Elk River, Minn. (July 17, 2022) — ERX Motor Park in Elk River, Minnesota was the next stop on the Championship Off-Road Series schedule for rounds 5 and 6. The track has everything you want in a short-course, off-road track including a mixture of fast runs and technical obstacles. The split tracks, FoxShox rhythm section, and big jumps pounded the racers all weekend and put the toughness of the vehicles to the test. The Greaves Duo came away with some great results. Johnny won on Friday with CJ taking the runner-up spot in Pro4. Saturday it was CJ’s turn to claim the top spot. Johnny battled back to take 3rd and move into 2nd place in the points. CJ also claimed another 2nd place in Pro Stock SXS and his first win in his new Polaris ride on Saturday.
Pro Stock SXS
Friday: Sunny skis greeted the nineteen cars that lined up for the Friday evening Pro Stock SXS race. CJ Greaves qualified his Monster Energy Polaris RZR first but with the inversion, started 10th on row 5. Brock Heger was along side CJ for the 2-by-2 rolling start. When the green flag flew, CJ went right to work picking off one UTV after another but after only a couple laps, a crash brought out a lengthy full-course caution.
Heger and CJ were in 5th and 6th for the single file restart. The caution served as the competition caution, so the race was on to the checkered flag flew. Heger wasted no time getting to the lead leaving CJ and Owen VanEperen to battle for the runner up spot. CJ muscled his way around Owen and set his sights on Heger. But Heger had a good lead and VanEperen was not going away quietly and continued to pressure CJ. The top 3 racers pulled away to nearly a half lap lead from the rest of the field. CJ was able to hold on and claim his 4th podium of the year.
Saturday: CJ Greaves started on the front row for Saturday’s Pro Stock SXS racing action. CJ’s Polaris RZR was on rails and took the lead at the green flag which he held up to the competition caution. The bonus points for leading at the competition caution was important as Greaves was looking to chip away at the nearly 40 point lead by Brock Heger. But Heger was right behind CJ as the 2nd half of the race got underway. As the laps ticked off, CJ increased his lead and completed the flag to flag win and his first in his new Polaris RZR ride. The rare caution free race made allowed CJ to maintain his lead and pull-off the victory.
Pro Turbo SXS
Friday: CJ started on row 3 of the turbo side-by-side class. Unfortunately, he made an early exit from the race with a mechanical problem.
Saturday: CJ Greaves started his Monster Energy Maxxis Tire Polaris RZR 19th, deep in the 28 car field. A major pileup on the first lap collected 8 or 9 cars. CJ had to checkup but was not involved in the crash. After a long delay, racing resumed and CJ was able to work his way up to as high as 7th before another mechanical problem sidelined him for the remainder of the race.
Pro-4
Friday: CJ Greaves started on the front row with Johnny lining up on row 2 of the 12 truck field. Andrew Carlson took the early lead but CJ worked his way into the lead early in the race. While in the lead, he suddenly pulled off the track with a faulty ignition. Johnny took up the mantle for the Greaves Duo and assumed the lead. But a hungry Kyle LeDuc was right on his bumper and the two began a fierce battle leading up to the competition caution. Meanwhile, CJ was still on the lead lap but would have to work from the back of the field when racing resumed.
When the green flag flew, Kyle went on the attack but Johnny was able to hold him off as the two went door-to-door and wheel-to-wheel several times. The wild and crazy battle between the two Monster Energy drivers suddenly ended as LeDuc’s string of bad luck continued as he pulled off the track with less than 2 minutes to go in the race with apparent mechanical problems. Greaves and LeDuc had put on an amazing display of driving for the ERX crowd. Johnny had clear sailing to the end while CJ was pressing hard to make it to the podium. With 2 laps to go, the younger Greaves made the pass on RJ Anderson to move into the 2nd place spot. The Greaves Duo went 1 and 2 as the checkered flag flew. The win for Johnny also bumped him up into 2nd place in points behind CJ.
Saturday: The Greaves Duo were placed in the rear of the field due to the inversion for the Pro-4 race on Saturday. Kyle LeDuc was also in the back. One of the front runners spun-out, collecting several trucks. Johnny and CJ Greaves were able to avoid the crash but came to a complete stop. LeDuc made it past and landed in the 3rd spot before racing stopped. Johnny experienced some trouble however and would spend the middle part of the race towards the rear of the field. LeDuc was showing just how hungry he was for a win and had made his way into the lead with CJ lurking in 3rd and on a charge for the front. He went inside of Cole Mamer to take over 2nd and wasted no time getting to the bumper of the front running LeDuc. The two Monster Energy trucks went door to door, ate each other roust and tore up the track digging hard and proving why they are considered two of the best in the business. They changed leads several times but LeDuc was still holding the lead with less than 2 minutes to go in the race. The track was taking its toll on the trucks and once again LeDuc’s bad luck struck again and had to pull out of the race again. CJ was also experiencing some control issues and it did not look like he was going to be able to finish the race. Since he was so far ahead of the rest of the remaining Pro4’s, he was able to nurse his truck to victory lane. Meanwhile Johnny was able to battle back from his early problems to claim the 3rd spot on the podium.
Johnny said from the podium, “I was being patient, which I am normally not, and just stayed in the fight.”
“This will go down in history as one of the coolest races ever,” CJ said following the race. “I know it did not end the way he [LeDuc] wanted it to but we raced each other clean and put on a great show for the fans.”
The next race will be at Dirt City in Lena, Wisconsin, on July 30-31.