12/27/2022 0 Comments Island racer 2018![]() ![]() The motor is all his work, with head modifications, oversized valves, and an E&H computer reflash. He reckons this has given him a good knowledge of, and so confidence in, the vehicle come race day. Uttridge himself has a mechanical background and is constantly tinkering with the Yamaha. Uttridge reckons Ruiterman is “probably the cleverest Yamaha guy in New Zealand.”He is also responsible for the suspension set-up, with revalved shocks, and custom spring rates. It has proven to be a very strong basis for a competition vehicle, the suspension arms, transmission etc are all standard, with a Chrome Moly Cage added by E&H motors in PukekohCarl Ruiterman of E&H is not only Uttridge’s Yamaha teammate but is responsible for much of the car’s engineering. The current UTV is a Yamaha YXZ1000SS that Bob has raced since April this year. “And the UTV is like a big Quad.” “A UTV is really just a big Quad” – Bob Uttridge Several appearances in the “Race to the sky” saw Bob take out second in the open class in 2009. “I learned a lot from Sav (Andrew Satherly – longtime trials and winch competitor)” It was a lesson well learned, because in the three years competing in the Suzuki, the team never suffered a DNF.īut the attraction for the quads never waned in that time, with the odd foray back into that area of racing. It was in this extreme 4×4 competition with Luke that the importance of preparation, strategy and teamwork really sunk in. ![]() ISLAND RACER 2018 SERIESUttridge and Busch first teamed up in the Suzuki Winch Challenge truck, taking the NZ1 Clubmans title three years in a row, then moving to the Lexus V8 powered Landcruiser Ute that won them a South Island series Championship. Returning to NZ and still with a passion for racing a few more NZ titles were added before deciding a different form of motorsport was required. The series is hugely popular with American competitors, with over 2000 racers contesting an average event, but Bob admits he struggled in the heat of the desert. ![]() Then followed a stint in the US racing the GNCC series, with such events as the Rocky Mountain and Mason-Dixon ATV cross country titles. Time that culminated in Uttridge being part of a three-man kiwi team that finished third out of 84 international teams, in the 1999 Pont de Vaux teams championship. “Even back then it was all about giving it 100%,” he remembersīut a shattered ankle four years later put a very premature end to two wheels, and a move to quads - “I didn’t have to put my feet down” - and time spent racing in Europe. Talking about the winch days brought us to Uttridge’s racing career, going back 39 years, to a 12-year-old starting off in Motorcross in 1979. “If Luke is happy with the car, then I am confident that it’s OK,” he said. Luke is a mechanic, who Uttridge describes as “a very clever boy who makes things work.” Part of that strategy has been the ongoing relationship with Luke Busch, who has been with Uttridge since the winch challenge days. “Ben (NZ1 Ben Thomasen) and Polaris really set the bar for professionalism and teamwork, and we work hard to follow that strategy.” ISLAND RACER 2018 PROFESSIONALHe is becoming more professional in his approach and relaxing into the sport. The transition into offroad racing has been a big learning curve for the Christchurch-based 51-year-old Repair Manager for Ando. “It was a bit of a surprise really,” says the racer. With the most cars to pass in the final, because of some pretty tough handicapping and a start line fumble with the launch control, Uttridge didn’t realise he had won till I was told after the race. When Bob Uttridge claimed the chequered flag in the mud and carnage at Fielding last month, he had no idea where he had finished, and getting the double was nowhere in his thinking. ![]()
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