TORC: Keith Steele Bark River II summary

Steele Makes Gains with Horsepower, Looks Forward to Gain on Competition

Madison, WI - Keith Steele saw the second Bark River stop on the 2010 Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL World Tour as turning point in his PRO-2 career. The #29 Monster Energy Kumho Tire Chevy has been competing in TORC's elite professional division with a powerplant designed to compete at the sportsman level. The past weekend Keith Steele Off-Road Racing put another piece of the puzzle together creating a more competitive race truck. The team installed a true PRO-2 powerplant.

The Bark River II event draws the best PRO-2 driving talent in North America. Former Motocross and Supercross Superstars Ricky Johnson and Jeremy McGrath are regulars on the TORC PRO-2 World Tour. Then combine them with the talents short-course racing's own Super Heroes like Scott Taylor and Rob MacCachern, you get a very fast and very talented field of competitors week in and week out. Keith Steele, a multi-time champion at the Sportsman level, is looking to make his mark competing against some of his childhood heroes.

The past eighteen months has seen the independent team take on the TORC's best with a proven Kevin Pence built chassis and a 600 horsepower Chevy V8. Starting in Round 8, the team installed the 800 horsepower Wolverine Performance built engine. Now Keith and the team won't be bringing a sword to the gun fight.

The added horsepower and torque bring a new set of issues to the team when it comes to the truck's handling step. "I wish all we have to do is install the bigger engine and we would be right with the front runners," noted Keith Steele. "The added horsepower and torque and the reduction in engine weight create a whole different chassis setup. Then of course. I have to learn to drive with that extra two hundred horsepower. Everything changes; tires, shocks, springs, transmission, brakes... you name it, everything must be considered."

Even with the extra practice sessions Bark River had on the weekend schedule, Keith and his #29 Monster Energy Kumho Tire Chevy was still a work in progress when it was race time. The results on Saturday didn't reflect the team enthusiasm at the finish.

"We finished ninth, but we got a ton of input from the truck," remarked Keith Steele. "Today's race was a very valuable test session for us. Now we have a true baseline to work from. We will make more changes tomorrow to get me more comfortable with all this new power."

The changes the team made to the Monster Energy Chevy definitely made a difference. Keith brought the black Chevy across the finish in seventh place.

"I was much more comfortable in the truck today," commented Keith Steele. "We might have had a even better finish but the blower hose to my helmet came off, so I had to run the final three laps with my shield up. Thanks to the added horsepower, I'm really looking forward to Chicagoland and Crandon. All in all it was a successful weekend for Steele Off-Road Racing."

The next race for Steele Off-Road Racing is under the lights, Wednesday, August 25 and Thursday, August 26 under the lights at the Dirt Track at Chicagoland's Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois.

-source: www.steeleoffroad.com