Radar Tires Racing and Bronson Motorsports Learn Plenty at Lake Elsinore

UTV Weekly | May 31, 2013

Harsh moguls and high flying trucks during the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS) events at Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park were very educational for Radar Tires Racing and Bronson Motorsports team this weekend. On Sunday afternoon, during the sixth round of LOORRS competition, driver Mike Johnson earned a 22nd place finish.

Following Saturday’s DNF, Johnson and the Bronson Motorsports team were determined to improve during Sunday’s 14-lap event. The team went to work on the No. 31 Bronson Motorsports Toyota Tacoma sponsored by Radar Tires, and made several changes expecting a better qualifying position, race and finish.

The day began exactly opposite to the way the team planned. The team changed the set-up, which resulted in the truck being very difficult to drive in qualifying. As a result, Johnson qualified in the 16th position among the 28 ProLite Unlimited entrants.

“The shock settings were too harsh and we missed the set-up because of that,” Mike Johnson stated following qualifying. “It didn’t feel like I was driving the Radar Tires Racing truck – it felt more like a bucking bronco.”

In order to ensure the truck was race ready, the team quickly went to work and changed the shocks before the 14-lap race. Looking to tame the wild Toyota, Johnson was able to maneuver through the treacherous short-track terrain of Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park.

The No. 31 Bronson Motorsports Toyota Tacoma sponsored by Radar Tires was running the best it had all weekend during the race. Unfortunately, Johnson had to pit on the 10th lap, while running a race-high of 10th in class, and change the right rear tire. Following a quick inspection the team determined the right rear tire had lost air, due to a possible puncture.

Johnson rejoined the field one lap off pace, but managed to run his fastest lap of the weekend in the closing moments of the race. Once the checkered flag was shown, Johnson was scored in the 22nd position.

“I guess a moral victory can be claimed, since we finally got a handle on the Radar Tires Tacoma at the end of the weekend,” Johnson said. “It felt good to be able to race with the guys at the end. We came away with lots of notes on what to do and not to do before we race here again in October.”

The two-day event at Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park featured Lucas Off-Road Racing Round 5 Saturday and Round 6 on Sunday. Radar Tires, Bronson Motorsports and Johnson competed in both races and earned 20th and 22nd place finishes, respectively.

The next race for Radar Tires Racing and driver Mike Johnson is the SCORE International Baja 500 in Ensenda, Mexico, on June 1.

The size 32X11.50R15 Radar Renegade R5 tires this weekend will feature the Breast Cancer Research Foundation pink ribbon logo. For every Radar tire sold, Omni United will donate $5 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) with a minimum annual donation of $200,000 and a maximum donation of $250,000.

Off-road motorsports was chosen by the newly-formed Radar Racing team to showcase the Renegade R5 M/T tire, which features open blocks for mud dispersion, deep tread blocks, and reinforced shoulders. This tread pattern and rigorous construction is ideal for the surfaces encountered on short course tracks such as Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California and Firebird Raceway in Chandler, Arizona as well as the open desert of Baja California in the legendary SCORE Baja 1000, the most iconic of all off-road races.