Lucas Oil rules the roost when it comes to short-course off-road racing out here in the West Coast, while TORC carries the torch out in the Midwest. This is the way things go. But in the simplest terms, both share an equal goal: sending trucks flying through the air, flinging mud, smashing into walls, and providing thrills for racer and spectator alike.
With the advent of action cameras like the GoPro Hero, we now have the pleasure of seeing just what it’s like for these off-road racers up, as up close and personal as sitting in a passenger seat. A recent video posted to the GoPro YouTube channel accomplished such a feat, not only depicting one angle, but every angle thanks to high-tech arrangements of the cameras that provide a 900-degree viewpoint. We’ve seen it before with Shannon Campbell in his Ultra4 vehicle, and this time, it’s the famous Greaves family that serves up the action.
What’s more interesting about this video is its multiple scenes, showing us not just the inside of the race vehicle, but also the spectator bleachers, pit section, and more. Not to put too sharp a point on it, but this video really does feel like it offers a 360-degree perspective on what the TORC experience is like.
“When you’re chasing someone, you’re thinking like a lap ahead,” says CJ in a voiceover. “You’re chasing him like, ‘Alright, what is this guy going to do?’ And then you’re inside out, you’re sliding the other way.” To say that these short-course races is akin to controlled chaos is a good description.