Crandon, WI (Sept 27, 2020) — The Greaves Duo headed back to Crandon International Raceway for the final weekend of racing for the Championship Off-Road Series. With a tight race and a championship hanging in the balance, Johnny and CJ were looking to combine their A-game with a little luck to move up in the Pro-4 standings. At 19 point behind, CJ would need decisive wins to steal the championship from LeDuc. Unfortunately, he saw that fade away with mechanical problems in the Saturday race however he had a dominating win on Sunday. CJ did end up 2nd in the points standings followed by Johnny in 3rd.
CJ took home championships in both the Pro Stock SxS and Pro Mod SxS UTV classes. This was his second in a row for the Stock Side-by-Side class and, in his first year, his first championship in the Pro Modified SxS class.
Johnny did not run in the 27th Annual FCP Community Cup race. CJ’s Monster Energy Toyota was edging closer to the front in the final laps when LeDuc spun-out, collected the top-3 Pro-4’s, taking them out of contention.
PRO STOCK SXS UTV
Saturday: Saturday’s race was under the lights at Crandon adding a drama to the high-stakes, season finale for all the races. On top of that, rain was forecast to begin about the time of the opening ceremony. And, right on cue, the rain began to fall on an already muddy track. CJ, sporting a hefty points lead in Pro Stock Side-by-Side, would only have to roll his Monster Energy/Yamaha Racing/Maxxis Tire/Yamalube UTV across the finish line to clinch the title.
Todd LeDuc, in the seat of the number 97 normally drive by Jack Letourneau, was in the pole position with CJ starting on row 2. Due to the lighting, the race started with a 2-by-2 rolling start. The field of more than 15 did not complete a lap before a caution flag came out and a complete restart was ordered.
CJ was being very safe to make sure he completed the necessary laps to earn him the championship. By lap 5, he took 2nd place as the rain began to come down hard. Another caution, the rain and the fact that there were other races to follow, officials shortened the race to 8 laps. CJ did not have enough time to run down the leader and settled for a 2nd place finish and his 2nd consecutive Pro Stock SxS Championship.
Sunday: With the landrush start back in play, CJ got the holeshot and never looked back. He led through the competition caution all the way to the checkered flag. CJ’s Maxxis Tire clad Yamaha stretched his lead with each passing lap and finished the race a good 2 seconds ahead of the next competitor.
PRO MOD SXS UTV
Saturday: CJ Greaves carried a narrow 10 point lead going into Saturday’s Pro Modified Side-by-Side UTV race. The 15 car field would have to deal with the lights and a slippery track. After a couple of cautions, the battle quickly heated up between CJ, Rodney VanEperen and Kyle Chaney–the top 3 on the track and also the top 3 in the standings.
The shortened race came down to the final 2 corners. Van Eperen and CJ were nose to tail and VanEperen looking for a way around the front running Greaves. VanEperen pulled his Yamaha along side CJ’s machine but CJ was able to battle back and hold the position through the final turn to take the pivotal win. The two put on a great show for the fans watching both online and in the stands.
Sunday: The rain ended and the weather was perfect for racing for Sunday’s race which would determine the 2020 Pro Mod champion. The 15 car field lined-up side-by-side for the landrush start. Last year’s champion, Kyle Chaney, got the holeshot. But by the end of the first lap, Rodney VanEperen had taken the lead. CJ only needed a top 10 finish to earn the title so he was being very smart and was not forcing anything.
Rodney, Chaney, Lawrence and CJ were the top 4 going into the competition caution. The 4 battled to the end of the race. CJ finished 4th which was good enough for him to clinch his first Pro Mod SxS Championship by 6 points.
PRO-4X4
Saturday: The much anticipated Pro-4 season finale took place under the lights and in the mud. The no holds barred, last man standing, fight to the end race would make or break CJ and LeDuc who were close in the points standings. It would take a near perfect race for CJ and he would need a little help from LeDuc to pull off the championship.
CJ started on the front row and to make things interesting, LeDuc started in the very back of the 8-truck field. Johnny lined up on the 2nd row for the 2-by rolling start. Johnny Greaves had his Monster Energy / Toyota / Maxxis Tire / Vision Wheel number 22 in the lead on lap 1 with CJ in a close 3rd place. Johnny and Carlson traded leads and contact several times on the slippery, muddy track. Just before the competition caution, CJ muscled by Carlson who got in the slop. LeDuc had also made his way to the front and got around Carlson.
On the restart following the competition caution, Johnny, CJ, and LeDuc went 3-wide in the gravel pit turn. LeDuc nudged CJ into the mud and took 2nd. LeDuc began banging on Johnny but Johnny was able to hold him off. But mechanical problems developed for both Greaves machines, taking them out of contention.
Sunday: CJ Greaves got the holeshot following the landrush start with Johnny Greaves right behind him. Kyle LeDuc took the green flag and the championship. CJ checked out while the rest of the field continued to bang fenders behind him.
After the competition caution, Carlson and Johnny made contact, then Johnny and LeDuc made contact on lap 6. LeDuc slid into Carlson in “calamity corner” basically stopping in the turn. At the same time, Johnny slid into LeDuc and Carlson. The damage to Johnny’s Toyota took in out of the race. CJ ended up winning by more than 6 seconds to end the season on a high note.
COMMUNITY CUP RACE
The last race of the weekend and the 2020 season was the 27th annual Community Cup race. This race puts the Pro-2 and Pro-4 trucks on the track at the same time with the Pro-2’s getting nearly a 48 second head start. There were 9 Pro-2’s and 6 Pro-4’s on the grid for the landrush start.
Johnny Greaves’ truck was too badly damaged to get into this race but CJ Greaves lined up in the #1 spot of the Pro 4×4 field.
Kleiman got the holeshot for the Pro-2’s and stretched his lead out considerably from the other 2-wheel drive competitors. CJ pulled the holeshot for the 4-wheelers and went on the hunt. On lap 2, Carlson and LeDuc passed CJ but the top 3 Pro-4’s stayed close as they attempted to catch up with the Pro-2’s.
With 2 laps to go, Kyle LeDuc, who was leading at the time, spun-out in “Cowboy Corner” collecting all of the top Pro-4’s, basically removing any chance of catching the leader.
The inaugural season of the Championship Off-Road series came to a close. The Greaves Duo had ups and downs but still came out as arguably the top team in the series. CJ claimed Pro Stock and Pro Mod SxS championships and the runner-up spot in Pro-4. Johnny added another top-3 to his illustrious career.
Thanks to the many sponsors that keep Johnny G Motorsports competitive year after year including longtime sponsors: Monster Energy, Toyota, TRD, Maxxis Tire, Yamaha Racing, Yamalube, Vision Wheels, Fox Shox, and many more!