ERX Off-Road National: Race Preview

After the postponement of the planned season-opening Brush Run at Crandon, the inaugural Championship Off-Road season kicks off this Friday and Saturday at ERX Motor Park with the fifth annual ERX Off-Road National. COR’s first event after taking over sanctioning from Lucas Oil is sure to have one of the deepest fields of the season, in part thanks to a huge shift in the national short course landscape.

The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series’ decision to abandon Pro 4 competition means that COR will be the only game in town for the premier 900-horsepower class this year. Many of the top drivers in the sport were already expected to run COR full-time, but for Pro 4-only LOORRS mainstays, it’s either build a Pro 2 to stay in the southwest, or make the trek across the country.

That’s great news for midwest off-road fans, though, who can expect 2019 LOORRS champion Kyle LeDuc to slot in nicely as a championship threat against Johnny and CJ Greaves and Andrew Carlson. Don’t be surprised to see full schedules or one-off appearances this year from former LOORRS full-timers Adrian Cenni, Doug Mittag, and RJ Anderson, who will be in the mix with midwest regulars like Kyle Chaney, Ross Hoek, and Jimmy Henderson during the season.

Last year’s Pro 2 championship saw Keegan Kincaid return to the top step of the podium, as he battled with Kyle Kleiman, Carlson, and Cory Winner for the title. The title fight gets even tighter this year, as Ryan Beat’s full national campaign sees him step up from the Pro Lite class to a Pro 2 this year. Promotions are the name of the game throughout the series, from Kyle Greaves’ move into Pro Lite to Scottie Lawrence adding a Pro 4 campaign to his Pro Mod SXS efforts.

Speaking of the side-by-sides, it’ll be a deep season for them as well—one that local fans got a preview of two weekends ago when SXS Sports resumed its King of the Elements season at future COR host Dirt City Motorplex. Chaney, Henderson, and Lawrence are all expected to continue to fight for SXS titles alongside CJ Greaves, who serves as race director for that series, and SXS-only mainstays led by defending Pro Mod champion Rodney VanEperen.

The full 2020 Championship Off-Road schedule is as follows:

• July 10-11: ERX Motor Park
• July 25-26: Dirt City Motorplex
• August 14-16: Bark River International Raceway
• September 4-5: Crandon International Raceway (World Championship)
• September 25-26: Crandon International Raceway (Brush Run)

Friday and Saturday’s ERX Off-Road National will stream at champoffroad.com/livestream starting at 12:20PM ET (9:20AM PT) on both race days.

Images via Championship Off-Road