CUFFARO EARNS 2nd Place at LUCAS OIL OFF ROAD SERIES ROUND 6 #46 NISSAN Qualifies FASTEST for Sunday’s Race

Lake Elsinore, California (June 28, 2009) Braving triple digit heat of the Lake Elsinore valley, San Diego’s Todd Cuffaro earned a solid 2nd place finish among a full field of Unlimited Lite trucks at the KALGAARD Lake Elsinore Motorsports Complex this past weekend.

Rounds 5 and 6 of the 2009 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series rounds kicked off with the fireworks for the ROCKSTAR/Metal Mulisha Off Road Race Team as “The General,” Brian Deegan, Cuffaro’s teammate, scored an impressive victory on Saturday afternoon in Round 5.

And so, Todd Cuffaro was all business as he came out swinging early by setting the fastest qualifying lap of the day for the Unlimited Lite race trucks. Cuffaro is chasing the Unlimited Lite Truck – Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Season point’s championship and finishing in the top five, as he has all season long, was first and foremost. However, the San Diego young gun put it all together as he battled for the top spot.

Not only did Cuffaro have to face the rage of his competition, but he and his crew faced searing temperatures that spiked up to 109 degrees in the early afternoon just as the racing action kicked off.

“It was miserably hot, but the solid performance and earning the runner-up spot was worth living in this hot weather for a few days. More importantly, I have my eyes set on the season championship and we’ve just got to keep focused to finish every race in the top five for the rest of the season. I was stoked for my teammate Brian Deegan to get his first victory, but our main focus to is win this championship and we’re set to do that,” said Cuffaro.

In 2008, Cuffaro was named the Pro Lite Rookie of the Year, and this year, he’s ventured into a two-truck team with Brian Deegan.

Sunday’s race was wild from the start, as the #46 NISSAN/ROCKSTAR/Metal Mulisha Unlimited Lite was bumped around like a pinball during the first lap and a half. However, as the race started to open up, Todd set into a rhythm and began reeling in the competition and soon enough, he was charging for the top spot.

The leader had suffered a mechanical problem that slowed him and as Todd set his sights on the final lap, the yellow caution was waved and the Lucas Oil Race Director ended the race on the final lap while under the yellow caution. This decision did not allow Todd to catch the wounded lead racer and he finished in second position.

Sunday’s earned 2nd place in Round 6 secures San Diego’s top Unlimited Lite truck racer into a solid top five position overall in the points race for the season championship.

Todd Cuffaro returns behind the wheel of the #46 Rockstar/Metal Mulisha/BFGoodrich Tires sponsored Unlimited Lite race truck on July 25-26, 2009 at the Lucas Oil Off Road series at the Lake Elsinore Motorsports Complex.

Visit toddcuffaro.com for more information.

About Cuffaro Motorsports: Led by passion and driven by determination, Cuffaro Motorsports is made up of dedicated racers working together towards the goal of winning races, as well as striving for the season championship. Todd Cuffaro has dedicated his life to the success behind the wheel of a racecar. Teamwork. Success. Victory.

About Rockstar: Bigger. “ROCKSTAR is the world’s most powerful energy drink. Enhanced with the potent herbal blend of Guarana, Ginkgo, Ginseng and Milk Thistle, ROCKSTAR is formulated to provide an incredible energy boost for those who lead active and exhausting lifestyles – from athletes to rock stars.

ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK is available in eleven amazing flavors: Original, Sugar Free, Zero Carb, Juiced Mango Orange Passion Fruit, Juiced Guava, Juiced Pomegranate, Tropical Punched, Punched Citrus, Roasted Mocha, Roasted Latte, and Roasted Light Vanilla. ROCKSTAR ENERGY SHOTS are available in Wild Berry and Tropical Punch flavors.

ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK is available at convenience and grocery retail outlets across the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Spain, The Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, and throughout the United Kingdom.”

Four Races – Four Finishes – Two Wins – One Monster Energy Truck – Keith Steele

Madison, WI (June 26, 2009) – Keith Steele went to Crandon to race the unthinkable, take his SRT Limited Truck and compete in its own division as well as the PRO-2WD class of the Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL. The performance of the weekend saw the Steele Off-Road Team sweep the weekend in the SRT Limited Truck (formerly known as Super Truck) and then take the same truck and finish extremely well in both PRO-2WD rounds of competition. This amazing feat almost didn’t happen, but with just one week before the race, Monster Energy came on board to get the 2008 Driver of the Year to compete at “The Big House,” Crandon International Off-Road Raceway.
Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL
SRT Limited Truck Rounds 1 & 2

Keith Steele and his #229 Monster Energy Chevy lined up against some familiar foes as well as a couple rookies to the class, including Luke Johnson, son of Ricky Johnson. Both days, the land rush start had Keith coming out of Turn One in second place. By the end of the opening lap, each day, Keith put the Wolverine Engine and J & H transmission to good use, as he made his move into the lead and never looked back. Winning both rounds of racing is a repeat of a similar performance from the Crandon fall event of last year.

“The competition is always tough in this division,” remarked Keith Steele. “This Monster Energy truck needed everything our Wolverine engine and J & H transmission could give us.”

PRO 2WD Rounds 5 & 6

The SRT Limited Truck and PRO-2WD division are very similar in design. The main difference is horsepower and tire design. The PRO-2WD trucks have a larger engine developing more power. The Limited Truck engine develops 625 horsepower, while the PRO-2WD powerplant approaches 900 horsepower. The other difference is tire design; the PRO-2WD division allows you to run larger specifically designed race tires, while the Limited Truck must use smaller DOT tires that can be purchased at retail outlets.

Needles to say, Steele Off-Road did not have the time or manpower to switch engines between races, but did make a partnership with Kumho Tires to use their off-road racing designed Project tires for both PRO-2WD rounds of racing.
The #29 Monster Energy Kumho Tire Chevy lined up in the second row of the land rush start both days. The eighteen truck field had some of the best off-road racers in the country. Even though the black #29 was giving up some horsepower to the competition, he was hoping his driving ability could make up some of that difference.
To Keith Steele’s credit that is exactly what happened. In Saturday’s Round 5, Keith stayed clear of most of the mayhem and brought the Monster Energy Chevy across the finish in sixth place. In Sunday’s Round 6, his efforts brought him a ninth place finish. The results brought a big smile to Keith and his entire team.

“To come to Crandon and accomplish what we did this weekend is incredible,” exclaimed Keith Steele. “I knew our Limited Truck finishes were a legitimate possibility, but to be as competitive as we were in PRO-2WD, especially at fast track like Crandon, wow! My crew chief and brother JJ, really keeps this truck at its best no matter what; Izzy, my wife keeps us all organized and following the same page, my entire family and all our friends made this weekend possible. If it were not also for the support of Monster Energy, our team would have watched instead of raced this weekend. Thanks again to Monster Energy.”

The next race on the 2009 Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL is July 10-11, in Bark River Wisconsin.
Keith Steele would like to thank all its product supporters, including:

J & H Transmission, Yank Torque Converters, K & N Filters, Howe Performance, Cash Coatings, Wolverine Performance, and Phil’s Inc..

Keith Steele and his Steele Off-Road Race Team still have marketing opportunities available for the 2009 Traxxas Off-Road Championship Series presented by AMSOIL. Interested parties can email Izzy Steele: info@steeleoffroad.com
- Mike Reusche, MTG

Thanks to TDI power: Volkswagen takes 1-2-3-stage win in Brazil

Rallye dos Sertões, Leg 05, 28 June 2009

Thanks to TDI power: Volkswagen takes 1-2-3-stage win in Brazil

Maurício Neves/Eduardo Bampi

Wolfsburg (28 June 2009). Volkswagen celebrated another stage victory at the Rallye dos Sertões: On the fifth leg of the cross-country rally through Brazil Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) set the fastest time ahead of their team colleagues Maurício Neves/Eduardo Bampi (BR/BR) and Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz Senra (E/E). The diesel technology of the 280-hp Race Touareg provided a crucial advantage: The 539-kilometre stage from Palmas to Luís Eduardo Magalhães was marked by quick gravel stretches with long flat-out passages as well as by trial-like segments where the high torque of the 2.5-litre TDI engines was advantageous. Al-Attiyah/Gottschalk were 3m 21s faster than Neves/Bampi, Sainz/Cruz Senra lost almost eleven minutes due to two unscheduled stops: A hose clip on the intercooler was broken and later the Spanish duo had to change a wheel due to a slow puncture.

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
“Today the three duos in the Race Touareg vehicles demonstrated why Volkswagen won the ‘Dakar’. On this fast leg top speed was equally important as torque since the stage also led through technically demanding sections. All three teams delivered a first-class performance – but special praise goes to our Brazilian crew: Maurício Neves and Eduardo Bampi have perfectly integrated themselves into our team and thrill the local fans with their strong performances.”

#301 – Carlos Sainz (E), 3rd place leg / 2nd place overall
“After two kilometres a hose clip in the intercooler duct broke. A small cause with a big effect because we suddenly had no more power. Changing the clip cost us several minutes. In addition, we had to change a wheel. Apart from that, things improved towards the end.”

#302 – Nasser Al-Attiyah (Q), 1st place leg / 1st place overall
“This was a really, really fast leg that I liked very much because it reminded me of special stages in the World Rally Championship. It was very fluid and nice to drive. My co-driver Timo Gottschalk and I have meanwhile found a good rhythm – and I’m now really familiar with the Race Touareg and its character too.”

#309 – Maurício Neves (BR), 2nd place leg / 9th place overall
“This leg was really fast and required lots of power. The TDI engine impressed me in this respect yet again – particularly because the beginning of the route had boulders and twisty passages which demands completely different characteristics of the engine. The Race Touareg has simply got power in any situation.”

Number of the day On the fifth leg of the Rallye dos Sertões, the quickest of the ten rally days, the sensors of the Volkswagen engineers logged a full-throttle section of 11.2 kilometres for Maurício Neves/Eduardo Bampi – in total, Neves was driving flat out 46.1 per cent of the time.

Interim standings after Leg 05, Palmas (TO) – Luís Eduardo Magalhaes (BA)
301 km/539 km SS 06/total

Pos. Team, Vehicle, Leg 05 ,Total time
1 Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 2h 30m 37.6s (1), 17h 22m 36.8s
2 Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz Senra (E/E), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 2h 41m 01.4s (3), + 11m 51.1s
3 Jean Azevedo/Youssef Haddad (BR/BR), Mitsubishi L200, 2h 52m 24.9s (5), + 1h 50m 30.0s
4 Riamburgo Ximenes/Stanger Eller (BR/BR), Sherpa, 2h 50m 02.0s (4), + 2h 15m 33.0s
5 Roberto Reijers/Marcos Almeida (BR/BR), Ford Ranger, 3h 03m 38.2s (12), + 3h 02m 33.3s
6 João Franciosi/Rafael Capoani (BR/BR), Sherpa, 2h 55m 52.4s (6), + 3h 03m 57,9s
7 Luiz Facco/Silvio Deusdará (BR/BR), Mitsubishi L200, 3h 00m 54.2s (10), + 3h 39m 30.5s
8 Felipe Bibas/Emerson Cavassi (BR/BR), Mitsubishi L200, 3h 02m 45.4s (11), + 4h 10m 14.3s
9 Romeo Franciosi(Deco Muniz (BR/BR), Sherpa, 2h 59m 33.1s (9), + 4h 28m 19.4s
10 Maurício Neves/Eduardo Bampi (BR/BR), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 2h 33m 58.1s (2), + 4h 48m 24.2s

Provinces GO: Goiás; TO: Tocatins; BA: Bahia; PE: Pernambuco; CE: Ceara; RN: Rio Grande do Norte

Volkswagen Motorsport public website: www.volkswagen-motorsport.com

Rallye dos Sertões information: www.dunas.com.br/ing

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