Putting an end to a hot topic in the CORR rumor mill, Wide Open Motorsports and Monster Energy drink announced a new partnership for the 2006 season. They will combine efforts to field a Monster Energy-branded Ford F- 150 in the highly competitive Pro-2 category, beginning with next month’s season opener in San Diego.

Wide Open Motorsports, a division of Wide Open Baja Adventures, has named
off-road racing veteran Jerry Whelchel as the driver of the Monster Energy Pro-2
truck. Whelchel, considered by many to be one of the fastest racers in desert and short course racing, is the winningest driver in stadium racing history.

Managing the Wide Open/Monster Energy race effort will be Tommy Morris, who spent 16 years as program manager for PPI Motorsports, an organization which guided Toyota’s factory off-road team to a record-breaking streak of 11 of 12 manufacturer championships in the former Mickey Thompson Stadium Racing series.

Joe Parsons, Monster Energy senior sports marketing manager says, “They represent the largest off-road operation in the sport, and the combination of talent, resources and professionalism they bring to our CORR effort will be unmatched.” The team recently purchased a Pro-2 Ford from Scott Taylor, and is busy prepping it for the coming season. Whelchel’s Monster Energy truck will battle Steve Barlow's Red Bull-sponsored Pro-2 for class bragging rights.

It’s official: CORR competitors, Steven Federico, Lee O’Donnell, and Luke Zoetmulder joined forces to form Team Sticker Dude. Veterans Federico and
O’Donnell compete in the Pro-Lite division, while Zoetmulder will begin his sophomore season in the ultra competitive Sportsman Single Buggy division.

“Getting the three of us under one umbrella allows us to pool our resources
and ultimately improve our results at the track, as well as maximize our exposure for our marketing partners,” Steven Federico noted. The merger yielded a new 48-foot combination transporter and motor home. In conjunction to the new transporter, two additional trailers will carry spare race parts and hospitality supplies to every event. For more information, visit
www.federicoracing.com.