Wikipedia

Kyle LeDuc

Kyle LeDuc (July 29, 1981 – November 11, 2023) was an American professional racing driver. He mainly competed in short course off-road truck racing, where he had seven Pro 4 class championships, six of which came in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS), and over 100 career wins.

Kyle LeDuc
LeDuc celebrating in 2014
Born(1981-07-29)July 29, 1981
East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedNovember 11, 2023(2023-11-11) (aged 42)
Fairhope, Alabama, U.S.
Related toCurt LeDuc (father)
Todd LeDuc (brother)
Championship Off-Road Pro 4
Years active2020–2022
Starts21
Championships1 (2020)
Wins9
Podiums12
Best finish1st in 2020
Finished last season2nd (2021)
Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Pro 4
Years active2009–2019
Starts140
Championships6
Wins60
Podiums89
Best finish1st in 2012, 2014–2017, 2019
Previous series
2021–2022
2013, 2015–2016		Extreme E
Stadium Super Trucks
Championship titles
2020
2012, 2014–2017, 2019		COR Pro 4
LOORRS Pro 4
Last updated on: February 9, 2022.

LeDuc had also raced in Championship Off-Road Racing, Stadium Super Trucks, and TORC: The Off-Road Championship.

Racing career

edit

After growing up in mountain bike racing, during which he won various downhill championships, LeDuc switched to desert racing. In 1999 and 2000, he ran the SCORE International Laughlin Desert Challenge and scored the Baja 2000 Class 8 win during the latter.[1] In 2002, he began short course off-road competition; at the age of 20, he was the youngest driver in active off-road competition at the time, which gave him the nickname "The Kid".[2] The next year, he won the Prolite World Championship at Crandon International Off-Road Raceway, followed by the Championship Off-Road Racing Pro Lite title in 2004.[1] In addition to competing in Pro Lite, he worked as a spotter and assistant for his father Curt's Pro 4 truck. While Curt was competing in the Dakar Rally, the younger LeDuc assembled his own Pro 4 chassis using components from his father's truck and was encouraged by Pro Lite sponsor Rockstar Energy to move into the higher class.[3]

 
LeDuc's 2009 BorgWarner Cup-winning trophy truck

LeDuc made his Pro 4 debut in 2008, winning three times in his first season. In 2009, he began racing in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series and Traxxas TORC Series, finishing second in the latter's championship.[4] He also won the 2009 BorgWarner Cup at Crandon and 2010 Lucas Oil Challenge Cup;[5] the latter is a race between Pro 2 and Pro 4 trucks.[6] After finishing runner-up in the 2010 and 2011 LOORRS standings,[4] LeDuc won the 2012 championship by 14 points over brother Todd LeDuc with seven victories, six of which were consecutive to start the season.[7][8] He also won his second Challenge Cup.[6]

In 2012, LeDuc conducted testing for the Stadium Super Trucks ahead of their inaugural season in 2013.[9] He debuted in the series at the 2013 finale in Las Vegas;[10] he won his heat race but finished last in the final after being involved in an accident.[11] Two years later, LeDuc returned to SST for the Grand Prix of Long Beach and X Games Austin 2015.[12][13] He finished tenth in Long Beach after starting fourth.[14] At the X Games, he set the second-fastest time in qualifying, followed by finishing runner-up in his heat and ninth in the main.[15][16] In 2016, he ran the SST weekend at the Sand Sports Super Show; after finishing seventh in the Friday night race, he was involved in a crash in the Saturday heat race that resulted in Tyler McQuarrie flipping onto his roof, which was followed by placing on the podium in the feature in third.[17]

From 2014 to 2017, LeDuc won four consecutive LOORRS Pro 4 championships. The 2014 season saw him win 11 of 14 and receive LOORRS Driver of the Year honors; he also won the TORC World Championship Ring and AMSOIL Cup.[18][19] In 2015, he set the LOORRS record for most Pro 4 wins in a row at ten and he ended the year with 12.[20][21] LeDuc battled with Carl Renezeder for the 2016 championship and the two finished the year tied in points, with LeDuc claiming the tiebreaker as his eight wins outweighed Rezender's two.[22][23] The fifth title came as part of a five-win campaign.[24] The stretch also saw him win the Challenge Cup in 2014, 2016, and 2017.[6]

After winning the 2016 LOORRS Pro 4 title, LeDuc entered the Baja 1000 for Riviera Racing alongside Mark Post, who was officially listed as the team's driver in the race results. LeDuc won the pole position after setting the fastest qualifying time and Post finished fifth.[25][26]

A sixth LOORRS Pro 4 title and fifth Challenge Cup came in 2019.[6][27] Low entry numbers forced LOORRS to cancel the 2020 Pro 4 season, which prompted LeDuc to join the newly formed Championship Off-Road series in the same class.[28] He won five of ten races, including the final weekend at Crandon, and the COR championship for his seventh title in Pro 4.[29] When he swept the COR weekend at ERX Motor Park in July, he scored his 100th career win.[30]

Shortly after his 100th race victory, Chip Ganassi Racing signed LeDuc for the first Extreme E season in 2021, sharing an electric SUV with fellow off-road racer and X Games athlete Sara Price.[2]

Personal life

edit

LeDuc grew up in Cherry Valley, California. Father Curt competed in short course and desert racing while older brother Todd has also raced in LOORRS and Monster Jam.[31] He also had a sister Valerie.[32]

LeDuc lived in Fairhope, Alabama, and had two children with his wife Amber (née Mader).[4] Kyle proposed to Amber prior to a 2008 CORR Pro 4 race at Las Vegas International Off-Road Raceway, where he eventually finished second.[32]

Illness and death

edit

In November 2022, LeDuc was diagnosed with stage IV head and neck cancer, and was sidelined from competing in the 2023 Championship Off-Road season.[33] He died on November 11, 2023, after suffering cardiac arrest. He was 42.[34]

Motorsports career results

edit

Career summary

edit
Season Series Races Wins Podiums Points Position Ref
2009 LOORRS Unlimited 4 4 3 4 202 9th [35]
2010 LOORRS Pro 4 15 1 8 630 2nd [36]
2011 LOORRS Pro 4 15 5 8 656 2nd [37]
2012 LOORRS Pro 4 15 7 11 709 1st [7]
2013 LOORRS Pro 4 15 3 8 647 2nd [38]
LOORRS Pro 2 13 0 0 482 8th [39]
Stadium Super Trucks 1 0 0 23 22nd [40]
2014 LOORRS Pro 4 15 11 11 722 1st [18]
2015 LOORRS Pro 4 17 12 14 790 1st [41]
Stadium Super Trucks 2 0 0 33 23rd [42]
2016 LOORRS Pro 4 15 8 10 692 1st [22]
Stadium Super Trucks 2 0 1 35 24th [43]
2017 LOORRS Pro 4 13 5 8 584 1st [24]
2018 LOORRS Pro 4 11 3 4 524 3rd [44]
2019 LOORRS Pro 4 9 6 7 471 1st [45]
2020 COR Pro4 10 5 7 223 1st [46]
2021 COR Pro4 11 4 5 479 2nd [47]
Extreme E 5 0 0 59 8th [48]
2022 Extreme E 4 1 0 55 5th

Stadium Super Trucks

edit

(key) (Bold – Pole position. Italics – Fastest qualifier. * – Most laps led.)

Stadium Super Trucks results
Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 SSTC Pts Ref
2013 PHO LBH LAN SDG SDG STL TOR TOR CRA CRA OCF OCF OCF CPL
10 		22nd 23 [40]
2015 ADE ADE ADE STP STP LBH
10 		DET DET DET AUS
10 		TOR TOR OCF OCF OCF SRF SRF SRF SRF SYD LVV LVV 23rd 33 [42]
2016 ADE ADE ADE STP STP LBH LBH DET DET DET TOW TOW TOW TOR TOR CLT CLT OCF
7 		OCF
3 		SRF SRF SRF 24th 35 [43]

Extreme E

edit

(key)

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos. Points
2021 Segi TV Chip Ganassi Racing Spark ODYSSEY 21 DES
Q
7 		DES
R
8 		OCE
Q
7 		OCE
R
7 		ARC
Q
7 		ARC
R
9 		ISL
Q
5 		ISL
R
4 		JUR
Q
8 		JUR
R
8 		8th 59[N 1]
2022 Chip Ganassi Racing Spark ODYSSEY 21 DES
4 		ISL1
1 		ISL2
7 		COP
4 		ENE 5th 55

Notes

edit
  1. ^ LeDuc received a 1 championship point penalty for causing a collision in the shoot-out race of the Desert X-Prix.[49]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b LeDuc, Kyle (May 21, 2015). "ORX Interview: Kyle LeDuc Continues His Off Road Winning Streak" (Interview). Interviewed by Bourdon, Stuart. Off Road Xtreme. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Chip Ganassi Racing First to Complete Extreme E Driver Lineup by Signing American Kyle LeDuc". Chip Ganassi Racing. July 14, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  3. ^ LeDuc, Kyle (February 10, 2020). "Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Championship Profile: Pro 4 Champion Kyle LeDuc" (Interview). Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Driver's Bio". Kyle LeDuc. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  5. ^ LeDuc, Kyle (September 18, 2013). "11 Questions With Kyle Leduc" (Interview). Interviewed by Zindroski, Jason. race-deZert. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d "Kyle LeDuc is the 2019 LOORRS Pro 4 class Champion!". Toyo Tires. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series - Pro 4 | Season: 2012". MyLaps. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  8. ^ "The 2012 LOORRS Champions". Four Wheeler. February 1, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  9. ^ "Stadium SUPER Trucks – Kyle LeDuc Open Test". Robby Gordon Off-Road. July 3, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  10. ^ "Team Toyo racer wins SST championship". Toyo Tires (Press release). Modern Tire Dealer. November 15, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  11. ^ "Round 14 of 14 – Caesars Palace, Las Vegas -11/8/13". Stadium Super Trucks. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  12. ^ Parks, Dustin (August 18, 2015). "Viso Pulls Away from Field to Win Stadium Super Trucks in Long Beach". All About Horse Power. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  13. ^ Martelli, Matt (May 6, 2015). "Off-Road Rising: X Games 2015". race-deZert. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  14. ^ "E.J. Viso Wins The SST Grand Prix Of Long Beach". Stadium Super Trucks. April 19, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  15. ^ "X Games Austin 2015 - Off Road Truck Racing". X Games. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  16. ^ "Round 10 of 21 – X GAMES Austin – 6/7/15". Stadium Super Trucks. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  17. ^ Nguyen, Justin (September 18, 2016). "SST: Sand Sports Super Show Recap". Overtake Motorsport. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  18. ^ a b "Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series - Pro 4 | Season: 2014". MyLaps. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  19. ^ "Team Toyo's Kyle LeDuc Crowned 2014 Champion". Toyo Tires (Press release). Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  20. ^ Burns, Josh (August 8, 2015). "Team Toyo's Kyle LeDuc Sets Record for Most Consecutive Pro 4 Class Wins in a Season". Off-Road. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  21. ^ "Kyle LeDuc Captures Back-to-Back Pro 4 Class Championships". Toyo Tires. Modern Tire Dealer. October 28, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  22. ^ a b "Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series - Pro 4 | Season: 2016". MyLaps. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  23. ^ James, Richard S. (October 23, 2016). "LOORRS: Kyle LeDuc wins Pro 4 title". Racer. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  24. ^ a b "Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series - Pro 4 | Season: 2017". MyLaps. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  25. ^ Burns, Josh (November 4, 2016). "Kyle LeDuc Leads Qualifying for SCORE Baja 1000". Off-Road. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  26. ^ "2016 SCORE Baja 1000" (PDF). SCORE International. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  27. ^ James, Richard S. (October 27, 2019). "Kyle LeDuc takes 99th win in Lucas Oil Challenge Cup". Racer. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  28. ^ Fiolka, Marty (June 16, 2020). "INSIGHT: Pro 4's Midwest migration". Racer. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  29. ^ "Kyle LeDuc - 2020 Pro 4 COR Champ!". Toyo Tires. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  30. ^ "Kyle Leduc Wins the Weekend at the COR ERX Off-Road National Race". Toyo Tires (Press release). Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  31. ^ Zink, David (June 11, 2015). "ZINK: Cherry Valley's Todd LeDuc has racing in his blood". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  32. ^ a b "CORR: Las Vegas: Team LeDuc weekend summary". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. May 20, 2008. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  33. ^ Nguyen, Justin (June 4, 2023). "Cancer battle sidelines Kyle LeDuc for 2023". TheCheckeredFlag.co.uk. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  34. ^ Wilde, Dominik (November 11, 2023). "Kyle LeDuc, 1981-2023". racer.com. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  35. ^ "LOORRS - Unlimited 4 | Season: 2009". MyLaps. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  36. ^ "Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series - Pro 4 Unlimited | Season: 2010". MyLaps. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  37. ^ "Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series - Pro 4 Unlimited | Season: 2011". MyLaps. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  38. ^ "Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series - Pro 4 | Season: 2013". MyLaps. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  39. ^ "Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series - Pro 2 | Season: 2013". MyLaps. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  40. ^ a b "2013 SST Point Standings". Stadium Super Trucks. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  41. ^ "Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series - Pro 4 | Season: 2015". MyLaps. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  42. ^ a b "2015 Official Point Standings". Stadium Super Trucks. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  43. ^ a b "2016 Overall Point Standings". Stadium Super Trucks. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  44. ^ "Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series - Pro4 | Season: 2018". MyLaps. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  45. ^ "Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series - Pro4 | Season: 2019". MyLaps. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  46. ^ "PRO4 | Season: 2020". MyLaps. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  47. ^ "Champ PRO4 | Season: 2021". MyLaps. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  48. ^ "Series Standings". Extreme E. Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  49. ^ "03 - Classification - Shoot Out" (PDF). Al Kamel Systems. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kyle_LeDuc&oldid=1230813686"