K&N Filters driver Bradley Morris celebrating his first win in his Pro2 | The beginning of the season was a learning curve for the new K&N Filters Pro 2 for Bradley Morris. Then halfway through his rookie season, you would think that he was a veteran in the class with the confidence he showed in the Pro 2 and also his Pro 4 truck. Bradley and the BME Motorsports team has been busy these last few months traveling between the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series and the TORC Series. He has raced three of the last four weekends in four different states.Everything started after Utah in June, where Bradley got his first win in the K&N Filters Pro 2 leading every single lap of the race. This is where Bradley started feeling great behind the wheel. At this point, it seemed like everything started to click with Bradley, and the team was getting the trucks to mesh with Bradley’s driving style. He also got comfortable with throwing the Pro 4 sideways into a turn at high speeds and not hesitating, thinking he was going to roll. This did happen, however, in Crandon, Wisconsin, where he barrel-rolled five times in the turn before the finish line. 
Show casing the K&N Filters Pro2 and Pro4 at the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri | In Missouri, the races were held at the brand new track that was built at the Lucas Oil Speedway. It is about one and a third miles long and has just about everything you could put into a track from fast banked turns, huge jumps, tight turn sections, and fast straight-aways. The main jump on the track has the trucks jumping over 200 feet and up to 260 feet with a smooth landing. Bradley really enjoyed the track design and was very fast, he said, "The new track was designed with everything you want in a track, I was having fun jumping the back jump. I haven’t jumped that big since I broke my neck, with the landing built correctly I was able to do it with no issues or pain.” 
Soaring the K&N Filters Pro4 over the mega jump in Wheatland, Missouri | In his Pro 4, he was very fast all weekend with him battling at the front in both rounds, where he finished on the podium in third place in Round 7. In Round 8, he would slide up the track in a very slick corner after the huge jump while battling for the lead, which had all the trucks behind him slam into his truck and disabling it, ending his race. In his Pro 2, Bradley would battle hard in the third place position where he was on the inside heading into the tight S turn, where he came in just a little too fast and the second place truck having some issues losing all speed, would cause Bradley to hit the rear bedside of the other driver causing it to roll. Bradley would get a black flag and have to go to the back of the field with only a few laps remaining. With the amount of speed that Bradley was showing, he was able to get all the way back towards the front just missing the podium in fourth place.The team headed to Reno with only the Pro 2 and saved the Pro 4 for Crandon, but Bradley still got to drive in the Pro 4 races. Fellow racer, Rob MacCachren, would end up having a family emergency and would have to leave the races. With Rob only two points from the Championship lead, he asked Bradley if he would drive his truck and be his replacement. Bradley couldn’t believe that he was about to drive for his favorite driver who he has looked up to his entire life. The first time that Bradley would sit in the truck would be during qualifying for Saturday’s race, where only in three laps Bradley would end up in third place for the start of the race. 
K&N Filters Bradley Morris fills in for Rockstar Energy Rob MacCachren in the Pro4 | During the race, Bradley would get shuffled back a few spots while trying to get comfortable in the truck and also not trying to damage it. Bradley would get Rob some crucial championship points finishing in sixth place. On Sunday, Bradley was enjoying the setup of the truck and would battle hard and fast where he would finish on the podium in third place in the Rockstar Energy Pro 4. He said, “Not very often do you get to drive your favorite drivers truck. I have looked up to Rob my entire life, and to be able to drive his truck to help him get points for the championship was a big honor.” Bradley wasn’t only fast in Rob's Pro 4, he was also pushing it in his own Pro 2. 
Bradley Morris captured a second place finish in his K&N Filters Pro2 in Reno | Starting on the second row on Saturday, Bradley would be up to second place after turn one, and the leader and Badley would put a gap on the rest of the trucks in a very short time but unfortunately, Bradley would end up having mechanical problems that would end his day. Just knowing how fast the truck was and what it could have been, gave Bradley more determination to go the following day. Bradley would find himself in the same situation with the leader and himself checking out on rest of the trucks. Bradley would stay right with the leader until the end of the race when he was slowed down by a driver a lap down but still trying to race the leader, giving the leader the gap they needed to keep Bradley in second place which also gave Bradley his third straight weekend with a podium in his Pro 2. 
Flying by the massive crowds in Crandon Wisconsin at the Amsoil Cup | With less than a week before the next race the team left from Reno, Nevada, and drove straight to Crandon, Wisconsin. They arrived there on Wednesday and had practice on Thursday for the TORC event at the Crandon World Cup and the Amsoil Cup Race where the Pro 2s raced against the Pro 4s. Bradley would start third fastest in practice and while trying to get faster he ended up rolling five times after throwing it into a turn and it catching some traction in the soft cushion of the turn. Luckily, the team was able to get everything fixed and ready for the races. In the first race, Bradley would get pushed to the back after turn one and would make him battle the entire race, finishing sixth. In the Amsoil Cup, Bradley would battle with the top TORC drivers for fourth place of the Pro 4s. They would battle while passing all the Pro 2 trucks except two who were next. With Bradley being fourth in the Pro 4 and sixth overall, Bradley would have electrical issues ending his race as a result of the crash during practice. 
Jumping the K&N Filters Pro4 in Crandon Wisconsin during the TORC Event | With a one weekend break between races, this gave the team only about five days to get both trucks ready for Glen Helen after all the travel time. Glen Helen is one of Bradley’s favorite tracks, where it used to be called Morrisville back when Bradley raced Pro Lites. This is something that Bradley wanted to continue in his Pro 2 and Pro 4. Bradley was fast in both trucks during practice and qualifying. In the Pro 4, Bradley would battle hard the entire race, until the last few laps where he ended up breaking his rear shocks while in third place. Bradley had to do everything he could to stay on the podium, so he would give it everything the truck had on the straights and slow it down some in the corners. Then he would have to slow it all the way down going over the jumps. At the end of the race, he crossed the finish line in third place with fourth place right behind him. 
Bradley Morris shooting flames in his K&N Filters Pro4 at Glen Helen Raceway | With that momentum, he would jump in the Pro 2 where he was starting on the front row. Bradley would jump out to the front and take the lead where he would put a gap on the second place truck. After a caution, everyone was right back on his bumper, but he would jump ahead once again with Rob MacCachren on his tail in second place. While battling, the two of them would separate themselves from rest of the trucks. With only a few laps left and right after a caution, Bradley would over rotate just a tiny bit, where Rob was trying a new line down low and would cause him to run into Bradley taking both of them off the track. They were both able to get back going, and with their speed, both of them would get back to the podium with Bradley finishing in second.On Sunday, it looked like the same race after the second lap, but Bradley started further back in the group of trucks but was able to work his way up to second where it was once again Bradley and Rob battling for the top spot. Three-fourths of the way through the race the two of them would jump side by side over the large table top and when Bradley landed it would snap the drive shaft ending the race for him but what an incredible race to watch up to that point. 
K&N Filters Sponsored Bradley Morris leading in his Pro2 in Glen Helen | Racing the way that Bradley has been doing has put him just five points from taking the lead in the Rookie of the Year points race for Pro 2. It is also giving Bradley and the team the mindset that they are going in the right direction and have the capability to be on the podium every race if not the top of the box. With only one more race weekend in the season being held at Wild Horse Pass in Chandler, Arizona, it is going to bring determination to be on the top podium. Bradley will also be chasing the Rookie of the Year title to add to his Rookie of the Year in the Pro Lite and Pro Buggy classes. So watch for the BME Motorsports K&N Filters Pro 2 and Pro 4 to be on top of the podium with a huge smile on Bradley’s face holding up his trophies and his replica RC Truck. |
