WSORR SEASON OPENER, ROUNDS 1 & 2
MAY 30 - JUNE 1, 2008 OWATANNA, MN
HEAVy Weather: Despite some very ugly weahter conditions on the Saturday of opening weekend for the WSORR series, the racing
still fired to life on Sunday in Owatanna, Minnesota.
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The World Series of Off-Road Racing (WSORR) was set to kick off the season with the E3 Sparkplugs "Show-Me State Showdown"
presented by Dixie Choppers on the evening of Saturday, May 31, but Mother Nature had other plans. The $100,000 purse race
had to wait for dangerous thunderstorms to pass over the Lucas Oil Speedway, which drenched the track and delayed the racing
action.
The track crew got to work immediately after the rain quit, working tirelessly to get the track in racing condition. After
several lightning delays, racing started during a gap in the storms. Dan Baudoux slogged his way to the first checkered flag
of the season in the Super Truck division. The 1600 Light Buggy class made their way to the line and took the green flag only
to have the rains return with gusto, and the races were red flagged as everyone headed for cover.
Jeremy Pyatskowit
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The races resumed Sunday morning with everyone but the Super Trucks running two rounds in one day - a daunting task to say
the least. Despite the weather issues on Saturday, the weather on Sunday was sunny and the track was fast.
Dan Vanden Huevel Sr. was back in action with his Pro 2WD and, despite the lack of sponsors on his truck, had a very productive
weekend. Jerry Daugherty made the long tow from out West, but a multiple endo in Friday practice put him behind the eight
ball for the weekend.
WSORR ROUNDS 1&2
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John Fitzgerald made the jump to Pro-Light after winning the WSORR 1600 buggy championship in 2007. New this year was the
designation of Super Buggy as a Pro Division, a direct result of the Super Buggies being the marquee division of the buggy
classes.
The new class that WSORR is promoting is the Ultra 4x4 class. Dubbed the "Hot ToT" (Truck of Tomorrow) by WSORR frontman Doug
Davis, it's designated to be the premier 4x4 truck class in WSORR.
"The majority of Pro 4WD trucks are based on the West Coast, and we needed a 4x4 class in the Midwest where 4x4s are popular
and to have manufacturer-supplied components on the truck," Davis commented. "We had a sneak peak this weekend to show that
WSORR is serious about developing this class."
The prototype chassis on display generated a lot of discussion about a 4x4 class that doesn't currently exist in any series.
The formal unveiling of the Ultra 4x4 is slated for August.
