May 22nd, 2013 – Corona, California
Round 5 & 6 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series filled Lake Elsinore, California with a wave of action that thrilled fans at the Rockstar Energy So-Cal Nationals. The event was hosted on a 1.1 mile short course featuring high tech off road vehicles racing door-to-door over big air jumps, huge tabletop launchers, tight banked turns, precarious rhythm obstacles, and high speed straight-a-ways. Premiere Motorsports Group took on the competitive task to advance the race teams position in overall standings and support the sponsors like Lunarpages who wish to gain favor with the fans of off road racing. It was a true spectacle and the many spectators in attendance were thrilled with the show.
The aggressive nature of short course motorsports can often lead to unpredictable scenarios that will have onlookers saying “What the heck just happened?” or “Did you see that!” Crashes, hard landings, and contact between racers will leave vehicles crippled or broken and at some point relegated to a pile of parts. It is just as hard on the drivers and crew as it is on the equipment. Those who are stronger and quicker to heal will finish first and ahead of the pack.
The Hart and Huntington Off Road Team had assembled a well prepared team of expert drivers and finely tuned race machines for the weekend, but after the destructive chaos and hard racing from Round 5, Sunday’s Round 6 event would be as difficult as ever.
Ryan Beat turned out some of the fastest laps throughout the weekend in the #51 Lunarpages ProLite. When it came to actual competition, Ryan drove hard and on the edge as usual. However, with several recent penalties fresh on his record, Beat chose to drive with a clean margin of caution while a few other “new” racers challenged the spirit and took advantage. The Lunarpages Sycuan Casino Dodge took a beating during the event and was just nudged off the podium. Ryan was able to hang on to the 4th place finish.
Back in the pits the crew carefully inspected the vehicle and began the meticulous preparation to bring the V8 ProLite back to life for Round 6. Unfortunately, from the start of that event it became apparent that the #51 truck was substantially low on power and could not keep pace with the rest of the field. Ryan kept clear of race traffic and motored the truck around the track to collect any available points.
In the PRO-2 Division, the field is full of comparative off road short course experts. Simply put the best of the best racing side by side in high-tech 900HP screaming 2 wheel drive trucks. The PRO-2s are the headline event of each round and Robert Naughton, a true racers racer, loves the challenge of competing against the best.
“We come to these races and pour out every ounce of our heart and soul to put forth our best effort,” asserted Naughton. “The only problem is that many in the pits have done the same, making for heavy competition.” PRO-2 is stacked with talent and anyone entered could take the win. To beat the past champions, you have to have a championship program running hot while others have a bad day or just get caught up in the carnage.
Premiere Motorsports Group did all they could to improve the speed and handling of the Lunarpages PRO-2 machine. As the weekend played out, Naughton was able to match the pace of the leaders and was just off a bit on top speed. Starting mid-pack out of 19 entries, 10th on Saturday & 11th on Sunday, Robert took the green flag and immediately began to pass the trucks and within 5 laps had raced up to challenge in the top half. For Round 5, Naughton and the #54 Lunarpages pretty much secured his position and went onto finish 6th.
Sunday, Round 6 was a different story, as it was the final event of the weekend. All the PRO-2 competitors were going for broke and leaving nothing left on the table. It was an incredible show for anyone watching with back and forth racing all over the circuit and at every corner of the track. On Lap 6, Robert laid the peddle down and maneuvered the Lunarpages machine passing 4 trucks during 1 transit of the course. On Lap 10, a 3-way battle between Naughton, Greg Adler, Rodrigo Ampudia ensued but it was Jeremy Mcgrath who altered the momentum and left the #54 machine caught up in Turn#2 and falling way back. From this point on, Robert threw all caution out the window to desperately make up the lost positions. There were just not enough laps left, and Naughton crossed the finish in 9th place.
By the end of the race weekend, most fans onsite had become well aware of Lunarpages Internet Solutions; Team Partner to Premiere Motorsports Group and Lucas Oil Off Road Series Supporter. The on-track performances by Lunarpages Team Driver’s Ryan Beat and Robert Naughton spear-headed the excitement for the company while the branding opportunities were supported by track signage, and jumbo-tron commercial spots.
Off the track, Lunarpages had established an interactive booth display which allowed fans to sign up for General Tire sweepstakes contest and win other cool prizes including their image simulated on one of the Lunarpages Team Trucks. One lucky guest received a special edition Lunarpages Team Associated SC-10RS signed by Robert Nauhgton and Ryan Beat while other fans were able to get their posters autographed during the designated sessions throughout the event.
Short Course Off Road Motorsports has rapidly become an appealing and successful platform of entertainment that presents action packed excitement for all involved. Racers live for it, Companies are quick to sign on as a supporter, and the fans love the excitement.
The next event for the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series will be take place June 21-23 at the Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. You can expect to see a Premiere Motorsports Group convoy rolling up there to fight their way to victory.
