Winning on the track is hard enough, but getting the recognition from your peers for your hard work can be even tougher. But thanks to a determination to be the best, AMSOIL Shock Therapy monster truck driver Jon Zimmer has been named his sports rising star.
Zimmer, who has been traveling coast to coast in the AMSOIL Shock Therapy truck, has been one of the best young drivers on the monster truck scene this past year. At Monster Jam NGK Spark Plugs World Finals X, Zimmer stood out from more than 100 other drivers to take home the series "Rising Star" trophy.
"What a great honor," said Zimmer. "To have the opportunity to drive the AMSOIL Shock Therapy truck is truly special, and this award is unbelievable."
If you would like to leave a comment for Zimmer and the SIR team about his success, go to Sudden Impact Racing.
The AMSOIL Shock Therapy, along with the Excalibur truck, will be back in action this Saturday night in Pocatello, Idaho.
AMSOIL INC. has signed a three-year agreement with the Traxxas Off-Road Championship (TORC) series to become the Presenting Sponsor and Exclusive Official Oil of the premier off-road short course racing series in North America. The newly formed series will now be referred to as the Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL.
“Since the formation of the AMSOIL Super Team four years ago, AMSOIL has shown a steady and growing commitment to off-road racing,” said Jeremy Meyer, AMSOIL Race Program Manager. “To have the opportunity to share in the vision laid out by series owner Ricky Johnson is a wonderful honor. As Presenting Sponsor and Exclusive Official Oil of TORC, AMSOIL will help push the excitement and passion of off-road racing to the forefront.”
AMSOIL, The First in Synthetics, will also take on the title role of TORC’s PRO 2WD class starting in 2009. AMSOIL will continue its history of supporting racers, including major sponsorships this season with AMSOIL Super Team members Scott Douglas, Mike Oberg and Chad Hord, along with several teams that the company has supported in past seasons.
“AMSOIL is a great fit for TORC,” said Johnson. “The commitment level goes well beyond their investment in the series. This off season, AMSOIL has worked closely with TORC, its drivers and the sponsor community to help deliver an excellent mix of racing and entertainment. Their three-year commitment is well beyond our expectations.”
TORC brings together the best of Midwest short course off-road racing with exciting new West Coast venues. TORC has exclusive rights for premier events at legendary tracks such as Crandon International Off-Road Raceway and Bark River International Raceway. The season kicks off May 15 at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. Click here for more information on TORC.
After coming up just one point shy of winning the year-end title a year ago, TJ Gulla (Polaris) not about to let history repeat itself. Gulla, who came into the Pro Open final Sunday afternoon in Lake Genava, with a 15-point lead over teammate Brett Bender. One day earlier, Gulla’s teammate Levi LaVallee had brought home his first championship in Pro Super Stock. Now it was Gulla’s turn to do the same on what would be the final race of the year in the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series.
Gulla entered the AMSOIL Pro Open final needing to finish 13th or better to win his second career championship. With Bender taking the win, Gulla took the final podium spot in third, wrapping up the title. Arctic Cat's Garth Kaufman finished second.
“I knew exactly where I had to finish,” said Gulla as he celebrated his year-end title. “The year started out a little shaky but we stuck with it and got stronger near the end of the season. After losing the championship last year by one point I really didn’t care if I won it this year by one point or twenty.”
In the Pro Super Stock class, the battle went down to the wire on Saturday. Heading into the weekend, LeValle was tied with Kaufman. With both riders winning their heat races, it was a winner take all final. Kaufman charged back to put pressure on LeValle, but the Polaris rider charged out front for the win and the championship.
“I’m so happy right now, I don’t know what to say,” said Levi from atop the box. “I can’t begin to thank everyone involved with our team. For the past three years it seems all I did was get hurt or fall on my head. I just want to thank everyone for sticking with me.”
The battles were also tight in the Semi-Pro classes. In Semi-Pro Super Stock, Arctic Cat's Corey Davis captured the championship by finishing second in Sunday's final.
“Coming into the final I knew where I was at in the point chase,” said Davis after the race. “I was thinking about the championship the entire time I was out there. I was so nervous and Christian (Salemark) was so fast, I just wanted to stay clean.”
In Saturday's Semi-Pro Open class, Tim Trembley need a strong ride and some luck to hold on to the title. With both Dan Ebert and Bobby LePage in the mix, the math was complicated, but Trembley figured out the solution. While Ebert took the win, LePage bobbled and finished seventh. Even with Ebert's win, it wasn't enough to get the class championship and Trembley's ninth place finish gave him the title by two points.
While there is a lot of summer between now and the start of the 2009-2010 AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series in Duluth, Minn., you can stay on top of all the latest news, rumors and changes in store for next winter at http://www.isocracing.com/.
After winning his heat race and then grabbing his first podium a week earlier in New Orleans, Wharton grabbed the holeshot in the main event and led every single lap.
“I was thinking about how I was going to be smooth, because if you worry about what’s behind you, then that’s taking the focus off of what’s in front of you,” Wharton said. “In supercross, you’ve got to be paying attention at all times, and focus on what’s ahead. I didn’t want to look back, and I didn’t even know how big of a lead I had. I just went across the finish line and looked back and had a good distance. If you’re looking back or thinking about what’s behind you, you’re going to crash or something dumb, so...”
Wharton showed veteran composure, and the win vaulted him to fourth in points, just a few points behind second and third.
“Blake has struggled a little bit with his starts, which has impacted his finishes,” team manager JC Waterhouse said. “His focus has been on improving that part of his race day, and obviously he has sorted that out, and the results have followed. It was a great effort by Blake, and a great effort by the entire team. It was a lot of fun to get back on the top of the podium again.”
Wharton’s Lites teammate Daniel Blair rode strong all night but got in a few tough spots, finishing eighth.
In the 450cc class, star Kevin Windham actually won his heat race to start the night. In the main, though, Windham nearly got gathered into a first-turn crash and had a hard time moving forward on the very original track layout. He was stuck behind Matt Boni for much of the race, eventually finishing ninth.
“I probably should’ve been a little bit more dirty, but I never really even got in a position to nail him, you know?” Windham said. “Travis [Pastrana] built a track that had all these little, mini walls in there, so essentially, if you have a track that’s 20 feet wide, and you put a berm in the middle that’s two feet wide, you do the math and you’re not dealing with much of a track there. I think it was a horrible track for racing. It was all right for riding, and it kept you on your toes and was exciting – Travis had some interesting ideas and thought outside the box a little bit – but I don’t think it was a good racetrack. A lot of the berms were waist-high and they were like little, mini walls, so you couldn’t enter them late, and you couldn’t exit them early, and you couldn’t put two bikes in one berm at one time.”
From here, the GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda team heads to Toronto for round 13 of the AMA Supercross Series, and round seven of the Lites Eastern Regional Supercross Championship, March 28 inside Rogers Centre.
Points battles will come down to the final laps in all of the Pro and Semi-Pro classes. AMSOIL riders Shaun Crapo, DJ Eckstrom and Matt Judnick are all in the mix for valuable final positioning.
Racing and freestyle get underway on Friday night. The Pro's and Semi-Pro's will practice starting at five. Stock finals will be held on Saturday with the Open class champions being crowned on Sunday.
The AMA Supercross championship returned to the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans for the first time in seven years, becoming the closest race on the schedule to GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda’s Kevin Windham’s home in nearby Mississippi, just a couple hours away. For his home race, Windham came out decked out in New Orleans Saints-inspired gear, from head to toe.
In the main event, Windham didn’t get a great start, but he began methodically moving up through the pack. He had only moved from eighth to seventh by the halfway point, but quickly he began picking off riders one by one until he sat fourth only four laps later. Over the final six laps, he gained on third place, but he couldn’t quite catch the position, finishing fourth.
“I was just really fired up about the weekend,” Windham said. “I felt good going into it, and it was good to be at the home race. With a better start, I was in the running for a podium. I felt good. It was a good weekend all around, and I had all my friends and family in the crowd, so it felt really nice.”
In the Lites class, supercross rookie Blake Wharton won his heat race, his first ever pro heat win, and then moved on to the main event, got a decent start, in about sixth place, and started moving forward. Just before the halfway point, Wharton passed his teammate Daniel Blair for third, but was too far behind the two leaders to make a move. He got his first podium finish of his career. “The heat race was good, because I got a good start, and I felt good in that,” Wharton said. “In the main, my jump was a little weak off the start, but I managed a good first turn and second turn. I knew I was fairly close to the top, so I kind of rode smart. Those first two guys checked out, so I just had to get up there and do my own thing. Next time, maybe I’ll get a better start and run with them.”
Blair started in second place in the main event, yet another great start for the former privateer, and he ran inside the top five for most of the race, only to lose a couple spots in the final few laps and finish seventh.
“That was the first time in my career that I’ve ever been inside the top five in a main,” Blair said. “I’ve had good heats, but nothing like that, and it was exciting, but also a little nerve-wracking. But I think now that I’ve been up there, I feel like I belong more, and I know I can get good starts. Every time I’ve been on this bike, I’ve had good starts, so going into next week, I know I’ll be able to get a good start, and now that I’ve been up there before, I think that next week, I might stay a little longer and maybe finish a little higher up.”
From here, the AMSOIL sponsored team heads to St. Louis for round 12 of the AMA Supercross series and round six of the Lites Eastern Regional Supercross Championship, on March 21 inside the Edward Jones Dome.
Longtime sponsor AMSOIL is returning to the 2009 ITP Tires/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross Championship presented by Parts Unlimited. AMSOIL is one of many companies to continue with their support for America's premier ATV racing championship.
The AMA ATV MX Championship is the nation's premier amateur and professional ATV motocross series, and competes at top motocross facilities nationwide. The 11-round series features the nation's best racers, teams and sponsors and is America's largest and longest-running ATV national motocross series with more than 20 years of competition.
"The AMA ATV MX Nationals give AMSOIL another great proving ground for its products," said Jeremy Meyer, AMSOIL Race Program Manager. "AMSOIL found a great market and exceptional race teams, venues and fans when we joined the series last year. ATV racing has limitless possibilities and the AMA ATV MX Nationals is the perfect place for that growth."
The 2009 season continues next weekend March 21-22, with the FMF Spring Nationals at Mill Creek Raceway in Pell City, Tennessee.
The new hit show, "Wreckreation Nation with Dave Mordal" spent a weekend at the AMSOIL Derby Track in Eagle River, Wis. for the Vintage Snowmobile weekend of the AMSOIL Eagle River World Championship Snowmobile Derby in January.
For the first time since the conclusion of “Speedweeks 2009” in Florida in mid-February, Brady Smith and his #2 Dirt Late Model team will sling dirt this weekend.
The Brady Smith Racing team has traveled south to the Deep South Speedway in Loxley, Alabama this weekend for a pair of World of Outlaws Late Model Series events. A $show is planned for tonight, March 13 and a finale at Deep South on Saturday. Smith comes into the WOOLMS doubleheader nineteenth in the latest version of the series point standings. You can view additional information on the weekend by accessing www.worldofoutlaws.com.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE: March 13 Deep South (AL) Speedway, WoO March 14 Deep South (AL) Speedway, WoO March 20-21 Battleground (TX) Speedway, WoO March 27-28 Lowe’s (NC) Motor Speedway, WoO
The 2009 F1 ChampBoat season is still two months away but that didn't stop the defending champion from getting a little spring testing in over the weekend.
Team AMSOIL driver Terry Rinker headed east from his Tampa, Fla. home to take part in the 2009 Orange Cup Regatta, an APBA sanctioned event, in Lakeland, Fla.
Rinker turned in a perfect weekend against some familiar and some new competition, winning both finals on Saturday and Sunday. His son Rob also raced in the SST-45 class, picking up the win on Sunday, while his other son, Ashton, finished third. Lakeland Video Recap: courtesy: Dan Foard
Rinker's next race will be in Chattahoochee Fla. on March 21-22. The F1 ChampBoat series will start May 2-3 in Port Neches, Texas. AMSOIL is the Official Oil of the F1 ChampBoat series.
Team AMSOIL rolled into Florida for the Daytona Supercross with their bikes replicating the blacked-out bikes the riders rode in the filming of the upcoming GEICO Powersports commercial, to be aired for the first time this week.
One of the commercial’s stars, Kevin Windham, had a strong showing at the event he won a year earlier in the mud. Windham started outside the top five in the main event and quickly began to work his way forward. He got up as high as third twice in the final, but a few mistakes cost him and he eventually finished fifth.
“It was sort of par for the course, but I had some swaps, and that stuff happens here, but it slowed me down a couple of laps,” Windham said. “I started riding a little bit tight and then was able to reverse it and then come on strong at the end. I felt like I was decently strong at the end. It was a good ride for me. It would’ve been a good one to get on the podium or even back up last year with another win, because all the pieces were in place and some of the players went down in the first turn. The bike was working good, though. It was probably the best it’s ever been, it’s just that this track kind of requires you to push it over the edge, and as everyone knows, that’s not really my style. So I stayed in control most of the race, lost it a time or two, and struggled with it for just a sec, but I thought I had a good night. Obviously, I would’ve loved to hit the podium, but all in all, it was good.”
In the Lites class, the GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda team brought in a new replacement rider for Brett Metcalfe, who was injured at round two of the Lites East. Daniel Blair, the longtime privateer, actually got the holeshot in his heat race and led quite a few laps. In the main event, he started just inside the top 10 and battled it out on the tough circuit for 15 laps, eventually finishing 11th.
“Overall, it was really good,” Blair said. “I holeshot the heat and got to lead a couple laps, and the main thing I got out of this race is I know that Daytona’s a very difficult race – especially for me, because I haven’t done anything like this in a long time... I’ve been riding regular supercross, which is nothing like this. I just wanted to get through the weekend solid and be able to learn more about the bike, more about the team, and get something to build on."
His teammate Blake Wharton had a tough go of it in Daytona. Before the main event, on the sighting lap, the AMA didn’t block off the track where it crossed the start straightaway, and Wharton collided with Wil Hahn, who was doing a practice start.
“That little hot-lap incident was pretty scary,” Wharton said. “I went to do my start, and I took off first, and then most everyone else had taken off, but when you came around, it looped back in front of the start, and me and Wil Hahn kind of had a head-on collision. We both came away pretty lucky because I think we hit just at the right part of the bike. We didn’t totally hit, we just kind of clipped each other. My bike was still good, though, so that was good.”
Wharton was able to keep his head in the game, though, but then he was taken down in a first-turn pileup at the start of the main event. Still, he got up and charged, even without a front fender, and finished ninth.
From here, the team heads to New Orleans for round 11 of the AMA Supercross Series, and round five of the Lites Eastern Regional Supercross Championship, on March 14 inside the Louisiana Superdome.
AMSOIL has signed a two-year agreement with Larry Pegram and the Foremost Insurance/Ducati racing program to compete in the 2009 AMA American Superbike class.
Larry Pegram has been racing professionally in the road racing ranks since 1988 spent the past two seasons competing in the AMA Formula Xtreme class. The Ohio native finished with three podium finishes in 2008 and finished fourth overall in the modified class. Pegram opened the 2009 season up by leading for the first three laps at the AMA American Superbike race at Daytona International Speedway on March 5 before an electrical problem pushed him back to fourth.
AMSOIL also announced this week that the synthetic lubricant company has agreed to terms with AMA Pro Road Racing to become the series Official Oil and the Presenting Sponsor of the Daytona SportBike class.
“AMSOIL is extremely proud to become the Official Oil of AMA Pro Road Racing and help them accomplish their goals of bringing road racing back to the forefront of American motorsports,” said Jeremy Meyer, AMSOIL Race Program Manager. “The addition of a true professional like Ducati’s Larry Pegram will be a valuable asset to Team AMSOIL. He gives AMSOIL a great voice in the road racing market.”
“AMSOIL’s involvement is going to be great for our program the next two years,” said Larry Pegram. “The offer the best the market has to offer and we are already seeing benefits on the track.”
Even though the racing starts on Saturday, you can take part in the fun today. You can vote for your favorite rider on the ACSS tour. AMSOIL riders DJ Eckstrom, Shaun Crapo, Ross Martin and Matt Judnick are all candidates on the informal poll.
“I got a call from JC Waterhouse, and he basically offered me the opportunity to come out here [to California] and test the bike,” Blair says. “It was awesome. The whole experience was awesome, just with the way they handle business – they got me the flight, the rental car, and just treated me so professionally, and just that in itself was great. Now that I’ve actually earned a spot on the team, it’s unreal.”
Blair had some mixed emotions when he first hit the track on the Factory Connection Racing machine at the test track.
“First off, my bike was good,” Blair says. “I was happy with it. I felt like it was good enough for me to compete. But being on this bike, I feel like is going to open up so many new doors. It feels so light and it handles so good, and I feel like new doors are going to open because I think I can go so much faster and get so much better starts. It’s really at a whole new level. I’m riding a bike that’s the same brand as mine, but to be honest, it doesn’t feel anything like my bike. It’s like a different brand of dirt bike. It’s amazing, and the first few laps I was on it, I was rolling around the track with the biggest smile on my face, and then it went from a smile to anger and I was wondering how I had been able to race against guys on these things. There were definitely some mixed emotions there.”
Team manager JC Waterhouse says he’s really happy to add Blair to the roster.
“It’s very rare to be able to substitute your primary rider with someone aggressive and talented who may be able to finish up front right away in the series,” Waterhouse says. “With Daniel Blair, I think we’ve accomplished that and I’m looking forward to great things from him.”
Blair couldn’t be happier.
“It makes me feel really good, and they’ve already made me aware that they don’t want me go out there and go nuts, trying to just destroy everyone at the first race,” Blair says. “They want me to be smart and really build off of it, and that makes me feel good because I don’t have to go out there and ride over my head. I can really focus on building a little at a time, and that’s going to be good for me because I really feel like being with these guys, who have won championships, and work with Kevin Windham and Mike LaRocco, I think it will actually help me see things better. I feel like that’s going to be huge for me. I look forward to the weeks ahead.”
Blair will make his debut with the team at Daytona this Saturday night, round four of the Lites East and round nine of the 450cc championship at Daytona International Speedway, March 7.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 4, 2009) - AMSOIL has reached an agreement with AMA Pro Road Racing that will see one of the world's leading synthetic oil brands expand their presence in the motorsports community as the Official Oil of AMA Pro Road Racing and the presenting partner of the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike class.
Based in Wisconsin, AMSOIL introduced the world's first API-qualified synthetic motor oil in 1972. It has since developed an expansive line of high-quality synthetic lubricants, fuel additives and filtration products that continue to push the boundaries of lubrication science and redefine the performance possibilities of modern machinery and engines. AMSOIL offers products that deliver the same level of performance and protection to racers on the track and fans in the stands.
"It has been 36 years since AMSOIL brought the benefits of synthetic lubricants from jet engines to internal combustion engines, and we look forward to continuing this history of impressive performance in AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL," said Jeremy Meyer, Race Program Manager for AMSOIL, INC. "The new AMA Pro Daytona SportBike class should offer some of the most competitive motorcycle road racing ever seen in the United States and we are honored to be one of the high performance components in the new AMA Pro Road Racing."
A new class for 2009, AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL is a battleground between quick-handling 600cc motorcycles and a variety of big-bore bikes from Buell, Aprilia and Ducati. Daytona SportBikes are race-tuned descendants of some of today's top high-performance production motorcycles and the class promises to deliver some of AMA Pro Road Racing's best and most competitive racing.
"AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL is going to co-headline AMA Pro Road Racing and it is only because of the support of fine partners such as AMSOIL," said AMA Pro Racing President Roger Edmondson. "Along with the AMA Pro American Superbike class, the Daytona SportBike division will provide a perfect partnership showcase for companies such as AMSOIL and we are honored to have them on board."
AMA Pro Road Racing begins this week at Daytona Internatinoal Raceway as part of Daytona Bike Week. The American Superbike class opens its season on Thursday with the Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL going on Friday night in the Daytona 200. AMSOIL is also the Official Oil of Daytona Bike Week.
AMSOIL INC.
