Jack Flannery Elected to Off-Road Hall of Fame

RENO, Nev. — Championship off-road racer Jack Flannery, one of the most well-known names in off-road racing circles, has been elected to the distinguished Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in Reno, Nev.

Flannery was recently notified of his unanimous acceptance into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame, class of 2009, located in the revered National Auto Museum in Reno. He will be honored at a ceremony by his peers this coming August for his legendary career and contributions to the sport.

Born and raised in Crandon, Wis., Flannery joins an extremely elite group of other legends such as Walker Evans and Ivan “Iron Man” Stewart, among others, in the Hall of Fame. The achievement is also significant in that Flannery is the first off-road champion from the Midwest to be accepted into the Hall.

Flannery brought short course off-road racing to the mainstream by being the first Midwest native to organize a professional off-road race team that was capable of competing against and beating the best off-road racers in the world. His passion and commitment to the sport and innovative truck designs helped bring short course off-road racing to a higher level. Being continuously involved in every aspect of the sport, from track designs and layout, to bridging the gap between promoters, racers, fans, and sponsors alike, he enabled more people to experience and enjoy the sport on all levels.

Starting his career at the legendary Crandon International Off-Road Raceway as a grass roots off-road racer, his charismatic personality, techniques and refinements allowed him success in various venues. Competing against factory sponsored teams in the initial stages of his career, privateer Flannery, with the financial backing from Flannery Trucking, owned by his father Melvin and late mother Dorothy, proved early on he was talented behind the wheel and a force to be reckoned with.

Beginning his nearly three-decade career piloting a snowmobile, he switched his efforts in the 70’s to a Class 6-2 wheel drive sedan and utility vehicle. In ‘74 he discovered a new niche and began piloting rear engine off-road buggies. In the late 70’s he began to focus his talents and passion towards the full-size truck classes.

Competing in the Mint 400 in the Nevada desert in ‘78 and ‘79 helped Flannery gain valuable experience. Venturing into Canadian territory in the early 80’s, Flannery competed in the Canadian Off-Road Series two times, all the while dominating the Midwest SODA series and racking up five Pro Series Championship titles. He also competed in the SCORE Off-Road Championships in Riverside, Calif.
In 1990, Flannery added another victory at the Inaugural SCORE Off-Road Championships in Phoenix, Ariz. The highlight of 1990 was when Flannery captured the Class F truck title in the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb and obtained “Rookie of the Year” honors while piloting a Ford F-150.

The following year brought a major sponsorship on behalf of Chevrolet and launch of the famous “Chevy Thunder” Team as well as 9 wins out of 10 events in the SODA ESPN-TV Pro Series. Jack also once again returned to Pikes Peak, this time driving a new full-size Chevrolet-and not only won the Heavy Metal title, but shattered his own record by a whopping 22 seconds! In ‘92 Flannery made the trek back to the “Hill” finishing second. 1993 again showcased Flannery’s talent as he stormed through the SODA circuit by winning five of six events, and taking home the ESPN Pro Series Championship for a 6th time.

In subsequent years, Flannery was a solid fixture in professional short course off-road racing and again no stranger in victory circle scoring numerous Pro 4 and Heavy Metal wins. The pinnacle of his career came in 1996 when he won the coveted $125,000 Borg Warner Cup Race at Crandon. “Mr. Chevy Thunder” followed that up in 1997 with a clean sweep in Crandon, once again winning both Pro 4 classes and the prestigious Governor’s (now called “Chairman’s”) Cup Race. Victory followed Flannery into 1998 when against a world-class field of off-road competitors; he dominated and claimed the CORR Pro 4 Championship title and in 1999 won a second Chairman’s Cup as his curtain call.

Having accomplished goals most can only dream of with well over 150 class wins and series titles, Jack has enough championship rings to fit every finger and toe on his body.

Renezeder Leads Points in both Divisions after Tough Weekend of Racing

LAKE FOREST, CA (July 29, 2009) – The start of the second half of the season was a tough one for Carl Renezeder and his teamAlthough they were able to walk away from the Lake Elsinore Motorsports Complex last weekend with two second place finishes in Unlimited-2, as well as the points lead in both divisions, the accomplishments were overshadowed by motor problems, mechanical issues and an all-night thrash on Saturday night to get the Unlimited-4 back to race condition.

“We’ll definitely head home tonight with our tail between our legs,” commented a somber Renezeder at the end of the Unlimited-2 race on Sunday night. “Trying to race without rear brakes in a two-wheel-drive truck is like stepping into a boxing ring with both hands tied behind your back. I had no game and had to take what the track would give me. I know I should be excited about a podium finish, but I didn’t get to fight for it, so it’s just not the same.”

The lack of rear brakes in his Lucas Oil/General Tire Unlimited-2 was just the last in a long line of troubles that plagued the team during rounds seven and eight of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. The weekend started out well for the team when Renezeder qualified both trucks on the pole. Crew Chief, Mike Seat, drew four-row and three-row inverts for the Unlimited-4 and Unlimited-2 starts, respectively, putting Carl outside fourth row in the first race and outside third row in the second race on Saturday night.

The Unlimited-4 race seemed to start well. Hard contact from Kent Brascho on the first lap seemed to just be cosmetic damage, but the team would later realize that it was the start of catastrophic damage to a structural part of the chassis. After working his way to second place, Renezeder’s truck finally gave in, breaking major tubing out of the center of the truck, subsequently ripping out oil lines, the oil filter, killing the motor and damaging the entire drivetrain. With the raceshop only an hour’s drive from the track, the crew decided that it would be smarter to take the truck back to the shop to fix it with the right equipment. But, they still had another race to finish before they could be on their way.

Saturday’s Unlimited-2 race was well on its way to being another win for Renezeder; however, his ten-truck-length lead vanished on the last lap when the right rear tire came apart in turn three. He held onto the lead until the final turn, but couldn’t get enough drive off the corner to hold off Todd LeDuc.

With both races in the books, the team split up – half of them went back to the shop with the Unlimited-4, while the other half stayed to prep the Unlimited-2 for Sunday. When they were done with the Unlimted-2, they took a two-hour nap and then headed to the shop to relieve the others for a couple of hours. By 8:00 A.M. Sunday morning, the entire crew was working on the truck, and at 5:00 P.M. they rolled into the track with a race-ready truck. A two-lap shakedown proved that their hard work had paid off; their truck was ready for the 7:15 P.M. start.

A “Cinderella Story”, however, would not be the result. A few laps into round eight of Unlimited-4, while well ahead of the field, the radiator cap came off the truck. Renezeder’s radio had also come unplugged from his helmet, so it wasn’t until the mandatory yellow that driver and crew chief were able to communicate. Renezeder was able to duck into the pits for a replacement cap and stay on the lead lap, but it was too late. Too much damage had been done and the truck DNF’d for the second time in as many races.

The crew looked and felt dejected and exhausted, and had one more race to go. Unfortunately, the brake problem surfaced early in that race, and they spent the closing laps watching water spit out of the overflow. The motor seized just after the checkered flag flew, adding insult to an injury-filled weekend.

“It’s weekends like this that make us appreciate the good ones,” concluded Renezeder. “And it’s also weekends like this that remind me of the championship-caliber crew I have. Never once did they complain about having to work through the night, their attitudes stayed positive, and they took it all in stride. We’re all disappointed about the results, but we also know that we’ll bounce back from this with our confidence intact, ready to win more races.”

Even after a tough weekend, Renezeder was able to hang onto the points lead in Unlimited-4, but the gap went from 24 to just four. In Unlimited-2, two second place finishes moved him from fifth in the standings to first, four points ahead of Jeff Ward. These races will air on SPEED Channel on Sunday, August 23 at 1:00 P.M. and 2:00 P.M. EST.

Quick Stats on Carl Renezeder
Birth date: April 16, 1964 Residence: Laguna Beach, CA Home Town: Montebello, CA Family: Wife: Kelley; 4 Children Education: UCLA graduate, All-American Water Polo player Hobbies: XTERRA triathlon, swimming, cycling, skiing, snowboarding, surfing
84 Career Short Course Wins (8 in Lucas Oil Off Road Series, 65 in CORR, 10 in WSORR, 1 in RJORGP) 5-time National Champion (CORR Pro-2 – 2005 & 2006, CORR Pro-4 – 2003, 2007, 2008)
2009 to date: 3 Unlimited-2 wins, 5 Unlimited-4 wins

BFGoodrich Tires Looks to Continue Winning Ways at X Games 15 Rally

LOS ANGELES – July 29, 2009 – BFGoodrich Tires is looking to continue its winning ways at the X Games 15 rally competition as the tire of choice for six of the 12 invited athletes. BFGoodrich Tires will partner with Subaru Rally Team USA and Vermont SportsCar for the fourth straight year, having been part of their multiple medal performances at X Games 12, 13 and 14. BFGoodrich Tires is also the tire of choice for Ford’s Fiesta team, which will make its X Games debut at the Rally Car Racing Super Special on Sunday, Aug. 2.

“Since the beginning of BFGoodrich Tires’ involvement in X Games competition, our teams have earned eight medals, more than any other tire manufacturer,” said Roberts Kukainis, brand sponsorship manager for BFGoodrich Tires. “We are excited to be the tire of choice for this year’s top teams and continue to be the tire brand to beat in X Games rally competition.”

Subaru Rally Team USA consists of today’s elite rally drivers including Travis Pastrana, Dave Mirra and Ken Block. Each of the Subaru Rally Team USA drivers will be behind the wheel of a 303-horsepower 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI prepared by Vermont SportsCar each equipped with BFGoodrich g-Force Rally tires.

Ford’s new Fiesta Rallycross cars have already created plenty of buzz in the enthusiast community with their North American motorsport debut at the 87th running of Pikes Peak International Hill Climb where they took second place in the ‘unlimited class.’ In the vehicle’s
X Games debut, the three Fiestas, each equipped with BFGoodrich g-Force Rally tires, will be driven by an all-star lineup, including Tanner Foust, Brian Deegan and Kenny Brack.

The asymmetric BFGoodrich g-Force Rally tire is designed with a closed pattern for increased ground contact and optimized grip and traction. The BFGoodrich g-Force Rally Gravel tires are designed to cut through loose top surface in search of firmer ground underneath.

Subaru Rally Team USA
Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana has dominated rallying in the USA since switching his focus away from Freestyle Motocross. Having won gold at X Games 12 and 14 and fresh off his New England Forest Rally victory, look for Pastrana to be a frontrunner in this year’s competition.

Dave Mirra is no stranger to the X Games podium as he holds the record for most X Games medals and most X Games gold medals. Mirra took bronze in last year’s X Games rally competition and looks add to his incredible medal count with another podium finish.

While Ken Block has been driving rally cars for a relatively short amount of time, his list of accomplishments read like that of a seasoned pro. Block teamed up with Vermont SportsCar in 2004 and Subaru Rally Team USA in 2006 and has since won bronze at X Games 12, silver at X Games 13 and shared the bronze medal with Subaru Rally Team USA teammate Dave Mirra at X Games 14.

Olsbergs MSE/ROCKSTAR Energy Ford Fiesta Team
Tanner Foust took X Games rally gold in 2007 and silver in 2008, losing out to Subaru Rally team USA driver Travis Pastrana. Foust will drive the ROCKSTAR Energy 2009 Ford Fiesta five-door hatchback while looking to avenge last year’s second place finish.

Moto X star Brian Deegan is no stranger to the X Games. Deegan has won ten medals in X Games competition and will make his X Games rally debut driving the ROCKSTAR Energy 2008 Ford Fiesta three-door hatchback.

Swedish driver Kenny Brack looks to become the first ever Indianapolis 500 winner to also take home an X Games medal. Brack will make his X Games debut in the Olsbergs Motor Sports Evolution 2009 Ford Fiesta three-door hatchback.

The X Games Rally Car Racing Super Special will take place at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. on Sunday, Aug. 2. The X Games Rally Car Racing Super Special will be aired live on ABC on Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern. Please check local listings for repeat airdates and times.

BFGoodrich Tires Teams include:
Driver
Vehicle
Tires
Travis Pastrana
2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI
BFGoodrich g-Force Rally tires
Ken Block
2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI
BFGoodrich g-Force Rally tires
Dave Mirra
2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI
BFGoodrich g-Force Rally tires
Tanner Foust
2009 Ford Fiesta 5-door hatchback
BFGoodrich g-Force Rally tires
Kenny Brack
2009 Ford Fiesta 3-door hatchback
BFGoodrich g-Force Rally tires
Brian Deegan
2008 Ford Fiesta 3-door hatchback
BFGoodrich g-Force Rally tires

X Games 15 Rally Schedule
Event
Date / Time
Location
Rally Practice
Thursday, July 30 / 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Home Depot Center
Rally Practice
Friday, July 31 / 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Home Depot Center
Rally Seeding
Friday, July 31 / 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Home Depot Center
Rally Practice
Sunday, August 2 / 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Home Depot Center
Rally Elimination
Sunday, August 2 / 12 p.m. – 12: 30 p.m.
Home Depot Center
Super Special Final
Sunday, August 2 / 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Home Depot Center

Using motorsports as a proving ground for more than 30 years, BFGoodrich Tires is involved in every type of racing, including oval, sports car, drifting, drag, desert, dirt, rally and extreme rock-crawling. BFGoodrich Tires combines technological expertise with vast motorsports experience, delivering a high-performance tire for every type of vehicle. Visit BFGoodrich Tires online at www.bfgoodrichtires.com.

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