Off-Road Series Final Tonight at Edison Field

The U.S. Off-Road Championship series will hold its final event of the year Saturday night at Edison Field, just two weeks after the season began.

The third-year series, which staged 10 events in seven states and Canada last year, originally had four races on the 2000 schedule, but canceled the Las Vegas stop next month, leaving only Houston, Phoenix and Anaheim.

The series features five classes of off-road racing: Sport Trucks, Super Modified Buggies, Pro Quads, Thunder Bikes and Stadium Lites. Because of a decrease in Stadium Lites entries this season, there will be qualifying and a main event only if there are 10 or more entrants; otherwise, only a main event will be held.

One of the big surprises this year has been the success of Tustin’s Doug Dubach, who won the Thunder Bikes class in Houston and Phoenix.

Dubach, a former Supercross champion and three-time Four Stroke world champion, held off 1999 points champion Brian “Spud” Walters last Saturday in Phoenix after they locked wheels in the final turn and Walters went down.

“The first round was kind of handed to me after Spud crashed on the second lap,” said Dubach. “At last weekend’s race, Spud tried to make an aggressive move and he paid the price.”

Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and racing starts at 7.