Chandler, AZ (4/20/2018)
- Weller Racing’s Corry Weller, Jason Weller,
Brock Heger, and Paul O’Brien all recorded
excellent results during the UTV racing season
opener for the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series.
The event was held at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports
Park in Chandler, AZ.
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Weller
Racing's Paul O'Brien scored two podiums
in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
opener with a 2nd Place in UTV Production
along with a 3rd Place in UTV Turbo |
O’Brien finished second in Production UTV
and third in Turbo Production UTV. Heger,
the defending champion, was third in Production,
Jason Weller finished sixth in Production
UTV while his wife, Corry, was fifth in Turbo.
The team is running Yamaha YXZ 1000s in Production,
and Can-Am Maverick X3 Turbos in the Turbo
class.
O’Brien ran both classes and had the distinction
of earning podiums for two different manufacturers.
The unique arrangement was made because Yamaha
doesn’t product a production turbo UTV.
“There were a lot of chances out there to
pass, so I stayed cautious and just worked
my way to the front,” said O’Brien. “You have
to be smart out there or you can get into
trouble really quickly. Weller Racing is my
whole backing. They really put in the time
in my car. Both manufacturers make a top-level
car and I’m very appreciative of that.”
Heger started 10th in the Production race,
and made his way through the field to finish
third. The podium puts him good position early
in the season to chase his second consecutive
title.
“It feels good to get a podium right out
of the gate; we’re off to a good start and
we just have to fine tune it a little bit,”
said Heger. “We’re coming. It’s going to be
a good year.”
Corry and Jason Weller are running Turbo
Production and Production, respectively. Each
of them acts as a spotter for the other while
they’re running in their respective classes
and they rely on each other for setup advice.
In Turbo, Corry Weller cut down a tire due
to contact on the second lap, but due to the
durability of both the Maxxis tire and Speedline
wheel, she finished fifth.
“The Can-Am did so awesome that I was still
pulling people with three tires,” said Corry
Weller. “What amazed me were the sidewalls
on these Maxxis Ceros tires. That tire is
flat as a pancake and it never even shredded
the sidewall. I ran 10 laps on that so kudos
for that tire holding up. The Raceline wheel
also held up to a lot of abuse today. I’ve
run them for years and I’ve never had a problem.”
In Production, Jason Weller finished sixth.
The result was especially important to Weller
because it broke a string of rotten luck in
the regional races leading up the event.
“I’ve had a lot of bad luck in the regionals
before this race so I came in here with a
little trepidation,” said Jason Weller. “I
bought a brand-new car and it made it through
with no problems. I finally got that monkey
off of my back.”
The Weller Racing team will be back in action
as the Lucas Oil Series heads next to the
Estero Beach Resort in Ensenada, Mexico. That
race is scheduled for May 19-20.
“We never had a problem and the car held up
really well,” said Weller. “The guys in the
shop did a great job prepping the car for
us. It’s awesome when you can have a race
like this.”
While many other competitors had wheel and
tire problems, Weller’s Maxxis Tires on Raceline
Wheels were perfect all day. Weller remarked
on having not flats during the race, saying
it was a key part of her successful run.
“The Maxxis Liberty tires have been rock
stars for us a couple of years now,” said
Weller. “I love having them on there and we
don’t even need that spare. You can’t get
anywhere without good wheels and tires and
Maxxis and Raceline is the best package out
there.”
Weller Racing’s Corry and Jason Weller are
now switching gears this coming weekend for
the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series opening
round on Saturday, April 14th, at Wild Horse
Pass, and she will return to Best in the Desert
Series later this season, likely at the Vegas
to Reno event being held August 15-18th.
2018 Weller Racing
Sponsors:
Yamaha Motor USA, Can-Am, Dragonfire Racing,
Full Throttle Battery, Demon Powersports,
Maxxis Tires, Axia Alloys, PAC Racing Springs,
Raceline Wheels, Factory UTV, SPARCO USA,
Lucas Oil Racing TV, Lucas Oil Racing Products,
AIM Sports, Tubeworks, Action Sports Canopies,
Lazer Star Lights, AZ Drive Shaft, XTC, Powersports,
Weller Racing, LLC