Muzzy's Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Robert Van Beekum Wins Vegas
Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series - Round 13 & 14 - Las Vegas, NV - November 5-6, 2011

Muzzy's Monster Energy Kawasaki's Robert Van Beekum took top honors by winning LOORS Rounds 13 & 14 in his Kawasaki Teryx UTV

“We finally got rid of the black cloud over our heads,” said Van Beekum. “We’ve had the fastest car for the last three rounds, but just kept running into little mechanical issues, like belts and shocks. On Saturday, I pulled into the lead around the first corner and just checked out. Halfway through the race I saw the SR1s battling behind me so I decided to play it smart and just let them by. On Sunday, I got another good start, but in the first corner one of the SR1s ran into me at nearly full speed, which broke my sway bar. I was able to recover quickly and continued to lead my class the rest of the race. To stay out front I had to enter the corners slower and really pin it on the straightaways. I managed to hold it together until the finish. Overall, it was a great weekend, now I’m sitting second in the points and hoping to carry this momentum into the final rounds of the LOORRS at Firebird.”

Monster Energy Kawasaki's Chad George took third place at both rounds at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Four-time UTV Unlimited class champion George started off the weekend on the right foot grabbing the top qualifying spot on Saturday. When the gate dropped in the main event, George got off to a good start, but a mechanical issue forced him to slow down to salvage third place. Saturday night George’s crew burned the midnight oil swapping out engines in his car. By race time on Sunday, George lined up on the gate, but the bugs had not been completely worked out of the new engine. Although he wasn’t able to go full throttle, George managed to salvage points by finishing third.

Despite dismal weekend forecasts, fans packed the stands at Las Vegas Motor Speedway come race day. On Saturday, fans and racers watched the first wave of the storm roll through. Although it only delivered light showers during the race, throughout the night storm clouds unloaded over an inch of rain on the track. The saturated track forced the event organizers to cancel practice Sunday morning, but racing resumed shortly thereafter.

“It rained on us the whole weekend,” said Van Beekum. “During the race the track conditions were absolutely perfect. The sandy, wet conditions provided perfect traction, but adversely added weight to the car. We probably gained at least a couple hundred pounds of mud under the vehicle by the end of the race. I could feel the weight in the wheels, but my Muzzy’s powerplant has plenty of power, so I didn’t notice a difference in acceleration. The cool weather was a nice change from the blazing heat we dealt with the last couple rounds at Speedworld.”

In five weeks, Muzzy’s Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Van Beekum heads back to Arizona for the final rounds of the LOORRS series at Firebird Raceway in Chandler, Ariz., where he hopes to earn enough points to secure the championship. Funco Monster Energy Kawasaki’s George has plans to take control of the series at Firebird to earn his fifth-consecutive UTV unlimited class championship. With both racers so close in the points, the finale Firebird should prove an exciting weekend.

About Funco Motorsports:
Founded by Gil George over 30 years ago, FUNCO Motorsports is the leading manufacture of high performance sand, off-road cars and custom UTV's . Their unique designs and family oriented service has sold over 400 Big 5 Model cars and their entry into the UTV market has been explosive too. With 4 consecutive championships, FUNCO Motorsports has proven that their experience on the track translates into quality, race-proven products for all UTV enthusiasts www.funcoutv.com

About Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.:
ATVs, Motorcycles, Utility Vehicles, Watercraft and Power Products are just some of the unique consumer products that have made the Kawasaki brand a household name around the world. From the class leading Ninja® sportbikes and thundering Vulcan™ cruisers to the rugged Brute Force™ ATVs, MULE™ utility vehicles and JET SKI® watercraft, Kawasaki products lead the powersports industry around the globe. The secret of Kawasaki's success is in designing and manufacturing products that offer balanced performance, high quality, reliability and excellent fit and finish. So take a look at what Kawasaki has to offer you in the way of Leading Edge products! www.kawasaki.com

About SuperLite Championship:
The SuperLite Championship Series features extensive national and international exposure through the Lucas Oil Series television package, which airs on such broadcast TV neworks as SpeedTV, NBC Sports, Outdoor Channel, Versus, Juntos Podemos and MavTV. The SuperLite Championship has secured an exclusive presence on its own dedicated TV show on the Outdoor Channel, providing comprehensive coverage of the off-road races, the sponsors, the trucks and the drivers. www.superlitechampionship.com

About Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series:
The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS) is the evolution of the long standing support of short course racing by Forrest Lucas and Lucas Oil Products. Steeped in the Midwest tradition of short course off road racing infused with a West Coast influence, LOORRS brings intense four wheel door to door action to challenging, fan friendly tracks. Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series: This is Short Course. For more information please visit LucasOilOffRoad.com