The weather was perfect on the final race day of the 2016 Nitto Ultra4 Series. At a crisp 76 degrees, hoodies gave way to T-shirts, but the atmosphere was far from relaxed. Tension was thick as racers made last minute repairs and adjustments to their cars that would take a harder beating over the next few hours than most off-road cars see in a lifetime.
They were ready, though. They had been preparing for this final show-down since Erik Miller was crowned King of the Hammers back in early February. This was the last chance of the Ultra4 season for drivers to prove their worth.
The course at Wild West Motorsports Park in Reno, NV has been expertly built: some teams will tell you this is “mini King of the Hammers.” Prelims prove that right. With only 25 spots at the starting gate, drivers fought hard to gain the advantage.
After plenty of carnage, roll-overs, and break-downs, the lineup for the main event was populated with some of the nation’s top drivers, including Shannon Campbell, Loren Healy, Wayland Campbell, Jason Scherer, and Gary Ferravanti Sr.
Leaving the gate two-by-two, the race was on! While some drivers chose to bounce over the boulder field lap after lap, some chose to fly and ended up paying the price! It’s not only rocks that the cars had to contend with, though. The race consists of twelve laps covering a short course with tight turns and steep climbs, a high-speed desert section, and boulders bigger than some cars.
For any hope of victory, each lap would have to be completed in no more than three minutes. Drivers would have to execute their plan flawlessly. In a race of this length, there is no room for error.
Erik Miller came into the race in first place in points and was ready for the Saturday throw-down. But Jason Scherer, only 80 points behind Miller, was not going to let this opportunity slip by. Scherer knew that if he didn’t perform, he just wouldn’t win the season.
The drivers fought hard for forty-five minutes as the cheering fans in packed grandstands (Wild West Motorsports Park has some of the best spectating in off-road racing) erupted each time the cars flew by, cornering hard on two wheels, tossing rocks high into the air.
In the end, after a hard-fought battle between tough-as-nails Gary Ferravanti Sr. and quick-as-lightning Jason Scherer, it was Ferravanti Sr. who snagged the checkered flag. Even though he didn’t have the winning time, Scherer, taking third overall, earned enough points to earn the title Nitto Ultra4 National Series Champion.
Congratulations go out to all the drivers and their teams who worked hard all season to keep their cars running and their fans entertained.