Shortcourse off road racing entered a new chapter for 2009 with the introduction and development of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. Bearing the name of the formidable lubricant manufacturer, the LOORS season kicked off at the popular Primm, Nevada off road race facility located adjacent to Buffalo Bill’s Casino and Resorts. With a new name and organization, the inaugural Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series stirred up the short course desert dust for the first time on May 1-2, 2009. It was an exciting time for fans, sponsors and participants, and even more exciting for ReadyLift Racing.
Rob “Fig” Naughton and his ReadyLift Racing Unlimited Lite Ford Ranger came to Primm looking to get back on top of the podium after a long winter layoff. Team ReadyLift is a strong contender for the win in any off road event, but this weekend offered something a little more. Rounds 1 & 2 of the LOORS season are not just the first races of the year, but the first races of the new series, and Team ReadyLift with Rob Naughton at the helm of his Ford steed proved that he is the Unlimited Lite master of the Primm track. Having tasted victory in the past at the high-speed off road facility, Rob knew exactly how to navigate the ReadyLift race truck around the fast track and secure a place at the top of the victory circle podium not once, but twice over the weekend! Seizing the weekend’s winning trophies is something only a few off road racers have been able to accomplish and we are proud that Rob and Team ReadyLift Racing can join that elite group.
Winning in a tough class of competitors showed which team had their game faces for the crowd of 8,000 spectators enjoying this highly anticipated event weekend. But that was only part of the interesting news. Naughton did it with a broken foot! Four weeks before the event Rob shattered his right foot and had to have surgery to put it back together. He had to learn to drive the truck using only his left foot to engage the clutch, brakes and throttle, all while leading the pack around the course in his ReadyLift Ranger. That is an absolutely amazing feat. And one the SPEED TV crews followed throughout the race weekend. Be sure to tune into SPEED on May 2nd at 2:00 pm to catch the weekend racing action!
