Rick Huseman, driver of the No. 36 Monster Energy/Traxxas/Toyota/Toyo Tires Tundra, won the Pro 4X4 Truck class championship for The Off-Road Championship (TORC) series at Las Vegas Speedway this past weekend.
Finishing second overall was Kyle LeDuc and his No. 99 Rockstar/Makita/Ford Trucks/Toyo Tires F-150, making it a 1-2 finish for the tire maker’s sponsored pilots in the Pro 4X4 Truck class championship.
Both Huseman and LeDuc’s 900-horsepower trucks use 35X12.50R17 Open Country M/T-R tires.
“I am really stoked to win this championship with Toyo tires. It is great to finally get this,” says Huseman. “My Open Country M/T-R tires have been flawless all year, working better than any other tires. I am glad to be on Toyos.”
Huseman also captured seven Oakley Bomb Run awards – bestowed for the fastest lap of the race – out of 16 events during the year, finishing with 336 points. Prior to the 2009 season, Huseman finished in the runner-up spot in five short course off-road race championships. Last year, he was tied for the championship lead in CORR in the Pro 4 class before the season was cut short just before its finale.
Kyle LeDuc, driver of the No. 99 Rockstar/Makita/Ford Trucks/Toyo Tires F-150, earned 322 points in the championship and captured four Oakley Bomb Run awards, the next-highest amount awarded in the class.
During Round 15 on Friday night he led his father Curt across the finish line for the series’ first-ever son/father 1-2 finish.
Curt LeDuc’s Las Vegas podiums continued during Round 16 on Saturday as he wheeled his No. 43 Rockstar/Makita/Ford Trucks/Toyo Tires F-150 past the checkered flag for a third-place finish.
“This was one of the worst race tracks we raced on all year, changing from wet to a dust bowl. It was hard to convert from wet to dry, but our Toyo tires handled the job,” says Kyle LeDuc. “We (the LeDuc clan) won a lot of races this year with our Open Country M/T-R tires.”
Also pursuing a championship in the Pro 2WD Truck class was Todd LeDuc, Kyle’s brother, with his No. 3 Rockstar/Makita/Ford Trucks/Toyo Tires F-150. Todd LeDuc finished with two fourth-place finishes to close out the TORC series Pro 2WD Truck class championship in third overall. He also captured two Oakley Bomb Run awards during the 2009 season.
“This has been an incredible year for Toyo Tires in TORC, scoring a 1-2 in the Pro 4X4 class championship and third in Pro 2WD,” notes Stan Chen, manager of events and motorsports. “We congratulate Rick Huseman for winning this long-deserved championship and the LeDuc family for their dominance throughout the season. We are proud that our Open Country M/T-R tires are the Pro 4X4 class champion.”
For more information, visit www.toyotires.com.
