Dirt Riot MidStates Round 2 Crandon, WI

And the Branik Cup and big money winner is…..Jason Shipman!

After a night of rain, the track cancelled Sunday’s race. We looked for a viable race around the mud pits, but it just didn’t make sense. The Branik Cup stood from the end of day Saturday results. Congratulations to all that took home part of the largest Dirt Riot purse of the year!

Dive deeper into the times at www.moto-tally.com/WERock/DR/Results.aspx

Crandon International Raceway Hosts Record Crowd For Londerville Super Challenge Event

— Saturday Attracts Enthusiastic Fans, Sunday Schedule Rained Out —
— Large Field of Sportsmen Series Racers Kicks-Off 2015 Season —
— Jason Shipman Repeats as Branik Cup Winner —

The weekend’s big winner was Jason and Andy Shipman from Farmington, Missouri. With veteran rock racer Jason behind the wheel of this W.E. Rock 4400 class vehicle, the team repeated as winners of the prestigious Branik Cup. They took home a prize of $10,000 and a beautiful custom trophy for their victorious effort. (Chris Hord image)

With the last snippets of a brutal winter now a distant memory, warm sunny skies and an all-day, jam-packed schedule of racing greeted a huge crowd on hand for Saturday’s 3rd annual “Londerville Super Challenge Off-Road Weekend” at Crandon International Off-Road Raceway.

After three years of growth, the third “major” event in Crandon International’s summer racing series set attendance and participation records for the all-encompassing, dirt-filled event. The track, known affectionately as the “Big House,” promoted a kaleidoscope of off-road disciplines utilizing different configurations of the 400-acre facility located in the picturesque Wisconsin Northwoods. While officials did not release final attendance figures, they were confident that the event had “doubled in size” since last year’s running of the unique competition.

The first race on Saturday’s schedule for the Crandon Sportsman Series was for the 1600 Light Buggy class. Representing the largest class of the day, 21 entries fought to take the year’s first checkered flag. In the end, #201 Greg Stingle took a flag-to-flag victory with a great battle going on behind him between Matt Mullen and Todd Lemke.

Race 2 combined the Classix and Stock Truck classes. #613 Dale Chestnut beat #601 Bill Wilson and #655 Galen Gee in Classix and for the top three overall positions. The Stock Truck class was won by #520 Brad Milan, with #593 Diesel Shanak and #573 Lon Jaskie coming in second and third.

The growing W.E. Rock Pro UTV division used a unique combination of Crandon’s race courses to put on a great display for the fans. This Polaris RZR 1000 driven by Brian Strane of Kenosha, Wisconsin, beat Blake Knabe who came all the way from Gainesville, Texas. (Chris Hord image)

The ultra-fast Super Buggy class was next, with Rodney Vaneperen put on a driving clinic in Super Buggy, piloting his #45 car to a first place finish. Number 22 Herman Barnum was in the mix early but suffered the worst roll of the morning. He kept going thanks to the immediate assistance from the Crandon Track Safety Crew. Crandon veteran Scott Schwalbe took second, with son #2 Ryan Schwalbe rjght behind in third.

A field of 13 1600 Single Buggies cars took the green flag for the 12-lap race, with a tight fight for the opening laps. 2014 Crandon World Champion #331 Mark Steinhardt had to battle with West Coast veteran racer #312 Bruce Fraley (from Las Vegas) after Steinhardt got the hole shot. Hailing from nearby Rheinlander, Wisconsin, Steinhardt maintained his pace for the win, Fraley second and #326 Rob Kinner taking third.

The growing crowd was enjoying the midday sun as the 7 to 12-year old kids in the Crandon Short Course Karts took the green flag. These tiny trucks run under strict safety and competition regulations, and are a fan favorite. A slight incident off the start took held up 2014 class champion #77 Carter Vanden Heuvel, while an ultra smooth Owen Vaneperen copied his Super Buggy-winning father Rodney in taking the win. Gage Garvin took the runner-up spot, with Zack Wirhanowiz in third.

Crandon’s Limited 4 and Formula 4×4 were next, with eight trucks racing side-by-side into the infamous Forest County Potowatomi Turn 1. From the onset veteran #17 Dan Baudoux set the pace, with #497 Jerry Conrad and #69 Milan Mazanec in hot pursuit. The pace took out Baudoux, moving #471 Brad LaMarche into third. Up front Conrad and Mazanec put on the rest race of the day, with Conrad smoking for much of the time. Mazanec took advantage at the halfway point, passing Conrad before claiming the checkered flag and starting his season right.

Crandon’s Sportsman Series’ Super Stock Truck category was next, with a huge and competitive field 17 vehicles strong. It was #826 Danny Beauchamp that raced into the spectator-friendly Crandon “short course” first, with #897 Mitch Dorr in second. Matt Siorek, driving the #827 was third. That order was shuffled with Beauchamp and Siorek putting on a great race. In the end, Beauchamp used lap traffic to get some breathing room, with Siorek and Dorr battling for the runner-up spot with #833 Nick Byng. In the end it was Beauchamp, Dorr and Siorek crossing the line after the best battle of the day. Crandon native Jay Schaefer earned a special award from track sponsor Amsoil for taking the seventh-place finish in Super Stock Truck.

The final, and fastest, Sportsman Series race of the day was for the Super Truck division. With nine trucks entered, it was Eric Ruppel with the hole shot in his #237 truck. In second came #248 Tim Nelson and then #222 of Mark Peterson. Ruppel’s racer looked like it was on rails, as he led the field through the halfway point and to the checkered flag. Nelson held on to second, with a smoking truck of Peterson making home in third.

With an intense morning of Sportsman racing concluded, the on-track attention on turned toward the W.E.Rock Dirt Riot competitors. Using both the track’s “short” course and part of the new “forest” and rock crawling section of the facility, first up were the UTV classes. In Pro UTV Brian Strane beat Blake Knabe and Scott Wasz, while the UTV class was won by Jack Szymik over Jason Soule and Bob Murphy.

The next race featured the $10,000 Branik Cup race for the radical 4400-class 4×4 vehicles as well as W.E.Rocks more production-based “Trail” class. Taking home the big prize for a second consecutive year was Jason Shipman, who beat Doug Jackson and Darrell Gray in convincing fashion. Jesse Oliver took the Trail class win, outrunning Josh Jackson and Tom Yash.

The hills near the rock crawling area were packed for the rest of the afternoon, as spectators enjoyed the noise and muddy fun of the West Michigan Mud Run group taking on a wet and wild track specially built just for the occasion.

Sadly, an all-night rainstorm late that evening and into the following morning forced Crandon officials to cancel the day’s racing and postpone the second round of racing untilFriday, June 26th as part of the 22nd annual Forest County Potowatomi Brush Run event.

“This weekend was really positive and also a bit disappointing, but we control everything but the weather,” said Crandon’s Cliff Flannery. “We had a large group of racers entertain an equally impressive group of fans, which is what every event promoter wants to see. Growth is the goal. We want to thank all of our supporters — especially Londerville Steel — for making this weekend possible. Our summer is off to a great start.”

Crandon International will next open its gates June 26-28 for the 22nd annual Forest County Potowatomi Brush Run, featuring a full slate of The Off Road Championship (TORC) Pro classes and Crandon Sportsman series racers.

All weekend and camping tickets for the Crandon Brush Run race will be available at the gate.

The MidStates 2nd Round of Dirt Riot races are headed to the big house CRANDON International Raceway as part of the Super Challenge Off-Road Race Weekend! A two day event filled with multiple disciplines of off-road racing.

There is a huge $10,000 purse guarantee for the Pro 4400 4×4 Class – $5,000 form Branik Motorsports, $5,000 from the track + normal Dirt Riot payouts. $5,000 from the track will be split between pro classes, based on percentage of entries. Example, 12 4400s, 5 4500s, 3 4600s, would be 60%, 25%, 15% of the $5k. We will pay up to 5 places, 1 for 4 entries, just like the rules show. We will also pay for heat wins, like we did last year.

PRO UTVs purse will also have a $5,000 guarantee + entry fees! We will pay up to 5 places, 1 for 4 entries, just like the rules show. We will also pay for heat wins, like we did last year.

See Schedule and Get Directions: CLICK HERE

Drivers Registration: CLICK HERE

Spectator Tickets: CLICK HERE

Join the Conversation – Facebook Event: CLICK HERE

Dirt Riot Heads to the Big House at Crandon International Raceway this Weekend

Dirt Riot Endurance 4×4 Racing both Saturday and Sunday as part of Super Challenge Off-Road Race

A $10,000 Pro Class purse guarantee and $5,000 UTV purse guarantee is waiting for this weekends Dirt Riot racers at the Crandon International Raceway as part of the 2015 Londerville Steel Super Challenge Off-Road Race. In the races second year, Branik Motorsports has sweetened the pot again by $5,000 and will have the rotating Branik Cup on display for the winner of the 4400 Pro 4×4 class to display for the year. Racing will be all day on Saturday and Sunday with Dirt Riot featured on the short course track each afternoon. Other classes of racers include Sportsman short course racing 1600 Light Buggy, Classix & Stock Truck, 1600 Buggy & Super Buggy, Short Course Karts, Limited 4 & Formula 4×4, Super Stock Truck and Super Truck. All the Dirt Riot classes will stand and then in the late afternoon the Mud Drags will kick off.

“It is great to be back at the Big House and have Branik Motorsports here presenting the 2^nd Annual Branik Cup. It is going to be an awesome weekend of racing, the atmosphere here is already buzzing,” said Rich Klein, President and founder of W.E. Rock Events. “We will be doing a modified land rush start for all the classes this year. We are using the big short course track, a wooded section and the rocks for the buggy classes. The UTV’s will skip the rock section and use a different wooded section. There is a lot of money at stake, guaranteed the racing will be epic to the checkered flag.”

Pre-registered in the Pro 4400 4×4 Class includes Bad Advice Racing Matt Moore, Team Scrap’n Jason Shipman, and Rowdy Racing Rowdy Trubenbach among others not already pre-registered. Additional pre-registered Pro Drivers included in the 4500 Class is DEAK Racing Jesse Oliver and the 4600 Class Haulin Yash Tom Yash. Pre-registered in the Pro UTV Class is Brain Strane and in the SuperMod Trail Class is Maciosek Motorsports Lauren Maciosek. Racers can sign up and register on site during tech and registration Friday June 5^th.

Two day admission is $25 for adults, children 12 and under free and seniors 75 and older free. One day admission is $15 for adults, children 12 and under free and seniors 75 and older free. Saturday night Geoff Landon band only admission is $10. Tickets are available at the gate. There are vendors, food and amenities on site. We encourage you to bring chairs and shade structures. There is camping available onsite. For additional details go to http://www.werocklive.com/events/dirt-riot-midstates-round-2-2.