Chris Lawrence said when he's racing against younger brother Mikey "we really don't go at it too much," but if they ever were battling for a win "I probably would take his door out."
Mikey Lawrence said "there's a level of competitiveness, but also respect. We're not going to flip each other, but we'll definitely put a door to each other. The door is okay, the bumper is not. That's the rule."
The objective now is to get into a position where they might have to pay attention to the rule. They joined the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series presented by GEICO as rookies in the Pro Lite class last year and the closest they've been at the finish of a race was 6th (Mikey) and 7th (Chris) in the first round of that 2013 season.
This season Chris is off to the best start and is ninth in the points after four rounds, but Mikey is mired in 21st after missing round four at Lake Elsinore (California) Motorsports Park April 26 to compete in the SCORE desert series.
Mikey has been racing in the desert since 2007, often with father Mark Lawrence as a teammate, and has won three Class 10 championships. He said he had wanted to do the Lucas Oil short course series as well, though, because "you don't get this kind of advertising from the desert."
The hurdle was convincing grandfather John Lawrence, who is both the family patriarch and principal sponsor and according to Mikey "doesn't like (short course) as much as the desert."
Chris hadn't been racing for a while. A professional jet ski racer who was home schooled as a teenager so he could travel the circuit, he quit and "went to work at the factory" when he and wife Amber welcomed the first of their three children.
The factory, in South El Monte, California, is the home of Lawrence Equipment, the company John and his wife formed in 1971. Chris said the company manufactures food processing equipment, in particular tortilla machines, and is doing well enough both in the U.S. and overseas that "our backlog is about a year out right now."
Mikey said the business and racing dovetail nicely because "in just about every town we race in we have two or three customers," but grandpa John still had to be persuaded to build a truck for Chris when the 31-year-old Seal Beach, California, resident wanted to go racing again.
"So we got his truck built," said 26-year-old Mikey, who married Kati Cummings last fall, "and my grandpa says 'did you want to do this too?' I said I've always wanted to do this. Are you kidding me? This is motocross in trucks."
It takes practice and more practice to develop the necessary skills, however, and for the Lawrences that means squeezing time out of a crowded schedule that in the past year has sent Chris to Korea and Mikey to Australia and New Zealand on business.
"We just make it work," Chris said. "Of course we want to go out and compete and do well and finish up front, but there's a learning process and we've also got to take care of the business first because that's what pays the bills. We do what we can do.
"It's quite the experience. Jumping a truck 150 feet is something I never thought I'd do, but we're out here doing it and it's a blast."
CHRIS LAWRENCE AT A GLANCE
Age: 31 (8 May 1983)
Lives in: Seal Beach, California
Marital status: Married; wife's name is Amber. They have three children – Logan, Luke and Paige
Occupation: Service manager
Car number: 58 Pro Lite
Type of chassis: LZE
Engine: Dodge
Crew Chief: Louis Zavas
Sponsors: Lawrence Equipment, Mother's Bar, MyLucasOil.com
Years in racing: 9
Divisions raced: Jet Ski, Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Pro Lite
Series points standings: 14 Pro Lite (2013)
MIKEY LAWRENCE AT A GLANCE
Age: 26 (10 March 1988)
Lives in: Sunset Beach, California
Marital status: Married; wife's name is Kati
Occupation: Service technician
Car number: 85 Pro Lite
Type of chassis: LZE
Engine: Dodge
Crew Chief: Louis Zavas
Sponsors: Lawrence Equipment, Mother's Bar, MyLucasOil.com
Years in racing: 8
Divisions raced: Class 10 Desert, Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Pro Lite
Championships and awards: 3-time Class 10 champion in SCORE desert series
Series points standings: 9 Pro Lite (2013)
