DISNEY, Okla. — Entering Disney Island in Oklahoma, it takes approximately two minutes to drive to the start/finish line of the Legends of the Fall Ultra4 USA race course.
However, for the seven classes that will be competing in the series finale on Saturday, it will take them 17 minutes to complete a lap at the five-mile track — even at a race pace that can reach 95 mph on occasion.
Ultra4 Race Director J.T. Taylor has been working with the natural terrain in Oklahoma to map out the championship track.
“The first time I saw this place was two years ago. I’m jumping out of the backseat and running around and looking at obstacles like, ‘Are you kidding me, we can race here?’” Taylor said.
Although Taylor has built more than a hundred courses for the series since 2015, he considers the track in Oklahoma to be “one of the coolest courses I’ve ever built.” The facility manages to incorporate all the key elements of off-road racing — rocks, dirt, water — while still allowing for prime competition.
“It’s rocks, it’s water, but it’s not mud. There’s no other place in the United States to race like this,” Taylor explained.
As a past Ultra4 racer himself, he admits that mud isn’t a course component he’s fond of. It’s harder on the vehicles, causes visibility issues and often results in more frequent breakdowns. But luckily, it only takes about one rotation of the tires for the rubber to dry in Disney.
This is the first time competitors from the Ultra4 USA series and the National Rock Racing Association have visited the Disney facility, as the location has only recently been developed as an off-road park. Owners Jason and Gayla Robinett purchased the land in Disney, as well as the Ultra4 Series within the last year.
With Taylor’s help, they’ve been preparing to open the expansive park for official series racing.
A Popular Course
This weekend, it’s quickly managed to become a favorite among even the most seasoned drivers.
“This is the first time we’ve ever raced this course. It’s super gnarly,” commented Loren Healy, multi-time Ultra4 champion. “I think my favorite parts out there are probably coming up or down Viagra, or through some of those canyons. It’s really technical and super cool.”
Healy handles a Ford Bronco in the 4400 Unlimited class and is the winningest driver in the history of the Ultra4 series. Healy entered Legends of the Fall with 4462 national points, 17th in the championship standings.
As for the NRRA rock bouncers, they’ve arrived in Disney to conquer two rock obstacles – Viagra and Nasty Girl. Since it’s the inaugural year of the Legends of the Fall event, it’s also the first time NRRA has visited the facility.
Daniel Pearman, crew chief for rock bouncer Justin Wills, is currently in his second full season on the NRRA circuit. The pair has been to the MidAmerica Outdoors Park in Jay, Okla., for the Visions Off-Road event that runs mid-summer, but they’ve found that the landscape is significantly different 13 miles north in Disney.
“It looks cool, it looks fun,” Pearman said about the obstacles. “This is all rock, so it’s definitely a lot tougher on the equipment.”
Coming into Legends, Wills was fifth in points – the same position he finished in last year, after receiving the rookie-of-the-year award.
“We were hoping for like third or so, but we’ll take top five. We run with a good group of guys,” Pearman said.
After Thursday night’s opening event at Viagra, the team has one last shot to move up the ranks. Along with Wills’ fate, the NRRA championship will be decided on Saturday night, with the battle at Nasty Girl beginning at 5 p.m. (ET). Both the Ultra4 USA and NRRA finales will be broadcast live on SPEEDSPORT.tv through the weekend.
SPEEDSPORT.tv will also broadcast pre- and post-race shows at noon (ET) and 6 p.m. (ET). Click here to watch.