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Teryx Girls Back for King of the Hammer

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Teryx Girls
PHOTO: KATHY DURRETT

The all-female OffRoad team “Teryx Girls” – Driver Sara Price & Co-Driver Erica Sacks – have spent the past 12 months anxious to return to Hammertown and better their result at the King of the Hammers.   The toughest one day off-road race on the planet, The Teryx Girls are the only all-female team contesting the 2017 King of the Hammers event.

Last year, the duo impressed thousands of spectators in Johnson Valley, California as they sped through open desert and found unique lines through some of the technical rock crawling sections of the 2016 King of the Hammers course. Starting the 2016 event in the 20th position, the Teryx Girls came out of the desert section in 12th place going into the rocks, and made quick work of picking off enough cars to run in a 5th place spot before breaking out of the race.

“From the moment we realized we weren’t going to finish last year, we’ve been thinking about how this year we were going to get the job done,” said Price. “We could hear everyone cheering for the Teryx Girls last year and I expect we will see even more fans out in Johnson Valley this week. This race is as tough as they come and I know Teryx is up for the challenge.”

Teryx Girls Sara Price and Erica Sacks with their new UTVSara qualified the only 800cc to compete in the UTV Class Saturday the 4th for a impressive 20th start position against 46competitors that day and 70 Total entrants in class thus far.  The Teryx Girls Kawasaki Teryx was build specifically for the King Of the Hammers by IMG Motorsports, but a large percentage of stock parts were retained on the race side-by-side due to the proven strength and performance of the Kawasaki Teryx. 

Fans can watch the Teryx Girls race live on Wednesday, February 7 at www.ultra4racing.com/live or follow along on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeryxGirls > Hashtag #TeryxGirls on social media sites.

 

Mechanical issues sideline Katie Vernola

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Mechanical issues sideline Katie VernolaMechanical issues sideline Katie Vernola in round 9 of the WORCS series UTV race at Glen Helen Raceway in Devore, CA.   The UTV offroad racer suffered bad luck and mechanical issues that kept her from the podium finish she was working towards.

She began the first race looking good, but her luck quickly turned for the worse when she suffered some mechanical issues that took her out of the race.

I got a good start, but was hit going into turn one still managing to hold second going into the second turn of the course. After we came around the turn all the sudden I started hearing what sounded like a bucket of bolts rattling and had no power, so I called my pit and let them know,” explained Vernola.

A quick response from her pit crew enabled Vernola to rebound for race number two.

 Luckily Pete and his crew were able to work on the car between races.”

Vernola regrouped and returned for the pro race, putting in her best efforts.   An on course incident where fellow competitor Jared Blitz hit Vernola from behind multiple times throughout the race, ended up causing damage to her exhaust and rear bumper.   Despite the damage and stress, Vernola was able to finish the race in the No. 12 position out of 17 in the Pro STX Class.

I fought through the challenging course with no front wheel drive and no exhaust,” stated Vernola.

Though she did not have the finish she was looking for, Vernola stays full of positivity and thankful for any opportunity to get out on the track.

I am trying to get more seat time. I am not doing well in the points this year but the more seat time the better.”

Her next race will be at the Camp Lejeune Support our Troops Terracross in Jacksonville, NC October 1-2.  Vernola will continue her training, improving her program, and looking for redemption leading into the event.

Successful Stadium SUPER Truck debut for Sara Price

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Successful Super Truck debut for Sara PriceA successful Stadium SUPER Truck debut for Sara Price at the Honda Indy Toronto event on July 15-17.   The 23-year-old Price was the first female to start in the SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks Presented by TRAXXAS competition.  The Canyon Lake, California resident made her debut behind the wheel of the 650 hp rated BitTorrent No. 78 after just a single practice session in Charlotte, NC in June.

Sara Price, a Champion motocross and UTV racer, would make three appearances on the 1.755 mi (2.824 km) temporary street circuit throughout the race weekend.   Her performance included feats hitting speeds upwards of 140 mph, and launching her BitTorrent No. 78 truck over 20 feet in the air off of the four course aluminum constructed ramps.

Successful Stadium SUPER Truck debut for Sara Price | Friday Practice

Sara Price first woman in SSTPrice would take to the track for the first time on Friday afternoon for a 20 minute Practice/Qualifying session. She was careful and cautious, patiently feeling out the No. 78 truck, and avoiding damage.  Price would constantly lay down lap after lap, learning the braking zone of each corner and what marks she needed to hit in Saturday’s first race. Feeling comfortable with her driving, Price was already posting competitive times to run toward the front of the pack.

“Practice I had 1 goal to just go out there and get as comfortable as I can with the truck and track and stay calm and collected, keeping the truck in 1 piece and have a good foundation to build speed off of, I did just that!” said Price.

Successful Stadium SUPER Truck debut for Sara Price | Saturday

Successful Stadium SUPER Truck debut for Sara PriceA historic and successful Stadium SUPER Truck debut for Sara Price would begin Saturday with a start in the 4th position.   The qualification spot is based off a complete inversion from Friday Practice/Qualifying times.  In the first lap, Sara experienced mechanical failure, with the truck dying on her.  Having to restart it, Price would get passed by multiple competitors.   But Sara would keep calm, and resume her own race, learning each time around the tricky circuit.  The young California motocross standout would adapt quickly and keep her truck 100% without a scratch to the equally prepared 650 hp high flying trucks.  She would finish her successful SUPER truck debut in a very respectable eighth position for her first SST race.

“I lost a lot of positions early on due to my truck turning off but I recovered quickly and stayed out of the carnage, gaining a lot of confidence in the truck, staying smooth and collected. Couldn’t of asked for a cleaner first race and now I know what to expect,” Price said.

Successful Stadium SUPER Truck debut for Sara Price | Sunday

Sara Price SST debutUsing the knowledge learned in Saturday’s first race, Price would make her second SST start on Sunday. Turning heads early, and capitalizing on a mistake by former CART/Champ Car Champion and Toronto native Paul Tracy, she would move from the fourth starting position to the lead on Lap-1.   Able to hit all her marks, and catapult her truck off the 36 in. high ramps Price, would lead her first three-laps of competition in an impressive way.

A double team by SST standout Robby Gordon of Orange, Calif., and 2015 SST Champion Sheldon Creed of Alpine, Calif., would overtake the newcomer Price.  The veteran pair would work their way thru traffic to apply heavy pressure to Price for the lead. A pass on the inside, and the tandem overtook the first two positions.

Sara would hold her ground, running with the lead pack until Lap-8.   Her brakes would being fading considerably on her SST, forcing her to miss multiple braking zones.  She would ultimately finish in a very respectable ninth place as a result.

Stadium Super Truck jump by Sara PriceOverall, a very successful Stadium SUPER Truck debut for Sara Price, who not only made history as the first woman to compete in the series, but also earned the respect of all her male counterparts by keeping the truck clean and running a good race.

“It was really cool to see Sara running up the front off the pack on Sunday. The way she approached the weekend was a credit to her and sponsors. As they say to finish first, first you must finish! Look out boys there is a new girl in town.” – Paul Morris, Fellow Stadium Super Truck competitor and podium regular, Australian Motorsport Legend.

Price is hungry to return back to the track to look lead more laps and capture her first SST podium finish.

“On the line of the second race I knew what I needed to do and where I could push it, and start being more aggressive, I wanted to show I belong up front and I did just that, leading those 3 lap was a feeling I can’t even describe – the adrenaline was intense, the crowd was going crazy, but I stayed calm and collected and proved I belong up front with the best,” said Price.

Sara’s break through and record setting weekend was supported and fully documented by BitTorrent Inc., a media company dedicated to empowering radical voices in sports, music, film, and more. Their global consumer media platform gives athletes and brands outside the mainstream exposure to over 200 million fans.

Sara Price – First Female in Stadium SUPER Trucks

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Sara Price - First Female in Stadium SUPER Trucks
Sara Price – First Female in Stadium SUPER Trucks

Twenty-three year-old Sara Price, a successful multi-championship Professional Motocross and UTV racer from Southern California will be the first female to compete in the SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks Presented by TRAXXAS Series.    Price’s debut is thanks to the support of BitTorrent Inc., who helped with the buildup to this event.

Sara Price – First Female in Stadium SUPER Trucks

Sara Price - First Female in Stadium SUPER TrucksMaking her debut during the upcoming Honda Indy Toronto event, July 15-17 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Price will become the first female to compete in the series.  With speeds hitting upwards of 140 mph, and launching over 20 feet in the air, the identically prepared 650 hp Stadium SUPER Trucks offer Price a unique opportunity to prove herself in a discipline dominated by men.    Determined not only to be the first woman to start, Price is set on contending for a spot on the podium.

“I’m extremely excited to be transitioning into the SST Series. When Robby Gordon called me 2 years ago saying I need to get into one of his Stadium SUPER Trucks, I just put my head down and started getting to work. SST is where I want to be, and I’m very pumped to be competing in the same exact truck as the other competitors, it’s truly a dream come true.”

Sara Price - First Female in Stadium SUPER Trucks Robby Gordon; Series President; Former NASCAR and IndyCar Winner and Off-Road Champion commented on Sara’s involvement in the Stadium SUPER Trucks program:

 “Sure there has been other women whom have competed in motorsports history, but it is not too often you are able find the complete package. Sara has the talent, beauty, and sense of drive, to continue writing Stadium SUPER Trucks history well into the future, including becoming the first female SST winner and push to become a Champion.”

Sara Price - First Female in Stadium SUPER TrucksGordon created the SST series in response to the public’s overwhelming interest in trucks and off-road racing, influenced by the former Mickey Thompson Stadium Off-Road Racing Series. His plan to re-launch the SST has led to exciting racing on both asphalt and dirt, while producing one of the most extreme forms of action sports today.

Setting it apart from other series, all SST trucks are identically prepared and delivered to drivers in race-ready condition. Race winners are decided by driver skill rather than individual team engineering and budgets. Drivers and their personal mechanics are assigned specific SST mechanics who together tune and make minor adjustments to the 650-horsepower trucks.

Sara Price - First Female in Stadium SUPER Trucks

Powered by BitTorrent

Sara Price – First Female in Stadium SUPER Trucks is a vision made possible by the support of BitTorrent Inc., a media company dedicated to empowering radical voices in sports, music, film, and more. Their global consumer media platform gives athletes such as Sara Price and brands outside the mainstream exposure to over 200 million fans.

“BitTorrent is incredibly excited to be supporting Sara,” says Jeremy Johnson, co-CEO of BitTorrent. “We’re dedicated to supporting the individuals in action sports who break the traditional mold and bringing their stories to the world.”

Price has continuously been breaking down barriers in motorsports. She won over 17 national championships in motocross and medaled in the X-Games before making the switch to four wheels, winning several Off-Road and Time Attack racing championships.

Video Teaser | Sara Price’s First day testing a Stadium SUPER Truck

Learn more about Sara Price at www.sarapricemx.com and follow her on Instagram, Facebook@sarapricemx and twitter @sarapricemxcom

Teryx Girls ready for ‘The Hammer’

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Teryx Girls Sara Price and Erica Sacks with their new UTVUTV off-road racers Sara Price and Erica Sacks are ready to take on their next big challenge to showcase their off-road endurance skills in their factory-sponsored Kawasaki Teryx.  The pair have taken on some of the most extreme off-road sporting events, with Sara coming from a professional career in motocross racing, and Sacks from an accomplished gymnastics career and off-road racing and navigation experience to her credit.    Together, they have formed one of the most well-known UTV off-road teams, nicknamed the “Teryx Girls”.

Rallye Aïche des Gazelles 2015

Teryx Girls at 2015 Rallye Aiche des Gazelle
Photo: http://www.utvunderground.com/

Last March, the Teryx Girls became the first U.S. team to compete in the side-by-side class of the world’s toughest all-female off-road event, The Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles.     The event is a 9 day navigation challenge, where competitors are limited to manual compasses and hand-drawn maps to cross the Sahara desert.    After a rough start in which the two tenacious girls slept alone in the middle of the Sahara, they were able to recover and finish 7th in the class.    They also were the best finishers in the rookie category, finishing before all other first-time participants.

Heading to ‘Hammertown USA’

2016-King-of-The-HammersWith the experience they gained over the variety of African terrains in their cross across the Sahara, the Teryx Girls have decided to set a new goal in 2016 of tackling the King of the Hammers event.    Held in Johnson Valley, Calif., the one day off-road race course is a rough and rugged 120-mile stretch considered by many as one of the most extreme off-road races in the world.    The Mean’s Dry Lake bed location is referred to as “Hammer Town U.S.A.” and the week-long events surrounding the race are a major pilgrimage for the off-road racing community.    Terrain challenges for the Teryx Girls will include the sandy dry lake beds, rough open desert landscapes and very difficult rock canyons that will challenge their technical rock climbing experiences with obstacles significantly larger than their Kawasaki UTV.

New Teryx Girls 2016 Kawasaki UTV

For 2016, Kawasaki and a host of other sponsors have come on board to equip the Teryx Girls with a brand new race-outfitted 2016 Kawasaki Teryx UTV, one of the only factory-sponsored UTV race teams in the world.    Taking valuable lessons learned at the Gazelle rally, the Teryx Girls were ready for the huge undertaking of outfitting a new race-ready UTV.

Both Sara and Erica are very hands-on in the preparation and build process.   They brought on IMG Motorsports from Lake Elsinore, Calif. to help with fabrications and set-up; crafting the roll-cage, front bumpers, and the customized fabrication needed for mounts and other modifications.

For the cage we decided to go with a bolt-on build that offered plenty of room for the girls to access anything they might need. We wanted the Teryx to have a menacing look with extra bracing to protect them in case of a roll-over.In a sea of RZRs, its cool to see a Teryx out there competing.” stated James Hill, co-owner of IMG Motorsports.

Next up, they outfitted the UTV with a 4500 lb. Super ATV winch and skid plate system to assist in the rock crawling portion of the course.  For wheel and tire selection, the Teryx Girls chose a 14″ Raceline Mamba beadlock wheel and 30″ Arisun tire combo, with Coyote ENT inner wheel/tire liners to provide maximum traction and reliability.  Long travel suspension from HCR Racing was installed for added height, stability and maneuverability on the technical parts of the course.  Custom axles were made by Summers Brothers to match the new wider rear differential design of the 2016 Teryx model.

Full navigation is on-board courtesy of Lowrance GPS, and the girls will communicate via Bluetooth intercom provided by PCI Race Radios.   The Teryx also received some performance upgrades via an ECU flash by Benchmark Performance to remove speed governors, allowing the girls to push the limits of their UTV.   The girls will sit snug and safe in PRP GT/S.E. suspension seats, 5.3 harnesses, and even added a pair of hand restraints.

Training for King of the Hammers

2016 King of the HammersThe Teryx Girls have been hard at work training for the event and getting acclimated with their new UTV.   Preliminary tests left the Teryx Girls confident and pleased with how the Kawasaki performed in the ruthless canyon rock terrain.   Neither of the Teryx Girls had much previous experience in rock crawling, so the experience was new and educational for them both.

I usually try to avoid rocks, but in this case you aim for the rocks for better clearance,” said Sara.

For navigator Erica Sacks, the event will provide even more of a physical challenge, as she will be climbing in-and-out of the UTV to set up for obstacles in addition to her navigating duties.   Running ahead of the UTV, moving heavy rocks, and climbing around to set the winch will all be extremely demanding tasks physically and mentally, and Erica wants to be sure she’s ready for the challenge.

The last thing I want to do is puke in my helmet or slow the team down because I wasn’t prepared,” said Erica.

Their training to date has introduced them to various portions of the Hammer trails:   Chocolate Thunder, Wrecking Ball, Sludge Hammer, and Claw Hammer.   The Teryx Girls are ready for the challenge, and can’t wait to hit the King of the Hammers course!

King of the Hammers Event Info

10th Annual King of the Hammers
January 29 – February 6, 2016
Hammertown (Boone Rd)
Johnson Valley, CA 92285

King of the Hammers Race begins Friday February 5th, 2016 at 8:00AM and concludes at 10:00PM.  For more details, please see the Full Week Hammertown Official Schedule

Tickets: $20 per person for the week/cash only.   Tickets can be purchased at all hours from the front gate starting noon, Jan 29 thru Feb. 6.   First-time attendees should consult Spectactor Rules and other important information.

Leave your comments below to support the Teryx Girls at the King of the Hammers!