Poison Spyder Larry McRae Wins Modified Class

BANNING, CA    MAY 9, 2012  –  Larry McRae drove the Poison Spyder Modified Ultra4 #4581 to a class win at the Ultra4 Cinco de Baja race last weekend in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  With this Modified Class Western Series win and the 2012 Modified Class King of the Hammers win, the Poison Spyder Racing team is leading the Pro Series Modified Class and the Western Series Modified Class points race.  “The only thing that we had to do was put fuel in the car,” said driver Larry McRae.  “The crew prepped the car meticulously and have slowly worked the bugs out of the car making the 250 miles consecutively with no issues to speak of.”
A known and very respected rock crawler, driving fast is still a learning experience for Larry McRae.  “I’m a rock crawler…slow and technical driver.  The hardest part for me is learning to drive fast!  This was a fun, relaxing and a beautiful course that was perfect for giving me the seat time I lack in the faster stuff.”
Co-Driver Shad Kennedy, a desert racing veteran, helped navigate the light blue and silver Modified Ultra4.  The strategy for this race was to click off conservative laps early on and then see how the other competitors in the class were fairing.  Depending on the split times they would decide whether to race the last three laps or stay conservative to ensure a finish.  With the 5 lap – 40 mile loop race, the attrition rate allowed the Poison Spyder team to continue the conservative pace and preserve the car.
Even with the conservative pace they managed to finish 11th overall in the much faster Ultra4 Unlimited 4400 class.  “We were tracking the split times of every lap, so we knew where we were in the big race,” said McRae.  “We had no reason to race the 4400’s at this race.  Our goal is to make a run at the 4500 class championship and our race strategy put us one step closer to successfully achieving that goal!”
We’ve made many improvements to the car since our last race,” said McRae.  The most notable change was to the innovative and somewhat controversial steering.  “I think this steering will be a game changer.  It made the car so much more drivable that we’ll need to spend more time tuning with FOX Shox for the higher speed this car is now capable of.”  Even with a nearly perfect race, they have already started full prep for the upcoming races this summer including 4 Wheel Parts Glen Helen Grand Prix in July and BITD Vegas to Reno in August as part of the Ultra4 Modified Series.