TORC round 3 and 4 – A Different Inside Perspective on the Traxxas TORC Series

TORC Series Rounds 3 & 4

May 29th & 30th

Perris Auto Speedway

June 2, 2009 by Greg Krasnow

Fans meet drivers before the big race

I was a volunteer with the track crew, helping with the setup and teardown. This works well for me because all the work is done before and after the event. I can actually watch the race, have a peek behind the scenes, get a free lunch or two, free admission plus the usual shwag.

Admission seemed a little steep at $35 for adults, $10 for youths (11-15 years old) and kids under 10 free. Apparently not too expensive though; they filled about 4000 seats on Friday night for Round 3 and an estimated 6500 for Round 4 on Saturday. An “all access” pit pass would set you back $80 for the weekend or $40 on Saturday only. Regardless, the pits were packed with spectators who, I believe, got their money’s worth.

According to Shannon Boothe, Director of Operations for TORC, “Unlike Rounds One and Two in Texas, TORC did not have control of Pit Passes or gate admission here at Perris. With the exception of these issues, Rounds Three and Four were a huge success. The drivers really liked the technical course and the overall organization of the event.”

It should also be noted that there were no sponsorship issues whatsoever, with many competing products represented by their sponsored racers. Travis Coyne, however, was absent from the weekend’s race event.

The course was built on the half mile, slightly banked clay oval, with a “U” cut in the infield after turn three. Several smaller jumps, a “rhythm” section and a few nasty whoops were groomed into the infield with three or four “showtime” jumps on the front straightaway and several smaller ones on the backstretch. Visibility was 100% from any one of the estimated 8000 seats. Considering the large crowd, there was little or no waiting at the food and beverage counters. Between the races, the rest room lines stacked up pretty deep, but again, this was a function of the facility itself, not the TORC Organizers.

The announcers, Wes Kain and Tim “Dirty” Sanchez (inappropriate moniker for a family event) did a good job on the play-by-play. Commentary was easily heard throughout the entire facility, credit the the in-house 60,000 watt PA system.

We could have easily done without Wes’s frequent cheesy innuendo such as “Metal Mulisha’s gonna bash that truck back into shape with brass knuckles and chains” and other references to gang-like violence. Parents spend hard-earned money to treat their kids to a night of racing in order to keep them off the streets. Clean it up guys.

Being USAC sanctioned, the seasoned organization did an excellent job of running the program in a timely and professional manner. The technical inspection, both pre and post race seemed efficient; although since drivers needed to be present for post-tech, it was late in the evening before this was accomplished. Vehicles placing first, second and third were required to proceed directly to post-tech while the winning drivers conducted interviews at the Podium…an obvious priority.

Pro4 battle

The Pro 4×4 truck class had a field of eight, which put on a great show for the crowd. Friday night, Johnny Greaves, Scott Douglas and Kyle LeDuc finished first, second and third respectively. Saturday night’s Pro 4×4 race was riddled with carnage and mechanical issues, leaving only Rick Huseman, Johnny Greaves and Scott Douglas in the hunt on the last few laps. They finished in that order.

Pro 2WD trucks featured twelve starters and one winner; Ricky Johnson on both nights, followed by Rob MacCachren and Todd LeDuc on Friday, Jeremy McGrath and Dan Vanden Heuvel, Sr. on Saturday. (Yeah, I know what you’re thinking-more on this later)

Pro Light Trucks made their TORC debut in Perris with an impressive field of eighteen entries, including yet, another LeDuc; daughter, Valerie. Friday’s gold, silver and bronze medals were won by Jeff Kincaid, Kyle LeDuc and Chad Hord respectively. On Saturday, Chad Hord, Kyle LeDuc and Casey Currie took home the first, second and third place trophies.

Pro Super Buggy was all about Doug Fortin, taking the top step of the podium on Friday and Saturday nights. Second was Greg George, followed by Randy Minner and John Holmes; same order both nights.

1600 Buggy Class, also racing for the first time in TORC, was represented by a field of nine entries. Curt Geer, John Fitzgerald and Reno Navera took home trophies Friday night, with Saturday’s winners being Fitzgerald, Team of Pangborn & Rayford and Curt Geer.

Ricky Johnson pleased with his race result

Okay, here’s the deal on Ricky Johnson “RJ” winning his own races. First of all, he’s FAST! Watching RJ, Rob Mac, Todd LeDuc & Jeremy McGrath fight for the win in their energy drink sponsored hot rods is absolute art in motion. See it for yourself when you can.

Ricky Johnson is under contract with his sponsor to race this year and he’s doing just that. His role as a promoter surfaced long after the sponsorship agreement was inked. USAC is the buffer….they enforce the rules.

Short Course racing is back and with two different series and there’s plenty of action. I’d sure like to see some kind of “Super Bowl” at the end of the season, where the fast guys from one meet the fast guys from the other…..you know who you are!

Follow the TORC points standing on RDC’s GRID

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