Ram, Mopar to Sponsor TORC Racing Series
Rendering courtesy of Chrysler Group LLC
By Dave Lee
The deal puts five PRO-class drivers at the wheel of a Ram truck during the 14-race TORC series, which is the one of the fastest and most punishing short-course racing series in the world. Ram and Mopar will be sponsoring the Traxxas Racing team, led by Mike and Mark Jenkins, as well as the Menzies Motorsports team owned by Steve Menzies.
Under the partnership, Ram will be the official vehicle of the series, and a Mopar Ram Runner will serve as the official pace truck. Fans at the races will have the chance to experience an off-road test drive.
"From the drag strip to the circle track, the Mopar brand has a proud heritage in racing," Mopar President and CEO Pietro Gorlier said. “We are excited to extend our presence into off-road racing, where many of our Mopar fanatics reside.”
Mopar offers a conversion kit for the Ram Runner, which debuted last April at the Moab Easter Jeep Safari. The kit turns a half-ton Ram 1500 pickup truck into a hardened desert racer using components inspired by Baja trophy trucks. It includes custom body and suspension pieces such as 3-inch diameter Fox Racing internal bypass dampers at all four corners, custom upper and lower control arms for the front suspension and flared widetrack fenders.
The five drivers sponsored by Ram and Mopar are Rob MacCachren and Samuel Hubinette of Traxxas Racing and Ricky Johnson, Bryce Menzies and Luke Johnson of Menzies Motorsports.
The first race kicks off Memorial Day weekend in Buchanan, Mich.
Comments
Cool looking truck.
Nice ride!
Go Mopar/Ram!!!
Mike Levine - how many Ram Runner kits have they sold so far?
if you cant ram it then copy it.
it worked for GM and dodge before.
ford came out with the perfect V8 engine design GM 100% copy and dodge 95% copy of ford engine that they cam up with in the 50-60's.
how about that hemi they put in the ram runner it real just a ford with badge on it.
even toyota is real just a ford engine
I'd rather watch the:
Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series
That at least have Tacoma's as their pace trucks...
So does this mean the Ford Raptor's will be sold that use to be the safety vehicles for TORC?
all this hate is sickening. If I saw a tundra come out w/ a cool looking new paint up like this Id give credit where credit is due hell no I wouldnt buy a non mopar product but I sure as hell appreciate a nice taco/raptor etc. when I see it but sadly I agree w/ oxi for once the lucas oil off road series is better but I like it for a different reason than him lol
Since we're all team owners, do we get free schwag? How about free tickets? Something? Anything?
@tom334
Do you seriously believe any of what you typed? Good Lord, I hope Ford fanboys aren't THAT delusional...
Please elaborate further on how the Hemi is just a Ford motor with Dodge written on it, I'd love to know where you learned that. Because last I checked, the motors are NO WHERE near alike. DOHC vs. Pushrod V8...and that goes for all Ford V8s (all OHC setups). :facepalm:
if you cant ram it then copy it.
it worked for GM and dodge before.
ford came out with the perfect V8 engine design GM 100% copy and dodge 95% copy of ford engine that they cam up with in the 50-60's. tom334
Please tom334, enlighten this board with what V8 design that GM and Dodge compied from ford? If you have no evidence or facts to back up your rediculous statement, shut your pie hole. If you do, then share what exactly GM and Dodge copied from ford. were waiting tom334?
gm still builds its latest small blocks like old school. dodge's hemi is modular base so, it is built similar to an ohc motor but it has pushrods. its like the reverse of what ford did the the 4.0 V6, which was pushrod but went ohc. the hemis lifters and pushrods are sideways or lay flat because the cam is raised up high in the block, and the rockers look like double overhead cams. the plugs (2 per cylinder) are where the valves are in a small block chevy, so the valves are sideways like an ohc motor. look up hemi at allpar.com. ford is ohc and has nothing to do with dodge. if anything, dodge got ohc from mercedes when the company was daimler/chrysler to replace the old LA series small block V8s.
@tom334...what's it like to be an idiot?
Pretty sure that Ford copied the Mopar HEMI with the 427.
I even work for Ford and the 6.2L is more like a Dodge motor... two spark plugs per cylinder, granted they are in a different position. BUT, I'm fairly certain Dodge was one of the first to do that on a V8 motor.
@tom334
A troll by any other brand is still a troll.
Looks like you succeeded in pissing off every brand fan on this site.
Back on topic.
Factory sponsorship is generally a good thing. The only risk is that it can make motorsport too expensive for privateers.
Well actually guys,
Ardun heads for the Ford Flathead were perhaps the first use of a hemispherical head on a readily available American V8. First offered in 1947 as an aftermarket product, these heads converted the Ford Flathead to overhead valves operating in a hemispherical chamber. Zora Arkus-Duntov, who later worked for GM and was a major force behind the development of the Chevrolet Corvette, and his brother Yura, were the "AR" "DUN" of "Ardun."
Actually Caddilac was the first to do a Mass Produced V8 engine. But again it was GM's Luxury engine. Ford made V8's more readily availble when the relesed their Flathead V8.
@ tom334
Did you know the original Ford's had a Dodge engine !!!!
Yep ,the model T had a Dodge engine !!!
Plus Ford tried to copy the Dodge HEMI in the 60's.....but FAILED !!! The Boss 429 was a turd !
The newer model Ford V-8's are good at getting the spark plugs stuck in the head,though !!!
NICE MOPAR !!!!
MOPAR RULES !!!!!!
It would be nice if they would pay back the taxpayers before wasting money like this. Cerberus robbed the taxpayers and raped Chrysler and now they are laughing in our faces. I hope they don't do the same to Remington and Bushmaster!
The comments to this entry are closed.