“Black Rhino Performance Athlete Jerett Brooks Comes Out Victorious at Glen Helen”
Written by Brett Carpenter
September 21, 2017, El Cajon, CA – With just three rounds left in the 2017 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, coming into Glen Helen, Pro Lite points leader Jerett Brooks can feel the pressure. Although he’s always calm and cool and rarely seems rattled, the pressure of arguably his toughest challenger in his 5 year Pro Lite career is hard to ignore. Brooks, a two-time Pro Lite champion already and 2016 LOORRS defending champ, has been in these situations before. But it seems like this year the small margin of points between himself and Brock Heger means only one thing; any little mistake or misfortune can be costly and would nearly slam the door on repeating as Pro Lite champion and claiming his 3rd title in only four years.
Round 11
Bouncing back with a Pro Lite win in Round 10 only a couple of weeks earlier after a tough round 9, Jerett Brooks felt good coming into round 11. Qualifying 4th for the Pro Lite main event Friday night, he’d start on the 2nd row. Championship rival Brock Heger would sit on the pole with a bonus point in his back pocket for being the fast qualifier. Quickly moving up to 2nd place behind Heger on lap 1, Jerett would look for every opportunity he could to make a pass. Unable to get by, he’d remain in 2nd place through the mandatory caution at the half-way mark of the race losing another valuable point to Heger.
The gap was only 1 point and it seemed as though it was going to be one of those nights for Heger; he was flawless. Until lap 11 when disaster struck. Jerett came out of turn 2 like a rocket and got by Heger in the whoop section. Heger suffered a flat tire and would drop to 11th place. Jerett put the hammer down and wouldn’t look back. He’d cruise to victory, his 2nd in a row and 4th on the season, and he’d put a whopping 21 points between himself and Heger in the championship standings going into round 12 on Saturday.
“Man this one feels good!”, Jerett said after the race. ” We struggled a bit in qualifying and had to figure some things out. Once we settled in behind Brock, I just tried to hit my marks and either force him to make a mistake or find a way to get by. Unfortunately he ended up having an issue and he was definitely fast out there. But we came out on top and I’m super pumped to get another win on the year!
In Pro 2, Jerett would start 8th after another tough qualifying session. But a 4th row start wouldn’t be enough to discourage him. As the green flag dropped, he settled into a rhythm and began to pick off his opponents one battle at a time. A few laps in, he’d find his way around Patrick Clark. A lap later he’d get by Bryce Menzies. On lap 8, now sitting in 5th, after contact coming out of turn 3 with Rodrigo Ampudia, he’d move into 4th. It seemed as though as the race progressed, the truck came to life and Jerett was hot in pursuit of a podium position. However he’d suffer the same misfortune he capitalized on in the Pro Lite race and ended up with a right-rear flat largely in part to contact with another driver. After a quick change in the hot-pit, he’d only lose one position and finished in 5th place.
Round 12
Saturday night, Jerett would start the Pro Lite race on the outside of row 1 next to Ryan Beat. Brock Heger would start right behind him. After settling into 2nd behind Beat, positions shuffled behind him. Heger would drop to 6th and Jerett would lose a spot to Ronnie Anderson after a caution early on in the race. As Jerett tried to find his way to the front, Beat would exit the race with a tire issue in turn 5 allowing Jerett to get by him and Anderson at the same time. He’d lead at the half-way mark while Heger now found his way up to 2nd. A couple of laps later, Jerett would lose the lead to Heger and remained in 2nd for the remainder of the race. A smart race by Jerett allowed him to keep a significant gap in the championship points, now at 19 above Brock Heger in the standings heading in to the final round in Chandler, AZ next month.
“We have to be smart at this point”, Jerett said. “Brock got by me after the big jump and we’re trying to win another championship so I just kept it smooth and tried to be as smart as I could bringing it home. My General Tires were hooking up and the Rigid Industries truck is back up on the podium. I can’t complain about that.”
In Pro 2, Jerett would start 8th, on the outside of row 4. Similar to round 11, he’d have his hands full trying to navigate through the field. Contact early in the race between Bryce Menzies and RJ Anderson allowed Jerett to move up to 5th place however, and he had his sights set on another podium. Unfortunately on lap 6 though, Jerett would yet again suffer another misfortune as he’d lose the front right tire and wheel entirely causing him to lose control and crash into the wall, collecting RJ Anderson in the process. He’d DNF in round 12 and shift his focus to the final round in Chandler, along with the Pro 2/Pro 4 Challenge Cup at the conclusion of the season.
The Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series heads to Chandler, AZ for round 13 and the Challenge Cup October 21-22. For more information, visit www.lucasoiloffroad.com.
Photo Courtesy of Eric Minks
