Gunk backing Luyendyk Jr.'s return to TORC

DANA POINT, Calif. (Feb. 5, 2014) — Former Indy Lights and endurance racer Arie Luyendyk Jr. is returning to compete in the 2014 TORC (The Off-Road Championship) short-course, off-road racing series, which has its season opener April 5-6 in Primm, Nev.

Mr. Luyendyk, star from "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" reality TV shows, will be racing in the #25 PRO-2 truck with Aero Motorsports and his newly announced title sponsor, engine cleaning and degreasing product Gunk, a Radiator Specialty Co. brand. After making the switch to off-road racing from road racing, Mr. Luyendyk finished the 2013 TORC season with fourth- and sixth-place finishes for the team.

"I can't express how excited I am to climb back into a truck and compete in my first full season of TORC," he said. "This year will be exciting because it's my first taste of the 900+ Horsepower PRO-2 truck. I'm definitely up for the challenge."

He added that the partnership with Gunk "has made this all possible. I'm honored to bring them into such a great sport and such an exciting series. We will be planning a lot of great activation for the TORC fans and I'm hoping the Gunk PRO-2 will become a crowd favorite."

TORC President B.J Birtwell said Mr. Luyendyk's "visibility and presence, both on and off the track, add an exciting dimension to the series. I know he's hungry for a National Championship in the PRO-2 Class, and we wish him all the best as he goes head to head against the best short-course, off-road racers in the country."

Previously, Mr. Luyendyk, of Scottsdale, Ariz., competed in four seasons of Indy Lights, where he finished second, third and fourth in the championship series on the strength of one win, four pole positions and 13 podium finishes. He was named "Most Popular Driver" for four consecutive years. He has also competed in sports car racing with a Daytona Prototype in the 24 Hours of Daytona and in the GT2 class in the 12 Hours of Sebring, and has one Indianapolis 500 start to his credit.

TORC describes itself as "a collision between action sports and motorsports" and "the ultimate battleground for 900-horsepower race trucks" competing to win the TORC National Championship.More information about the series, including 2014 event schedule and driver profiles, are available on the TORC website.