Money Motivated Short Course Off Road Drivers at The Challenge Cup in California
- 5 Jan 2010
Chris Brandt, the 2009 LOORRS Driver of the Year qualified 1st in the Unlimited Buggy Class
The start of the 2010 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing season is a few months away
The Lake Elsinore Motorsports Complex in California hosted the Rockstar Energy Lucas Oil Challenge Cup
Some of the fastest drivers in short course off-road racing dueled for large cash purses in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Challenge Cup
Aggressive driving at The Challenge Cup was part of the program for many of the short course off road drivers in Lake Elsinore, California.
Chad Leising drove the No. 17 Hart and Huntington SuperLite in the Rockstar Energy Lucas Oil Challenge Cup
In the middle of it all was the Hart and Huntington Race Team. Chris Brandt, the 2009 LOORRS Driver of the Year, qualified 1st and later led 26 Unlimited Class Buggies and U-L competitors for a good portion of the 15 lap event.
Robert Naughton and Brian Deegan both raced hard, but it looked as if Brandt could fight off the buggies and take the win. Deegan didn’t agree with the competition and forced his way in. In the process, Deegan took himself out and shredded Brandt’s left rear tire along with any shot of money or a podium.
Brandt's teammate and champion buggy driver, John Fitzgerald finished his first Unlimited Lite truck race as the 2nd truck to cross the line. Brandt hung on with his flat tire and crossed right behind Fitzgerald.
Later in the day, Brandt stepped into the K&N Unlimited-4 truck. Unfortunately, Brandt had rear end issues and had to drop out early in the U-2 vs. U-4 event.
Chad Leising, the 2009 SuperLite Runner-Up climbed the ranks of short course racing during the inaugural season. He was expected to be one of the contenders to take a fair share of the $35,000 purse during the Super Lite season finale at The Challenge Cup.
K&N supported racer Ricky James and Chad George engaged Leising in an intense battle going three wide. Leising drove the No. 17 Hart and Huntington SuperLite cautiously to avoid damage to the truck. He found his window of opportunity and followed Naughton up through the field. Leising charged to the front and was door to door on the back stretch.
Unfortunately, the No. 88 flew high off the main jump and made contact with Leising as he landed. Forced off the line and off the elevated obstacle, the No. 17 barrel rolled into a cart wheelie. The front steering arms were sheered, but Leising crawled out of the wreckage and had to accept a DNF, (did not finish).
K&N is the filter of choice for the Hart and Huntington Race Team, Metal Mulisha’s Brian Deegan and Ricky James.
The Hart and Huntington Team will be back in force for the 2010 season. The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS) 2010 schedule will be comprised of fifteen championship rounds of racing.
The events will be held over eight weekends at tracks located in the states of California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah. The short course off road racing season will conclude with the Rockstar Energy/Lucas Oil Challenge Cup at Firebird Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona on December 12, 2010.
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