Greaves Gambles His Way to the Top in Round 9 at Bark River with a Monster Start

Bark River, MI (August 12, 2007) – Johnny Greaves must have slammed a green Monster Energy drink before the start of the final race of the weekend here at Bark River. He took a huge holeshot away from the field from the 8^th spot and charged in for a big win. The win put Greave’s Monster Potawatomi Toyota in control of the Pro 4 points lead with an 11 point lead leaving Bark River round 9.

“I seem to be running well here at Bark River this year and it always feels good to win in front of my sponsor Forest County Potawatomi here in their backyard,” said Greaves. “I knew if I got a good start I stood a good chance of winning.”

Greaves and TRD took some risk running the engine full-out since the engine was showing some issues on the diagnostic equipment. “The engine had some time on it and we made the decision to go with it instead of making another engine change this weekend,” said Greaves’ crew chief Curt Greaves. “Johnny made our decision look good with the great start he got.”

“The motor actually ran pretty good,” stated Greaves. “I guess the boys at TRD were just really on their game with the engine diagnostics – these guys are the best!”

Greaves continues, once again to demonstrate his talent and passion for the podium and will make a run at both the WSORR and the CORR series titles.

Greaves Drives his way to the Podium despite Black Flag and Engine Damage at Bark River, Round 8

Bark River, MI (August 11, 2007) – Johnny Greaves maintained a narrow WSORR points lead even after an early race black flag during round 8 of the U.P. Off-Road 100 at Bark River, MI. Johnny was running in 5th when he made his move and had position on the 4th place running Kent Brascho. Johnny stuck the nose of his Monster Energy Potawatomi Toyota Pro-4x4 into the turn when he and the Brascho machine got tangled up sending Brascho off the track, but Johnny continued on taking an apparent fourth place running position. When the third place running Adrian Cenni pulled off for mechanical problems, it looked like another Greaves march to the front. That’s when WSORR issued the black flag to Johnny for the so-called “rough driving” incident with Brascho. Greaves took a trip through the hot pits for his penalty and within a couple of laps was able to take third place, but well behind the front runners, Scott Douglas and Carl Renezeder. In an effort to save the motor, Greaves didn’t push too hard and settled for a third place.

To add to Greaves’ issues, he had a tough decision to make in the race concerning his engine. During the pre race inspection by TRD, they noticed some irregularities in the engine – with little time to make adjustments. This left Greaves with the option to either “go for it” and hope all worked out, or take it easy on the motor during round 8 in hopes of saving the engine for Sunday’s race.

Greaves was non-explicit about the decision. “I ran her pretty hard because I wanted to win as always. When racing against these guys you can’t take it too easy you know,” said Greaves after the race. Greaves went on to comment about the black flag incident, “I don’t really know if it was a fair call by the officials or not – these things happen in a good race and I guess they made the call the way they saw it – no hard feelings about it. I am just glad I was able to finish as high as I did today.”

The Monster Comes Out on Friday Night, Greaves Wins WSORR Round 7

Bark River, MI (August 10, 2007) – Johnny Greaves and his Monster Energy Potawatomi Toyota Pro-4 Off-Road team started the weekend off right with a Friday night win at Bark River’s U.P 100 with the rare Friday evening race, World Series Off-Road Racing offered a free admission night for the fans which drew a large crowd to see pro class drivers compete.

The win did not come without great deal of team effort. Randall Speir, Off-Road Program Manager for TRD and Johnny made the call to change the engine when a glitch developed following the morning practice. The change proved to be a good call with a combination of Johnny the TRD motor and BFGoodrich tires all hooking up for an impressive first place finish over a field of 7 Pro-4x4 trucks.

When the green flag flew, Greaves found himself in third place with Scott Douglas and Adrian Cenni in first and second and Carl Renezeder right on Johnny’s tail. On lap four, Johnny overtook Douglas and Cenni to take the lead and never looked back. Renezeder pulled off the track with mechanical problems leaving Al Drews to battle for second. Johnny “checked out” and won by a comfortable margin to once again put his Monster Energy Potawatomi Toyota on top of the podium.

Greaves Puts Forest County Potawatomi on Top of Podium in Bark River with Another Monster Win in WSORR Round 6

Bark River, MI (July 15, 2007) – Johnny Greaves repeated his Saturday performance by winning the WSORR Round VI by a 30 second interval in the highly competitive Pro-4 Class. Greaves drove his Monster Energy Potawatomi Toyota to the front of the pack in lap one and never looked back.

“It felt good to get a weekend sweep going again,” stated Greaves. “The Forest County Potawatomi fans were all here and I was just glad I could give them a sweep here close to home.”

The race began with Greaves in a tough starting position near the outside as they began their “land rush” start. But Greaves put on a fast charge down the hill toward the first turn, passing all but Adrian Cenni in the first turn. Cenni would crash in the second turn giving Greaves the opening to move out front while veterans Scott Douglass and Carl Renezeder battled hard for second and third positions. As race unfolded, Greaves continued to increase his lead on every lap. Douglas finally secured the second spot when Renezeder pulled off with a mechanical problem on lap 6. Kent Brasho would sneak in to finish third and round out the podium.

“This was really fun this weekend since a lot of my local fans were here. We have done some testing since the last race and it really paid off. My TRD Tundra really felt good out there and that always makes a difference,” said an elated Greaves from the pits.

Next, Greaves heads to Crandon where he will go after the coveted Borg-Warner Cup on Labor Day weekend.

Greaves Wins U.P. Off-Road 100 at Bark River Michigan by a Monster Margin

Bark River, MI (July 14, 2007) – Johnny Greaves showed that the Monster Energy Potawatomi Toyota Pro-4 Off-Road Team is a “prime time” racing program by winning the annual U.P. Off-Road 100 here at Bark River, Michigan by a 15 second interval over a strong field of veteran short-course racers. Much to the delight of the huge crowd of Johnny Greaves fans, Greaves had his BFGoodrich Tires humming on the well-prepped track in the upper peninsula of Michigan.

“BFG’s really worked,” said a happy Greaves from the podium. “Curt and the crew had the truck prepped well this time around and it paid off for us.”

The race started from a land rush where Greaves fought hard to end up in third behind veterans Scott Douglas and Carl Renezeder. Greaves wasted no time going to the lead when he made a trademark pass on Renezeder in the back corner turn, leaping into the turn. It was just a matter of time before Greaves tracked down Douglas and made the pass for the lead. It was pretty much smooth sailing from there to the end as Greaves continued to add to is lead with every lap. “I was happy to get the lead early [and] see a lot of blue sky,” said Greaves.

“He did what he had to do today,” said Randall Speir, Off-Road Program Manager for TRD. “There are a lot of Toyota guys back in Costa Mesa that work hard to have days like this and its great to work with Greaves and the Monster Energy Potawatomi Team who put us on the top of the podium today.”

Johnny Greaves, the winningest racer in CORR history, continues his quest to be the fastest off-road driver at the track on Sunday and will once again endeavor to put his team on the podium.

Greaves Brings Monster Energy Potawatomi Toyota Pro-4 Off-Road Team “Home to Crandon” for Big Weekend – Debuts New Tundra

Crandon, WI (June 24, 2007) - Johnny Greaves rolled into Crandon this weekend with big plans to show the hometown crowd his new Toyota Tundra Truck body and give the fans what they expect – a hard charging Johnny G “all-out” charge to the front. He did just that and finished the weekend with a first place, second place and a damaged truck from an accident in the Potawatomi Chairman’s Cup Race.

“Overall, I was disappointed not to win the cup race for the Forest County Potawatomi fans, but in really was a pretty solid weekend of racing,” stated Greaves after the race. “In this sport it is pretty tough to get through three back-to-back races in two days with out some issues. It is a pretty tough sport, you know.”

In the first race on Saturday, Greaves started out in 5th from the start and decided to sit back and watch for a while before making a big charge that put him in second behind Scott Douglas. Greaves went for the pass over the big jump but Douglas tapped his brakes sending Johnny G into the back of the Douglas truck. This bent the hood up in Greaves face and he could not see well enough to take any chances. He went on to finish second anyway.

In the second WSORR point’s race on Saturday, Greave showed that his new team has what it takes and “checked out” for a big win. He led “box to wire” with a big holeshot at the famed Crandon first turn. “It was open-air” form that point,” exclaimed Greaves. “This is what we came looking for and I am very proud of the way my team and truck worked today.”

In the Chairman’s Cup Race, Greaves got off to a solid start behind Scott Douglas and the rest of the Pro-2 guys that got a 20 second “head-start”. Douglas and Greaves easily picked their way through the Pro-2’s and were off to the races. Douglas crashed into the rear of Forest County Potawatomi’s Evan Evans while Greaves was following close behind ready to make a pass. As the contact developed, Greaves clipped Douglas and severely damaged his trusty Fox Shox sending Greaves out to the pits to survey the damage. The damage was done and Greaves was through for the day. “I was really planning on making a pass on Douglas at any moment when he got into it with Evans,” said Greaves. “I am really disappointed because my Toyota was really running fast all weekend, so I knew it was possible to sweep the weekend.”

Overall, it was encouraging to watch Johnny get two podium finishes and show great speed on the track he helped to make famous.

Greaves Gets Hit Hard Sunday in Chula Visa for Both Races

Chula Vista, CA (June 10, 2007) - Johnny Greaves’ troubles continued Sunday in Chula Vista with heavy equipment damage from race incidents ending Greaves stronghold on the CORR points series. The Monster Energy Potawatomi Toyota pit crew worked constantly from qualifying on through the end of the day as the carnage continued in every race of the weekend. The day started with a broken gear in the transmission during qualifying for the Jason Baldwin Memorial Cup race.

The Greaves crew, lead by Curt Greaves, pulled “a rabbit out of the hat” and got the transmission ready in the nick of time before the cup race, only to see their man get nailed by Adrian Cenni and Travis Coyne breaking the front drive-shaft on a restart near the middle of the race.

To finish the day, Greaves ran excellent for 5 laps in Round 6 of the CORR championship only to be hit hard by Renezeder in turn two and breaking the rear stabilizer putting him out of the race. All in all it was a very tough weekend for the TRD backed Greaves.

“No matter how hard I tried to stay out of the contact, I seemed to end up in the middle of it in every turn,” said a frustrated Greaves after the last race of the day. “I really got hit hard a few times and my truck shows that I got the worst of it. My Toyota TRD motor really ran well and the crew got a real work-out.”

The CORR race started out with a great start and another Greaves-like move on the restart after a crash brought out the yellow flags in lap 5. Johnny moved from fourth into second in turn one and then was really slammed by Renezeder as traffic got sticky in turn two. The day ended for the Potawatomi backed racer as the impact broke the rear-end.

“The contact by Carl was enough to break about anything. There is really nothing I could have done to build the truck to withstand that kind of contact,” said a disappointed Greaves. “We will go back home and re-group and be ready for Crandon like always. I have a veteran team and we will get this Tundra prepped and ready for the rest of the season.”