Capturing the inaugural trophy.
All races start somewhere, and the Red Bull Frozen Rush has begun its long legacy with a spectacular inaugural event. At the Sunday River ski resort in Maine, KMC Wheels driver, Ricky Johnson took home the first-ever victory at the Red Bull Frozen Rush event.
It was just a little under a year ago that that Johnson took his Menzies Motorsports Pro 4 short course truck to the harsh mountain slopes for the first time. But his victory proved that he was ahead of the learning curve.
“I’m ecstatic, but more than anything I’m really honored to be a part of something new,” said Johnson. “We’re in a society where guys are jumping out of hot air balloons at the edge of space—how many times do you get to be the first guy to do something? I’m the first one to win Frozen Rush. Last year I was the first one to drive a Pro 4 down a mountain of snow. To come back after hitting the wall yesterday and winning today—I’m ecstatic.”
Seven other talented drivers including KMC Wheels teammates Bryce Menzies and Carl Renezeder participated in the inaugural Red Bull Frozen Rush event, with KMC Wheels drivers taking an impressive two of three spots on the podium.
The Red Bull Frozen Rush event showcased eight knock-out style rounds with two trucks racing through the mile-long snow course at once. The competition featured four first-round races, two semifinals, one third-place race, and the final first-place race to decide the winner.
In the first round KMC Wheels and Menzies Motorsports teammates, Johnson and Menzies squared off and Johnson won by a hair – 0.2 seconds. As the event progressed, Menzies was matched up against pole-sitter Rob MacCachren in a battle for third place, while Johnson battled Johnny Greaves.
The final two races saw MacCachren go too wide on a turn to allow Menzies to secure the third place victory. In the highlighted matchup, Johnson took home first place after Greaves was assessed a five-second penalty for hitting a marker.
“I’m really happy with the outcome of the event,” said Menzies. “I’m not a Pro 4 driver, I’m a Pro 2 driver, so coming in I knew it was going to be a struggle. But I beat Rob MacCachren, we got third, we were on the box. I’m just super pumped about this whole event, it went off so well. The fans, everybody that was here were cheering—I’m so happy about it.”
KMC Wheels driver, Carl Renezeder started off well after getting a top-three qualifying position but his race day ended early after he hit a concrete barrier to knock him out of the event.
“It’s always great to drive my truck in front of such great fans,” said Renezeder. “I’ll do it anywhere—anywhere, any time.”
The inaugural Red Bull Frozen Rush will be shown on NBC on Sunday, February 2nd, as part of the Red Bull Signature Series.
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