E3 Spark Plugs News

Carl Renezeder and Kyle LeDuc dominated in the Round 6, Pro 2 and Pro 4 classes of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series presented by Geico Powersports and co-sponsored by E3 Spark Plugs.

If ever there was an epic short course race, it happened Sunday at the Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, CA. Round 6 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series presented by Geico Powersports and co-sponsored by E3 Spark Plugs had fans either on the edge of their seats, or out of their seats altogether – standing and cheering as Carl Renezeder and Kyle LeDuc battled it out in one of the most contentious races we’ve seen all season.

The Round 6 Pro 4 Unlimited started with Adrian Cenni in front, followed by LeDuc, Renezeder, Todd LeDuc and Rick Huseman following. Huseman spun out on lap two and Cenni exited the race by the end of lap three when his truck suddenly slowed. At the competition yellow, it was Kyle LeDuc, Renezeder, Huseman, Todd LeDuc, and Curt LeDuc in the top five and the leading three soon began to separate themselves from the rest of the pack and start a heated battle for the finish line. Of the three, it seemed Renezeder (who won both the Pro 4 and the Pro 2 in Round 5 the day before) and LeDuc who wanted that checkered flag most. The two ran neck-and-neck for the remainder of the race, each man making mistakes that momentarily him the lead, but catching up quickly. Finally, it was LeDuc who won by just a half-truck length ahead of Renezeder. Huseman, Todd LeDuc and Kent Brascho rounded out the top five.

“This was a great race because nobody was on the sidelines,” LeDuc said from the podium. “We were all up here battling, giving it everything.”

The Pro 2 Unlimited provided fireworks of its own. Renezeder again started on the front row alongside Brian Deegan, followed by Rodrigo Ampudia, Robby Woods and Greg Adler. By lap three, however, Adler had forced his way up the track to second place and, like a man possessed, was hot on Renezeder’s heels. Just after the restart, a nasty pileup claimed several would-be contenders and soon, the race was between Renezeder, Adler and Rob MacCachren who was making up time lost to an early spinout. Adler and MacCachren traded places a few times, but a broken driveshaft slowed MacCachren as he approached the finish line. Renezeder made it back-to-back Pro 2 wins with Adler finishing second and MacCachren third. Deegan had rebounded nicely from an earlier collision with Woods to take fourth place. Fifth went to Geiser.

E3 Spark Plugs congratulates all of the weekend’s winners. Next stop for the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series: Miller Motorsports Park in the Salt Lake City, UT suburb of Tooele for Rounds 7 and 8 raced on an all-new track June 25 and 26. See you there!

Round 5 of the 2011 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series paid tribute to the late Jeff "Ox" Kargola.

Round 5 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series presented by Geico and co-sponsored by E3 Spark Plugs got underway Saturday at the Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California. Fans were loving the sunny springtime weather and the excitement got kicked up a notch with the presence of off-road legend and NASCAR star Robby Gordon competing in the weekend’s Pro 2 Unlimited field.

Before the engines revved, racers, staff and fans paid tribute to the late Jeff “Ox” Kargola, who passed away April 29 after sustaining a head injury on the second day of the Desert Assassins’ Rip to the Tip motocross event in Baja, CA. Kargola was among the rising stars of the series and is deeply missed.

In Saturday’s Pro 4, Rick Huseman was a marked man, having won the first four races. Sure enough, he bolted out front, followed closely by Adrian Cenni and all three LeDucs – Kyle, Todd and Curt. But, that didn’t last. Cenni ended up in the hot pits on lap six with an unknown issue. Todd LeDuc suffered a shredded left rear tire compliments of a determined Carl Renezeder.

When the green flag dropped after a competition yellow, Renezeder charged past Huseman. The on-track upset didn’t set well with Huseman, who over-jumped the tabletop into turn two of lap 14, planting his front bumper and nearly sidelining himself. The result was a broken shock that kept him from catching up with Renezeder, who gradually increased his lead all the way to the checkered flag. Huseman managed second place followed by Kent Brascho, Josh Merrell and Todd LeDuc.

The Pro 2 Unlimited provided some serious fireworks – literally. The race began with Renezeder and Robby Gordon starting side by side. Renezeder quickly took the lead with Gordon charging hard behind in the first lap, but pulled off the track and out of the race before completing the second lap. The race continued with two red flags for fires onboard Robby Woods’ and John Gaston’s machines. Robbie Pierce’s rollover in turn three brought full course caution. Flat tires for Brian Deegan and Rob Naughton, plus a scary-looking crash that involved Rodrigo Ampudia over-jumping into turn five and landing on Naughton’s side added to the suspense. When the dust and smoke cleared, it was Renezeder who held on for a clean sweep of the two big truck classes. Rob McCachren took second followed by Deegan, Ampudia and Naughton.

E3  Spark Plugs racing fans, be sure to check our next blog for Pro 4 and Pro 2 highlights from Round 6 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series.

As the final group of trucks pulled out of the pits for the Lucas Oil Off Road Truck Championship at Glen Helen Raceway, a sold-out crowd were on their feet for the start of the very popular Pro 2 Unlimited class. Round 10 saw the MasterCraft/Rockstar Ford of Robbie Pierce starting on the front row alongside the E3 Spark Plugs Racing truck of multi-time champion Kevin Probst. This was the best starting position of the season for the #9 Chevrolet of Probst who has been plagued with gremlins and mechanical woes throughout 2010.

E3 Spark Plug's Kevin Probst put his #9 Chevrolet truck on the front row for Round 10 of the Lucas Oil Off Road championship series event at Glen Helen Raceway outside San Bernardino, CA. Photo courtesy of Lucas Oil Racing http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucasoil.

Robbie Pierce would grab an early lead but lots of lap-one action and a very rough track would leave the MasterCraft/Rockstar Ford on its roof in the track’s rhythm section bringing out a red flag. Emergency workers attended to Pierce who was visibly shaken after his spectacular flip and was taken to a local hospital for precaution. The Canidae Chevrolet of Jeff Geiser grabbed the lead on the restart but points leader Rob MacCachren wasted no time in working past Geiser. When the mandatory competition yellow flew, it was MacCachren, Ricky Johnson, Bryce Menzies, Carl Renezeder, and Geiser in first through fifth.

The #7 Bully Dog Ford truck of Menzies got by Johnson on the restart when the former AMA motocross champion pulled his Traxxas/Red Bull Ford off track with a mechanical failure. Johnson’s retirement would be the sign of things to come as trucks were crashing and breaking all the way around the rough San Bernardino track. In fact, Menzies would pull off just before the white flag leaving only six trucks to finish the full 20-lap race distance. Renezeder took second behind MacCrachren, with Greg Adler in third and Rogero Ampudia in fourth.

The E3 Spark Plugs racing team has a few weeks off to regroup before heading to the Speed World Off Road Park in Surprise, Arizona, for Rounds 11 and 12 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing series on September 25-26. There are only five championship rounds remaining before drivers compete for the 2010 Lucas Oil Off Road Challenge Cup scheduled for December 12 at Firebird Raceway in Phoenix, AZ. If you are looking for championship performance from your truck, insist on E3 Truck Spark Plugs. Our patented DiamondFire technology delivers the Energy, Efficiency and Ecology both on and off road.

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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.

Hope all of our truck racing fans caught Speed Channel’s coverage of last month’s Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series. Strong winds and a slick track sent teams scrambling as everyone searched for traction in the Las Vegas desert. Whether you’re cruising’ the “Strip” or testing your skills off the pavement, E3 Truck Spark Plugs with our patented DiamondFire technology offer you energy, efficiency and ecology for your favorite ride. Remember to bookmark our website and check often for the latest information about advancements in truck and car spark plugs.

Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series – Round Five

The Pro2 Unlimited Class of the E3 Spark Plugs Off-Road National, saw Todd Leduc in his Toyo Tires/Jagermeister Ford truck take an early race lead over fast qualifier Rob MacCachren and Rodrigo Ampudia runing second and third, respectively. Red Bull’s Ricky Johnson finished the day two laps down with a disappointing end to his attempt at winning his third Lucas Oil event in a row at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Johnson clipped the outside wall on the opening lap and quickly found himself sidelined with mechanical problems. Once MacCachren got around Leduc, there was no looking back as his Ford truck outpaced the field to the checkered flag.

Lucas Oil/Tecate Ford driver Rodrigo Ampudia had a series high 2nd overall finish with a last lap, last jump pass on Leduc who was nursing his Ford truck home in third place with a bad transmission. Veteran racer Jeff Ward had a steady drive through the pack in his Speed Technologies/Goodyear Tires truck and gave Chevrolet a fourth overall finish on the day. The 4 Wheel Parts/Magnaflow Exhaust Ford of Greg Adler is “Leaving Las Vegas” with fifth place points from Round Five. The win at Las Vegas gave MacCachren a commanding 36-point lead over off-road truck series rival Ricky Johnson.

In the Pro Lite class of the Lucas Oil Off-Road Truck series from Las Vegas Motor Speedway, veteran racer Marty Hart grabbed the lead when inverted pole-sitter Adam Wik rolled his truck in turn one after the start. Wik landed on all fours but Jacob Person and defending class champion Brian Deegan slipped by for second and third behind Hart. When Rockstar/Metal Mulisha’s Deegan tried to pass Person’s Geiser Bros Ford, contact would leave Deegan sidelined with mechanical woes and out of the points. Later in the race, Matt Loiodice and Person would tangle allowing Adam Wik to recover from his lap one rollover and finish second overall on the day.

Kevin Probst #9 R/C Race Truck

Got a little race fan in the family? Look for a new toy truck just like the one racer Kevin Probst takes on the tracks.

E3 Racing Spark Plugs driver Kevin Probst had a disappointing seventeenth place in Round Five of the Pro 2 class finishing 11 laps down after getting caught up in another truck’s crash. The E3 race team would rebound the next day for a 6th place overall finish in Round 6. A little something for the youngest race fans: Over the weekend, Probst Motorsports announced two new partnerships with X-Factory R/C Cars and BC1 Graphics to create and market a toy truck just like the one he races. The Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series heads to Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, for rounds 7 and 8 next weekend. Best of luck to Kevin and the rest of the E3 truck racing team. Catch all the action from Salt Lake City on June 26 & 27.