Moreno Valley, CA (2/22/2017)
- BDR Motorsports’ Larry Heidler finished
third on Saturday in the WORCS SXS Pro Class
at Honolulu Hills Raceway in Taft, California.
The event started off a bit rocky when a red
flag came out and a restart was ordered after
reports were heard of racers having issues
with the course markings. Heidler, along with
his naturally aspirated BDR Motorsports car,
clearly was not affected by this restart.
|
BDR
Motorsports’ Larry Heidler took home
third on Saturday in the WORCS SXS Pro
Class at Honolulu Hills |
“The first start we actually had an issue,
so they started us twice. But on the first
start, I ended up fourth behind Beau Barron,
and kind of ran there. Then we came around
about the second lap, and they shut it down.
There was a red flag due to issues on course
markings so they restarted us,” Heidler explains.
“On the restart, I got fourth again, but I
was behind Cody Bradbury this time. About
half-way through that first lap, I saw Cody
was having some issues, so I got around him
and started pushing and driving as hard as
I could. I knew I was third at that point,
so I was trying to keep up on time because
of the road behind me.”
Saturday’s weather was a bit unpredictable.
The morning had started out warm and sunny,
but then became overcast most of the afternoon
with spotty rain and mild temperatures. Luckily
the weather was not a factor during this race.
|
Larry
Heidler decided to go with a bigger
29" Dirt Commander GBC tires that
could really dig in since the mud was
thick from Friday's rain |
“I don’t think there was one of my competitors
out there that wasn’t checking their phone
on a minute to minute basis this whole entire
week trying to predict what kind of weather
we were going to have. How’s it going to be?
Rain? Shine? I was really thankful for all
the prep work BDR Motorsports did to my car
in preparation for this race, which really
paid off,” expresses Heidler. “GBC got me
a different set of tires this weekend we were
going to try to run, but they were more of
a mud tire. Woke up today to sunshine, and
the track had dried out really well. I can’t
thank the WORCS crew enough. They busted their
butt trying to get us a good course out there;
track was fun, what else could we ask for?
We were expecting a mud bath, but my car’s
really not that bad, you’ll see it.”
Heidler’s GBC tires played a huge part in
his performance today. Because the mud on
the track was so thick, he had decided to
go with a bigger tire that could really grab
the ground.
“Generally, I usually run a 28 Mongrel. But
for this round, because of all the muddy conditions
and everything, I went to a 29-inch dirt commander.
Boy I tell you what, they hooked up off the
start!” exclaims Heidler. “I was right there
with those turbo cars and I’m on a naturally
aspirated car. I kept up with them through
the mud section and everything. It pulled
hard.”
Heidler’s FOX shocks maximized his performance
today as he hurdled Honolulu Hills Raceway’s
famous “step-up” jump.
|
Despite
the course getting rougher, Larry Heidler
kept at it in his Polaris RZR XP 1000
for Round 3 to score his first WORCS
Pro SXS Podium finish |
“I couldn’t ask for anything better. As the
race went, the course started getting rougher
and rougher, and I just kept going. I mean,
I like to see my lap time and I’m pretty sure
I did well, but it wasn’t bad at all. It pulled
hard. Going through the rough section it handled
really well. And that big monster jump? Man,
my car took that thing on every single lap.
I’ve hit it several times in the past with
my old car and it was pretty much the same
thing. I wasn’t too concerned. I saw the guys
up front of me do it, so I chased them over
it,” says Heidler.
Heidler also owes a lot of his handling to
his Hess Motorsports steering quickener system.
“Those things, they save your life more than
once,” Heidler testifies. “They keep my hands
on the steering wheel without having to go
over-over and they work great. I love them.”
Leaving this event completely content, and
with quite a bit of confidence, Heidler turns
his focus towards his next one.
“I was fourth at the last round coming into
this weekend and getting third this time,
man, that’s the highlight of my racing career
so far,” says Heidler. “I’m looking forward
to Havasau and we’re going be pushing to get
to there.”
Heidler will return to WORCS competition
as the series heads to Lake Havasau City,
AZ on March 17-19, for the next SXS race.
Larry Heidler
2017 Sponsors:
BDR Motorsports, GBC Motorsports, Super ATV,
AVI Wraps Raceline Wheels, FOX Shocks, Maxima
Oils, Hess Motorsports, Beard Seats, Tire
blocks, Factory UTV, R3 Fabrication, Malcolm
Smith, Troy Lee Designs, Skat Trak
