Racer - May 2016 SKIP BARBER

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.