Muzzys Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jon Crowley VORRA Round 1
VORRA SxS Racing Series – Rounds 1 & 2 - Folsom, CA - April 14-15, 2012

Muzzy's Monster Energy Kawasaki's Jon Crowley won the opening round of the VORRA SxS Racing Series in his Kawasaki Teryx 750 4x4 Side-by-Side

While the VORRA event organizers originally planned to host the opening rounds over the course of two days, after a week of torrential downpours, the course was so saturated they decided to cancel racing altogether on Saturday to give the track a chance to dry out. With two full rounds to complete Sunday, racers had to prepare mentally and mechanically, for a long day of racing. Each round consisted of three motos, where the winner would be determined by the overall score. After three grueling motos through the mud, Crowley finished 3-1-1 to earn his first win of the series.

“The course was incredibly muddy,” said Crowley. “It was just a thick, clumpy, soupy mess. Instead of racing on a one-mile course for six laps, they had to eliminate half the course and changed the race to 12 laps. Many of the Class 11 and Class 9 vehicles were getting stuck because they were only two-wheel drive and sliding all over the place. With my Teryx I just powered around them like stationary obstacles. I knew from the beginning it was going to be a race of attrition. It was kind of like a desert race where you have to beat the desert before you can beat your competitors.”

Still working the bugs out of his first season racing on four-wheels, Garrett has been trying to find a groove in the WORCS series aboard his Teryx. With a strong motocross background, the course at Speedworld MX Park felt like second nature to Garrett and he quickly found a rhythm. Making ground on competitors in the motocross sections of the course he was able to eventually catch the leader and finish in the runner-up spot. He currently sits fifth in the points standings.

“I’m pretty pumped to get on the podium,” said George. “The dirt on the course was super sticky and by the end of the parade lap we were already caked with mud. My strategy once the race got started was to be cautious and stay out of trouble for the first couple laps. I knew it was going to be a long 45 minutes, so as soon as everyone broke loose and got away from each other I put down a good pace and started reeling in the leader. I had so much fun on the motocross track. My Teryx was hooking up great out there and got me on the podium in second. I can’t wait for the next couple rounds with motocross tracks.”

With almost 60 UTVs out on the tight, WORCS course smashing their throttles and battling for position, successfully advancing through the congested field over the slick course was a tall order. Funco Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Taylor George got a mid-pack start in her Teryx and came around the first lap in 12th place. She was able to consistently gain ground with each lap, slowly advancing through the field to finish seventh in the WORCS SXS Production 1000 class. She currently sits 11th in the points standings.

While many short-course UTVs are very specialized race machines, Crowley feels the versatility of his Teryx was the key to his success in the VORRA at Folsom. After seeing how saturated the track had become by race day, Crowley decided to make some last minute adjustments to better adapt his Teryx to the challenging course. The strategy clearly paid off as he went on to sweep the opening weekend of the VORRA season opener, taking wins in the first two rounds of the series.

“My Teryx is extremely versatile and the Muzzys powerplant is a torque-monster,” said Crowley. “It can go desert racing, rock crawling, short-course, and I can go play in the dunes. It’s not just a race car, it’s a play car. On Sunday, I made some crucial last minute changes like going with a larger, 27.5” tire because of the soupy terrain. I knew it wasn’t a good short-course tire, but I needed to get the Teryx off the ground and needed a tire that flung mud instead of packing it. I also set my ride height a little higher so I wouldn’t be dragging through the mud. The bigger tires and additional clearance made a huge difference. Even with all that mud weighing it down, the Teryx just powered right through it.”

bout Funco Motorsports:
Founded by Gil George over 30 years ago, FUNCO Motorsports is the leading manufacture of high performance sand, off-road cars and custom UTV's . Their unique designs and family oriented service has sold over 400 Big 5 Model cars and their entry into the UTV market has been explosive too. With 4 consecutive championships, FUNCO Motorsports has proven that their experience on the track translates into quality, race-proven products for all UTV enthusiasts www.funcoutv.com

About Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.:
ATVs, Motorcycles, Utility Vehicles, Watercraft and Power Products are just some of the unique consumer products that have made the Kawasaki brand a household name around the world. From the class leading Ninja® sportbikes and thundering Vulcan™ cruisers to the rugged Brute Force™ ATVs, MULE™ utility vehicles and JET SKI® watercraft, Kawasaki products lead the powersports industry around the globe. The secret of Kawasaki's success is in designing and manufacturing products that offer balanced performance, high quality, reliability and excellent fit and finish. So take a look at what Kawasaki has to offer you in the way of Leading Edge products! www.kawasaki.com