Leon was starting his professional racing career driving his Legends

In the spring of 2022 Power Systems West sponsored a little-known racing rookie out of Boise, Idaho named Leon Tridle III. Leon was starting his professional racing career driving his Legends Roadster in the U.S. Legends Cars International (USLCI) Young Lions racing season at Meridian Speedway outside of Boise. Although this was Leon’s rookie season, he had the pedigree. His grandfather is Scott Luhdorff, a legendary Sprint Car driver from San Jose, California.

Leon’s first race of the 12-race season was April 16th. By August 27th he had his first win and was on his way. In the October 1st Legends race Leon finished second place. A respectable finish, but the air-cooled engine in his Power Systems West Roadster was overheating and may have cost him the win.

Six races in, Leon’s engine blew up and he had to borrow one to continue his season. The replacement engine was also air-cooled so the issue of overheating didn’t go away, especially if the races went longer than 25 laps or caution flags slowed the race down.

Leon’s mom Rachelle believes that Leon had the potential to finish first place multiple times if not for the overheating. “The family had a decision to make,” Rachelle says. “Leon had proven to us that he could be a top contender, and we wanted to give him the tools to win.” The family decided to invest in an FZ09 water-cooled engine for Leon’s roadster.

With support from his dad and their mechanic, Leon installed the new, water-cooled engine himself. Because he is an engineering student at Mountain View High School he also received school credits for his engine replacement work. The goal was to get it all done for October 22nd, the last race of the season. The engine replacement was the right call. Leon won.

Because of his outstanding rookie performance, Leon was invited to the INEX Young Lions (Asphalt) Nationals in Las Vegas November 3-5 where he finished in the middle of the pack. Mom, dad, sister Joslyn, and grandad racing champion Scott Luhdorff were all there to cheer him on. Leon finished the Legends Young Lions season ranked 58th overall nationally. He was also named Rookie of the Year in the Meridian Speedway Legends Division.

“We’re proud of Leon’s accomplishments,” says Power Systems West President, Brad Lyons. “His outstanding performance reflects well on our brand as well as the service we provide to our customers throughout the West.” Leon’s mom Rachelle Tridle is the Large Accounts Service Coordinator for Power Systems West, Boise.