LORDSTOWN, Ohio - Lordstown Motors Endurance pickup truck had to quit the San Felipe 250 over the weekend after the first 40 mile stage. CEO Steve Burns says it was primarily due to energy consumption.

"We knew this was a grueling environment and would push us," Burns said. "We successfully navigated the extreme conditions over the first 40-mile leg of the race with all of our mechanicals meeting or exceeding our expectations. While we anticipated significantly higher energy demand from this environment – the reality of the terrain proved to be even more demanding."

In a video statement, Burns said the grueling terrain, heat, deep fine sand, G-forces really tested the hubs, battery pack and frame, which all worked great. It was after the first leg, when they analyzed the drive data, they knew there was a problem.

"In our pre-race estimates, we assumed a 3X energy usage compared to normal road conditions at 200 ft. elevation," Burns said. "Following stage 1, however, our data showed consumption at 4 times the normal level. As we recharged for stage 2, we concluded that the next leg – more than 65 miles at net 1750 ft. elevation – could result in our vehicle stopping in the middle of mountainous terrain with no viable or accessible charging options, so we decided not to send the vehicle back out on the course."

Despite the early exit, Burns says they were pleased with the vehicles performance and generated extensive feedback that they will continue to assess in the weeks ahead, including:

? Our components can stand up to the harshest environment and G forces
? Our in-wheel hub motors performed great and demonstrated superior traction
? Our drivetrain and battery pack took the beatings dished out by the grueling conditions and
stood up to the test
? Our frame stood up to the conditions without any issues
? Our thermal management system kept all components cool despite the vehicle pulling much
more energy than anticipated
? Driving in deep sand, with the required larger tires, required more energy than we forecasted
? Our truck completed the stage fully intact, operationally sound and is now headed back
home

Burns said even though they were done racing after stage 1, the Endurance did ten more miles of off-road testing.

"We tip our cap to Baja and the tough terrain and we look forward to next year. We expected to be pushed to the limit and we were not disappointed. We will continue to push our vehicle and our team to the limits because that is what it takes to successfully develop the level of market-changing innovation to which we are committed."