midwest off road racing gets together in abrams

8/9/2019 Midwest Off Road Racing Gets Together in Abrams

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Midwest Off Road Racing Gets Together inAbrams!

Abrams, WI (January 18, 2010) -The first publicmeeting of the Midwest Off Road Racing (MORR)group was held this past Sunday in Abrams,Wisconsin. The past three months saw a group of concerned off-road enthusiasts' band together toimprove the "State of Sportsman Off-Road Racing"in the Upper Midwest. In the past six years, thestability of the sport has been considerably shakendue to four different sanctioning bodies/series

promoters attempting to guide short-course off-roadracing. MORR was created to give the Sportsmanracer a voice in their future and by the looks of their early accomplishments, the current sanctioning body, Traxxas TORC Series presented byAMSOIL, is definitely listening.

The meeting at Kip and Donna's Fly Way in Abrams, Wisconsin quickly filled the main banquetroom. A quick count of heads totaled over 220 concerned racers, team members, and sponsors.The seven board members headed by President Dan Vanden Heuvel Sr., explained how thegroup came together and thanks to the groups website and the Ross Hoek forum, several keyissues were targeted for change to improve Midwest Sportsman racing.

All board members talked about the various improvements that were made during continuoustalks with TORC and USAC. The combination of flyers and a PowerPoint presentation kept theentire room thoroughly interested in the 2-hour meeting. Terry Severson, TORC SportsmanTechDirector, came up to the front and also announced some of changes TORC has implemented for the 2010 season.

After the presentation, the room was opened up to questions for the MORR Board and TORC personnel, Tiffany Landru and Terry Severson. When all questions were answered, MORR began accepting memberships, while the crowd hung around the bar and restaurant for somegood-natured bench racing.

H ere's a quick overview of the MORR meeting

Communication between all parties involved in the sport must be maintained at all times and iskey to the success of our sport.


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y AUTOMATED PROCESSING WITH HARD CARDy $200,000 Excess Medical Insurance - $25,000 Accidental Death & Dismembermenty Live Video Streaming of Events (WILL ARCHIVE 2010 EVENTS FOR LATER

VIEWING)y USAC Members Automatically Enrolled In Enhanced Communication Process (Get

Email and Text Updates on Weather and Race Information)y USAC Members Get 15% Off USAC Store Goodsy USAC Members Get Special Pricing On Partner Productsy USAC Members Eligible To Attend Special Functions (Banquets, etc)y Member of ACCUS / FIA for safety reviewsy Member card good for other USAC sanctioned eventsy Each race winner will receive a USAC Medallion

Thanks goes out to Ricky Johnson and Mitch Covington of TORC, Crandon International Off-Road Raceway, and Bark River International Off-Road Raceway for opening their doors toMORR. This will help enable us to have affordable Sportsman off-road racing for generations to

come.Once again, thank you for all that attended and everyone that helped make this a very successfulmeeting.

To view a short video created by MT Graphics and 3DCD Video on the meetings festivities please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7Q2g33RW_I

For more information about Midwest Off Road Racing and becoming a member of the group, please visit www.midwest-offroadracing.com

2010 MORR Board of DirectorsPresident - Dan Vanden Heuvel [email protected] - Ross Hoek [email protected] - Mike Vanden Heuvel [email protected] - Pat Flanagan [email protected] at Large - Don Demeny [email protected] Dorr [email protected] Reusche [email protected]

Traxxas TORC S eries presented by AM S OILMidwest S portsman S eries 2010 S chedule

June 5-6 -- Landglade Co. Fairgrounds, Antigo, WIJune 19 -20 -- Crandon Off-Road Intl. Raceway, Crandon, WIJuly 10 -11 -- Bark River Off-Road Raceway, Bark River, MIJuly 24 -2 5 -- Winnebago Co. Fairgrounds, Oshkosh, WI


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Aug 14 -1 5 -- Bark River Off-Road Raceway, Bark River, MIS ept 4 -5 -- Crandon Off-Road Intl. Raceway, Crandon, WI

Also visit MORR's W ebsite

TORC Goes Under the Lights at the OshkoshS peedzoneJuly 24 -2 5

Provided by TORC Series

Cor ona, C A (July 16, 2009) -Professional off-road racing is returning to The Oshkosh SpeedzoneRaceway at the fairgrounds in Oshkosh, WI! The Traxxas TORC Series, presented by AMSOIL,has secured the Fox Valley's premier dirt track for two rounds of action packed familyentertainment.

The racing kicks off Friday evening and continues Saturday night with a second round of action packed competition! Fans can expect to see top teams from the PRO Super Buggy, Sportsman

and Grassroots ranks in the following classes compete in the TORC Series:

PRO Super Buggy SRT Limited Trucks SRT Stock Truck SRT 1600 and 1600 Light Buggy Classes Grassroots Formula 4x4, Enduro Trucks and Classix PRO 2wd and PRO 4x4 exhibition race

"The decision to hold a TORC event at our location will wipe the disappointment away for manyof our race fans. Many experienced Off-Road for the first time last year. I received many e-mails

when Oshkosh was dropped from the schedule, our fans here wanted to see the race return," saidDenny Payne, Oshkosh Speedzone's marketing director.

Larry Stratton of Speedzone reverberated these sentiments: "We look forward to working withSportsman and Grassroots race teams to make this year's event better and more enjoyable for theracers and their families. We learned a lot last year and this year things will be even better!"

Fast Facts:


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The Race: Oshkosh, WisconsinThe Date: Saturday, July 11th and Sunday, July 12th.The Track: Oshkosh SpeedZoneThe Time: 6:00pm Radio: USACRacing.com Schedule: Friday and Saturday- 6pm

Track Contact: Jeff Lemiesz2009 Top 3 S portsman & Grassroots Drivers In Points:

Pro S uper Buggy Doug FortinTim LemonsShawn Morris

S RT S tock Truck | Midwest Craig MetzAl Konitzer Don Demeny

S RT 1 600 Buggy | Midwest John FitzgeraldMark SteinhardtMike Seefeldt

S RT 1 600 Light Buggy | Midwest

Matt GeraldGreg StingleWesley Frehse

S RT Limited 2 W D Truck | Midwest Keith SteeleLuke JohnsonRoss Hoek

Grassroots E nduro Truck | Midwest Bob Rinehart

Ben WierzbaMatthew Ives

Grassroots Classix | Midwest Dale ChestnutRobert WeilandDale Anderson


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Grassroots Formula 4 x4 | Midwest David DemaegdJim RidderbushDave Miah

Lap Times and S coring Provided by U S AC,TORC S eries Live S coring and Timing atE ach E vent

Provided by TORC Series

Cor ona, C A (June 24, 2009) -USAC, the sanctioning body of The Traxxas TORC Truck Series presented by AMSOIL, announces enhanced coverage of TORC events on "TORC Live", a newarea of the USAC website that brings all of the action live to viewers at home. Just by visitingwww.torcseries.com and clicking on the LIVE Coverage button, you can get the latestinformation directly from the race track. Whether it's results, timing, or multimedia you arelooking for TORC Live has it.

You can also see your lap times after the race by clicking on your driver's name on the USACsite. This is available for the Pro Truck classes only but may be expanded for other classes soon.

"The USAC TORC Live site is great for fans," stated Jason Smith of USAC. "The results are being streamed as the race is happening, and if you miss a few laps, you can click on the name of the driver on the results page and it will display their timing for each lap so you never miss a

beat. For a true race enthusiast, nothing beats this kind of interaction."

USAC, the United States Auto Club, is an auto racing sanctioning body for the Silver CrownSeries, the National Sprint Car Series, the Mopar Midget National Championship Series, .25Midgets, and the TORC Series. For more information on USAC please visitwww.usacracing.com/torc_live .

TORC-National Racing S eries Converges onCrandon International, 24 ,000 Gather forFirst Race in the Midwest P r ovid ed by TOR C Ser ies


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C ran don, WI (June 21, 2009) The Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL came toCrandon International Off Road Raceway for rounds five and six of the 2009 schedule. It was thewest coast teams turn to make the 2,000 mile trek to Wisconsin to compete at the most

prestigious track on the TORC circuit, in front of over 24,000 fans.

Saturday in the Kumho Tires PRO 4x4 class, Monster Energy's Rick Huseman took both the winand the Oakley Bomb Run Award for the fastest lap time, almost breaking Johnny Greaves 2008track record. The father son Rockstar team of Kyle and Curt Leduc swept second and third place.In the AMSOIL PRO 2WD class, another two of Rockstars finest- Rob MacCachren and ToddLeduc took first and second place. Red Bull star Ricky Johnson took third place and the OakleyBomb Run Award for fastest lap. In the Forest County Potawatomi PRO Light class the podiumwas stacked with talent including winner Marty Hart. Racing veteran Chad Hord took secondand the Oakley Bomb Run Award; Steven Federico took third and his first podium of the 2009season.

Sunday's action in the AMSOIL PRO 4x4 class saw Red Bull's Steve Barlow lead his first race

of the season for several laps, before losing the lead in a multi car incident. In the end it was Rick Huseman who swept the weekend by capturing both the win and the Oakley Bomb. In a similar race Barlow's teammate, Ricky Johnson also led most of the Kumho PRO 2WD race, but a

punctured tire from contact caused him to finish in fourth place. Scott Taylor took first place andthe Oakley Bomb Run Award. Todd Leduc took another weekend podium, this time with asecond place finish. Crowd favorite Dan Vanden Heuval rounded out the top three.

The highlight of the weekend was surely The Forest County Potawatomi Chairman's Cup. PRO4x4 and PRO 2WD trucks battled it out in a shoot-out for the 25,000 dollar cash prize, as well asthe coveted Chairman's Cup Trophy. The PRO 2WD driver lined up ahead of the PRO 4x4 classfor a few-second head start. Ricky Johnson took the lead and held it throughout with Mike Oberghot on his tail. In lap two the Wild Man Cenni crashed on the front stretch taking him out of therace. Johnny Greaves also pulled off early in the race. In lap 3 Scott Douglas, Rick Huseman andMark Jenkins got into each other. Douglas was black flagged for rough driving. In the end RickyJohnson took his first ever cup win, and became the second PRO 2WD driver in Crandon historyto win the Chairmans Cup. The last PRO 2WD winner was Scott Taylor in 2002.

The next stop on the 2009 TORC race schedule is Bark River International Raceway in Bark River, Michigan for rounds seven and eight. The action will take place over two days, July 11thand 12th.

TORC Readies for Rounds 3 and 4 at PerrisAuto S peedway, Perris, CAThe PDG would like to thank everyone involved for their part in launching a great weekend of racing at Texas Motor Speedway to start the 2009 season of TORC the premier short course off-


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road race series. It is with great pride (and relief) that we report to all that the first race weekendwas a big success!

The strengths of our series were demonstrated byoutstanding racing action. Thanks go out to all

drivers, teams, track crew, TORC officials andUSAC officials. While racing conditions varieddue to rains from Friday to Saturday, theexpertise of those aforementioned presented atremendous show for the warm Texas fans. Wewere pleased with the crowd attendance bothnights as the word spread in the Texas marketand the crowds swelled to large capacitySaturday night despite rains all afternoon.

Timing and scoring as well as jumbotrons worked well. In a few transponder instances, manual

scoring was on the ready and provided the redundant backup necessary to maintain timingintegrity.

In consideration of travel challenges under the nations economic conditions, the weekend hosteda "pro only" venue. This decision allowed grassroots teams to focus on Midwest/West Coast

points in their pursuit of a TORC national championship. We look forward to receiving the broadspectrum of race teams/classes that are that have defined short course off-road racing and willcontinue to define TORC. The inclusiveness of our sport and the camaraderie shared in the pitsand stands adds to our popularity.

There was an unfortunate incident regarding conflicting sponsorships that the PDG has addressedwith TORC. The title sponsor, Traxxas, has an agreement that gives them exclusivity to brandingradio control in the TORC Series. In years past, a title sponsorship had not been sold in our sport.As part of the deliverables package to a title sponsor, TORC offered brand exclusivity to Traxxaswhich they obtained through 2011. There was only one such contract sold or offered to sponsorsas such was reserved for a title sponsor. We recognize the Series' initial need to raise maximumcapital to procure the television packages sought by everyones sponsors. We also acknowledgethe depths of Traxxas' contributions to the sport and respect the decision of TORC to honor their commitments to our title sponsor. In consideration thereof, we have formally recommended tothe TORC Series, that while they are bound to this agreement, no other agreements with thislevel of exclusivity, which may affect teams, will be offered to sponsors in the future. Therefore,it does not affect teams abilities to procure other, non-R/C vehicle sponsor support.

We thank Terry Severson (Tech Director) and the entire USAC team for overseeing theweekends events. Congratulations are in order for all involved as there were not any black flags.As the rain wrecked havoc on Saturdays track, we experienced a delayed schedule in order to

prepare the track surface for better racing. As a result, technical inspections for the weekendwere considered "light". Therefore, the PDG recommended that TORC conduct more stringentsearches in both obvious and obscure areas of rules infractions in Perris, CA.


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Special thanks go out to all involved for the professionalism displayed at this important firstevent. The PDG was very impressed with enthusiasm of the Texas fans that braved all-day rainsto come out and see our show. As TORC rolls into Perris, California for Rounds 3 and 4 on May29-30th, bring your "A" games as we will be televised nationally on ABC!

Respectfully,The Professional Drivers Group

Oakley Demolition Crew Creates the 'OakleyBomb Run Award' for the Fastest Qualifiers

C ran don, WI (May 12, 2009) -Oakley, the "OfficialTimekeeper of The Traxxas TORC Truck Series",announced today that it will award the top qualifier eachweek, in each of he top four pro classes, with a specialOakley-designed "Oakley Bomb Run Award". The driver with the top qualifying time will get a "bomb" to keepand a sticker to go on the team's hauler or truck thatmarks the drivers' "kills" just like a fighter pilot markstheirs (and reminds their competition who was the fastestthat day).

"The Oakley demolition crew decided to drop a bombshell on racers with the most explosive times, asalvo of sick sculpture that salutes the fastest qualifiers,"said Colin Baden, president of Oakley. "We've been inthat mindset ever since we invented Time Bomb, one of our first precision instruments, and it'sour way of showing appreciation for being chosen as the Official Timekeeper of TORC. Racerscan earn it by "nuking the competition", something we've been doing to timid minds since dayone," Baden concluded.

Oakley will also create some year-end awards in addition to an overall Oakley Bomb RunAward; Oakley has designed a one-of-a-kind commemorative championship watch that will beawarded to the class champions in the 2009 Traxxas TORC Truck Series presented by AMSOIL.In addition, Oakley will award the end of the season, will present four full size "Oakley BombRun Awards". In each of the four classes, the driver with the most "Oakley Bomb Run Awards"will receive the 2009 Season Bomb Run Trophy.Provided By TORC S eries


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PDG Awards Over $ 12 ,000 to Drivers RacingTraxxas TORC S eries presented by AM S OIL

Apr il 27, 2009 (Temecula, C A)-The Professional Drivers Group (PDG) announced today that it isawarding a total of $12,000 in cash to PDG members that are traveling to the first two weekendsof racing in the Traxxas TORC Series, presented by AMSOIL. In addition, 45 drivers havealready registered to receive the Traxxas $1,000 start money to be awarded at Texas Motor Speedway on May 15.

In the coming weeks, the PDG will be awarding travel funding to West Coast based driversattending the Midwest events. To be considered for this funding, drivers need to have their application in by MAY 25th and recipients will be announced by Saturday, May 30th at Perris

Auto Speedway.The PDG would like to thank AMSOIL and Traxxas for making this possible.

We are also very excited to soon be announcing the new list of sponsors that are becominginvolved in the PDG Travel Fund.

Catch the world's greatest off-road short-course racers in action at Texas Motor Speedway onMay 15-16 and in Perris California on May 30-31 at Perris Auto Speedway. Check them out at:TORCseries.com .


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PDG Test S ession at Perris Valuable andInformative

Writeup provided by Mike Reusche, MT-Graphics

P err i s, C A (Apr il 22, 2009) The two day ProfessionalDrivers Group (PDG) test session at Perris AutoSpeedway served many purposes for racers looking tocompete in the Traxxas TORC Series presented byAMSOIL. Over forty PRO and Sportsman drivers wereon hand to take advantage of the free test session. Thefine folks at AMSOIL picked all the costs involved in thetwo day test session. A special thanks goes out the

AMSOIL Motorsports director, Jeremy Meyer for getting behind this event.

Along with the racers, representatives were on hand from AMSOIL, Traxxas, TORC, the PDG,USAC Racing, Kumho Tire, BFGoodrich Tire, King Shocks, Fox Shox, Walker Evans Racing,Pro Power Racing, Fortin Racing, Roush-Yates Engines, and Phil's Incorporated, as well asseveral members of the media. The entire event was streaming live, over the internet, thanks towww.trackinginternational.com.

At 12 noon, on Sunday, PDG representatives held an informal meeting explaining how the groupwas formed and what the reasons for creating such an organization. This was similar to theJanuary meeting that was held in Abrams, Wisconsin. Then the founders of the TORC series,Ricky Johnson and Mitch Covington said a few words, and talked about the future of shortcourse off-road racing. The rest of the TORC staff was introduced, Office Manager, TiffanyLandru, Media Relations, Christine Lunniss, and Technical Directors, RJ Anderson and TerrySeverson. USAC Racing was represented by Jason Smith. Mike Jenkins from Traxxas, andJeremy Meyer of AMSOIL, said a few words to the crowd expressing their enthusiasm for theinaugural TORC season.

The two day affair also gave racers, team owners, and media personnel to sign up and pay their dues for PDG and USAC membership. After all the formalities, two afternoon test sessions andone under the lights were scheduled for all TORC classes. Then the event finished up on Mondaywith one more midday session. All divisions of racing, PRO-4WD, PRO-2WD, Pro-Light, Super Buggy, Single Buggy, UTVs, and Trophy Karts, were well represented.

Each session went smoothly as teams really went to work trying different suspension and tiregrooving setups on the very challenging .7 mile layout at Perris Auto Speedway. More than acouple competitors put their race vehicle through some unintended aerobatics. Othersexperienced mechanical failures that, thankfully, happened before the season started. For many itwas the first time back behind the wheel in almost seven months.


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The Traxxas two-seat PRO-2WD truck, as well as the Vegas Off-Road Experience truck, weretrackside offering ride-alongs throughout the day.

After Sunday's full day of testing, Scott Douglas invited all PDG members for an informal

meeting back at his hospitality to talk more about the PDG and get more feedback from the WestCoast racers.

The final Monday midday test session saw several PRO drivers, including new arrivals JeremyMcGrath and Brian Deegan, take advantage of the time to fine tune their trucks for the final time

before heading to opening round of racing at the Dirt Track at Texas Motor Speedway on May15. The tracks at Perris and Texas are very similar to one another.

After one O'clock on Monday, everyone packed up and headed home. All in attendance wereimpressed with the organization of the event as well as the Perris Auto Speedway facility.

Short course off-road racing will be returning to Perris May 29 for rounds three and four of theTraxxas TORC series presented by AMSOIL.

For more information about Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL, www.torcseries.com

PDG and TORC Raised $5 0 ,000 .00 forT EX AS E vent!!

Must Pre-Register by Monday, April 20 thThe PDG is pleased to announce that aLL Pro trucks will receive $1000 .00 to help with travel toThe Off Road Championship's (TORC) opening race at Texas Motor Speedway on May 15-16.All drivers have to do to qualify for this money must pre-register with TORC Series no later thanMonday, April 20 ; take the "Green Flag" on Friday, May 15; and be a paid PDG member. Youcan register for races by going to the TORC website and downloading the Race Entry Forms.Pre-registration will also be available ant the TORC/PDG Test and Media Day at Perris AutoSpeedway on April 19-20.

The Professional Drivers Group (PDG) has raised $50,000.00 with help from sponsor TRAXXAS which will be divided between all Pro truck drivers. Each will receive $1000.00 justto take the Green Flag Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway.

This is totally separate from the PDG Travel fund. Any pro driver that would like to apply for thePDG Travel fund may do so. Apply for travel fund

Pro Drivers must have a current USAC License and be a PDG member.


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Bark River Lions Club & the PDG PutTheir H eads and H earts Together

Apr il 7, 2009 -Members of the PDG executive board met with theBark River Lions Club to formulate a plan that will ensure a longterm partnership with PDG and The TORC Series. The Bark River Lions Club has been committed to the off-road communityfor years. The PDG and the TORC Series are excited to have theBark River International Raceway on their schedule and want tocontinue bringing unsurpassed racing action to the fans in the Midwest.

The PDG members shared their goals and future plans for securing premiere off-road racing in

the Midwest. While the Bark River Lions Club members are committed to promoting short-course off-road racing, they wanted reassurance if they invest in making changes to the track thatthe series would continue to use the facility in the future. Both parties shared ideas that could

potentially make the Bark River track and facility even better than it currently is.

Changes discussed include:

Change the start, possibly a 2 x 2 rolling start, or a completely new location from thecurrent start.

Move hot pits to a location better seen by the fans. Change sections of the track to produce better side by side racing-possibly a split lane

section where you would choose one line or the other. Banking a few turns to get two lines in the turns. New section with table tops and whoops. How about this... a track design that could run one direction the first day and backwards

the following day.Stay tuned for updated information on "NEW" technical, challenging, and innovative Bark River International Off-Road Raceway!!!

The Bark River Lions Club also expressed interest in investing in the PDG travel awardscholarship fund to assist racers with their travel expenses to the track. This is something thatwill be further discussed at a later date.

The end result was both positive and exciting for the Bark River Lions Club and the PDG. ThePDG would like to thank the Bark River Lions Club for the invitation to the meeting, giving usthe opportunity to be involved, and their commitment to the future of off-road racing.

The PDG i s committ ed to mak ing sh or t course off-r oad rac ing t he bes t , mo st exciting form of rac ing for t he f ans, wh ile pr oviding a viable marke ting al t erna tive to pot ential sp onsors.


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Good Times at PDG and TORC E vent atOakley

Big Turnout For S hort- Course Racing!

F oot hill Ranch, C A (March 26, 2009) -The PDG and TORC kicked-off the up-coming inauguralseason of the Traxxas TORC Series last evening with a star studed event held at Oakley's

breathtaking headquarters in Foothill Ranch, CA,. The crowd of drivers, sponsors and fansshowed up early and stayed late with the excitement of the upcoming season dominating the

topic conversation during the cocktail party. Oakley, Monster Energy, and Red Bull providedfood and drinks for an electrified crowd of short-course enthusiasts and PDG drivers and their race trucks were on hand along with sponsors and members of the press.

"This crowd really exceeded my expectations and I am really stoked about the success of theevent," stated Ricky Johnson, owner of The Traxxas TORC Series. "The enthusiasm and supportfrom this crowd really means a lot to my partner Mitch and me. It was really rewarding to finallymeet a lot of the drivers, press, sponsors and fans that came out tonight."

The evening kicked-off with cocktails and appetizers and then moved into the Oakley theatre for a preview of Steve Naughtons new film, entitled "Crandon". "The film brings back a lot of emotion for me, I love this sport and the heritage of short-course off-road racing," stated PDG

board member Scott Douglas. "It really set the tone for the things to come this season. This was aspecial event for all of us that have worked really hard over the last few months."

After the film, TORC owners Ricky Johnson and Mitch Covington made a presentation andanswered questions about the upcoming TORC season, as well as recognizing sponsors,members from the PDG, and TORC staff. Mike Jenkins, CEO of Traxxas, a professional driver and team owner, gave a short speech.

"The way the drivers, sponsors and series owners have pulled together is unprecedented. Traxxasis absolutely thrilled with the opportunity to be a part of this series and support the efforts of thePDG and TORC. We are committed to making The Traxxas TORC Series presented byAMSOIL a sustainable top-level series for years to come."

After Johnson and Covington presented an update, the PDG took to take the stage. PDGexecutive board members Johnny Greaves, Scott Douglas, Curt LeDuc, Evan Evans, SteveBarlow and Rick Huseman, all took turns discussing the goals and unity of professional short-course drivers. "We are united together for the future of the sport we all have worked so hardfor," stated Cut LeDuc, veteran PRO 4X4 driver and team owner. "The PDG has been amazingly


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united and together we can influence the future of the sport for generations of new racers comingon. The PDG is not just about the top three classes but the sportsman classes as well-we want thefuture of the sport to be brighter than ever and we think RJ, Mitch and the PDG have capturedthat vision with TORC."

The party continued out in the lobby well after Oakley personnel turned up the house lights and awonderful evening was had by all.

The Traxxas TORC Series-The Off Road Championship, presented by AMSOIL is the worlds premier off road series, bringing together the best of Midwest short course off-road racing withexciting new Western State venues. TORC drivers push the limits with action-packed fender

pounding on challenging natural terrain racetracks. The season kicks off May 15, 2009 at TexasMotor Speedway. For more information on TORC please visit www.torcseries.com .

PDG Changes TORC Test and Orientation toS unday and MondayApril 19 -20 Now no charge to PDG memberscompliments of AM S OIL!

P err i s, C a. (March 16, 2009) The Professional Drivers Group(PDG) announces a change in dates for the PDG Driver Orientation Event. Due to the overwhelming response and at theurging of the sponsors, we have moved the test days to Sundayand Monday (April 19th-20th) so as to not conflict with the BestIn The Desert race.

The 2-day TORC Series open practice at Perris Raceway in Perris, CA, will be FREE to all PDGmembers, compliments of AMSOIL. This is a great opportunity to get driver and equipmentdialed in for the 2009 TORC Series season. This will be a great chance to practice with some of the best off-road drivers in the country! A USAC license is also required.

The PDG test day will be hosted by TORC series sponsors, tire companies, and USAC. Practicewill be open to the public both days with FREE admission, along with music, concessions, andfun. Media and TV crews will be on hand to capture firsthand all the excitement of the first

practice session of the year.

Perris Auto Speedway is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds, home of the SouthernCalifornia Fair. The track is approximately one hour east of Los Angeles and one hour North of


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San Diego. To get to the track, take the 215 freeway, exit at the Ramona Expressway and go twomiles east to the fairgrounds. You can call the track office at 951-940-0134.

You can join the Professional Drivers Group (PDG) by going to the online sign-up form atwww.PDGoffroad.org. Sign up and photos for USAC Hard Cards will also be available.

| Perris Speedway Website | TORC Series Website |

PRACTIC E M E DIA MU S IC FOOD - FUN

PDG to Announce E xciting Incentives andOpportunities for MembershipWhile the Professional Drivers Group (PDG) is still in the organizational stage, there are someexciting benefits already in the works that will be available exclusively to their membership. To

join, please go to the online membership application . The fees are very affordable ($40.00 for drivers and $25.00 for supporters) and will provide funding for the PDGs efforts to have a voicein off-road racing, particularly the TORC Series, which the PDG supports.

The Professional Drivers Group (PDG), with backing from several sponsors and track owners,has established a Travel Fund Scholarship for independent teams to help with travel expenses.Any Pro 4x4, Pro 2WD or Pro Light PDG members traveling between the West Coast andMidwest regions for Points are eligible.

Several teams from the West Coast and the Midwest will be awarded travel vouchers for up to$2000 per trip.

To qualify, each team must submit a Travel Fund Award Application to show their need for assistance. The PDG Board will make the final selection and award the teams the scholarship.

The goal of this program is to provide financial assistance to teams to help give them theopportunity to showcase their talents among the top off-road racers in the country. | TRAVELFUND APPLICATION

Another membership benefit will be periodic test days at Crandon. A date for the first test datewill be announced as early as this week. A media day is also being arranged to allow media totake photos, interview drivers and other activities to promote off-road racing.


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PDG Meet the Masses in the Midwest

Abrams, WI ( F

ebruary 5, 2009) - On a sub-zero evening in Northern Wisconsin, the leaders of Off-Road Grand Prix [THE Off Road Championship], Ricky Johnson and Mitch Covington,along with two members of the Professional Drivers Group (PDG), Scott Douglas and JohnnyGreaves, presented the footprint of off-road racings only national race series. Nearly twohundred drivers and race team members filled the banquet hall at the Fly-Away in Abrams,Wisconsin to listen and present questions to the leaders of both groups. Also on hand werenewest staff members of Off-Road GP, Eastern tech director Terry Severson, and OfficeManager, Tiffany Landru. Their wealth of knowledge and experience are key assets for thesuccess of this off-road racing series.

The meeting began with Ricky Johnson explaining the process that took him to the formation of

the Off-Road GP, and the soon to be completed purchase of the World Series of Off-RoadRacing. The infrastructure, the permanent facilities, and the history of the sport were all keyelements to his decisions. Ricky made the point about the passion he has for this sport and howhe intends grow and promote this unique form of Motorsports. The future will see RJ from driver to race series owner/director. One point, RJ made was the way he is presenting the series tosponsors and to the marketplace. Short course off-road racing, does bring desert racing to themasses, but ORGP want to be known as the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Challenge) of theMotorsports world. The mix the speed, the bumps, jumps and side by side racing, with thetechnical and strategy aspects of the teams and their race vehicles and thats what the ORGP

being to the Motorsports world.

As noted before, the ORGP will be sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (USAC). Alongwith all the on-track and tech duties, USAC will include ORGP in their marketing, on their website, and at the year end awards banquet in Indianapolis. The USAC website will be key inthe creation of streaming video with side bar stories on the drivers and other stories,that developthroughout the season. In conjunction with the SEMA show, the ORGP will also have its ownawards banquet also honoring all Sportsman and PRO drivers in Las Vegas.

Mitch Covington spoke on some of the business aspects of the series and what to expect in thecoming days and weeks. Key points such as sponsors and television coverage will becomeofficial in the days ahead. The three PRO truck classes will be included in the television package.

Johnny Greaves and Scott Douglas stepped up to the microphone to discuss what brought thedrivers together, to form the Professional Drivers Group (PDG). Several PRO drivers on theWest Coast got together to try to understand what direction the future of this sport was heading.At the same time, the group believed it needed a unified voice to express their wants, needs, andopinions, to keep their livelihood intact. The drivers continued to meet over the course of 4-6weeks to put their plan together. In turn, meetings were held with sponsors and race promoters.

After everything was said and done, the PDG determined that the race series and marketing


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package Ricky Johnson had put together was the direction the drivers and the sport needed, tocontinue for the long term. In the near future, the PDG will be launching its website to keepeveryone updated with all the latest information.

Questions came from all over the banquet hall and covered a variety of topics. The series is a

strong believer in the sportsman racer, and creating opportunities to move up the ladder intothe PRO ranks. The sportsman series will have an east coast and west coast points series as someof the classes differ depending which side of the Rocky Mountains you race.

As stated before, Terry Severson is the Technical Director in the East, and R.J. Anderson, of Walker Evans Racing, will head the tech director duties in the West. The technical directors willassist USAC with nuisances of off-road race vehicles when it comes to the inspection process aswell as the liaison between the racers and the USAC tech committee.

After about two hours, the informal meeting adjourned and the 2009 bench racing season began.The response to the meeting among the group was very upbeat. Everyone had positive comments

about how the leaders of the ORGP and the PDG came to Wisconsin to keep everyone updatedand in the loop with all the developments in the sport.

midwest off road racing gets together in abrams

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