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The Stadium Super Trucks (SST), formerly known as Speed Energy Formula Off-Road, is an American short course off-road racing series created by off-road racer and former IndyCar and NASCAR driver Robby Gordon in 2013. Sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (USAC) in America with title sponsorship from Gordon's Speed Energy brand, the series utilizes identical off-road trucks that originally competed primarily in American football stadiums, but in 2014 began racing mostly on street circuits and road courses, often in conjunction with the IndyCar Series race schedules. From 2015 to 2021, the series also raced in Australia in support of the Supercars Championship. In 2020 and 2021, SST operated the Boost Mobile Super Trucks championship, which was sanctioned by Motorsport Australia and promoted by Boost Mobile. As of 2022, Gavin Harlien is the most recent SST champion. Matthew Brabham has the most titles with three, while two-time champion Sheldon Creed is the all-time leader in race wins with 39. History By 2011, there was speculation that after his NASCAR career was over, Robby Gordon would bring back the concept of stadium off-road racing that Mickey Thompson had invented. Gordon announced the formation of the Stadium Super Trucks (SST) on May 29, 2012, modeling the series after Thompson's MTEG stadium series; early in his career, Gordon won the 1989 MTEG championship as a 20-year-old. Gordon compared the concept of SST to that of the International Race of Champions; drivers and/or sponsors could take over a team for a year but the series provided everything else. The trucks held an exhibition race at Crandon International Off-Road Raceway after the conclusion of the World Championship races on September 2. The Stadium Super Trucks began with a twelve-race season in 2013. The series held their first official race at the University of Phoenix Stadium on April 6, 2013. The race was won by Rob MacCachren, Justin Matney finished second, and Gordon passed the flipped-over truck of P. J. Jones on the final lap for third. Gordon and MacCachren battled throughout the 2013 season, and Gordon won the championship by seven points. As support events, the series scheduled monster trucks, quad bikes and Side by Side UTVs. On December 11, 2013, Gordon announced the series would be among the events held at the X Games Austin in 2014. On March 4, 2014, the series was renamed to Speed Energy Formula Off-Road presented by Traxxas with the trucks retaining the SST name, though the Formula Off-Road branding was quietly reverted by 2016. The series' X Games final was held at Circuit of the Americas on June 8. Apdaly Lopez won the gold medal; Sheldon Creed and Gordon earned silver and bronze, respectively. The 2014 season also saw the series expand outside the United States and Canada by participating at the Race of Champions in Barbados. In 2016, SST held the Mike's Peak Hill Climb Challenge at Mike's Sky Rancho in Baja California. Beyond North America, the trucks had demonstrations in the Mongolian desert in 2016 and 2019, while the 2017 schedule included a race in China at Beijing National Stadium. On September 23, 2014, sponsorship marketing company The Elevation Group purchased a 40 percent stake in the series. In 2015, the series entered a partnership with all-terrain vehicle manufacturer Arctic Cat, which led to the creation of the Arctic Cat Stadium Side-by-Side (SXS) Racing Series as a support series to the SST. Although stadiums were gradually phased out in favor of street courses, SST returned to the former in December 2017 with the inaugural Stadium Super Trucks World Championship Finals in California's Lake Elsinore Diamond baseball park. Although he did not compete in the weekend due to a rib injury, Paul Morris clinched the 2017 championship with Jerett Brooks driving his No. 67 truck. During the 2018 season, SST organized the Robby Gordon Off-Road World Championships at Glen Helen Raceway from November 30 to December 2. To close out the season, SST returned to the Race of Champions in 2019, now held in Mexico City, as both a competing category for ROC drivers and a standalone points race. Matthew Brabham ended the season with his first series championship. In March 2021, SST partnered with the newly formed Great American Shortcourse (GAS) series to organize a championship weekend and the Off Road Race of Champions (ORROC), the latter of which was to take place at King of the Hammers; ORROC intended to have GAS class champions compete in stadium trucks with the winner receiving a full-time seat in SST for the 2022 season. However, neither took place due to scheduling conflicts such as Gordon racing in the Baja 1000 and running his Speed UTV company. Racing in Australia With the support of driver Craig Dontas and former Adelaide 500 general manager Nathan Cayzer, SST expanded into Australia for the 2015 season. In May, the trucks were invited to the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England. In May 2018, Gordon formed a three-year partnership with Boost Mobile to keep the series in Australia beyond 2019. As part of the agreement, the series' Australian operations were handled by Cayzer and Morris' Paul Morris Motorsport. However, in September, the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS, now known as Motorsport Australia) revoked their license over safety concerns, a decision particularly spurred by an incident in the May race at Barbagallo Raceway in which Matt Nolan's truck's wheel came off during a wreck and hit a spectator bridge. A court hearing overseen by the Supreme Court of Victoria took place a month later. The series' defense, led by Queen's Counsel barrister Stewart Anderson, said new wheels would be built with forged billet aluminium that makes them heavier and less likely to detach than the current cast alloy. Retired Supercar driver Larry Perkins also gave his support after inspecting them earlier in the year, comparing the trucks' safety to the Supercars. Anderson further stated CAMS and SST had formed an agreement in February in which the former expressed satisfaction at the series, yet CAMS made the decision to suspend the series in May and did not inform SST officials until July, which Gordon stated was a breach of contract. On October 11, judge John Digby ruled in favor of CAMS. Six days after the ruling, the series aligned with the Australian Auto Sport Alliance's Australian Motor Racing Series (AMRS) to remain in the country. The AASA, which is not affiliated with CAMS, and the NSW Sport and Recreation approved SST for competition in AMRS events following a risk assessment. The trucks' first race weekend under the AMRS banner took place nine days later at the Sydney Motorsport Park. On August 20, 2019, CAMS and SST announced they had reached an agreement to lift the ban and form a three-year commercial rights contract. Six days later, Adelaide 500 officials confirmed the series would make its return at the 2020 edition in February with safety i.... Discover the Gavin Rettie popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Gavin Rettie books.