Hord Second in Decision at Sundown

The annual Crandon World Championship weekend kicked off last night with qualifying and the 2nd Annual Decision at Sundown. The race features a full field of Pro Light trucks, including AMSOIL driver Chad Hord.

Hord, the defending WSORR class champion qualified well and was the lone truck capable of doing battle with defending "Sundown" winner Jeff Kincaid. On the start, Kincaid got a good push and led the field around Crandon's famed "First Turn". Hord was in a mix of three trucks in the third spot out of turn one and when the field spread out, Hord was chasing down the leaders from the fourth position.

Three laps into the 16-lap affair, Hord pushed his way into third and just a few laps latter had overtaken Steve Federico for second. His sights were now set on Kincaid, who had opened up his lead over the back. Hord got some good news when Mark Oberg, Super Team Pro 2wd driver Mike Oberg's brother, tipped over in the finish line turn, bringing out the yellow flag and allowing Hord to catch Kincaid. The two "foes" would battle each other for the remainder of the race, but Kincaid was able to hold of Hord for his second Sundown win.

Saturday mark's the World Championship races at Crandon. If you win your class race today, you get to take home the title of World Champion and a ring to prove it. Hord, Mike Oberg and Scott Douglas (Pro 4x4) will all take a crack at getting a ring. Sunday has more class racing and the BorgWarner Cup.

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

Team AMSOIL Steadies For a Busy Weekend

When Labor Day weekend rolls around, most of America takes the extended weekend to get in one last vacation or just to relax before the start of the school year. For Team AMSOIL, this weekend just means another chance to take home the checkered flag.


AMSOIL is proud to continue its Official Oil sponsorship of the New England Regional Motocross Championship at the Winchester Speedpark in Winchester, N.H. This year's race will also be televised to 2.4 million homes in New England. AMSOIL amateur rider Justin Barcia will be lining up in the pro class at the NERC. Also on hand to sign autographs will be AMSOIL rider and SX Lites East Coast champion Trey Canard. The event starts tomorrow and runs through Monday.
Dan Vanden Heuvel will be looking for his first Pro 2wd championship in Crandon, Wis. this weekend as the WSORR hosts its annual BorgWarner championship weekend. AMSOIL Super Team driver Scott Douglas will be looking for his third BorgWarner Cup and Mike Oberg will be looking for his fifth World Championship ring. Chad Hord, driving the AMSOIL Pro Light truck, has his eyes on tonight's big "Showdown and Sundown." Racing starts tonight with the Pro Light race, continues on Saturday with the World Championships and ends on Sunday with the BorgWarner Cup race which pits Pro 2wd versus Pro 4x4's.

The final weekend of the AMA Outdoor Nationals take place on Saturday. This is a dual event with the ATVA, and AMSOIL is the Official Oil of both series. Team AMSOIL Lites riders Josh Grant, Jake Weimer, Dan Reardon and rookie Blake Wharton will be looking for the overall wins on Saturday.


Bob Teague will be on Lake Cumberland, Ky. starting today. He will be pushing the AMSOIL Off Shore boat at the OSS race, looking to add another win and regain the series points lead. Race runs through Sunday.

Brady Smith will be racing at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn. on Saturday night as part of the WDRL schedule.

Finally, Sudden Impact will push the AMSOIL Shock Therapy monster truck through the freestyle and racing shows in Batesville, Arkansas Friday and Saturday.

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

Wharton Debuts; Top Rookie at Millville

August 13-14 ~ Every year at the Millville round of the AMA National Motocross Championship, the newest and brightest stars make their debuts, up from the amateur ranks at the previous week’s Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National Championships presented by AMSOIL, and into the pro class.

Last year, that rider for the Geico/AMSOIL team was Trey Canard. Canard finished fourth in the second moto at Millville in 2007 before going on to win the Lites East Supercross Championship.

This year, the team’s understudy making his pro debut was 17-year-old Blake Wharton, of Pilot Point, Texas.

Coming into Millville, Wharton expected to be in the top 10, but hoped to be in the top five. In the first moto, he fell twice, but still managed to finish 10th.

“The first moto, it showed me a lot,” Wharton said. “My times were pretty good, and I was coming from the back. I went down twice but still managed a top 10. That showed me that the next moto, if I just got a good start and put myself in a good position, that good things could happen, and that’s what happened.”

In the second moto, Wharton fought his way through from a decent start near the front of the pack to run second in the early going behind Ryan Dungey. Wharton eventually finished fourth.

“I was just riding my own race out there,” Wharton said. “I just got a start in the top five and then I just rode my own race. I wasn’t trying to beat any one person or block anyone or try to pass anyone back or taking any chances. Ryan Villopoto was going his speed, which is faster than everyone, so it really made no sense for me to do anything dumb and try and block him. What I did was finish up the race in fourth, and that was one of my goals.”

The end result for his professional debut was fifth overall.

Jake Weimer had a decent start in the first moto, but fell right away, meaning he had to dig out from a hole he dug for himself. The second-moto result was better, but Weimer wasn’t as happy with his ride the second time out.

“I should’ve gotten a good start, but basically I let off when I shouldn’t have in the first turn, and I ended up with a not-very-good start,” Weimer said."

Weimer finished fourth overall, just in front of his rookie teammate.

After sitting out the last few rounds with an injured shoulder, Aussie Dan Reardon made his return at Millville. In the first moto, he ran around the tail end of the top 10 for most of the race, eventually finishing 11th. In the second moto, however, Reardon dropped out after an early fall tweaked his injured shoulder.

And finally, the top single moto of the day for the AMSOIL team went to Josh Grant, who grabbed third place in the opening moto. However, during the second moto, he started inside the top five, moved up to fourth, then dropped out of the race after lap six because of illness.

Still, Grant is now tied with teammate Trey Canard in the championship chase and is less than 20 points out of sixth place in points, despite missing the first five rounds. Canard is out for the remainder of the season with a broken leg.

The GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda team now heads to Delmont, Pa. this weekend for the final round of the AMA National Motocross Championship. AMSOIL is the Official Oil of the AMA Outdoor Nationals.

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

Team AMSOIL Offshore Podiums at Orange Beach

Team AMSOIL traveled to Orange Beach, Ala. on August 16-17 to compete in the “Thunder on the Gulf” race sanctioned by the Offshore Super Series (OSS). This race came just two weeks after the OSS race in Kenner, La., where Team AMSOIL was leading the race and then snagged a crab trap which resulted in the team having to pull off a lap early.

In Orange Beach, tens of thousands of spectators lined the beaches and filled the high-rise condominiums to view the testing on Saturday and races on Sunday. The rough sea conditions in the golf made for some spectacular racing.

During the first Cat Lite heat, Team AMSOIL was making a charge on the first place boat when an engine went into “guardian” mode due to an overheat sensor. Team AMSOIL finished the heat in 2nd place behind Peppers.

The AMSOIL Offshore Race Boat returned to the pits to make repairs and adjustments and then headed out for the second heat. Team AMSOIL was assigned to lane two for the start between Peppers and Popeye's. After the green flag dropped at the start, all three boats ran side by side towards the first turn. Popeye's pinched the Team AMSOIL boat from the outside and Peppers hopped out into Team AMSOIL’s path. A minor collision transpired with the Team AMSOIL boat being hit on both sides. Bob Teague and Paul Whittier took evasive actions which cost them precious seconds on the race course. Even though Team AMSOIL was able to run some faster laps than the first place boat, there was not enough time to catch them while also battling boat traffic on the race course. Team AMSOIL finished the weekend second overall to continue their 2008 podium success.

Teague is scheduled to participate in the OSS race in Lake Cumberland, Ky on Labor Day Weekend.

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

Douglas Takes Win; Points Lead in Pomona

Scott Douglas told the live NBC audience following his first win of the season in Chula Vista, Calif. (July 27) that once the wins started, they were going to come in bunches. The AMSOIL/Kumho Tire Pro 4 driver may now been seen as a prophet after his second win of the season in Pomona, Calif. on August 17.

Douglas entered Saturday's race just one point behind Carl Renezeder in the Pro 4 standings. After Renezeder was black flagged, Douglas took advantage and battled for second with Johnny Greaves. Unfortunately for Douglas, CORR officials thought he wasn't playing nice and gave him a black flag after Greaves crossed in front of the AMSOIL Pro 4, causing both trucks to lose ground. Douglas was able to finish seventh, and would enter Sunday's race tied for the point's lead.

On Sunday, the black flag was once again flying strong in the Pro 4 race. This time, however, Douglas kept his nose clean and took advantage of the over aggressive driving by his competitors. Douglas sat just behind the race leaders, who were slamming into one another, and waited for the right opportunity to take the lead. Renezeder and Curt LeDuc slammed into each other on lap 16, giving Douglas a narrow opening to take the lead. LeDuc was black flagged and Renezeder dropped to third after AMSOIL/Red Bull driver Steve Barlow made the move into second. D0uglas picked up his second win of the season and leads the championship chase by nine points.


In the Pro Lite class, AMSOIL Super Team member Chad Hord also picked up his second win of the year on Saturday, dominating the class on the tight Pomona track. The 2006 Pro Lite champion finished fifth on Sunday and moved in sixth in the point's race.

AMSOIL is the Exclusive Official Oil of Championship Off Road Racing. The series turns back to Chula Vista, Calif. for rounds 11 and 12 on Saturday, September 13 and Sunday, September 14. The Saturday race will air Live on SPEED. Round 10 from Pomona, featuring Scott Douglas' win, will air on Sunday September 14.

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

Douglas Looks For Second Straight Win

Coming off record attendance in Chula Vista,Calif., Championship Off Road Racing’s final 2008 visit to the Fairplex in Pomona promises to keep the expected sold out crowd on their feet in what is shaping up to be the most exciting season of short course off road racing in history.

A dominating performance just three weeks ago by defending Pro 4 Champion Carl Renezeder has now given him a narrow margin over AMSOIL's Scott Douglas. Douglas won his first race of 2008 three weeks ago in Chula Vista. A tandem of Toyota drivers round out the top four Pro 4 contenders with Fabtech’s Rick Huseman and Monster Energy’s Johnny Greaves looking for strong podium finishes.

In the Pro 2 class, the significant lead once enjoyed by Rockstar Energy Drink’s Rob McCachren has given way to a tight race. Renezeder holds on to second while the energy branded trio of Rockstar/Makita’s Todd LeDuc, AMSOIL/RedBull’s Ricky Johnson and AMSOIL/Monster Energy’s Jeremy McGrath round out the top five.

Wisconsin native and five time champion Traxxas’ Jeff Kincaid looks to regain the form that has kept him atop the Pro Lite standings while both Rob Naughton and Rodrigo Ampudia have the top spot in their sights.

“The drivers now know this track and many of the races are tightening up. It will be interesting to see if we are going to see some new names and faces on the podium or if the top drivers are going to try to distance themselves from the pack,” commented CORR COO Cissy Baldwin. “There’s going to be some amazing racing.”

Saturday's race will air LIVE on SPEED starting at 5:00 p.m. EST. AMSOIL is the Exclusive Official Oil of Championship Off Road Racing.


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

Rinker Race Video

As described in Monday's post, the conditions were quite rough on the St. Clair River for the ChampBoat Series race this past weekend. Although AMSOIL driver Terry Rinker finished second in the feature, it was the second round of qualifying that caused a few hearts to skip a few beats. Here is what happens when a ChampBoat get's a little too much air under it.


video courtesy of Gary Barber

Vanden Heuvel Continues Streak, Keeps Points Lead

Dan Vanden Heuvel Sr. brought his AMSOIL sponsored Chevy Silverado to Bark River, Mich. last weekend with thoughts of winning the PRO-2WD championship. Already having won three times this season, Vanden Heuvel had a 36-point lead over second place driver Evan Evans in the championship race. The team’s goal for the weekend would be to stay out of trouble and finish both races on the lead lap.

Saturday - Round 9

The start saw Kevin Probst grab the holeshot and the win, while Vanden Heuvel grabbed the second spot by the end of lap one. While Probst needed the win to stay in the championship fight, the #77 AMSOIL truck needed to have a solid, trouble free race. And that’s exactly what happened. After ten laps, Vanden Heuvel finished in a solid third place.

“I wanted to race for the win, but we weren’t going to beat Kevin today,” commented Vanden Heuvel. “His truck was really hooked up. After Evan passed me and I tried to make a move to get back around him I backed off. It could have become a bad situation, where either one of us could wreck and I didn’t need that. Kevin and Evan finished just in front of me, but that’s okay. I wanted to go for the win, but winning the championship is more important.”

Sunday Round – 10

Vanden Heuvel continued his title trek on Sunday with a clean start, as he watched Probst and Ross Hoek battle it out for the first few laps. Rhonda Konitzer was also able to get out in front Vanden Heuvel, but he knew Konitzer had run a limited schedule, and didn’t figure into the championship battle. By the start of the third lap, Vanden Heuvel had his #77 Chevy running in third, his finishing position.

The Flying Dutchman has finished on the podium in every round of racing in the 2008 WSORR season. With just two rounds of racing remaining in the quest of the 2008 WSORR PRO-2WD Championship, Dan Vanden Heuvel has a 32 point lead over Probst.

The final weekend of racing for the Flying Dutchman Off-Road Team, in the 2008 World Series of Off-Road Racing, is the BorgWarner Off-Road World Championship, August 29-31, in Crandon, Wis.

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

Rinker Takes Over Point's Lead

Despite extremely difficult conditions on the St. Clair River, AMSOIL ChampBoat driver Terry Rinker was able to secure his fourth straight podium finish and took hold of the overall points lead for the first time in 2008.


The three time champion joined the ChampBoat series in Algonac, Mich. for the fifth round of racing this past weekend. The race was held on the longest course of the season (1.5 miles) and was settled just north of downtown Detroit. The race became a survival test for most drivers due to winds that reached 28 knots and served up two foot swells. The race became so rough that officials dropped from 50 laps to 35 before deciding to drop down to 30 during the race.


Rinker made the most of the dangerous conditions, running a conservative race and finishing the 30-lap feature in second behind winner Tim Seebold. His second place follows up his win last week in St. Louis and vaults him into the overall points lead with 2693 points, 49 points ahead of former leader Shaun Torrente. The Miami, Fla. driver barrel rolled his boat on lap 16, stopping the race and taking him out of the point's lead.


"It's been a long time since we've raced in conditions that crazy," said Rinker, a three-time ChampBoat champion. "The AMSOIL crew had a good set up today, but the weather was the biggest obstacle. We are excited about regaining the point's lead and look forward to a great battle for the championship between Seebold and Torrente."

Robert Dinicolantonio did a nice job filling in for regular driver Randy Rinker in the #41 AMSOIL/Rinker Racing boat, finishing ninth.


The next round of the 2008 F1-ChampBoat Series will take place on the weekend of September 27-28 as the series heads west to Tempe , Arizona for the “Tempe Grand Prix”.

Champboat F1 Results


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

Smiths Triumphs at Masters

Team AMSOIL Late Model driver Brady Smith recorded his fourth win of the 2008 racing season on Friday night, August 1 at the renowned Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis.

The rain-postponed 'Masters' event from June took place last Friday at CLS with a $5,000 top prize was up for grabs. In front of a jam-packed grandstand, Smith started from the pole position for the 50-lap affair and withstood a strong challenge from Ashley Anderson. At the completion of 50 green flag laps around the 3/8-mile speedway, Smith found himself in victory lane celebrating his exciting 'Masters' triumph over Anderson, Jimmy Mars, Scott Gilberts, and Nick Anvelink.

In addition to the rain-postponed 'Masters,' the AMSOIL team also competed in three more Dirt Late Model events from July 30-August 2. Smith finished eighth and 25th in a pair of WDRL events in Superior and New Richmond, Wis. Despite running inside the top ten at the $50,000 to win 'USA Nationals' at Cedar Lake on Saturday, Smith finished 23rd after mechanical problems dropped him out of contention.

Smith is scheduled to race at the Florence (Ky) Speedway on August 8-9.

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

Lovell's Victorious in Cortez

After a tough final round cost AMSOIL/Fabtech rock racing driver Brad Lovell the win at the Colorado Springs XRRA race in June, he was able to reach the finish line as the fastest in Cortez, Colo. While fast and consistent driving poised him for a podium finish, tactics contrived by the team resulted in a win.

Behind any name, there is always a group of great people responsible for building it. For this race, nine people showed up under the Fabtech Motorsports/AMSOIL banner with the goal of putting #32 and #232 at the top. With this resource comes responsibility and pressure as a driver to perform. Four runs at about 50 seconds a piece will get you into the finals but a single error sends you home. It creates intense, do or die racing.

The #32 Dirt Logic Shocks/AMSOIL Ranger of Roger Lovell and co-driver Mike Foster started the race near the front of the pack. Two quick runs put his morning total at about 2:30 and in the top 1/3 of the pack. Because the #232 car was further behind in the running order, it gave the team an important edge as there was enough time to review Roger’s runs before the AMSOIL truck took the green flag. With inside knowledge, Brad Lovell, with co-driver Mark Hayward on board, was able to bring in times good enough to rank third before the course direction was changed for the afternoon runs.

It instantly became apparent to the team that the race would be won or lost on a single loose rock hill that was extremely technical. The team inspected the rocks and chose the best of a bunch of bad lines for Roger to attempt. The #32 AMSOIL backed Ranger made quick work of the course and reached the hill with a lead that quickly evaporated as piano sized boulders shifted under the tires. Between each rock lay a bottomless bed of loose dirt and Roger stabbed the throttle trying to reach the top. He kept working his way across the hill before a lot of throttle and a good bounce put him over the top.

“Seeing Roger struggle and the rocks move changed our game plan completely. I had no idea what we were going to do,” recalled Brad.

The Lovell team gathered up and let their rock crawling roots shine through as they saw a difficult and untested climb that bypassed the eroding hill. The risky call was eventually made for Brad to take the risk and try the climb. It went like clockwork as Brad easily shot up the rock and eclipsed the previous fast runs.

Brad soon found himself leading the race as race leader Brian Shirley had to attempt the hill several times and second place driver Shannon Campbell broke on the hill and was unable to finish. From there, smart clean driving handed the #232 Fabtech/AMSOIL/Ranger the victory.

“We were fast and consistent, which anyone must be in order to win a race,” commented Brad. “But what put us over the top was creativity and teamwork. We regret not finding the right line for Roger but in the end, it did help the team get a win.”

While Roger finished 21st in a field of 42, his effort was good enough to qualify for the US finals in Jellico, Tenn. to defend his National Championship. Brad gained enough points from this race to finish third in the Western Series.

“The breakage I experienced in Albuquerque really cost us. This season, #232 has finished 1st, 20th, 3rd, and 1st,” said Brad, “If that 20th was only a 12th, we would have won the series. Regardless, we are thankful and proud of our team.”

The team has only two events left this year, the next being the WE-Rock Grand Nationals in Hannibal, Mo. Sept. 5-7.


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

Bad Break for Canard; Grant Third Overall

The final race on a five-week bender of AMA National Motocross found a deceivingly slick, tight track in Washougal, Wash. Team Geico/AMSOIL/Honda riders saw the highs and lows of racing on July 27. With Lites rider Dan Reardon still out with an injury, AMSOIL's Josh Grant, Jake Weimer and East SX champ Trey Canard were all hoping to leave an impression before the two-week break in action.

Grant has been suffering from a badly sprained ankle since the second moto at Budds Creek. In the first moto in Washougal, Grant grabbed the hole shot and led the first few laps of the moto before eventually finishing third.

Then, in moto two, Grant ended up with the last gate pick because he missed the deadline to report to the staging area after he had trouble starting his bike. Still, he started inside the top ten and began working his way forward, eventually finishing fourth and grabbing third overall.

"I think if I would've started up front with these guys, I would've been in a better position than I was," Grant said. "When you have 39 guys to the left of you... I just did the best that I could. I hit the berm and just hoped for the best, and I came out around tenth, so I just plugged away and tried to pick off guys. I'm fortunate to be up (on the podium) and be safe."

With his performance, Grant moved all the way up to eighth in the points standings despite missing the first three rounds.

Canard had a fall on the opening lap of the first moto and was only able to fight his way back up to 21st, just out of the points. In second race of the day, he grabbed the hole shot and lead the first half of the moto. He eventually dropped a hard fought battle with Ryan Dungey and Ryan Villopoto and moved into third. In the late stages of the moto, however, a lapper pulled into his line unexpectedly and caused him to crash violently. The end result was a broken left femur, which will keep him off of the bike for anywhere from four to six months. He has had surgery, and the doctors indicated that it went as well as possible. However, he is definitely out for the remainder of the championship.

Jake Weimer rode very strong at Washougal. In the first moto, he started midpack and worked his way all the way up to sixth place. In the second moto, Weimer was in a battle with a few riders for the whole race, eventually finishing sixth again. Weimer was sixth overall and still sits fourth in points with three rounds left to run.

The GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda team has two weekends off before Millville, Minn. The team will be joined by amateur sensation Blake Wharton, who will be making his professional debut.

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

Rinker Completes St. Louis Sweep

Team AMSOIL ChampBoat driver Terry Rinker reestablished his championship run as he held off a determined Shaun Torrente by two seconds and took his second win in three years at the 37th Annual Bud Light St. Louis Grand Prix on Creve Coeur Lake just outside St. Louis.

The thousands of fans that lined the lake saw a perfect start for the AMSOIL/Rinker Racing veteran who came off the dock in pole position and held of local favorite Tim Seebold of the Bud Light Seebold Race Team and Torrente on the outside, making it a spectacular three boat run to the first commitment buoy with Rinker holding the inside and the lead that he would not lose for the next 43 laps.

Torrente boat worked his way around the defending race champion Seebold in the first 1/3 of the race and took up the charge to catch Rinker, finally passing him briefly on the 44th lap. The cat and mouse game between the two drivers ended when Rinker finally used traffic to his advantage and took home his first victory of the season and his third in St. Louis in the last 5 years.

“We did a great job on the setup since the moment we rolled into the paddock,” said Rinker. “We set fast lap in qualifying, won our heat race and then today's Grand Prix. So we went three for three and the sweep you can’t do anything better than that.”

Randy Rinker, the older brother of Terry, was fifth in the other AMSOIL/Rinker Racing Lee Craft.

The fifth round of the 2008 F1-ChampBoat Series is next weekend at Algonac, Michigan and the battle for the top two positions will only get hotter as the series moves into it’s second half of the season on the St. Clair River on August 9-10.

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

Team AMSOIL Offshore Dominates in St. Clair

One weekend after attending AMSOIL’s 35th Anniversary celebration, the AMSOIL Offshore team traveled to St. Clair, Mich. to compete in the annual OPA St. Clair River Classic offshore race held on the St. Clair River. Tens of thousands of fans packed the town and the shores to watch the big boats compete up close.

During the first test session on Saturday, Team AMSOIL apparently struck a submerged object in the river and destroyed a propeller. Because the propeller that was destroyed was one that would have likely been used in Sunday’s race, the rest of the day was spent trying alternative set ups and timing the boat around the race course. Bob Teague and Paul Whittier logged over 160 miles testing to perfect the set up, speed and handling of the AMSOIL Offshore Race Boat. Practice on the race course was timed to achieve quick and consistent lap times around the 6.3 mile course.

The extensive testing definitely paid off when the green flag dropped on Sunday. This would be another highly competitive battle in the Super Cat Lite class between the Motley Crew Team and Team AMSOIL. AMSOIL took the lead on the first straightaway and continued to extend the lead on the fleet throughout the entire race.

The win in Saint Clair extended Team AMSOIL’s OPA points lead. Currently, Team AMSOIL is in first place in the points chase in OSS, OPA, and tied for first in POPRA.

The AMSOIL Offshore Race Team continues to have great results with the new AMSOIL 15W50 Dominator Racing Oil and the array of AMSOIL lubricants used in every component and system in the race boat.

Next stop for Teague and Whittier is the OSS Race in Kenner, La this weekend.

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