Bradley Morris shifts gears and spots for Curt LeDuc in his #24 truck at Wild Horse Motorsports Park in Arizona |
Morris was in the middle of the 2014 Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series where he was 1st in points in his Pro Buggy, and 2nd in his Pro Lite, when he crashed on his mountain bike and broke his neck, almost paralyzing himself. Bradley had to have surgery to place two plates and several screws into his neck, and thankfully still had some movement but not much sense of touch. By working hard in therapy and staying focused on his future, Bradley was able to get most of his movement back to normal.
The brand new #24 Pro 4 truck of Bradley Morris is ready for a great first season in 2016
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Even with everything feeling better, the vertebrates were still healing. With the healing process still in effect, the doctor told him he couldn’t race off road yet because of all the downward pressure that would be put on his spine when landing the jumps. However, the good news was that the doctor cleared him to do some road racing which allowed Bradley to sit in the driver’s seat and get his body and mind back into the racing mentality. Due to the type of injury he had, it was best to have Bradley step out of his current limited suspension race vehicles and into a different class. After a lot of thought and consideration, Bradley and the BME Motorsports Team decided it would be best for him to step up to Pro4 for the 2016 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series.
Bradley tests out his new Pro 4 and gets it ready for his official race return in 2016 |
Luckily, before Bradley had been hurt, he had been looking at the future and had already started testing in Curt LeDuc’s Pro 4 to see if that was a direction to go in the future. Working with Curt offered an amazing experience for Bradley, and he was able to gain great insight into his racing. Curt has raced everything from the Dakar Rally, Baja 1000, Pikes Peak, desert racing in all the different series, and short course from the beginning with the Mickey Thompson Series. This past year, Curt was inducted into the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame, and he is also one of K&N Engineering’s longest sponsored drivers, spanning over the past 30 years. Curt has since then officially retired from short course racing in 2014.
Curt LeDuc fills in for Bradley Morris in the first races of the 2016 season |
Over the past few years Curt, Bradley, and the BME Motorsports Team have become good friends and have been there to support each other. “Working with Curt has been great, learning from one of the most experienced drivers is great. He has driven everything and has learned something from each one, and now he is transferring that wisdom to me” stated Bradley. With Bradley not being cleared to race until after the 2016 Lucas Oil Off Road season opener at Wild Horse Motorsports Park in Arizona, Curt came out of retirement to fill in for his friend in his time of need. So now rather than Curt spotting for Bradley and teaching him some new tricks, Bradley was now going to be spotting for Curt. Curt showed up to the season opener and came out with his K&N Engineering sponsored Pro 4 to race for points, which gave Bradley a good start to his 2016 season with a top 10 and a top 5 finish.
After an intense surgery and rehab routine, Bradley is recovering well and is just about ready to get back on the track |
Bradley has been testing in his new Pro 4 truck for the last 8 months and also working hard to get the truck to its full potential, as well as getting comfortable in it. He has had to take it easy going over the jumps, but is able to drive it hard in the corners like he usually does. Slowly, it has all been coming together, and Bradley has been anxiously awaiting his time to shine in his brand new K&N and Kicker Audio Pro 4. Bradley said, “ I am super excited to bring a new driving style to Pro 4. After studying film of other drivers and videos of myself testing, I think that the smoothest way around the track while keeping the momentum moving forward is the fastest. This is going to be the key to my success.” It has been a long journey for Bradley to get to where he is today, and the fans have been asking non-stop when is he coming back and what class he going to be racing in. The class he was going to race was answered last year when the Pro 4 Chassis was getting a lot of attention, but no one new when he would be back.
The time has now come upon us for Bradley to get back on the track officially and take the green flag once again. Bradley will be making his Pro 4 debut at Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park for rounds 3 & 4 later this month. It has been almost two years since Bradley got injured, and to take the green flag at one of his home tracks is one of the best ways to make a come back. Watch for Bradley to put on a great show for the enormous cheering section there to watch him do what he loves. |
