The 2016 Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series presented by Geico season opener is heading to Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, in Chandler, AZ, March 19-20. The 2015 champions return to defend their titles against a stacked field of talented racers. There’s lots of changes this year including class changes, new vehicles, new drivers and a new streaming TV channel has been added to bring all the action into your home 24/7.
In the 2015 season of Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series, Pro 2 saw Rob MacCachren beat out Bryce Menzies and Patrick Clark to take home the title. Menzies is coming into 2016 with a new truck and a lot of testing time. RJ Anderson will focus all his efforts on Pro 2 this season after winning the Pro Lite 2015 title. Patrick Clark made a statement last year that he meant serious business, finishing third in points; collecting some wins along the way. Desert racer, Steven Eugenio, will join the class this year in a truck he purchased from Bryce Menzies. The stacked field could truly produce a different winner each round.
Pro 4 belonged to Kyle Leduc, he won 12 out of 16 rounds and only finished off the podium twice. Veteran racers Rob MacCachren and Bryce Menzies finished out the year in second and third place. We will see if changes made during the off season are enough to catch Kyle in his truck nicknamed “Steelo”. If nobody has found the speed to challenge Leduc he will three peat in the class. Doug Fortin finished fourth on the year only five points out of third place and showed some signs of speed throughout the year. He could possibly be taking those podium steps from Rob Mac and Menzies in 2016.
Pro Lite championship in the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series belonged to RJ Anderson, with RJ finishing on the podium 12 out of 16 rounds. RJ has handed his winning truck down to his little brother Ronnie Anderson. Jerret Brooks and Brandon Arthur finished off the podium for the championship. Arthur’s program came around in the second half of the season, only missing the podium once. We shall see if he can carry that momentum into Arizona and start the year off with a win. Brad Deberti finished on the podium six times in 2015 and once he has a little more seat time can be a serious title contender in 2016.
Pro Buggy was a three man race between champion Garrett George, Mike Valentine and Chad George. In the end Valentine and Chad George were only separated by four points for second and third place. Kevin McCullough was able to grab five podiums with two wins and tied in points with Darren Hardesty Jr who had four podiums with a win.
New for 2016, Lucas Oil has announced the worldwide launch of LucasOilRacing.TV, the first streaming TV network dedicated solely to the world of motorsports – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The new network will be the world’s premiere motorsports destination. Programming will include LIVE racing, expanded pre-and post-race action, behind-the-scenes content, unseen interviews, automobile build shows, and an extensive library of motorsports content and racing!
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