Curt LeDuc rolled to another Best In The Desert(BITD) series Class 8000 win during last weekend’s TSCO Vegas to Reno race while riding on Toyo Open Country M/T tires.
LeDuc’s victory has been termed was remarkable, as his Rockstar/Makita/KC HiLites/Kal Gard/Toyo Ford F-150 outpaced the second-place truck in his class by more than five hours by the end of the grueling 453-mile long race through Nevada.
Curt LeDuc and his son Kyle, both hailing from Cherry Valley, Calif., were joined on board by Brent Wendt from Riverside and John Becka of Irvine. Drawing the 100th starting position, the team had to pass several trucks and buggies to make their way to the front of the field. Due to their starting position, Team LeDuc had to deal with exposed rocks and deep silt beds.
“There were enough rocks on this course to make a duplicate of the Great Wall of China,” says Curt LeDuc. “Our Toyo’s are definitely tough tires, and the reason we finished so well.”
This most recent win for the returning BITD Class 8000 champion is the fourth consecutive desert racing win for the Team LeDuc combination of driver, truck and tires. This year they have already won the Bluewater Resort & Casino Parker 425, the Terrible’s “250” at Primm, and the recent KC HiLites Midnight Special.
“Curt LeDuc with Toyo Tires captured the 2007 Best In The Desert Class 8000 championship,” reports Stan Chen, Toyo’s manager of events and motorsports. “With this fourth consecutive win, Team LeDuc and Toyo’s Open Country M/T tires are once again proving they are an unstoppable force for 2008.”
For more information, visit www.toyo.com.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
LeDuc, riding on Toyo tires, wins rough Vegas to Reno off-road race
Team 71 Racing Vegas to Reno summary
TEAM 71 RACING TAKES FIRST PLACE IN VEGAS-TO-RENO
August 26, 2008 TEAM 71 Racing finished first overall to win the nation's longest and perhaps the most prestigious off-road race, the Best in the Desert TSCO Vegas-to-Reno race in the Nevada desert.
This tremendous victory marks the first overall win for TEAM 71 Racing and their driver Rick D. Johnson. The team finished ahead of everyone in their Trick Truck class and the entire field of racers with their phenomenal run.
"It was just an absolutely awesome day," said Johnson. "We just kept moving forward and tried to be really conservative in the rocks and not get flats. Sometimes, smooth is fast."
Johnson and co-driver Brian Sallee kept a consistently fast pace in moving from their 17th place starting spot up to the front of the pack. Johnson was ecstatic after the first overall victory in his 25-year career.
"We just kept passing people all day. It was an absolutely beautiful day for us."
The rugged terrain of the course wreaked havoc on tires throughout the day. TEAM 71 was able to overcome the difficulty of the race because of the superb performance by their new General Grabber competition tire.
"The course was challenging, but the tires hooked up great. The truck was dialed in for this course, and we are stoked to be bringing home a win for General Tire and Castrol," exclaimed Johnson. "Our Ford ran great all day, all of the extensive work we did on our engine program with Castrol paid off and the team really came together. It was absolutely awesome."
The number one overall finish puts TEAM 71 Racing in first place Trick Truck class in the Best in the Desert points standings. The Silver State 300 and the Henderson 400 are the only two remaining races for the 2008 BITD Points Championship.
"It is an incredible accomplishment to win this distinguished race," said Team Owner Eric Place. "We are seeing the results of all of the hard work by our crew and our sponsors. It is a fantastic accomplishment for everyone involved."
Team 71 Racing Vegas to Reno summary
TEAM 71 RACING TAKES FIRST PLACE IN VEGAS-TO-RENO
August 26, 2008 TEAM 71 Racing finished first overall to win the nation's longest and perhaps the most prestigious off-road race, the Best in the Desert TSCO Vegas-to-Reno race in the Nevada desert.
This tremendous victory marks the first overall win for TEAM 71 Racing and their driver Rick D. Johnson. The team finished ahead of everyone in their Trick Truck class and the entire field of racers with their phenomenal run.
"It was just an absolutely awesome day," said Johnson. "We just kept moving forward and tried to be really conservative in the rocks and not get flats. Sometimes, smooth is fast."
Johnson and co-driver Brian Sallee kept a consistently fast pace in moving from their 17th place starting spot up to the front of the pack. Johnson was ecstatic after the first overall victory in his 25-year career.
"We just kept passing people all day. It was an absolutely beautiful day for us."
The rugged terrain of the course wreaked havoc on tires throughout the day. TEAM 71 was able to overcome the difficulty of the race because of the superb performance by their new General Grabber competition tire.
"The course was challenging, but the tires hooked up great. The truck was dialed in for this course, and we are stoked to be bringing home a win for General Tire and Castrol," exclaimed Johnson. "Our Ford ran great all day, all of the extensive work we did on our engine program with Castrol paid off and the team really came together. It was absolutely awesome."
The number one overall finish puts TEAM 71 Racing in first place Trick Truck class in the Best in the Desert points standings. The Silver State 300 and the Henderson 400 are the only two remaining races for the 2008 BITD Points Championship.
"It is an incredible accomplishment to win this distinguished race," said Team Owner Eric Place. "We are seeing the results of all of the hard work by our crew and our sponsors. It is a fantastic accomplishment for everyone involved."
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Curt LeDuc Wins Class 8000 of TSCO Vegas to Reno Off-Road Race
Curt LeDuc marched to another Best In The Desert (BITD) series Class 8000 win during last weekend’s TSCO Vegas to Reno race while on Toyo® Open Country M/T® tires. LeDuc’s victory was remarkable, as his Rockstar/Makita/KC HiLites/Kal Gard Lubricants/Toyo Tires® Ford F-150 outpaced the second place truck in his class by more than five hours by the end of the grueling 453-mile long race through Nevada.
Curt LeDuc and son Kyle, both hailing from Cherry Valley, California; were joined on board by Brent Wendt from Riverside, California, and John Becka from Irvine, California. Drawing the 100th starting position, the team had to pass several trucks and buggies to make their way to the front of the field. Due to their starting position, Team LeDuc had to deal with exposed rocks and deep silt beds.
"There were enough rocks on this course to make a duplicate of the Great Wall of China," said Curt LeDuc. "Our Toyo’s are definitely tough tires, and the reason we finished so well."
This most recent win for the returning BITD Class 8000 champion further demonstrates the strength of Team LeDuc, as this is the fourth consecutive desert racing win for the combination of driver, truck and tires. LeDuc has already won the Bluewater Resort & Casino Parker 425, the Terrible’s "250" at Primm, and the recent KC HiLites Midnight Special during 2008.
"Curt LeDuc with Toyo Tires captured the 2007 Best In The Desert Class 8000 championship," said Stan Chen, manager of events and motorsports, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. "With this fourth consecutive win, Team LeDuc and Toyo’s Open Country M/T tires are once again proving they are an unstoppable force for 2008."
Highway to San Felipe Reopened.
5 p.m. Tuesday - Emergency road repairs have been made and the traffic is flowing again between Mexicali and San Felipe. Also, there are no significant problems with the road south from San Felipe to Puertecitos as of now. Note that more rain is possible before this upcoming weekend so check back with us for the latest information before you start your trip.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
TOTALLY OFF ROAD RADIOs line up for Wed 8/27/08 !
This Weeks Show!
Wednesday 8/27/2008
Co Host: Bryant Layton
Some of our guests include:
Dr.
David Jacob Who is a Chiroprator / Clinic Director and deals with aftercare rehab for drivers after accidents and will tell us about that and what to do before off roading and racing to prevent aches and pains,
Ryan 'Bonzen' Lewis of Bonzen productions who also races 1450 and is just coming off winning his class at the MDR Night race a couple weeks ago and will tell us all bout his 'First Win',
Rick Johnson from Barstow who has an extensive history in Off Road Racing and is now racing Trick / Trophy Truck division and after starting 17th off the line,Just won last Weekends BITD Vegas to Reno race Overall!,
Tony Vanillo who is not only the Competition Director of CORR but whos North American Offroad is the Company that built the truck that Rick won V2R in against alot of Big Competition. We will talk to him about how that feels and how the CORR saeason is going thus far, &
Dan'The Flying Dutchman' Vandenheuvel who will call us with a Crandon reoprt and we will talk to him about filling in for Johnny Greaves in Pomona in P2 & P4 after Johnny's big time crash plus more!
It's going to be great show,
Don't Miss it!
For all the info, Go to www. torrshow. com
SF road washed out
http://www.sanfelipe.com.mx/weather/index.html
Tuesday 26 August, 9 a.m. We have reports that the Mexicali-San Felipe road has been washed out by heavy rain at La Ventana (mid-point of the journey) and traffic is being turned round. We will post an update here when we have further information.
11 a.m. Update : The road at km 101 near La Ventana has been washed away and no traffic is able to pass between San Felipe and Mexicali in either direction at this time. Also note that the remnants of the storm are still a couple of hundred miles south of San Felipe, south of the Midriff Islands. More rain is possible on Thursday!!
Heidi Steele turns diamonds into dust
Diamonds or Dust
10 year wedding anniversary celebration or Vegas to Reno in the dirt?...Not a tough choice for the off-road series point’s leader.
The longest off road race in the USA was held August 22nd across the desert of Nevada and Heidi Steele of San Clemente, CA was faced with the choice of ideal female traditions or racing for a championship. Luckily for the Best in the Desert and SCORE series points leader, she is married to a fellow off road race junkie which made the non-decision that much easier. It was Heidi’s choice to turn what is normally the Diamond anniversary into Dust!
Heidi and her driving partner, Rene Brugger of Chula Vista CA, made a decision pre race that they would race to Reno to win but they had to finish at all costs to protect their series points lead. “We have added a lot of races this year by racing the two premiere off-road series and it has made us very aware of what is happening around us and what we have to do to complete this championship challenge” said Steele who is also the Vice President of Human Resources for AccentCare in Irvine, CA.
“I think I am living in role reversal, what husband doesn’t want to ride dirt bikes or car race on their anniversary,” said Heidi’s husband Cameron Steele who is a full-time competitor in the SCORE Trophy Truck series. “I just never thought I would be watching my wife race and be riding in the back seat of a chase truck from 6 am until 5:30 am the next day and have my wife land on the podium on our 10 year!” laughed Steele and added “She is a dream come true.” Heidi would take on the second half of the race after Rene drove the first half, a total of 457 miles. Steele saddled up at dusk and crossed the finish line at about 3:45 am. “She stayed out late for her anniversary celebration,” quipped Cameron.
Heidi, Rene and their team of key players Alan Trimble and Danny Street Jr., both navigators, went on to earn a 3rd place finish after overcoming some adversity along the way. “We were out to win as always but we were concentrating on a solid finish when we found ourselves in a two truck battle for the lead near mile 125, in a silt corner we ended up on the side of the truck which is never a good thing” said Brugger. “I know the panic Rene must have felt after Danny and I were stuck in the silt at race mile 266, all I could think of while digging was our plan of getting to the finish line” added Steele. With three wins on the season, including the Baja 500, and two other podium finishes it has become the team’s mission to complete every race mile they attempt.
The team came to protect their BITD points lead and bring a truck out of the battle that would be able to contend the next SCORE race on September 6th with a limited time to prep and that’s just what they did. Leaving Reno with a 3rd place finish and a 34 point lead on the next competitor was a solid way to spend your 10th wedding anniversary, even if it wasn’t very traditional.
2008 team tale of the tape as of August 26, 2008
SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge – Winner
BITD Parker 425 – Winner
SCORE San Felipe 250 – 4th
BITD Terrible Town – 3rd
SCORE Baja 500 – Winner
BITD Vegas to Reno – 3rd
Points leader Best in the Desert
Points leader SCORE International
Next up SCORE Primm Sep. 26th and BITD Mesquite Sep. 27th
The team would like to thank Lucas Oil Products, Yokohama Tire Corp., FOX Racing Shox, Currie Enterprises, ATX Wheels, Alloy USA, Camburg Engineering, Trackside Performance, Alpinestars, Mastercraft, Lightforce, Deaver Spring, UNI and West Racing.
HUMMER Sweeps Production Classes at Vegas to Reno
25 Aug 2008 , DETROIT : Rod Hall Racing’s Team HUMMER demonstrated its stock class desert racing dominance as the team swept the production classes at Friday’s 2008 Best in the Desert “TSCO Vegas to Reno.”
Despite the grueling conditions of the 457-mile race, Team HUMMER owner Rod Hall and sons Josh Hall and Chad Hall finished the race with three class victories from their production class H3, H2 SUT and H3 Alpha. Team driver Emily Miller earned a 3 rd place in the full-size SUV stock class H2 and completed her quest to become the first woman to drive the entire race.
Team HUMMER competes in the stock class, which features production-based vehicles with stock frames, stock suspension designs and production-based engines. Vegas to Reno marks the second consecutive Best in the Desert race in which Team HUMMER has swept the production classes.
“HUMMER production trucks give us a competitive advantage in desert racing,” said Rod Hall. “Our ability to win each of the production classes at the past two races demonstrates the durability of these trucks in long-distance, grueling conditions.”
Repeating his success from the 2008 SCORE Baja 500, Chad Hall piloted the #4111 H3 Alpha across the finish line as the first production class vehicle to finish the race and first in the stock full-size SUV class. Hall and navigator Thad Stump finished the race in 11:11:00 hours, averaging a speed of 40.8 miles per hour. Hall’s win extends his BITD season points lead in the stock full-size SUV class.
Team HUMMER #8111 H2 SUT pilot Josh Hall and navigator Sam Cothrun finished first in the stock full-size truck class, despite a broken track bar bracket early in the race at mile 34. Hall was able to drive the H2 into the pits where the Team HUMMER crew welded the part back into place. Hall and the H2 proceeded to finish the race in 11:25:30 hours, recording an average speed of 39.9 mph. Hall’s win extends his lead in the stock full-size truck class and marks his 5 th consecutive Vegas to Reno class win.
Rod Hall teamed with co-driver Mike Winkel and navigators Rob Henderson and Rob Winkel to earn the stock mini-SUV class win behind the wheel of the #3111 H3. The H3 team finished the race in 13:12:30 hours at an average speed of 34.5 miles per hour. Hall’s win marks his first victory at Vegas to Reno behind the wheel of the H3 and places him in first place in the stock mini-SUV class season points championship.
Emily Miller entered Vegas to Reno behind the wheel of #4110 H2 SUV, in her attempt to become the first woman to drive the entire 457-mile trek.
The desert was quick to test the resolve of Miller and navigator Jake Povey, as a severe impact with a hard surface near mile 80 ripped off the passenger side front wheel. The Team HUMMER support crew and Povey were able to rebuild the front end and get Miller back on course with only eight minutes to spare before pit closing time. Miller and Povey made up time from that point on, finishing the race in 16:40:30 hours, at an average speed of 27.3 mph.
“Driving the entire race much more arduous than it appears,” said Miller. “Its grueling enough when things are going well, but when things go wrong, it becomes even more difficult to stay focused. I could not have finished this race without the Team HUMMER support crew.”
Team HUMMER’s next race is the SCORE International Terrible’s Primm 300, September 5-6, 2008.
About HUMMER
HUMMER is a division of General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest vehicle manufacturer, which employs about 321,000 people globally. HUMMER is a premium off-road vehicle manufacturer with sales in 37 countries and a product line-up that consists of the H2, H2 SUT, H3, H3x, award-winning H3 Alpha and all-new H3T. Information on HUMMER products is available at www.hummer.com.
About Team HUMMER
Team HUMMER was founded by legendary off-road racer Rod Hall in 1993. Since then, Rod and his sons Josh and Chad have compiled 13 class wins at the SCORE Baja 1000; countless podium finishes in the Best in the Desert (BitD) Racing Association series; two SCORE class championships; and five BitD class championships. Team HUMMER competes with the H3, H2 SUT and H3 Alpha in the stock class, which features production-based vehicles with stock frames, stock suspension designs and production-based engines. For more information about Team HUMMER, visit www.rodhallracing.
Speed Technologies Brings Home Three Top Finishes at the TSCO Vegas to Reno
For Immediate Release
Contact: Abbi Holtom Whitaker
abbi@abbipr.com or 775-851-7492
SPEED TECHNOLOGIES HAS AN ASTONISHING WEEKEND AT THE TSCO VEGAS TO RENO OFF ROAD RACE, CAPTURING THREE TOP FINISHES IN THE MOTORCYCLE CLASS
- The Duo of Adam Thissen and Robert Underwood Fought Hard to take an Amazing Third Overall Against the Best of the Best. MRANN Champion Cody Wallis, along with Team Mate Martin Kite Rode to First Place in the 250 PRO Class, while Young Guns Cody Knight & Ryan Toomey Crossed the Line First in 250 Expert Class. Amazingly The class 1 HMS Avenger Driven by Mark Levrett and Chuck Dempsey (#1528) Finished 15th After a Hard Battle with Bad Luck.-
Reno, NV (August 25th, 2008)---The TSCO Vegas to Reno Race will long be remembered by the Speed Technologies team as a break through race that brought home two first place finishes and a third overall for the motorcycle team, with the HMS Avenger finished in 15th place. The grueling race began in Beatty, Nevada and ended just south of Reno in Dayton. It covered almost 500 miles of dusty terrain and blistering heat that proved most challenging for the whole team.
The first year addition to Speed Technologies consists of a six man motorcycle team, Adam Thissen, Robert Underwood, Cody Wallis, Martin Kite, Cody Knight and Ryan Toomey. They are quickly rising to the top of the field, capturing top finishes at races across the US and Mexico, the TSCO Vegas to Reno race being no exception.
Adam Thissen and Robert Underwood have raced the TSCO Vegas to Reno race together for the past two years and relied on each others strengths to overcome the mental and physical challenges brought on by competitors and the challenges from the desert.
“Robert is a rider that prefers the rough and tight sections, while I’m much more at home when the course is wide open,” said Speed Technologies Adam Thissen. “We each rode the sections that best fit our riding styles– this is helping us become more successful as a team.”
Thissen and Underwood are no strangers to top finishing – they placed 6th overall at this years Parker 425, and at last year’s Vegas 300 the duo captured a 2nd place in class. This season Underwood won the May 15th MRANN race located in northern Nevada. They are also on target to win this year’s Best in the Desert Open Pro championship.
“This course was really, really challenging,” said Cody Wallis. “I rode with a separated shoulder that I injured during the pre-run at the beginning of August, and all of the bumps didn’t make it very easy on me. Martin and I stuck together and we are so happy with our first place finish.”
Mark Levrett and Chuck Dempsey managed to overcome electrical problems and serpentine belts issues in class 1 to bring the HMS Avenger across the finish line.
“Luck was not on our side,” said Levrett. “First we had electrical problems and then all the dust and rocks kept creating problems with torque converter pump belt – it was a hard and hot for us, but fortunately we came together as a team and managed to complete the entire race.”
About Speed Technologies
Established in 2006 Speed Technologies is owned by John Harrah and headquartered in Reno, NV at Rancharrah. The team operates an off-road car and motorcycle team as well as developing cutting edge off road and aquatics products and designs. Competing in the SCORE Desert Series, Best in the Desert and Championship off Road Racing, Speed Technologies is a full-time operation supported by a full time staff as well as additional chase and safety crews. Speed Technologies is committed to safety both on and off the track. For more information on Speed Technologies please visit www.speed-technologies.com or call 775-851-7492
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