See Why Brad Lovell is into Broncos
Broncos have been in Brad Lovell’s family since he was born.
Born and raised in Colorado Springs, Colo., Brad Lovell and his brother Roger grew up camping and off-roading in the mountains with their ’83 and ’88 family Ford Broncos. Begging their dad to take the “rough roads,” the Lovells always had a taste for adventure.
It’s no wonder Lovell would go on to win multiple rock-crawling championships, King of the Hammers Every Man Challenge (three times) and be named the 2012 Dirt Sports Driver of the Year.
Check out more on our July featured enthusiast below.
A family tradition
In high school, Lovell’s dad bought a ’76 Ford Bronco that his sons helped rebuild. Their labor of love resulted in an engine fire, punctured tire and a forbidden joy ride that quickly ended when the brakes failed.
After the project was completed, the Lovell brothers used the Bronco a handful of times before their dad passed away in 2000. In 2019, Lovell revived the Bronco so he and his sons could explore the backcountry, like he once did with his dad, during the Expedition Colorado off-road adventure.
Keeping it in the Ford family, Lovell also got a Ford Ranger at the age of 16. Modifying what was intended to be his daily driver, Lovell and his brother built a competition rock-crawler and started attending events, winning all along the way. That same Ford Ranger led the duo most recently to an Every Man Challenge win at King of the Hammers.
Another Bronco build
In 2014, Lovell raced in his first NORRA 1000 with Boyd Jaynes in his Ford Bronco. Fellow racer Chris Sullivan ended up in a bind after cresting a blind rise and having to roll his 1968 Bronco to avoid a massive boulder. After locals helped get it back upright, he realized the Bronco was totaled.
A few months later, Lovell came across that same Bronco in the classified ads. After discussing it over a few beers with his brother Roger, they decided to add another Bronco build to their resume – this time a race Bronco.
Yet another labor of love required new sheet metal and the reworking of a twisted frame, but they finished just in time for the 2015 NORRA 1000.
Unfortunately, about halfway down the peninsula, the Lovells lost the engine. After a complete engine overhaul, the trusty Ford Bronco has gone on to win its class three straight years down on the Baja Peninsula.
A labor of love and a lifetime of building Broncos has led Ford to feature Lovell in its upcoming release of the 2020 Ford Bronco.
Racing resumed last month with the Silver State 300. Lovell looks to take on a fourth straight win in his Bronco during a rescheduled NORRA 1000 Oct. 3-10.
Be sure to check out the rest of our featured enthusiasts here.
Until then, we’ll see you at the races!
