Shuffling TrackS
With the exception of the series leaving
Las Vegas, the 2016 LOORRS schedule
looks very familiar; but some of the dates
have changed. Last year, the series
started and finished its season at Lake
Elsinore Motorsports Park. That track still
has two dates on the calendar, but the
season began and will end – including the
Lucas Oil Challenge Cup – at Wild Horse
Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler, Ariz.
In between, it’s swapped some dates
around from its first-announced schedule.
The date at the Utah Motorsports Campus
– formerly Miller Motorsports Park –
moves to May 21-22 from its previous
June spot. In June, the series will visit the
Baja International Short Course at Estero
Beach Resort in Ensenada, Mexico, an
event that proved extremely popular
with fans south of the border.
The series is not only moving dates
around, but moving dirt as well. The first
sign of that was at Wild Horse Pass,
where the series replaced the split lane
with a single, wide set of rollers.
The final change for 2016 is a more
streamlined schedule at each event,
eliminating the Junior Karts. Modified
Karts will still be part of the show at most
races, but the weekend format has been
compacted by two races as the Junior
Karts move to the Regional Series only.
The Lucas OiL Off ROad Racing seRies is mOving Things aROund
fOR 2016, changing da Tes and changing up The TRacks.
lucasoiloffroad.com
(aBOve) a man in
demand... menzies is
one of the big names
in LOORRs. he’s
already a consistent
race winner (aBOve
Lef T), and aims to
back that up with
championship-caliber
consistency in 2016.
he’s been known to throw in the occasional
Global Rallycross race, too. Menzies says
it’s that passion that drives him. His
ultimate goal, beyond dual LOORRS
championships, is the Dakar Rally. The
legendary off-road race that now runs
through South America is the most
famous marathon race in the world, and
he wants to be the first American to win it.
He also says he want to grow the sport of
short-course by advancing the technology
and bringing in new partners. But he notes
that the sport itself needs to adapt and
have a bit more variety in tracks.
His desire to advance short-course
racing is another indicator of his passion.
“You don’t have that person to fall
back on when you’re trying to find ideas,
different lines,” says Menzies. “So in some
ways it’s tough. But in other ways, doubling
up, I get to drive more on the track; I get
to learn the track more with both trucks.
Sure, I have to focus on both a Pro 2 and
a Pro 4, so my mindset is kind of split, but
I think it’s good. Our team has one person
that they focus on as a driver when they’re
working on the trucks and changing stuff.
So far it’s really worked well.”
It takes real commitment and passion
to run two trucks in LOORRS and run a
full schedule of desert racing. Menzies is
one of a handful of drivers who does. Plus
Wild Horse Pass motorsports Park in
chandler, ariz., started and will also
finish the 2016 loorrs season.
But passion alone doesn’t win races or
championships. Thinking with the heart
can lead one to pursue great paths, but
thinking with the head is what enables
the passionate to navigate those paths
successfully. Menzies’ passion, combined
with his all-business approach, may finally
pave the road to a LOORRS title in 2016.
BRYCE MENZIES
“Doubling up, i get to drive
more on the track; i get to
learn the track more with
different trucks”