OPTIMA Batteries-sponsored driver Christopher Polvoorde has won the Great American Short Course (GAS) Pro Lite championship in his Ford Ranger in the series’ inaugural season, the company announced.
The GAS series was created by veteran race series director Lee Perfect and race promoter Dave Cole of Hammerking Productions, who announced the formation of GAS 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 GAS 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 competed for the first time in the SPEC Trophy Truck class of SCORE’s Baja 1000.
“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.”
