Incredible Competition Highlights Lucas Oil
Off Road Racing Series’ Annual Visit
South of the Border in Baja
Heger Takes Top Honors in Ensenada with Sweep of Two Classes
Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico (May 24, 2019) – The start of the 2019 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, presented by GEICO, has been action-packed through its first two rounds, but its annual visit to Baja provided arguably the most compelling action of the season. Two days of racing headlined the Rockstar Energy Battle South of the Border, presented by Lucas Oil, from Estero Beach Resort in Ensenada. The first day races of the season saw drivers across six classes go all out throughout the weekend, to the delight of the thousands of fans in the packed grandstands.

Saturday Pro 2

The opening Pro 2 races of the weekend got underway with Rodrigo Ampudia and Troy Cox getting the head start with their Pro 2M engines. This marked the first race for Ampudia with the new, innovative engine package and he wasted little time surging out to the early lead. However, the race was brought to a halt as soon as the rest of the field took off when RJ Anderson barrel-rolled through the first turn. His day was done before it ever began.

On the restart Ampudia reassumed his position up front ahead of Cox, while the rest of the field followed several seconds later. Jerett Brooks took control of the second group of trucks, with Rob MacCachren and Bradley Morris in tow. After a few laps Cox went off track, which allowed Brooks, MacCachren and Morris to all get by and take over second through fourth. They maintained those positions through to the halfway caution.

When the racing resumed, Ampudia held a handful of seconds over the rest of the field, who quickly fell in line off the restart, this time with point leader Brian Deegan looking to get himself into the mix. Ampudia was on rails out front, but the quicker trucks of Brooks and MacCachren continued to close in as the laps wound down. As they inched closer, MacCachren began to grow impatient and started to force the issue on Brooks. Their battle provided the opportunity Ampudia needed to maintain his shrinking advantage, but as they came to the white flag the top three trucks were running bumper to bumper. Ampudia’s defensive lines to keep Brooks behind him allowed MacCachren to slide into second, which was then followed by a three-wide battle for the lead through the rollers. Brooks railed to outside to slide around both of his rivals and seize the top spot, while MacCachren and Ampudia made contact that caused both to end up in sideways. Brooks was able to run away for his second win of the season, while MacCachren recovered to hold off Deegan for second. Ampudia fell from first to off the podium in fourth.

Saturday Pro 2 Results
#77 Jerett Brooks
#21 Rob MacCachren
#38 Brian Deegan
#36 Rodrigo Ampudia
#6 Brandon Arthur

Saturday Pro 4

In his quest for three straight wins to start the season point leader Kyle LeDuc kicked off the first Pro 4 race with the early lead over reigning champion RJ Anderson, with Adrian Cenni and Greg Adler giving pursuit. The lead duo was in a class of their own and surged through the early laps, putting distance between themselves and Cenni. It was an incredible showcase of the immense performance capabilities of these 900 horsepower trucks, and the talent of the drivers behind the wheel, but what was shaping up to be a thrilling battle for the win ended abruptly when LeDuc’s truck lost power.

That left Anderson all by himself out front as a compelling battle for the podium ensued behind him. Cenni fended off pressure from both Adler and Doug Mittag, and eventually Mittag got the best of Adler to take over third. When the field reached the halfway caution it was Anderson, Mittag and Cenni running 1-2-3.

On the restart Adler got the jump on Cenni to move into third, but he gave up the spot a short time later when he spun around. Anderson and Mittag eventually opened up a sizeable lead over the rest of the field and while Mittag did well to run Anderson’s pace and keep him honest, he didn’t have the speed to mount a serious challenge on a dialed in Anderson. The champ carried on to take an impressive first win of the season, with Mittag second and Cenni third.

Saturday Pro 4 Results
#37 RJ Anderson
#81 Doug Mittag
#11 Adrian Cenni
#10 Greg Adler
#96 Troy Cox

Saturday Pro Lite

When the Pro Lite field took the green flag to start their first race of the weekend it was Ronnie Anderson who grabbed the early lead over Chris Polvoorde, with Brock Heger right behind in third. The top three were all over each other through the opening laps, with reigning champion Ryan Beat giving chase in fourth. A persistent Polvoorde was able to nudge his way into the lead, which then put Anderson under fire from Heger, who eventually took over second.

Heger was on fire and he charged his way around Polvoorde to take over the lead, but Polvoorde responded. The leaders made contact, which allowed Polvoorde to reclaim the position. He led them to the halfway caution, with Heger second and Beat in third.

When the green flag waved for the second half of the race Polvoorde made a costly mistake in the first turn and put his truck up on two wheels, which opened the door for Heger to grab the lead. Polvoorde fought Beat to keep hold of second, but Cole Mamer got the upper hand and slipped under both drivers to move from fourth to second. Polvoorde held on to third. Mamer was able to close in on Heger to apply pressure for the lead, but Heger never wavered. He carried on to take his first win of the season, while Mamer encountered misfortune on the final lap and was unable to finish. That moved Polvoorde up to second, with Beat third.

Saturday Pro Lite Results
#12 Brock Heger
#94 Chris Polvoorde
#1 Ryan Beat
#52 Ronnie Anderson
#44 Mickey Thomas

Saturday Pro Buggy

The most competitive class in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series saw one of its most dominant performances on Saturday, as Trevor Briska surged out to the lead off the start and established his dominance. Co-point leader Eliott Watson slotted into second, while Bud Ward assumed third. Watson was able to keep Briska within striking distance, but he soon received pressure from Ward. However, Watson withstood the challenge until Briska led the field to the halfway caution.

On the restart Watson tried to make his move on Briska for the lead, but the challenge proved unsuccessful. The caution flew for a second time with just a few laps remaining, which provided one more opportunity for Watson and Ward to make a bid for victory. Under relentless pressure from both drivers, Briska held on to take the checkered flag, mere buggy lengths ahead of his race-long challengers.

Briska’s triumph turned to heartbreak during post-race inspection when it was determined he was running illegal tires, which resulted in a disqualification. After back-to-back podium finishes to start the season, Watson was awarded his first win of the season, with Ward second and Trey Gibbs third.

Saturday Pro Buggy Results
#3 Eliott Watson
#17 Bud Ward
#15 Trey Gibbs
#2 Chris Nunes
#23 Broc Dickerson

Saturday Turbo UTV

Reigning Turbo UTV Champion Corry Weller was chasing a third-straight victory to start the season, but she’d have to do it from the second row. Trevor Leighton took his turn out front to start the first race of the weekend, but Ronnie Anderson quickly passed him before then coming under pressure from Weller in third. Weller didn’t take long to move into second, and then set her sights on Anderson out front. A slight slip in traction slowed Anderson’s momentum enough to open the door for Weller, who seized the moment and charged to the front of the field. Once in the lead, Weller was able to put some distance between her and Anderson, and soon checked out on the field until the halfway caution.

Weller, Anderson and Eliott Watson ran 1-2-3 when the field returned to action and Weller wasted no time in reestablishing her dominant lead. Watson was able to get around Anderson for second, but his UTV lost power before the completion of the lap, which handed the position back to Anderson and brought out the caution. On the final restart Weller ran away from Anderson yet again and carried on to another emphatic victory. Anderson rode to an assertive second-place finish, while Chance Haugen endured through an up and down race to finish third.

Saturday Turbo UTV Results
#1 Corry Weller
#752 Ronnie Anderson
#718 Chance Haugen
#703 Trevor Leighton
#715 Trey Gibbs

Saturday Production 1000 UTV

Robert Stout grabbed the early advantage to start the first Production UTV race of the weekend, with reigning champion and point leader Brock Heger positioning himself into second. As the field was still filtering out on the opening lap Cole Keatts crashed spectacularly out of third, flipping multiple times, which brought out the caution. On the restart Stout asserted himself into the lead again, this time with Myles Cheek right behind in second, with Heger in third. Cheek’s onslaught continued and he drove right to the outside of Stout. As Stout battled back, it initiated a three-way battle for the lead, from which Cheek emerged with the lead. Heger took second and dropped Stout to third.

Heger made an impressive move to take over control of the race and established a bit of a gap over Cheek until the caution flew for a final time. Heger easily maintained control of the race on the restart, leaving Cheek and Stout to battle for second. Before the completion of the lap Stout was able to get the upper hand on Cheek to take second. He closed in on Heger on the final lap to make things interesting, but Heger extended the lead en route to the checkered flag and double up Saturday wins. Cheek finished a distant third.

Saturday Production 1000 UTV Results
#1 Brock Heger
#915 Robert Stout
#957 Myles Cheek
#986 Ryan Lindsay
#974 Dallas Nord

Sunday Pro 2

The final Pro 2 showcase once again saw Rodrigo Ampudia storming out to the early lead with Troy Cox in tow. When the rest of the Pro 2 field got underway Rob MacCachren outdueled Jerett Brooks in the first turn, just ahead of Bradley Morris. While Ampudia maintained his sizeable advantage, MacCachren had put distance between he and the other Pro 2s and soon moved into second place when he caught and stormed past Cox. The running order was Ampudia, MacCachren, Brooks when the halfway caution flew.

After Ampudia reclaimed his advantage on the restart MacCahcren led the rest of the field back into action. The champ was able to reassert his hold on second, but Brooks came under fire from Morris and lost third. The clear track allowed MaCachren to make major headway on Ampudia, and he increasingly ate away at the deficit. Morris ran comfortably in second until he put his truck on two wheels entering a turn, which allowed Brooks and Brian Deegan to get by.

MacCachren successfully erased his gap to Ampudia, which set the stage for another thrilling battle to the checkered flag. Ampudia led MacCachren to the white flag and hugged the inside lines to protect the lead. MacCachren gladly railed the outside and was still able to make the winning pass even after Ampudia pushed him off the track. The champ raced to his first win of the season in emphatic fashion, with Ampudia second and Brooks third.

Brooks returns to the top of the championship standings, with a four-point lead over Ampudia, who moved into second, while Deegan is third, five points back.

Sunday Pro 2 Results
#21 Rob MacCachren
#36 Rodrigo Ampudia
#77 Jerett Brooks
#37 RJ Anderson
#38 Brian Deegan
Pro 2 Points
#77 Jerett Brooks – 192
#36 Rodrigo Ampudia – 188
#38 Brian Deegan – 187
#21 Rob MacCachren – 185
#37 RJ Anderson – 173

Sunday Pro 4

The final Pro 4 race of the weekend saw RJ Anderson in search of the weekend sweep, and the champ took control of the race off the start over Doug Mittag and Kyle LeDuc. The lead trio gradually put more and more distance between themselves and the rest of the field, with all three within a few truck lengths of one another. Mittag applied heavy pressure on Anderson, and made several pass attempts, but Anderson held continued to hold him off until he lost considerable speed in his truck and quickly lost spots to both Mittag and LeDuc, just before the caution flew at the midway point.

LeDuc was aggressive on the restart, and he was able to make an impressive move to get under Mittag and capture the lead. It appeared as though LeDuc would pull away, but Mittag fought back and reclaimed the position at the head of the field. As they came to the white flag LeDuc drove it in deep into the first turn, but he lost traction and slid sideways. That was all Mittag needed to race to his first win of the season. LeDuc ended up a distant second, while Anderson salvaged third with a hindered truck.

Even though he went winless in Ensenada, LeDuc maintained his hold of the point lead. He holds a four-point lead over Mittag and Anderson, who sit tied for second.

Sunday Pro 4 Results
#81 Doug Mittag
#99 Kyle LeDuc
#37 RJ Anderson
#10 Greg Adler
#11 Adrian Cenni
Pro 4 Points
#99 Kyle LeDuc – 206
#81 Doug Mittag – 202
#37 RJ Anderson – 202
#10 Greg Adler – 183
#11 Adrian Cenni – 178

Sunday Pro Lite

Ronnie Anderson seized the moment to start Sunday’s Pro Lite finale and grabbed the early lead off the start over Mickey Thomas and Brock Heger. A very light rain had begun to fall, which added to the complexity of the conditions on the track. The lead trio settled into their positions on the track, with Ryan Beat staying in a close fourth.

Thomas made the first attempt at a challenge on Anderson, but it also allowed Heger to get into the mix as well, igniting a three-way battle for the lead. Heger got by Thomas for second, but Anderson withstood the initial threat. Heger’s pressure was relentless, and he made a crafty move to dive under Anderson to take control of the race. The move also allowed Thomas to follow by Anderson into second just prior to the halfway caution.

Heger got a great jump on the restart and opened a gap over the field. From there it was more of the same dominance he displayed on Saturday, continuously building on his lead. He went on to make it a clean sweep of the weekend with a convincing victory over Thomas in second, with Anderson third.

While he wasn’t a factor in the win, Beat maintains his hold on the point lead, with a three-point lead over Thomas. Anderson is third, 11 points out of the lead.

Sunday Pro Lite Results
#12 Brock Heger
#44 Mickey Thomas
#52 Ronnie Anderson
#1 Ryan Beat
#94 Chris Polvoorde
Pro Lite Points
#1 Ryan Beat – 193
#44 Mickey Thomas – 190
#52 Ronnie Anderson – 182
#94 Chris Polvoorde – 174
#12 Brock Heger – 170

Sunday Pro Buggy

With a light sprinkle falling, Bud Ward seized the moment and captured the early lead to start the final race of the weekend. Broc Dickerson slotted into second, while Eliott Watson followed in third. A caution flew on the opening lap, but the slightly slick conditions track position would prove to be crucial in a race where the vehicles are so close in performance.

On the restart Ward resumed his position at the front of the field and Watson was able to make the pass on Dickerson for second. Ward and Watson settled into the top two spots, but Dickerson was feeling the heat from Trevor Briska in fourth as they reached the caution at the midway point of the race.

Ward got the jump he needed again on the restart, and while Watson was on his rear fender, he couldn’t generate enough momentum to get around. Watson’s push for the lead ended up bringing him back to Dickerson and Briska, and as Dickerson made an attempt to get around Watson, it opened the door for Briska to steal third. The top three went unchanged through to the finish, with Ward capturing his first win of the season over Watson and Briska.

Watson enjoys a comfortable lead in the point standings, with Chris Nunes 17 points behind in second. Ward moved into third, 21 points back.

Sunday Pro Buggy Results
#17 Bud Ward
#3 Eliott Watson
#59 Trevor Briska
#23 Broc Dickerson
#2 Chris Nunes
Pro Buggy Points
#3 Eliott Watson – 203
#2 Chris Nunes – 186
#17 Bud Ward – 182
#5 Matthew Brister – 178
#15 Trey Gibbs – 176

Sunday Turbo UTV

With a perfect 3-for-3 start to the season all eyes were on Corry Weller when the final Turbo UTV race got underway. Eliott Watson began the race as the early leader, with Weller right behind him in second and Keith Brooks in third. A brief off-track excursion caused Brooks to give up third to Anderson, but Brooks fought back to retake the position. Unfortunately for Brooks, he encountered misfortune yet again not long after and flipped his UTV, taking him out of the race and bringing out a caution. Trouble also found Weller as this unfolded, as she appeared to suffer a broken wheel, which also took her out of action and effectively ended her undefeated record.

In Weller’s absence Watson took full control of the race, while Anderson moved into second and Trevor Leighton into third. The top three settled into their positions well ahead of the rest of the field, and soon Leighton made his move on Anderson to take control of second. He then gave chase to Watson for the lead. A flat tire slowed Watson dramatically out front, which Leighton was able to take full advantage of with just a couple laps to go. A late caution bunched the field up one final time, but Leighton easily held on to the top spot and carried it through to his first win of the season. A chaotic final lap saw Andy Ives grab second, while Trey Gibbs secured the final spot on the podium.

Despite her DNF, Weller still maintains control of the point lead, 11 points clear of Anderson. Chance Haugen is third, 15 points out of the lead.

Sunday Turbo UTV Results
#703 Trevor Leighton
#714 Andy Ives
#715 Trey Gibbs
#713 Eliot Watson
#755 Travis Rasmussen
Turbo UTV Points
#1 Corry Weller – 196
#752 Ronnie Anderson – 185
#718 Chance Haugen – 181
#742 Keith Brooks – 165
#703 Trevor Leighton – 165

Sunday Production 1000 UTV

Much like he did on Saturday, Robert Stout took the lead off the start of the second Production UTV race of the weekend. Brock Heger, in search of a clean sweep of two classes in Ensenada, started second, with Brandon Arthur third. Heger wasted no time in making his challenge for the lead, and seized control of the race with an impressive outside pass through the rollers. While the lead duo pulled away, Cole Keatts made the pass on Arthur to take over third.

Stout wasn’t giving up and as they neared the halfway point he attempted to make a pass on Heger. He retook the lead briefly, but Heger didn’t let up through the rollers and put himself back into the lead heading to the halfway caution.

When racing resumed, Heger stormed out to a big lead that he never relinquished. An exciting battle for second unfolded between Stout, Keatts and Myles Cheek. Stout was able to keep his hold of second, but Keatts and Cheek’s battle continued. Cheek eventually dropped off the pace. Heger cruised to a perfect weekend in which he went 4-for-4 across two classes. Stout followed in second, while Keatts finished third.

Heger’s lead in the point standings now sits at seven points over Stout, while Cheek is third, 34 points out of the lead.

Sunday Production 1000 UTV Results
#1 Brock Heger
#915 Robert Stout
#953 Cole Keatts
#906 Brandon Arthur
#986 Ryan Lindsay
Production 1000 UTV Points
#1 Brock Heger – 215
#915 Robert Stout – 208
#957 Myles Cheek – 181
#906 Brandon Arthur – 169
#916 Robby Hornsby – 163

The 2019 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series is scheduled to continue with its sixth round of the season from Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri. The GEICO Off Road Shootout, presented by General Tire, will be a two-day affair on Saturday, June 29, and Sunday, June 30.