LOORRS Rounds 7&8 Photo Jihad

All photos from LOORRS rounds 7 and 8 ar enow up at Durka Durka Photo


10% off for the next 5 days.

A few of my favorites

Dear Anton: Miss you (sort of)

Full Story

Mr. Anton H. George
Team owner
Vision Racing
c/o City Centre Airport race course
Edmonton, Alberta

Dear Tony,

You didn't miss much here on Sunday in Indianapolis, at the track you used to rule. But we sure missed you.

A race without much action is bad enough, let alone one on a track without a face -- without someone for everyone to blame.

The 16th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard was a dog. I know, I know: What's new?

But a faceless Indianapolis Motor Speedway, operating on an eerie sort of autopilot without you, made it even more forgettable.

For better or worse, we had grown accustomed to your smirks and scowls with the ups and downs of this place these past 20 years when you had reigned, before your mother and three dear sisters threw you off the throne and under the bus last month.

Weekend Preview: Bark River, Michigan

WEEKEND PREVIEW: BARK RIVER, MICHIGAN

Corona, CA (August 1st, 2009)- The Traxxas TORC Truck Series presented by AMSOIL is heading back to Bark River International Raceway for another thrilling weekend, the second of two events at the challenging 1.5-mile track. Coming off of two spectacular rounds of SRT and Grassroots competition under the lights at Oshkosh Speedzone, the PRO Trucks will again join the series on its 2009 schedule.

In the PRO Light class Traxxas driver Jeff Kincaid and Boss Snowplow's Chad Hord are tied for first in points. Chris Brandt is a close seven points behind the veteran drivers, but has only a narrow lead on Monster Energy driver Casey Currie. One thing is for sure, the race for the PRO Light Championship is going to be a wild ride!

Pacetruck

The PRO 2 WD points race equally as tight with Red Bull's Ricky Johnson only one point ahead of Rockstar driver Rob MacCachren. Both Johnson and MacCachren have been very consistent, both only having one finish outside of the top ten. Don't count out the rest of the top five, Todd LeDuc, Scott Taylor, and Jeremy McGrath have all been consistent this season and are very hungry for a championship.

PRO 4x4 driver Rick Huseman has had an amazing season, with only two finishes outside the top three, Huseman holds a twenty point lead on fellow Monster Energy driver Johnny Greaves. Greaves ran flawlessly the last two rounds at Bark River, so Greaves fans can expect to see big things from him on this return visit to Michigan. Kyle LeDuc follows closely behind, with AMSOIL superstar Scott Douglas and Curt Leduc rounding out the top five in points.

Currie

Anything is possible with only half of the season completed; it's hard to say who will come out on top at the season finale in Las Vegas. What fans can expect is some of the wildest battles that short course has seen in years! If you can't make it to Bark River, be sure to watch all of the weekend action Sunday August 16th at 11:30AM EST on ESPN2.

Tickets are on sale now through the Bark River website and can be found by going to www.upoffroad100.com. Gates open Friday at 7:00am.

Fast Facts:
The Race: Bark River, Michigan
The Date: Saturday, August 8th & Sunday, August 9th.
The Track: Bark River International Raceway
The Time: 11:00 a.m.
TV: ESPN2, August 16th, 2009 (11:30 a.m. ET)
Radio: Dirt Newz.com and USACRacing.com
Schedule: Saturday and Sunday- Practice, 9:00-10:30 a.m., Races start at 11:00 a.m.
Track Contact: Richard Ault
2009 Top 3 Drivers In Points:
PRO Light:
1 Jeff Kincaid
1 Chad Hord
2 Chris Brandt
3 Casey Currie

PRO 2WD:
1 Ricky Johnson
2 Rob MacCachren
3 Todd LeDuc

PRO 4x4:
1 Rick Huseman
2 Johnny Greaves
3 Kyle LeDuc

Bark River 101: Highlights:
Bark River International Raceway is located ten miles southwest of Escanaba, Michigan on U.S. Route 41. The original off-road track was 5 miles, racers were expected to complete 20 laps for a total of 100 miles, and thus the U.P. Off Road 100 was born. Over the years, the course continued to be shortened and reconfigured into the modern day track (1.5 miles). Bark River is said to be one of the most challenging courses on the TORC Series Schedule, where drivers can reach up to 90 miles per hour with the highest elevation change on the circuit. The Bark River International Raceway received additional international recognition in 2007 with the launch of the XBOX 360 video game DIRT. The BRIR is one of the featured courses in the game, allowing fans to enjoy Bark River's top notch racing action all year round.

The Traxxas TORC Series-The Off-Road Championship, presented by AMSOIL is the world's premier short course off road series. TORC drivers push the limits with 900 horsepower, action-packed fender pounding on challenging natural terrain racetracks. The 2009 season schedule includes stops in Texas, California, Nevada, Michigan, and Wisconsin. For more information on TORC please visit www.torcseries.com.
Thank your for your continued support of The Traxxas TORC Truck Series Presented by AMSOIL.

F1's Raikkonen drives in Rally Finland

Full Story
JYVASKYLA, Finland (AP) — Formula One star Kimi Raikkonen was 20th in his world rally championship debut at Rally Finland on Thursday.

Competing while F1 takes a monthlong break, Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion, was driving as a guest in his own N-group Fiat.

Great Pikes Peak video from Rhys Millen

One of the better videos I have seen from the event.

TROPHYLITE Laser Cut chassis tube video

Check out the video of the laser cutting of the tubes for the TROPHYLITE chassis. We spent the last couple of months doing the 3D cad work on the trucks and now all of the chassis parts are being laser cut and CNC bent. I thought this video would be great for you all to see the progress. We are getting the first parts end of this week to build the first truck from the laser cut work.




Check out the new Laser Cut chassis tube video on our YouTube channel....

www.YouTube.com/TROPHYLITE





I am so excited to see the progress in our build automation project. Things are moving along and progressing in all areas of TROPHYLITE. We are planning to release some big news in the next couple of weeks about our next year plans.

Schumacher to end retirement, fill in for Massa at Ferrari

Full Story

ROME (AP) — Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher is making a comeback for Ferrari to replace injured driver Felipe Massa.

Ferrari said Wednesday in a statement that the German had agreed to get back in the cockpit until Massa is fit to return. The next race is the European Grand Prix on Aug. 23 in Valencia, Spain.

ON THE MEND: Massa takes first steps since crash

"Though it is true that the Formula One chapter has long been closed for me, it is also true that for team loyalty reasons I cannot ignore that unfortunate situation," the 40-year-old Schumacher said. "But as the competitor I am, I also very much look forward to facing this challenge."

What does BMW's exit mean for F1?

Full Story


BMW has confirmed that this will be its last season in Formula 1.

The team, which had been tipped to fight for the world championship, has been struggling to make an impact on the track this year.

But that's only part of the story.

Like Honda, which pulled out of Formula 1 before the season had even started, the German carmaker has seen its sales and profits tumble as a result of the global economic downturn.

In such a difficult environment, they are struggling to justify spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year on motor sport.


Before the end of the year, we will see at least one other car manufacturer leave F1
F1 analyst Christian Sylt of Formula Money

BMW's departure leaves four car manufacturers still competing in F1: Ferrari, Mercedes Benz, Toyota and Renault.

Ferrari is unlikely to leave the sport, because its image as a manufacturer of supercars is intimately tied to its racing heritage.

But there is widespread speculation that at least one of the other major brands could follow BMW out of the door.

Team Toyo's LeDuc Brothers Sweep Lucas Oil Off Road Series Race Weekend in Lake Elsinore

July 28, 2009

Team Toyo’s LeDuc Brothers Sweep Lucas Oil® Off Road Series Race Weekend

in Lake Elsinore



LAKE ELSINORE, CALIFORNIA – Brothers Todd and Kyle LeDuc swept Rounds 7 & 8 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Series this past weekend in Lake Elsinore, California while racing on 35X12.50R17 Toyo Open Country M/T®-R tires. Piloting their 800+ horsepower Rockstar/Makita/Ford Trucks/Toyo Tires F-150 trucks, the LeDuc brothers put on a driving clinic by scoring back-to-back victories in their respective unlimited truck classes while racing under the lights at the Lake Elsinore Motorsports Complex.



Todd LeDuc dominated both days of the Unlimited 2 class by defeating large fields. Starting in eighth for Saturday’s race due to an engine problem during qualifying, LeDuc exercised patience while working his way to the front. He struck on the last lap to take over the lead for the win. On Sunday, a mid-race spin placed him in seventh, but he clawed his way to the front once again for a repeat win.



“I received big compliments from the other drivers about how I could pass on the inside lines on slick dirt where nobody else could,” said Todd LeDuc. “My Toyo Open Country M/T-R tires allowed me to put my truck wherever I wanted all weekend long.”



Kyle LeDuc displayed the same type of domination in the Unlimited 4 class. He was able to outpace the four-wheel-drive truck field for back-to-back victories.



“Our team is excited to get back to the TORC series with what we have learned this weekend,” said father/team principle, Curt LeDuc. “Between our wins here at Lake Elsinore and in the TORC series, Team LeDuc has captured 22-podiums already this year. We have had no failures all season with our Toyo tires.”



“We congratulate both Todd and Kyle LeDuc on their outstanding sweep of the Lake Elsinore race this past weekend,” said Stan Chen, manager of events and motorsports, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. “Team LeDuc continues to be great representatives of Toyo Tires products, demonstrating they can win with Open Country tires in all forms of off-road competition.”



To learn more about Team Toyo Off-Road drivers such as Todd, Kyle and Curt LeDuc, and about the full line of products from Toyo Tires, log on to toyotires.com. Toyo Tires manufactures and distributes a complete line of replacement tires for high performance cars, luxury vehicles, light trucks and SUVs as well as tires for commercial trucks, buses and off-road and construction applications.

Renault Formula 1 Team suspended from European Grand Prix

The latest news just in after the horrendous life-threatening accident Ferrari driver Felipe Massa suffered during qualification for the Hungarian Grand Prix over the weekend is that Renault Formula 1 Team will not be participating in the upcoming European Grand Prix, set to hit the streets of Valencia on August 23 2009.

The steward’s announcement that the Renault F1 team was banned was given out after they deliberated over an incident involving a wheel coming off Fernando Alonso’s car during the Hungarian Grand Prix. Said incident: Alonso’s right-front wheel came off, during an out lap after the 2-time World Champion made his first pit stop. It is believed that mechanics failed to tighten the wheel properly during the pit stop. After the wheel came off, it bounced on the track a couple of times before hitting a barrier.

BMW to host press conference

BMW has called a press conference for today in Munich to discuss "current developments in motor sport". This has led to speculation that the company will be quitting Formula 1. Whatever the case, it is a press statement that will involve not only BMW's motorsport director Dr Mario Theissen, but also his boss Dr Klaus Draeger and the overall boss of the company Dr Norbert Reithofer.

Schumacher F1 return 'not impossible'

Full Story

LONDON — Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher could come out of retirement to fill in for the injured Felipe Massa in next month's European Grand Prix in Valencia.

That intriguing possibility was raised Tuesday by the Ferrari legend's spokeswoman four days after Massa's horrific high speed crash in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The Brazilian is recovering in hospital in Budapest after undergoing surgery on a fractured skull, leaving Ferrari looking for a stand-in, possibly for the remainder of the 2009 season.

Schumacher, who retired in 2006, is on Ferrari's pay roll yet made it clear in an interview at the German Grand Prix a fortnight ago that he was not interested in making a full time comeback.

But a temporary return, his spokeswoman told the BBC, was a different matter altogether.

"The whole thing will be considered by Ferrari. If they approach Michael, then he will consider it," Sabine Kehm told BBC Sport.

Racers Only Motorsports prepares for the SCORE Baja 1000!

Mohave Valley, AZ July 24, 2009:
Following a very impressive 1st place finish at the MINT 400
race north of Las Vegas, Racers Only Motorsports sets its sights on the ultimate adventure, The SCORE Baja
1000. This grueling event held In Baja Mexico is known as the toughest desert race known to man. This race
has molded some of the greatest racing legends: Mickey
Thompson, Parnelli Jones, Rick and Roger Mears, Walker
Evans, Ivan Stewart and Robby Gordon, just to name a few.
This has been a lifelong dream to race the Baja 1000, and the
team is ready to take that step forward.
The Baja 1000 will be quite the undertaking. Trailers tow
vehicles, chase trucks, spare parts and of course the Trophy
Truck Killer or TTK (race car) must be serviced and
maintained for readiness for this epic event. One of the most
important vehicles on race day for Racers Only Motorsports,
besides the race car, will be the chase truck. Our Ford
Bronco has just been outfitted with a racing suspension lift
from Camburg engineering, along with some new 35”
BFGoodrich tires, water pump, fuel pump/filter, belts, hoses
and a few more odds and ends, just to make sure it is up to snuff.
The TTK is in the process of being stripped down to the frame and inspected for cracks and imperfections. The
transmission gets sent off to Dave Folts to be gone
through, along with the Magna-fluxing of all the
suspension parts which will be handled at Collins
Motorsports in Las Vegas. All Suspension bolts
will be replaced and a new lower light bar to hold
4 more Vision X HID lights will be fabricated.
The King shocks will be taken apart and gone
through, along with the radio/intercom system to
make sure it is in top condition. After the TTK is
put back together, we will put the car through a
couple test sessions to make sure everything is up
to par, along with a night test to assure the lights
are where they need to be. Since the majority of
our race will be run in the darkness of the Mexican
desert, the Vision X HID’s will be a very
important asset to Racers Only Motorsports.
Racers Only Motorsports is in the process of stirring up a contest for companies wanting to get their feet wet in
the Baja experience. The contest will put the dealers of that company against each other in a healthy
competition for the chance to ride the first 100-150 miles at the Baja 1000. The dealer with the most sales in a
certain period of time wins the contest, with travel, hotel, apparel and the adventure of a lifetime all
included….sorry, you’ll have to buy your own beer. We will have a press release with all the info on the new
sponsor within the next month or so. I’m sure the winner will have the time of their lives!
It will be a busy couple months at the race shop with a lot going on. The TTK will have a nice new shiny paint
job with new logo’s and some updated equipment for its maiden voyage to Baja Mexico. It might be the first
trip for the race car to Mexico but not the crew. Lucky for us, Racers Only Motorsports will also be helping out
with the #12 Trophy Truck team of Collins Motorsports…or vice-versa. Having helped with pit support for
Collins motorsports since 1997, the Collins crew has opened there arms to help us out where they can as we will
do the same for them. 2 teams from 2 opposite ends of the spectrum will be competing for the same goal, to
come across the finish line 1st in their respected classes at the SCORE Baja 1000! Come join us this November.

ROD HALL RACING - MID YEAR UPDATE & AUSTRALASIAN SAFARI

AUSTRALASIAN SAFARI UPDATE

SUNDAY, JULY 26th - Josh Hall and his support team will head to Australia to run the Australasian Safari. The event starts in Perth August 1st and ends in Kalgoorlie on the 8th. The race is a 2,200-mile rally raid running through the Western Australia Outback. He will be driving the H2 SUT with navigator Thad Stump.

FOLLOW THE ACTION -
We’ll be posting updates and videos throughout the event – daily as the connection allows. You can access it by checking out the homepage at rodhallracing.com. You can now follow Rod Hall Racing on Twitter – click here.


MID YEAR UPDATE

ROD HALL RACING

It’s been an exciting six months at Rod Hall Racing. The organization has been focused on giving our drivers excellent opportunities to chase their goals on the dirt. This year, Rod Hall Racing will compete in four countries – two overseas events in Africa and Australia, as well as Baja and the US. August is a busy month, ten days after our return from Australia, we will be competing in the three-day, 1000 mile Vegas to Reno race - August 19-22nd.

DRIVER UPDATE-

Rod oversees the Rod Hall organization, working daily on Rod Hall Events, Products and the Racing Program - continuing to help his customers and partners who seek off-road expertise. He will be supporting Josh Hall in Australia in August as well as racing the three-day, 1000 mile Vegas to Reno and the Baja 1000. This year marks his 42nd running of the 1000.

Chad Hall is competing in the Speed Technologies Class 10 car for the Best In the Desert series and will return to the Baja 1000 in his winning Stock Full HUMMER H3 Alpha. He is incredibly busy running Rod Hall Products and focusing on military suspension packages. For more info, click here.

Josh Hall is preparing to race the Australasian Safari in Western Australia, August 1-8th. Thad Stump will be navigating with additional support from members of the 2008 HUMMER team. Josh is spending significant time training the military special forces on extreme off-road driving as well as organizing upcoming race efforts including driving with Chad in the Baja 1000.

On top of heading to Australia with Rod to scout the Australasian Safari for 2010, Emily Miller will be returning to Morocco in March 2010 to compete in her second attempt of the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles. She will also be racing in the 2009 Vegas to Reno and Baja 1000. She has been working as the demo and hot lap driver for the Michelin and BFGoodrich Light Truck Tire Seminars. You can keep up with Emily by clicking here.

ROD HALL PRODUCTS

We are finishing up our Generation 1 suspension contract with the government. Our Generation 2 four-shock and six-shock HMMWV kits are complete. With the engineering help of Thad Stump, we have developed a new front and rear HMMWV sway bar for our kits. Our new HMMWV and Hilux kits use patented internal triple bypass technology. At the time of this update, we are planning on moving into a new larger facility in November in Reno, Nevada.

ROD HALL EVENTS

We have just wrapped up 12 Rod Hall Light Truck Tire Seminars for Michelin & BFGoodrich Tires. The program is a hands-on driving experience where we showcase six different tires on six Ford Explorers and six HUMMER H3s. The goal is to educate top sales people and managers on the capabilities, features and benefits of each tire with the end result of increased sales. We have a short break and will produce two additional seminars in September and October. For more information on the program, click here for our video.

TORC Media Alert: September 25th and 26th Race Location Change

The Traxxas TORC Truck Series Presented By AMSOIL
Media Alert: September 25th and 26th Race Location Change
TORC GOES UNDER THE LIGHTS AT PERRIS AUTO SPEEDWAY ON SEPTEMBER 25TH AND 26TH- EXTENDS PALA AGREEMENT TO 2010

Corona, CA- (July 22nd, 2009)-- Officials from the Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL announced today that it will hold rounds 13 and 14 at Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, CA on September 25th and 26th, instead of the original plans to hold the events at PALA Motorsports park. This race will be televised on ESPN2.

Ricky Johnson of TORC: "We really wanted to pick the best situation possible to hold our first race at the new PALA facilities and with all the good things they have going on out there in their first season. We feel it's important that we build, test, and fine tune the facility in the off season and make sure things are perfect before we hold an event there; both the PALA officials and I agreed to re-schedule for 2010. We are renting the Perris facility and it will be set up very fan friendly with reduced ticket pricing and pits open to all without having to purchase pit passes."

"PALA Raceway is looking forward to holding our first short-course TORC event early in the 2010 season," stated Ryan Ouerlette of PALA Raceway. "We have so much going on in 2009 that we both agreed that 2010 would be a better time to add TORC to our schedule".

The inaugural season of The Traxxas TORC Series has gotten off to a great start in 2009 with close points battles in every class at the halfway point in the season. ESPN2 and ABC telecast have been very successful and the layout at Perris Auto Speedway will showcase the best action and best drivers in all of off-road racing.

Tickets will be $12 for Friday night with Kids under 13 getting in free. Saturday, tickets will be $20.00. Weekend passes will be $30.00. Gates will open at 3:00 and pits will be open to all ticket holders.

The Traxxas TORC Series- The Off Road Championship, presented by AMSOIL is the world's premier short course off road series. TORC drivers push the limits with 900 horsepower, action-packed fender pounding on challenging natural terrain racetracks. The 2009 season schedule includes stops in Texas, California, Nevada, Michigan, and Wisconsin. For more information on TORC please visit www.torcseries.com.
SMALL LOGO

WEBSITE: TORC SERIES
MERCHANDISE: RACIN DIRTY
MEDIA GUIDE: MEDIA GUIDE
TWITTER: FOLLOW TORC
FACEBOOK: VISIT TORC
YOU TUBE: WATCH TORC