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Friday, June 9th & Saturday, June 10th….The West Family headed to Columbia, Kentucky for the third race of the Outlaw Off Road Racing Series which was held at Pumpjack Off Road Park. The courses were tight with steep climbs, but Derek’s Jimmy’s, Nitto Tire, KMC Wheels Ultra 4 buggie had smooth runs on both timed courses. He had the fastest overall combined times giving Derek another WIN for the 2017 season!  We would like to thank the racers that put on this series! They do an amazing job creating good courses, promoting the events, and making it all accessible & fun for the spectators and racers.  Our team highly recommends checking out their events & also these awesome off-road parks we’ve been telling ya’ll about. They all have lots to do for the entire family.
It was another great weekend racing in a beautiful part of the Midwest.

Next up for the #20 team, they will be heading out to Attica, Indiana for the second East Coast Ultra 4 Series race on June 23 & 24. Then July some much needed time off to enjoy some down time with his family.  The last race of the Outlaw Racing Series will be held on Sept 9th in Alabama.

Follow us on FB and Instagram!
https://www.facebook.com/derekwestracing
https://instagram.com/derekwest20/

Thanks to our partners:

• Jimmy’s 4×4
• Nitto Tires
• KMC Wheels
• Spidertrax Off-Road
• Slime
• Permatex
• Lazer Star Lights
• Airaid Performance Filters
• Yukon Gear and Axle
• Radflo Suspension
• Edelbrock Racing
• AEM Electronics
• Rugged Radios
• Griffin Radiator
• FK Rod Ends
• Warn Winch
• PSC Steering
• Aeromotive
• Fast Orange
• John’s 4×4
• Sho-Me Speed
• Trail Worthy Fab
• PRP Seats
• Branik Motorsports
• Eibach Springs
• Off-Road Solutions
• Valvoline Racing oil
• Magnaflow
• Metal Conditioner Squared
• Wilwood Braking
• Northstar Battery
• Mega Hi9 Differentials
• ATI Perfomance Products
• Spal Fans
• Factor 55

The CGYS Motorsports team loaded up early Friday morning and made the short 4.5 hour drive to Davis, OK for the 1st Eastern Series Race of the Ultra 4 2017 Season.

We had been checking Facebook for updates of the park, track and arriving teams. It looked to be a muddy mess, but we were already committed and on the way. When we arrived at the park we had already witnessed several teams being drug through the slop by the dozer and we didn’t want any part of that. We decided to park on the high side of the road away from the starting line and meeting tent where it was nice and dry.

We thought long and hard but made the tough decision to Not pre-run the course. We were afraid to compromise the electronics on the car and knew it would be 100% ready if we didn’t. The rain was off and on all day and the track was so washed up the U4 officials decided to cancel all qualifying and every team would start by random draw. We drew #6 in our class. That meant we were the 3rd to last car to start the race due to running with 2 other classes. We were ok with that since we didn’t really have any idea about the course.

During the drivers meeting the rain had just started to begin. We had just thought it was messy. After several tornado warnings, thunderstorm warnings and over 6″ of rain through the night everything was a real mess, the creek has trapped teams in as well as trapped teams out. Our buddy Wally was trapped at the creek and had to sleep in his truck. We didn’t really have much to do so we all crashed early. We were up early and ready for the UTV race when we were informed that we had a 2 hour delay. Usually disappointed with delays, but we welcomed this one. The UTV Class only ran the upper course and their race went quick, but it wasn’t without plenty of carnage.

We lined up and it was time for our race to start. We started about 15 seconds apart and it seemed to take forever for us to actually start. We left the staring line and soon figured out it would be very easy to overdrive the car. The track was slick and nasty. We managed to keep a good pace and passed several cars before the first big water crossing. When we came to the first big crossing we came up on about 5 cars waiting to cross. As we approached the crossing we noticed a rig was stuck and several were waiting/helping, we couldn’t really tell and we knew this was a great opportunity to pass a few more. We drove hard right and looking for a good area to cross. We quickly found shallow water and made a clean pass. We were running hard and the car was all over the place. As we approached the next crossing we saw several more cars stalled/stuck and broke down. We found another line and made another pass. At this moment we realized that we needed to hit the water with respect and protect the car if we wanted to finish.

We made the 1st 1/2 lap, checked in and had managed to move up into 1st/2nd place. We weren’t sure because the cars were so nasty few knew if 4500 cars or 4800 cars were coming through. We started the second 1/2 of our first lap and then shit got real. The mud was out of control, the water crossing were 3.5-4′ deep and traction was very limited. We kept a good pace and approached the big climb. There was 4-5 paths to the top and the 2 easiest were jammed up. We decided to try the big ledge and make time. We hit it a bit too conservative and slid all the way back down to the bottom. The other climb was slick and off camber, but we decided to hit it. We hit it hard and made the climb easily, but couldn’t make the turn clean. We backed up a few feet and pinned the gas making it to the top, but the motor was maxed out and as soon as we crested the top the transmission quit pulling. We were immediately stopped and worried we were finished 3/4 of a lap in.

We sit and discussed our options for a minute or so then decided to try it in low range since everything had cooled a bit. To our surprise, the tranny pulled hard at about 4000 RPM’s so we left it in low range and continued to finish lap one. We checked in lap one and were confident we were in top position and wanted to drive smart and finish this race. As we began lap 2 we saw even more cars stranded. We took it easy through all the deep water and tried to be smart in the mud. Passing more and more cars we started to feel good about the slower pace we were keeping.

Checking in lap 1.5 we were sure we would be cut to 2 laps instead of 3. We kept radioing to the pits for confirmation, but were surprised to hear we were still on for 3! We made the big climb easily on lap 2 as it seemed the hills were drying up nicely. As we approached the deep mud we saw several rigs stuck and decided to blaze a new trail. We soon were stuck too; Mark Klingele Jr pulled cable for us and got us moving quickly. JT Taylor and the crew were busting ass everywhere helping as many as they could, but some were doomed already. Checking in lap 2 we knew we only had 1 more to go and our goal was to keep Jeff In the car and finish smart. We cruised to check in at lap 2.5 and knew we had a solid chance to win it.

Pressing on we approached the quick sand and saw cars everywhere. Some were doomed, some were winching and some were trying to make new trails. All our our new trails from lap 2 were already taken and already had rigs winching on them all. Ken Fults was out of his car and directed us around. Once we pulled around all the stuck rigs a tree branch had somehow got tangled in our engine and kindly removed our engine belt. Jeff and I fought the steering for a few minutes and decided to pull up and fix the car. We jumped out and went to remove the hood. We tugged a bit more than usual and when the hood broke free of the pin mounts it was about 70 lbs. I couldn’t believe how much mud was on it!

We quickly replaced the belt and were on our way again. We knew we lost a lot of time and had no idea where we were at this point. Knowing we needed to stay in the woods for another 20 yards or so we popped out on the trail, mashed the gas and were soon stuck. We were stuck again. Jeff was quickly out and pulling cable. We decided to pull 50-60 feet and winch 1-2 times instead of 5-6 times like several other teams we had previously watched. We were out and on our way.

Approaching the next muddy section we pinned it and hoped for the best. Having to keep the car on low range we could only safely reach 45 MPH and soon realized that wasn’t going to cut it. Stuck Again! Dammit man! Our goal was keep Jeff in the car and make a clean lap. Jeff was quickly out and pulling cable like a boss. We winched 2 more long pulls and we’re confident we could make it under our own power. Jeff once again climbed into the muddiest rig ever and managed to strap in and we were on our way.

We slowly navigated the last section of lap 3 and crossed the finish line!We hoped we had won it, but really had no idea! Our communications were wet and all crossed up. I could hear Jeff, but he couldn’t hear me, the pits could hear me, but not Jeff and Jeff could hear the pits and I couldn’t. Lol. It was difficult to communicate, but we managed and the race was finally over. We stopped to be congratulated by Gene And he notified us we were 1st in our class. We couldn’t have been happier that it was over, we had pulled it off and the car was still actually moving under its own power.

It was a long, wet, nasty weekend and race , but that’s how it goes sometimes. East Coast Ultra 4 is very unpredictable and unforgiving at times. Our Warn winch never let us down and our General Tires kept us moving. We wood like to thank each and everyone of our marketing partners, our crew Aaron Faucher, Jeremy Tipton and Jason Wally Lovell.

Duane Garretson
CGYS Motorsports

Derek West: May 19-20, 2017… Ultra 4 at Davis, OK for the 1st East Coast Series Race of the 2017 season was one for the books! Tons of rain, thunderstorms, tornado warnings, roads flooded, motor homes & cars stuck in the heavy mud, but the race went on!

Friday due to the storms qualifying and all events were cancelled. Saturday things were delayed 2 hours due to all the water on the course. They went with a random draw for starting order for the main 4400 race. Derek got 12th in line to start with 10 second intervals between each car. There were a total of 41 cars that showed up to race with a couple opting out due to all the mud and severity of the course.

It was a rough one!! Derek and co-driver David Fox took off the line 12th and quickly moved up to 2nd place. Then mechanical issues set in due to all the water causing the alternator to fail. They made it to the pit and replaced it out. The guys took off for their 2nd lap and got stuck on a tree that was embedded into a mud hole, but managed to winch out and come in with a finish of 22nd out of 41 race teams. They finished 2 laps of the 3 since Ultra 4 shut the course down once all outlets became plugged with stuck cars they couldn’t finish their 3rd lap.

Overall they did great under the circumstances. The team is now back home and working on cleaning all this mud up and prepping for the next event.

Team #20’s next event is the weekend of June 9th at Pumpjack Off Road Park for the 3rd event of the Outlaw Off Road Racing Series. Then after that the 2nd Ultra 4 East Coast Race in Attica, Indiana the weekend of June 23rd.

Follow Derek West on FB and Instagram!

Thanks to our partners:

Wes Miller’s DWT Bomb Squad RZR Team

#989 Pro UTV Turbo Race Update

Carlsbad, CA (4/20/17) – We are 3 races into the 2017 season and we have had flashes of brilliance mixed with moments of extreme frustration. I am proud of the team that we have assembled and believe we have one of the best UTV’s in the field. None of this would be possible without the great group of companies that support this program. We truly have the best of the best on this RZR. We have already garnered quite a bit of attention, but my goal is to translate this into results. At the end of the day, the scoreboard speaks loudest and that is why we are 100% focused on winning races and competing for the SCORE Championship.

At the Mint 400, we were against the clock and barely had the car done in time. We didn’t have the time to test like we wanted and went into the race needing some luck to do well. As it played out, we had numerous clutch issues and had to call it a day early.

Going into San Felipe, we made some changes and brought on Airdam Clutches. Adam at Airdam helped dial us in and we were good to go. We also had some CV problems at the Mint and decided to make the switch to Summers Brothers axles. We spent a week pre-running and shaking down the race car. I was feeling extremely confident and felt we would be right there competing for the win. The course was one of the roughest that I have seen. My game plan was to set a good pace, but go just fast enough to stay with the lead group. There were 13 Pro UTV Turbos and I started 8th. Off the start, I didn’t want to push too hard but we were moving pretty easily through the pack. By race mile 15 or so, we had already passed towards the front and were running with the leaders on adjusted time. About that same time I noticed we had lost a right rear CV. We were fairly close to our first visual pit, so I decided we would get it to the pit and change the axle there. We made it 2000 feet from the pit and lost the front differential. Luckily, we were close to the pit and had the parts to fix it. My crew did a great job of fixing the car and getting us back on course again. We were quite a ways down now and went into finish mode.

We made it to race mile 72 and lost the left rear CV. We had a spare on the car and fixed it on the side of the track. We got back going, but now had no spare. I drove at a very conservative pace with the single goal of crossing the finish line. We fueled at race mile 130 and gave the RZR a once over. At race mile 200, we stopped to do a quick visual and saw that we were about to loose another rear CV. There wasn’t another spare, so we plugged it and did the last 70 miles in 3 wheel drive. In the end we were 10th in our class and finished much later then I wanted. But at least we finished and earned those points to stay in the hunt for the Championship.

There was only 8 days to get ready for the UTV World Championship after San Felipe. The guys over at Rhys Millen Racing did a great job getting the RZR prepped in time. The team worked with Summers Brothers and made a few changes on our axle/CV set up. I went out early and met Adam from Airdam to tune our clutching for the Laughlin race.

The UTV World Championships are a one off race that is totally different from the rest of the races we do. It is a dead engine land rush start leading into 10 laps on a 16 mile course. The race has a reputation for aggressive driving and lots of carnage. My goal was to get through the first few laps clean and then see where we were and adjust accordingly. I felt confident with this style of racing because of my years of racing quads in stadiums, motocross, and gran prix. My team had the DWT rig set up in the pits and also displayed in contingency with both my race and pre-run RZR’s. The race was a who’s who of the industry and it was awesome to catch up with so many people.

I drew 26th out of 50 plus Pro UTV Turbos in the desert race. That put me on the 3rd row with some very well know racers. When the flag dropped, I got a great jump and came off the line 2nd. I started towards the outside and Dan Fisher in the LSR car got the holeshot. Jacob Carver showed me a wheel, but I was able to box him out and had a comfortable 2nd down the first straight. We went through turn 2 and over a rise towards turn 3. There were 2 cars stuck in the inside of the turn and a flagger waving a cation flag. I slowed a little and set up to the outside to take a high line through the turn to avoid the wreck. To my surprise, another car tried diving to the inside and passing under caution. I knew he had no where to go since the inside was blocked by the wreck and I was already ahead on the clear line. I thought we were good until about midway through the turn I felt contact to my left rear and we immediately went on our side. I was shocked since I felt I had already established myself in the turn and this was all under caution. Because there were 2 other cars already in the turn, the course workers wouldn’t flip me back over. Snake Livernash was on his lid below me and they had to move him first. It ended up taking them about 8 minutes to get me turned back over. The entire time, oil was leaking out of my motor.

When we got going again, the check engine light came on and I had a boost sensor error code. I pulled over and my co-driver looked everything over. There wasn’t much we could do, so we decided to just turn as many laps as we could and hope the error code cleared. The car cleaned out a little and we started rattling off some laps. As we continued, the course was riddled with broken and crashed cars. I felt like with the rate of attrition, we could still end up with a respectable finish even in limp mode. I think we had worked our way back into the top 10 in our class.

Midway through lap 7, I noticed I was having to counter steer and thought I had lost another CV. We radioed to the pits to look at it. I backed it down a little, but the car started to lean over to the right side. My co-driver hopped out and gave me the signal that we were done. The RZR had a problem with the right trailing arm and wouldn’t be able to continue. We limped it back to the pits and put it in the trailer.

So far this year has been tough. I really believe that we have the ability to be right there for a win. But that is why it is called racing and not winning. Overall, the RZR is the best that I have ever driven. There have just been one or two small things at each round that have held us up. But all of this is going to make it that much sweeter when we finally win one.

Follow Wes Miller on Facebook

Special thanks: Polaris RZR Factory Racing, DWT Racing, Bomb Squad, Assault Industries, Kicker, Fox Shocks, Baja Designs, Madigan Motorsports, Rhys Millen Racing, K&N Filters, Rugged Radios, Torco Advanced Lubricants, Alba Racing, Alpinestars, Lithium Pros, Cryoheat Metal Treatment, Safecraft, Factory UTV, Summers Brothers, Satellite Phone Company, PRP Seats, AEM, Evans Coolant, CBR, IMS Products, Hostyle, Monster Seal, Coldcock Whiskey, Copyboy Printing

The UTV World Championships is a very special race for me. Being able to share the stage with my son is something I will always remember. After the MINT wrapped up we quickly had to jump into prepping the Yamaha for the worlds as well as my sons RZR 170. With the youth class blowing up, I had to make sure his car was ready for battle. The weeks leading up to the event were very busy. But my team came together to get everything done.

First thing Thursday we were on the road heading for Laughlin NV. With a projection of 300 racers, a good pit spot was very important. We made the trip out with no issues, after getting settled in the pits we took the rest of the day to enjoy friends and family.

Brock Staggs 176 raced between the Desert and the Short Course race. He lined up next to 52 other youth racers. The stacked field was full of very capable drivers. He finished 32nd and had a blast doing it. This young man piloted his RZR 170 for nearly 35 minutes. These young races are the future of our sport and Brock has a bright future.

Friday morning we got up early and headed to registration, the line was already stacking up.

With many walk ins the entries this year totaled over 300 in all the classes. We got through registration and headed back to the pits. We jumped in the race cars and drove down to tech. The tech area was huge, it took over half the parking lot of the Riverside Hotel.

Tech went pretty fast and smooth this year. We would then drive back to the main pit for a few last minute adjustments and then head to the drivers meeting. This years meeting was pretty cool and major props to Mad Media and UTVUnderground for taking an idea and making it a reality. This was the 3rd year for this race and it had tripled in size from the first year. We then headed back to grabbed some dinner and hit the bed.

Saturday morning came early, it was race day for the 2017 UTV World Championships. We would get up and check tire pressure and and load up the chase truck to go to the hot pit. This format only allows for one pit. With our top 10 finish at the MINT we knew we would be on the first row. Being this is a dead engine….. land rush start, where we line up is critical. There was a accident of some sort and delayed our start big time all while the first few lines of the turbo class already left.

We got the green flag I started the Yamaha and stalled it, got it started again and we took off. Winning in the first mile isn’t possible but losing is a real risk. We decide to be patient and consistent. the course was dusty, visibility zero at times but my co-driver Brandon did a great job of keeping us on course. We started moving through the field which was already littered with accidents and broken cars. The race consisted of a 16 mile loop 10 laps making it a 160 mile race. The desert class had a total of 117 entries which would mean the course would break down fast. Coming around lap after lap the course would change every time and more broken cars every where. We stuck to the same plan as the MINT and keep the car together and push when we can. We know there are spots the Yamaha will be fast on and the proving grounds we have to be smart in. Lap 6 we had the exhaust come loose and went ahead and hit the hot pit. the crew was fast to fuel the car and determine there was no fix for the muffler and we took off again. through the infield section and over the jumps and back into the desert again.

The chatter bumps in the washes and soft sections had developed and were teeth chattering. The course was now torn up with deep grooves and holes as well as rocks appearing. We made the determination to not run a spare tire this race due to knowing the course and we knew we had a solid KMC wheel and EFX tire combo. We had stayed consistent and smooth and it was starting to pay off. Bouncing around the top 5 most of the race but on lap 8 we took the lead. We hit lap 9 still leading and would later get passed, we decided to stay smooth and charge hard on our last lap and try to get the position back. Unfortunately coming in to the hot pit ending lap 9 and about ready to charge our last lap hard another racer would hit us in the corner snapping a rear axle forcing us to pit. The crew worked fast to change the axle but unfortunately we would lose time and get passed while in the pits dropping us back to 5th. We charged hard the last lap and salvaged a top 5 finish. We couldn’t be more happy with how the Yamaha is proving it self against the other manufactures.

We had a great time spending Easter weekend racing and with our family and friends. Without them we wouldn’t be a team, and I can never thank them enough as well as all our sponsors that back us. I also want to thank my wife for holding it down and getting our son ready for his race since his race was after mine. Time to tear the Yamaha down and get ready for the longest off-road race in America Vegas To Reno.

A big thanks to all the sponsors that helped me get here. 

KMC Wheels . Walker Evans Racing . Alba Racing . PRP Seats . Yamaha Racing . Lonestar Racing . Rugged Radios . EFX Tires . STV Motorsports . Factory UTV . Suspended Fabrication . Magik Kustom Graphics .