More Podium Time For Todd LeDuc At LVMS

The first family of short course racing secured yet another podium finish for the Rockstar Energy Drink / Makita Tools Team LeDuc Racing suspended by King Off-Road Racing Shocks at the latest Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORS).  After qualifying fourth for Round 5 of LOORS Pro 2 Unlimited racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Todd LeDuc started on the front row next to Ricky Johnson.   It wasn't long before LeDuc had his No. 8 Ford F-150 at the front of the pack.  When the dust cleared, Todd had finished third, narrowly edged out at the finish line by Rodrigo Ampudia in what was arguably the most dramatic moment of the weekend.  LeDuc and Ampudia crossed the finish line in mid-air, with Todd getting edged out by 54 thousandths of a second.  "The transmission was completely shot by the end of race, I was lucky to even finish," the always humble Todd commented after the race. "Most of all I was excited to get a podium finish for my new sponsor Jägermeister". Saturday's battle in Pro 4 Unlimited was even tougher for Todd's brother Kyle, who also suffered from transmission woes.  After qualifying 7th in the 15 truck field, the input shaft broke on Kyle's Rockstar / Makita Ford on lap five, taking him out of the race.  Lady Luck was not any kinder to family patriarch Curt LeDuc, who lost his engine in Round 6 and ended in 9th place on the tight, technical track. While Todd's father and brother saw their fortune improve in the Unlimited 4 category on Sunday, Todd LeDuc's Vegas luck ran out in Round 6.  Todd qualified 9th in his 800 horsepower Ford F-150 and worked his way up to third place by the middle of the race, but transmission woes reared their ugly head yet again.  "The truck is set up so well," Todd noted.  "The engine and suspension are dialed in, and we made some grooving changes to the Toyo Open Country M/Ts that worked great, but the transmission temperature was up to 300 degrees during the race.  Dad said to just run it until it died... which unfortunately wasn't long enough to finish the race." The next stop on the LOORS circuit for the Rockstar / Makita LeDuc Racing Team will be at Miller Motosports Park on June 26-27. Located just outside Salt Lake City, Miller Motorsports Park is the latest facility to design and build a course specifically tailored to short course racing. By: Kelli Willmore Photography by: Mike Ingalsbee for AEugenio Photo and Hi Rev Photography