Off Road Racer Ricky James' Powerful Performance Leaves Others in His Dust

Motocross racer turned short course off road dirt racer Ricky James stunned the competition in the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series (LOORRS) in Surprise, Arizona.

Off Road short course dirt racers compete in LOORRS Series at Surprise, Arizona
Off Road short course dirt racers compete in LOORRS Series at Surprise, Arizona

Roller Coaster weekend of ups and downs for LOORRS Super Lite Truck Off Road Racer Ricky James
Roller Coaster weekend of ups and downs for LOORRS Super Lite Truck Off Road Racer Ricky James
The 21-year-old paraplegic race car driver from Murrieta, California won Round 9 and had a second place finish in Round 10 in the Super Lite Class. “It was gratifying to get the win,” said Casey Coughlin, co-owner of SoCal Super Trucks. “We had an insane few days.  On the Tuesday before the race we noticed some problems and had the motor torn down for better evaluation. The motor had to come out, get repaired and we had it back in the truck by Wednesday night at about 2:30 in the morning. Then we started our journey from California to Arizona.”
Ricky James won Round 9 in the Super Lite Class at Surprise, Arizona in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, courtesy of JnL Photo
Ricky James won Round 9 in the Super Lite Class at Surprise, Arizona in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, courtesy of JnL Photo

SoCal Super Pro Lite Truck with K&N products will next run in a LOORRS Series race in Primm, Nevada
SoCal Super Pro Lite Truck with K&N products will next run in a LOORRS Series race in Primm, Nevada

James rolled his vehicle on Friday during qualifying but still had the 2nd fastest time. He started the race in 7th position due to an inverted start rule. “We noticed more problems," said Coughlin. "Speed Technologies loaned us an engine and we got everything under control just before the Super Lite start on Saturday.”

James picked his way through the field one by one and took the victory by a 25 truck length margin. “I’m so proud of my crew,” said James. “Everyone worked so hard to get the SoCal SuperTrucks Super Lite ready for Saturday’s race and I was happy to reward them with a victory.”

Sunday’s race looked as if it would be a repeat win for James. However, a blown engine with 3 laps remaining caused him to lose power. Chad Leising passed James to claim first and James settled on 2nd place.

“I think Ricky’s perseverance motto rang true for all of us on this race weekend,” said Coughlin. “We were sure we would not be racing Saturday morning, but we ended up with a victory. That is nothing short of amazing. We could not have done it without the support and help of John Harrah and the crew at Speed Technologies.”

SoCal Super Trucks currently has its Superlite torn down and are prepping it now. They want to figure out what went wrong in Arizona. “We're getting ready for the next LOORRS race in Primm, Nevada in November,” said Coughlin. “Then we’ll be at the Lucas Oil Challenge Cup in December in Lake Elsinore, California.”

Lake Elsinore is good to James. He won rounds 7 and 8 of the LOORRS Series by dominating the competition in July. “We can always count on our K&N filters,” said Coughlin. “Without the help and support of K&N we would not be sitting on the podium. K&N gives us excellent filtration and protects our engines.”

James other accomplishments include:

2008 West Coast Pro Truck Champion
2008 West Coast Pro Truck Rookie of the Year
2008 Ironman World Champion
2008 X Games Adaptive Motocross Silver medalist
2008 Challenge Athlete of the year
2007 Baja 500 finisher

James was paralyzed from the sternum down at an amateur motocross race as a teenager. He refused to give up. He drives his truck by steering with his right hand, as his left hand works the clutch, throttle, shifter and brakes. “Ricky is a force to be reckoned with on the track,” said Coughlin. “He’s also an inspiration to us all.”

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