Frozen Rush
The Red Bull Frozen Rush was a short course off-road match race held on snowy alpine skiing slopes. The event debuted in 2014 featuring eight short-course and desert off-road racing drivers. Road & Track magazine said "The unique action provided a mix between the traditional stadium-style off-road racing and the crossover jumping from Global Rallycross."[1]
History
[edit]In 2013, Red Bull had their team driver Ricky Johnson haul one of his Pro 4 short course trucks across the United States from California to Mount Snow in Vermont for an exhibition on the ski slopes.[2][3] Red Bull filmed the exhibition and the video was popular enough that they decided to turn it into a competition.[3]
The first competition happened in 2014 at the Sunday River Resort near Newry, Maine.[3] The drivers raced the trucks on the resort's snowy ski slopes.[3] About 10000 spectators attended the event with temperatures topping out below 10 °F (−12 °C).[2]
Vehicles
[edit]The event features Pro 4 four-wheel drive Trophy Trucks racing with studded tires.[3] The BFGoodrich race tires featured an inner liner and approximately 700 studs.[3] The studs damaged the fiberglass fenders of some trucks.[3] The 900-horsepower trucks have modified jets in their carburetors for the less dense air in the higher altitude.[3] Teams had to adjust their suspensions and gear ratios for the conditions.[3] Trucks didn't need to use as efficient of cooling systems in the cooler temperatures.[3]
Drivers
[edit]In the inaugural 2014 event, eight drivers from the two national series (TORC and LOORRS) were selected to compete head to head with the victory advancing to the next round.[3] Ricky Johnson beat Johnny Greaves in the final round for the win after Greaves received a 5-second penalty for hitting a gate.[2][4] The 2014 Frozen Rush was broadcast taped delayed on NBC Sports' Red Bull Signature Series program.[4] Drivers use thick gloves and heated helmet technology developed for snowmobile racing.[3]
Competitors
[edit]| Year | Winner | Other Competitors |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Ricky Johnson[4] | 2nd Johnny Greaves, 3rd Bryce Menzies, 4th Rob MacCachren, Carl Renezeder, Todd Leduc, Scott Douglas, Greg Adler[4] |
| 2015 | Bryce Menzies | field:[5] RJ Anderson, Brian Deegan, Scott Douglas, Chad Hord, Ricky Johnson, Todd Leduc, Rob MacCachren, Bryce Menzies, and Carl Renezeder |
| 2016 | Bryce Menzies | Ricky Johnson, Scott Douglas, Carl Renezeder, Chad Hord, Rob MacCachren, Johnny Greaves, RJ Anderson, CJ Greaves |
References
[edit]- ^ "Red Bull Frozen Rush head-to-head ups the ante for 2014". Road & Track. February 16, 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
- ^ a b c Joseph, Noah. "Red Bull Frozen Rush puts off-road trucks on ski slopes". Autoblog.com. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Scott, Evans. "Red Bull Frozen Rush 2014". Motor Trend. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Jung, Carter. "Frozen Rush: Ricky Johnson Wins Inaugural Race". Red Bull. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
- ^ Martelli, Matt (25 November 2014). "Winter Cometh: Frozen Rush 2015". race-dezert.com. Retrieved December 7, 2014.