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Ross Hoek Motorsports

Ross Hoek Motorsports looked to continue his competitive racing streak as they piloted the Skyjacker Suspensions, Herculiner, Goodyear Tires, Raybestos, F-150 in two different World Series of Off-Road Racing divisions. The same truck has also competed in the new PRO-Spec division of Championship Off-Road Racing earlier this year. Ross Hoek and his crew have had a very busy spring competing in two different race series on opposite coasts. This weekend will be the team’s greatest challenge yet; five races in two days after totally rebuilding the truck due to a devastating fire 2 weeks earlier that ended Ross’ domination of the CORR Pro-Spec division!

Saturday - Round 3

Super Truck

The #210 Skyjacker Suspensions, Herculiner, Goodyear Tires, Raybestos,  F-150 came out of Turn One in third place but Ross underestimated the track watering conditions and hit the wall in the finish line turn of the first lap!  After the entire field went by Ross started playing catch-up with the field.  Over the next several laps, Hoek had worked his way into second place. The top two positions held their spots all the way to the checkered flag.

With only a few hours to prep and to get ready for the PRO-2WD race; the crew immediately brought the truck back to the hauler, as Ross continued with the media interviews after the race.

PRO-2WD

Ross lined up for the land rush start with his #21 Skyjacker Suspensions, Herculiner, Goodyear Tires, Raybestos,  F-150 still in the Super Truck configuration, hoping his truck’s chassis setup could make up for his lack of horsepower. The start saw the #21 Skyjacker truck come down the front straight in a very respectable third place. For 7 of the 9 lap race Ross ran 4th holding off the much more powerful Pro-2WD of Oberg. The Super Truck engine package combined with just the right amount of traction from the Goodyear tires made for an excellent combination.  A single mistake in the last lap allowed Oberg to dive inside Ross in the gravel pit and steal the 4th position.  The race for 4th was renowned by all as the best race with-in the race!

That night Ross and the crew went through the usual overnight prep work as the rebuild was a tremendous success and the truck was really handling the increased race load quite well.

Sunday – Round 4

Super Truck

The Sunday Super Truck race showcased a heated battle between the Skyjacker Ford and #297 Wandahsega.  Ross ate Wandahsega’s roost for several laps as he made multiple challenges for the lead only to loose it to a hard charging #229 Steele.  Ross chased hard after Steele for a couple laps but had to settle in and save the truck for the Pro-2WD race that was only 45 minutes away.  The result, once a gain, was a solid second place finish without any damage to the truck.

This time the crew had less time to prep the truck for the PRO-2WD race due to the schedule change to accommodate the Chairman’s Cup Showdown at the end of the day.

PRO-2WD

The final points race for the #21 Skyjacker Suspensions, Herculiner, Goodyear Tires, Raybestos, F-150 started well as Ross once again came out of Turn One in third place but this time he was quickly overtaken by Oberg.

On lap two, #4 Johnny Greaves was charging hard in his RHM chassis PRO-2 and Ross was over aggressive trying to maintain his position over the starting line jumps. The abuse shattered the transmission as the truck landed off the second jump.  Ross coasted to a stop off the track in front of the crowd and watched the end of the race on the Jumbotron. The early failure disappointed the team with an eleventh place finish as Greaves went on to finish fifth.

Undaunted the crew went to work replacing the transmission. The change went quickly and without any problems. That is until they went to move the truck. The ring and pinion was also in need of replacement. Once again the crew went to work, this time replacing the “pumpkin.”  The quick work by the team got Ross to the starting grid in plenty of time for the Chairman’s Cup.

As Ross and the crew were getting the truck ready for the Heavy Metal Showdown event, the weather took a turn for the worse. Rain showers swept through the area leaving the race track a mess. The threat of dust was gone, as water and mud completely transformed the track into a quagmire. Fortunately, the rain stopped as the trucks lined up for the start.

Forest County Potawatomi Chairman’s Cup

The two-wheel drive trucks were given a half lap head start over the normally slightly fast four-wheel drive trucks. Due to the muddy condition of the track, everyone realized the 4x4s would quickly catch the 4x2s.

The start of the race saw practically everyone sliding and spinning all over the track. Ross got lucky off the start and snuck inside several PRO-2WD trucks in the first turn.  Ross ran third overall for a couple laps then passed Steele for the Super Truck lead.  Two laps later Ross when wide in a turn, letting both Steele and Wandasega get by. As the track started to gain some grip, Ross took second place from Steele. Unfortunately time was running out and there wasn’t enough time to make a serious charge for the Super Truck lead.

From the start it was evident that the driver with the fewest mistakes would win the big money. Kent Brasho in his #8 PRO-4x4 never made a mistake and took home the top prize.  At the finish, Ross was the second place Super Truck finisher and eighth place overall.

“This weekend was a huge undertaking for Ross Hoek Motorsports,” commented Ross Hoek. “We were looking to compete in five races this weekend. We started all five, and finished four. Actually the truck was competitive in all five. I can’t thank my crew enough. Special thanks go to Charlie at Auto Trans Design. We dropped off our transmission to him on the way to Crandon Thursday night and he had it back to use by Friday afternoon. We really didn’t have a tranny issue this weekend. When the rear end broke, the shock it caused traveled up the driveline and took out the transmission. ATD builds an awesome piece. The race conditions for the Cup race were some of the worse ever, but you can’t change the weather. The Goodyear tires were awesome, no matter the conditions; they gave us the bite we needed to stay among the leaders.  By Bark River we’ll have this truck in full Pro-2WD trim and our second truck will be ready to continue the battle for the Super Truck Championship.  With 2 trucks we’ll take the gloves off in both classes!”

Currently Ross Hoek is in 4th place in the WSORR PRO-2WD Championship standings and tied for second place in the WSORR Super Truck Championship standings.

The next race for Ross Hoek Motorsports is July 12-13, WSORR Rounds 5 & 6 Island Casino/Boss Snow Plow UP Off-Road 100, Bark River, Michigan

Ross Hoek would like to thanks all his partners including:

For more information please visit: www.rosshoek.com

-Mike Reusche, marketing, MTG – mike@mt-graphics.com