Blockhead Truly Rocks the Block With Saturday Sweep in Bloomsburg

After what was a bit of a destructive first night in Bloomsburg, the opportunity to refocus and reset was coming at a fast pace.  The 4-Wheel Jamboree had an entire day of action slated for the Saturday agenda, but the eyes of many were on the monster pits with repairs being done at multiple spots.

The biggest damage on the night prior, Kurt Kraehmer’s Rammunition, was all but buttoned up by early morning.  Replacing the entire champagne, along with part of the restraint system, plus a tie rod and steering ram, kept the team going into the night.  However, with an hour or so before the doors opened, the repairs were complete except resetting the shocks and putting the tire back on.

Both RJ Turner’s team at War Wizard, plus the Dozer bunch with Jack Brown, each had axles to replace, and were all good to go.

Still being worked on was JR Seasock’s Play’n Hookie Chevrolet, as he was still struggling with a timing issue in the motor.  The engine was automatically idling very high, with no power and was missing badly.  As the morning wore on, he and other teams were working hard to figure out the issue, and seemed to possibly found something to make it better.  But, as the afternoon show kicked off, his truck was still not working right.

As he came out to qualify, he would roll off the line and make it over the first jump, only to pull off into the pit area.

Qualifying in itself saw a familiar occurrence, as Brown would make it to the top of the charts for the second consecutive day, getting himself the easy bye run into the second round.

Unlike the Friday agenda, Saturday afternoon was only focused on racing, and the S-course was becoming one that the entire field was getting better at making work.  With another bye run in the opening round, Brown got to test each lane to see what he preferred.  Mark Hall had an easy run as he was matched up against Seasock, who managed to get the truck running but after more struggles, would pull all the way off the track and actually out of the infield to his hauler to begin more work.

In what was the closest battle of the round, Daron Basl with Blockhead managed to get the better of Brandon Derrow in Bad News Travels Fast, while Kraehmer edged out Turner.

The victories set up a battle of teammates to set up a final, with both DCT Powersports trucks facing off, and a pair of Rams going head to head.

Dust was beginning to become a factor for all drivers as the heat of the day wore off any moisture that was added to the dirt, gravel, and pavement that made up the race course.  What it also did was make it a challenge to know how close drivers were to one another, but all managed to keep calm and ride on to make the most of each opportunity.

The grandstands were excited as the two most popular trucks in attendance made it to the finals, with Hall taking the Raminator to his second-straight final, and Basl managing to edge his teammate.

When it came time to run the finals, lane choice became so critical, and Hall elected on the right lane that would have the wide corner to start, but the tight corner to finish.  Off the line, it was Basl with the ever-so-slight edge, but Hall was not looking to be second best as he slid through the corner extremely quick.  Basl took the final corner almost flat tracking his way into the final jump.  Hall kept the 2000-horsepower Ram close, but on this day it was the classic block-toy machine that would make it across the line in victory, a huge moment for Basl and DCT’s newest chassis.

The racing portion of the day ended, and the Monsters of Destruction crew got to work preparing the track for later in the day, as unlike years prior, freestyle would be it’s own entity and not happen twice on the day.

SATURDAY RACING

• Round 1:  Dozer BYE RUN (Fastest qualifier), Rammunition def. War Wizard, Raminator def Play’n Hookie, Blockhead def. Bad News Travels Fast
• Semi-Finals:  Blockhead def. Dozer, Raminator def. Rammunition
• Finals:  Blockhead def. Raminator

What the break ultimately gave was a chance for Seasock to work on his own pace, alongside the Bursey race team that was there helping as the chassis was one they were familiar with.  In the end, the team did a couple different runs on the engine after some changes, and they seemed to work as the truck was not only running better, but when the crew felt the blower after shutting down, it was cool to the touch, a sign that things were going in the right direction.

With the long day in the heat, fans were anxious to have a bit of major action.  Even with mud bogs, tough trucks, and many other festivities throughout the fairgrounds, all things led to the final show of the night.  It would be a freestyle frenzy that meant a lucky seven truck fleet would put on a show for the biggest crowd of the entire 4-Wheel Jamboree weekend.

Seasock was the one that started things off, running harder than he was earlier, but keeping conservative considering the work that was done to his truck all day long.

After him, Turner again decided to make an impact, blasting the right side of the mud bog pit and clearing it right into the racing lanes.  Despite his 2041 Willy’s pro mod missing a nose and a roof, he would push the truck to the max, including being the first one to successfully pull a stoppie and reverse wheelstand across the k-rail jump.  Fans approved the action, and were eager to have a bit more.

Derrow came out and showcased that his older chassis was still a winning truck, even though he still could not pull one of his signature wheelies.

After missing freestyle the night before, Kraehmer would hit the infield with intent, and kept his momentum all run, including a pair of donuts right in front of the grandstands.  One of the most improved drivers over the last several years, Kraehmer’s night ended with a big ovation from the fans.

Brown then came out and put the construction vehicle to work, as he was the truck that originally was not to be there.  Teammate and boss, Jerry Beck, was originally set to be the one for the jamboree weekend, but a scheduling conflict kept Beck out as he was booked for another event in a neighboring state.  However, Brown made sure a dirt crew truck was making it’s mark, as the front loader bodied machine hit every hill on the track to the delight of the fans.

Hall’s run was abruptly ended after one hit as he suddenly lost all drive.  As he revved the engine, his Ram Heavy Duty was not moving, and the culprit appeared to be the transmission or torque convertor giving out.  A disappointing way to finish the day for Hall, as the team that thrashed the night before now had to do it one more time.

One last truck was needed to finish the night, and much like Turner, he would come out charging over the mud pit.  After that, the kids toy truck was riding on edge the entire run.

From blasting over the gravel hill, to a slap wheelie right in front of the crowd, cross-threads over the racing lanes, and a couple sets of donuts, Basl made sure that there was no doubt who would be the top truck on this night.

Riding in a truck he helped build, Basl commented that the new Majka chassis and the coil-over suspension was the best chassis he had ever rode in.

It’s obvious he likes his ride, and now he is looking for a final pair of wins on the weekend.

One more day remains in the Bloomsburg Jamboree, and after a packed crowd for Saturday’s festivities, the last day could be a deciding factor at how well the new owners succeed or fail at their first show back.  The heat returns once again, but the more traditional format also returns as the monster performance will come at 3 p.m., with the racing and freestyle competitions being the final action on the weekend.

Tickets are available at the gate, or online, and it is encouraged to see the fans come out and support the entire field as this is their last performance of the weekend.  The Monsters of Destruction are ready to duke it out for one final round.