2011 ECORS Round 3
- Updated: July 12, 2014
Wide Open Design/DragonFire Racing’s Brit Mansell takes the win at Round 3 of the ECORS series in the DragonFire Racing UTV class in Spartanburg, SC.
For round 3, the East Coast Off Road Racing Series migrated North from the last race in Auburn, AL to arrive at the center of Spartanburg, SC. The race course was constructed at what is currently the county fairgrounds, but has historically been one of the more famous dirt short track courses in the area. In recent years, the course has been transformed from a dirt circle track to a competition rock crawling venue. Competitors in the full-size vehicle classes raced over the rocks and weaved in and out of the obstacles. Fortunately, the UTV course avoided most of these spectator highlights and focused more on the weaving corners and high speed straight-line areas. Although very short, compared to previous ECORS courses, the Spartanburg venue proved to be a true test of driving skill due to how slick the turns became after hundreds of laps. After the event, most of the competitors had very good things to say about the course and the event proving another very successful race in the ECORS series.
During the evening preceding the main event, the track was fortunate enough to be the recipient of a substantial rain shower, greatly reducing the concern of dust from the heat races. The first class on the wet course was the UTV class. Brit Mansell took the win in Heat 1, and Bill Deaton grabbed the fastest qualifying time in Heat 2. The top three qualifying spots (based on complete race time) all came from heat two as the track matured into proper race form.
As the UTV main approached, dust was still a major concern and to address this issue, the local UNA fire department sent out a truck to help water the track. By the time for the UTV race, the track was in prime shape. The UTV main was slated for 24 laps. Brit Mansell, starting in the fourth position, took home the win and the fastest lap (00:01:20). BigKev, Kevin Walker, took second place with new co-driver, Miss Wyatt providing motivation. While wearing a hard cast on his left foot, Weldon Nutt, rounded out the top three on his RZR-XP featuring the trick, new HCR long travel kit.
The ECORS series and the UTV crowd have both developed into a super-friendly atmosphere with competitors welcoming new racers and often donating parts and time to help fellow racers get back on the track. It’s this atmosphere that truly fosters growth and camaraderie.
It is important to note that the entire field of twelve racers, raced on the Polaris brand. The Polaris products worked well and enabled a large group of guys (and girls) to have a successful, safe event.
Round 3 brought in a whole new crop of UTV class sponsors. Blue Torch Fab kicked in a huge cash prize for the top three positions. Wyatt Racing and Vose Racing also provided large cash awards. DragonFire Racing continued to provide great contingency to the top three.
The next ECORS race will be in Silver Valley, NC at Devil’s Playground. This venue was the site of our UTV exhibition run last year. It’s a great place for a race and we’re greatly looking forward to another great UTV race.
Click here for our article on last year’s Silver Valley ECORS UTV race
Event Sponsors:
DragonFire Racing – http://www.dragonfireracing.com
Blue Torch Fab – http://www.bluetorchfab.com
Wyatt Racing Products – http://www.southeastsxsstore.com/
Vose Racing
To learn more about the ECORS series, please visit ECORS.com.
