Luke Johnson TORC BorgWarner Race Report

Luke Johnson Has Solid Rookie Sportsman Season
Finishes TORC SRT Limited 2 Second Overall

El Cajon, CA (September 9, 2009) – Luke Johnson brought his Charlie?s
Automotive BFGoodrich Tire Chevy Silverado to Crandon looking to
finish his rookie season in the TORC Sportsman series with enough
points to claim the runner-up spot in the Limited 2 Championship
standings. After Round 8, Keith Steele was crowned the class champion,
but the rest of podium was up for grabs. The first visit to Crandon,
earlier in the year, saw the California native take the runner-up spot
in the second round of the season, and the team was looking to repeat
its earlier success.

When the #248 Chevy was unloaded from the trailer, it was sporting the
Chevy Thunder paint scheme celebrating Jack Flannery?s induction to
the Off-Road Hall of Fame. The truck was a great symbol of the future
of short course off-road racing honoring its legendary racers.

The Friday afternoon saw Luke Johnson turn the third fastest lap in
SRT Limited 2 practice session. Sean and the guys only had a couple
of hours before racing began under the lights on Crandon?s Short-Short
track. As the sun went down and the lights came on over 10,000 fans
had filled the spectator hill.

Round 9
The race had Luke thundering down the front straight grabbing the lead
with #7 Baudoux right on his bumper. The two competitors ran in tandem
until lap three when Luke put his ProPower Chevy up ?on the bike?
allowing Dan Baudoux to grab the lead.

Just before the mandatory caution lap, a crack developed in one of the
exhaust headers, reducing the engine?s output. Undaunted, Luke
continued on finishing in seventh place.

The crew quickly went to work repairing the cracked header, as well as
the usual between round maintenance. The next morning after the
header repair, the engine was fired up, but all was not well. The
header damage had overheated one of the cylinders which caused it to
loose compression. Unfortunately there wasn?t enough time for an
engine change, so Luke lined up to race with his focus on completing
the race.

Round 10
The final race of the season had Luke Johnson in survival mode, or so
everyone thought. The land rush start saw the #248 Chevy Thunder
machine staying out of trouble and passing several of his competitors
in the process. On lap four, Luke had moved up to fourth place,
running a fairly fast pace, when the truck rolled in the Argonne Loop,
ending his Sportsman season. The eleventh place finish was still
enough to finish second overall in the 2009 TORC Series presented by
AMSOIL SRT Limited 2 division.

?Driving this truck in Limited 2 here in the Midwest has been an
awesome experience,? noted Luke Johnson. ?It was a steep learning
curve, but thanks to my dad, Shawn, Charlie, and everyone that?s given
us a hand, we handled it fairly well. Hopefully I have gained the
respect of my fellow drivers, and with the move to PRO-2WD next year,
I?ll continue to improve and eventually give dad some added
competition.?

For the season Luke Johnson finished in the Top-5 in eight of the ten
rounds of racing, including one runner-up finish and four third place
finishes.

Congratulations to the 2009 Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL
SRT Limited 2 champion, Keith Steele.

The TORC Midwest Sportsman season may be over, but Luke Johnson is
heading back home to Southern California to compete in two of the last
four rounds of the PRO-2WD championship series.

?The Limited 2 and PRO-2WD trucks are almost identical except for the
engine,? commented Luke Johnson. ?We will put a bigger motor in the
truck, make a few chassis adjustments, and use the seat time to
prepare for 2010.?

The next TORC PRO-2WD weekend of racing is September 25-26, at the
Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, California.

Luke Johnson would like to thank all his supporters including:

The Jimmie Johnson Foundation

Charlie?s Automotive
Cement Cutting Inc
BFGoodrich Tires
Mastercraft Seats
Whips RC Gloss
Red Bull
KMC Wheels
AMSOIL
Oakley
Auto Trans Designs
Fox Shox

For more information about Luke Johnson marketing opportunities for
the remainder of the 2009 race season as well as the upcoming 2010
season please email: lukedog92@aol.com