CORR: Crandon II race summary

Scott Taylor wraps up his 5th straight Pro-2 title;
Renezeder stretches ahead of LeDuc in Pro-4 by ten points

Crandon, WI (August 31, 2003) - Scott Taylor clinched his 5th straight Championship Off Road Racing Pro-2 championship at the BorgWarner World Championships in Crandon, WI, an extraordinary feat for one of the best racers in off-road history. If Taylor left Round 12 with a 41-point lead, he would continue his historic streak. With two rounds remaining in New Berlin, New York, Taylor has a 186 to 142 lead over Carl Renezeder. Taylor has 33 career wins in 91 starts during his Championship Off Road Racing career.

The 2003 CORR Lucas Oil Sportsman Series season concluded with Round 12, and two drivers clinched their first career CORR championship. Dan Baudoux (Sportsman 2) and Aaron Hawley (Super Buggy) completed their first championship season at the Crandon International Off Road Raceway. Mark Kleiman (Stock), Josh Hintz (Light Buggy), and Michael Seefeldt (Single Buggy) successfully defended their championships in 2003.

Lost in the celebration of crowning the division champions was the fact that Carl Renezeder (Pro-4), Dan Vanden Heuvel (Pro-2) and Kyle LeDuc (Pro- Lite) swept Rounds 11 and 12. The last time all three Pro drivers swept an event weekend was 2001 when Rob MacCachren (Pro-4), Scott Taylor (Pro-2) and Jeff Kincaid (Pro-Lite) swept Rounds 5 and 6 in Crandon.

Carl Renezeder capped a triumphant weekend by winning the 9th annual BorgWarner World Championship Challenge Cup. Renezeder's Lucas Oil Chevrolet became the first pole-sitter to capture the title. The ten lap race pitting the Pro-4, Pro-2 and Sportsman 2 drivers on the same course is held each Labor Day weekend at the Crandon International Off-Road Raceway. Renezeder took the lead with four laps to go, holding off Curt LeDuc and Scott Taylor.

In the highly-competitive Pro-4 division, Carl Renezeder and Curt LeDuc were deadlocked at 132 points a piece entering Round 11. With little margin for error, Renezeder's Lucas Oil Chevrolet swept Rounds 11 and 12 to gain a ten point lead over Curt LeDuc, 172 to 162. LeDuc powered his Skyjacker Ford to a second-place finish in Round 11 and third in Round 12. Scott Douglas had two good finishes in his RANCHO Ford, finishing third in Round 11 and second in Round 12. Douglas now has 154 points, 18 behind Renezeder.

Rarely has Scott Taylor been weighed down by bad luck, but Rounds 11 and 12 proved otherwise. Taylor's Mobil1 Ford started strong in both rounds, but a flat right rear tire slowed him down in Round 11, and he lost power steering in Round 12, giving Dan Vanden Heuvel's Kumho Tire Chevrolet the opportunity to take the checkered flag in each round. In Round 11, CORR Rookie Steve Barlow placed second, giving his Red Bull Ford his best finish of the year. Although Taylor struggled in both rounds, he finished third in both rounds. Taylor has 5 wins and 11 top-four starts in 11 rounds.

Kyle LeDuc took home his first two Championship Off Road Racing Pro-Lite victories in a domination fashion, sweeping Rounds 11 and 12, moving his Skyjacker Ford from 11th place to 7th place in the division. Even though current points leader Jeff Kincaid had two uncharacteristic finishes in both rounds (9th and 10th), he actually increased his lead to seventeen points, 147 to 130 over Chad Hord, who now has sole possession of second- place. Hord's BOSS Snowplow/Lucas Oil Toyota finished third in Round 11 and fourth in Round 12, aiding his climb up the standings.

Art Schmitt and his Nissan Frontier moved to within one point of second- place (3rd with 129 points) by placing second in Round 12. Rick Huseman dropped from second to fourth in the standings with 127 points. Huseman's Fabtech Ford flipped in Round 11 and did not finish the race, and a 14th place-finish in Round 12 did not help him in his quest to chase down Kincaid. Steve Federico's Ingle's Market/Jack Link's Toyota finished second in Round 11 and third in Round 12, moving him into 5th place with 117 points.

In the Sportsman 2 division, Dan Baudoux won for the second time in a row in Round 11, which enabled him to capture his first CORR Sportsman 2 championship. In Round 12, Ross Hoek took his Superlift Ford to the winner's circle for the second time in four races. Baudoux finished the year with a 154 to 141 lead over Mike Oberg. Sam Konitzer finished the year in third place with 135 points. Baudoux's Teamtech Ford had 4 wins and 7 top-three finishes in 11 starts.

Mark Kleiman won the Stock championship for the third straight year, finishing ahead of Rhonda Konitzer, 161 to 136. Kleiman swept Rounds 11 and 12, which gave him 4 wins and 8 top-two finishes in 11 rounds. Rhonda Konitzer finished the year with two second-place finishes in Rounds 11 and 12. Overall, Konitzer had 8 top-five finishes in 11 starts, including three second-place finishes.

Aaron Hawley won his first Super Buggy championship in 2003, beating out defending champion Scott Schwalbe 137 to 126. Hawley finished the season with 2 wins and 8 top-two finishes in 11 rounds. Corry Heynen, who struggled at the beginning of the season, swept the final two rounds, and ended the season in fourth place. Heynen had four wins in the final seven rounds. Tim Lemons finished third on the season with 116 points.

Heading into Round 11, Steve Socha had a slim 117 to 116 lead over defending Single Buggy champion Michael Seefeldt. Seefeldt edged out Socha 152 to 145 in the final point standings with a win in Round 12 and a second- place finish in Round 11. Socha had two third-place finishes in Rounds 11 and 12, but Seefeldt came out on top. In his final six rounds of racing, Seefeldt had 3 wins and three second-place finishes, helping him win his third Single Buggy championship.

With his second win of the year in Round 11, coupled with a second-place finish in Round 12, Josh Hintz successfully defended his Light Buggy trophy. Competing with as many as 30 other drivers, Hintz had 2 wins and 8 top-four finishes, which all occurred in the final eight races. In Round 12, Jamie Kleikamp won for the third time in five races. Hintz won the division 143 to 120 over Jeff Virnig.

In the 2003 CORR Manufacturer Championship Standings, Ford holds the lead in the Pro-4 division with 192 points. Chevrolet has 180 points, and Toyota has 150 points. In the Pro-2 division, Chevrolet maintains a 200 to 190 lead, and Toyota (194) is ahead of Ford (178) and Nissan (158) with two rounds remaining.

The final two rounds of the 2003 CORR Lucas Oil Pro Series will take place September 13-14 at the Unadilla Valley Sports Center in New Berlin, New York.

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