CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 18, 2014) – A racing event the likes of which has never been seen anywhere near the Bay area will take place in conjunction with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg March 28-30.

Once synonymous with the open-wheel cars that will headline activities that weekend, former IndyCar and NASCAR star Robby Gordon is bringing the exciting world of off-road racing to street circuits such as St. Petersburg with his SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road Presented by Traxxas series.

The Stadium Super Trucks that race in the series will hit huge man-made ramps at more than 100 mph at multiple locations throughout the picturesque street circuit hurling drivers nearly 20 feet in the air and 150 feet down course. Gordon created the series to bring the excitement of Baja-style desert racing to large crowds of race fans. The St. Petersburg Grand Prix begins the series’ second season.

Following street circuit races at Long Beach and Toronto in 2013, the Formula Off-Road Series and promoters from the St. Petersburg Grand Prix knew the SST trucks needed to be added in St. Petersburg after receiving fan reviews such as:
“The new Stadium Super Trucks put on an awesome show at the Long Beach Grand Prix. Watching the trucks brake into and fly around the corners on three wheels with the smell of burning rubber was really something…” and “That was freaking epic!!!! Best racing and the most fun I have had in a long time!!! So freakin’ cool. This stuff will be big and I’m not just drinking the kool-aid, trust me this was awesome.”

The series features identically prepared trucks which are made to resemble their scaled-down Traxxas radio-control-car counterparts. Like their Traxxas namesake the trucks are designed to take flight. However, unlike RC trucks, they produce 600 horsepower generating speeds upwards of 130 miles per hour.
“Fan reaction has been tremendous,” Gordon said. “Jimmie Johnson (six-time NASCAR champion), Casey Mears (NASCAR) and I all got our start driving trucks like these and we’ve reinvented the series and are bringing their former popularity back to the fans.”

Gordon himself is a seven-time SCORE International Off-Road Champion, a three-time winner of the Baja 1000 and a four-time winner of the Baja 500. For the last 10 years he has tackled the world’s most challenging off-road endurance race – the Dakar Rally – so he is an authority when it comes to off-road trucks.
“The goal is to provide equal equipment to all the drivers and let driver skill and not engineering budgets determine the winner,” Gordon continued. “This is what racing should be. The trucks are amazing but it’s about skill and not money that puts on a great show for the fans.

“When I was still racing in NASCAR people always asked me why I still drove off-road, and they were surprised when I told them that I raced in NASCAR so that I could race off-road. Off-road racing gets in your blood and it’s where I started. It has always been my first love and it’s the most unbelievable form of motorsport in the world and we’re trying to do our part to make it mainstream.”

As part of that objective Gordon founded the SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road Presented by Traxxas series in late 2012, and ran its first race in March 2013 in Phoenix, Ariz. The series has built more than 20 identically prepared Stadium Super Trucks that have all the characteristics of an off-road “Baja-style” truck capable of racing on dirt, asphalt or even snow.

While the concept of building and maintaining an affordable racing series with an even playing field can be credited completely to Gordon, the theory behind the series is not entirely original. From the early 1980s through 1996 the Mickey Thompson Stadium Truck Series featured races in football and baseball stadiums primarily in the western United States.

“Not only is it one of the most awesome forms a racing in the world, for drivers and teams it’s about the most affordable professional racing series you can be involved with,” Gordon said. “In 2014 we will race in front of something like 750,000 people, have eight hours of exposure on NBC Sports Network and will race live on ESPN at X Games Austin.”

The franchise format created for the Stadium Super Trucks makes business sense for drivers and marketers knowing that they don’t have to outspend other teams to be competitive. Each week the series builds, maintains and delivers race-ready trucks to competitors which eliminates start-up costs and day-to-day overhead of running a team. A driver’s focus is on winning races and delivering for their sponsors.

“I loved my time in IndyCar and NASCAR but it costs a lot of money to be competitive in either one of those series which means a lot of capable drivers have some fairly difficult barriers to entry,” Gordon said. “Those series will continue to thrive based on many years of success and a proven business plan and incredible fan support. What we have created is an opportunity for drivers to race in front of hundreds of thousands of fans and a tremendous platform for sponsors.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Robby Gordon and one of his two-seat Stadium Super Trucks will be available on the Grand Prix circuit for media rides and demonstrations Thursday, March 27 from 4-4:30 p.m. Accredited media only are invited to attend and expressions of interest should be directed to Chris Hecht of Formula Off-Road (checht@teamgordon.com) or Kathleen Stelmach (kathleen@torchiacom.com) of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Due to time constraints, ride availability is limited and will be filled on a first-come first-served basis. Interview opportunities with Gordon are not confined to this schedule.

Media Contact: Chris Hecht, Formula Off-Road

704-949-1255 checht@stadiumsupertrucks.com

ABOUT SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road Presented by Traxxas

Influenced by the former Mickey Thompson Stadium Off-Road Racing Series, where driver’s such as Gordon, Casey Mears and six-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson got their start, Gordon created Stadium SUPER Trucks to capitalize on the public’s overwhelming interest in trucks and SUVs as well as the fact that the majority of automotive aftermarket parts are marketed for trucks. Keep up with all the latest news of SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road Presented by Traxxas and Stadium SUPER Trucks by liking us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/StadiumSuperTrucks as well as following on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SSuperTrucks. For more information visit https://stadiumsupertrucks.com.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Mar. 4, 2014) – Traxxas, the Fastest Name in Radio Control, and SPEED Energy Stadium Super Trucks (SST) announced today that Traxxas has become the presenting sponsor of the Series now entering its second season. The SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road Series Presented by Traxxas will begin its second season at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg March 28-30 and finish the season under the bright lights on the Las Vegas Strip during SEMA week Nov. 3-7 – the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world.

Traxxas is the No. 1-selling Ready-to-Race® (RTR) nitro and electric Radio Control (R/C) company with vehicles in the truck, car, boat and helicopter categories. No company has done more than Traxxas to advance the RTR category with innovative thinking and fun designs that make it easy for anyone to get started with the durability and performance of Traxxas radio controlled vehicles.

“Being associated with the Formula Off-Road Series provides the perfect forum for Traxxas to showcase the extreme capabilities and incredible fun that our vehicles deliver,” said Traxxas President Mike Jenkins. “The SSTs are fast, jump and fly high, just as their scaled-down Traxxas R/C replicas. The Formula Off-Road Series allows us to market our trucks and cars directly to one of our most targeted groups of customers and put our products in their hands to experience and enjoy.”

As part of its marketing partnership, Traxxas will have on-site “Try Me Tracks” at all SST races where consumers will have a hands-on opportunity to race Traxxas R/C vehicles. There will also be a full product display and demonstration area along with the fully loaded mobile Traxxas store at each event to make it easy to jump right into the fun. Traxxas also will highlight its products through traditional commercial inventory in SST broadcasts on NBC Sports Network and on ESPN at the X Games.

“Traxxas has been a major supporter of SST/Formula Off-Road Series since its inception,” Series founder Robby Gordon said, “and the brand continues to realize the marketing capabilities of our unique series by taking this presenting role after fielding two trucks in the Series in our first season.”
The SST trucks will continue to be branded as Traxxas Slash trucks in all 2014 Formula Off-Road Series Presented by Traxxas races. In several events, most notably X Games Austin, Texas resident and Traxxas owner Mike Jenkins will be behind the wheel of one of the life-sized Traxxas trucks.

The Traxxas-branded life-size trucks are capable of launching more than 20 feet in the air covering distances more than 150 feet with speeds up to 130 mph. What sets the SST program apart from other racing series is that all the SST trucks are identically manufactured. For drivers and sponsors, the opportunity to race at professional venues with hundreds of thousands of spectators throughout the season and millions that will watch the races on broadcast television, make Traxxas Formula Off-Road one of the best values in America. Races are decided by driver skill alone rather than individual team engineering and budgets.

Tickets for the opening round at St. Petersburg are available by visiting www.gpstpete.com.

About Traxxas
Traxxas is the number-one selling name in Ready-To-Race® nitro and electric models The company is dedicated to innovative thinking and fun designs that make it easy for anyone to get started in radio control. Traxxas products include cars, trucks, helicopters and speedboats, as well as a full line of accessories for a completely personalized experience. Prices start under $200. Store locator and product videos online at www.traxxas.com

Charlotte, N.C. (May 24, 2013) – Make plans to join SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks on the biggest weekend in motorsports, as NBC Sports brings the high flying door to door racing action into homes all across the United States this Memorial Day weekend.

NBC Sports Network will air all the excitement for fans to enjoy this Saturday, May 25, at 12:30 pm EST / 9:30 am PST for an extended 90 minute special highlighting the Stadium SUPER Trucks Grand Prix of Long Beach and Round No. 5 from Qualcomm Stadium.

Watch how the custom designed 600 hp trucks became the crowd favorite on the streets of Long Beach, Calif., as well as the epic battle that erupted during Round No. 5 of competition in San Diego, Calif., between veteran off-road racer Robby Gordon and 15 year-old local young gun, Sheldon Creed. See the two drivers fight it out for the $40,000 first place prize in thrilling fashion. Check your local listings for exact times and channels.

The Inaugural season of SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks continues Saturday night, June 8, in St. Louis, Mo., at the Edward Jones Dome with a full slate of Stadium SUPER Trucks, Monster Trucks, SUPER Buggy, and SUPER Trophy Kart racing on a specially designed course.

Tickets to SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks at the Edward Jones Dome start at just $20 for adults, with military personnel and kid’s 12 & under receiving $10 off with a purchased adult ticket from the Edward Jones Dome box office or through Ticketmaster at ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000.

Keep up with all the latest news and results on SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks by liking the series on Facebook at http://facebook.com/StadiumSuperTrucks as well as following on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SSuperTrucks. All information including where to purchase your tickets for the 2013 season can be found at https://stadiumsupertrucks.com.

San Diego CA (May 8, 2013) – USA Pro Supermoto is pleased to announce a new partnership between USA Pro SUPERMoto and SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks Series (SST) to hold pro SUPERMoto racing events together for the remainder of the 2013 race season. Stadium SUPER Trucks (SST) will begin featuring USA Pro SUPERMoto racing action at select Stadium SUPER Trucks events this summer starting with the SST event at Qualcomm Stadium on May 18^th. For this first event, USA Pro SUPERMoto will be holding an exhibition race on the stadium floor of Qualcomm Stadium during the 5^th round of the Stadium SUPER Trucks Series on May 18th. This USAPSM event, hosted by Robby Gordon OFF-ROAD, will include a USA Pro SUPERMoto Invitational race featuring some of the top pro supermoto riders in the country. The list of racers in attendance will include; Las Vegas’s Derek Costella, Riverside’s Dustin Hoffman, Denver’s Tim Velasquez, and Newport Beach’s own Brandon Ward. Brandon’s father Jeff Ward, a former AMA SUPERMoto Champion himself, will also be in attendance piloting the No.4 Truck in the SST class.

SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks is modeled after Mickey Thompson’s Off-Road Race Series from the 1990’s, and features stadium racing inside large stadium venues like the L.A. Coliseum, the Metro Dome, Qualcomm Stadium, Georgia Dome and more. SST features modern day race courses constructed of both asphalt road course sections and high flying dirt obstacles. This program is what provided the perfect layout to bring and feature USA Pro SUPERMoto racing. The action-packed event which is anticipating over 20,000 spectators will feature a fan expo during the day, a party in the pits, followed by BIGFOOT® Monster Truck racing, SUPER Trophy Karts, SUPER Buggy, SUPERMoto and the Stadium SUPER Trucks to cap off an exciting evening of high-flying racing action. USA Pro SUPERMoto looks forward to the partnership and will have more info on upcoming USA Pro SUPERMoto/SST combined events in the very near future.

For more info on USA Pro SUPERMoto please visit http://www.USAProSUPERMoto.com

Long Beach, Calif. (April 23, 2013) – In a dominating performance, Justin Lofton overcame a practice mishap on Saturday by another driver to be the class of the field on Sunday on the way to winning his first ever SST race in the SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks Grand Prix of Long Beach.

As near perfect weather conditions blanketed Long Beach, Calif., the highly anticipated Round #2 of SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks took to the temporary constructed asphalt street course of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

The starting line-up for the 10-lap SST Final would be determined by a complete invert of qualifying times in practice from Sunday morning. At the conclusion of the 20-minute practice session, Justin Lofton navigated through the 11 turns and over the four jumps of the 1.968 mi course the quickest of the 12 competitors with a blistering lap of 1:47:775. Nearly, two seconds faster than second place, Jeff Ward with a 1:49:615.

 As the green flag flew in front of jam packed grandstands, Nick Baumgartner and Greg Adler paced the field with Baumgartner jumping out to an early lead. The trucks of Justin Lofton, Robby Gordon, and Rob MacCachren wasted no time moving to the front passing truck after truck. Trouble found Justin Matney on Lap-2 as he spun backwards going over one of the jumps causing trucks to scramble every which way. Adler took the worst of the damage as he retired from the race on Lap-3 with transmission issues.

A restart on Lap-4 bunched the field back up, but that did not hinder leader Lofton in the Weekend Warriors Productions Yokohama truck as he went right back to work where he left off hitting all his marks on the tricky course to pull away from second place. The action behind Lofton became heated as trucks were beating and banging into each other battling for position.

Justin Lofton would go on to secure his name in the record books as SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks winner of the Grand Prix of Long Beach followed by second place finisher Robby Gordon and points leader Rob MacCachren rounding out the podium.

After the race Lofton commented on winning Stadium SUPER Trucks Round #2:

“I’m super stoked to capture my first Stadium SUPER Trucks win. The outcome from Round #1 at Phoenix was disappointing, but to come out here today and put on such a dominating performance racing through the complete field is simply just awesome.”

“Hats off to my crew and the SST crew for getting the truck back together after being rolled 7 times the day before by a fellow driver. The safety and engineering of these trucks is something truly amazing. Robby did a fantastic job! I appreciate the Grand Prix of Long Beach for giving us the opportunity to race in front of all these fans. I hope we are invited to come back next year.” Stated Lofton.

The Inaugural season of SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks continues Saturday night, April 27, in Los Angeles, Calif. at the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with a full slate of Stadium SUPER Trucks, Monster Trucks, SUPER Buggy, and SUPER Trophy Kart racing.

Tickets to SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum start at just $25 for adults and kid’s 12 & under ARE FREE with a purchased adult ticket at the stadium box office or through Ticketmaster at ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000. USC Trojans Students can buy tickets for $10 through the stadium box office by simply showing their student ID’s.

All 11 SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Truck events in 2013 will be televised on weekends and featured on NBC Sports: seven on NBC and five to be televised on the NBC Sports Network. Round 3 from the LA Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA will be shown the day after the race on Sunday, April 28 at 1 P.M. ET. on NBC Sports Network. Please check your local listings for channel.

Keep up with all the latest news and results on Robby Gordon OFF-ROAD’s Stadium SUPER Trucks Series by liking the series on Facebook at http://facebook.com/StadiumSuperTrucks as well as following on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SSuperTrucks. All information including where to purchase your tickets for the 2013 season can be found at https://stadiumsupertrucks.com.

Unofficial Results

Stadium SUPER Trucks Feature (8 Laps): 1. Justin Lofton; 2. Robby Gordon; 3. Rob MacCachren; 4. Ricky Johnson; 5. P.J. Jones; 6. Mike Jenkins; 7. Arie Lyendyk Jr.; 8. Jeff Ward; 9. Justin Matney; 10. Nick Baumgartner; 11. Greg Adler; 12. Lalo Laguna

Stadium SUPER Trucks Qualifying: 1. Justin Lofton 1:47:775; 2. Jeff Ward 1:49:615; 3. Robby Gordon 1:51:296; 4. Rob MacCachren 1:52:386; 5. Lalo Laguna 1:53:112; 6. Arie Luyendyk 1:53:733; 7. P.J. Jones 1:54:146; 8. Ricky Johnson 1:54:479; 9. Justin Matney 1:55:010; 10. Mike Jenkins 1:55:101; 11. Greg Adler 1:56:229; 12. Nick Baumgartner 1:57:321.