American racing pioneer and NASCAR legend Robby Gordon today confirmed he will bring the popular new Stadium Super Trucks Series to next year’s Clipsal 500 Adelaide.
Touted as the world’s newest and most exciting form of racing, the 2015 Clipsal 500 Adelaide will be the first time these 600 horsepower V8 trucks will compete for points outside North America.
Owner and headline driver Robby Gordon provided an exhilarating preview for Clipsal 500 fans today, taking V8 Supercars driver Scott Pye and South Australian Tourism Minister Leon Bignell for a spin in his 600 horsepower V8 truck. Robby launched the truck 40 meters through the air on Pit Straight in what will be a teaser to the action-packed entertainment on offer at next year’s event.
“The growth of the Stadium Super Trucks Series has been incredible, and for us to take our Series outside North America for the first time is a really big deal so we were very selective with which event we chose. The Clipsal 500 is one of the biggest and best entertainment events in Australia so for us it was a perfect fit,” Gordon said.
“Our series has a big following in the states, and with up to 15 high powered off-road trucks racing side by side while hitting speeds of 240km/h, launching five metres into the air and 40 metres down the track, it’s definitely going to blow the minds of Australian fans.”
Created in 2013 from a previous series in the ’90s, this year Gordon took the 13 race series to some of North America’s biggest markets, including Detroit, Toronto, San Diego, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and the X Games in Austin, Texas.
Toyo Tires Open Country A/T II (OP A/T II) is the control tyre for the Stadium Super Truck Series. An off-the-shelf tread pattern, the OP A/TII’s endurance, toughness and relentless grip make it the ideal choice for the mixed terrain and brutal demands of SST racing.
Robby Gordon (right) and Scott Pye at the announcement that the Stadium Super Trucks Series will be coming to the Clipsal 500 Adelaide in 2015.
Competition on track is set to be fierce as the trucks literally fly through Victoria Park, featuring drivers from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds.
“Toyo Tires has been a partner of Formula Off-Road since its inception,” said Gordon. “The tyres they provide for our competitors are extremely reliable and fit the series perfectly.
“The same tyres we race on in the SST are on my personal vehicle. Even with the abuse we put on the Toyo Open Country tyres, they always perform for us.”
Gordon is the first American to win a stage at the Dakar Rally and a NASCAR veteran of 396 sprint series races. He is the headline driver in the SST series, which has also seen Indycar driver Arie Luyendyk Jnr, motocross rider Jeff Ward, Olympic snowboarder Nick Baumgartner and NASCAR driver Justin Lofton compete.
Challenging Robby on track will also be some of the local Team Toyo’s fastest, including trophy truck legend Brad Gallard.
The 2015 Clipsal 500 will run from the 26 of February to the 1st of March.
