Monday, September 28, 2009

Douglas Shines Brightest Under Perris Lights

The Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL thundered it's way back to the West Coast with two phenomenal rounds of racing held at Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, Calif. Although the daytime weather was a scorching 106 degrees, by the time racing got underway at six p.m., temperatures and a light breeze made the evening ideal for the 12,000 off road fans in attendance.

Friday AMSOIL Super Team driver Scott Douglas dominated the Pro 4x4 class with a first place finish, doing a lot of banging and bumping along the way with Kyle LeDuc. On lap six, LeDuc finally succumbed to the contact with Douglas and was forced to park his PRO 4x4 due to damage. Adrian Cenni finished second behind Douglas, and AMSOIL sponsored driver Johnny Greaves would take the final podium spot. AMSOIL/Red Bull's Steve Barlow took the Oakley Bomb Run Award for the fastest lap time.

Rob MacCachren proved to his fans that he will be a deciding factor in the AMSOIL PRO 2WD by taking the win on Friday. AMSOIL Red/Bull's Ricky Johnson finished second, and fellow supercross legend Jeremy McGrath taking third and the Oakley Bomb Run Award.

Chad Hord led early in Friday's Pro Light race race, but was caught up in lapped traffic, allowing Chris Brandt to take the lead. Brandt, Jeff Kincaid, and Marty Hart went one-two-three on Friday evening. Kincaid would take the Oakley Bomb. Hord finished fourth.

On Saturday, Hart took second in Pro Light after losing a tough battle with Kincaid. Hord once again led the race early, but had to pit during the mandatory caution due to a flat tire. Luke Johnson made his PRO Light debut in the Traxxas/AMSOIL truck, placing fifth overall.

Douglas once again led the Pro 4x4 field early on Saturday as he was looking for his third win in the last four races. Rick Huseman, however, showed off his exceptional speed and finished with an eight car length lead and the Oakley Bomb Run Award. Kyle LeDuc took second and follows behind Huseman in the points race. Douglas secured the final spot on the podium after running second for most of the race.

The AMSOIL Pro 2wd class was the last race of the evening, but surely worth the wait. Greg Adler was taken away via ambulance after an incident with AMSOIL Super Team driver Mike Oberg. Adler got sideways leaving Oberg no where to go but into the side of the 4 Wheel Parts truck, sending Adler upside down. Oberg would keep the AMSOIL/BFGoodrich truck moving forward, finishing sixth for the second straight night. In the end, MacCachren would take the win, Team AMSOIL driver Dan Vanden Heuvel second and Todd LeDuc a third.

The next and final stop on the 2009 TORC race schedule is the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track in Las Vegas, Nev. Come see the champions get crowned October 23 and 24. The Perris race will air on ESPN2, Sunday October 4.

Until then, we'll see you at the races.