Off Road

The signature features of this short-course, off-road racing circuit with some big elevation changes only add to the excitement of one of the fastest tracks in short-course racing. Throw in some of the most fevered and knowledgeable fans and it’s a recipe for plenty of thrills and a great atmosphere. Bark River will once again play host to the Traxxas TORC Series on July 10-11, Rounds 2 and 3 for the Pro racers.

The track on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula was not kind to 2009 Traxxas TORC Pro 4x4 champion and Toyota Tundra driver Rick Huseman. He didn’t win in four races there last year, and even watched fellow Toyota driver Johnny Greaves take a double victory in the series’ first visit to the facility last July. Now, he heads back to the track as the 2010 points leader, having scored a first and a second in the season’s opening rounds in Crandon, Wis.

“It’s a good confidence booster,” he says of the points lead. “Bark River wasn’t too good to me last year. We kept our points lead going good there, but it’s a really hard track to pass on. Hopefully, with the momentum I’ve got now, I’ll have a better year this year at Bark River and get some wins there.”

Bark River is fast. Although there have been a few jumps and other tricks installed in recent years to try to slow things down a bit, trucks are still reaching for the 100 mph mark. A driver really has to keep his wits about him to be quick and consistent there.

“I think just being smooth is the secret,” says Huseman. “It’s not really technical, but there are some spot you’ve got to keep your head and just be real smooth.”

Huseman adds that, because of the passing difficulty, it’s a place where a driver really wants to be in front at the start. But passing is not impossible; it just usually requires the guy being passed to make an error.

“Anywhere you can try to get on the inside of somebody in a turn [is the place to make a pass]. You’ve got to be right on somebody’s butt and hopefully they’ll make a mistake and you can get on the inside of them in a turn.”

It’s the elevation changes and that big jump – which has seen leaps of 188 feet – that get racers’ and fans’ adrenaline flowing. For some drivers, including Huseman, it’s a bit of a love-hate relationship. The jump is fun, but it can be treacherous as well.

“My favorite part is probably coming back over the big hill going to the back straightaway,” says Huseman. “My least favorite is going over the big jump. My front end tends to lift a little bit going over that big jump in front of everybody going over the hill. It’s kind of scary…I land on the back bumper a lot.”