March 5^th, 2011

Inaugural Event: The Off-Road Cup
Desoto Motorsport Park

Leivan, Rector, And Wohletz Put MORE On The Map

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By: AcadianaRacing.com
Photo by: Chris Shows

Mansfield, LA

Many off-road racers from across the nation traveled to Desoto Motorsport Park in North Louisiana for the very first running of The Off-Road Cup.  This new nine hour / three man team race was created to determine the best race series in America.

Early Saturday morning racers lined up for the start of what would be an exciting day of competition.  Zach Ingram (KTM) of Team Gnar, representing the Arkansas Hare Scramble Championship Series, nailed the dead-engine start to take the holeshot in the pro class.  Trampas Parker (KTM) of the Louisiana Cross-Country Series soon put his team in the lead with MORE (Midwest Off Road Events) close behind in second.

After a brief time of great ground conditions a cold rain then fell for a few hours to make things interesting and separate the men from the boys.  The 9.2 mile course ended up requiring two small re-routes due to the rain but held up fairly well during the full day of abuse.

Spectators enjoyed the tight battle between MORE and LACC with the lead swapping back and forth several times throughout the day.  LACC’s Andy Beebe (KTM), Stephen Sturges (Yam), and Parker pounded out twenty laps but it wasn't quite enough to beat the MORE team who came out on top by just under two minutes after nine hours of intense racing.  Steve Leivan, Dale Rector, and Caleb Wohletz were happy to get the MORE logo and their names on the perpetual trophy first. The MORE series based out of Missouri is a brand new off-road hare scramble style series created by Missouri Off-Road star Steve Leivan who has twenty eight regional titles to his name, four amateur national championships, ISDE silver medal, etc.

The final podium position in the pro class went to the Hillbilly Gran Prix team of Kole Henslee (KTM), Jonathan Lems (GasGas), and Zach Neil (Yam) with nineteen laps.

The top Ironman rider was Iowa Enduro Racing Association’s Kelly Heckman (KTM) who put in an impressive twelve laps.  Racers were encouraged to wear their red, white, and blue gear and the LACC Bayou Moms were awarded with Most Patriotic at the trophy presentation.  Race participants, their pit crews, and spectators were treated to Cajun food and music Saturday night after the event, crashed hard for a good night’s rest after a busy day, and eased on home Sunday under pretty sunny skies.  Keep your eye out for action-packed pictures and videos coming soon on www.AcadianaRacing.com!

About the Annual Event:
The purpose of The Off-Road Cup is to determine the best race series in America.  Local, regional, and national level series are invited to send teams made up of three riders each.  Classes for all skill levels are offered from pro down to beginner, family class, ironman/ironwoman, etc.  The location of this event will change from year to year but will be kept in the central part of the country in order to minimize travel time for either coast.  The first ever running of this event in 2011 was made possible by title sponsor MTA, Gas Gas Offroad US, FilterSolution.com, Pierce & Shows Attorneys; Spectro, Enduro Engineering, KTM, Mike’s Outdoors, Southern Trophy, Woods Tank, Wallis Wood Works, Team ¾, Bayou Suspension, Fair’s Diesel Service, Moose Racing, Evangeline Specialties, RidePG.com, MXPrints.com, Dirt Wise, OutOfBoundFilms, iFence, SideLineFilms, and Honda.

Class Winners: