The Rockstar Energy / Makita Team LeDuc Ready to Take on Perris Auto Speedway!

The excitement of short-course racing will be back in California this weekend during rounds 3 & 4 of the Traxxas TORC Series! Fans will once again experience the fender-banging action and see the brightest stars in off-road racing as the fun thunders into Perris Auto Speedway on May 29th – 30th in Perris, CA.

Team LeDuc will be hitting the dirt and looking to add to the trophy collection as Curt, Todd and Kyle charge ahead for podiums in the Pro Light, Pro 2WD and Pro 4WD classes. “We are very excited to be back in California and we couldn’t ask for a better venue than Perris Auto Speedway. The track looks awesome and it is great to be competing with a group of truly competitive and talented drivers. I am sure there will be some great racing for the fans and the cameras this weekend!” remarked Curt LeDuc.

Earning a second place podium in the Pro 4WD class during round one at the Texas Motor Speedway, Curt will be back battling it out in the No. 43 Rockstar Energy / Makita Ford. Kyle will also join in on the Pro 4WD fun and will be looking to claim a podium win after a hard fought third place finish during round two. With the first two rounds of TORC Series racing all tallied up, Kyle is currently ranked 2nd in points in the Pro 4WD class.

Capturing a third place podium during round one and a solid fourth place finish during round two, Todd LeDuc is currently fifth in the Pro 2WD points chase in his No. 3 Rockstar Energy / Makita Ford. With just ten points separating Todd from first, the second TORC Series event is sure to be a hotly contested race.

After starting in the last row in the field of inverted six, Kyle LeDuc not only tore up the track and put down the fastest overall lap time, he successfully captured the second place podium during round two in his No. 99 Leatt Brace / Rockstar Energy Pro Light.

Heading east after this weekend’s racing, Team LeDuc Racing will be looking to heat up Crandon, WI during rounds 5 and 6 of the Traxxas TORC Series on June 19 – 20, 2009.

Sponsors of Team LeDuc Racing are:

Rockstar Energy Makita Tools Toyo Tires
KC HiLites KMC Wheels MSD Ignition
K&N Filters MasterCraft Seats Simpson
Leatt Brace Ford Trucks Beco Radiator Kalguard

GYMKHANA 2 preview

 

Tuesday evening on May 26th DCshoes hosted a small industry get together and sneak view party of the GYMKHANA Film Project Part 2. The next episode of this epic gear head film feast will be launched June 1st in just 5 days from today.

To get all the media and VIP attendance into the mood and to also better understand what they are about to watch on the big screen, Ken Block offered some demo rides in his 500HP+ Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally car. There was tire smoke. Lots of it as Ken catapulted volunteer co-drivers through obstacles on a deserted pier in the Long Beach harbor.

That brings us to the location of GK II. Cranes, containers, train tracks, forklifts, warehouses with steel pillars, concrete walls crates loaded with odd shapes goods, steel pipes surrounded by shoreline edges leading into the water with no rails. The set has nothing but danger written all over and driving in this environment is not for the faint hearted especially at a high rate of speed and mostly sideways.

After about 3 hours of playing sideways on the dock and lots of subsequent tire changes Ken Block of DCShoes finally introduced the soon to be launched GK II film to the highly anticipating audience. Ken called it an infomercial as it contains some product placements whereas the original GK I did not. After watching it twice it was clear that DCShoes, Monster Energy, Subaru and BFGoodrich are behind it but I wouldn’t go so far and call it an infomercial or else I would shift my TV watching habits to after 1AM.

So the big question is how does it stack up to GYMKHANA I that was received widely positive and has been compared to short films like the 1989 Climb Dance and 1976 making of Rendezveuz? Will it be able to stack up to what they did last year? Does it continue the story line? Those where all questions I had going into it and the answer to me is not a clear yes or no.

 Mad Media produced both films and this time the production was a lot more complex compared to GK I. Shooting took 5 days instead of 1 1/2. The crew was 30 people compared to 10 and one of the biggest differences of the production was the use of 4k RED cameras that film at about 4x the resolution of a 1080HD screen. There where also celebrity athlete appearances wheres at GKI it was all about Ken and his Sabaru Rally car.

So the big question remains. How was it?

It was good. Very good. The cinephotography was what you are used to from Hollywood and has clearly elevated Mad Media’s ability to produce films to a new level. The driving challenges are equally astounding and Ken Block demonstrates his skill to be unmatched by few. GKII will not disappoint and is a must see for any gear heads out there while in my book the original GKI will always remain the “Bullit” of the GHMKHANA series. So what’s next? GKIII in the dirt with BJBaldwin? Time will tell.

Watch the launch on DCShoes website June 1st.

 

DOUGLAS MOTORSPORTS TUNES WITH TIRES

Perris, CA—When the Douglas Motorsports number 7 AMSOIL Kumho F-150 rolls to the starting line, tire selection is critical. According to Douglas, “Short course off-road racing is unlike any other form of motorsports because we race rain or shine and the surface we race on can literally change lap-by-lap, so tire selection and design become one of the most important components in our tuning arsenal. Kumho Tires has developed specialty tires just for this series with unique properties and rubber compounds that give us a lot of options.” Once the team selects the tire compound to match conditions, the Kumho Tire technicians work their magic and groove each tire with a pattern called out by the crew chief. “It’s really a science” stated Douglas, “and my guys are the best in the business when it comes to making the right call on tires.”

Rounds three and four of TORC Series race action resume at the Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, CA on May 29th and 30th. Be sure to catch the TV coverage airing Sunday June 7th on ABC at 5:00 pm.
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**Editors—High resolution digital images of Scott Douglas and the AMSOIL Kumho PRO 4×4 are available by contacting Kaho Media, Inc at: tkaho@kahomedia.com or by calling 740-746-9099.**

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