WORCS Round 9
What an exciting end to my 2016 Race Season. After I placed 2nd in the Lucas Oil Regional Championship Sept 11, and a fresh tune from Benchmark Performance we decided to head to Glen Helen on September 18 to try our luck at WORCS. When the green flag dropped I would find myself in 1st place for the first half of the race with a huge lead over the other racers. Then the restart. I would find myself tangled up at the restart and have to chase my way back to the front of the pack. As me and the leader entered a corner she got high-centered and me and the Micro Punisher came in hot pushing her out of the way and I ended up high-centered myself. As I waited for a track attendant (my dad) to lift me off the berm I was passed by another car. I fought hard to chase both back down but was unable to regain that 1st place position. I ended up 3rd for the Day and would take my first WORCS Podium. It was a great race like all of them are. My Magnum Off Road Micro Punisher Polaris RZR 170 took the Coarse on my GMZ Full Tilt Wheels and Tires like the Champion it is, Doug Roll from Roll Designs fine tuned my Elka Suspension that morning and with my GMZ Wheels and Tires we were set to Dig in and power out at WARP Speed. My Sprocket Specialist set up was perfect. It felt so good to come home with that 3rd place medal.
The Dirt Series Round#9
It was my final round at the Dirt Series. I already new I had a 2nd place in the championship locked up. The field was stacked with great drivers and we were taking on Taledega again. One of my favorite tracks I couldn’t wait to get the Micro Punisher on the coarse. Moto one would prove to be challenging but we were prepared. As we took off the start line I found myself in a comfortable position. The course was chewed up and extra muddy… just the way I like it. I finished that moto in 3rd position. And headed back to the pits to make some finishing adjustments. The second Moto would find me tangled up with 2 other cars. I was able to chase my way back toward the front of the pack and ended up 3rd for the weekend. The Micro Punisher once again proved to be a force to be dealt with, and my set up again was ideal. My GMZ full tilt wheels and tires again dug in and propelled us into a podium position for the weekend. And My Elka Suspension was flawless. I ended my first Dirt Series Season in the 2nd spot on the box and we are prepared to come back hard next year!
WORCS Round 10
This was the final race of my season. We loaded up at 4:30 AM on Friday October 21, 2016 and headed to State Line. I was really excited because my buddies and I had already made plans to go to the arcade and take on the Roller Coaster. I personally had never been on a Roller Coaster so the excitement and anticipation was getting to me. We arrived at 6:30 A.M. and entered the event. We unloaded and headed to registration. I had already found my friends so while my mom and dad did paperwork we rounded up the rest of our group and headed to Tech. Doug from Roll Design was already there so I took the Micro Punisher to him so that he and Jed could start on some adjustments to my Elka Suspension. This course was definitely different. After the Unclassified race my dad and I made the decision to put on our GMZ Sport Tech 23’ Wheels and Tires. We would be the last race of the day on Saturday and the course would be chewed up, so I knew that the GMZ Sport Tech tires would be the advantage we needed. I picked the Magnum Off Road Micro Punisher Polaris RZR 170 up from Doug and headed to staging. I sat on the start line watching the race before me feeling confident. I wanted to finish my Season with a win. When the green flag dropped, I would hold my ground. Another car came over into my line and I didn’t lift as I saw the car directly in front of me and sideways I thought this could be bad. The Micro Punisher Charged on and we dug in for what could have been the end of our day. As we came out past the roll over I knew that I had to charge the field. This wasn’t gonna happen! I wanted to be first. As I passed the final car in the infield I remember me and him looking at one another and both of us wide open and full throttle. I was able to get around that car and another modified car to increase my lead taking the Checkered flag 1st in my class and 5th overall in the Polaris RZR 170 classes! I couldn’t have been happier.
Season Conclusion
I wanted to thank each and every one of you who have supported me during my first season. It has been a great honor representing your companies, brands and products. Magnum Off Road, GMZ Race Products, Elka Suspension, Roll Design, Benchmark Performance, Factory UTV, Sprocket Specialists, PRP Seats, Hostyle, PCI Race Radios, Xtreme Machine and Fab and Stone Built Racing, As I close the chapter on my first season racing I want to share with you how much it has meant to me. I am 9 years old and my next closest siblings are 10 years older than me. When I started this year I was nervous, but I made so many friends and looked forward to getting to the track. While we were often competitive on the track, we were all great friends before and after the Race. I have attended more birthday parties and events with and for my race brothers and sisters than I have with the kids I go to school with. I never imagined that coming into the sport would bring me so close to other families not just the kids but the moms and the dads. If something was broken or not working right on any one of the cars everyone would step in to help fix it. Parts went bad and someone always offered up a spare to make sure that all the kids that showed up to race were racing. I had been on that side a few times. I needed a tranny, someone shipped it overnight. I needed a fuel tank, shipped over night. There were so many Popsicle by day and popcorn by night times that I will carry with me forever. But I think the most important thing I learned and taken in this year is making new friends and having fun. I look forward to what next season brings us. And I look forward to representing you.
– Travis Sallee