BFGoodrich revs up support for debut of TORC, The Off-Road Championship Series

BFGoodrich is returning to short/closed-course racing as a sponsor of The Off-Road Championship Series (TORC), a newly created racing program.

“The challenging race conditions of the TORC series are ideal for us to demonstrate the capability of our off-road tires,” says Roberts Kukainis, Goodrich’s motorsports manager. “We have enjoyed being unbeaten in closed-course off-road racing since its inception and we look forward to raising the bar during the TORC series in 2009.”

Kukainis goes on to note that its sponsored teams running in this category have won more races “than all other tire manufacturers combined,” and the company “is busily building a stable of off-road stalwarts and aggressive newcomers to lead the charge towards its first TORC championship.”

Among the Goodrich drivers are Johnny Greaves, Scott Taylor, Jeff Kincaid, Jerry Whelchel, and Rob MacCachren. Shannon Campbell, Casey Currie, Rodrigo Ampudia Jr. and TORC owner and CEO Ricky Johnson are other sponsored competitors vying for more than $100,000 in contingency awards.

“All of us at TORC are stoked to have them involved with the series through on-site competitor and contingency support,” says Johnson of Goodrich’s involvement in the program. “The TORC series is all about how drivers and companies can showcase their talents and products to see who is best on race day. We wish BFG and their drivers all the best – and may the best man, and the best tire, win.”

The United States Auto Club is TORC’s sanctioning body. “The television package is almost ready and will be released in the near future,” according to Johnson. “It’s going to be a good one.”

Taking the numerous course set-ups and TORC’s short/closed-course challenges into account, Goodrich’s Pro 2 and Pro 4 class competitors will race on the company’s Mud-Terrain T/A KR tire, which was specifically designed for the classes by utilizing multiple compounds and custom grooving characteristics.

Pro Lite, Buggy and Sportsman competitors will be able to choose from the Mud-Terrain T/A KM2 or All-Terrain T/A KO tire.

The company’s off-road tires have all evolved from the Baja T/A tire, says Kukainis, “which was the world’s first ultra-high performance off-road tire, designed specifically for off-road competition with TriGard Plus construction containing three full nylon carcass plies plus an additional nylon sidewall ply for incredible protection against punctures.”

Currently TORC is running eight points-race weekends and two sportsman weekends. The season begins May 15 at Texas Motor Speedway near Ft. Worth. More events may be forthcoming.

This year’s TORC schedule includes: