Veedersburg, IN (7/21/18) Polaris RZR Factory Racing/Elka Suspension/Yokley Racing driver, John Barnes traveled out to the Crazy Man’s Hideout to race for the second weekend in a row since returning from summer break. The Mid West Cross Country event would land the team on the podium with a second place finish. Barnes commented, “This years hard work is continuing to pay off.”
The team did not get the start they wanted coming out of the hole shot. Another side by side slammed the side of their RZR knocking them into 6th. Barnes would charge forward and see an opportunity. Barnes commented, “I was running wide open down a field and saw a bottle neck of drivers. I saw a cutback through some tight trees and decided to take it.” The move would prove highly rewarding as he would be capitulated into second.
Factory Polaris – Elka’s John Barnes
Barnes would be come face to face with one of the greatest challenges this year. He commented, “There was a very steep hill in the event. Of the likes, it was probably the steepest hill I have ever ran into in a racing event. It’s one thing to play at home on a steep hill. It’s another to climb a hill in an event that literally could end the day.”
Barnes would come up to the hill and pin the throttle. The Elka Suspension took the abruptness of the hill nicely, and the RZR would go airborne at the top of the peak and land smooth. Fans were everywhere. It was truly an accomplishment as everyone was yelling in excitement. Barnes recollected, “After climbing the hill the first time, my confidence was high. I knew my Polaris RZR was going to make it the distance. We climbed it each lap except for one where the hill was closed to due carnage.”
Barnes would put on a charge to run down first, but the timer would run out before he could make the final catch. The team is very excited to put the Polaris RZR on the podium this weekend.