Racing in temperatures well below the freezing point takes its toll on man and machine “I have never been so tired after a race, this cold weather does something to you,” said Menzies
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The Red Bull Frozen Rush event is intended to put nine invitation only off-road truck racers to the test as they compete on the snow and ice of the Sunday River Ski Resort in Newry, Maine
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By invitation only, nine professional off-road truck drivers traveled to Newry, Maine to take part in the second running of the Red Bull Frozen Rush event. These drivers are highly skilled at short-course stadium truck and desert style off-road racing. However, the Red Bull Frozen Rush is intended to put these racers to the test as they must compete on the snow and ice of the Sunday River Ski Resort. The 2015 Red Bull Frozen Rush course featured extreme jumps, eight-foot tall berms, various obstacles, 50 foot gaps, and bracket-style elimination racing for the trophy. The trucks were equipped with one-off spiked tires specifically made for this event and other than set-up adjustments, these trucks were identical to those they race in the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing series.
Of the nine racers invited to the 2015 Red Bull Frozen Rush event, five of them are K&N sponsored drivers. In the end it was the K&N sponsored Red Bull Menzies Motorsports team of Bryce Menzies and Ricky Johnson standing upon the podium in first and second places. Motocross racing legend, and accomplished K&N sponsored Pro-4 truck driver, Ricky Johnson won the inaugural Red Bull Frozen Rush in 2014 and if not for a mistake in the final round may have taken the checkers once again.
The 2015 Red Bull Frozen Rush course gave spectators their money’s worth with extreme jumps, 8’ tall berms, various obstacles, 50 foot gaps, and bracket-style elimination racing
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The trucks are equipped with one-off spiked tires specifically made for the Red Bull Frozen Rush but are essentially the same trucks raced in the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing series
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Ricky Johnson got the better start off the line; however Bryce Menzies was literally right on his tail. Menzies made contact with the back of Johnson’s truck with the spiked tires chewing up and spitting out bits of Johnson’s Red Bull Pro-4 truck body panels. After the race Bryce Menzies stated, “Off the start he got me, and then I got a little traction and almost drove over the back of him. That start was a little scary for a second.” Johnson held his lead for a few more turns until he nearly spun out following one of the biggest jumps on the course. “My wheels landed a little bit off the groove and sent me sideways,” said Johnson.
While Johnson was able to recover much of the time he lost, Bryce Menzies held a commanding lead for the remainder of the six-lap race. “It’s amazing, (Ricky has) been my teammate for four years and he’s helped me through pretty much everything…and to start off the season with a win is huge,” said Menzies after the race. Rob MacCachren and Scott Douglas battled it out in the Trophy Race to determine who would place third. The four-lap race saw the two drivers swap the lead several times, yet in the end MacCachren crossed the finish line in the lead and claimed the third spot upon the podium. Chad Hord finished fifth, K&N racer RJ Anderson took sixth, Brian Deegan claimed seventh, K&N driver Carl Renezeder ended in eighth, and the K&N Filters sponsored racer Todd Leduc finished ninth. LeDuc had blown his engine in practice and missed qualifying. Renezeder and LeDuc battled it out in the closest contested race of the event during the last chance qualifier.
The final round of the 2015 Red Bull Frozen Rush saw Menzies Motorsports teammates Bryce Menzies and the 2014 Frozen Rush winner Ricky Johnson lined up together on the starting line
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In the end it was the K&N sponsored Red Bull Menzies Motorsports team of Bryce Menzies and Ricky Johnson standing upon the 2015 Frozen Rush podium in first and second places
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An excited Bryce Menzies said of winning the race “I have never been so tired after a race, this cold weather does something to you. I just want to thank my team, and all of my sponsors. Thank you to the wonderful people here in Maine that came out to show all of us support and allowing us to race up your mountain!” The 2015 Red Bull Frozen Rush will air on NBC Sunday, March 1st, 2015 at 2:00 pm ET.
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