Alumi Craft racers shine at the LOORRS season finale.
Santee, CA
Alumi Craft racers put in a dominating performance at the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series, (LOORRS) season finale. Several championships still hung in the balance going into the final race at Phoenix, AZ's Firebird raceway. If that wasn't enough, the Challenge Cup race on Sunday would put multiple classes together on the track at the same time with nothing to lose, a recipe for non-stop action to say the least.
In the Unlimited Buggy class, Alumi Craft cars would finish first and second in the season long championship. Many people doubted whether Mike Porter would return to racing after suffering a devastating back injury that put him out of the car for months. He could have just spent his time building engines at his shop, Redline Performance, but instead he persevered, pushing himself to get back to his winning form. He started the season strong and maintained his lead earning himself the championship in 2011. Mike is a well-respected racer and even though they were caught up in their own battles, many of his fellow competitors were rooting for him to take the crown including second place finisher and fellow Alumi Craft racer Justin "Bean" Smith. Smith actually started the weekend in fourth place but had a chance, if all went well, to climb a few more spots. Justin took the bonus points for leading at the competition yellow and won the race which put him in a tie for second with Jerry Whelchel. The tie breaker came down to who had the most victories on the season. Justin's four victories over Whelchel's three would secure him the runner up spot.
Another racer who would distinguish himself with a runner-up spot in the championship was Alumi Craft Limited Buggy racer Dave Mason Jr. Although he did not win the championship, Dave was the most consistent Alumi Craft racer this year and was only outdone in the championship by one of the most experienced Limited Buggy racers on the planet, Curt Geer. No doubt Dave's success will be a huge boost to him next season when both he and Geoffrey Cooley move up to race in the Unlimited Buggy class, each with brand new Alumi Craft cars to start the season.
With the points titles wrapped up, the racers would return to the track for one more race, the Champions Cup. The race was for bragging rights and cash, pure and simple. The Limited Buggy race was owned by Geoffrey Cooley in his Alumi Craft buggy.
He took the early lead after starting on row three and held it to the end. Even the competition yellow, which allows all the competitors to regroup before a single file restart, and a last lap charge from second place John Fitzgerald was not enough to overcome the hard charging Cooley who was determined to get his first career win.
In what can only be described as a David versus Goliath type of battle the Unlimited Buggies and the Prolite trucks would again be combined to race for a whopping $35,000 dollars in prize money with the winner taking $20,000 in cold hard cash. In the two previous years buggy racers would take the top spot which did not sit well with the Prolite drivers who are known for their aggressive driving that includes plenty of contact. Not only do the much lighter and open wheeled Buggy drivers need to pass the entire Prolite field to win, they need to avoid contact in order to survive. Alumi Craft racer Justin Smith and his spotter Brian Martin had a plan. They already had a mental list on how to get past all their rivals. In the spirit of the season let's just call it the naughty and nice list. Nice means you can make a pass stick without contact. Naughty means expect to get roughed up. With Justin's excellent car control and Brian's constant updates on who was in front and who was coming from behind they would pick their way to the front.
Even with the game plan adversity struck early when Justin was forced up onto the K-rail in turn one on lap two. He rounded the corner with two wheels over the outside of the track. Fortunately his Alumi Craft took the abuse without skipping a beat. As the laps wound down the duo picked off more and more places marching to the front. With two laps to go they took the lead and held it to the checkered flag. Excluding the six spots Justin had to make up after he went for a slide on the K-rail, he passed twenty cars in nineteen laps on his way to victory.
"We agreed to help Steve Menzies and his driver Justin Smith when they approached us at the beginning of the season because we felt good things were going to happen", said Alumi Craft owner John Cooley, "Actually, we do that for all our drivers. Buggy racing is hard, you have to be fearless and yet, there is no room for error. It takes dedication to be successful and that’s what we bring to the track. In the last five years we have been to every race and our results show it. Going back to the CORR series Alumi Craft has won the Unlimited Buggy championship four years in a row and we just picked up our second consecutive championship in the TORQ series this year as well."
Alumi Craft's unwavering customer support, race proven design and meticulous craftsmanship all add up to one thing, championship winning performance.
Alumi Craft Driver CJ Greaves Clinches Back to Back TORC Championships
September 21st, 2011 - Santee, CA
CJ Greaves finishes the season sweeping Rounds 11 & 12 at Oshkosh Speed Zone. Clinchs back to back championship in TORC Super Buggy class. Alumi Craft race cars had 10 wins out of 12 races with a total of 29 Podiums during 2011 TORC Series.
Alumi Craft goes Big at the Big House, Crandon Wisconsin.
September 12th, 2011 - Santee, CA
Alumi Craft racers put in a dominating performance at the "Big House," Crandon International Raceway, taking three first place victories and six out of nine possible podium positions. The TORC series second stop at Crandon Raceway on Sept. 1st through the 4th included additional racing on Friday to make up the round lost to rain at the spring Crandon event. The additional day of racing gave the Alumi Craft team one more opportunity to outshine the competition and to add more points towards the season long championship battle between current leader CJ Greaves and fellow Alumi Craft racer Larry Job.
The big track at Crandon seems to suit Larry Job quite well. He had flawless back-to-back wins on Friday and Saturday. "We took the hole-shot right from the start on both days and ran out front the entire race, I never even used a tear-away and the front of the car was still clean at the end of the race," said Larry. "I have to give credit to my team for giving me a great car both days and if it weren't for a waterlogged crank trigger on Sunday in the mud, we might have had a clean sweep of the weekend. I didn't sleep much Friday night thinking about what I could do to improve after Friday's race. Our convincing win on Saturday gave the whole team confidence that we can consistently run out front in all types of track conditions. So far we are three out of four at Crandon and each time we come here we learn a little more about what it takes to win here."
Alumi Craft racer CJ Greaves alsohad a great weekend at the big house finishing second to Larry Job on Friday, fourth place on Saturday and pulled out a hole-shot for the lead after the competition yellow in horribly muddy track conditions to take his fourth win of the season on Sunday. Alumi Craft racers Mike Porter finished second in Saturday's race and Andy Zipperer got his first podium of the season finishing third on Sunday to add to the tally of impressive results. CJ's victory ties him with Larry at four wins a piece on the season but CJ holds the edge on top three finishes with eight over Larry's six and has a convincing points lead in the season long championship standings.
The fastest racers in short course competition rely on Alumi Craft's superior design and meticulous craftsmanship to stay out front. Their lightweight, well-balanced chassis and FOX Shox suspension dampening delivers consistent winning results on the toughest tracks across the nation. Alumi Craft's substantial racer support program assures that their drivers will have all the spare parts and technical assistance they may need to run out front on race day.
Santee, CA - The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series is cooking its way through a mild summer and the fierce competition at Glen Helen Rounds 9 & 10 was hotter than ever. Drivers piloting Alumi Craft short course buggies raced their way to the podium 5 times during each of the 4 buggy races held. The capacity crowds were treated to cooling temperatures throughout the evening and burning action out on the track.
The Limited Buggy division was truly exciting with lots of battles throughout the weekend. New talent brought forth hard racing to the usual class dominators. Zac Hunt & Geoffrey Cooley both ran in top 5 and most of the time racing for position in the top 3 but faded in the final laps on Saturday, while Dave Mason put his Alumi Craft up front each day and finished 3rd in Round 9. Most impressive was on Sunday's Round 10, both Cooley and Zac had to work from deep starting positions charging through the field. Geoffrey started back in 15th place and Zac in 11th. The young developing drivers proved resilient; Hunt finishing 3rd, Cooley taking 4th and out-lasting Mason who eventually slowed during Round 10.
Saturday Limited Buggy 3rd Place - Dave Mason
Sunday Limited Buggy 3rd Place - Zac Hunt
Limited Buggy 4th Place - Geoffrey Cooley
Something of particular interest is that three of the top four finishers came from the kart ranks. It appears that a graduating generation of drivers has found the buggy division to be well suited to accelerate driving careers into winning pro drivers.
On Friday, Cooley used a new Fat Performance engine to qualify his #322 Alumi Craft/Competitive Metals/MasterCraft Safety machine 2nd fastest only .105 behind Bradley Morris, Sundays race winner and one of the former Trophy Karts drivers. The Fat power plant and smart driving established Cooley as a class contender. He has one podium from Round 5 so far.
Dave Mason, who was ranked 3rd in points coming into the weekend, and another Trophy Kart driver, overcame a few obstacles on his trip to the podium. During Friday's practice the transmission had issues staying in gear. With only two hours till qualifying, Mason recruits Matt Major from Alumi Craft to help remove and replace the gearbox. Job completed and out in qualifying, Dave races up to 5th fastest before realizing he has a flat and pulled off the track. Class rookie Zachary Hunt, qualified 6th; However Mason and Hunt were granted a six-car inversion and prime starting positions for Saturday.
The Pro Buggy division is stacked with professional driver talent as is most of the LOORRS Series. Saturdays racing demonstrates how sometimes anything goes, rough racing is normal and wheel-to-wheel racing is a dirty sport. Smart strategic driving can put you ahead or help you fight through the mess. Cool heads like Mike Porter and Justin Bean Smith prove that there are no guarantees. Mike who started in 10th on Saturday, raced his way up to a 2nd place finish and duplicated his effort for Sunday finishing 3rd. "Bean" would start his Competitive Metals Alumi Craft Pro Buggy in 6th but was pushed around and banged into for much of Round 9. He would fight to gain positions but in the end maintained for a well-deserved 5th place finish. A true testament to Smith's heart as a driver and never give up attitude, the weekend's race results moves him only 11 points out of the Pro Buggy Championship lead. Justin's wire-to-wire race win on Sunday was a satisfying redemption moment for the natural talent.
Saturday Pro Buggy 2nd Place - Mike Porter
Pro Buggy 5th Place - Justin "Bean" Smith
Sunday Pro Buggy 1st Place - Justin "Bean" Smith
Pro Buggy 3rd Place - Mike Porter
Do not forget; Alumi Craft is the Limited Buggy class sponsor in the Lucas Oil Regional Off Road Series. The next race events will be held at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, CA on August 20th.
LOORRS Limited Buggy Round 10
LOORRS Limited Buggy Round 9
LOORRS Limited Buggy Round 8
LOORRS Limited Buggy Round 7
LOORRS Limited Buggy Round 6
LOORRS Limited Buggy Round 5
LOORRS Limited Buggy Round 3
Alumi Craft Named 2011 Limited Buggy Class Official Sponsor
February 24th, 2011 - Santee, CA
With preparations underway for its season opener Saturday, April 2nd at Glen Helen Raceway , the Lucas Oil Regional Off Road Series announced today that Alumi Craft will be the 2011 Limited Buggy class sponsor. "Alumi Craft is a strong stable name in the off road community with a great product and outstanding customer support. We are excited to have them join us in our effort to spotlight the grassroots racers." said Race Director Lee Perfect. "There will be some great battles in the Alumi Craft Limited Buggy class this year, with a good mix of veteran racers and new talent moving up from the Kart classes. There are a lot of drivers to keep an eye on in this class and the Lucas Oil Regional Off Road Series will be a fun, budget friendly venue to do it in. We appreciate that companies like Alumi Craft are willing to support Short Course Off Road Racing at the regional level."
"Alumi Craft is excited about being partners with Lucas Oil Regional Off Road Series as the Limited Buggy class sponsor. The regional series gives us the opportunity to support all competitors in the class. We feel that the regional series and the Limited Buggy class itself is a great stepping-stone into professional short course racing. Short Course racing has become a passion with our company in the past four years. We are pleased at where Lucas Oil has taken the sport," said John Cooley, President of Alumi Craft.
For more information on the Lucas Oil Regional Off Road Series presented by Daystar, please see www.lucasoilregional.com.
Sunday, October 24th 5:00 pm
TORC Series 9/5/10
The TORC Series wraps up at Crandon over Labor Day weekend, crowning the points champion in each division. Out of the twelve round series, CJ Greaves lands on the podium nine times with five wins, two seconds and a third. Following his father's lead to win the TORC Super Buggy Championship, twelve points ahead of 2nd place Scott Schwalbe.
