NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Sept. 25, 2006) – Nissan drivers continued to hold onto two class championship leads in the penultimate Championship Off Road Racing (CORR) event, the “Nissan Off Road Nationals,” featuring Rounds 13 and 14 of the 2006 CORR season, September 23 – 24 at the 1.70-mile Chula Vista International Off-Road Raceway in Chula Vista, California.
Chad Hord, from Felch, Mich., finished fifth in Saturday’s race and third on Sunday’s event in his race-prepped Nissan Frontier, taking the Pro-Lite class lead; while powerhouse Carl Renezeder and his Nissan Titan-bodied race truck held onto the Pro 2 class lead, even while battling mechanical problems. Veteran Nissan Frontier race truck pilot, Art Schmitt, of Pittsburgh, Penn., took two second place finishes in Pro-Lite, marking a return to strong form after a season filled with mixed results.
“Even though we had some problems this weekend, no one can argue with our season results – five wins in the Nissan Titan’s first season,” said Renezeder, of Lake Forest, Calif. “We’re thankful to all of the support from Nissan and their commitment to CORR.”
In Pro Lite, Hord has been through ups and downs, but through dedicated effort and teamwork has emerged as the championship points leader in this very competitive class. Hord has won one race and has eleven podium finishes in the 2006 season. “We’re so close to taking the 2006 CORR Pro-Lite title,” said Hord. “I can’t wait to get to the finale and put our Nissan Frontier race truck into the record books.”
“Carl Renezeder and Chad Hord have had great seasons – they are leading the points for Nissan in Pro 2 and Pro-Lite, respectively,” said Ron Stukenberg, senior manager, Nissan Motorsports marketing and operations. “A Nissan sweep this season would be a testament to the great proving ground for Nissan Motorsports components, as well as the Frontier and Titan race trucks, that CORR provides.”
Race Reports
Pro Lite
In Saturday’s Round 13 Pro Lite action, Schmitt had just fought his way through traffic into third place at the start of the second lap when he rolled his Frontier race truck hard into the Turn 2 wall. After losing a few positions, Schmitt recovered, battling teammate Casey Currie in the second Art Schmitt Racing Frontier racer as they worked toward the front of the field in a tight race to the finish. As the checkered dropped, Schmitt was able to hold onto second, with Casey joining him on the podium with a third place finish.
Sunday’s Round 14 action saw Hord’s return to the podium, with a third place finish, and Schmitt continued his good luck at the event, with another second place finish, as well as setting fast lap in time and top speed.
Pro 2
Renezeder, in his 715-horsepower Nissan Titan-bodied race truck, finished ninth in both Saturday’s Round 13 and Sunday’s Round 14 Pro 2 races out of fields of 18 trucks.
CORR and Nissan
CORR finishes out the 2006 season with a return to Chula Vista for the “Nissan Shootout at the Otay Corral,” scheduled for October 21 and 22, 2006.
“We’re looking forward to the finale of the 2006 season,” said Stukenberg. “We’ve accomplished so much this season with the Frontier and Titan race tracks – Nissan Motorsports could not be more proud of our teams and our efforts.”
In its 9th season, Championship Off-Road Racing (CORR) combines fender-to-fender racing on challenging closed course dirt tracks in the Midwest and Southern California. Televised on a tape-delay basis on the SPEED Channel, CORR is arguably the largest and most watched off-road racing series in North America.
Nissan has a long heritage of Motorsports success, both off-road and on the track. Nissan’s Contingency Awards Program offers more than $125,000 in available awards to qualifying Nissan drivers in 2006, including those competing in CORR and the 43rd SCCA Club Racing National Championship Runoffs® road-racing event. Nissan Motorsports offers a comprehensive 108-page parts catalog, available through Nissan Motorsports at nmc.race@nissan-usa.com or 888/833-3225.
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