Lucas Oil Off Road: Hunting for racing lines in Ensenada

The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series returned to the Baja International Short Course in Ensenada for the second year, bringing short course off road to the enthusiastic off-road fans of Baja, California.

Those fans once again packed the house for two days to see racing on a slightly revised course from last year. While the layout was mostly unchanged, the series had brought in more dirt that was heavier in clay content to help keep the track from breaking up so badly. The track at Estero Beach has been a challenge for builders and racers alike, as it sits at sea level, leaving no room to dig down to build features. Any dirt used to build tabletops, berms and whoops must be trucked in. And the sandiness of the soil also leads to a lot of roost that makes visibility behind another vehicle difficult at best.

But the improvement in keeping the track together allowed the Pro 4 and Pro 2 drivers to choose to go two additional laps from last year's 10 (last year the lap count dropped from the planned 12 because of the way the surface changed).

"You still seem like you're out there for a long time," said Pro and Pro 2 racer Rob MacCachren, who ended the weekend with two second-place finishes. "The track is holding together better than it did last year. I think if they keep bringing dirt in, it will hold together even better. It's a great racetrack if the dirt would hold together to give us some more options, some more lines ... it gets broken up so badly you can't go there, it gets so heavy."

The fluff buildup that MacCachren refers to also narrows the track as the race goes on. The sandy dirt displaced by the trucks builds up so that going off the racing line isn't really an option to make a pass in most places. And the roost, if you're following another truck closely, makes visibility dodgy. All that may explain why MacCachren had to settle for second in Pro 2, the final and most exciting race on Saturday.

Patrick Clark started on pole, with Doug Mittag on the outside after a six-truck inversion from qualifying. MacCachren, the fastest qualifier, started sixth. Both Mittag and Clark had problems early – Mittag lost a wheel and Clark's power steering went out – leaving Jeremy McGrath in the lead. MacCachren had made his way to behind McGrath, with Carl Renezeder following.

MacCachren started hounding McGrath, while Renezeder tried to hold off Rodrigo Ampudia for third. He was ultimately unsuccessful, and the biggest cheer of the weekend erupted from the stands when hometown favorite Ampudia – whose family was instrumental in bringing the series to Ensenada – passed Renezeder for the podium position.

After the competition yellow at halfway, MacCachren continued to dog McGrath with no success. "I'm in a points championship and I've got a pretty good lead," MacCachren said. "I'm internally battling with myself – I want to win the championship, I want to win the race.... So I wasn't too forceful out there." Despite his best efforts, McGrath held him off to win in the No. 2 Maxxiss Tires/Icon Vehicle Dynamics machine.

"I got out in the lead – I got a little bit of a present form Patrick Clark," said McGrath. "I knew Rob was behind me. The funny thing, halfway I lost radio, so I was driving the second half of the race just listening – I had to listen hard – but I was listening for Rob.
"We've never won two races in one season, so for us it's a big accomplishment," he added.

But by the end of Saturday, the only lead changes came not due to racecraft or speed, but due to someone breaking or having other difficulties. Without someone making a mistake or having a mechanical issue, there were few changes at the front.

Bryce Menzies started his Red Bull/Pennzoil Ford on the pole for Pro 4, and with fast qualifier Kyle LeDuc on the outside, it promised to be a good show. However, when LeDuc spun in Turn 2 on the opening lap, it was all Menzies. It looked like MacCachren had something for him in the middle of the race, but, much like in Pro 2 later, he couldn't capitalize on his speed. LeDuc did provide some excitement by making his way back through the field to finish third.

With no inversion in Pro Lite, the fastest qualifier, Ryan Beat, started his No. 51 Rockstar Energy/Lunarpages Chevrolet on pole, and no one else had a chance, except for perhaps Jerett Brooks, who came from third to pass Brandon Arthur for second. In Pro Buggy, Elliot Watson started on pole, and would have likely finished in first except he got a flat after leading the majority of the race. That allowed Garret George in his No. 1 Redline Performance/Anenberg Funco, who had moved up from fourth past Mike Valentine and Darren Hardesty Jr., to take the lead. With Taylor Atchison skipping the Baja round and Mike Valentine having a few struggles, it puts George in a good position to defend his title.

The drivers seem to have used Saturday's races to figure some things out, and things were looking a little more racy for Round 8 on Sunday. That was especially true in Pro 4, although with Kyle LeDuc qualifying first and starting sixth, excitement was almost guaranteed.

Renezeder jumped into the lead over polesitter Greg Adler immediately. LeDuc started slicing his way through the field quickly, and was in second by the end of lap 1. His progress would not be so quick after that, as Renezeder was determined to keep LeDuc behind him and preserve his championship lead. LeDuc clearly had an edge over Renezeder in Turns 1 and 2, but Renezeder was strong elsewhere. It eventually took a Renezeder mistake in Turn 5 for LeDuc to claim the lead in the No. 99 Monster Energy/Toyo Tires Ford. LeDuc held on to win, crediting in part the choice of an aggressive tire to make the most of the Estero Beach circuit.

Pro Lite and Pro Buggy were much like Saturday; whoever got out front at the start could cruise to victory unless they made an error. That happened to Brandon Arthur, who started on pole in Pro Lite alongside Jeff Hoffman. He jumped in front, but fell back several positions a lap in, handing the lead to Hoffman. Hoffman fended off several challenges by Jerett Brooks to claim his first Pro Lite win in the No. 47 Jeff Hoffman Racing truck. Arthur looked like he was going to miss the podium, but passed Brock Heger at the line to claim third.

Elliot Watson once again started first in Pro Buggy, but went wide in Turns 1 and 2, allowing Kevin McCullough to take the lead in the No. 62 Stapleton Roofing machine. That was all he needed to head to the win, followed by Watson and Darren Hardesty Jr.

Pro 2 once again put the cap on a day of racing. The crowd was clearly happy to see Ampudia starting on the outside front row alongside Mittag. He looked to solidify his podium once MacCachren spun in Turn 2 at the start, and RJ Anderson rolled to a stop with a tire issue. But following a yellow for debris, Ampudia fell back rapidly after hanging in second behind Mittag for several laps. Going the opposite direction was Menzies, who made a huge move on the restart from fifth to second. Menzies said afterward that the track was a muddy mess for the first half of the race, but started coming around for the second half.

Once in second, Menzies started hounding Mittag. Mittag went wide in the final turn, allowing Menzies inside, and that was all it took for Menzies to take his second win of the weekend in his No. 7 Red Bull/Pennzoil Ford, followed by Mittag and a resurgent Anderson, who got his tire replaced and charged through a faltering field to get on the podium.

Rounds 9 and 10 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series take place July 23-24 at Glen Helen Raceway for a pair of night events at the historic San Bernardino facility.

Luca Oil Off Road Racing Series
Rounds 7 and 8
Baja International Short Course at Estero Beach, Ensenada, Mexico, June 18-19, 2016

Round 7 Winners:
Pro 4 Bryce Menzies
Pro 2 Jeremy McGrath
Pro Lite Ryan Beat
Pro Buggy Garret George

Round 8 Winners:
Pro 4 Kyle LeDuc
Pro 2 Bryce Menzies
Pro Lite Jeff Hoffman
Pro Buggy Kevin Mccullough