Radio Control Excitement Invades Crandon International Raceway

Traxxas' Own Mike Jenkins Scores Top-5 Finish In Pro 4X4

 

 

 

Crandon, WI (June 21, 2009)— Traxxas, the title sponsor of THE Traxxas Off-Road Championship (TORC) Truck Series, blew the doors wide open at Crandon International Raceway with an onslaught of R/C racing and fun in the midway and in the pits, along with a wall of Traxxas horsepower racing on the track. Over 24,000 spectators for this first TORC series event at Crandon were treated to the full Traxxas radio control experience from the moment they walked through the gates. Right at the entrance fans were greeted by a bigger-than-life, 35-foot long Traxxas Slash R/C racing truck and matching transmitter that is nearly three stories tall to the tip of its antenna. You have to go big in The Big House! The giant inflatables were a popular backdrop for family photos throughout the weekend.

 

 

R/C racing was front and center with the Traxxas TORC R/C Challenge track winding its way through the trees. The R/C track is a replica of the famous Crandon track with all the jumps and turns including the Traxxas Launch Zone which lets the trucks air it out before clamping the brakes for the next turn. The R/C racing was held under the lights and featured Traxxas Slash and Slayer spec class racing which keeps the trucks equally matched so that the competition is focused on driving skill and strategy. Many experienced the fun of racing for the first time with brand new Slashes straight out of the box! Nitro Slayers filled the night with the sound of horsepower as their powerful engines screamed around the track. There was a packed racing schedule both nights and the top 3 finishers in each class were awarded TORC R/C Challenge plaques. Opposite of the TORC R/C track, the Traxxas Try-Me Track gave everyone a chance to drive in exchange for a suggested $1 donation that benefitted the Crandon Lions Club. Traxxas' exclusive Training Mode™ allowed complete beginners to master the high-performance models. The Try Me-Track is always a big hit for drivers and spectators alike as many first-time drivers challenge each other on the track to determine who has the heaviest foot (or throttle finger) and the superior track skills.

 

All of the TORC R/C Challenge racers were entered to win a ride in the Traxxas TORC Pace Truck, as well as Traxxas Slash R/C racing trucks and Traxxas apparel. The Pace Truck Ride Winner, sixteen-year-old Blaine Gould of Wausau, Wisconsin, got to experience the horsepower of a PRO-2WD short course truck first hand as he hot-lapped the famous Crandon track in front of the fans in the Traxxas TORC Series Pace Truck. All the action was caught on film and Blaine received a DVD of his ride along with A Traxxas Slash R/C Short Course Race Truck. Blaine called the experience "The most amazing ride of my life."  It's all part of the fun at a Traxxas TORC Series race!

 

With all of the R/C action on site, the Traxxas Mobile Support Center was on hand helping out with service and technical advice from Traxxas' expert support team. With free DVDs, catalogs, Traxxas apparel, and lots of other Traxxas gear, the Mobile Support Center became R/C central as people came by to visit with Traxxas personnel one-on-one and learn about everything R/C.

 

The action also extended into the pits as Traxxas' own Mike Jenkins and brother Mark Jenkins signed autographs and visited with fans in between rounds of racing and racing preparation. Touring the pits was an opportunity to get up close and see how the nation's premier Pro Teams that compete in the Traxxas TORC Series get the job done.

 

When it was time to race, game faces went on and the fastest, toughest drivers in the nation set out to battle each other and the notoriously horsepower-hungry Crandon track for Traxxas TORC series glory.

 

Rick Huseman: Pro 4X4
In Saturday's Pro 4X4 racing action, Rick mixed equal parts precision, patience, and aggression to battle his way into the lead after Kyle LeDuc took the holeshot in the motocross-style "land rush" start. As Kyle LeDuc extended his lead, the battle for second place was on as Curt LeDuc, Johnny Greaves, and Rick poured over 2700 horsepower into the loamy Wisconsin soil. Rick used the momentum of a wide line through the tight "Gravel Pit" corner to shave his lap times. By the third lap, he was able to get a wheel under Johnny Greaves to move cleanly into third position and focus his sights on Curt LeDuc. As the competition yellow came out to regroup the field, Rick had passed Curt for second place. Fans rose to their feet for a bumper-to-bumper battle with Rick sandwiched between the father-and-son LeDuc boys. Once again, Rick combined a wide line through the Gravel Pit and the thundering power of his Monster Energy/Traxxas Toyota to try and steal the lead from Kyle LeDuc. The drag-race continued over the Traxxas Radio Control Launch Zone where Rick moved into first. Kyle kept the heat on Rick, but Rick had the power advantage and soon opened up a gap on Kyle. The cushion could have been erased by a single mistake, but Rick was unshakeable as he carved the fast line through each corner to take the win, along with another Oakley Bomb Run award for posting the fastest lap of the race. In fact, Rick missed the lap record, set by Monster Energy teammate Johnny Greaves, by just a few hundredths of a second.

 

Round 6 saw Rick Huseman standing tall after another Pro 4X4 brawl. Rick roared into third as the pack settled into the first lap of the race, chasing the leader Steve Barlow and Kyle Leduc in second. Huseman waited carefully for his passing opportunity, and got around LeDuc cleanly as the halfway point of the race neared. Rick would not have to wait long for his next chance to move up, as moments after passing LeDuc, Barlow tucked in too tightly as he rounded the Gravel Pit and nearly spun his truck into the wall of soil that defined the inside of the corner. Huseman powered around Barlow using his fast, wide line, and opened up a substantial gap on the field. But it was only a momentary respite, as the competition yellow flew and the trucks fell into line. As racing resumed under the green flag, Rick unleashed the full fury of his Toyota-powered Monster/Traxxas race truck to open up a commanding lead, stretching the gap between himself and second-place driver Curt LeDuc to as many as 20 truck lengths. While the rest of the field fought in his dusty wake, Rick powered through the final laps to take his second TORC trophy of the weekend, his fifth win, and sixth Oakley Bomb Run award in six starts.

 

Mike Jenkins: Pro 4X4
Mike Jenkins' and his number 47 Traxxas Pro 4X4 had mixed results over the weekend with a mechanical failure in Saturday's Round 5 followed by a top 5 finish in Sunday's Round 2. On Saturday, a radiator fan failure lead to overheating by the half-way point of Round 5 and Mike had to take the truck off the track to spare the engine as his water temperature neared 300 degrees. The Crandon International Speedway has no mercy for the trucks with it long fast straights and blistering turns that keep the engines and the drivers constantly at the red line. The trucks simply can't survive without the cooling system fully intact. Only completing 5 laps of Saturday's race put Mike on the outside of the back row of the starting grid for Round 6, but that didn't stop him from racing aggressively up to sixth place at the start. With Scott Douglas in front and Johnny Greaves behind, Mike had to attack and defend simultaneously just to maintain his position. After avoiding Scott Douglas' dramatic rollover just before the competition yellow, and a crash under yellow that sent Adrian Cenni back to the pits, Mike was able to gain another position on the restart. Scott Douglas rejoined the field under yellow to remain on the lead lap behind the Traxxas truck. Mike pushed the truck hard all the way up to fourth position by lap 7 maintaining a steady gap to third with Scott Douglas behind. Unfortunately, the black flag flew for Mike when officials ruled he had jumped the restart. After being held back for the stop-and-go penalty in the final laps of the race, there was little time for Mike to regain lost ground before the checkered flag came out. In the end, Mike pressed on hard to still finish in the top five. Mike said of the weekend "We love Crandon. The track and the fans are fantastic, the racing is world class, and the event is unlike anything else in short course racing. Being able to bring the Traxxas TORC series to Crandon just makes it that much more exciting. Mitch Covington and Ricky Johnson are to be commended for uniting short course racing in this way and speaking for Traxxas, we are truly happy to be a part of that success."

 

Mark Jenkins: Pro 2WD
Mark Jenkins launched the weekend off with an incredibly aggressive start, tearing off laps just one-tenth off Todd LeDuc's first-place pace and faster than the trucks running third through fifth. Mark powered his number 25 Traxxas Pro 2WD from tenth place to sixth in just two laps establishing a pace that seemed sure to land him on the podium. Mark's driving skill just keeps getting stronger and the start of this race was one of his best performances to date. Mark maintained his position through the mid-point of the race until his truck caught a deep rut in the turn-two sweeper which violently pitched his truck back to the right and straight into the wall. The race was over for Mark at that point with the collision crumpling the front end and destroying the right front suspension. Fortunately Mark was not injured in his Simpson-equipped truck.

Due to the extensive damage from Saturday's race, Mark campaigned the backup truck in Round 6 on Sunday. The backup truck did not have the benefit of the testing and suspension setup for Crandon that went into the primary truck, and it last saw action at Glen Helen for a brief pre-season practice. Also absent from the backup truck were the fantastic King Shocks that run on the primary truck. As a result, the team attempted to compensate with some major set-up changes on the truck that were outside of the shock tuning window and resulted in earth-jarring "pancake" impacts when jumping. Additional distraction came with managing a hot-running engine that reached water temps just under 300F, and excessive header temps gave a whole new meaning to hot-footing it around the track as the heat scorched his right foot and created grape-sized blisters. Not even the raw driving fury that Mark was laying down for the weekend could overcome the limitations of the backup truck's setup. Mark played it smart to preserve the equipment, finish the race, and add to his points tally for the season. Mark commented after the race "Racing that backup truck makes me appreciate even more the effort the crew puts into the preparation and tuning of the primary truck, and what a night and day difference there is in shocks. King Shocks has worked closely with us to get the setups right and it really shows."

 

Jeff Kincaid: Pro Light
Crandon's favorite son Jeff Kincaid took no prisoners as the green flag dropped on the Round 5 Pro Light race and Jeff put his Traxxas Toyota Tacoma squarely in the lead. Jeff peeled off perfect laps, demonstrating the skills that have made him a six-time Pro Light champion. But even the best drivers can succumb to mechanical problems, and Jeff found himself without power steering just before the competition yellow. Jeff stayed on the track but out of contention to finish eighth.

In Round 6 of Pro Light, Marty Hart got the holeshot while Jeff Kincaid and Chad Hord battled for second. As the pair powered over the front straight's jump, Hord got crossed up and barrel-rolled spectacularly as Kincaid throttled into second place ahead of the wreck, and kept his Traxxas Toyota Tacoma in position through the competition yellow and onto the podium, earning enough points to say in the number-one spot in the series standings.

 

Forest County Potawatomi Chairman's Cup
A Crandon fan favorite, the Chairman's Cup is unique in short course racing as it pits Pro 2WD and Pro 4X4 trucks against each other at the same time. A staggered start sets the Pro 4X4s loose to chase down the 2WD trucks in a battle for the $25,000 prize purse. In addition to taking on the rest of the field, the Chairman's Cup gave the Jenkins brothers a rare chance to go wheel to wheel with each other in their Traxxas trucks. Mark was driving with renewed confidence thanks to aggressive setup changes that gave him a much better suited truck for the full-throttle Crandon track. Mark was 1.2 seconds faster and clicked off laps competitive with the leaders in the previous Pro 2WD race, and had ample speed to hold off the hard-charging Pro 4X4 of Scott Douglas. Ultimately, Douglas made contact with Mark's 25 truck, knocking its radiator fan out of commission which ended Mark's challenge for the cup and relegated him to a fourth place finish in Pro 2WD and ninth overall. Mike Jenkins put in a great performance, pushing his truck as high as third place in the Pro 4X4 running before falling back to sixth with overheating issues. But even as the Jenkins brothers were officially out of the running, there was still racin' going on. As Mark explained, "After Douglas knocked a hole in my radiator and my engine temp started to skyrocket, my crew chief told me to pull in behind Mike in the Argon loop. Now, I wasn't sure if I was ahead or behind, but thought, ‘I'll make sure I'm ahead of Mike—I'm on the lead lap!' and I pulled in front. Let the record show that the Jenkins Brothers Cup is now tied up, one to one!"

 

Check out the Jenkins Brothers gallery from Crandon >>

More pictures & discussion here:     Forum Coverage Part 1 >>     Forum Coverage Part 2 >>

 

Rounds 5 and 6 of THE Traxxas Off-Road Championship will air on June 28, 12:30pm - 1:30pm Eastern on . For the full racing and television coverage schedule, visit TORCseries.com.

 

The next stop for the Traxxas TORC Series is in Bark River, MI July 11-12. Get advance tickets at TORCseries.com.

 

For more information about Traxxas, The Fastest Name In Radio Control®, visit Traxxas.com.

 

 

For information on Rounds 3 & 4, click the image below:

 

For information on Rounds 1 & 2, click the image below: