LOORS: Rodrigo Ampudia Surprise event summary

Rodrigo Ampudia Overcomes Adversity In LOORS Racing At Speedworld

The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORS) raced into Surprise, Arizona and returned to Speedworld Motorsports Park for Rounds 11 and 12 of short course off-road racing. The triple-digit temperatures didn't deter the fans from filling the stands and cheering on their favorite short course drivers as things heated up on and off the track. The technical nature of the Speedworld track, with its one-mile course and rugged mogul section, plays to the strengths of Rodrigo Ampudia in his No. 36 Lucas Oil / Papas & Beer Pro 2 Unlimited truck.

Expectations were high as Ampudia was looking to repeat his Pro 2 Unlimited win from earlier in the season at the equally technical Miller Motorsports Park. The weekend started well as Rodrigo's No. 36 Lucas Oil/Papas & Beer Ford was 3rd in season points coming to Speedworld and qualified 4th for Saturday's racing action. Unfortunately, the power steering pump locked up on the first lap of the race requiring Rodrigo to limp his truck around the track to earn valuable season points and resulting in a disappointing 15th place finish. "Limp" is the most appropriate way to describe the situation, as the young Papas & Beer driver has been racing all season with a severely injured knee that underwent surgery earlier in the year.

Rodrigo's Ensenada-based pit crew worked hard to repair the steering on the No. 36 Lucas Oil/Papas & Beer Ford prior to Sunday's action. Rodrigo was conservative in the blistering heat of Sunday's qualifying, resulting in a 9th place time. When the green flag dropped Rodrigo threw caution to the wind, but was hit hard on the first lap, resulting in a broken sway bar end link. Despite the loose suspension, Rodrigo was able to run at the front of the pack and finished just five seconds off the podium in 4th place.

With only three more rounds of racing remaining in this season's Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, Rodrigo knows he must pull out all the stops in order to win the coveted series championship. Fortunately for Rodrigo, the next stop for LOORS is at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on November 6th and 7th, a location where he has already captured a 2nd place and two 3rd place finishes in Pro 2 Unlimited earlier this season. Look for Ampudia to add some gold to his silver and bronze from Las Vegas in Rounds 13 and 14 of LOORS racing. For more LOORS action check your local listings for CBS Sports, Speed Channel, and Versus and remember to check out Rodrigo's website at www.papasracing.com for the latest race results, photos, and video.

-source: rodrigo ampudia PR