Round 7 is checked off the list for West Coast Motorsports with great showings from siblings Bella & Cruz - Competing with EVP Tuning, Exhaust and Clutching
Bella Birchard
With Bella starting her freshman year of high school just before this round, she was excited to hop back behind the wheel of her Polaris RZR RS1 in Texas. Practice went well for Bella, and after a few tire pressure adjustments, she felt comfortable and ready for race day. When race day came around, Bella was eager and excited to see what she could accomplish in both of her classes. Her first race was in the 1000 Amateur class where she got a great start in the top 5. Bella started picking off cars but had a rollover close to the end of the first heat. Unfortunately, during the rollover it snapped her upper a-arm so she was unable to finish the heat. The team quickly retrieved the car and fixed it just in time for her next heat in the Women’s Expert class. Bella had a great start and was running 2nd behind her toughest competitor and friend, Alyanna Baker. The two girls battled the majority of the heat and Bella ended up securing 2nd place. After a quick prep the team had Bella’s car ready for the mains.
Bella’s first main was in the 1000 Amateur class. She got off to a great start in the top 15 and started making her way through the pack. She battled the entire race and ended up 13th overall in the 1000 Amateur class. Bella’s last race was in the Women’s Expert class and she was eager to pull off a win again. She got off to a great start behind Alyanna, and stuck right on her tail. Bella made a few passes on Alyanna for the lead but lacked horsepower on straightaways. They battled constantly through the race and Bella ended up 2nd overall in the Women’s Expert class for the weekend.
Cruz Birchard
Cruz came into Round 7 ecstatic and confident to finally get behind the wheel of his brand new Carr One built Polaris RZR RS1. He was extremely motivated and excited to see what he could do driving a 1000cc car for the first time. Cruz faced the challenge of racing 3 different classes this past weekend, 6 races total. His 570 had minor adjustments after practice, and the RS1 had tire pressure & shock changes done to make the car ready for race day. When race day rolled around, Cruz’s first class was the 1000 Amateur class in his RS1. He had a great start in heat 1 coming 2nd out of the gate. Cruz fought hard and maintained that position consistently throughout the rest of the race, finishing 2nd in the 1000 Amateur class. Next up was his 900 & below class in the 570. Cruz got off to a great start by grabbing the holeshot and never looking back. He held that position and ended up winning his heat in the 900& below class. Cruz finished the race and went straight to the start line for his 570 class heat. He grabbed another holeshot in the 570 class and grew a steady lead over 2nd place. Cruz held his position and finished 1st in the 570 heat. When the mains came around Cruz was confident in his driving to be able to pull off a podium in his RS1. Off the start of the 1000 Amateur class, Cruz was door to door with multiple competitors and came 2nd place out of the start. He battled hard, drove smart and started running down the leader. Cruz trailed just behind first place the whole race and ended up finishing 2nd overall in his first ever 1000cc race. With the excitement of podiuming in his first “big car” race, Cruz could not wait to see what he could accomplish in his 570. Next up was the 900 & Below class. Cruz got off to a good start with a holeshot and started lengthening his gap from there. Unfortunately, with 2 laps to go Cruz lost all power and could not refire his car – therefore not finishing the race. However, Cruz still ended up finishing 2nd overall in the 900 & Below class. The safety team quickly towed Cruz back to his pit where the team started troubleshooting the issue. His mechanic Richard found a coil wire unplugged, which was fixed and they sent Cruz back to staging for his 570 main. Cruz grabbed the holeshot in his 570 and never looked back. He lengthened his lead and ended up 1st overall in the 570 class, giving him a podium in every class he entered this weekend.
