In order to run with some of the best off-road racers in the world, Busch tested at Crandon International Off-Road Raceway earlier this week and impressed those in attendance. He shared the track with Rob MacCachren, the current PRO 2 points leader, and Jeff Kincaid, a winner last weekend in Bark River, and his fastest lap was only one-tenth of a second off the fastest time of the day.
On his Twitter account immediately following the test, Busch voiced his excitement. “Was n Crandon, WI today testin the Traxxas TORC off road truck. What a blast to drive. Got pretty good I guess. As fast as the good guys.”
Busch will pilot a Traxxas-sponsored machine fielded by Mark Jenkins and Mike Jenkins, both of whom were at the test at the “Big House.” Mike said the Las Vegas native and former NASCAR Nationwide Series champion started the day with no experience and ended it as an off-road racer.
“He was tip-toeing around on the first session, getting the feel,” Jenkins said. “He was within three or seconds of the fast lap in his first time out. That’s mind blowing.”
The day just kept getting better and better for Busch as he listened to Crandon veteran Kincaid on the best lines and how to adapt to the different turns and track conditions. “He was taking good instructions from Kincaid,” Jenkins said. “He stayed focused with what Jeff was telling him.”
It was the end of the day, though, where Busch showed just how good he was. During the fifth session, he watched MacCachren and Scott Taylor take laps and immediately wanted to get back in the truck to find the extra second he was missing. In the last session, MacCachren got into Busch’s truck to give it a shakedown run to find the vehicle’s baseline time. Busch’s runs were nearly as fast as MacCachren’s.
“It’s one thing to (race) on pavement and it’s another to do it off-road,” Jenkins said. “All the possible track conditions were thrown at him and he made the transition to off-road racer in one day.”
Busch and the rest of the TORC Series run next Wednesday and Thursday at Route 66 Raceway. For tickets to the race, visit TORCSeries.com or Route66Raceway.com. Fans can also watch the races live at TORCSeries.com and later in the year when the race is aired on the Discovery HD Theater program, “The Off Road Championship,” making its on-air debut Sept. 2.
For more information on the Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL, visit them on the Web at TORCSeries.com. For information on the United States Auto Club, visit USACRacing.com. Both sites will also feature live free streaming of all the events on the TORC Series schedule courtesy of GoPro cameras and eBay Motors.
Race fans can follow all the action throughout the TORC Series season on its official Twitter sites at Twitter.com/TORCMedia and its official page on Facebook.
About TORC
The Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL, is the fastest, most punishing short course racing series on the planet. TORC events are packed with flag-to-flag fender banging as drivers push the limits over whoop and jump filled natural terrain racetracks. Off-road racing fans come from far and wide to experience this most challenging form of high-octane competition and once they taste TORC for the first time they’ll be hooked for life.
About USAC
USAC is the sanctioning body of TORC. The United States Auto Club (USAC) adds a superior level of professionalism to the series. USAC will play a major role in series operations just as it does in the K&N Silver Crown Series, National Sprint Car Series, Mopar Midget Nationals, Ford Focus, and 1/4 Midget series. Each year TORC champions will be recognized for their achievements at the prestigious USAC banquet.
About Traxxas
Traxxas, “The Fastest Name in Radio Control”, has honored TORC as Title Sponsor through 2011. “The Traxxas TORC Series” or “The Traxxas Off-Road Championship Series”. Broadcasts of the six-round TORC series will be broadcast on national television starting in September.
- Traxxas TORC Series Press Release