Greaves survives wicked crash at Pomona
Aug 22, 2008
It was a perfect weekend in Pomona, CA on August 16 and 17 when the ninth and 10th rounds of the Championship Off-Road Racing series were set to begin. Forest County Potawatomi drivers Johnny Greaves, Jeff Kincaid and Evan Evans looked to take a checkered flag in each of their respected classes.
In the first Pro race of the day it was time for Evans and Greaves to take on a field of 31 Pro 2 drivers for 18 laps. Greaves worked his way through the field and finished in seventh on the day after a sixth place finish in round seven. Evans had to pull off early and finished 19th.
Next it was Kincaid’s turn to take on the entire field of 28 Pro Light trucks. Kincaid started in the back due to switching trucks. In practice a bolt seized the engine and Kincaid and his crew were forced to prepare the back up truck for the race. At the half way point Kincaid still sat in 20th place. In the second half he was able to work his way through a field all the way to seventh place, despite having almost 20 horsepower less.
In the final Pro race of the day Greaves took on a strong field of Pro 4 drivers, in which he stood in fourth place for standings on the year. After just a few laps Greaves had worked his way up from sixth to third and was behind Carl Renezeder and Rob MacCachren. After patiently waiting Greaves made his move and took over as the leader just one lap before the half-way point. After a mandatory caution Greaves spun out in turn one and was pushed back to fifth place.
Just two laps later in the same corner, Greaves took a hard turn and ended up rolling and flipping his truck seven times (see video below). Greaves was taken to the hospital and released later that night with bruised ribs, a black eye and overall soreness in his entire body.
Round 10 would be a little different for the entire team. With Greaves looking to hold onto his points standings in both Pro 2 and Pro 4 he recruited Dan Vanden Hueval to drive in place of him. However, due to CORR rules Greaves first had to take the green flag, then pit and switch drivers in order to earn points under his name.
Vanden Hueval finished 20th out of 31 even after losing two laps due to the time it took to switch drivers in the hot pits. Evans finished 21st after he pulled off due to engine trouble.
Next was the Pro 4 class, and again Vanden Hueval held on to the fourth place points standings for Greaves after they switched drivers. Vanden Hueval finished 10th out of 15 drivers in the Pro 4 class.
In the Pro Light class Kincaid had a perfect starting spot in the third position. Using his back up truck Kincaid had a hard time holding on to his position. A few laps in he was forced to pit with a flat tire and later determined that a battery clamp had fell off, which was the reason his engine was missing and he was getting passed.
Overall, it was a below average and unfortunate weekend for the Forest County Potawatomi off-road team. That should come to an end Labor Day weekend when Greaves, Kincaid and Evans meet up with Ben Wandahsega and Matt Gerald in Crandon, WI for the final rounds of the World Series of Off-Road Racing.
The festivities start Friday morning with a parade in Crandon. All five racers come into the weekend with an opportunity to take the points championship. Jeff Kincaid currently sits in first place in the Pro Light. Matt Gerald is in a close second place in the Light Buggy. Ben Wandahsega is also in a close second place while Greaves and Evans stand a few back in the Pro 2 class.
Look for all your favorite FCP Racing team members in Crandon and make sure to check back to www.PotawatomiRacing.com often for updates.
