MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — TORC: The Off-Road Championship presented by AMSOIL welcomes a new stop to the series July 16-17 as the action moves to ERX Motor Park in Elk River, Minnesota, for the Twin Cities Takedown, Rounds 7 and 8 of the 13-race championship season.

The facility originally opened for winter sports and an expansion this year has added a brand new truck racing track that is separate from existing snowmobile circuits on the property. ERX co-owner Chris Carlson says the new TORC Series course is a racer’s dream.

“The new track is unique in a number of ways,” says ERX co-owner Chris Carlson, whose Carlson Motorsports team campaigns son Andrew Carlson’s Atturo Tire PRO Light in the TORC Series. “First of all, it’s got natural elevation changes like no other track we’ve ever raced on with TORC. There’s going to be flyaway sections, camelback jumps… there’s literally not a flat section on the whole track. We’re also going to have high, banked corners, so you’ll have great racing sections two and three trucks wide in virtually every corner, with no flat corners and no off-camber corners. It’s designed for racers and by racers.”

In addition to TORC Series racing, Andrew Carlson competes in the Pro Open class on the AMSOIL Championship Snocross series. He says he’s excited about adding his home facility to his summer schedule this year.

“I think it will be a cool track, one of the better tracks of the year,” he said. “I’m excited to show people what we can do and I think the track we’ve designed will allow for some really cool features on the course, better passing opportunities, and a better spectator experience.”

Drivers can also expect to encounter an interesting mix of natural dirt across the one-mile course, from sand-wash sections similar to the desert terrain found at races on the Baja Peninsula, to packed clay on the high, banked corners, making for one of the more technically challenging courses in the TORC Series.

“We have beautiful rolling hills on over 300 acres, which lends itself perfectly to multiple disciplines all year round and we’re excited to bring TORC to Minnesota for the first time,” said ERX spokeswoman Taylor Carlson, Andrew’s sister. “This area is a true motorsports hub, and we think the people here are going to absolutely love it when they see this kind of racing for the first time.”

Single-day tickets to the Twin Cities Takedown are $20, with weekend passes priced at $35. Juniors tickets cost $10 for one day, or $15 for two days of racing. All passes are discounted for active and retired military who show ID at the gate. For tickets and more information, visit www.www.torcseries.com.