CARMEL, IN (October 10, 2022) – Dreyer & Reinbold Racing JC (DRR JC) had a stressful, yet rewarding, weekend of racing at ERX Motor Park for the Nitro Rallycross (Nitro RX) Group E event.

In FP1 on Saturday, Andreas Bakkerud and Fraser McConnell did almost identical flips into turn one at ERX Motor Park. Both cars flipped multiple times with McConnell spiraling over the wall and landing in a pond. Thankfully, both drivers walked away from the crashes and were transferred to the medical center on-site and the local hospital shortly after as a precautionary measure. Both drivers were released from the hospital after a few hours and cleared to drive if the cars were repairable.

While Bakkerud and McConnell were in the hospital the racing continued at ERX Motor Park with Larsson winning the battle brackets and earning his second Top Qualifier (TQ) in two of three races this season.

However, there was little time to celebrate as the crews had to focus on the two cars to be rebuilt. McConnell ended up switching to a backup car, however, Bakkerud’s was completely rebuilt through the night. The DRR JC crews never slept and finished Bakkerud’s No. 13 machine at 7:30 am. The crews returned to the hotel for a short time to shower and change and returned to the track shortly after.

Having four cars on the track on Sunday was already positive as two of the cars had been destroyed the day before. In the final, Robin Larsson started on pole with McConnell in 3rd, Bakkerud in 6th, and Group E newcomer, Andrew Carlson, in 7th. Larsson lost the lead into turn 2 and McConnell moved up into the 3rd spot. Unfortunately, the DRR duo was unable to catch the leader and finished 2nd & 3rd while Bakkerud and Carlson finished 4th and 6th.

“We knew we had a good shot for the win, but I also knew Travis (Pastrana) was going to go for the win,” said Larsson. “We have a really good shot in the championship now with a 1-2-2 in the first three races. It was nice to settle for second and take those points. It’s a long championship and it has been good so far, but you can have that round where you struggle a lot so it is nice to have a little buffer right now.”

McConnell, who went from pond to podium, was ecstatic to get the first Nitro RX podium of his career.

“It is a surreal feeling to be on the podium, but if it wasn’t for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and JC, I would not have been competing today,” said McConnell. “Today, I just had to put what happened yesterday behind me which was difficult at times. I just had to trust my instincts and continue to be competitive.”

After three rounds, DRR JC drivers still sit atop the championship with Larsson, Bakkerud, and McConnell holding those positions.

The action will continue on October 29-30 in San Bernadino, California at Glen Helen Raceway with a race at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Arizona shortly after on November 12-13.

About Dreyer & Reinbold Racing

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing was founded in 1999 by Indianapolis car dealer Dennis Reinbold. The legacy of the Dreyer and Reinbold family dates back to the 1920s with Reinbold’s grandfather, the legendary Floyd “Pop” Dreyer, a former factory motorcycle racer. Dreyer served as a crewman and mechanic on the famed Duesenberg driven by Benny Shoaff and Babe Stapp in the 1927 Indy 500. Dreyer went on to build Indy 500 cars in the 1930s many of which started on the front row. In addition, Dreyer constructed championship-winning sprint cars and midgets as well as quarter midgets called Dreyerettes. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing captured its first win in 2000 with driver Robbie Buhl at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, FL, and has fielded a variety of drivers including Buddy Lazier, Sarah Fisher, Buddy Rice, Al Unser Jr., Sage Karam, and J.R. Hildebrand. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing has successfully qualified all 42 drivers for the Indy 500 in its history. DRR competed in Rallycross for the first time in 2015 and captured the 2016 Lites rallycross championship. In 2021, the team campaigned Tanner Foust and Cabot Bigham in the Supercar division of Nitro Rallycross. Additionally, the team ran a selection of lites cars that included drivers such as Sage Karam and Conner Martell. The team currently competes in the 2022 NRX rallycross series with the all-new FC1-X all-electric vehicles. Additionally, the team runs a selection of NEXT cars that includes driver Lane Vacala.

 

About JC Raceteknik

JC Raceteknik is a professional rallycross team based in Sweden. They have competed across the world such as Nitro Rallycross, World Rallycross, European Rallycross, and RallyX Nordic. They have won titles across different seasons including the FIA European Rallycross Drivers Championship in 2019 with Robin Larsson and FIA World Rallycross Drivers Championship in 2021 with Johan Kristoffersson.