AMSOIL, Exclusive Official Oil of CORR

AMSOIL INC, The First in Synthetics, will continue its rise in the off-road racing market after signing an exclusive, three-year marketing deal with Championship Off Road Racing. Starting in 2008, AMSOIL will become the Official Oil of CORR through 2010.

CORR offers the top teams in short course off-road racing. The series will broadcast eight rounds of the Baldwin Cup on NBC Sports. Bill Weber and Wally Dallenback, both of NASCAR fame, will provide the play-by-play and analysis for the 13.5 hours of network coverage. CORR has also announced that both its NBC and SPEED coverage will include live, High-Definition broadcasts, and that the NBC coverage will increase from 60 minutes of airtime per race in 2007 to 90 minutes per race in 2008.

“AMSOIL believes in the vision and ambition that CORR has demonstrated over the past few years,” says AMSOIL Race Program Manager Jeremy Meyer. “They have the top competition, the best television package and the resources to push off-road racing into an exceptional period of growth and excitement for years to come. Along with our off-road racers Scott Douglas and Mike Oberg, the addition of CORR is a major boost to an already successful racing program at AMSOIL.”

The 2008 season begins April 26-27 at the Los Angeles County Fairlplex, just ten miles from downtown Los Angeles. The Pro 2 and Pro 4 points races from that event will air live on SPEED with the Cup races airing on NBC in May. CORR will also race in Chula Vista, Calif., and Primm, Nevada. To learn more about AMSOIL, The Super Team and CORR, go to www.amsoil.com.

Eckre Takes Second Leg of AMSOIL Triple Crown

Arctic Cat cross country snowmobile racer DJ Eckre continued his winning ways at the second round of the AMSOIL Triple Crown in Brainerd, Minn. last weekend.

While Ekre’s margin of victory was not as large as the one in Garrison, he still came home with a $3,000 check after winning the Pro 600 class at Brainerd International Raceway.

Just like the first race, Ekre spent most of the race in second place, but his sled held together the entire time and he held on for victory. Ryan Simons, also on an Arctic Cat, took second after starting on the pole position. The top five was rounded out by Aaron Christenson, Gabe Bunke and Brian Dick.

The BIR 200 was the second of three consecutive weekends of the high-stakes cross country series sanctioned by the USCC. This weekend, the third and final leg of the series will run with the Hayward Area Chamber of Commerce’s Hayward 300 at the LCO Casino in Hayward, Wis.

Until then, we'll see you at the races.

Canard Wins Supercross Debut, Windham Second

The Atlanta round of the AMA Supercross Series couldn’t have gone a whole lot better than it did for the AMSOIL team, as all three riders got the holeshot and went on to the win in every heat race, then won the Lites main and finished second in the 450cc main.

Rookie rider Trey Canard proved his worth early and often in Atlanta. He was fastest in the first Lites practice session of the day, while Grant was fastest overall.

Canard got his inaugural supercross off to a good start in his heat with a holeshot, although he had to fight over the win with former team rider Ryan Sipes. Canard continued his streak in the main event, grabbing another holeshot, although this time, he was never seriously challenged. He went on to win the main event by more than a straightaway.

“I’m fortunate,” Canard said. “I’m blessed in many ways, and it’s not just me that did that; everyone behind me... There was a lot of hard work and dedication behind me. It’s a long series, and I want to concentrate on that.”

By virtue of his win, Canard is the points leader heading into round two. His Lites teammate, Grant, grabbed a holeshot in his heat race. In the main, Grant had a good start, right behind his teammate Canard, but then went down in the first turn. Grant got up and went to work, passing his way up through the field until he caught up to eighth, behind Nico Izzi and Ryan Villopoto. Villopoto crashed on one of the track’s vertical walls when he hit the back of Tyler Bowers. By the time Grant saw Villopoto down, it was too late. He was committed to climbing the vertical wall, and ran into Villopoto, going down a second time. Grant recovered for seventh place.

Supercross Class

Kevin Windham was coming off of his first win of the season in Houston and headed into Atlanta with his confidence high. In his heat, Windham not only grabbed the holeshot, and the win, but set the fastest heat-race time of the night, giving him first gate pick in the main event.

“It was kind of nerve-wracking from the start,” Windham said. “I was back there a little ways, and I just said, 'I’ve got to keep plugging away.’ That’s what I did.”

Windham worked his way through the field and into second by lap seven, but by the time he got there, leader Davi Millsaps was too far gone to catch, and Windham was forced to settle for second.

“I sure would’ve liked to win one again,” Windham said. “Once you win one, you kind of get greedy. "

Windham gained seven points on championship rival Chad Reed and now sits only 25 points back with nine rounds left to run. Only two weeks ago, his points deficit was 35.

From here, the team heads to Indianapolis for the second round of the Lites Eastern Region championship and round eight of the AMA Supercross Series inside the RCA Dome.

Overall Results and Point Standings

Until then, we'll see you at the races.

Visit the AMSOIL website for more information on AMSOIL racing and AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants.

Podiums Aplenty for Wanderscheid

Team AMSOIL oval ice racer PJ Wanderscheid is chasing another points championship in the WSA this season and the final tally won't be decided until this weekend.

Wanderscheid traveled to McGregor, Minn. on February 16-17 for a full weekend of racing. With great ice conditions, Wanderscheid found some much needed speed for his year-end title push. On Saturday, they finished second in their first Pro Open heat and won the next two. In the final, the set up was right on track as Wanderscheid crossed the finish line in second.

Sunday brought out the Pro Champ sleds and Wanderscheid continued his strong running. He finished his three heat races with a pair of thirds and a second. That placed him in the front row for the final where he was able to grab his second podium of the weekend with a third place finish.

With one weekend to go, Wanderscheid is sitting first in both the Pro Champ and Prop open class, but is still second in the Overall Points race. The AMSOIL/Wanderscheid Racing team will wrap up its season this weekend in Beausejour, Manitoba.

Until then, we'll see you at the races.


Visit the AMSOIL website for more information on AMSOIL racing and AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants.

Windham Wins in Houston

Team AMSOIL supercross rider Kevin Windham had a breakthrough at the Houston, Texas round of the AMA Supercross Championship last weekend. Windham is one of only two riders to have finished every single main event so far in the top five, but in Houston, K-dub took a big leap forward, winning his first AMA Supercross main event of the season.

Windham started near the front in the main event and took over the lead when Davi Millsaps crashed on lap two. From there, Windham led the remaining 19 laps. It was the 13th AMA Supercross win of his career, moving him past Ezra Lusk and David Bailey to 12th on the all-time Supercross win list.

“It was a tough race, because it would’ve been easy to let your mind wander, and I stayed focused,” Windham said. “When Chad [Reed] was in second, I felt like I was inching away. I’m thankful for my team. All of those guys came together. There are a lot of pieces to the puzzle, and they all came together for this.”

Windham’s win further solidified his spot at second in the championship, and actually moved him up three points closer to Reed for the championship lead with 10 races still left to run.

The Lites class also saw success as Phoenix winner Jake Weimer got a start near the front of the pack, and then fought it out with the leaders on his way to a solid third-place podium finish. Aussie Dan Reardon got the holeshot in his Heat race, and went on to finish third. In the main event, though, things didn’t start well and he finished sixth.

The west-coast Lites riders now get about two months off before the final round of the West series in Seattle.

From here, the team heads to Atlanta, Ga. for the first round of the Lites Eastern Region championship with riders Josh Grant and Trey Canard, on February 23 inside the Georgia Dome. It will also be round eight of the AMA Supercross Series.

Visit the AMSOIL website for more information on AMSOIL racing and AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants.

AMSOIL Triple Crown kicks off with $25,000 payday

(photo courtesy of Wayne Davis Photography)

They rode for more than two hours on Sunday, but the prize waiting for the pros at the end made it worth it in the first leg of the 2008 AMSOIL Triple Crown presented by Polaris. DJ Ekre from Shevlin, Minn. rode his Arctic Cat snowmobile through ice, snow, mud, and forest on his way to a first place finish in the Mille Lacs 200 in Garrison, Minn.

Ekre was one of more than 120 racers in this weekend’s event. Racers participating in the event came from the five state area and Canada and participated in classes ranging from amateur and vintage, to youth and pro. The increased payout of $25,000 will be seen at each of the next two legs of the series.

Ekre’s teammate, Brian Dick, who also rides an Arctic Cat, from Thief River Falls, Minn. led the entire 100 mile race leading into the last three laps. It was reported that his sled blew a belt which prevented him from making a clean sweep of both pro finals for the weekend.

The Mille Lacs 200 was the first of three consecutive weekends of the high stakes cross country series sanctioned by the USCC. This weekend, February 23 and 24, the second leg of the series will run with the BIR 200 at Brainerd International Raceway, followed by the Hayward Area Chamber of Commerce’s Hayward 300 at the LCO Casino in Hayward, WI March 1-2.

Visit the AMSOIL website for more information on AMSOIL racing and AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants.

Eckstrom Takes Over Points Lead

DJ Eckstrom continued his dominance in the Pro Stock class of the World PowerSports Association last weekend at the Ski Doo Grand Prix in Valcourt, Quebec.

Eckstrom, riding out of the AMSOIL/Scheuring Speed Sports trailer, qualified first in the Pro Stock class, while teammate Shaun Crapo tied for the number two spot. In the final, Eckstrom spent a few laps looking for the right line and once he did, he took over the lead within a few laps. Eckstrom went on for a convincing win while Crapo just missed the podium in fourth. Eckstrom now leads the Pro Stock points race with just two weekends of racing left.

In the Pro Open class, both riders again qualified on the front row for the main event. Both Eckstrom and Crapo lined up on the outside, hoping to slingshot around the field for an early lead. Unfortunately, there was a lot of banging heading into the first turn and the field was pushed wide, forcing both riders off the track. Eckstrom was able to get back on track and worked his way into eighth while Crapo jumped up to tenth.

Taking the win in the Pro Open race was AMSOIL/Judnick Motorsports rider Ross Martin. Martin also finished third in the Pro Stock race. He is second overall in both classes.

The WPSA will bring its snocross tour to Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn. on March 7-9.

Visit the AMSOIL website for more information on AMSOIL racing and AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants.

Smith Wins; Advances to A-Main

Brady Smith spent Valentine's Day at the Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. for round four of the 'Alltel DIRTcar Nationals.' The AMSOIL sponsored late model driver timed in 12 quickest in World of Outlaws Late Model Series qualifying and later finished fourth in his competitive heat race.

Following a win in his B-Main, Smith rolled off 21st on the grid for the $10,000 to win feature event. Smith tried to advance his AMSOIL / Bloomquist car forward during the course of the 50-lap A-Main, but wound up posting a 20th place performance in the final rundown at the Daytona Beach area venue. Smith has two more nights of racing at Volusia (Friday and Saturday) before returning to his Wisconsin home.

Visit the AMSOIL website for more information on AMSOIL racing and AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants.

AMSOIL Triple Crown Begins Saturday

The first leg of the AMSOIL Triple Crown snowmobile racing series will begin under a fresh blanket of new snow on Saturday.

The AMSOIL Triple Crown will feature a $100,000 cash payout to racers this season in three U.S.C.C. sanctioned events. The first event will start on Saturday morning at 10:00 am on Lake Mille Lacs near Garrison, Minn. The finals will be held on Sunday starting at 10:00 am.

The second leg of the Triple Crown will be held at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn. and on the adapted motorcross track on-site at the LCO Casino in Hayward, Wis.

In addition to the large payouts, the AMSOIL Triple Crown events will all received extended coverage on Sled Head 24/7’s nationally syndicated snowmobile show.

Until then, we'll see you at the races.

Visit the AMSOIL website for more information on AMSOIL racing and AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants.

Brady Smith on the move at Volusia

Team AMSOIL late model driver Brady Smith continued his blistering pace with another top ten performance at the Volusia (Fla.) Speedway Park last night.

Smith was competing in the third round of the 'Alltell DIRTcar Nationals' just outside of Daytona. Smith recorded the eighth fastest lap in the UMP series qualifying and finished fifth in his heat race. A placing second in his B-Main, Smith rolled off 23rd for the feature event.

From there, the Solon Springs, Wis. native wheeled his AMSOIL / #2 Bloomquist machine past 13 cars during the 30-lap affair en route to a solid tenth place effort.

Smith is back in action tonight at Volusia. Until then, we'll see you at the races.

Visit the AMSOIL website for more information on AMSOIL racing and AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants.

Windham Nabs Top Five in San Diego

The last California round of the 2008 AMA Supercross Championship started out looking promising for the AMSOIL/Honda team. Riders Dan Reardon, Jake Weimer and Kevin Windham all grabbed the holeshot in their respective heat races, and Weimer and Windham held on for the win.

The main events show just as much promise early on for the riders. Weimer couldn’t turn a decent start in the final into a top finish, as he fell early and spent the rest of the race fighting from behind. Weimer finished the final in 17th and, despite a win earlier this year, is 16th in the points chase with two rounds left to run.

“The heat race was good,” Weimer said. “I got the holeshot and checked out. I rode smart and smooth. I was feeling good going into the main, and I started fifth, and then just kind of went downhill from there. I maybe got a little over-anxious and carried way too much momentum into a corner, and that’s pretty much the end.”

Weimer's Lites teammate Reardon had a similar main event, although damage from his crash eventually knocked him out of the race, following a strong Heat. His misfortune dropped him from third to seventh in points.

In the Supercross class, Windham handed points leader Chad Reed one of few losses on the season in their heat race. It was Windham’s second heat win of the year.

“The heat race was great,” Windham said. “I got a great gate, and I got a great start and then kind of set my sails out there. I made a couple bobbles and Chad kind of closed up on me in the middle part of the race, and then I stretched the thing back out. It really felt good to me. Chad’s a strong rider, and any time he can go for the kill, he usually does, but I beat him in that one.”

In the main, Windham struggled on his way to fifth; although he has not finished outside of the top five all season long. He held onto second in the points chase with 11 races left to run.

“I got a good start, but I just didn’t go to work,” Windham said. “I made a couple bobbles and didn’t do some key jumps, and I fell back to fifth. That was pretty much it."

From here, the team leaves California and heads to Houston, Texas, for round seven of the AMA Supercross Series on February 16 inside Reliant Stadium.

Until then, we'll see you at the races.

Visit the AMSOIL website for more information on AMSOIL racing and AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants.

Smith Tries New Track With Same Results

After a second place finish at East Bay Raceway Park on Friday night and a ninth on Saturday, Brady Smith was looking to keep his top ten streak alive at Volusia Speedway Park.

The Barberville, Fla. track is home to the UMP DIRTcar Series and the Alltell DIRTcar Nationals this week. Smith timed his AMSOIL late model in fourth quickest in his qualifying group and later finished second in his stacked heat race. After starting 12th on the grid for the $7,000 tp win feature, Smith was able to work his AMSOIL/Bloomquist car up four spots during the 30-lap affair to finish 8th in the final rundown.

Smith will be back on the pedal tonight at Volusia with round two of the UMP sanctioned event. Until then, we'll see you at the races.

Visit the AMSOIL website for more information on AMSOIL racing and AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants.

Smith Shines in Sunshine State

FEBRUARY 8, 2008

Brady Smith took his #2 AMSOIL late model from Georgia to Florida last week and made his first appearance at the annual 'Winternationals' on Friday night at the East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla. Smith timed in second fastest in his group during the qualifying session and later won his heat race. After drawing a number four prior to the start of the $10,000 to win main event, the Solon Springs, Wis. native rolled off from the outside of the second row for the 50-lap main. Smith made it all the way up up to the second spot and started putting pressure on race leader, Billy Moyer. Smith" got up to Moyer's door on a couple of different occasions, but had to settle for a close runner-up performance after an exciting fifty lap duel.

FEBRUARY 9, 2008

Smith closed out the 'Winternationals' on Saturday night at East Bay Raceway Park with another strong performance. Smith was looking to grab his first victory of the year in the $12,000 to win show, which was taped by the cameras of the SPEED Channel for broadcast later in the year. Smith was third fastest in his group during qualifying and later finished fourth in his heat race. Following an impressive win in his consolation race, Smith lined up 22nd on the grid for the 75-lap feature event. Aboard his AMSOIL machine, Smith roared through the field and up to fifth by lap 60. In the waning laps, the handling went away on his car, but he was still able to bring his entry home with a ninth place finish.

Smith will bring his #2 AMSOIL Monte Carlo to Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. starting tonight for six nights of UMP and WoO Late Model racing.

Until then, we'll see you at the track.

Visit the AMSOIL website for more information on AMSOIL racing and AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants.

Windham Keeps Pace in Supercross

In the season’s final visit to Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Cali., the AMSOIL/Honda team looked to improve their standings in both classes. In the Supercross (450cc) class, Kevin Windham was looking for his first win of the season and in the Lites class, Jake Weimer was looking for his second, while Dan Reardon was looking to improve from fourth place and get up onto the podium for the first time in America.

Things were looking good for the AMSOIL riders. Weimer startedthe night out strong in practice, and then went out and passed his teammate Reardon on the last lap to win his Heat race.

“In practice, I was stoked,” Weimer said. “I didn’t ride well the first practice, but I was pumped on the track, so I was feeling good. Then, I got a good start in my qualifier and followed Reardon around the whole time. I knew that I could make a pass where I did, because I felt like I was a little bit faster right there. I got close enough on the last lap, and with a couple straightaways to go, I made the pass and got the win. And we had the fastest Heat by a pretty good amount, so I was feeling good going into the main.”

Unfortunately for Weimer, the main ended just as it began. Heading into the sand section just after the first turn, he clipped another rider, went down, and then was hit by the riders behind him. Weimer slipped to 15th in the points standings with three rounds left to run.

Reardon’s night got tough just after Weimer passed him in their Heat race, when Jason Lawrence cleaned Reardon out for second and knocked him down in the last turn. In the main, Reardon came through from a mediocre start, but then fell, which likely cost him another top-five finish. Reardon is third in the West Coast Lites points standings.

“I was way outside off the start, and I worked my way up to about sixth, but then I crashed,” Reardon said. “That put me back in like 11th or something, and I caught back up to eighth. I’m just kind of bummed out that I crashed. It was a silly mistake on my behalf, so we’ll pick it up. I’m working well during the week, but I’ve just got to put all of the pieces together on the weekend.”

Windham was fast all day on the Anaheim III track, and he briefly challenged points leader Chad Reed for the lead in his Heat race before going down. He recovered for third in the Heat, but went into the main event with confidence, knowing he could run with Reed. However, in the main event, he started behind Reed and challenged him for the first few laps, but then began to fade, eventually finishing fourth. It was the first time he missed the podium since round one and now sits 26 points behind Reed in second place.

From here, the team heads down the California coast to San Diego for round six of the AMA Supercross Series on January 12 inside Qualcomm Stadium.

Until then, we'll see you at the races.

AMSOIL Gives Amatuers Real Time Scoring

MX Sports, producer of the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn., are proud to announce that AMSOIL will sponsor the Real Time Scoring service for the Loretta Lynn’s program for the second consecutive year.

“AMSOIL is dedicated to the power sports industry and we’re pleased to be associated with America’s premiere motocross event,” said AMSOIL Race Program Manager, Jeremy Meyer. “Last year’s live timing feed garnered more than 10 million page views from users in 50 different countries. We’re planning to build on that number this season.”

The 2008 qualifying season will commence with the (52) Area Qualifiers, beginning February 22 and concluding May 18. Step two of the qualifying process will be the (12) Regional Championships which will run from May 24 through June 22. The 27th Annual Air Nautiques AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship will be held July 27 through August 3.

Until then, we'll see you at the races.

Smith Passes 16 in Super Bowl of Racing

Team AMSOIL late model driver Brady Smith has been enjoying the Georgia weather this past week and is now enjoying his driving as well.

After either getting rained-out or finishing with a pair of 11th place finsihes the past week, Smith capped off the 'Super Bowl of Racing' on Saturday night at the Golden Isles (Ga.) Speedway with his best effort of the young 2008 season.

After winning his stacked B-Main, the Solon Springs, Wis. native rolled off from the outside of the tenth row for the $10,000 to win feature. During the 50-lap, A-main, Smith passed 16 cars en route to an impressive fourth place finish.

Smith's next stop will be the week-long racing scheduled at the Volusia (Fla.) Speedway Park on February 11-16. Until then, we'll see you at the races.