TORC Takeover

The Mopar® and Ram Truck brands enjoyed a spectacular debut outing in the 2011 Traxxas TORC Series, with Mopar-powered Ram drivers owning the podium in their TORC coming out party.

Quick. Think back to your first attempt at riding a bike, driving a car, or your first day at a new job. You struggled a bit, right? Learning a new skill or venturing into unfamiliar territory is usually accompanied by a trial-and-error period, the discomfort of growing pains. Simply put, you learn to walk before you run.

So when Mopar® and Ram Truck announced plans for a brand-new joint sponsorship of the 2011 Traxxas The Off-Road Championship (TORC) Series, many expected the five PRO-class drivers steering Mopar and Ram-sponsored trucks to start slowly in their debut at the RedBud MX facility in Buchanan, Mich. on Memorial Day weekend—you know, begin in the usual “walking” phase. But the Mopar-powered Ram crew had other ideas, skipping the learning curve and heading straight into an all-out, winning dash to the podium.

No. 77 Mopar Ram Truck driver Samuel Hübinette charged all the way from the last starting position to take the PRO Light class win in his first-ever TORC race at the Round One event on May 28. More accustomed to the drift-course than the off-road, the two-time Formula DRIFT champ, with just seven pre-season test laps under his belt in his new Mopar Ram, would add another win in the Round Two finale, stunning his fellow competitors with his clean sweep of the weekend.

Hübinette’s teammate Rob MacCachren joined him in the winner’s circle on May 29, driving his No. 21 Mopar Ram to victory in the PRO 2 class and putting the cherry on top of a dream weekend for the Mopar and Ram brands in their Traxxas TORC debut.

Mopar and Ram couldn’t have picked better in the brands’ choice of teams to back in the series: the Traxxas Racing organization fielded by Mike and Mark Jenkins (with drivers Hübinette and MacCachren) and the Menzies Motorsports team owned by Steve Menzies (with drivers Ricky Johnson, Bryce Menzies and Luke Johnson).

Superstar Ricky Johnson keys the Menzies Motorsports squad and will pilot the No. 48 PRO 4 class (four-wheel drive) Ram, sponsored by Red Bull with associate sponsorship from Ram Truck and Mopar. The 2010 TORC PRO 2 champion has moved to PRO 4 in 2011; the seven-time AMA Supercross champion also founded the TORC series in 2009.

Bryce Menzies pilots the No. 7 PRO 2 Ram, sponsored by Red Bull with associate sponsorship from Ram Truck and Mopar. The new TORC Series driver brings three years of racing experience in the CORR (Championship Off-Road Racing) Series and recently seized a Trophy Truck win in the prestigious Baja 500. Luke Johnson, son of Ricky Johnson, is one of the youngest drivers in the sport, and the rising star will compete in a PRO Light Ram sponsored by Red Bull with associate sponsorship from Ram Truck and Mopar

From the Traxxas Racing camp, MacCachren brings 20 championships and more than 180 off-road event wins from various series throughout an outstanding career that began in the early 1980s. In 2010, MacCachren captured the Lucas Oil Pro 2 Unlimited championship and finished second in TORC after capturing the 2009 TORC Series championship. Hübinette, who earned his two Formula DRIFT (FD) titles while sponsored by Mopar, currently competes in the FD series in a Mopar-powered Dodge Challenger and also has experience racing in a variety of motorsports formats, including rallycross and road racing. (Two late additions to the line-up of Mopar Ram drivers were Andrew Caddell and RJ Anderson).

Powering the PRO 2 and PRO 4 Mopar Rams is the Mopar Aluminum A8 engine block, built by Gary Stanton Racing. Stanton also provides the Mopar 360 Magnum® engine that powers the PRO Light Mopar Ram entries.

“I couldn’t be more proud to have Ram partnering with these great off-road drivers, championship-caliber teams and the TORC Series itself,” said Fred Diaz, President and CEO, Chrysler de Mexico and Ram Truck Brand, Chrysler Group LLC. “Off-road racers and fans are extremely passionate about their trucks just like we are. This partnership is a perfect fit for us to connect and share the passion in a fun and exciting way.”

“From the drag strip to the circle track, the Mopar brand has a proud heritage in racing,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “We are excited to extend our presence into off-road racing, where many of our Mopar fanatics reside. In fact, off-road accessories and performance parts make up more than 30 percent of our portfolio, so this is a critical market that we want to reach.”


The involvement of Mopar and Ram isn’t limited to the off-road race course. The brands’ new sponsorship will entail a number of additional high-profile elements aimed to raise their game in the off-road community.

Ram will become the official vehicle of the TORC Series, and the Mopar Ram Runner will serve as the official pace truck of the TORC Series. Mopar debuted its Ram Runner image vehicle to much acclaim at the 2010 Moab Jeep® Safari, and the brand recently announced a new Ram Runner kit for off-road enthusiasts, allowing Ram Truck owners to transform their truck into a Mopar-powered desert racer. The Mopar Ram Runner Kit, developed with successful Baja off-road racer Kent Kroeker, should be a hit with TORC fans. It includes a Pre-Runner Stage II Lift Kit, off-road front bumper, off-road front and rear fenders, off-road rear-tire carrier, sport performance hood and cat-back exhaust.

Mopar and Ram will also feature a significant trackside presence at each stop of the TORC Series, which was in evidence at the RedBud event. The Ram and Mopar display offered a number of activities for off-road fans, including the chance to test-drive an off-road Ram Truck.
 

Of course, Mopar and Ram are no strangers to the off-road world. Dodge trucks, now recognized as Ram trucks, have raced successfully in various off-road efforts since the mid-1970s, including a string of 37 consecutive SCORE and HDRA victories from 1977 into the next decade by famous off-roader Rod Hall – a record which stands to this day. Dodge vehicles were a large part of Hall’s 14 class wins at the grueling Baja 1000 over his 30-year career. Through 1993, Dodge also scored nine off-road championships over the previous 11 years with Hall behind the wheel. In 1979, a Dodge driven by “The Legend” Walker Evans became the first pickup truck to win the Baja 1000. 


Mopar and Ram have been active in international desert racing with Ram Runner development partner KORE, owned by Kent Kroeker. In addition to multiple podium victories in the SCORE Baja 1000 and Best in the Desert’s Vegas to Reno, Kroeker has scored Ram-powered wins in the SCORE Baja 500, SCORE Primm 300 and also won the Mint 400 in 2008 and 2009. On Nov. 19, 2004, Kroeker made history when he raced a 2003 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 in the SCORE Baja 1000. Kroeker drove solo for 29 hours 23 minutes and 10 seconds, bringing the Dodge Ram across the finish line and directly to the podium. This Dodge was the first Cummins-powered vehicle ever to finish the Baja 1000. 


Still, Mopar and Ram were the new kids on the block in the Traxxas TORC Series, the fastest, most punishing short course racing series on the planet, heading into the RedBud series opener. Sanctioned by the highly respected United States Auto Club (USAC), TORC events are packed with flag-to-flag fender banging as drivers push the limits over whoops and jump-filled natural terrain race tracks. Mother Nature made matters even more difficult, soaking the Buchanan, Mich. track with torrential rains that washed out the PRO 2 and PRO 4 class events on May 28.

Hübinette proved that his talents behind the wheel of a Mopar-powered Ram were more than a match for the tough course conditions and his rookie status. Once the white flag fell in the Round One PRO Light event, the man nicknamed the “Crazy Swede” proceeded on a wild charge from dead last to the front. Hübinette had jumped all the way to fourth by the half-time break, and once racing resumed the TORC newbie soon claimed the top spot. Hübinette built a sizeable lead then held off a closing Casey Currie, the 2010 TORC PRO Light champ, in a thrilling nose-to-tail finish.


“It was amazing, climbing up from the bottom to the top in my first TORC race. What a story,” said Hübinette of his (and Mopar and Ram’s) TORC premiere. “I had very limited seat time, and I don’t think people had very high expectations for what I could do, but I did, and I knew I could do well.


“The victory is a testament to the well-prepared and professional team I have in Traxxas Racing and Jenkins Brothers Racing, and also to the power and performance of my Mopar Ram. The truck performed flawlessly. It was a true team effort. It was a dream event for my first-ever TORC race, and I couldn’t ask for a better start to my new partnership with Traxxas, Mopar and Ram. Hopefully, this is the first of many wins.”

Hübinette didn’t have to wait long to celebrate his second victory, earning another PRO Light win the next day to become the first back-to-back PRO class event winner of 2011, a remarkable accomplishment for the TORC rookie. Hübinette seized his second triumph in a thrilling, come-from-behind charge to edge out C.J. Greaves at the checkers. He was joined on the podium by another Mopar-powered Ram driver, Andrew Caddell; coming home fifth was Mopar and Ram-sponsored off-roader Luke Johnson.

“The folks at RedBud and USAC did a great job in preparing the track, considering the rain and weather this weekend,” said Hübinette. “We were able to put on a great show for the fans that traveled here despite the weather. Overall, it was just an unbelievable TORC debut, and I can’t wait to go off-roading again.”


Hübinette’s teammate MacCachren had to wait until the second day of the two-race event to taste his first TORC action of the year after the Round One PRO 2 and PRO 4 events were postponed due to the inclement weather. MacCachren wasted no time in visiting the winner’s circle, claiming the victory in the PRO 2 class. Mopar-powered Ram Truck Red Bull driver Bryce Menzies finished just off the podium, in fourth. In the PRO 4 class, Mopar-powered Ram Truck driver Ricky Johnson took the second spot on the podium, challenging Scott Douglas for the win but ultimately coming up just a bit short. 


“This is the first time I’ve run this truck in the dirt,” said MacCachren. “The guys did an awesome job with the settings on the Mopar Ram, the BFGoodrich Tires hooked up and we didn’t have to pull a tear-off all day.”

“What a spectacular debut weekend for Mopar and Ram Trucks in the Traxxas TORC series,” summed up Tricia Hecker, Head of Marketing, Mopar. “The victories by Sam and Rob serve as a testament to the power and performance of Mopar parts and Ram Trucks in the off-road world. We are very optimistic that the triumphs at RedBud are the first of many this year for our Mopar-powered Ram Truck drivers.”

And there will be more wins—you can bank on it, in the year of the Mopar and Ram Truck TORC takeover!

To view the Make Your Ram A Mopar Ram Runner article download the following pdf.

Make Your Ram A Mopar Ram Runner - PDF