Collard Cruises to Cocoa Beach Win!

Half way through the season is how long it took Dave Collard to find Victory Lane in the Past Present Racing League. Tonight in dominating fashion the President of PPRL picked up the win at Cocoa Beach Speedway setting quick time early on in his main event race and never once being threatened for the top spot on the raceway.

"Tonight the truck was setup on kill. I knew coming into the event a good base setup and after the heat race changed a few things in the transmission and suspension that really made the lap times drop down. I've always performed well in this venue but it's been so long since I've last ran here I was wondering if I'd have a shot at all to win this. It's awesome to finally get back into Victory Lane here in PPRL" spoke a jubilant Collard in victory lane.

Second place went to our National Points leader Overall Tim Smith in Snakebite. Tim had a fast truck in his heat race finishing second place to John Dayhoff in a classic back and forth battle. "Dave did awesome, truly amazing what he was posting in the lap charts. The race was hectic and very intense, bumps were everywhere, it was sheer luck I got to second. Glad I did, we'll see how that helps me in the points" spoke Tim as he walked back to the hauler.

Third place went to cool and consistent Mark Iron in Ground Pounder. Mark who was unable to be reached for comment retains his points lead by ten markers in the circuit division but fell a spot in the Overall standings. Mark's dedication to a racing trophy is unparalleled but he might not be satisfied unless his name is number one in Overall points!

Frustration also ruled the roost tonight as well for one driver. Jordan Holland out of Canada is always bit with bad racing luck and tonight was yet again another example of it. The ca-nook saw his truck flip twice once in heat racing competition and again in the main event. "Another race, another crash and disappointment" lamented the Jet.

With Collard's win he moves to second in National Overall Points 35 markers behind Tim Smith who keeps his strangle hold atop the standings. Tim needs to win a event as we move past the mid-way point in the season to get a firmer grip at the top. With Austin Grams not competing he slipped down again to the top three front runners and closer to Jordan Holland whose resided in fifth position for the past few weeks.

Circuit Divisional Standings see Mark stand high atop the charts by a slim ten points over the tied second place runners Tim Smith and Dave Collard. With point reductions due to consolation round rule stacked onto Mark and Tim this leaves Collard one good finish away from a possible points lead! The circuit standings while not overly crowded is going to be a hotly contested race come Monster Mania time!

Next week the series moves back to the comfort of dry land in Northern California at North Side Stadium. A event date is yet to be determined due to scheduling conflicts with another league's World Finals event and the Nascar Bud Shootout Race. "At this point PPRL is slated for a possible Thursday appearance unless protest occurs" spoke Collard after the race. "A start time will be announced on all major communication platforms."

That's a wrap from the Hawaii Tour for 2010 and the fourth season of PPRL. We hope to be back next year to do it all over again!

Hawaii Follies Week Two! Robson Victorious!

Aiea City Beach, Hawaii -- The second week in a row at the famous sandy shore brought more controversy and surprisingly opportunity then any other week in the fourth Past Present Racing League season. When the sand settled it was Jordan Robson the Fall Madness 5 Racing Champion picking up the win and leap frogging in the standings two positions overall and into the top ten in Classic Racing. A night marred with angry competitors about the tracks steep ramps left officials scratching heads and drivers wondering what might of been.

"I got lucky tonight with this racing victory" touted Robson pilot of Black Stallion. "I never once got an unpredictable amount of air and managed to see many opponents succumb to over driving the track." In the final round of Thunder Trax Robson matched up against dark horse title candidate Mark Iron who was two tenths away from being the fastest truck all evening in qualifying in AM/PM Rocket. Robson was treed by the North Carolina native but saw things swing his way when the Rocket literally became just that over the first set of cars. "I saw him go up and away and knew it was my race then" said Jordan.

"Coming into the event tonight I didn't expect to make it past round one, let alone be P2 on the time sheet and finish second overall" Mark Iron spoke. "I wound up launching way to high on the first set being over anxious. If I could have back peddled the first set that would have been my race" sighed Iron.

One man left not so much retrospective but livid was Tim Smith our Overall points leader who went out early on by launching his truck to hard on the first set of cars. "This is ridiculous. It's a per event thing now where my truck can not adapt to the ramps PPRL provides us in the classic division" lamented Bigfoot's driver. "I'm tired of losing points because of this, I realize PPRL's trying to provide tough tracks that make events unpredictable but it's been this way since the second classic event and I'm tired of it" as he gazed off into the ocean.

League President Dave Collard had little sympathy for the likes of Smith or anyone else bitter about track choice for the classic division. "I realize drivers are ultra competitive but this is the hand they're going to be dealt all season with ramps. Currently the series has run at Aiea for every season with the same course design and ramp angles. We're not changing a thing about this place and look forward to returning in the future. We as a League do not have a giant amount of raceable Classic Tracks available that fit the PPRL criteria and we're doing the best we can with what we got so to speak."

Collard also was questioned by competitors about the lack of turning courses in the classic division and provided the following response: "We get that complaint every season after we run a few turning courses to start things off then hit the drag racing meat and potato's of the year. Classic Racing simply was not conducted on turning courses on a constant basis and we're attempting to depict that to everyone by including a modest amount of both. I would love to have one or two more turning courses but they simply do not exist right now."

Looking at the points standings Tim Smith holds a little over a 40 point lead heading into Cocoa Beach in Overall Standings. Austin Grams and Dave Collard have been suffering the same luck as Smith and haven't gained or lost ground in several weeks. Mark Iron has steadily begun to regain some missed points with his second place finish at the beach (with a 10 point Fast Loser deduction factored in) while Jordan Robson moves within two events of a points lead. Classic Racing points see Ryan "Hot Head" McCauley atop the standings by ten markers over Tim Smith. With both drivers faltering this week it's left things ultra tight at the top of the heap. The entire top ten in the standings have a shot at the title at this point. Jordan Robson with his event win leap frogs two thirds of the pack into 9th spot and with a win at the next classic event he could possibly be sitting tied for the points lead! Classic Racing will go to the wire at Monster Mania's Classic Clash for sure.

As stated the series concludes it's Hawaii Mini-Tour this weekend at Cocoa Beach Off Road Raceway. A special start time has been arranged at 7:30 PM EST to accommodate fans of the Nascar Toyota AllStar Challenge Race held in Irwindale, California at 10PM EST. Racing for Cocoa Beach is slated to start at 8:15 PM EST with the first heat races. The sandy and watery beach track had been labeled track of the year for circuits in season two. It's high speed puddle jumping twisty turns will separate the good from elite of circuit racing! Do not miss it!

Hawaii Mini-Tour Kicks off with Fireworks!

Aiea, Hawaii - The Aiea City Beach has played home to Monster Truck racing for several years now in the MTM2 world and last night the Past Present Racing League kicked off the Hawaii Mini-Tour in grand fashion at the hollowed grounds. Fifteen Modern Day Monster Trucks made the voyage over for week one and the crowd was not disappointed in the on track action. When the sand settled three drivers stood tall in victory lane. Alex Vester in Penumbra picked up his first racing win of the season in a brand new truck while Mike DesRoach and Jordan Holland walked away as Co-Freestyle Winners.

Racing Champion Vester was the fast qualifier with a time of 4.86 and out treed the competition in everyone of his races. The Texan laid down National Points leader Tim Smith in Bigfoot in the quarter finals then did it again when Bigfoot came back as the fast loser! In the finals "The Runt" was matched up against equally fast and competitive Jordan Robson in Hell on Wheels also a brand new truck on the tour. Penumbra got the better launch as the tree turned green and pulled out a victory his first of the season!

Freestyle was marred with early rollovers and breakdowns. Mike DesRoach and Jordan Holland wowed the judges enough in their runs to earn scores of twenty-five. For Mike DesRoach it was his first career PPRL win and major event victory in his young MTM2 career. With many good years ahead of this new hot-shoe he'll be a force to be reckon with for quite some time! Jordan Holland picked up his first PPRL Win as well in BC Lion. Jordan's battled headaches with his connection for months and has had seemingly perfect shots at victory in racing and freestyle not go his way when the internet crashes. For BC Lion tonight was finally a night of retribution!

With the fourth Modern Monster Truck event under our belts we've learned a few things. The points are still wide open and the hardest title to get a hold of is going to be the Freestyle Championship! After four events many drivers are just equaling a full scored run in there point tallies. Travis Sewlio keeps the points lead he's had since week one but if somebody can mount up some good runs heading to Monster Mania he'll easily be passed. Consistency is the key and many drivers are simply not delivering this! In Modern Monster Racing Austin Grams holds onto his lead but loses a little ground to Tim Smith whose been on a abysmal stretch as of late. Jordan Robson the Fall Madness Racing Champion is steadily climbing the ladder and could be a threat before seasons close. Also if Alex Vester can keep a consistent schedule and race week to week he may be a threat with the dominance he showed last night! The Overall title still belongs to Tim Smith who has a little over a 60 point lead heading into week eleven.

Next week we're back at Aiea City Beach but with the Classic Monsters Division. Straight line drag racing is the key and reaction time again will be pertinent to a strong finishing position. Don't miss it next week at 9PM EST it's PPRL Racing at it's finest!

Heart Stopper in St. Paul

The unpredictability of PPRL carried on into the great Midwest and the St.Paul Civic Center Saturday night for Classic Side by Side Monster Truck racing action. St.Paul has been a stop for the PPRL teams since the first season of competition and much like it's previous events the ultra tight side-by-side drag racing course provided many upset finishes and surprise winners. After a lengthy ban from competition Ryan McCauley in Heartbeat took down the big win in his Chevy truck.

Ryan had a tough path to the final round on Thunder Trax qualifying fourth fastest of six trucks in the opening stages. McCauley was matched up against returning veteran Alex Vester in Equalizer and was subsequently beaten by the always fast Texan. Ryan earned his way to a Fast Loser position beating Damien Bowers and then upset the fast Dave Collard in Clodbuster to solidify a spot on Thunder Trax. From there Ryan and Heartbeat faced a relative unknown with Brad Shaw in his "Brad's Bronco" Ford and put down another faster truck handily! Following more races Alex Vester and Ryan eventually crossed paths again not once but twice when the fast loser of the quarter final round Equalizer TIED with the Heartbeat Chevy at the finish line thus requiring a re-race to determine a winner. McCauley proved to be one tough customer taking Vester to school off the line and earning his way to the Monster Finals!

Curtis Wagner in Blown Profits had a quiet evening steadily progressing through the field and brought his vintage Monster Tow-Truck to the final round to face flying Ryan. Both drivers staged and ready left the line at the same time but the unpredictable and wild ramp setup in St.Paul sent Wagner flipping across the finish line with McCauley nabbing the victory.

Media and Reporters attempted to get a quick word with the triumphant Ryan but were shrugged off by the bitter Pennsylvanian after his first week back from a three week ban from competition for unsportsmanlike conduct. Heartbeat drove straight off the arena floor and to his hauler where Ryan resided until late into the night time hours. His win coupled with bad luck by the top three in Classic Racing Points saw him vault to the points lead.

Speaking of bad luck that is what Tim Smith, Dave Collard and Mark Iron experienced in St.Paul. Tim Smith was a non-factor all evening and succumbed to his second weekend in a row of bad luck and not earning maximum points. Collard was snubbed from Thunder Trax by Heartbeat and was left wondering what might have been after he qualified in a top five position. Mark Iron was disqualified from his round one race when he red-lighted against Thunder Beast. With these drivers troubles the top five in overall points remains close with Tim Smith leading by just 35 points over Austin Grams. Collard and Iron sit a mere 40 points behind and Josh Rhodes is nearly within one race of the front runners just being behind by 65 points.

Next week the series moves to Castellar Mountain, Utah for intense circuit racing action. A special start time of 2PM EST has been called due to the first ever live running of real monster truck series Advanced Auto Parts Monster Jam running on SPEED TV that night at 7PM EST! Stay tuned for who just may be in victory lane when new faces come to the afternoon running of the circuit division!