  Crandon Calling: 5 Minutes with Mitch Covingtonby Eric Johnson"I'm just getting ready to head towards to the 'Big House'," said Mitch Covington into his Blackberry. Sun beating through his office window in Southern California, the co-founder of the TRAXXAS TORC Off-Road Championship Series, in his inimitable southern drawl, was talking to a sponsor representative, checking off one of the almost countless boxes for next weekend's 40th Anniversary BorgWarner World Championship Off-Road Races at Crandon International Off-Road Raceway. Also rounds 11 and 12 of the 2009 TORC Series, it's been the busiest week of the year for Covington and the TORC team as the fledgling new series prepares to makes its own land rush towards Crandon, Wisconsin and the most important closed-course off-road race, to a large extent, in the history of the sport. Mitch, it's Thursday, August 27 and Crandon is a week away. How's your life right now? It's pretty busy right now because I'm in California working on the 2010 season and at the same time, preparing for the biggest race event of the season for TORC–or I guess for all off-road racing. As far as the Crandon race weekend goes, how are things coming together? Things are coming together really well and, believe it or not, Crandon has not kept me that busy as the people in Crandon have been doing this race for 40 years. And the TORC team has come together really well and made my job really easy. Among other things, this week we've been meeting to make sure our sponsors who have stepped up to make TORC possible are being well taken care of at Crandon. Crandon has always been the premier short-course off-road racing event in this nation. From what we're hearing, the depth of talent in the TORC classes at Crandon this year will be amazingly deep. Can you elaborate? Pro Light, Pro 2WD and Pro 4X4–in other words, all three professional classes–will all feature past champions and future stars alike. We have stars like Rob MacCachren and Ricky Johnson who have not raced at Crandon in many years; Jeremy McGrath is also new to Crandon. We're bringing a lot of talent to the field that hasn't been there in quite awhile. To make matters even better, we have drivers like Chad Hord and Jeff Kincaid who are starts in their own right and who are making their debut in Pro 2WD and Pro 4x4. Oh, and I left somebody out. We're flattered to have Robby Gordon pull off a double this weekend where he'll do both the TORC race and the NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta on the same weekend. Crandon is celebrating its 40 years of competition. In your opinion, what makes this race so great? One of the things is the heritage behind it. Nobody can look forward to going to Crandon without having that great Land Rush start on their minds. The history behind this event is remarkable when you consider how the entire community is intertwined with this race. It's unlike anything I've ever experienced in all forms of motorsports. Just in the short five years that I've been going, I've made friends from parts of the nation far and wide who have been coming to Crandon for generations. You know, one of the most unique experiences and memories I have is talking with a girl in Jurassic Park (Note: The camping section at Crandon that takes on a Woodstock feel) who said that her grandmother and her mother all used to slip out of the house to party there at Crandon every year and she was just carrying on a family tradition. She just hoped that her mom didn't find out. The funny part is that she was standing nude after entering the nude slip and slide contest. Mitch, would you consider this event a sport of pilgrimage for off-road fans all over the Midwest? It's not only a pilgrimage for the fans in the Midwest, there are fans from California to Florida to Maine. This year we are expecting a large contingent from Southern California who want to make it Crandon to see the birthplace of short-course racing. If you had to guess, how many fane are you expecting next weekend? We’re expecting 50,000. Why is this race so much more prestigious and important than the Crandon race that runs in June? For one, it falls on a holiday weekend. Secondly, it's the race that people put on their calendars for their annual trek to Crandon. It's tradition. People place this on their calendars every year. And the BorgWarner Cup, which is a sister trophy to the Indy 500 Cup (Note: BorgWarner also sponsors the Indianapolis 500 Cup, is the most sought after trophy in all of off-road racing. If I have it right, this is the first time Crandon will be televised live on national Network TV. What can you tell us about that? ABC really wanted TORC to do a live event and the 40th anniversary of off-road racing at Crandon was the obvious choice. We're very excited to have been able to get this particular time slot for such an important race in the evolution of short-course racing. The show will be one hour in length and will kick off at 4:00 P.M. Eastern time. This should provide a great time slot to put short-course racing in the forefront of motorsports programming. As far as the racing featured, we'll run the Pro Light, Pro 2WD and Pro 4X4 classes. The people at Crandon and the TORC team have been working the entire season preparing for this race and this live television event. Mitch, just how important is this race and broadcast to closed-course off-road racing? Can it actually help take the sport to higher ground? It's definitely a milestone for the sport and we hope it to be just the first milestone because TORC is planning on a lot of surprises to bring the most intense form of racing on earth to the masses. Who helped bring this whole event together? Well, we wouldn't be here without the support of the PDG (Professional Drivers Group)and some key sponsors who stepped-up early like TRAXXAS, AMSOIL, Kumho Tire, Ford Trucks, Forest County Potawatomi, BFGoodrich, Oakley and KMC Wheels. While all the sponsors are very important, TRAXXAS, Amsoil, Kumho and Red Bull stepped up on day one and got this series off the ground. Without their initial support, we wouldn't be on our way to Crandon. And TORC has a strong relationship with Monster and the Hansen Beverage Company, as well, correct? The Hansen Beverage Company is a partner with Ricky Johnson and me. We could not be happier or more pleased to have such an innovative and supportive partner such as the Hansen's team. Monster Energy, one of Hansen's brands, has also stepped-up and been the host energy drink for our Midwestern events in 2009. The Hansen's partnership has worked out to be a great marriage and their commitment to off-road racing has far exceeded our expectations. << Next Article | Previous Article >> |
 
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