ADELAIDE, South Australia (February 27, 2015) – E.J. Viso won the first SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road Presented by Traxxas race of 2015 in convincing fashion as 10 SST Traxxas trucks took the green flag at the Clipsal 500 in Victoria Park on Friday morning.
Veteran Off-Road competitor Robby Gordon from Orange, Calif. finished second while SST newcomer Matt Mingay of Gold Coast, Queensland completed the podium. (more…)
ADELAIDE, South Australia (February 26, 2015) – Rounds 1 through 3 of the third season of SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road Presented by Traxxas begins Friday when 10 identically prepared Stadium Super Trucks hit the track in Victoria Park in their first trip to Australia.
The SSTs will race the same 14-turn 2.012-mile (3.219 km) street circuit built for their much different counterparts from the V8 SuperCars, however, unlike the SuperCars the trucks will navigate over five 30-inch-tall specially designed ramps located in prime fan-viewing locations throughout the circuit. The crowd-pleasing ramps will launch the trucks and their drivers nearly 20 feet (six meters) in the air and as much as 150 feet (45 meters) down course.
The starting lineup for Friday’s race was determined from lap times in Thursday’s two practice sessions. Following the practice sessions, a blind draw was held which determined that the full field would be inverted, meaning Bill Hynes, from Nazareth, Pa., will start from pole alongside Australian driver Nathan Pretty from Melbourne, Australia.
Row two will consist of Charles Dorrance from Austin, Texas and Brad Gallard from Renmark, Australia. Row three will feature Toby Price from Aberglasslyn, Australia Toby Price and E.J. Viso from Caracas, Venezuela. Row four will be Matt Mingay of Gold Coast, Australia and Robby Gordon from Orange, Calif. The final row will be the Traxxas teammates of Sheldon Creed from Alpine, Calif. and Keegan Kincaid of Crandon, Wisc.
Creed is the series’ most-recent winner, having fought off Gordon in a thriller at the Las Vegas season finale in 2014. The series features identically prepared trucks, which are made to resemble their scaled-down Traxxas radio-control-car counterparts. Like their Traxxas namesake the trucks are designed to take flight. However, unlike RC trucks, they produce 600 horsepower generating speeds upwards of 130 miles per hour.
Round 1 Driver Roster
No. 2 Matt Mingay Gold Coast, Queensland, Aus. Hot Wheels/ Castrol Edge / Harley Davidson
No. 3 Charles Dorrance Austin, Texas Light Force Performance Lighting
No. 5 E.J. Viso Caracas, Venezuela Live/ United Fiber & Data / Think Loud Development / SBA Airlines
No. 7 Robby Gordon Orange, Calif. SPEED Energy / Traxxas / Toyo Tires
No. 47 Keegan Kincaid Crandon, Wisc. Traxxas
No. 56 Nathan Pretty Melbourne, Victoria, Aus. Toyo Tires / Go Pro / Gear Wrench, Toll
No. 57 Bill Hynes Nazareth, Penn. Live/ United Fiber & Data / Think Loud Development
No. 74 Sheldon Creed Alpine, Calif. Traxxas
No. 87 Toby Price Aberglasslyn, New South Whales, Aus. TCQ Quarry CQ / Toby Price.com / KTM Australia / Doonside.com Cattle / Lancaster
No. 454 Brad Gallard Renmark, South Australia, Aus. Peter Kittle Motor Company / Toyo Tires
February 26th, 2015 – Garden Grove, CA – There was a reason King Shocks chose to be the tittle sponsor the SNORE, Battle at Primm race. The course at Primm has some rocky hard packed sections but a majority is loose sandy soil. As the heat races run during the two day race, the shifting sands create huge holes, whoops and ruts. After countless vehicles have clawed at the ground for traction, the corners turn into a mosh pit for shocks and suspensions. One second your suspension is bottomed out on the bumps tops. The next second, the shocks are fully extended; straining the limit straps. Without a proper shock set-up, temperatures can skyrocket and performance will fade. Not only do your shocks have to damp some serious oscillations but it’s also critical to put the power down to the ground if you want to win.
The man who did just that was overall winner, Kyle Jergensen. Kyle’s King Shocks allowed him to take back to back wins for the overall victory. “Saturday, we started second behind Olliges,” said Kyle, “We got out front but the transmission temperature was climbing so we had to back off for a couple laps. Greaves got out front but had to stop for a flat in the rocky section. That’s when we got past him.” Kyle went on to take the win.
On Sunday, Kyle erased any doubt who was the fastest. The transmission issue had been solved so Kyle had all the horsepower he needed at his disposal. Kyle jumped out into the lead early and never looked back. In every corner, Kyle’s truck soaked up the humongous whoops, settled down and hooked up hard on the exit. His lead continued to grow until he took the checkered flag.
Despite the course that was downright hammered, Kyle’s truck was clean like his win. Kyle proves once again that King Shocks has the damping performance you need to win in the most challenging conditions.
About King Shocks
King Shocks makes world-class desert racing shocks for trucks, buggies and UTV’s. King manufactures and hand assembles all of their shocks in Southern California. King Shocks has been the industry leader for over a decade and continues to leave the competition in the dust by providing the level of quality, performance and customer service that champions demand.
February 26th, 2015 – Las Vegas, NV – The Mint 400 has a rich history of celebrity racers competing in “The Great American Off-Road Race™” including, Steve Mcqueen, Chuck Norris, and James Garner. Actor Patrick Dempsey, a respected road racer, will return to The Mint 400 after previously racing and winning his class in the 2013. “There is something about the challenge of off-road racing that is unique and remarkable. The amount of variables and difficulty in just getting a finish are immense. I love the challenge and can’t wait to climb into the car,” said Dempsey.
Dax Shepard is no stranger to racing either. He competed in the “American LeMans Super Trofeo Series” earlier this year and is an avid off-roader and motorsports enthusiast. “I love motorsports and off-road racing. I’ve raced a Class 1 car and spent a lot of time in Glamis. The Mint 400 has always been one of those races I wanted to compete at. I am looking forward to the battle against the field, and the brutal course itself,” commented Shepard.
Zero One Odysseys (a division of Zero One Odysseys) has been the official Mint 400 “arrive and race” partner for three consecutive years, hosting celebrity racers such as the Red Bull Signature Series host Sal Masekela and professional football player DeMarcus Ware to name a few. They have become the premier off-road adventure group in Las Vegas, Nevada and provide a unique opportunity to explore the silver state’s rarely traveled terrain, because of their responsible approach to the environment. Zero One Odysseys has specialized in providing off-road enthusiasts with access to Nevada’s diverse terrain, and spacious beauty since 2007.
“Doing one of our Nevada Great Basin off-road tours is an epic adventure and racing in The Mint 400 takes it to a whole new level. Most people spend years and hundreds of thousands of dollars getting to race The Mint. Our “arrive and race” program makes it easy, safe and lets our clients concentrate on the parts that matter to them – driving, parties and winning (in whatever order they decide). Our drivers have fun, we handle the stress,” said Earl Desiderio of Zero One.
Zero One Odysseys is always looking for ways to cater to the untamed spirit in all of us. With Zero One Racing, you can climb into a professionally maintained off-road race vehicle at The Mint 400 and run a worry free race. Their professional staff prep and maintain the race car and give participants the thrill of a lifetime.
“Renting a Zero One car is a great way to get your feet wet with off-road racing. They do a great job of handling everything for you so you can just show up, race, and have a good time without the stress of trying to run your own program,” stated Joshua Martelli, COO of The Mint 400.
Zero One Racing operates The Mint 400 spec class. It’s an even playing field and driver talent and strategy is the only advantage in the race. Zero One Racing entries will enjoy special status with VIP access to the Miss Mint contest, pre and post parties, a drive down the Las Vegas Strip and a storyline in the Mad Media produced Mint 400 television show. Zero One alumni include actor Patrick Dempsey, Sal Masekela and DeMarcus Ware.
About Mad Media
Mad Media (www.madmedia.com) is a San Diego based marketing and creative agency, with in-house film and television production. We craft authentic, culturally engaging brand messages, and deliver them across print, web, photography, and film platforms. Mad Media has been leading the online content revolution since 1995 producing major commercial, television, online content and viral film projects such as The Gymkhana Series and XP1K Series.
Colorado Springs, CO 2/10/15 – We have prepared for months, traveled for thousands of miles, and begged or borrowed our way to the start line of King of the Hammers – the ultimate extreme desert race. This is it, THE RACE that defines the sport. The struggle and focus is the same for every one of 130 KOH teams. As we inch forward and wait our turn for the green flag there is something however, that sets us apart. We have already raced. We have already faced the agony of mechanical failure in the previous days Legends class. We lead, we broke, and we thrashed to make overnight repairs. Where adrenaline is boiling over in trucks all around us, we groggily wait our turn. Our adrenaline spent the day before, we are happily immune to the last minute panic. (more…)
February 7, 2015 (Johnson Valley, CA) – 215 miles and almost nine hours after he left the start line in Hammertown, USA, Randy Slawson, owner of Bomber Fabrications, crossed the finish line for his second Nitto King of the Hammers title in three years. Considered the toughest one-day off-road car race in the world, KOH has one of the highest attrition rates of any off-road race. 2015 was no different. On Friday evening at 10 p.m., only 17 drivers out of 129 had made it to the finish within the 14-hour cut off.
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