Funco Motorsports’ driver, Chad George, will campaign new colors this racing season in the #42 Discount Tire / Traxxas / Yokohama Pro-Lite Unlimited; and will debut this weekend at Firebird Raceway in Chandler, Arizona for the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series (LOORRS) opener. Chad’s teammate & cousin, Garrett George, will round-out the short-course duties while contending in the fierce Pro-Buggy Unlimited class with his #71 FUNCO / Anenberg / Yokohama race machine.

Funco Motorsports and the George Family extends a special thanks to friends, Abu Dhabi Unlimited and all other partners for their exceptional support to build Funco Motorsports into a powerhouse contender for the 2012 Pro-Lite Unlimited Championship, Pro-Buggy Unlimited Championship and Rookie of the Year in each class.

There is an old saying that goes “the only job where you start at the top is digging a hole”. Apparently, driver Samuel Hubinette has never heard it. Samuel’s debut in the TORC off-road racing series netted back-to-back wins and placed him at the top of the Pro light leader board.

 His incredible results might have shocked a few but to those familiar with his long racing history; it was not surprising. Samuel developed his car control skills at an early age getting tips from his father while he slid around on the frozen lakes of his native Sweden. At only sixteen years old, he got his racing license and started competing in Rallycross events. Rallycross is a sprint type race, similar to the TORC series but with cars, held on courses incorporating several different track surfaces including tarmac, gravel and dirt. His driving experience also includes Hollywood stunts, Motocross, snowmobiles, Touring Car, multiple Formula Drift championships and a stint as a factory Volvo test driver. In the Viper Racing League series, he won six out of six races in 2005. Samuel has been racing for Mopar since 2004 so when they decided to compete in the TORC series, he was at the top of their list of potential drivers. 

Going into his first race in the truck with very limited seat time, Samuel was disappointed. Qualifying had been rained out so they drew numbers for their starting positions. Samuel drew the last position on the grid. Disappointing yes but it would prove to be a blessing in disguise. With no pressure and nothing to lose, Samuel figured he would get comfortable with the truck and just go out and have fun. Moving up through the field to 4^th place at the competition yellow must have been great fun. When racing resumed, he soon found himself in an intense battle for the lead with fellow King Shocks racer Casey Currie, the reigning TORC Champion. Samuel and Casey would duke it out till the very end with Samuel taking the win by a couple of feet.

Round 2 on Sunday would have different circumstances but the same results. Samuel started 6th, a huge improvement over the 17^th spot in round 1. The track was much worse after the pro-2’s and Pro-4’s ran and the other competitors had a chance to learn the track and make adjustments after the previous round making things much more difficult. “The track was narrow with tight corners”, said Samuel, “I’m surprised we moved through the field like we did.  My spotter Craig Deer was a huge help all weekend keeping me informed about what was happening on the track. I made my way up to 2^nd spot behind CJ Greaves and just settled in on his bumper waiting for him to make a mistake. My years of drifting experience came in handy as I am used to driving very close to the vehicle in front of me without making contact. He gave me a little opening and I took it. I can’t thank my team and my sponsors enough for putting me in such great equipment. My Mopar, Ram Truck engine is a beast and the Jenkins Bros. chassis handles great. The teams experience really showed when we lined up in round 1 with no track time and yet my King Shocks and BF Goodrich tires were dialed in perfectly”.   

Next stop on the TORC series schedule is “The big house” at Crandon international Raceway June 18^th and 19th. The tight twisty track at Red Bud will be a mere memory as the competitors will be tested on the wide, high speed corners and long straights Crandon is famous for.