supporting partners.
This professional motorsports organization is the product of numerous individuals and support of strong companies brought together to create an off road racing powerhouse. The brands likeLunarpages, MAV TV, General Tire, Lucas Oil, ESAB Welding Equipment, Strong Hand Tools, Mutoh, and ALLtra will ensure a number of achievements throughout 2013. Additional support from Powerbuilt, FiberwerX, Corona Motorhome Rentals, AEM Performance Electronics, Polaris, RC-10, Baja Designs, Kicker, NorthStar Batteries, Roush Competition Engines, Holley, Yukon Gears, Competitive Metals, FK Rod Ends, GoPro, Pin Did It, Bell Helmets, LoanMart, Beam Designs, The Fan Man, Fox Racing Shocks, Method Race Wheels, Gibson Exhaust, Avery Vinyl, General Mills, US. Foods, sustains our effort.
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