Author: Cody Quattlebaum #33
Prologue (Crandon, redbull, group ride, aop)
It has been a trialing few races since we competed at Crandon over labor day. I had been fighting fuel issues that were difficult to troubleshoot and repair. After losing multiple injectors, installing new injector filters and a fuel strainer, and cleaning the fuel system I was still fighting the issue. I went to a local race in Tennessee, the Redbull Stone Scramble, with my friends Aaron Lynch, Jeremy Blackburn, Talen Poole and JT Strickland (JTs 1st time racing his RS1) to do another shakedown of the machine and get some seat time. This race also ended in disaster, with my Rzr stuck on course and Aaron having to tow me out. After this occurred I decided to ask Aaron to see if he could figure out what was wrong.
After the race I stopped by Aarons shop (Lynch worx in Knoxville, TN) and he got to work on it. He did a bunch of testing and troubleshooting and eventually concluded that I had dirty fuel. Yes, it was that simple. I had gotten a lot of sand/mud into the gas tank and it was wreaking havoc on my fuel system. Aaron pulled the fuel tank and added an inline filter to help avoid this causing such a large issue in the future. We decided to participate in a local race at Adventure Offroad Park that was being spearheaded by Taylor Pickett as well as do a group fun day ride at Tackett Creek. The group ride was a great time and I was able to test the Rzr fuel system as well as blow off some steam and have a relaxing ride. Aaron showed us around the trails and some of his favorite spots and we also did some technical sections to prepare ourselves for the Ultra 4 USA Legends of the Fall (LoF).
For the AoP Fall Brawl, Aaron and I entered in the Unlimited and Full Body classes and Talen (Our pit guy for all of our races) entered in the Average Joe Full body class for his first ever race in SXS. We also participated in some barrel racing fun. The race went really well for all of us and had us pumped for the upcoming Legends of the Fall. Aaron podiumed, beating some of the top East racers in Ultra 4 and took home a check to put a small dent into the prep cost for LoF. I was able to make 5 passes all together without a single issue out of my Rzr. I was very thankful, since my fuel issues were finally behind me. Now it was time to clean and start prepping for LoF in 2 weeks.
Race Prep and getting to Disney, ok
I wanted to set myself up for a good race to finish off the Ultra 4 USA season so I took off all my knuckles/spindles and replaced my wheel bearings with some Kryptonite Products bearings and I made sure to visually inspect my hardware and replace as needed. As you can tell in the 2nd photo, my ball joint retaining bolts had some wear to them. I swapped in some fresh bolts to hold in my Keller Performance Products balljoints. I am also very particular about my bolt checks during prerunning, qualifying, and the race so I always make sure to blue loctite every bolt and mark them with paint. This process makes the bolts checks and simple process before, during, and after the races. Once that was done, I was ready to load the trailer and rest up a few days before heading on the 865 mile drive to Disney, Oklahoma.
I left for LoF on Tuesday afternoon, after work around 4pm. I make it about 200 miles before each fill up so my 1st stop is usually Buccees for refreshments, snacks, and fuel for the truck and Rzr. I was staying in contact with Aaron and the team since they left at a similar time as me and we were planning to meet up. Sometime in the middle of the night we had met up in Little Rock, Arkansas. I was planning to take a nap but Talen hopped in the truck with me to keep me company so we pushed on with the help of some Podcast on the radio to keep us alert. We all pulled into Disney, Oklahoma around 6am Wednesday morning and we quickly unloaded and went to sleep. The 1st day after a drive like that is always the hardest, we all barely slept and woke up around 930am. Jariel and the Dirt Princess Team were pulling in and Aaron was helping them park next to us.
We decided to go for a trail ride around the race course to see what kind of terrain we were in for and learn how to get back and forth to the course. We also had to run into town for some last minute items and fuel and learn our way around. Jeremy would pull in later that night to join us around the campfire before calling it a day.
Prerun
Thursday was our prerun day, set for 8hrs by the Ultra 4 USA schedule. We had planned to get started early in the day but we were so worn out from the previous day of very little rest that we slept in some and decided to take it slow. We had breakfast, bacon and eggs, then did some last minute wrenching on the machines before heading out for the day.
We ended up meeting up with Pappa Poe as he was helping with course set up and he gave us some pointers and showed us around for a lap which set us up for success. The primary obstacle was named “Little Blue” and it was a free for all on which line to take. Pappa Poe showed us the fast line that would end up being the line we would prefer to hit every lap. Here, you can see Aaron, Jeremy, and myself testing out different lines.
After we got comfortable with Little Blue, we moved on to learn the remainder of the course. We quickly figured out it would be a fast course on 99% rock surface with some high speed sections and some crucial either or lines to learn. Pappa Poe showed us around a bit more then we took a few runs ourselves to see how it felt at a little faster pace. Once we felt good with our prerunning we headed back to camp to grill up some burgers and sit around the campfire again.
Qualifying
4900 had to qualify and race on the same day so JT (U4 race director) took it easy on us and made the qualifier a drag race down the rock river bed. It was about 1/3 mile long, had a few ledges and a tricky water crossing at the end that had a couple of different routes you could take. I secured a 13th in class/33rd overall qualifier which put me off the line in the 17th row since we tool off 2 at a time in 20 second increments. This was a solid qualifier for me knowing the course was stacked with talent from coast to coast across the USA. This course, gnerally set up for NRRA, was now a new course for Ultra 4 USA. I knew the course was going to take a toll on the racers and vehicles so I was not worried about taking off in the middle of the pack.
Race
The 4900 class raced at 3pm Friday afternoon. This was ~5hrs after our qualifying run. So we all ran back to camp after qualifying and looked over our machines one last time before the race. Jeremy hooked Aaron and I up with some nice tear offs for the helmet and we got the trucks loaded to go to the pits. We had a lot of pit support at this race; including Talen and JT, Zach and Hopper (The Pit Guys), and other nearby pit crews that jumped in during the race, like Team Indiana. About an hour prior to the race I headed to the course to check comms with the pits and verify where our pit was.
Pappa Poe lined us up for the race and said a prayer for each racer as they approached the start line. Nerves were building as I inched closer to the green flag. I knew I was taking off with Cam Zollers so I had to be sure to get a good start. In no time we were on the start line and JT points to us and gives a thumbs up. I give a thumbs up back at him and he counts us down from 5 to drop the green flag. I treed the flag drop pretty well and got off to a good start. The 1st section of the course was the same as our qualifying run so I had a good idea of where to hit for the 1st 30 seconds while trying to pull away from Cam.
Once we got further into course the prerunning paid off for Cam as he took an alternate line and got around me. I knew where I wanted to pass him back was not far from where we were so I stayed close to him. Once we got to Little Blue I took the line we practiced in prerun and got back in front of Cam. We would battle it out a little but more for the remainder of the lap. Just like that, lap 1 was done, my machine was feeling great and my confidence was growing.
Lap 2 went off without a hitch until I reached Little Blue where traffic was blocking my line. A car had almost flipped holding everyone up. I took the alternate line I practiced and kept pushing. The rest of lap 2 was pretty mild as I made passes in some of the either ors and faster sections. I was also seeing some of the “fast” lines burn in giving me some options I may have not seen when prerunning. Lap 3 went very well, again no issues and I was testing the “fast” lines I found while racing. I was already soaked at this point, with all the water crossings we had.
Jeremy found me sometime in Lap 3 and made his pass. I knew Jeremy was on a fast pace so I decided to lay it on the line and do what I could to keep him in my sight. If I was able to maintain pace with Jeremy then I knew I would finish in a good position. Jeremy and I battled for a few laps, he passed me, I would pass him back and we would keep pushing each other faster and faster. The 3rd lap would end up being my fastest lap at a 9:38. I was able to hang with Jeremy through lap 5 where he posted his fastest lap of the race at a 9:21. This is when attrition starts setting in.
Sometime in lap 5 my machine started feeling weak and I lost a lot of power. I though maybe my belt was slipping from being wet or I messed it up so I pulled into pits where the team got to work. They swapped the belt quickly, dried off the clutches, and told me there was nothing visibly wrong with the belt so they were not sure why I didnt have power. At that point I had already done a whole lap at a slow pace and knew something was wrong but could not tell what it was. So I went back out on course to see if drying the clutches helped but I was still powerless.
I putted around for another lap, now lap 8, and pulled back into pits. JT, Talen, the Pit Guys, and a few more pit crews (Team Indiana) jumped in to help as everyone was checking power connections, boost tubes, fuel rail, and intake to see what the issue was. They found that my intake cover had broken into pieces so they removed the broken pieces and checked my intake but no water had gotten in. They also found that my skid plate was ripping off which made sense because I was hearing a lot of noises when passing through the pebble/gravel sections. I was thankful the noise was my skid and not my driveshaft.
We were ultimately unable to figure out the issue but I wanted to continue as long as my Rzr would move. I headed back out on course and just tried to keep momentum so I could get back to the finish line each lap. These were slow laps but I knew every lap I could complete would put me a little closer to a strong finish. At the end of lap 8 JT threw the white flag and I knew at that point I could not stop. I dug deep and pushed on through lap 9. Barely making it up the hills and through the obstacles, with very little power at this point. My skid plate was also gone by now but I had to maintain momentum to keep my Rzr moving so I had to hit the rocks hard which did some damage to my lower chassis.
I finally crossed the final water section and could see the finish line where everyone was pulled to the side as we awaited results. The checkered flag dropped and I joined my friends by the pits where we all celebrated the fact that we finished the race. Ultra 4 USA did their tire checks as we all shivered from being soaked in cold water and standing there. The adrenaline was wearing off and the reality was settling in on what we had all accomplished. This was the last race of the season, with the best drivers in the country, and we had completed the brutal course.
I finished the race 10th in class and was able to move a few spots up in the East Regional and National Championship points. Finishing 4th in the East Regional and 6th in the National Championship. I was very proud of this accomplishment for my 2nd season racing. My goal was a top 5 East coast and I achieved that goal despite the issues I battled throughout the season.
I would like to congratulate my fellow racers, Jeremy, Aaron, and Rich. Jeremy Blackburn on his 1st place LoF finish which put him finishing 1st place in the East Regional Championship. Aaron finished LoF in 8th place and ended the season top 10 in the East. Rich pulled off an awesome 6th place finish, placing him 3rd in the West Regional and 4th in the National Championship. Our class winner in the National Championship was Josh Smith in his Pro XP he defended the 2021 title for a back to back Championship win.
After the race Jeremy congratulated me on those few laps where we battled it out, telling me that if I had not pushed him then he would not have put down that fast of a lap. We were all very proud of one another and what we had accomplished. Aaron, Jeremy, and I had built a powerful bond this season as we assisted one another at every race in every way we could. I look forward to racing with these guys again in 2023.
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.
- Talen JT, and the Pit Guys for helping me out in the pits. Also Team Indianas pit crew for jumping in and helping out when i was having boost issues. They busted their tails for me.
- 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.
- Dirt Nation Mag and Harlen Foley for the awesome photos he captures of us during the races.
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 traction on the course for me. I had ZERO flats throughout the entire event. A lot of other racers killed a lot of tires but mine held strong. #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 in the rocks. 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. I had zero water in my intake and we hit a lot of water. #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. My belt got soaked from all the water but was still working well. I had the pit crew swap it out but it didnt change the way the machine felt at all and ended up not being my issue. I had 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 LoF. #Aftermarketassassins @Aftermarketassassins
Kryptonite suspension: The kryptonite wheel bearings take a beating and dont complain. I had zero issues with the kryptonite tie rod kit and bearings 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. This race had a lot of water which caused electrical and comm issues in the pits but our coms in the car did not fail. #Ruggedradios @Ruggedradios
Bandit Offroad Racing 
