RJ Takes Inaugural Huseman Cup presented by PEAK Antifreeze
Posted on Sunday, September 30, 2012
By Pat Schutte
LANCASTER, Calif. (Sept. 30, 2012) - With the highest-ever cash purse prize in short course off-road racing history, the 2012 Traxxas TORC Series, presented by AMSOIL, season wrapped up today at Antelope Valley Raceway with a fitting race tribute to one of the sport’s greats - Rick Huseman, along with his younger brother, Jeff Huseman, both of whom passed in a plane accident along with friend Andrew Hicks in 2011.
The Rick Huseman Memorial Cup, presented by PEAK Antifreeze, and the Traxxas Cup in memory of Jeff Huseman offered up the greatest single-day cash purse in off-road racing history - $65K in the TORC PRO 4/PRO 2 Rick Huseman Cup presented by PEAK and $20,750 in the TRAXXAS Cup.
Capturing the $36K in 1st place prize money in the Rick Huseman Cup was TORC Series PRO 4 champion Ricky Johnson (Red Bull/Ram/Mopar/KMC Wheels), who literally punted West Coast champion Kyle Leduc (Monster Energy/Toyo) out of the way after a slide by by LeDuc to get to the PRO 2 trucks leading the race - and eventual win. And winning the TRAXXAS Cup and $15K first prize in a thrilling last lap finish was Casey Currie (Monster Energy/Nissan/General Tire).
The Huseman Cup, presented by Peak Antifreeze
The Huseman Cup race brought the sizable crowd at Antelope Valley Raceway out of their seats and, quite literally, up into the air above the packed grandstands when recently crowned (as in yesterday) TORC Series PRO 4 champion Ricky Johnson retaliated aggressively with the west coast’s champ, Kyle Leduc (Monster Energy/Toyo), after Leduc got into the side of Johnson’s Ram.
The pivotal move not only gave Johnson and the TORC Series some bragging rights over the west coast until 2013, it also gave Johnson a shot at the then Huseman Cup race leaders - Rob MacCachren’s (Ram/Mopar/Traxxas/BFG) and 1st place Chad Hord (BOSS Snowplows/Nissan/BFG).
With a lap-and-a-half to go Johnson caught Hord and got by the TORC PRO 2 driver with a clean inside move coming out of an infield corner and into a table top jump. Hord (2nd) had nothing for Johnson, nor did Leduc (3rd) - whose hood had now blown up into his PRO 4’s windshield.
“That was rad!,” said Leduc, who pocketed $3,600 for 3rdplace. “I slid into him (RJ), he slid back into me. You’ll have to watch the all the video to see how it shakes down. This was a good day for the Huseman family.”
Said Johnson: “Thanks to Kyle for coming out and racing with us. He’s (Leduc) been so dominant on the west coast this year and I can see why - that sumbitch hauls ass! And that’s why he’s won virtually everything on the west coast. We put 100-percent on each other the whole race. And hat’s off to Chad (Hord), that sucker’s wide!”
After the Johnson/Leduc melee, the PRO 2 trucks of MacCachren and Hord enjoyed a bit of a split between the hard-charging PRO 4 champs. But this would be short lived as Johnson would catch and pass MacCachren on a right hand sweeper before setting up Hord with a clean pass just prior to the white flag flying. Hord would hold on for 2ndand received a substantial check for $13,600 from Peak Antifreeze.
Fifteen laps with no competition caution suited the Huseman Cup race just fine given the roughly ten second handicap the PRO 4 trucks were given in the LeMans-style start over the PRO 2 trucks. Both Johnson’s and Leduc’s trucks were in tatters at race’s end, while Hord did the best he could to blow his truck up in trying to hold them off. “We’re building a new one at the shop and I don’t need this one anymore,” said Hord of his Nissan. “So I just pushed it.”
On the podium Johnson summed up the weekend’s final race, saying: “In the end this was for Rick and Jeff - and I know they’re up there looking up on us and smiling now.”
The Huseman Memorial Cup, presented by Peak Antifreeze Race Results
- Ricky Johnson
- Chad Hord
- Kyle Leduc
- Scott Douglas
- Mike Jenkins
- Andrew Caddell
- Curt Leduc
- Steve Barlow
- Jamey Grosser
- Mark Kvamme
- Mark Jenkins
- Rob MacCachren
- Bryce Menzies
- Jeff Kincaid
- Johnny Greaves
- Mike Oberg
- Adrian Cenni
Traxxas Cup in memory of Jeff Huseman
Traxxas/AMSOIL/BFG racer Keegan Kincaid led all but one of the laps in Sunday’s Traxxas Cup race - and in the end one mistake ended up costing him $15 grand.
A crucial bobble on the opening corner of the last lap by Kincaid would open the door for Casey Currie (Nissan/General Tire), who was running second to Kincaid for the entire race as well. Kincaid would recover, but in an instant Currie was gone - on his way to the checkers and victory in remembrance of PRO Light racer Jeff Huseman.
“I got squirrely down the straight, hooked a rut and almost put ‘er over and got hung up on the berm,” said Kincaid, who held on for 2nd place. “Congrats goes out to Casey.”
Added Currie: “I was racing the wheels off my truck and Keegan was driving a great race. Sucks it had to end that way, but you guys saw a great race out there! This was all about the Huseman family.”
The race never was really in question until the last lap. Andrew Caddell (Ram/Mopar/Traxxas/BFG) ran up front for the entire race in 3rd place - and would finish in the same position. Without a competition yellow the field wasn’t re-grouped at the midway point of the race, allowing the aforementioned three racers the time to check out. Saturday’s TORC PRO Light winners, CJ Greaves (Monster Energy/Toyota/Maxxis) and RJ Anderson (Monster Energy/Polaris/Loctite) both ran into mechanical/tire issues early and were not factors for the majority of the race.
Traxxas Cup Results
- Casey Currie
- Keegan Kincaid
- Andrew Caddell
- Jerrett Brooks
- Brad Lovell
- CJ Greaves
- RJ Anderson
- Ross Hoek
- Nick Baumgartner
- Shawn Morris
- Randy Eller
- Dan Kelly
- Noah Fouch
- Todd Cunningham
- Luke Johnson
Ultra 4 Exhibition Race 2
The wild and wooly world of Ultra 4 truggy racing opened TORC’s show today at Antelope Valley and, just a couple laps into the race, one of the unique-looking open wheel vehicles went airborne, spinning and flipping multiple times before coming to rest in the hot pits.
With Bill Baird up front early, followed by Erik Miller and Will Carter, Saturday’s Ultra 4 race winner at the TORC/Lancaster event, Gary Ferravanti, was nowhere to be found - unless you checked the hot pits where he made a stop to check on a mechanical issue.
Coming out in dead last place, Ferravanti began his charge towards the front. Moving up to 4th, then 3rd, Ferravanti set his sights on Baird and Miller - though it looked as if the racer who swept all three TORC/Ultra 4 races was going to run out of time in his quest.
But on the next-to-last lap Miller got into the back of Baird, rolling the race leader over onto his roof - then back over onto his tires. Baird got right back into the gas and, in an instant, was making time on Miller when Miller flipped! Upside down and up against a K-rail, the full course caution came out allowing Ferravanti to catch up onto Baird’s rear tires.
On the white-flag restart Baird appeared to stall on the finish line table top - and that was all Ferravanti needed to cruise into the lead, winning his fourth (out of four) TORC Ultra 4 races.
Ultra 4 Exhibition Race 2 Results
- Gary Ferravanti
- Will Carter
- Roger Lovell
- Kyle Green
- JT Stephens
- Bill Baird
- Erik Miller
- Corey Kuchta
- Kevin Sacalas
About TORC
The Traxxas TORC Series, presented by AMSOIL, is the fastest, most punishing short-course racing series on the planet. TORC events are packed with flag-to-flag fender-banging as drivers push the limits over whoops and jump-filled natural terrain race tracks. Off-road racing fans come from far and wide to experience the most challenging form of high-octane competition. And once they taste TORC for the first time, they’re hooked for life!