Race Write-up from Goertz Ranch (2020 TORCS Rd 1)
Last Sunday, I loaded up “Big Blue” (my trusty 2018 RZR Turbo) and drove 2.5 hours to Goertz Ranch for Round 1 of the 2020 TORCS cross-country series. I always look forward to racing on this property b/c the course is FAST and WIDE. A year ago, I was lucky enough to win the TORCS season opener in the Turbo class at this same track, so I was hoping for a repeat this year. Below is my race write-up.
WHERE:
Rockne, TX… it’s just a dot on the map about 8 clicks south of Bastrop. This picturesque property has mature pecan groves, open pasture areas, and a few creek crossings running here and there.
TRACK CONDITIONS:
When I arrived at the track around 2pm, the weather was absolutely perfect for an offroad race! Sunny skies, 75 degrees, and no dust or mud to deal with. Thankfully, this year’s race at Goertz Ranch was relatively dry (just a light rain the night before to knock down the dust) – which was a huge relief after last year’s “MUDFEST” on this property where my truck got stuck 3 times trying to exit the parking lot area. Ugh.
The track was 3 miles long and laid out similar to last year with just a few modifications to keep things interesting. A few spots on the track were soft from the recent (light) rain, but there was no standing water anywhere.
Those who regularly read my blogs know that my teenage son (Cash) often joins me as my fearless co-pilot for these races. Unfortunately, he had a big test to study for this weekend and couldn’t join me this time. However, I was able to talk his older sis (Lauren) into driving down from college (about 45 minutes away) to watch my race. I was excited to have my little girl there so she could finally see what her papa does for fun.
When she arrived at the property just 15 minutes before the 3:30 pm riders meeting, I had a little surprise for her. I brought along my old race suit and helmet just in case she wanted to ride with me during the practice laps. I told her if she liked the practice laps, she could decide whether she wanted to join me for the race or not. No pressure either way. She said yes to the practice laps and quickly changed into her (oversized) gear. Then we hopped into Big Blue and buzzed over to the starting line just in the nick of time.
When we pulled up, we had a good laugh as she discovered the gloves that I brought for her were both right-handed! LOL She could still wear them, but one glove looked a little awkward to say the least. J
PARADE LAP & HOT LAP:
After a short meeting led by PRO SxS racers Terry Deck and Cory Williams, the racers returned to our cars and buckled up for the parade lap. Lauren and I joined the middle of the pack and all 21 cars began to roll through the course at a slow-to-moderate pace.
My initial impressions of the track were: 1) the soil was slick in a few places (especially between and around tall trees), which might make traction a slight issue as racers power slide around the trees; 2) there were three long, wide straight sections where racers could reach speeds of 60+ mph and easily pass if needed; and 3) this track doesn’t have many technical sections (which makes it ideal for a season opener where you don’t want to scare away newbie racers).
As far as my daughter, she seemed to be taking it all in stride for the first mile of the parade lap. Suddenly, she burst out, “NOPE… I’m not gonna race with you today b/c I’m too young to die!” I laughed and said, “no problem.” She is welcome to watch the race and take pics. At that point, I was already proud that she had the courage to do a few practice laps with me… which is more than I can say about my wife. 😊
On lap 2, she started to feel more comfortable and changed here tune when she said, “If you PROMISE not to roll over, then I’ll race with you.” In my head, I was thinking… Uhhh. Is she trying to jinx me? LOL Then I assured her that she would be just fine if she raced with me b/c I haven’t rolled my RZR yet (Cash and I have been close a few times though). As expected, I was worried about rolling over for the rest of the day (which is not usually something I think about… ugh).
CLASSES:
On the starting lines, there were 8 competitors in the brand new PRO SxS class, 5 UTVs competing in the Turbo SxS class, and 8 racers in the Non-turbo/Open class. I didn’t see anyone in the 800cc class today.
At this race, my Turbo class was made up of 4 Can Am X3s plus Big Blue. In other words, Lauren and I were racing the only Polaris RZR in our class. That kinda made me feel outgunned at first, but then I reminded myself that I have the no. 1 plate this year for a reason. (I’m just kidding… there are lots of racers faster than me). 😊 Some of my class are vets (Dwayne #21, Jimmie #37, and me #1) and others were newbies (Greg #12 and Oscar #617). Regardless, all of us were there for the same reason… to kick up some dirt and have FUN!
THE START:
The starting line was located between 2 short flag poles on the edge of the parking area. From there, racers had approximately 50 feet to the first (left) turn around a tall flag pole. I was in the middle of the starting line and surrounded by Canned Hams… errr, Can Ams. 😊
When the green flag went up, I turned the key and it started (unlike last year when I had starting issues most of the season… ugh). I punched the “go fast” pedal and off we raced towards the first turn. Jimmie #37 won the hole shot, followed closely by Dwayne and I as we made our way around the first turn together. From the outside of this turn, I nailed the throttle again and squeezed past Dwayne just before entering the next turn. Yippee! Lauren and I were now in 2nd position and sitting pretty. Well, she was sitting pretty… I was just sitting. 😊
LAP 1:
After we zig-zagged left and right through a few tall trees in this section, we soon came to the first long straight-away. I followed Jimmie down this straight run and quickly hit 60 mph before slamming on the brakes and sliding around the 180 degree turn at the very end. This hairpin left turn has a slick, grassy surface, which made it fun to maneuver. From there, the trail weaves through a few more big trees.
At this point, Lauren and I were right on Jimmie’s rear bumper. Suddenly, what I was hoping for happens… Jimmie oversteers as he makes a right turn around a slippery corner. He slides off to the outside corner leaving just enough room for Big Blue to squeeze past him on the inside. Woo hoo! We are not even half-way through lap 1, and we already climbed up to the 1st position. Oh wait… that means Lauren and I have to somehow hold off 4 Can Ams chomping at our heals for the rest of the race. Gulp!
Another few turns and the course rolls through a dry ditch, which I hit a little too fast and popped up on the back side (front wheels came down first). I’m a bit gun shy about hitting jumps after having transmission problems last season (but it’s fixed now). So I decided to go slower through that ditch crossing on the following laps and pray no one gets around me.
After this ditch, the track makes a left and runs about 100 yards over a nearly straight section along the edge of the parking lot. This was a fast, wide section where spectators in the parking lot could watch the UTVs fly by at 60+ mph. At the end of this run, the course makes a hard “S” turn and passed through an open gate. From there, racers entered another field of zig-zag trails that run between large trees.
After that field, the track goes through a semi-dry (wet sand) creek crossing and immediately makes a hard right turn. (someone had trouble with this turn a few laps later and rolled onto their side, which was probably not good for Lauren’s confidence)
Not far up the trail, it makes a sharp left turn around a slippery corner and then runs through another big field of big trees. This field contained the longest straight section where I eventually hit 66 mph. At the end of this run, the course drops down into another semi-dry creek crossing and makes a hard left on the other side.
After several more twists and turns through the trees, I suddenly heard my daughter SCREAM loudly in excitement. I burst into laughter b/c I’m not used to hearing that when my son is in the co-pilot seat. Obviously, Lauren was feeling a bit nervous about flying through the trees at full speed.
On the back half of the course, racers have to maneuver through a dry, wide creek crossing with a short, steep drop-off and then climb out the other side over a bumpy embankment. When we hit this drop-off for the first lap, I heard another big SCREAM! Lauren later said this section felt like rolling over a steep hill in a roller coaster. Yep, I’d say that sums it up nicely!
After several more left and right turns, racers eventually pass through another open gate and make a hard right turn along a barbed wire fence. From there, racers climb through another creek crossing, make a few more turns, and finally reach the scoring shute/starting line area.
LAPS 2-11:
At the start of lap 2, I could see Dwayne in my rear view mirror. I tried to put distance on him, but he stuck to me like glue. Whenever I made a little ground on him in the fast, straight sections, he would quickly catch up within the next few turns and start nipping at our heals again. This cat and mouse game continued steadily through the first 9 laps. Eventually, I noticed that he wasn’t in my rearview mirror anymore. What a relief! I later found out he had overheating issues on the last few laps and backed off a bit to avoid engine damage.
On the last lap, I eventually caught and passed some slower racers from the non-turbo class as well as one guy from the PRO SxS class. That was surprising! I could see Greg #12 just ahead of me as we crossed the finish line. Like Dwayne, he was running strong until overheating issues forced him to back off the throttle. Lucky for me, running ahead of the pack helps avoid this problem.
RACE RESULTS:
After 11 heart-pumping laps, Lauren and I happily crossed the checkered flag and took the WIN in the Turbo SxS class. Yeeee haw! Big congrats to Dwayne and Greg for finishing 2nd and 3rd (respectively) in a hard-fought race. I look forward to battling with these guys and the rest of the Turbo class all season.
SHAMELESS PLUG:
In case you haven’t heard, my brand new book about off-road racing with Cash entitled TEXAS OFF-ROAD RACING: A Father-Son Journey to a Side-by-Side Championship is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other retailers.
As always, I want to say a BIG THANKS to Gil, Jackie, and the rest of the TORCS crew for hosting such a fun event. It was a blast, and I can’t wait for the next one!
