The world has seen an unimaginable number of ways to compete between people, and a significant proportion of them are car races. It would seem that the essence of any car racing is the same – to arrive first, but here are a number of ways, as well as on what, sometimes striking. And especially an impressive list, of course, in the U.S.
Today we will consider the most strange racing series – Stadium Super Trucks.
This is a relatively young championship and the organizer of this event was the participant of many other racing series.
Robbie Gordon
I don’t think Robbie had a chance to be a racer. His great-grandfather also took part in the American Championship in the beginning of the XX century. Already at the age of five, Robbie was driving his own buggy, which was built for him by his father, the legendary U.S. racer “Bach” Bob Gordon.
Then there was the cross-country motorcycle, the first victory behind the wheel of a 16-year-old child-track, seven championship titles and loud victories in off-road races, including four victories in Bach 500 and three in Bach 1000. 11 times in Dakar and 7 times to the finish line, in 2009 even with bronze he was the first to arrive at the finish line in eight doping rounds.
He participated in the NASCAR, Indy and other North American series. By the way, two of Robbie’s sisters are also professional off-road racers, one of them is the only woman-winner of the Baja 1000, and the second one, besides racing, is also a model, TV presenter and married to the champion of the Indie series. And Robbie’s eight-year-old son is already driving electric buggies.
The first race
And so, in 2012, Robbie, apparently suffering from a lack of adrenaline in the blood, says that next year starts a new, his own series of races.
The requirements for cars are quite specific. In fact, these are buggies with fake body panels that give them the appearance of pickups, under the panels is a spatial frame, the engine Chevrolet V8 with an output of 600 hp, three-speed gearbox, rear drive, independent front suspension, 19 liters of gas tank.
The entire design should weigh 1300 kg. With this data, the vehicle can accelerate up to 230 km/h on almost any hard surface.
The first race-presentation took place in September 2012 on the mud track. Sort of, which are held competitions in motocross, but not on motorcycles, and on racing pickups.
However, for America it is quite an ordinary competition, and if Robbie Gordon had created another such series, no one would have paid attention. But the second race of the 2013 season has already made it clear that this is hardly a typical sight.
The race of high-speed all-terrain vehicles was held on the city’s asphalt road in Long Beach, the same place where the Indy Series races are held! And that’s the kind of spectacle that the public liked.
Roaring truck on huge wheels, with a high center of gravity enters, screeching rubber, into a corner, the suspension is strongly squeezed, so the turn is overcome with a strong roll on three wheels.
And behind the turn there is usually an artificial obstacle in the form of a series of jumps, on which this giant flies at a speed of about 120 km/h.
All this movement, as you know, takes place in an environment of exactly the same characteristics of cars, through a corridor of concrete blocks. Much depends on the skill of the pilot, because they have to fight not only with rivals, but also with the car, which is on the asphalt and in the corners is not comfortable.
The slightest mistake leads, at least, to the loss of position, an error with the angle of entry and speed at the entrance to the springboard threatens to collide with the bumpers or rivals, on the ground or in the air. Too aggressive an attack, chicane, in a bundle of turns can easily turn a car over.
In 2013, 14 races were held on 9 different tracks in the U.S., the title of champion, with a gap of 7 points (407 vs. 400) went to Robbie Gordon himself.
In 2014, the first foreign race took place in Toronto, Canada. There were a total of 16 races on 9 different tracks. This time Gordon’s victory was more convincing – 75 points advantage.
The following year the series got a new name – Speed Energy Formula Off-Road. In addition to the U.S. and Canada, the competition was also held on 4 Australian tracks. A total of 24 races were held. This time, the winner, with a gap of 33 points from the founder of the race, was the American racer Sheldon Creed. He also became the champion of 2016.
Perhaps, it is not quite correct to judge from the outside, but it seems that this is not a serious competition and its main task is to entertain spectators before the main race.
As well as to occupy the racers, because the main participants are active and former participants in various racing series: NASCAR, Indy, rally cross, motocross, and just extremists of all stripes. B.J. Baldwin, by the way, also took part in the races many times.
But you should agree that the look of these smoking, colliding and bouncing huge men of all colors of the rainbow can’t help but cheer up the mood, because that’s exactly what we did with our toy cars as a child!
