OPTIMA Batteries, the leading brand of Clarios (NYSE: BBU) (TSX: BBU.UN), has announced that its sponsored driver Christopher Polvoorde has won the Great American Shortcourse (GAS) Pro Lite championship in his Ford Ranger after an incredibly competitive inaugural season.
The GAS series was created after veteran race series director Lee Perfect and race promoter Dave Cole of Hammerking Productions sought to reinvigorate the short course racing circuit, leading to the announcement of the formation of Great American Shortcourse powered by OPTIMA Batteries in February 2021. The series encompassed eight rounds of racing over four weekends between the SBC Fairgrounds in Victorville, Calif. and Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernadino, Calif.
Entering the final event of the series, Polvoorde was the leader in points for the championship after finishing on the podium in the first six races. Polvoorde finished first in both rounds of the final event, securing his place as the first Pro Lite Great American Shortcourse champion by a total of 25 points over the runner-up. Season rival Madix Bailey finished second and Jimmy Weitzel placed third.
“We want to support all types of motorsports,” OPTIMA Batteries Director of Marketing Cam Douglass said. “When we saw an opportunity to be part of the reinvention of short course racing, we gladly stepped up to support the series. Christopher is a great kid and we are excited for his success too.”
Following the championship finish in Great American Shortcourse, Polvoorde is headed to Baja California, Mexico to compete for the first time in the SPEC Trophy Truck class of SCORE’s Baja 1000. Accompanied by title sponsor OPTIMA Batteries, the Chris Polvoorde Racing team brings Baja racing legends Dale Ebberts and Steven Eugenio onboard with 13 chase vehicles in tail, two helicopters and one private aircraft.
“Tackling the [Baja] 1000 in my first year of racing the Spec Trophy Truck class is a tall order to fill, but we have an incredible team so I’m confident that we can lay down a great peninsula run and finish this race,” said team owner and racer Christopher Polvoorde. “For a 1,227-mile race, it’s smarter to bring in outside drivers and teams to try and put together the best possible run that we can.”
Polvoorde, Ebberts and Eugenio have been pre-running in Baja California, Mexico leading up to the race. Christopher qualified first in class at the Baja 400, nearly ten seconds faster than the next driver. The Polvoorde team is striving to put the Number 204 OPTIMA Sponsored Spec Trophy Truck on top of the box for the Baja 1000.