TORC RACE RECAP: Las Vegas, Nevada

Corona, CA (October 28, 2009)- The Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL wrapped up its inaugural season on the Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 23rd and 24th, finishing up 16 rounds of the most intense off-road racing on the planet. The track, located just a few miles north of the famous Las Vegas Strip, presented a dreadful challenge for not only the field of talented off-road racers, but also the track crews who battled hard all weekend to keep the dusty conditions under control. With championships on the line, a very unpredictable track, and the fact that it was the last race of the season, made for some very entertaining and heart stopping racing action. In fact, there were very few fenders left on the trucks by the end of the weekend!

Marty Hart took the PRO Light class by storm taking both the win and the Oakley Bomb Run Award for the fastest lap on Friday night. Hart did not finish as well Saturday taking 5th place, but managed to hold on to a second in points for 2009. Chris Brandt would finish behind him with the second spot on the podium. Brandt would take third on Saturday. Casey Currie climbed the podium in Las Vegas with a third place finish Friday night, and an emotional first place finish on Saturday. 2009 PRO Light Champion Jeff Kincaid did not podium the entire weekend- but had enough points to finish the season on top and take home the championship with 9 podiums and a series leading 10 Oakley Bomb Run Awards. Chad Hord suffered mechanical problems on Friday but made a great comeback on Saturday. He battled hard but was unable to pass Currie on the final lap and settled for a second place finish. Hord rounded out the top 3 in the points race for the season.

The tightest points race of the weekend was the AMSOIL PRO 2WD class with Rob MacCachren and Ricky Johnson battling it out until the end. MacCachren would take the win Friday night and the Oakley Bomb, with Johnson taking second. The results flip flopped on Saturday with Johnson coming out victorious and MacCachren taking second. Even after leading the entire race Saturday, Johnson would miss the championship by only four points. Third place finishers for the weekend were Jeremy McGrath (Friday) and Dan Vanden Heuvel (Saturday). Third place points finisher Todd LeDuc took home the Oakley Bomb Run Award for Saturday.

The LeDuc boys dominated the Kumho Tires PRO 4×4 class on Friday night under the lights with Kyle taking the win, and father Curt taking second place. Scott Douglas took third place and Rick Huseman clocked the fastest lap bringing him to a total of seven Oakley Bomb Run Awards for 2009.

The PRO 4×4 was the last race of the evening on Saturday, but well worth the wait. It was a true “last man standing” scenario with only four trucks finishing in a race that featured dramatic flips, crashes and even a fire as Scott Douglas’ truck exploded into a fireball just in front of the Red Bull hospitality tent. Johnny Greaves led early, but caught a rut on lap 4 and rolled, taking him out of the race-but not until he had recorded the fastest lap to take home the Oakley Bomb Award. Mike Jenkins and Steve Barlow battled fender-to-fender on the last lap with Jenkins edging ahead at the finish line to get his first PRO 4X4 win. Barlow’s second place also gave him his first podium of the year. Curt LeDuc would round off the podium in third place. Rick Huseman lost his steering due to heavy contact halfway through the race but had enough points to score himself the 2009 Championship.

Bryce Menzies and Ryan Arciero competed in their first TORC races in the PRO 2WD class. Both drivers are hoping to return to the series full time in 2010.

The TORC Series will return with a vengeance in 2010 with an amped up schedule and new stops. Stay tuned for a schedule in the upcoming weeks.