Author: Cody Quattlebaum #33
Getting there
With only 3 weeks between the literal Teardown in Tennessee and Midamerica Outdoors Visions race I was tight on time to work on the machine, get parts, and load up everything we would need for 5 days at the biggest event/race we have participated in. With that in mind, if you read the Tennessee race report then you know I damaged my steering rack, a rim, and other parts I didnt know about until cleaning up and teardown began.
I began tearing the car down the day after returning from Tennessee. We were able to get a set of trailing arms from my fellow team member Brian Rice. This was a huge help. I also had to order spare rims, which were not in stock to ship in time so the decision was made for Anthony Muncie and Dave Uptain to personally deliver them to me at Visions. Next I had to send 1 of my shocks off to be repaired. Chris Weygandt with Diddys Big Block Race Shop got me fit into the schedule but again, with no time to ship the part back so we made the decision to have him bring it with him to Visions with me, which was awesome of him. The weekend before the race, the trailing arms and gussets were delivered and I got them installed, t-minus 3 days until we leave for Visions.
Next, I had to redo my outer tie rod bolt, which is what ended my race in TN, and I decided to upgrade my tie rod set up. I upgraded to Kryptonite Suspension tie rod and tie rod bolts and these are top notch parts. These were delivered the weekend prior to Visions as well, but I was unable to install until I figured out the steering rack issue. Huge shout out to Josh at Kryptonite Suspensions and the rest of the Kryptonite team, they have taken care of us all season with anything we need and have been a huge supporter of our program. They make some tough parts for UTVs and they look really good on the machine.
I got the steering rack removed with plenty of time to spare but was planning to order a SuperATV rackboss 2.0 to replace it and they were out of stock until 7/1/22, which made my window for install very tight. I waited until they were restocked and ordered immediately but shipping delays and anxiety would get the better of me. 2 days before the race, I was able to secure a brand new Shock Therapy rack from a friend of mine, Matt Evans. I got the rack installed, toe set, machine back in 1 piece, and trailer loaded by midnight Tuesday. Lindsey was doing a ton of work to get us ready while I thrashed on the Rzr so we could leave on schedule.
Lindsey and I rested for 4hrs and left home at 4:30am Wednesday morning. We had 856 miles until we reached MidAmerica Outdoors Visions 2022! We were tired but excited. The drive was mostly uneventful, crossing 4 state lines over 14hrs on the road, 2 restaurants, 5 fuel stops, 1 Bucees stop for race gas (93 ethanol free) and supplies (we love Bucees).
We pulled into Visions at ~6pm, got signed in and escorted to our campsite where we immediately unloaded, hooked up the generator, and started the A/C to cool the trailer off. We took a look around the park and met up with our friend Aaron Lynch and his family. Then the Rocky Mountain Speed and Fab team started pulling in, starting with the Pit Guys Zach, along with Josh Smith (current West and national points leader in our class). We caught up a bit before having to catch some zzz’s for the long week ahead.
Prerun
After a day of hanging out at the pool, wrenching on friends racecars, checking out the amazing MidAmerica Outdoors park, and some last minute preparations it was time for our prerun. We had the Ultra 4 drivers Summit and drivers meeting Thursday so we were signed in, had our course map, and we were ready to see what JT Taylor had instore for us. The race course was ~5 miles with a few drop off obstacles, short course, wide open fields, and tight woods racing with hill climbs sprinkled in.
Prerun started at 7am sharp and I was one of the 1st to the line to get on course. While waiting, I got my transponder and the gps file of the course from the racer registration tent. It was at this time I would learn that my gps would not power on and I did not want to take time away from the prerun to repair it since we only had 4hrs to prerun for all classes. Jeremy Blackburn (4900 stock class #40) and I took off the line together and started onto the short course.
I expected to be slow in the short course my 1st go around so I took it easy. We would get into the 1st simple hill climb just off the short course. This would lead to the top of the ridge and take us to the rock bouncer line called V notch. This was a fairly steep double drop into a ravine and back into the short course section. Once we got around the 2nd portion of short course we did the knockout racing triple hill climb section and it was wide open after that. Across the ridge and into the full throttle field section by the pits back into the woods. Some racers would hit 100 mph in this section.
Next we did the woods sections and traffic started becoming heavy. There were a few silty hill climbs that people would struggle on and later got removed from the official course by JT. There was a short creek section that was rough with a rock wall at the exit. The course was very flowy. There was another drop off that we would also hit in qualifying that led us into the rhythm section of short course. This section of the course would really test your suspension set up.
Back into the woods at the end of the rhythm section that would take you to another wide open throttle field section and some hill climbs. The woods would prove to have some surprises for the races, with trees being close by and the dust being extreme this could be a make or break it section of the race and a simple mistake could have big repercussions. Lastly we exited the woods and back into the end of the short course with the MidAmerica Thunder Valley jump and the smoothest jump of the race course in front of the spectators before turning to the finish line.
During prerunning it was hard to think of anything other than how bad the dust was already. Visibility was horrible and I knew it would be hard to follow anyone through the woods with dust in my face. After doing about 4 laps on prerun I went back and started talking track with my fellow racers and friends. This is when you really think strategy and how I planned to make it 5 laps with a respectable finish. I was able to prerun with a few friends, including my fellow teammate Rich Bersch (4900 Stock class #4916). Now it was time to prepare for qualifying, which we were not able to prerun ahead of time but it was made up of course we had already seen/preran plus 1 turn.
Qualifying
Qualifier clip: https://fb.watch/epESW9DTj6/
Prerun ran to 11am and we went immediately into qualifying. The qualifier would take place in Thunder Valley and incorporate the rhythm section, ridge with hill climbs, and a good drop off into the creek to finish the lap.
I got lined up towards the end of the qualifier pack since I wanted to watch my fellow racers and see what lines everyone was taking. I also got to see what kind of machines I would be up against on race day and had a chance to watch my friends hit the qualifier and cheer them on. We had ~54/58 UTVs qualify for the race the following day. I was one of the last in the group to run and had a chance to talk to fellow racers on lines and make a strategy for how to hit the qualifier lap.
Very early on I was able to watch how many people were sending it off of the creek drop at the end of the lap. My initial plan was to take it easy down the drop but once I watched over half the pack send it I decided I needed to hit the gas off the drop and put on a show. I got in line, Rich wished me good luck and I was off. The rhythm section went well and I sped up the ridge into the hill climbs. I thought to myself, carry speed make the turn and throttle off the drop, dont be a wuss. So I got towards the end of my lap, slid the corner and throttled off the drop. What a rush, I was happy with my performance although I couldve picked up time I made the drop under speed and put forth a tremendous effort to get to this moment.
After the dust settled, literally, I learned I had secured a 13th in class, 37th overall off the line Saturday morning. This was a solid qualifier for me knowing the course was stacked with talent from coast to coast across the USA. I want to congratulate Josh Smith (4900 stock class #1948) on his 1st place qualifier and my good friend Aaron Lynch (4900 stock class #113) on his fast 3rd place qualifier.
Race
After qualifying I was talking with Rich and Jeremy and decided I needed to make some changes to ride height and compression for the main race. Once I took a shower in the excellent bath houses and hit the pool, I made time to make some changes to the Rzr. I lowered the machine and increased the compression adjusters to try to get less tipsy in the short course and rutted out woods sections.
4900 class lined up 58 racers at 10am after the 4600, 4500, and 4800 had raced. Knowing this, I figured the course would have changed to some extent and some new lines would be burned in that I may not have seen during prerun. We were taking off the start line side by side 1 other racer in ~10 sec increments. I was in the 19th row, next to a supercharged KRX. Once I got up the line my chest was throbbing and I was pumped to take off.
The KRX would get the inside line and take the holeshot into turn 1. I wanted to run a conservative race, knowing there would be a lot of carnage due to visibility and the woods section. I took it easy up the hill behind my friend Joe Gould (4900 stock class RMSF #4955) and would get passed before the rock bouncer drop section. There was a bit of a traffic jam going down the drops since several people wanted to drop slowly. Once I made it down the ravine into the short course I was just behind everyone up the knockout hill climb section. Dust was already playing a role in my pace and I could barely see the racer ahead of me.
I got out into the 1st wide open field section and hammered down. Several racers had already fell off due to damage or rollovers so I knew my strategy was working so far. The rest of lap 1 was pretty tame, with dust being horrible in the woods. I had a big missed turn, with several other racers having to back up, and a rollover at the bottom of the hill climb that required an alternate line. At the end of the lap I was able to send it and get some cool pictures by Fos KD at JS Foster Imagery and pictures and videos by my wife Lindsey.
Lap 2 I decided to pick up the pace a little and made sure to look for my friends the Pit Guys, Zach and Hopper, who were pitting for me during the race. They waved me on and I pushed the pedal down. This lap was full of more dust and missed turns, a few passes and would prove to be a little faster than lap 1. Attrition was already setting in. I also saw my fellow teammate on the side of the course but my radio was not working so I couldnt figure out why. I would later find out he was running back to his trailer for a belt since his had blown.
Lap 3 was a fun lap. I got back to where I had found Rich and he was already off back on course thankfully. This would be the unfortunate lap that I would find my friend Jeff Bauckman and his daughter (4900 stock class RMSF #4956) rolled over at the bottom of the rock bouncer v notch line. This was unfortunate but they were safe and I continued on, trying to pick up time for the 2nd lap in a row. I flew by the pits again, as the pit guys gave me the ecstatic thumbs up and I continued on. I would eventually catch up to Rich towards the end of the lap and we were able to jump the Thunder Valley launch together and race up the hill into the short course. I was able to make a pass with a fun battle with my fellow teammate as we were neck and neck jumping the last big jump before the finish line.
I was halfway through the race and was running smoothly mechanically but having a hard time breathing and missing turns in the dust. I knew I needed to stay consistent so I picked up the pace a little and made sure I didnt miss any turns. Lap traffic would be a problem and I was beginning to see a lot more machine broken down on course. With my communications not working I was unable to know where I was in the pack but based on the attrition and my consistent pace I figured I was in the top half of the pack.
I got the white flag going into lap 4 I had completed 2/3rds of the race and needed to turn the afterburners on. I was getting a little fatigued and my Rzr was starting to run warm due to all of the dust in the radiator and air box. ZI was over 200F so I couldnt press the pedal to the floor in the straight aways in fears that the temperature would get worse. Instead I ran about 75% in the straights and tried to keep moving in the woods to keep the temperature from rising further. Coming out of the tight creek section I was getting a caution flag. As I crested the hill I saw my good friend Jeremy pulling off course. I was upset to see he fell to the course but I continued pushing know he was at the lead of our class before breaking down. I needed to finish this race, no matter what it took with my only concern at the time being temperature.
Out onto lap 5 and I had a good handle on every turn I had missed and more clean air since most of the racers had broken down on course. My main issue on this lap was a caution going into the woods that pointed me to a new line but I missed it and had to backtrack. I lost precious seconds and ended up behind another racer with dust in my face again. I had the course memorized by now and I was able to maintain speed on their brake lights. This was my fastest lap of the race at 11:28. I was stoked, knowing if I made it to the finish I had officially completed my biggest race ever and a huge double points race for me to stay in the chase this season.
I made it back to the short course with my Rzr running ~217F and I was going to give it my all at the finish. I hammered down and hit the jumps as big as I could and make up some precious seconds. I finally took the checkered flag, exhausted, dehydrated, and smiling from ear to ear. I made my way to find my wife Lindsey at the pavillion seating race side. I parked and saw Mile Hasselquist and Pam Hall calling me up to the media trailer for a post race interview. I happily obliged and ran up to their trailer to give them a little insight into my race. I was covered in dust and sweaty but they could see how happy I was to have finished the race without stopping a single time all race. During the interview I would find out I finished with a solid 6th in class! and 19th overall! in the race. This was huge for me, considering I was racing with East and West coast racers in a National 2x points race.
Post race I was able to catch up with my wife and celebrate with my fellow teammate Rich, and friends. At this time I also found out Aaron had not finished the race and I had to go over and check on my buddy to see how he was doing. Hang in there Aaron, 2 more races to make up the points buddy! I took a quick shower and changed in my swimsuit to go pool side and celebrate the race with Rich, his GF, Lindsey, and the pit guys and RMSF race team. We all told our race stories, laughed, awed, and drunk a few drinks while we watched the 4400 class race. I would like to give my teammate Rich a shout as well, it was awesome finally meeting him, hanging, and racing him at Visions. This guy has a ton of heart and he left it all out on the race course. He had a mechanical failure lap 3 but still came out with a 15th place finish in our class and 37th overall. Rich is looking good on points be sure to keep a look out for him at Sturgis in August.
All I can say is MidAmerica Outdoors is an amazing park, Visions is an amazing event, I have an awesome wife, great friends, and a badass teammate. If you missed this event then make plans to make it at all cost in 2023, you will not want to miss it and I know I will be there! I want to thank all of the people that support our race program, without the best companies and parts we would not have finished as well as we did. MRT tires and wheel held up great with zero issues all race. The Branik Motorsports sway bar helped me carry speed in the corners. Aftermarket assassins tuning made had the Rzr roaring in the straight aways. The Trinity Racing belt, exhaust, and boost tube held up fantastically with no issues and sounding good all race. The Dalton Industries clutch kit made sure i was able to put the power from the engine to the tires without issue. Kryptonite Suspension wheel bearings and tie rod kit kept the machine feeling tight all event long. KWT filters is the best pre-filter and keeps the engine breathing in dusty conditions. Casslake metals made sure everyone could tell who I was with a sweet grill on the Rzr, awesome roof, gps and savage utv case mounts. Rugged Radios kept us in contact with out friends and pits. Warn was great peace of mind, knowing I was racing prepared and luckily didnt need to use it. Last but not least, Ogio travel bags got all of my clothes to and from the races, clean and organized. Again, thank all of you for your support for our program and for taking the time to read this post, I could not do it without all of your support.
Ultra 4 4900 Race Coverage Video
Thank you
I want to give a sincere thank you to everyone that helped me out.
- My wife Lindsey Quattlebaum for all of her support and killing it as the Bandit Offroad Media Manager.
- The Pit Guys for helping me out in the pits, glad I didnt have to stop and see you guys but I was happy to know you were there.
- Brian, Amber , and Rich with Bandit Offroad Racing. We have a great foundation for an awesome team.
- Aaron and Jeremy for being great friends and awesome racers that push me to do better.
- My family and friends at the races and back home, whom there are too many to mention. The ones that answered questions, bought swag to support the team, spectated at races and online, and cheered me on as I chase my dreams.
- All the fans that watch the videos, follow the page, and help push me to continue to grow in the sport.
We would like to thank all of our sponsors in 2022 Ultra 4 Racing Series. I would not be able to finish these races in the position I do without the best parts and support in the market.
Warn: I did not use the winch but was happy to know it was there if I needed it. #Warn @Warn
Motorace tires and muscle race wheels: I could not ask for a better setup. I was extremely impressed with the wheel and tire set up and the service I received from them, delivering much needed rims to the course for me. I had ZERO flats throughout the entire event. #Motoracetire @Motoracetire
Casslake Metal: Josh built my grill, my roof, and my savage utv case mounts. All of these parts held up to the brutal race course without issue. #Casslakemetals @Casslakemetals
Branik motorsport: The Branik rear sway bar helped me stay stable in the fast sections and woods. This sway bar has been amazing and really changed the handling of the machine. I set it up in the tightest setting and never looked back. #Branikmotorsports @Branikmotorsports
KWT Filters: For keeping my engine clean and healthy. Check them out, extremely impressive in these dusty conditions. #KWTfilters @KWTfilters
Ogio: for their high quality suit case that helped me travel to the races. #OGIO @OGIO
Trinity Racing: For excellent belts, exhaust, and tuner that made me fast and sound good while doing it. The boost tube and BOV kept my power where it needed to be and helped me be faster than ever. I had ZERO power issues, ZERO belt failures during the race. #Trinityracing @Trinityracing
Aftermarket assassins: Their tune and wastegate had my machine screaming, faster than it has ever been before. I had zero issues out of the AA tune and parts during Visions. #Aftermarketassassins @Aftermarketassassins
Kryptonite suspension: The kryptonite wheel bearings take a beating and dont complain. I had zero issues with the kryptonite tie rod kit which took a beating on this course. #Kryptonitesuspension @Kryptnitesuspension
Dalton Industries: The adjustable Dalton clutch kit was a huge help to get the power from the engine to the wheel. This is a must have for us running 33s. Our clutch engagement was on point and our belt stayed pushing power to the wheels all race long. #Daltonindustries @Daltonindustries
Rugged Radios: Being able to depend on my radio to reach the pits and let them know I am coming in hot is a big deal. Rugged radios provides a clear line of communication for us and have never let me down. This race was not an equipment issue but an install issue, my hot glue let go on my helmet and I couldnt talk or hear with it bouncing around, completely user error. #Ruggedradios @Ruggedradios
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