For the third year in a row, the sound of 900 horsepower off-road trucks echoed through the mountains of Maine as Red Bull Frozen Rush returned to Sunday River Resort. The world’s only off-road Pro-4 truck race on snow brought nine of the world’s best drivers to the Northeast to test their mettle and go head-to-head on a track built into the ski hill. The 10,000 spectators in attendance witnessed Bryce Menzies once again defeat his former teammate Ricky Johnson and claim the top spot on the podium. The competition is part of the Red Bull Signature Series, the most progressive collection of action sports events in the world. Presented in partnership with Polaris RZR, Pennzoil Synthetics, BF Goodrich and Sunday River, a full-length broadcast of Red Bull Frozen Rush airs Sunday, January 30 at 1:30 pm ET on NBC.
In 2015, the drivers faced unbelievably cold conditions, with the thermostat dipping well below freezing and into negative degree temperatures. This year was a different story, as the 30-degree temperature range and a unseasonably mild November and December brought very little snow to the area and complicated the construction of the track. But last minute snowfall coupled with the exhaustive snow blowing efforts of Sunday River allowed the event to continue as scheduled.
The warm-weather conditions and shallow snow base created an extremely variable and technical course with little traction. While off-road trucks are renown for their ability to find traction in places other vehicles can’t – dirt, rocks, sand and mud – snow is completely different entity. To combat this issue, each race truck was specially modified with specially designed Mud-Terrain tires from BFGoodrich’s Research and Development team. These one-of-a kind tires feature almost 700 metal studs on each tire, providing maximum grip and control.
The Red Bull Frozen Rush format featured head-to-head, bracketed, single elimination racing with two drivers on the course at a time. The United States Auto Club, one of auto racing’s leading governing bodies and an international motorsports authority, sanctioned the race and oversaw safety and competition.
Defending champion Bryce Menzies and 2014 champion Ricky Johnson fought their way through the field to set up a repeat of the 2015 finals. Off the line, the two trucks were neck-in-neck, with Menzies eventually taking a slight lead. A scary moment occurred mid-race when Johnson was blinded by snow spray and almost crashed his truck end over end. Johnson was able to counteract the impending wreck and keep his truck on the course, but by that time Menzies had pulled far ahead, securing the win.
“It’s a lot of pressure being the reigning champion,” said Bryce Menzies. “Everyone kept asking if I was going to win again. It wasn’t easy last year, and I knew it wouldn’t be easy this year. I’m just glad I was able to pull it off …”
Results:
1. Bryce Menzies
2. Ricky Johnson
3. Rob MacCachren
4. Carl Renezeder
5. Johnny Greaves
6. CJ Greaves
7. Chad Hord
8. Scott Douglas
9. RJ Anderson
For more information: www.redbullsignatureseries.com or www.redbull.com/frozenrush.
Courtesy Speedville.
