The Stadium SUPER Trucks return to Australia for the 2015 Castrol Gold Coast 600, October 23-25. It’s the biggest racing import since the days of ‘Indy’ with Robby Gordon’s spectacular stadium trucks being shipped from the US to the Gold Coast.

The stadium trucks were a crowd sensation at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide which resulted in one of the biggest attendances in history at the multi-award winning event.

The monsters on wheels generate speeds upwards of 210km/h, jumping man-made ramps and flying 100 metres through the air two storeys off the ground.

The stadium trucks have grown a massive following around the world, capturing the imagination of millions as an adrenaline pumping spectacle as these 600hp beasts fly through the air.

“I have so many amazing memories of the Gold Coast event,” said Gordon, who raced six times on the streets of Surfers Paradise.

“It is one of the very best street tracks in the world and the way the Gold Coast turns it on is incredible. We found in March of this year at the Clipsal 500 that the Australian motorsports fans are amazing and love to see the stadium trucks fly through the air and beat and bang only the way they can.

“To be able to bring our trucks to Queensland’s biggest party is going to be a huge highlight for our series. The SSTs on that track will be absolutely spectacular and we can’t wait to get back to Australia in October.”

V8 Supercars CEO James Warburton said with the addition of Cold Chisel and stadium trucks the event would grow beyond the additional 10,000 fans that attended last October.

“Last year we said that we would make this the biggest entertainment event on the Gold Coast and we delivered,” he said. “Now we are raising the bar. Cold Chisel will be one of the biggest shows the event has had.

“And the stadium trucks have to be seen to be believed. Their show in Adelaide had people on their feet. It is fantastic they have been able to come back to Australia and the Castrol Gold Coast 600 in October.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (May 13, 2015) – Robby Gordon and Stadium Super Trucks have been invited to the prestigious Goodwood Festival of Speed, the world’s largest and most diverse celebration of motorsports history taking place June 25-28 on the English estate of the Earl of March in West Sussex, England.

Two Stadium Super Trucks, along with a ramp that allows the SST trucks to fly through the air in dramatic fashion during races, will be featured along with hundreds of other modern and historic race cars and trucks from all corners of the globe. The race vehicles will take part in demonstrations and competition runs up the nine-turn 1.16-mile Hillclimb in the Goodwood House grounds approximately 80 miles southwest of London.

“It is and incredible honor to be invited by Lord March to attend the Goodwood Festival of Speed with our Stadium Super Trucks,” said Gordon, who founded the SST series and conducted its first race in April 2013. “Goodwood is a who’s who of motorsports and to be included as part of this amazing program is a tremendous testament for our company. For our young series to gain international recognition and be invited to such prestigious events alongside Formula 1, NASCAR and other forms of motorsports is a great testament to our drivers and team members.”

Since 1993 the Festival has been a celebration of the world’s greatest cars and drivers, and the event has grown to attract hundreds of thousands of fans every year at the British estate. Not only will Gordon drive a Stadium Super Truck on the famous Hillclimb Circuit in a timed event, but a second truck will be featured in a new off-road venue on the estate’s activity field.

Now in its third season of competition, the SPEED Energy Stadium Super Trucks Presented by TRAXXAS is a full series of races featuring identically prepared trucks resembling their smaller radio control TRAXXAS counterparts. The trucks race at large IndyCar street circuit events, massive Australian V8 SuperCar races, in stadiums, on dirt and on paved surfaces. The versatile trucks provide an off-the-ground dimension to racing normally reserved for the off-road worlds of Baja and Dakar, which few American fans have an opportunity to witness in person. Gordon’s introduction of the SST series has re-introduced fascinating elements of off-road racing to crowds regularly in excess of 100,000 fans at venues including the Long Beach Grand Prix, the Belle Isle Detroit Grand Prix, X Games Austin, the Clipsal 500 V8 SuperCar race in Adelaide, Australia and other high-profile events.

LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 19, 2015) – E.J. Viso of Caracas, Venezuela won the third annual Speed Energy Stadium Super Trucks Presented by Traxxas race at the Long Beach Grand Prix Sunday by an impressive distance over Traxxas driver Sheldon Creed of Alpine, Calif. Viso’s 5.2-second winning margin was uncharacteristically large for an SST race, and was due to the tremendous battle taking place behind him between Creed, Arizona’s Gavin Harlien, California’s Robby Gordon and Arizona’s Scotty Steele.

Harlien, who battled with Viso for much of the event, controlled the majority of the race with aggressive braking around the 1.968-mile 11-turn street circuit, giving the veteran road racer Viso all he could handle throughout the event. “This is as much fun as I have ever had racing,” Viso said. “Harlien did a great job, especially by out braking me the entire race. He did an awesome job and it was only because I finally got around him and he got in a battle with some other trucks that I was able to get away.”

Coming through the 180-degree turn 11 just before the white flag and final lap started, Harlien and Creed touched in the middle of the slow right hander which caused Harlien to spin and give up the third spot to Gordon. “I should have never looked in my mirror, but when I did all I could see was orange, and it made me a little tense,” said the 16-year-old Harlien referring to Gordon’s bright orange SPEED Energy/Traxxas-sponsored truck. “We ran a good race but I just let that little extra pressure get to me.”

Creed displayed his normal spectacular style by flying higher and farther than any other competitor in the field over the four man-made ramps located throughout the circuit. Several times he launched off of the two front-stretch ramps nearly landing on Harlien in front of him. Creed: “There were a couple of times that I really thought I was going to land on him. I’m doing a really good job in qualifying, and we’re three for three in fast laps. Gavin did a great job and he made his truck really wide and tough to pass. He ran a great race and I was lucky to get around him.”

With a full inversion of the starting lineup from qualifying, the fastest qualifier in each race starts at the rear of the field. Creed has been the fastest qualifier at SST’s first three events of 2015 which also included the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide, Australia and the St. Petersburg Grand Prix.
LIVE/Think Loud Entertainment driver Scotty Steele was fourth, Traxxas driver Keegan Kincaid finished fifth, Harlien was sixth, off-road veteran but newcomer to SST Dale Dondel was seventh in the Roberts Racing SST and Charles Dorrance of Austin, Texas in the Three Bears Racing SST was eighth.

LIVE/Think Loud Entertainment’s Bill Hynes of Nazareth, Pa. was ninth, followed by Toyo Tires driver Kyle LeDuc in 10th, Erik Davis in the Always Evolving SST in 11th and St. Petersburg winner Burt Jenner in the Gladiator SST finished 12th after a suspension failure on lap four. The Stadium Super Trucks will take several weeks off before returning to the Belle Isle Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix in late May. The trucks will then be featured as part of X Games Austin and immediately return to the streets of Toronto for the Toronto Grand Prix.

Round 6 of 20 – Grand Prix Of Long Beach – 4/19/15

Notes:

– Starting lineup full field inversion from qualifying

– EJ Viso led the most laps; 3 Bonus points

– Sheldon Creed was the quickest qualifier; 1 Bonus point

ADELAIDE, South Australia (April 16, 2015) – South Australian Minister for Tourism, Leon Bignell, today announced American racing icon and off-road racing star, Robby Gordon will return to South Australia with his popular Stadium Super Trucks for the Toyo Tires SST race at the 2016 Clipsal 500 Adelaide.

The Australian debut of the Stadium Super Trucks was an overwhelming success for Clipsal 500 Adelaide race organizers with crowds packing the grandstands to see the V8-powered trucks fly around the Adelaide street circuit.

In 2016, the field will increase from 10 to 12 trucks with an equal share of American and Australian drivers.

Australian Stuntman, Matt Mingay, who finished an impressive fourth overall in his Stadium Super Trucks debut, will again be joined on the grid in 2016 with off-road motorcycle star Toby Price as they attempt to secure the first-ever race win by an Australian.

Gordon and teenage sensation Sheldon Creed won’t be making it easy for the Australians. Their fast-flying finish to the final race made highlight reels all over the world, with Creed tumbling across the finish line in third place after ending up on his roof following a dogged battle with Gordon.

South Australian Tourism Minister Leon Bignell said it was a maor coup for the Clipsal 500 Adelaide organizers.

“The trucks were a huge hit and race fans were literally out of their seats watching them slide around the track and fly through the air,” Mr Bignell said.

“In 2016 it will be even easier to see thanks to major infrastructure upgrades including bigger grandstand seating and new super screens.

“I am very pleased to welcome Robby and his team back. This is a major coup for Clipsal 500 and South Australia,” Mr Bignell said.

Gordon said he was already looking forward to next year’s Clipsal 500 Adelaide.

“The race track and the facility in Adelaide is one of the finest temporary circuits I’ve ever seen in my life. The atmosphere was amazing and I know a lot of the U.S. guys are excited about coming back to race at the Clipsal 500 next year.

“I knew we had a really exciting product but for it to build this quickly and in another country in only our third year is unbelievable. Next year is going to be even bigger and better – we’re already planning to bring out more trucks,” Gordon said.

Toyo Tires have signed on again as naming rights sponsor of the Stadium Super Trucks race in Adelaide after the overwhelming success of the 2015 Clipsal 500 Adelaide. The tire maker’s Open Country A/T II is the spec tire for the international series.

Toyo Tires & Rubber Australia Limited CEO & managing director Michael Rudd said it is an exciting prospect to be a part of the series and its second visit to Australia.

“Not many motorsports push tyres as hard as Stadium Super Trucks. The series is rapidly gaining a profile, every round has spectators pressed up against the fence,” Mr Rudd said.

“The rigours of SST and the skills of the globally renowned drivers are a perfect showcase for the Open Country tires toughness and resilience. A set of tires will last teams multiple race weekends, despite the punishment, SST truly demonstrates that Toyo Tires are Driven to Perform,” he said.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Rusty Wallace has long believed he retired from racing too soon, that he had another three years in a Hall of Fame NASCAR career.

Since his 2005 decision to get out of the car and transition into a broadcasting role with ESPN, Wallace has periodically longed to return to some form of competition. He’ll get his chance in June at the X Games, where the 58-year-old Wallace will compete in the Off-Road Truck Racing event.

“I honestly miss driving a car a little bit,” Wallace told The Associated Press. “ESPN brought up this possibility and I thought, ‘Why not? Let’s go knock the cobwebs off and try this.’ I know that I stopped driving too early. I think I could have gone another three years.

“But at that point, I was really getting burned out on all the travel. I was irritable. I got the opportunity to work for ESPN and I said to myself, ‘If I don’t do this, someone else will.’ So that’s the path I took. I still struggle with not racing, not a whole lot, but a little, and this was a good opportunity to go have some fun.”

Wallace spent Wednesday of this week at Robby Gordon’s race shop driving one of the trucks for the first time. All the trucks competing in the X Games will be leased from Gordon, who will also drive in the race.

“He was very methodical about it — he asked me to go out first to give him a vision, and he basically then went out and did everything I did,” Gordon said Thursday. “He got out and was ear-to-ear smiling, just laughing and saying how much fun he had.

“To watch him smile like a young man was great. I asked him to hold his hand out to see if there was a nervous shake, a shake most race car drivers get. And he had a little shake, but he was good to go.”

Wallace retired from NASCAR competition after the 2005 season, the same year he made NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup championship driving for Team Penske. He was with ESPN from 2006 until the network’s contract with NASCAR expired at the end of last season.

Now the 1989 champion is spending about half the year living in Mexico while doing radio work for Motor Racing Network and ambassador appearances as a NASCAR Hall of Famer. Wallace also owns several car dealerships that require his attention.

“I don’t need to do anything, any racing I do, it’s just for fun,” Wallace said. “My wife rolls her eyes at me and says, ‘We are having fun.’ But most of you, you see Rusty in damn regular clothes and think, ‘There’s retired Rusty.’ I am a racer at heart, I’m always a racer at heart, and I’m not done with racing.”

Wallace has periodically been back in a car since his retirement, and he had a high-profile stint behind the wheel when he tested Brad Keselowski’s car at Daytona in January, 2014. Wallace said he told Team Penske he’d be willing to do any testing the team needs.

The X Games in Austin held June 4-7 will be Wallace’s first time competing in Off-Road Truck Racing. His truck will be sponsored by Jimmy John’s.

The Off-Road Truck racing competition will feature identically-prepared 600-horsepower trucks. The trucks reach speeds up to 120 mph and hit man-made ramps at multiple locations throughout the course. The Baja-style race trucks will negotiate the seven-turn course made of both dirt and asphalt.

There will be 16 drivers in the field, Gordon, who owns and operates his own Stadium Super Trucks Series.

“I’ve been following Robby’s series, watched the races when they run with IndyCar, and it just looks like something I’ll enjoy,” Wallace said. “Every time I see that 2 car (Keselowski) running around, I say ‘Man, I wish I could do that again.’ But I’m smart enough to know I’ve got other things, so this chance at X Games and working with Robby is an opportunity to just go have a little fun.”

Burt Jenner Wins Race No. 2 at St. Petersburg Grand Prix
California Driver Scores His First SST Race Victory

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (March 29, 2015) – Burt Jenner captured the SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road Presented by TRAXXAS Stadium SUPER Trucks race No. 2 at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix Sunday, upstaging what was an amazing first race that took place Saturday.

Jenner led nearly the entire race after inheriting the lead from Scotty Steele on lap three, who had mechanical issues and retired from the race. Jenner made the drive to his first SST victory look easy, but it was the battle that took place behind him that was anything but. Venezuelan E.J. Viso in his LIVE/Think Loud Entertainment truck and Alpine, California’s Sheldon Creed in his Traxxas-sponsored truck had a tremendous battle Saturday, and again found themselves side by side for much of Sunday’s final. In fact, while battling for second place on the final lap the two aggressive drivers ended up literally hooked together and almost on top of each other for much of an entire straightaway before getting separated.

While the two battled together, Traxxas’ Keegan Kincaid and SPEED Energy driver Robby Gordon overtook the two and finished second and third respectively. Creed finished fourth and Viso fifth. Mexicali, Mexico’s Lalo Laguna finished sixth in the RPM off-road SST, Charles Dorrance of Austin, Tex. finished seventh in the Three Bears Motorsports/Go Puck SST, Erik Davis of Burbank, Calif. finished eighth in the Always Evolving/RePlay XD truck with Steele of Peoria, Ariz. and Bill Hynes of Nazareth, Penn., each driving LIVE/Think Loud Entertainment trucks, finishing 9th & 10th.

“For some of these guys it’s just another win,” said Jenner, whose previous top SST finish was third at Las Vegas in the final race of 2014. “But for me, this is my first win and it’s special, and something they can’t take away from me. It’s something I have been preparing for since I was four years old and proves that I can race with these guys.”

The Stadium Super Trucks will move west for the Long Beach Grand Prix April 17-19 for rounds six and seven of the season-long championship. Viso, Creed and Kincaid took rounds one through three respectively in Adelaide, Australia in February in front of the largest crowd in the history of SST with more than 280,000 receptive Australians.

Following Long Beach, the series will continue to venues with the IndyCar series including the Toronto Grand Prix and the Belle Isle Detroit Grand Prix, X Games Austin, and a variety of stand-alone SST events including Los Angeles, Calif., and several new events in the Southwest, with exciting venues not yet announced.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (March 28, 2015) – Sheldon Creed and E.J. Viso battled door to door in the closing laps of the SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road Presented by TRAXXAS race at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix Saturday, before Viso made a critical error allowing the 17-year-old Creed to overtake him and cruise to victory for his second win of the young season.

Viso entered the final lap with the slim lead over Creed, and the two crossed the first of four ramps on the 1.89-mile street circuit together with Creed on a preferred inside line. Creed, who also won Round Two in Adelaide, Australia last month, nearly lost control of his truck with the aggressive move to the inside of Viso, but the Alpine, Calif. TRAXXAS-sponsored driver gathered his truck and made the pass only to give it up to Viso in the next turn. With the race seemingly in control, the Caracas, Venezuela driver overdrove turn 10 which again opened the inside lane to Creed who capitalized for the final time.

Viso’s aggressiveness cost him three spots and he finished fourth. Keegan Kincad, a teammate to Creed in another TRAXXAS-sponsored truck, finished second with the SPEED Energy entry of Robby Gordon coming home third.

The battle between Creed and Viso brought the already enthusiastic crowd to its feet, many of the fans having never experienced the flying trucks in person. As Creed, Kincaid and Gordon conducted post-race interviews and signed autographs, fan after fan thanked the drivers from the exciting show they put on, many of them expressing that the SST race was the most enjoyable auto race they have ever attended.

The SST trucks will complete their St. Petersburg Grand Prix weekend Sunday with round five of the season at 2:10 p.m.

Toyo Tires ‘All or Nothing’ as the Official Tire of SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road for 2015

CYPRESS, CA ( March 27, 2015) – Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp continues with the ‘All or Nothing’ mantra as they announce that Toyo Tires® will be the Official Tire of SPEED® Energy Formula Off-Road for 2015. This marks the third season that Toyo Tires has supported the series, and the second year that all Stadium SUPER Trucks™ (SST) will compete on Toyo® Open Country® A/T II tires. Toyo Open Country tires are known for their traction, durability, and uniformity, all critical to the performance of the 600-plus horsepower SST trucks.

The race series was founded by Team Toyo® off-road champion, and former NASCAR® and IndyCar® driver, Robby Gordon. A field of identically prepared SST trucks tackle a serpentine race course with ramp jumps that can launch them 20 feet in the air. Intense action, combined with speeds as high as 130-mph, keep spectators on the edges of their seats.

“The Toyo Open Country A/T II is a great fit as the spec tire for the SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road series and demonstrates race after race the performance, consistency and durability known by light truck enthusiasts,” said Amy Coleman, senior director of marketing, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. “Just as important, the series and drivers truly represent our brand’s ‘All or Nothing’ attitude, and provide a new and exciting platform to reach race fans around the world.”

“Toyo Tires continues to be a great partner for Stadium Super Trucks and our entire off-road racing program,” said SST founder and president Robby Gordon. “We will continue to create authentic product testimonials for them whether we race on dirt or asphalt. With all the variables in racing, one thing that doesn’t concern us is the reliability of our Toyo Tires which are on every SST truck.”

This weekend, drivers will compete in front of IndyCar fans during the Streets of St. Petersburg in St. Petersburg, FL. The series kicked off the 2015 season earlier this month at the Clipsal® 500 race weekend in Adelaide, Australia. Local media reports indicated immediate acceptance and overwhelming popularity of the trucks by Australian race fans.

The remaining 2015 events will be held throughout the US and Canada and will include national TV coverage.

In addition to the series sponsorship, six races will also feature a Toyo Tires branded SST truck with a Team Toyo Off-Road driver at the wheel. The Toyo Tires big rig and models will also attend SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road events around the country, and fans will find photos and updates on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

For a 2015 schedule and ticket information, visit stadiumsupertrucks.com. To learn more about the Official Tire of SST and the entire Open Country tire line, visit toyotires.com.

About Toyo Tires®

Established in 1966, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. represents the innovation, quality, performance, and excellent service that Toyo Tires has delivered worldwide for 70 years.

The company offers a complete selection of premium replacement tires for nearly every make and model including light trucks, SUVs, high performance cars and luxury vehicles as well as commercial trucks. Consumer product lines include the popular Open Country® tires for light trucks and SUVs; Proxes® ultra-high performance tires; Versado® tires for luxury passenger cars; and the value line of Extensa® passenger car tires. Many of the tires are built in the United States at their state-of-the-art factory in Bartow County, Georgia.

For more information log onto www.toyotires.com and connect with the community at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google+.

Thanks to Road & Track magazine for the write up about Stadium SUPER Trucks Adelaide.

Please click on the link below.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/videos/a25352/video-wild-stadium-super-trucks-finish-sheldon-creed-adelaide-australia-2015/