E3 Spark Plugs News

The E3 Spark Plugs Racing team pulled through the gates at Glen Helen Raceway with high hopes for Round 9 of the 2010 Lucas Oil Off Road National Championship series, but so did every other team. It is always great fun to race in front of a packed house and the promoters at the San Bernardino track know how to put on a spectacular show for the Southern California race fans. Unfortunately for the racers, they have to endure three days of qualifying and racing on one of the roughest short tracks on the off road circuit. This year was no exception as several drivers in each class would find their truck upside down, over the berm or rim riding the walls.

The #7 Bully Dog/Super Clean Ford truck of Bryce Menzies was fast under the lights at Glen Helen Raceway finishing in second place of the Pro 2 Unlimited class for Round 9 of the 2010 Lucas Oil Off Road National Championship. Photo courtesy of Luca Oil Racing http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucasoil/.

Pro 2 Unlimited points leader Rob MacCachren would start the race from inside row 2 in his #21 Rockstar/Fox Racing Shox Ford. Pole sitter, Greg Alder would take an early lead in his 4 Wheel Parts/BFGoodrich Tires Ford just ahead of the Bully Dog/Super Clean Ford of Bryce Menzies. By the end of lap one, MacCachren moved to the front with Alder running just ahead of a hard charging Carl Renezeder who had slipped by Menzies. Renezeder attacked the Rhythm Section into turn three but could not get his Lucas Oil/General Tire Ford stopped and put Alder on his roof bringing out a red flag. Officials would black flag Renezeder sending his truck to the rear of the field for the restart.

Stronghold Motorsports rookie driver Robert “Fig” Naughton would move to second place for the restart ahead of the Bully Dog entry of Menzie in the 3rd place. Miller Motorsports Park winner Rodrico Ampudia would restart in fourth. Ampudia found a burst of speed and rocketed to the front, picking off Menzies and Naughton in the space of two turns. After a mandatory competition yellow, MacCachren made a rare mistake as he nearly spun in turn three. Ampudia was set to strike, but as the Pro 2 Unlimited field piled into the corner, Ampudia was spun around and ended up off the track. Naughton would again take over second place ahead of Menzies and the Red Bull/KMC Wheels Ford of Ricky Johnson.

Todd LeDuc got together with Naughton a couple of turns after the restart taking both trucks off track. The Bully Dog truck of Menzies would reclaim second place with Red Bull/KMC racer Ricky Johnson up to third. MacCachren would take the win in his Fox Racing Shox Ford, his fifth of the season and his eighth podium in nine races. Byrce Menzies would finish in second just ahead of former AMA motocross champion Ricky Johnson. Canidae Pet Foods/Geiser Bros. driver Jeff Geiser would finish fourth with Mike Johnson (no relation to Ricky) in fifth. If you expect peak performance from your truck, insist upon E3 truck spark plugs before you go off road. Our DiamondFire Technology delivers Energy, Efficiency and Ecology.

Picturesque views and lots of action-packed off-road racing greeted fans over the weekend as Miller Motorsports Park hosted Round 7 and Round 8 of the 2010 Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series. This was the first year the off-road vehicles raced in the salt desert just west of Salt Lake City near Tooele, Utah. In Saturday’s Pro2 Unlimited class final, Lucas Oil/Tecate Ford driver Rodrigo Ampudia claimed his first ever series win and, on Sunday, E3 Truck Spark Plugs driver Kevin Probst posted a solid seventh-place finish in the Pro2 final for Round 8 of the championship.

Pro2 Unlimited driver Carl Renezeder rebounded to finish 3rd in Sunday's feature event after taking a spectacular end-over-end tumble in the Lucas Oil offroad truck on Saturday at Miller Motorsports Park outside Tooele, Utah. Photo courtesy of www.teamrenezeder.com.

Rockstar Makita’s Todd Leduc finished second to Ampudia in Round 7 of the Pro2 Unlimited off-road trucks class just ahead of former NORBA pro downhill mountain bike racer Robert Naughton. In Sunday’s final event, Leduc would again finish in the runner’s up position this time behind series points leader Rob MacCachren. AMA multi-time national MX champion Ricky Johnson brought his Red Bull truck home in third but was later disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct. Johnson’s indiscretions moved Carl Renezeder to third overall. Good luck came late in the weekend for Renezeder who flipped his Lucas Oil-sponsored truck end-over-end in Saturday’s feature.

In the Pro Lite Unlimited class on Saturday, Hart & Huntington/Rockstar truck driver Chris Brandt took the checkers ahead of Monster Energy’s veteran ace Marty Hart with Jimmy Stephensen, Jacob Person and Adam Wik rounding out the top five. On Sunday, Hart claimed the win in a battle with former X-Games freestyle gold medalist Brian Deegan. Jacob Person and Adam Wik moved up one spot each from Saturday’s round finishing third and fourth respectively. Brandt could only manage a sixth place overall in Round 8 behind Anthony Verdone.

The E3 Spark Plugs team of Kevin Probst heads to San Bernandino, California, for Round 9 and Round 10 of the Lucas Oil Off-Road Truck Series on August 7 & 8. The popular Glen Helen Raceway is always a favorite of diehard off road racing fans. Whether you’re cruising across town or testing your skills in the salt desert, E3 Car Spark Plugs with our patented DiamondFire technology offer you energy, efficiency and ecology for your ride. Remember to bookmark our website and check often for the latest results from the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series.

Kevin Probst, driver of the E3 Spark Plugs #9 race truck, survived a crash-filled round four at the May 8 Magnaflow Exhaust Off-Road Nationals to finish 14th overall in the Pro 2 Unlimited class. The Surprise (Arizona) off road course had a few surprises for the talented field which included past off-road truck racing champions Rob MacCachren and Carl Renezeder plus former AMA motocross champions Ricky Johnson, Jeff Ward and Jeremy McGrath. Probst qualified the E3 racing truck inside row six and was methodically working his way to the front of the pack when another truck’s flip resulted in the race being stopped due to a red flag.

After the Lucas Oil Off-Road Series event was restarted, MacCachren and Renezeder battled with off-road champ Ricky Johnson for a 1-2-3 finish. Former Indianapolis 500 rookie of the year Jeff Ward continued to show the talent that has earned him championships in AMA Motocross, Supercross and Supermoto as well as a pair ESPN X-Games Gold Medals. The 2009 Lucas Oil Off-Road rookie of the year finished the day in 5th place overall. In the dusty melee that ensued, Probst brought his E3 Pro 2 truck to the checkers to maintain his 11th position in the overall championship hunt.

In the popular Pro 4 class, the current points leader Rick Huseman held off a hard charging Carl Renezeder for the top spot on the podium. The Pro Lite class of the Lucas Oil Off-Road event saw Chris Brandt outlast former series champion and freestyle motocross rider Brian Deegan for the win. Don’t forget to catch Kevin Probst and the E3 Spark Plugs race team in action on July 11th at 2 p.m. EST when CBS Sports Spectacular broadcasts the Magnaflow Exhaust Off-Road National from famed Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, about 45 minutes west of Salt Lake City.