Oberg Land on Podium at TORC Opener  - Red Bud MX
Eagle River, WI (June 2, 2011) - We just got back from the opening rounds at the Red Bud MX Raceway in Buchanan Michigan. The weather didn’t fare well for us so we only got in one round of racing at this historic track. It was our first time ever racing at this venue and it was a very nice layout.

The Friday practice session was canceled due to all of the rain this area received over the last several days. The track was newly constructed (separate from the Bike Track) so was very slimy. The Track Crew did all they could to scrape the soaked top soil off to produce a dry track but nothing helped. The decision was made to leave the track alone for Friday and hopefully get practice and qualifying in on Saturday morning.

On Saturday morning the track wasn’t looking much better. TORC officials decided to skip practice and go right to Sportsman Racing in hopes the track would dry out on its own. This would have to be rushed due to inclement weather that was predicted for later in the afternoon. They ran several Sportsman Classes before sending out the large Pro Lite Class. The Pro Lites put on an excellent race for the many fans that showed up to see this style of racing for the first time. The Pro 2 Wheel Drives were at staging and ready to go next when the skies opened up. After several minutes, the TORC Staff decided to call it a day. Many of the fans were leaving and the track was no longer safe for competition. It rained the remainder of the day and late into the evening.
Sunday brought us a real quagmire and a forecast of more storms for the afternoon. The Track Crew went right to work to see how much mud could be scraped off the very messy track. TORC Officials made the decision to run the Pro 4 Wheel Drives as soon as they could and the Pro 2 Wheel Drives after that. The track wasn’t in the greatest condition but the Teams really wanted to run. The crowd of spectators was even larger than the day before so we aimed to please.

The Pro 4 Wheel Drives went out at 12:30 and really put on a show. The excessive mud took a large toll on the trucks with 9 starting and only 4 finishing. The Winner of the race was AMSOIL’s own Scott Douglas in his #7 AMSOIL Ford. Scott was able to get to the front and stay clean throughout the race. Good run Scott.

The Pro 2 Wheel Drives were on the line and ready with 7 trucks starting the field. Mike was nervous as he had no seat time on this track. We spent a lot of time studying the other classes to see the best route through the mud. At one point, going up a hill, the track gave the drivers 2 choices of lines to take. They could take the outside line, which wasn’t as steep and they could keep their speed up going into a wide turn, or they could take a steep angle up a high bank and land near the end of the wide turn, in essence, cutting off the guys that took the easier route. The Officials allowed the guys 2 laps to feel out the track before the green flag dropped. Mike chose this time to take the steep angle and see how he faired. He hit this hill faster than anyone else. There was a camera man at the top filming from a platform roughly 10 feet off the ground. He later told us that Mike was the only one that hit that jump so hard that he had to turn the camera up to film Mike sailing past. Of course Mike then over shot the corner and landed in the mud. The truck stuck right there and the track crew had to pull him out.

When the Green Flag dropped, Mike started in 4th position. He was able to hold that position for a lap before going a little wide and getting mired down in the loose muck allowing 2 drivers to get underneath him. He was now in 6th place and had some catching up to do. Within a couple of laps, 2 trucks ahead of him went out with mechanical issues moving Mike up to 4th place once again. Mike fought hard to catch up to the leaders when the 3rd place runner went out with mechanical issues. Mike was now in 3rd place and placed his eyes on Scott Taylor who was running second. Mike made a couple of moves to get under Scott but the thick mud on both the inside and outside lines wouldn’t allow the move. Mike held on and took 3rd place for the round. Afterward, Mike spoke of how the AMSOIL Products came through for the Team once again. “The water temp is over 300 and the oil temp is pegged at 320 yet everything is running fine”, said Mike, “We don’t like to run that high but we are confident in the products that AMSOIL supplies”. “We’ll look it over and be ready for the next round”.

At this point the track was under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning and a Tornado Watch so we knew we were done for the day. Pro Lite was able to run another round before the skies opened up. The Crew just had enough time to get the AMSOIL Pro 2 Wheel Drive loaded before the storm and head out. Bull Dozers were needed to pull all the rigs from the Pit Area.

We have to thank all of our many sponsors who make it possible for us to do this. AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants tops that list as does BF Goodrich Tires who put together a great tire combination to get us through the muck. Pro Power Engines, J&H Transmission, HAWK Performance for the Brakes that stop this beast, MasterCraft Safety who supplies the Safety items to keep Mike safe, King Shocks, MSD Ignition, Peterson Fluid Systems, Raceline Oil Pumps and Stewart Warner Gauges. You can find links to all these great companies through our website at www.obergmotorsports.com .

 

 If you haven’t already, take time to check out the new AMSOIL Racing website at www.AMSOILRacing.com . They built a site dedicated to all the racing they support which is ever growing.

Next stop will be the World Renown Crandon International Off-Road Raceway in Crandon Wisconsin on June 18th and 19th for Rounds 2 and 3 of the TORC Series. Be there or be square.

Gilly Out