Colorado Springs - Some unusual things happened to the Fabtech/Lovell team at the XRRA Round #3 in their hometown of Colorado Springs that left them scratching their head. "The question I have been asking myself for the last couple days is, How exactly did that happen?” said Brad Lovell. The twists of fate during the day were almost as extensive as the turns, climbs, and drops at the RAM Off-Road Park course.

As luck would have it, Roger and Brad received back to back positions in the running order again. This reoccurring coincidence causes logistics challenges but did not stop both of them from bringing in respectable times for their first runs; Brad was only 9 seconds off of the fast time by Shannon Campbell. Not content to settle for second place Brad said, "I saw that I needed to ask more from the truck so I pushed it harder on the second run." Brad and his co-driver Mark Hayward crashed off of ledges to fast, brutalized the tires and wheels on boulders, and had little regard for the drive train when landing from jumps. Having laid down the fastest time of the day came with consequences a clunk in the rear end developed during the run, signifying a broken gear set. On top of that, the trusty set of BFGoodrich Baja T/A KRT’s were no more. After seven destructive races on the set and five years competing on BFGoodrich, Brad had his
first flat.

As soon as Roger’s second run was complete (this one his fastest yet) the team headed to the pits. They furiously tore apart the rear axle and scrambled to find a spare tire. As they pulled the gears out, they were puzzled to see no damage. In less than 30 minutes the team had the axle reassembled, a new tire, and a damaged brake caliper removed. The team had about a dozen helpers from other teams that jumped in without being asked - we owe them greatly.   

Back to racing – Brad now lined up for the dreaded gap jumps that have plagued him for years. Roger and Brad had both decided before the race - NO MORE! Time to face the fear - no longer would they bypass these jumps. Green flag – ease down the drop, mash the gas, 3rd gear, keep it straight, hold on, up and over sailed the Fabtech Ranger with the smoothest landing imaginable on the Dirt Logic shocks. Around they sped through the rest of the course to the checkered flag. As soon as they crossed the finish line Brad's wife Natalie ran up with news that Roger’s truck would not start. Given the past ignition problems they focused on the distributor while everyone and anyone checked sensors and relays. Unfortunately, the 60 second window ran out and Roger was forced to take a DNF. The team would later discover that high temperatures combined with the addition of fire shielding had caused the fuel pump to get to hot and loose pressure. Couldn't’t it have happened any place but the starting line?

With Roger out of contention for the finals, Brad made his final run and discovered he had nearly a 40 second cumulative lead. Roger followed by clearing the gap jump and marking a fast time but the missed course would keep him from the final round. All Mark and Brad needed to do from here is be smart and play it safe. In the first round of the finals they picked up at least another ten seconds on second place. Only one run left, they left the line and were consistent until they got to a dug out climb. "I tried and tried but could not get the truck to transition correctly due to the huge holes" said Brad. Brad kept trying spot after spot and finally spun up to the top but got tangled in a banner. They finished the course but it was all for not as they had timed out. Full of frustration Brad says, "How did I loose it on what I do best - a climb?"

The times were tallied and the Fabtech Ranger ended up in a strong 3rd Place. "We are proud as a team to have a podium finish," says Brad but a bit puzzled and disappointed with his performance during the last run. That’s why we race though, to test ourselves.