Team General Tire took the Best in the Desert Championships in three classes. "Ballistic" BJ Baldwin unleashed the fury this season on BITD and won the Championship in the Trick Truck class. One of GT's young guns Jason Voss followed up with a 2nd place finish in the championship and won the Trick Truck class at the TransWest Ford Henderson 250. David Schneider also answered the GT calling with a championship in class 4400, and Louis Chamberlin won the championship in class 7-2.
Procuring General's first championship in a desert racing series since its re-launch into desert racing in 2007, Team GT pulled out all the stops at this Best in the Desert series crowning event. Stealing the off-road racing spotlight in 2010, Baldwin and co-driver Johnny Nelson had their sights set on a championship in the Best in the Desert Series since the beginning of the season and accomplished the goal the "BJ Baldwin way," no holds bars all-out ballistic racing all season. Baldwin’s results for the 2010 season have been: first place at the BITD Parker 425; second place in teammate Bobby Baldwin's truck at the 2010 SNORE Mint 400; and second place overall at the BITD Blue Water Challenge Race in Parker, Arizona; as well as securing a 4th place finish in the SCORE Baja 1000.
The team of Jason and Rich Voss walked away with second place in the Best in the Desert championship and earned first place in Trick Truck at the Henderson 250. g on General Tire Grabber Competition tires, David Schneider won the BITD championship in class 4400. Louis Chamberlin, sporting the invincible Grabber AT2 tires, won the BITD championship in class 7-2.
"These wins are exactly how we wanted to end the 2010 off-road season," said Travis Roffler, director of marketing, Continental Tire the Americas. "We've made our mark on the desert with some of the best drivers and best tires in the industry and we are here to stay. We are extremely proud of our entire Team GT results and look forward to an outstanding 2011 off-road season."
IndyCar Ladder to be Known as Mazda Road to Indy
Mazda announced a multi-year partnership with the IndyCar developmental ladder: IndyCar's Road to Indy. As the title partner of the Mazda Road to Indy, Mazda will provide scholarships to the 2011 champions of the three affiliated series – the Cooper Tires presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda, the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear and Firestone Indy Lights – to graduate to the next level of the sport.
Two new scholarships have been added to the Mazda Road to Indy program, which provides a defined path for career-minded drivers seeking to compete in the Izod IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500 both on and off track. The Star Mazda Champion will receive a scholarship to compete in Firestone Indy Lights, while the Firestone Indy Lights champion will receive a scholarship to race in the Izod IndyCar Series. Mazda will continue to offer a scholarship to the USF2000 National Champion to race in Star Mazda.
Toyo’s LeDuc Wins at the Rockstar Energy Challenge Cup
Kyle LeDuc, driver of the Toyo-equipped #99 Rockstar/Makita Pro 4 Class Ford F-150, won the biggest race of the weekend at the Rockstar Energy Challenge Cup – the Pro 2 vs. Pro 4 Cup Race. The Challenge Cup was the final race weekend of the 2010 Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series and the Pro 2 vs. Pro 4 Cup race.
Held on a newly constructed course at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, Ariz., the Pro 2 vs. Pro 4 Cup race pitted 26 Pro 4 Unlimited and Pro 2 Unlimited class trucks against one another for a big payout. The “no holds barred” competition suffered high attrition, with only 14 trucks making it to the finish.
The Pro 2 Unlimited class trucks were given a 15-second head start over the Pro 4 Unlimited trucks. Riding on 17-inch Toyo Open Country M/T-R tires, LeDuc started in 19th place and drove to the win for a $30,000 payout. During Saturday’s Pro 4 Unlimited class race, LeDuc finished second on the 1.1-mile course, placing him second overall in the 2010 Pro 4 Unlimited class championship. Brother, Todd LeDuc, also had a great drive in the Pro 2 vs. Pro 4 Cup race. Driving his #8 Rockstar/Makita Ford F-150 on Open Country M/T-R tires, Todd LeDuc finished second in the Pro 2 Unlimited class and fourth overall.
Toyo Extends Robby Gordon Sponsorship
Toyo Tire USA signed a three-year extension of their sponsorship agreement with off-road champion and Team Toyo member Robby Gordon. The 2009 SCORE International overall point champion and 2009 SCORE trophy-truck champion will continue to represent Toyo in international races such as the Baja 500, Baja 1000 and Dakar.
Gordon’s team features the new Speed Energy/Toyo Tires livery and will be a major presence at each race.
Leading the charge for Toyo in desert racing, Gordon has competed on Toyo Open Country M/T-R tires since 2005. “Robby Gordon is an icon in the sport of racing, and has filled many pages of the history books thanks to his talent and determination to win,” said Yasushi Takagi, president and CEO of Toyo Tire USA Corp. “He has helped to bring international recognition to the Toyo Tires brand in off-road racing, and we are excited to have him as a long-time member of Team Toyo.”