TORC Takes Chicago by Storm!
July 23, 2012 by
Kilian Hamlin
Filed under
Featured, News
People from the Midwest are just plain tough, and short course drivers are no exception! They persevere through budget constraints, weather, and lack of coverage and they just keep going racing. Scott Douglas, Johnny Greaves, Mark Oberg, and Scotty Taylor are a few that have battling anything thrown at them to keep short course off-road racing alive and well in the Midwest. By any standard TORC Round 8 at Chicagoland raceway was a success. Thursday night the stands were full as the NASCAR crowd crossed over to the little track to get their first glimpse of short course racing, and they got a show! The rain couldn’t stop the strong field of competitors from racing. Ricky Johnson, Bryce Menzies, Johnny Greaves, Chad Hord, Scott Douglas, Scotty Taylor, Off-road bike champion Kendal Norman and motorsports superstar Travis Pastrana all showed up with their a-game ready to do battle. The course layout was pretty good for a non-purpose built track and featured lots of technical challenges. Sometimes you have to compromise a bit to take off-road racing to the masses, just like Mickey Thompson did years ago.
Here is a re-cap of all the action by class:
Thursday Night:
PRO 4×4
Scott Douglas (AMSOIL/Borla Exhaust/BFG) and Adrian Cenni (Real Tree Energy/4 Wheel Parts) put on a main event worthy of a heavyweight title fight as the two TORC PRO 4×4 titans went rim-to-rim, bumper-to-bumper and door-to-door for the better part of the final half of Thursday’s main event. And in the end it was the crafty Douglas who used a brilliant inside/outside move on the big right hand sweeper to put himself in a position to win over 2nd place Cenni.
“It was an awesome race. All these guys run fast, run hard,” said Douglas, who was 2nd overall in the points heading into Thursday’s contest. “What a fun race, going back and forth with Adrian like that! I really hope we delivered what we promised to the Chicago TORC fans!”
Adrien Cenni and Scott Douglas battling for the top spot.
They sure did. And coming from the hot pits, nearly a lap down on following the competition restart, was PRO 4 points leader Ricky Johnson (Red Bull/Mopar/Ram/KMC Wheels), who overcame a flat tire to go from last to 3rd in the main – albeit with a bit of bumping going on in between.
“We had a fast truck, obviously,” said Johnson, hoisting the iconic red-tipped Oakley Bomb Award overhead for the fast PRO 4 lap of the evening. “But with all the crap going on out there we’re lucky to be 3rd. This Chicago track was one touch sum beotch!”
Monster Energy/Toyota/Maxxis racer and former PRO 4 champ Johnny Greaves got out to the early lead, but seemed to be plagued by some handling issues. Greaves held strong through the entire race, but rolled late in the contest – which paved the way for Johnson to make the podium. Mike Jenkins (Traxxas/AMSOIL/BFG) was also on point with one of his better races of the year, but got tied up with Johnson and ended up placing 4th.
PRO 4×4 Results
1. Scott Douglas
2. Adrian Cenni
3. Ricky Johnson
4. Mike Jenkins
5. Johnny Greaves
6. Dan Baudoux
7. Al Drews
8. Mark Jenkins
9. Jerry Conrad
10. Milan Mazanec.
PRO 2WD
Within two laps after the PRO 2 class’ competition restart, coming off a full course yellow due to NASCAR Trucks’ Matt Crafton’s (Nitro Circus) rollover, Rob MacCachren (Mopar/Ram/Rockstar) dispensed with defending champ Bryce Menzies (Red Bull/Mopar/Ram/KMC Wheels) and then collided with Jeff Kincaid (Traxxas/AMSOIL/BFG), driving the then race leader’s (Kincaid) front end into a K-barrier and propelling MacCachren into 1st place. The veteran would then hold this spot through the Thursday night TORC PRO 2 checkers at Chicagoland Speedway.
“Just an awesome job by my crew,” said MacCachren who qualified 1st for tonight’s PRO 2 event and finished 1st.
Travis Pastrana takes second place in his first ever short course race.
And putting himself into the 2nd place podium position on Thursday was Travis Pastrana in the Menzies Racing-built Red Bull/Mopar/Ram/KMC Wheels TORC PRO 2 truck. Pastrana took advantage of a Menzies flat tire to move up into podium position, but put a veteran pass on longtime short course off-roader Scott Taylor (Miller Welding) to secure the No. 2 spot.
“I wasn’t really going that fast, but I was trying like hell,” said Pastrana to a HUGE round of applause from the Chicagoland Speedway crowd. And when asked to compare TORC Series racing to RallyCross, Pastrana added: “There’s a lot more air than RallyCross and you’re sideways all the time.”
Yanking the PRO 2 holeshot on Thursday was Kincaid, followed closely into the 1st turn by MacCachren (Oakley Bomb Award winner) with Taylor and CJ Greaves (Monster Energy/Toyota/Maxxis) in hot pursuit. Several laps in CJ Greaves would clip an inside barrier tire and bounced back out into the middle of the track, collecting Steve Barlow (Real Tree Energy).
Making his way up towards a podium position in the first half of the race was current TORC PRO 2 point leader Chad Hord (BOSS Snowplows/Nissan/AMSOIL). En route to the front Hord would reportedly damage the suspension in his truck and he’d not be a factor in the second half of the race, nor would 2nd place overall in the standings CJ Greaves – who pulled off completely after his wreck.
With Hord off at beginning of the competition restart, Pastrana moved up to 5th.
PRO 2 Results
1. Rob MacCachren
2. Travis Pastrana
3. Scott Taylor
4. Steve Barlow
5. Mike Jenkins
6. Bryce Menzies
7. Mike Oberg
8. Matt Crafton
9. Andy Zipperer
10. Jeff Kincaid
11. Chad Hord
12. Keith Steele
13. CJ Greaves
PRO Light
Back at the Crandon (Wis.) Brush Run Andrew Caddell (Mopar/Ram/Traxxas) laid down the gauntlet with rival CJ Greaves (Monster Energy/Toyota/Maxxis). Said Caddell: “Don’t know what he (CJ Greaves) is mad at me for … but if he wants to come up here on the podium and play games I’ll put it on him again at Chicago!”
Well Caddell sure did on Friday, topping the rest of the TORC PRO Light field at Chicagoland Speedway by a full straight-away in what turned out to be the most dominant effort in the PRO Light class this season.
Casey Currie flying in Chicagoland
“We struggled a bit yesterday in practice with setup, but made some changes and we had a real good race truck tonight,” said Caddell. “We hooked up in the blue groove and were able to win it.”
Making his 2012 Traxxas TORC Series debut was former PRO Light champ Casey Currie (Monster Energy). Currie, 2nd, ran strong the entire race and put about the same distance between himself and 3rd place Brad Lovell (AMSOIL/Torchmate/Nissan/BFG) as Caddell had on him for the win.
The 4th and 5th positions turned into a dogfight when Matt Cook (Supercross.com) and CJ Greaves went at it, with Cooke over-cooking a jump and poking the nose of his truck into the dirt. Greaves would go on to grab 4th while Keegan Kincaid (Traxxas/AMSOIL/BFG) rolled in for 5th.
PRO Light Results
1. Andrew Caddell
2. Casey Currie
3. Brad Lovell
4. CJ Greaves
5. Keegan Kincaid
6. Nick Baumgartner
7. Shawn Morris
8. Luke Johnson
9. Raphael Navarro
10. Kendal Norman
11. Ross Hoek
12. Jason Janusz
13. Randy Eller
14. Eric Ruppel
15. Matt Cook
16. Mark Oberg
17. Mitch Dorr
Super Buggy
Opening the action at Chicagoland Speedway’s Route 66 Raceway was the Traxxas TORC Series’ Super Buggy class, featuring 14-year-old phenom Mitchell DeJong (Traxxas/Red Bull). And while DeJong was certainly the class of the field again in terms of lap times, a malfunctioning roof hatch would unfortunately spell the end to the current TORC Super Buggy class’ points leader as DeJong was black flagged twice, forcing him out of the race lead and relegating him to 9th overall.
Capitalizing on DeJong’s misfortune was Bob Klaus, who battled all the way from the back of the pack to catch local racer Steve Krieman in the waning minutes of the race to take the win. And Krieman himself inherited the lead from early race leader John Frana, who lost a wheel while running up front. The third and final TORC Super Buggy podium spot at Chicago would got to JR Wheeler.
Super Buggy Results
1. Bob Klaus
2. Steve Krieman
3. JR Wheeler
4. Bryan Bernloehr
5. Gord Felske
6. Jerry Weaver
7. Andy Zipperer
8. Scott Schwalbe
9. Mitchell DeJong
10. Scott Biers
11. John Frana
12. Chris Haenlein
13. Mark Steinhart
Friday night:
PRO 2WD
The evening’s final race trumped the PRO 4×4 class this one time thanks in part to Travis Pastrana’s (Red Bull/Mopar/Ram/KMC Wheels) star power and audience draw, though the motocrosser would not figure in the podium as he did on Thursday at Chicagoland (2nd in Pastrana’s TORC debut). Instead MacCachren, PRO 2 points leader heading into Chicago, Chad Hord (BOSS Snowplows/Nissan/AMSOIL), and defending TORC PRO 2 champ Bryce Menzies (Red Bull/Mopar/Ram/KMC Wheels) gave MacCachren all he could handle in the 900-horsepower, 13-truck Battle Royal.
Rob MacCachren Sweeps Pro2
“What a great race with Bryce,” said MacCachren from the podium. I didn’t know how I was going to get by him, but it ended up taking a dive bomb move.” MacCachren arrived at Chicagoland Speedway in 6th place in the overall TORC Series PRO 2 points chase and ended up leaving in 1st place overall.
With Menzies leading early on in the contest, MacCachren – considered to be Menzies’ mentor – caught the younger-by-two-decades racer and passed him right after the competition yellow. As MacCachren worked to check out – putting up the Oakley Bomb Award fastest lap time for his effort – Hord laid down consistent lap after lap and would get by Menzies for 2nd place when the former champ tangled with Jeff Kincaid (Traxxas/AMSOIL/BFG). Kincaid and Menzies then went toe-to-toe for the third and final podium spot before a collision sent Kincaid into the wall, breaking his front end.
For his part Pastrana raced hard and, despite a halfway rollover onto his door, had a great outing for his first time racing the TORC Series. “I love being sideways and I love being in the air. This sport was made for me,” he said.
PRO 2 Results
1. Rob MacCachren
2. Chad Hord
3. Bryce Menzies
4. Mike Oberg
5. CJ Greaves
6. Jeff Kincaid
7. Mike Jenkins
8. Keith Steele
9. Travis Pastrana
10. Mark Kvamme
11. Steve Barlow
12. Scott Taylor
13. Andy Zipperer
PRO 4×4
Current TORC PRO 4 points leader and defending class champion Johnson made it six wins on the year with a thoroughly dominant performance at Chicagoland Speedway, one which 2nd place Johnny Greaves (Monster Energy/Toyota/Maxxis) said: “Figured I’d drop behind (RJ) and see what I could learn.”
After a 3rd place starting position (based on his previous night’s finish) Johnson got up front early in the 15-lap contest. And though he and Greaves would separate from the pack, Johnson’s command of 1st place was never in doubt as he clocked the fastest lap time for the Oakley Bomb Award.
Johnny Greaves and Scott Douglas Battling
Running well in pursuit of Greaves and Johnson was Scott Douglas (AMSOIL/Borla Exhaust/BFG). And Douglas would be rewarded with yet another podium finish (he hasn’t missed a PRO 4 podium yet this year), coupled with a gracious interview on SPEED.
Also noteworthy was a great battle for the final top five spots between Mark and Mike Jenkins (Traxxas/AMSOIL/BFG) and Adrian Cenni (Real Tree Energy/4 Wheel Parts), eventually won out by Mark Jenkins (4th) and Cenni (5th).
PRO 4×4 Results
1. Ricky Johnson
2. Johnny Greaves
3. Scott Douglas
4. Mark Jenkins
5. Adrian Cenni
6. Mike Jenkins
7. Dan Baudoux
8. Mark Oberg
9. Milan Mazanec
PRO Light
The night’s best battle for 1st ended up being in the TORC PRO Light division when Currie and current PRO Lights points leader Andrew Caddell (Mopar/Ram/Traxxas) locked up in a spectacular duel which was eventually won by Currie.
“This is the first time I’ve driven this truck since I wrecked it here last year,” said Currie, who won the Traxxas Maxx Lap for his top PRO Light lap effort on the night. “I know I had more on the track and just put it to it.”
Caddell would race through to a 2nd place finish, extending his PRO Light points lead, while Shaun Morris would nail his first podium in the year in 3rd.
PRO Light Results
1. Casey Currie
2. Andrew Caddell
3. Shawn Morris
4. Brad Lovell
5. Ross Hoek
6. Rafael Navarro
7. Mark Oberg
8. CJ Greaves
9. Jason Janusz
10. Eric Ruppel
11. Josh Hintz
12. Kendal Norman
13. Nick Baumgartner
14. Matt Cook
15. Keegan Kincaid
16. Luke Johnson
17. Randy Eller
Super Buggy
Fourteen-year-old Mitchell DeJong (Traxxas/BFG) got back on the winning track on Friday at Chicagoland Speedway with a convincing win in the Super Buggy class – his fifth win of the 2012 TORC Series season.
DeJong, who started back in the pack of the 12-buggy field took the overall lead following the competition yellow. A brief challenge from John Frana would make things interesting, but in the end DeJong would open up a full straight-away lead on Frana at the checkers.
Mitchell DeJong Wins at TORC Chicagoland
“It was slick out there, challenging to drive,” said DeJong. “We had to start back in the pack as well, which didn’t help. But this was our fifth win of the season, which gives us a bunch of steam heading towards the championship.”
Super Buggy Results
1. Mitchell DeJong
2. John Frana
3. Scott Schwalbe
4. Andy Zipperer
5. Jerry Weaver
6. Gord Felske
7. Mark Steinhart
8. Bob Klaus
9. Steve Krieman
10. Bryan Bernloehr
11. JR Wheeler
12. Scott Viers
Photography by Vincent Knakal of Mad Media
Words by Pat Schutte
