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Category: Lucas Oil Off Road Series (LOORS)

  • MAMER MOTORSPORTS TAKES ON CARNAGE AT INAGURAL LOORRS BAJA RACE ROUNDS 11&12

    MAMER MOTORSPORTS TAKES ON CARNAGE AT INAGURAL LOORRS BAJA RACE ROUNDS 11&12

    Cole Mamer and his team were prepared as they could be as they went south of the American border and pulled into the new Lucas Oil Off Road Race Series course at Estero Beach. The new course was located just miles outside of Ensenada, Baja California.

    LOORRS added in the new race course to this season race schedule and as many teams were nervous about taking the series to a new stop, Mamer Motorsports was excited for the change of pace, new fans and a new course to race the #35 Mamer Motorsports Pro-Lite on.

    It wasn’t long before the trucks were on the course running down four practices just in one day. The course provided the drivers with nearly a mile long of door to door opportunities to attempt a pass. The key to this course was to stay out of the dust, keep clean through the turns and keep on the gas you went through the rhythm section.

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    When race day came Saturday, fans were lined at the gate waiting in anticipation to see a new form of off-road racing that hasn’t been to Baja since 2002. The thrill of meeting new drivers, seeing crews work on the trucks and witnessing first hand the carnage that can go into short course racing had the fans on their feet all day.

    The Pro-Lite race was the second race of the day and Mamer had to line up at the back of the stacked class after qualifying didn’t go his way. This didn’t stop Mamer though as that green flag dropped he immediately made 3 passes right out of turn one. When a wreck on the first lap brought out a full course yellow the trucks had to restart the race and Mamer had to go back to his original starting position.

    The 15 trucks took on the restart and once again Mamer went for multiple passes and pulled it off, this time passing 4 trucks on the restart lap. This was great momentum for Mamer as he let the race come to him.

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    A dusty course didn’t distract the driver as he battled with Creed looking to take over the 6th place position. The 10 lap race was ticking down and once Creed crashed it moved Mamer up to that 6th place. He was on the tail of DeBerti as they were coming through the rhythm section when he found himself and DeBerti both getting sideways and with a quick reaction Mamer steered out of the way as DeBerti was spinning through the air and wrecking.

    Even though Mamer managed to avoid a major accident, his truck didn’t make it out alive as he fell to the back of the pack with broken front end of the truck. Mamer pushed through the rest of the race with a limp truck in 10th, but still was able to salvage some points.

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    Mamer rounded out the weekend with a 9th place finish in round 12 and will be heading to Reno, NV for rounds 13&14 sitting 10th in points. Reno will provide the racers with many elevation changes, high speed sections and one last chance to really fight for a higher points standing before they head into the final stretch of the season.

  • PATRICK CLARK RACING HEADS SOUTH FOR INAUGURAL LOORRS BAJA RACE

    PATRICK CLARK RACING HEADS SOUTH FOR INAUGURAL LOORRS BAJA RACE

    It was only a matter of time before short course racing headed back down south again to give the ultimate fans the opportunity to see these powerful trucks race on a new course. Full stands and action packed racing is what everyone got round rounds 11&12 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, but the weekend didn’t go as planned for the driver of the #25 Budweiser Pro 2, Patrick Clark.

    A full day of practice on Friday gave the drivers plenty of opportunities to change the set up on their trucks to make them faster on the nearly mile long track. The new course also consisted of sand, a silt section, 90mph front stretch and a bonus of ocean views.

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    After making the needed changes and going out for practice on Saturday morning, Clark was in the middle of the pack. Once qualifying was in the books Clark found himself more toward the back of the class.

    The crew went back to the drawing board to prepare for round 11 that would take place just a few hours away. The stands started to fill quick as fans made their way from the pits and took their seats ready to watch history in the making.

    Opening ceremonies had everyone on their feet as the Mexican National Anthem echoed through Estero Beach. The gentlemen started their engines and the anticipation of the start was roaring through the stands. Clark took to the green flag and immediately got caught up with traffic in turn 1 which would see Clark spin out and go to the back of the pack.

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    A full course caution after lap 1 give Clark the opportunity to catch up and give himself and good chance at passing those competitors back. Clark and Jones would go door-to-door for a few laps at the back and finally Clark was able to put jones in his roost and get up to the next Pro-2.

    Clark picked clean lines through the rest of the 10-lap race and managed to accelerate his #25 Budweiser Pro-2 all the way up to 6th place for round 11.

    Round 12 picked up right where round 11 left off. Clark lined up in 7th place and with an invert in the front of the pack, this put Menzies and MacCachren right at his front bumper for the start of the race. All 13 trucks put out over thousands of horsepower at the start line and the amount of dust created was enough to feel like on was racing the Baja 1000.

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    Clark kept his head down and his speed up to stay with those that were setting the pace of the race. Carnage was happening all around Clark and after making his way all the way up to 4th place he found himself going off the course in turn 4. With only 10 laps of racing this wouldn’t give Clark the opportunity to make those positions back up and he crossed the finish line right where he started, in 7th place.

    Next the team will make their way to Reno, NV to race on another long track that is known for its massive elevation changes and fast front stretch.

     

     

     

  • RJ Anderson Dominates In Baja

    RJ Anderson Dominates In Baja

    Captures First Ever Pro-2 Win & Takes Pro-Lite Points Lead Over

    Ensenada, Baja California Mexico – For the first time in Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS) history, the league headed south of the border to Ensenada, Baja California Mexico for Rounds 11 & 12 of the 2015 race season. After months of planning by LOORRS officials and the Papas & Beer Racing Team (led by family patriarch Rodrigo Ampudia, Sr.), the dream of taking Lucas Oil Short Course Racing to Baja became a reality.

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    The newly designed Baja International Short Course track, which sits adjacent to the popular Estero Beach Resort, hosted the series biggest names and drew thousands of enthusiastic fans from all over Mexico and the US. Local officials, the Ampudia Family, and Lucas Oil worked tirelessly to develop a facility designed to host races for years to come. It has been over a decade since short course style racing has been hosted in Estero Beach…Lucas Oil brought it back in a big way!

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    RJ Anderson and the RJ37 team began their pilgrimage to Baja on Wednesday to load-in and prepare for the weekends battle. Anderson came into Round 11 sitting a respectable 6th in points in the Pro-2 class. Even though RJ has run up front for much of the year, the season has been filled with highs & lows for the RJ37 team. While RJ has returned to his winning ways in Pro-Lite, Pro-2 has been a struggle, having only reached the podium once so far this season. Despite only one podium appearance, Anderson has led multiple races and has showed tremendous speed, consistently qualifying in the top 5 in the #37 Polaris RZR Pro-2. Coming into the weekend – the team hoped for a little bit of luck to help RJ capture his first win of his career in the sports premier class.

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    While Anderson had been struggling to find his groove in Pro-2, he demonstrated once again why he is a champion in the Pro-Lite division. RJ entered the weekend sitting 2nd in points after hoisting four, 1st place trophies (the most in Pro-Lite this season) and making 7 podium appearances through 9 rounds of racing. A poor showing in round three had been his only roadblock to an all out points lead.

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    Track conditions were anything but ideal at Estero Beach Baja International Race Track. The sand filled dirt of Estero Beach presented a challenge for track officials to keep prepped between races. Practice and qualifying in the Pro-Lite class proved the course and its rhythm section to be anything but rhythmetic, as multiple trucks crashed and smashed their way through the heats, testing everyone’s ability to adapt. RJ qualified second fastest on Saturday, laying down his quickest time in only the second lap of qualifying, slowing as the track deteriorated almost instantly.

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    RJ Anderson and top qualifier Sheldon Creed lined up in the second row after the inversion draw, right behind hard chargers Brandon Arthur and young gun Brock Heger who sat on the pole. The green flag dropped and it wouldn’t take long before the rhythm section claimed its first victim. By the end of the race a quarter of the field were out. Two trucks were completely totalled and many more sustained mechanical and physical injuries. RJ maintained his position and finished 3rd in class, giving him his 8th podium this season and nudging him ever so slightly into the points lead just ahead of Jarrett Brooks.

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    The courses rhythm section proved to be less of a concern for the larger suspensions of the Pro-2 class, however the deterioration of the track was much greater. The RJ37 team struggled to find the “hot setup” for Estero Beach and after qualifying ninth in Pro-2, the team went to work on gearing and suspension prior to the afternoons race. When the race started  – RJ took his time and fought his way through the rough course and ferocious field of the sports best off-road racers. He finished the race in 5th place and headed into Sunday’s round 12 confident his team had found the setup needed to compete for a win.

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    Qualifying in Pro-2 went much better on Sunday for RJ. He laid down the fifth fastest time on track and drew a #6 inversion – which put him on the front row next to racing legend Rob MacCachren. This was exactly the type of lucky break the team had hoped for. As the green flag waived RJ rocketed off the start and pulled ahead of MacCachren in turn two.

    RJ and Rob battled furiously back and forth for several laps, but eventually RJ pulled away and never looked back. At one point RJ gapped the field by over 8 truck lengths. After a late race yellow flag restart – he fought off Pro-2 Champion Bryce Menzies and soared to his first Pro-2 victory to the cheers of thousands in attendance.

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    Lucas Oil graciously gave RJ his moment in the spotlight and allowed him time to appear on the podium before jumping into the #37 Pro-Lite. “A lot of hard work and dedication has gone into achieving my first Pro-2 win. I’ll hang onto this memory for the rest of my life. I am really stoked I got to share the victory with with my family, friends, sponsors and team. Without them none of this would be possible,” said Anderson.

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    RJ qualified second and the inversion kept him on the front row, lined up next to season points rival Jarrett Brooks.With a now “trimmed down” rhythm section, the Pro-Lite’s ran a much quicker and more confident pace. Anderson & Brooks battled hard through the first few laps, and at one point Brooks “doored” RJ to let him know he wasn’t going to give an inch. RJ took and maintained the lead for ten laps, and earned the RJ37 team their second victory of the day, further extending his Pro-Lite points lead.

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    After an evening of celebration, RJ Anderson & the RJ37 race team headed home with two 1st place and one 3rd place trophies, AND the Pro-Lite points lead. More than just a successful weekend of racing – the memory of Anderson’s first Pro-2 win is now etched in motorsports history. It was a weekend of firsts for RJ Anderson & Lucas Oil, it was also a weekend of fun for fans, teams, sponsors and racers.

    RJ Anderson would like to thank LOORRS, the Ampudia family as well as the local Ensenada officials and the fans for making this weekend of racing so special. RJ would also like to extend a special thank you to the Menzies Motorsports team for their hospitality and accommodations as well as the entire RJ37 race team, family & friends for their continued hard work, effort and support. Lastly, he thanks all of the sponsors and team partners for their tireless support of the RJ37 program. “Without you, none of this would be possible!” – RJ.

    See RJ compete next in Sparks, NV for Rounds 13-14 at Wild West Motorsports Park on August 22 & 23, 2015.

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