Why Pro 2 and Pro Light Racer Andrew Carlson Races on Atturo Trail Blade M/T Tires [Video]

Andrew Carlson of Carlson Moto has had an unprecedented rise in the ranks in the TORC racing series.  Carlson #151 races on Atturo Trail Blade M/T tires - the same tires you can purchase at your local independent Atturo Tire Dealer.  In this video testimonial, Carlson outlines why he races on Atturo.

2017 TORC Series Highlight Reel

Here's a highlight reel of all of the Atturo race action this season of  The Off Road Championship Series (TORC).  This video celebrates all the hard won victories our team and the Atturo Trail Blade M/T had this season.

 

Stay tuned for more action next year in both the Pro 2  and Pro Light race classes.  It'll be a mud-slingin' good time! 

Carlson Wins Back 2 Back in Pro2 and Pro Light

From the TORC: The Off Road Championship Series Website:

The day’s most thrilling race came down to some corner contact between Andrew Carlson and TORC PRO 2 series point leader Luke Johnson. Carlson got the better of the situation as Johnson spun and Carlson went on to take the win. This was Carlson’s second PRO 2 win of the three PRO 2 races he has run this season.

“Truck’s [sic] got a bit of a bang on the side,” said Carlson, looking down at the area of his truck following the race where he got tangled with Johnson.

Johnson also remarked on the get-together that, “We were in tight, I was trying to fight back and did everything we could. I am happy to keep the points lead going.”

After successfully pulling the holeshot from the pole position and leading Johnson and Mitch Dorr up Horsepower Hill and out of the first turn, Carlson put his PRO 2 truck on a rail and held the lead through the competition yellow, and eventually the checkers.

***

Andrew Carlson had the prime starting position in PRO Light, which he parlayed into a holeshot and subsequent green-to-checkers first place finish in TORC’s PRO Light race on Saturday at RedBud, completing the PRO 2/PRO Light sweep.

“I knew the holeshot would be a huge part of this race,” said Carlson. “I knew if I could get out front and run clean, I could do it. This was the best track for PRO Lights all year.”

Carlson’s masterful performance was just waiting to be upset by top-qualifier Cam Reimers, who shadowed Carlson for the entire race but was unable to make a pass for the lead. “We were fast this morning, so was Andrew. And, we were able to reel him in, but it ended up being really tough to get around him,” said Reimers.

Dinsmore Reports On His 1st Race of the Year - The Bighouse Brawl

Our first race of the year, and we headed to the Bighouse -- CRANDON, WI. We felt good and when practice came the truck handled great, but our new carb was not set up the way Travis would have liked. So it was back to the pits, some adjustments were made, and the crew got the carb close enough that Travis shook the rust off and qualified 2nd in the Atturo Tires #43.

When the green flag dropped on Saturday he came around Corner One in the 4th spot. Some smooth driving soon moved his hotrod into the #3 slot. However, as the race progressed Travis was making time on the #2 truck when a rock got stuck in the throttle linkage hanging the throttle open and ending his run.

The crew went to work on the truck Saturday night and prepped it for Sunday. A different carb was mounted on top of the Pro Power engine and they were ready for the race.

Sunday's start resulted in 2 trucks getting together in Turn One. Travis narrowly missed the wreck and ended up at the tail end of the field. Through the first half of the race Travis tried to get around the 5th place truck several times and was forced to check up to avoid damage. When the restart flag came at half-way point,  the Atturo #43 was pointed hard into the barn turn taking the inside line again.

But the door was slammed closed.

Travis jumped hard on the brakes to avoid heavy contact and drove around the outside of the spinning truck. Through the next several laps his Pro Light Truck was tearing up the track making its way into the second position before the checkered flag flew. “I just needed a couple more laps and I would have had him too” exclaimed Travis, “this truck was set perfect, I could put it anywhere”

We have to thank Ryan and Jessica Mottinger for their support and help, Dale Chestnut and his crew,  Roger and City Homes for this great truck.

 Remember that Travis races on the Atturo Trail Blade MT, the same tire available at your local independent Atturo Tire Dealer.

Carlson Wins Big in Bark River! Racer's Debut in TORC Pro2 Class is 1st Place!

From the TORC: The Off Road Championship Series Website:




Elk River, MN based driver Andrew Carlson made his PRO 2 debut in Round 7, starting on the pole in Keegan Kincaid’s former truck. Carlson jumped out to an early lead as Eric Ruppel held off class favorites Brad Lovell and Luke Johnson for several laps. Lovell’s mistake on lap two allowed Johnson to speed by, and the top qualifier soon got around Ruppel as well. But by that point, Carlson had gapped out to a huge lead. Lovell, who had been plagued by overheating issues through practice and qualifying, dropped out and attempted to salvage some championship points.

The halfway mandatory caution brought Johnson right up to Carlson’s bumper, and most race fans expected the more experienced racer to pass the rookie quickly. But, lap after lap passed by, and Carlson held on to the lead, turning the Michigan fans and online viewers around the world into believers in the process. Johnson had a couple chances at the lead, but Carlson kept his composure and held the hard charger off to win his first PRO 2 race in storybook fashion.

“I didn’t know what to expect coming into the class. To get out and get the green flag all the way to checkered is awesome for me, because I could just run,” an emotional Carlson explained. “I’ve never run this truck behind anyone, ever, so I didn’t know what the PRO 2 roost was like. I was having a blast. This thing is so fun to drive.”

Carlson was also named the “Bad MoFo” of the day for his courageous debut performance. Luke Johnson, though disappointed with his second-place finish, came out of Saturday a big winner in the championship points race, jumping from third place to first due to mechanical struggles by the previous leaders.

Andrew Carlson is now doing double duty. The driver of the #151 PRO Light and PRO 2 by the same number further cements his team’s commitment to TORC Series competition – Andrew is the son of Chris Carlson, co-founder of ERX Motorpark, the site of TORC’s championship rounds.

Carlson Motorsports purchased the truck from Keegan Kincaid. It’s safe to say the truck is fast – Kincaid piloted it to multiple wins in 2016, including two Crandon Cup Race victories. Carlson is hoping to pick up right where Keegan left off, and he’s off to a good start. He posted the second fastest lap time in Friday’s practice, despite having no previous practice in the new truck.

“It feels awesome,” Carlson said after his second practice session. “It was more similar to the PRO Light than I thought it was going to be. The driving style is pretty much the same with the rear-wheel-drive. The biggest [difference] is probably the suspension. It feels a little more floaty, like riding around on a cloud. It hooks up a lot better. I definitely felt like the PRO Light was slow after I got out.”



Carlson races on the Atturo Trail Blade M/T tire - 265/75/16, the same tire you can find at your local Atturo Dealer.

ATTURO TORC FINALS: A GALLERY OF IMAGES

Carlson Finishes Sophomore TORC Season Top-10 in Atturo Pro Light Points

ELK RIVER, MINN. SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 -

Carlson Moto wrapped up the 2016 TORC: The Off-Road Championship season with some exciting racing Labor Day Weekend at The Big House, Crandon International Raceway in Crandon, Wis. The weekend drew record crowds, exceeding 25,000, and the racing action did not disappoint as the world’s best off-road racers converged for a season finale, Battle Royale.

Competition in the hotly contested Pro Light Class was at an all-time high with 20 trucks entered, including some of the top drivers from the Lucas Oil Off-Road Series on the West Coast. Through the bangin’, bashin’, slippin’ and slidin’, Carlson managed to pull off an impressive 6th place finish on Sunday, after a frustrating run on Saturday in which Carlson was clobbered from all sides, sending him from just outside of a podium spot to deep in the pack in a blink of an eye. So goes off-road truck racing.

The CM Crew will go into the off-season with a solid understanding of what needs to be done to improve the truck for next season, and Carlson will take a pocket full of lessons learned on the track this season into next year when he mounts a serious attack for the Pro Light Points Championship.
Carlson ended the season with an eighth place finish in Pro Light Points, which is a reflection of several poor finishes related to freakish mechanical failures or unfortunate driver errors. The season was highlighted by a huge win on Carlson’s home track, ERX Motorpark in Elk River, and by two other podium finishes in Crandon International Off-Road Raceway and at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The great news is that both Carlson and the CM Crew know what needs to happen in the off-season to prepare for next year, and there’s no question that this team will do what it takes to put a top-notch program on the track next year.



“This was one of those seasons with high-highs and low-lows,” Carlson said with a dirt-inspired grin. “When we didn’t have mechanical issues, and when I drove the truck at the level I’m capable of, we were usually one of the fastest trucks on the track. Next year is going to be all about being consistent, smooth and spooky fast! I’m already looking forward to the first race.”

CM off-road program manager and master-tuner, Jesse Heise, summed up the season. “In just his second season racing trucks, Andrew was able to earn three podiums and his first big win,” Heise said. “We had some tough mechanical luck this year, and he made a few rookie mistakes, but overall, it was a season where we proved that we are a force to be reckoned with. Any of our competitors who take us lightly next season will be in for a huge surprise—we’ve got a wheelman who has proven that he can win, and our truck will be best-in-class. It’s a combination needed to chase a points championship.”


The entire Carlson Moto organization would like to thank our world class sponsors for all of their support.

Atturo Pro Light Class Final Rounds - Replay Featuring Travis Dinsmore's Narrow Victory

Video: The Checkered Flag Tells All in Crandon - Final Rounds of The Off Road Championship Series

Bitter Sweet Results for Atturo Driver Travis Dinsmore at Bark River TORC Series

The weather at Bark River could not have been better for the 41st running of the Bark River race. The track was great and Travis and the Atturo Tires / SleCo #43 were excited to challenge this technical layout

The truck showed speed during Friday`s practice, running fastest lap in one practice session with Travis being able to position the truck where ever he wanted on the track ``I like the set up`` Travis said `` lets prep it and leave it``

Qualifying came Saturday morning and the team was ready, during qualifying the electronic transmitter that times the laps failed and was sending no lap times to USAC control, during this time USAC manually timed the #43 and Travis laid down the fastest lap. During meetings it was decided that manual timing could not be used for qualifying and the #43 would have to start at the rear.



In the start of the race Travis advanced forward quickly getting to 5th place in 3 laps when another truck forced him off the track, When Travis entered back onto the circuit he was now in 8th. The #43 ran flawless to the mandatory caution working its way back up to 6th. As the green flag flew again Travis and the #43 moved into 5th but luck would elude the team on the next lap, a power steering hose failure would erupt the truck into flames ending the day.




Quick response by the Track Safety Crew would extinguish the flames to cause minimal harm. The Cool It Thermo Tec heat barriers saved the valuable parts of the engine compartment and the team worked into the night to resolve the minor fire damage.

Sunday Travis started in the 3rd row and by corner 1 would have the #43 in the 3rd spot, as the next couple laps unfolded Travis was in second closing on 1st place when the mandatory caution came out. The second half of the race would prove to be one of the best fought battles in Pro Light in a long time. Kyle Hart, the points leader,  jumped into second place on the restart.

Travis, reluctant to give up this position and valuable points, raced Kyle clean and hard, passing him on lap 7 for the second spot. The following 3 laps had the stands on their feet as Kyle would get inside and outside of Travis but the #43 hotrod was driven with perfection to stay ahead of Kyle and race clean to a second place finish.



Hats off to these 2 drivers for racing so well and giving the fans a great race to watch!

Travis races on Atturo Trail Blade M/T tires.  Visit www.atturo.com for more information on this and our other great tires. 

Dinsmore Closes Points Gap at ERX Motor Park Twin Cities Takedown Event

After a great run at Crandon, the team set their goals high heading to the new track in Elk River Minnesota - ERX Motor Park. With an 18 Point gap between the first place truck of Kyle Hart and Travis, the team prepped and set the truck for podium finishes. When the truck hit the track for practice at the beautiful rolling groomed ERX track Travis and the #43 showed promising speed on this new technical race surface. “I like it “ Travis said.

Qualifying would put the Atturo Tires, Sle-Co Ford on the front row for the start of Saturday's race. When the green flag dropped Travis chased the first place truck, Atturo teammate Andrew Carlson #151 for the whole race, challenging him a couple times but unable to safely make the pass stick. As the race progressed the track with its new surface began to rut up really bad causing many teams to have problems forcing them further back in the field. With 4 laps left the #43 team decided to take it easy and bring the truck to the checkers in one piece in a comfortable 2nd place finish.

  

Saturday night saw heavy rain fall which helped to bond the track dirt together, the track design allowed water to drain away so the track was perfect and ready for Sundays race.

Sunday would see Travis and the #43 Pro Light start in the 3rd row. When the race started the Atturo Tire / Sle-Co Ford fell back a little to 8th place as the race sorted itself out and Travis avoided harmful contact from hard chargers in the opening laps. Travis worked his way to the 5th position by the mandatory caution as was ready for his charge. In a caution filled second half of the race the #43 was driven with precision through the field and wrecks. With 3 laps left Travis had worked his way into the second spot but another caution forced him back to his last lap position of 3rd with 2 laps left.



When the race restarted Travis drove with winning in his eyes, he managed to get around 2nd to take the spot and closed in on 1st place during the last lap. Travis drove hard through the rhythm section to the last corner before the checkers going hard to drive inside the #27 of Shawn Morris trying to take the win. As he entered the corner he biked the truck on 2 wheels leaning it against Morris for a thrilling dash to the flag. When the flag waved it was Morris 1st and Travis second. “I had to go for it, if it hadn’t have biked I would of had him, needed 1 more lap” Travis exclaimed “I ate a lot of dirt and went through almost a roll of tear off in the Mud Muncher”.

The team and Driver have worked hard and managed to click off a few more points they are looking forward to another fast track at Bark River Mi. July 30-31st.

All races can be watched live the day of the race at www.torcseries.com

Twin Cities Takedown Highlights from Atturo Driver #43 Travis Dinsmore

Travis Dinsmore sent us some terrific highlight pictures from the Twin Cities Takedown - part of  TORC: The Off Road Championship Series.

Enjoy!