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Bradley Morris Has Tough Weekend at Wild Horse Motorsports Park in Chandler, Arizona
Bradley Morris Has Tough Weekend at Wild Horse Motorsports Park in Chandler, Arizona
26 May 2017
Bradley Morris sliding his K&N Filters Pro2 through the corner
The 2017 season opener for K&N-sponsored driver Bradley Morris was full of ups and downs. Rounds one and two of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series were held in Chandler, Arizona, at the Wild Horse Motorsports Park. Bradley and the team had been anticipating the beginning of the season with a late start, which allowed the team to finish the new Stamper Chassis Pro 2 and make some additional modifications to the Pro 4. These modifications were noticeable in the practice sessions on Friday at the race, and Bradley was right up with the leaders around fifth in both trucks.
K&N Filters-sponsored Pro4 driven by Bradley Morris flying through the air
First race up for the opening weekend was the K&N Filters and Maxxis Tires Pro 4. At the start of the race, all the trucks jumped on the gas to make it through turn one and over the two jumps. Heading into turn two it was super wet and slippery and the trucks in the front were not able to make the turn and brake properly and collided with each other. The rest of the trucks behind them ended up slamming on the brakes just to slide into one another, causing a full restart three times before the race was underway. After the trucks were able to make it through turn two on a green flag, the battles began. Bradley would start to push towards the front at a steady and smart pace. Working his way forward, he got up to the top five and then up to third place. Bradley was battling for second when the truck slowly lost the handling which was caused by the contact on the first few laps. He tried to stay with the leaders but slowly slipped down to fifth place when the checkered flag was waving.
Bradley Morris showing why K&N Filters are so important in off road racing
The second round in Pro 4 was one of the lows for the weekend, where Bradley qualified ninth and started him towards the rear of the pack. With a strong start, Bradley would battle for the first third of the race before breaking and having to pull off the track, finishing in eleventh.
Taking the K&N Filters Pro4 around turn one in Chandler, Arizona
After driving in the Pro 4, Bradley would jump out of the truck and get right into the Pro 2 with only two classes in between. With this being Bradley’s rookie year in Pro 2, many thought that he would have a difficult time switching between the trucks. Many of the best drivers have a hard time for the first few races getting used to driving the two different styles of trucks. Bradley did a great job all weekend with keeping the driving styles separated, and Bradley would start on the fourth row in the Pro 2 for the first race. Bradley started off very strong and was making passes on every lap until the truck started to overheat, and just before the half-way mark of the race the driveshaft ended up breaking loose and took Bradley out of the race. This is not how Bradley wanted to start off his rookie season, even though he finished in the top ten with some other trucks crashing and breaking before him.
Bradley borrowed a truck for Round 2 in Pro2 to gain valuable points
The bad luck didn’t stop there, and while in the pit the team realized that the overheating issue had actually destroyed the motor. With the truck being so new, there was not a spare motor completed yet. The team thought they were done with the Pro 2 for the weekend when one of the other drivers that was hurt during the first race offered to let Bradley drive his Pro 2. This would allow Bradley to not only get precious points for the championship, but also rookie of the year points. The team tried their best to mount the bedsides on the other driver’s Pro 2 to showcase his sponsors K&N Filters, Kicker Audio, and Fallen Patriots. Bradley started the race at the very back because he did not qualify and wasn’t even expecting that he was even going to be racing the rest of the weekend in Pro 2. With never driving the loaned truck before, he knew he had to drive smart and clean to get the most points he could but at the same time staying competitive with the rest of the trucks to make his sponsors look good. Bradley did a great job finishing seventh.
Bradley Morris flying the Pro2 across the starting line
The opening weekend was not the one that Bradley had planned or hoped for, but the team was able to make some great changes to the trucks by making them faster and getting Bradley more comfortable in them. One of his new partners for the 2017 season is Children of Fallen Patriots, who help provide college scholarships for kids who have lost a parent in the line of duty. Bradley said, “I am glad that I could go out and show Fallen Patriots that even on a bad race day there can still be some good, which is something that Fallen Patriots does for all the children. I was happy with the changes we were making to the trucks, which was giving me more control and greater speed. I can’t wait to head to Mexico and race for my first time.” The next two rounds are at Estero Beach, Mexico, where Bradley will race for the first time on the sandy track. The trucks will be ready for battle and with the changes that were made in Arizona they will be even faster than before. So watch out for Bradley Morris and the BME Motorsports team for the rest of the season, where they will be working hard and climbing towards the top.
