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Green Light for Crandon World Championships!
2003 World Championship Off-Road Races FACT SHEET
from the "World Capital of Off-Road Racing" Crandon Raceway -- Our 34th Season
Events: Potawatomi Friday Nite X-treme Thunderfest, August 29, 2003, 7 p.m.
"The Unusual and Bizarre
from the World of Motorsports"
34th Annual BorgWarner World
Championship Off-Road Races, August 30-31, 2003
9th Annual BorgWarner
Shootout for the $100,000 BorgWarner Cup, Sunday, August 31, 4 p.m.
Dates: August 29-August 31, 2003. Friday, Saturday and Sunday,
Labor Day Weekend. Racing begins at 1:30 p.m. Friday with the NISMO Time
Trials for entry into Sunday’s BorgWarner Shootout. Lucas Oil
Championship Off-Road Racing action begins at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Special Friday evening "Xtreme Thunderfest", sponsored by Forest
County Potawatomi, features six monster trucks (Avenger, Bad News, Brutus,
Destroyer, Little Miss Dangerous, Screamin’ Demon) plus the mysterious
and bizarre "Transtormer" robot truck. Figure 8 Stock Car
demolition racing is also scheduled.
Track: Crandon International Off-Road Raceway, Crandon, WI (U.S. Highway
8 in Crandon, approximately 90 miles northwest of Green Bay, 80 miles
northeast of Wausau, 35 miles southeast of Eagle River, 25 miles east of
Rhinelander, 3.5 hours from Milwaukee, 4 fours from Minneapolis, 5 hours from
Chicago).
Key Races: High performance off-road pickup truck racing in several classes
daily including 800 hp
2-wheel drive and 4x4 configurations. Competing makes include Chevrolet,
Ford, Jeep, Nissan and Toyota pickups and SUVs. Several classes of
exotic, high flying buggies. Feature race of the weekend is the 9th
annual Shootout for the $100,000 BorgWarner Cup. The sterling silver and
18-karat gold cup is acknowledged as the most prized award in off-road
racing. The race features the largest posted purse in the sport. Ben
Wandahsega, Bark River, MI, is the first racer to register for the 2003
BorgWarner Shootout. His #297 Chevrolet is entered as a Sportsman racer.
Crandon continues to run the wildly popular amateur GOB’s events as
well. On Saturday, racers compete for the Crandon "World
Championship" title in various classes. Saturday winners earn 2003 World
Championship rings from Crandon Raceway.
Camping: Adult camping is available at $30 for the weekend.
Campground includes facilities.
Series: Championship Off-Road Racing (CORR) Lucas Motor Oil
Series. This event is the last race of the Tour 2003 season for CORR
Sportsman racers. In many classes, the Crandon weekend results will
determine the Series Points Champions.
Special Entertainment: The race weekend begins with the Potawatomi
"Friday Night Xtreme Thunderfest" under the lights. This is
the third evening event in the 34-year history of the track.
Off-road entertainment includes figure 8 stock car clash and a bevy of Monster
Trucks, such as "Destroyer", "Avenger", "Brutus",
"Lil‘ Miss Dangerous" and "Bad News" and "Screamin‘
Demon" plus other exotic attractions. The weekend also features a
Saturday night 8 p.m. concert by Vic Ferrari, followed by the largest
fireworks show in the 34 year history of the off-road World
Championships at Crandon.
History: Crandon Raceway is considered by motor sports observers
to be the "Daytona 500"of off-road racing. The 2003 race
season is the track’s 34th. Crandon International Off-Road Raceway
Association (CIORA) operates the 400-acre facility, which includes spacious
campgrounds, luxury skyboxes and other amenities. The track is one of
less than a handful of dedicated off-road racing facilities in the U.S. and
draws the largest live spectator crowd in off-road racing. In addition
to the annual World Championships, the track is the site of the annual Forest
County Potawatomi Brush Run Races held each June. The track also hosted
the first annual "Thunder Valley Biker Rally" in July.
Winners of the first Brush Run race in 1970 were a pair of drivers from
Chicago, IL -- Jim Zbella and Wally Schauer. The original Brush Run Race
at Crandon was 101 miles over a 25-1/4 mile course carved through the
wilderness. The races have been held at the present location, site of a
former dairy farm, since 1984.
Hot Drivers: Key drivers to watch in 2003 include Scott Taylor,
Belividere, IL, (defending champion of the BorgWarner Shootout and only
2-wheel drive high performance pickup truck driver to have won the event);
Curt LeDuc (Cherry Valley, CA); Johnny Greaves, (DePere, WI); Michael
Oberg, (Eagle River, Wi); Jeff Kincaid, (Argonne, WI); Art Schmitt
(Pittsburgh, PA); Steve Frederico, (Chicago, IL), Ben Wandahsega, (Bark River,
MI), Jeff Lutzow (Menomonee Falls, WI); and Chad Hord, (Bark River, MI) are
other drivers in various classes to watch. Notable drivers that have raced and
won at Crandon in the past include Jimmie Johnson, Robby Gordon and Brendan
Gaughan -- all are currently racing in either NASCAR, IRL/Indy 500 or NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series.
Key Records: Holder of the fastest lap record is Jason Baldwin, Laguna Beach,
CA @ 1:24:50 around Crandon’s traditional 1.75 mile track. Curt LeDuc
holds the record for the fastest race @ 12:58 for a 10 lap event.
Track Facts: The track is 1.75 miles long and features an Oklahoma Land Rush
Start into what is considered one of racing’s most exciting turns -- the
Forest County Potawatomi Turn One. In 2002, Crandon added a
shortened track in full view of all spectators. That track length is
1.25 miles. The new track is used for nearly all races except the
BorgWarner Heavy Metal Challenge Shootout, which will be run on the
traditional 1.75 mile course that has made Crandon famous. Other
features of the track include the high speed, banked BorgWarner Turn Two, the
Precision Gear Skybox Straight-Away, the notorious Cell Com Gravel Pit hairpin
turn, the most famous leap in all of off-road racing -- the Rancho Jump --
then into the American Axle Chicane, Wilson’s Corner, followed by Calamity
Corner, and the Miller Lite finish line and hydraulic victory circle
platform.
Previous BorgWarner Cup Champions: 2002-Scott Taylor (Belividere, IL),
2001-Rob MacCachren (Las Vegas, NV),2000-Rob MacCachren, 1999-Rob MacCachren,
1998-Curt LeDuc (Cherry Valley, CA), 1997-Scott Douglas (El Cajon, CA),
1996-Jack Flannery (Wisconsin Dells, WI), 1995-Steve Kelley (Irvine,
CA). Taylor is the only driver to have won in a 2-wheel drive pickup
truck. The balance of past champions have all taken the checkers in a
4x4 truck. Scott Taylor, winner of the 2003 Governor’s Cup AND
the 2003 BorgWarner Shootout, won in excess of $100,000 during the 2002 race
season -- more than half that total was the result of taking the checkered
flag in the two most important and richest off-road races in the
country.
Previous Governor’s Cup Champions: 2003-Johnny Greaves, (DePere, WI),
2002-Scott Taylor, (Belvidere, IL), 2001-Rob MacCachren, (Las Vegas, NV),
2000-Rob MacCachren,1999-Jack Flannery (Wisconsin Dells, WI), 1998-Jamey
Flannery (Wisconsin Dells, WI), 1997-Jack Flannery, 1996-Curt LeDuc (Cherry
Valley, CA),1995-Rob MacCachren (Las Vegas, NV), 1994-Curt LeDuc. Taylor
is the only 2-wheel drive pickup truck racer to have ever won the
cup.
Details & Purse: The race for the BorgWarner Cup is the richest in
off-road racing. Posted first place money for the race winner exceeds
$20,000. This is an enormous sum for off-road racing. The race is
10 laps and approximately 15 minutes long. 800 HP 4x4 pickup trucks
compete against similarly configured 2-wheel drive (4x2) pickup trucks in the
race. The 4x4 pickups have a distinct advantage over the 4x2 trucks,
particularly if the track is wet. The lighter 4x2 pickups can be faster on dry
straight-aways. The 4x2’s are handicapped at the start of the race
depending on track conditions. Great drivers such as Scott Taylor,
Walker Evans and Robbie Gordon have won Challenge races at Crandon driving 4x2
pickups.
Sponsors: Crandon has been truly fortunate to build a remarkable base of
loyal and enthusiastic sponsors. Key sponsors include the Forest County
Potawatomi, BorgWarner, Snap-On, Miller Lite, Johnsonville, American Axle
& Mfg., Indian Springs Lodge, Coca-Cola, Rancho, Miller Electric Welders,
Associated Bank, Lucas Oil, NISMO, KC Hilites, BF Goodrich, Bergstrom Ford,
Baumgart Tire, Amsoil, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco, Parsons Chevrolet, Goodyear,
Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry, Cell Com, Precision Gear, Potawatomi Bingo
Northern Lights Casino,Skyjacker, K&N, Kumho Tire, GM Hydra-Matic, among
others.
Contact Info: To promote the sport of off-road racing, Crandon Raceway
maintains a toll-free number for race fans and drivers @ 1-888-611-6092.
Standard phone number is (715) 478-2222. Fax number is (715)
478-5815. Web site address is www.crandonoffroad.com.
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