Team UXC Racing: Big Buck Race Report

Thursday, March 1, 2018 | 9:50 AM

GNCC Round 1 Big Buck was held in Union, SC this past weekend and Team UXC had a great first showing with a first-place, a second and two thirds to wrap up the first race of the season.

*Trantham finished sixth at round one.* Ken Hill

UTV Races

In UXC1 Pro Turbo, Michael Swift and Kevin Trantham ran the RZR XP Turbos for the first time in GNCC. Unfortunately, the inaugural race didn’t go as planned. Swift and Trantham battled the leaders in the first lap but some unforeseen issues hindered both racers.

Swift took the lead by the third lap but would lose his brakes. For the last four laps, Swift ran brakeless due to a rock causing caliber damage. He managed to pilot the car to a fifth-place finish and will be posed for the podium next race.

After a good start, Trantham fell back due to a few car issues. After sorting them out and charging for second place, an encounter with a couple trees overturned the car. He was able to get turned back over but lost valuable time and finished sixth. Trantham is certain with a few more tweaks, he’ll be a top contender in the class.

In the UXC2 PRO class, Matt Ashton took third in his RZR S 1000. This was Ashton’s first start and his car’s STM clutching helped him pull the holeshot. Ashton praised the RZR’s flawless performance and the car’s CST Stag tires for hooking up well in the South Carolina dirt.

*Swift earned a second place in the Single-Seat UTV race.* Ken Hill

Single-Seat Class

Michael Swift in the new RZR RS1 and Becky Widdicombe in her ACE 900 XC took to the Single-Seat track with hopes of taking it all.

Swift piloted his RZR RS1 to a second-place finish after getting the holeshot and leading most of the first lap. With a short-amount of testing time, Swift went into the race with the vehicle as dialed-in as possible, but some power steering issues dropped him to second. He’s confident with a few changes, he’ll be sitting on top of the box in no time.

Widdicombe was ready for the first race of the season but a starting issue on her ACE 900 XC left her behind the pack at the start. With the other cars around the second turn before her ACE fired, she laid on the gas to make up time. Unfortunately, by the time she caught up, she had very limited places to pass. With some precision racing and creativity, she picked a good line through the woods and her last lap was the fastest lap of the day. Widdicombe will regroup and hopes to hit the podium next race.

*Michael Swift found himself on the podium once again after finishing third in the 4x4 Pro class.* Ken Hill

ATV Races

Team UXC also took to the ATV course in their Scrambler XP 1000s with Swift competing in 4x4 PRO and Trantham in 4x4 Senior.

Swift had a starting issue at the line giving the class a two-turn head start. Some precision driving, along with a well-handling bike, had him catch up with the class and start picking off places. In a thrilling display of determination, Swift went from dead last and finished the race in third beating 10 other racers!

Trantham had a great race in the 4x4 Senior class and took the win!

Youth ATV

In 125 Sr., Team UXC’s Tayton Swift had a good day moving into fourth off the start and making a charge towards first by the end. Some trouble in the woods dropped him to fifth where he finished the day.

Next Round:
Wild Boar, Palatka, FL. March 10th 2018

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