Lovell Brothers on Xtreme 4x4 This Weekend

AMSOIL Rockcrawlers and Rockracers Brad and Roger Lovell will be featured this weekend on Xtreme 4x4, part of Spike TV’s Powerblock. The in depth segment will cover the pair’s introduction to the sport of rockcrawling as well a thorough look at their championship winning 2008 Ford Ranger/AMSOIL rock truck. Be sure to catch the action this Saturday (Jan. 31) or Sunday (Feb. 1) at 12:30 EST/PST on Spike TV. If the rockcrawling action is not enough, Lovell Racing will also have some air time of their near win at the 2008 XRRA Rock Racing Finals to be aired Saturday February 14 and Sunday February 15 on the same time and channel. After the shows air, they are available on the web.

The timing of the show could not be better as the team emerges from the off season gears up for more racing. While many changes are in store for the team in 2009, the brothers are firmly focused one goal, winning the upcoming King of the Hammers race on February 27. The team is entering two proven vehicles with skillfully engineered updates to make them faster and stronger. In 2008, Roger placed 14th after cooling problems slowed his pace and Brad fell out of the race with mechanical issues after posting the fastest time to the first checkpoint.
Video from 2008 KOH


Also on tap for Team AMSOIL this weekend:

Team AMSOIL riders Kevin Windham, Trey Canard and Dan Reardon will take part in the Monster Energy Supercross in San Francisco, Calif. on Saturday night. The races will air on SPEED (Sunday @ Noon EST) and CBS (Sunday @ 2:00 p.m. EST)

Team AMSOIL late model driver Brady Smith will be at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga. through Saturday before heading to Florida for some winter dirt track racing.

Sudden Impact Racing will bring one its monster trucks to the Louisiana Superdome for a Monster Jam event.

And the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series round three action from the Air Force National in Shakopee, Minn. will air on FSN and other affiliates this weekend. Affiliate

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

Shock Therapy Wins Anaheim Monster Jam

Grave Digger may have been the fastest qualifier for the second round of action at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., but it was all John Zimmer's driving of the AMSOIL Shock Therapy at the end of the night that took home the win.

In the first round, AMSOIL Shock Therapy defeated Andrew Peckham behind the wheel of Tropical Thunder. Zimmer advanced the AMSOIL Shock Therapy truck past round two by defeating Frank Krmel in Donkey Kong in a wild, fast paced run. Going into the semi-finals strong, it was obviously not the right not for the Air Force Afterburner as AMSOIL Shock Therapy took the win, advancing into the Monster Jam finals.

Zimmer and Shocker, driven by Pat Gerber, went went head to head in the finals, tire deep in mud. The rain caused havoc for both trucks, but Zimmer nailed the throttle and stayed focus on giving him everything he needed to defeat Shocker and take home the Monster Jam racing win.

Freestyle recap ended with AMSOIL Shock Therapy earning second after a crowd cheer off gave Donkey Kong the win.


Sudden Impact Racing, which owns and operates the Shock Therapy truck, will compete in the New Orleans Monster Jam event this weekend at the Superdome.

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

Metcalfe Podiums in AMSOIL Supercross Debut

The Houston Supercross brought the excitement of the start of a new series, as the Lites Eastern Regional Supercross Championship kicked off inside Reliant Stadium, and the GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL team brought Brett Metcalfe and rookie Blake Wharton along for the ride.


For Metcalfe, it was his first race with the team, and he came in as one of the favorites. After being near the top in times during qualifying, he went out and won his heat race, setting him up for a good gate pick in the main event. In the main, he got a decent start and worked his way through the pack, eventually finishing very close to the race winner in second place.

“It was exciting for me,” Metcalfe said. “I was a little bit nervous at first in the practices, but I was really happy with how the two practices went, and times were pretty decent. I was happy with my start in the heat and I came out with a win, and that was really cool. I kind of had the feeling that I could ride well tonight, and if everything goes well, we could be on the box. We pulled that off with a win in the heat and second in the main.”

His rookie teammate had to run in the unseeded practices during the day, but then came out in the races ready to do battle. In his heat, he finished a strong fourth ,and then in the main, he started at the tail end of the top five, and after some jostling of positions, he finished fifth.

“It was new and I didn’t really know what to expect, but overall, it went well,” Wharton said. “I stayed off the ground, and I felt like I rode a good race. Now I have three weeks to work on some stuff and get ready for Atlanta. But I’m happy how it ended up.”

Lites Race

In the 450cc class, Kevin Windham had a tough day. After finishing third in his heat, he went into the main event optimistic, but the start was key, and he didn’t get it. He started outside of the top 15 and had to work his way through the field on the tight, one-lined circuit. He finished ninth.

“It was nice to be back home, and I was home this week and around my friends and family here at the race,” Windham said. “I felt like I had some good sections in practice, and I’m never really a strong rider in practice. But once the night program and the main came, I never gave myself a chance with the poor start. People last week said the track was one-lined, but I think this one kind of took the cake, so it was tough to make passes, and to be honest, it was the hardest I ever rode for ninth place. It was pretty disappointing to come across ninth.”

Season standings and event results

From here, the GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL team heads to San Francisco for round five of the AMA Supercross Series, and round four of the Lites Western Regional Supercross Championship, on January 31 inside AT&T Park.

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

Wanderscheid Sweeps Wausau

Team AMSOIL oval ice racer PJ Wanderscheid stayed in Wisconsin after the AMSOIL Eagle River World Championship and took part in the Wausau 525 Championships.

Saturday started with hot laps and three heat races for the 600 open class. Wanderscheid swept all of his heats, which led up to the ten lap final that went green shortly after three o'clock. The race went one lap green then the red came after four sleds tangled up in turns 3 & 4. The race resumed with Wanderscheid in the lead, but another red flag came out with four laps remaining. The Sauk Center, Minn. native was able to keep the lead off the restart and went on to take the win in the 600 open class, despite running their 440 champ sled against the more powerful 600's.

Sunday had a similar schedule to Saturday. The main difference was the move to the 440 Champ sleds for the day. Wanderscheid ran well in his heat races, battling back for a second in the first race and sweeping the final two heats.

The final race on the USSA schedule was the Wausau 525 Champ 440 feature race. Wanderscheid worked to the front quickly and held the lead coming out of turns one and two. The red flag came out on the initial lap after a rider pulled off in turn three, meaning a complete restart to the race. On the restart, Wanderscheid again came out of turn 2 with the lead, a position he would not relinquish for the remainder of the 15 lap race.

"It was a awesome feeling to sweep the weekend with both feature wins and winning 5 out of 6 heat races in the weekend," said Wanderscheid. "The entire team wanted to make a statement after our bad luck last weekend in Eagle River. I think we proved to everyone that we are a team capable of winning races again."

Wanderscheid will race in Forest Lake, Minn. February 7-8. That weekend will mark a double feature in the Champ 440 class to make up for the final that was cancelled in Rock Rapids, Iowa in December.

You can watch video of this weekends race from the local news stations:

Wausau 525

600 open TV spot

440 Champ TV Spot

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

Near Miss at Winter X 13

AMSOIL snocross rider DJ Eckstrom has had his share of successes at the Winter X Games, including a bronze medal in 2008. The Duluth, Minn. native set himself up for another successful run in Aspen this year, but a rough spot in the track took him out of contention.


Eckstrom came out of the first turn in a group of riders battling for second behind eventual winner Tucker Hibbert. Once the scrum cleared away, Eckstrom had worked his way into second and was pulling away from the pile. He held the position for the first six laps of the 20 lap final before trying a secondary line on one of the courses' uphill sections. The move proved costly as it kicked Eckstrom off the sled and out of the top ten.


"I wanted to make sure there was a second line through the rhythm section in case I got caught up in lap traffic later in the race," said Eckstrom. "I just missed the rhythm and hit a kicker and that was all she wrote."


Eckstrom finished the final in 11th. Meanwhile, teammate Shaun Crapo was also riding in the top five and gaining ground for a podium spot when he was rear ended by a hard charging sled, causing his rear shock to break. Crapo finished 13th.


Eckstrom, who sits third in the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series Pro Super Stock class, and Crapo (6th) will return to Minnesota for round four of racing in Brainerd, Minn. February 6-8. Ross Martin, who rides for the AMSOIL/Judnick Motorsports team, dislocated his hip in Aspen and will miss the remainder of the year.


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

Shock Therapy Video From Monster Jam

The AMSOIL Shock Therapy and Excaliber monster trucks kicked off the 2009 racing season on the weekend of January 2-3 at the Monster Truck Winter Nationals event at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston Salem, N.C.

On Friday night, driver Jon Zimmer drove the Shock Therapy truck to a perfect 30 in freestyle, giving the AMSOIL sponsored truck its first freestyle win of 2009. Zimmer and Shock Therapy found even more success on Saturday night, dominating the field to earn the team’s second freestyle victory and its first racing win of the season.

The weekend of January 9-10 brought Shock Therapy and Excaliber to the Monster Jam event at BJCC Arena in Birmingham, Ala. On Friday night, Shock Therapy finished second in both the wheelie and the freestyle competitions, then returned strong for the Saturday matinee, grabbing 30 points and the win in the wheelie competition and second place finishes in the elimination and freestyle competitions. On Saturday night, Shock Therapy grabbed another pair of second place finishes in the wheelie and freestyle competitions.

A Monster Jam recap program will be televised February 1 at 8 p.m. EST on SPEED.

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

AMSOIL Teams Ready For Winter X Games

** Update on Ross Martin** Ross Martin crashed during practice on Thursday, resulting in a dislocated hip. Martin was transfered to Denver for treatment. Team owner Scott Judnick said the Martin will be out for the remainder of the 2009 season.

AMSOIL snocross riders DJ Eckstrom, Shaun Crapo, Ross Martin and Matt Judnick will be looking for gold in the mountains of Colorado this weekend.

The 13th annual Winter X Games started on Thursday night with AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series rider Levi LeValle taking home a second in the Speed and Style event. LeValle will also compete in the snocross event and may attempt a double back flip during Sunday's Freestyle final.

As for the AMSOIL snocross racers, practice was scheduled on Thursday with the qualifying rounds tonight in prime time. Eckstrom, who finished with the bronze medal in 2008, will look for a first round win tonight live on ESPN HD.

Meanwhile, 2008 Pro Rider of the Year Ross Martin took a tumble during Thursday's practice and was taken off the course in a ski patrol toboggan. Martin was sitting upright and talking with medical personnel as he was being packaged in the toboggan. He was taken to the Aspen Valley Hospital via ambulance. no word on his status for tonight's race as been made available.

Tonight's racing action gets underway at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). Saturday will bring a last chance qualifier during the afternoon, with the final set for 9:00 p.m. EST. Saturday's final will also air live on ESPN HD.

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

Windham Finds First Podium of 2009

Top AMSOIL Supercross Lites rider Trey Canard spent the weekend recovering from a concussion suffered in Phoenix, so it was up to his teammates to steal the show at Anaheim II.



Kevin Windham was looking for his first Supercross podium of the season, and after finishing third in in his heat race, he was in position to make some noise in the SX main event. While Mike Alessi might have grabbed the holeshot, Windham quickly took the lead after the first lap. Both James Stewart and Chad Reed were working their way towards Windham. A battle ensued with former teammate Josh Grant, with Windham remaining out front on the fourth lap. Shortly after, Stewart put pressure on Windham, passing him midrace over the finish line jump. Windham then battled with Ryna Villopoto and Reed, with Reed getting the nod on the final lap.

Windham finished third for his first podium of the year. He moved into eighth in the Supercross points standings.

The series now heads to Ohio where we will get our first look at AMSOIL East Coast Lites riders Brent Metcalf and Blake Wharton.

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

AMSOIL World Championship Crowns Repeat Winner

Story written by SnowGoer Magazine

Brian Bewcyk, the pole sitter at the 46th running of the AMSOIL World Championship Snowmobile Derby, emerged from the pack in the lead at the start of lap 2 and remained in front to the checkered flag. He defended the AMSOIL World Champion title after winning Eagle River last year on the same Wahl chassis Ski-Doo.

“Last name on the Snow Week Cup, first name on the Snow Goer Cup,” said team owner Jeff MacDonald. “I told him he was going to be the first name on that cup this morning.”

The new Snow Goer Cup is a traveling trophy that records the name of the winner of the Derby. On the cup already are the 45 previous winners. Bewcyk was the last winner recorded on the retired Snow Week Cup, whose permanent resting place is at the World Snowmobile Headquarters in Eagle River, Wisc.

Bewcyk’s first words after his win was a tribute to his brand. “Happy Birthday Ski-Doo,” he said, in honor of the company’s 50th anniversary. “

My holeshots were working good,” he said, of the initial sprint to the first corner as well as the three race restarts after track incidents hauled out the red flag. “I was working to stay on the inside line,” he said. “If you bounced up into the snow, you lost a lot of momentum.”

Hooper/Arctic Cat driver Dan Fenhaus was in second from the first restart, but AMSOIL rider PJ Wanderscheid worked around him out of turn four. Wanderscheid and Fenhaus had their lines cross in turns 1-2, and Wanderscheid spun out after the pair made contact on lap seven.
While Wanderscheid made several advances and moved his way through the pack in two separate runs, he couldn’t get back to the front for a spot on the podium, and finished fourth.

Wanderscheid spun out on lap seven causing a third red flag. From his last-position status on the restart, he had a monster holeshot and blasted into third after the restart. He was back behind Fenhaus, and tried a different line in turns 3-4 but was too high in the snow and lost momentum. He was trying different things to find something to work. He had the speed as he recorded the second fastest speed of the race.

"We had a fast sled today," said Wanderscheid. "I just made a costly mistake late in the race by spinning out in turn one. It just wasn't our turn to win number four this year."

Bewcyk was unchallenged at the front. He had both the best lap time and fastest speed, 18.373 seconds and 78.376 mph, respectively.

Finishing order from the 46th Annual AMSOIL World Championship Snowmobile Derby:

1. #39 Brian Bewcyk, Ski-Doo
2. #10, Dan Fenhaus, Arctic Cat
3. #74 Dustin Wahl, Polaris
4. #28 PJ Wanderscheid, Arctic Cat
5. #13 Nick VanStrydonk, Polaris
6. #22 Brandon Johnson, Polaris
7. #33 Malcom Chartier, Ski-Doo
8. #180 Nick Dolezal, Ski-Doo
9. #58 Cardell Potter, Ski-Doo
10. #2 Mike Poach, Ski-Doo
11. #66 Gary Moyle, Ski-Doo
12. #16x Joey Fjerstad, Polaris

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

Field Set for AMSOIL World Championship

The vast majority of the Pro 440 Champ drivers at the 46th Annual AMSOIL World Championship Snowmobile Derby in Eagle River, Wis. are in agreement, this year's track is fast.

With Brian Bewcyk holding onto the pole position after his Friday Night Thunder win, the rest of the front row for Sunday's AMSOIL World Championship race was set during Saturday's qualifying.

With qualifying stretching the entire afternoon, AMSOIL rider PJ Wanderscheid started the session strong, going wire to wire for the win. Once in the second round of qualifying, the three time champion went bar to bar with two time champion Gary Moyle, with Moyle taking the checkered flag. Wanderscheid was right on his tail, taking a second and leaving the track with the confidence needed to win on Sunday.


"We had to tweak some handling issues before the semi-final," said Wanderscheid. "But the track is really fast and we had a lot of speed in the straight aways. So, we are very confident in our chances to win number four. We'll need a good start and stay clean for 25 laps."

Another AMSOIL rider, Brad Bettin, will have to make it through the Last Chance Qualifier on Sunday to race in his second straight World Championship. Bettin hit hard into the hay bales in turn three and had to leave the track for medical attention.

In snocross, AMSOIL pro rider Shaun Crapo, who won on Friday night, headed off to Winter X, but he left behind the young gun Ryan Carey to take care of business in the Open and Super Stock classes. Carey made both finals scheduled for Sunday, including being one of the top qualifiers in the Pro Open class after winning one of his qualifiers. On Sunday morning, Carey took a fourth in Pro Super Stock.

Last Chance Qualifiers begin at noon on Sunday with the final scheduled for 3:oo p.m. You can watch a live feed from the AMSOIL World Championship on-line.

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

Crapo Shines On Day 2 of AMSOIL World Championship Snowmobile Derby

The 46th Annual AMSOIL World Championship brought subzero temperatures for Friday Night Thunder, but the racing action was a full schedule of heated action.

The show, spectacular in nature, was highlighted by the Sweet Sixteen. The top 16 riders in the Pro 44o Champ class squared off with the winner getting a Saturday pass and the pole position for Sunday's AMSOIL World Championship. AMSOIL rider PJ Wanderscheid set the tone early by winning the first heat race over defending champion Brian Bewcyk. In the final, the two would battle once again, this time with Bewcyk getting the edge and winning the pole position spot for the second straight year. Wanderscheid finished second, holding off a slew of riders battling in the third spot.

"We are really close," said Wanderscheid following the race. "A few minor tweaks and we'll be in the mix come Sunday."

In Snocross, AMSOIL's Shaun Crapo asserted his dominance early by winning three combined heat races in the Pro Super Stock and Pro Open classes. The number one qualifier in Pro Open, Crapo got a great jump off the start and dominated in the final. Crapo easily led from flag to flag, taking home his first win at the AMSOIL Derby Track. Crapo finished second in Pro Super Stock.

"What a great experience," said Crapo. "I've always wanted to come out to Eagle River and race, but to come here and win makes the trip that much better. This should give us some momentum heading into Winter X next week."

Saturday marks another full day of racing, including qualifying for Sunday's AMSOIL World Championship race.

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

AMSOIL Riders Qualify For AMSOIL World Championship

Despite temperatures near -17 before the wind chill factored in, three time AMSOIL World Champion PJ Wanderscheid qualified tenth in the Pro Champ 440 class.


The AMSOIL rider clocked in a 37.335 second lap time this morning. Defending champion Brian Bewcyk was the top qualifier at 35.546. Second place through 11th were all less than a second apart. AMSOIL rider Brad Bettin stopped the dial at 36.858, good for seventh fastest.

The top 16 riders from today's qualifying will take part in the Friday Night Thunder portion of the AMSOIL World Championship. The winner of that race will take hold of the pole position for Sunday's World Championship race.


A full day of racing gets underway tomorrow morning at 9:30, including qualifying for the Pro 600 classes which will showcase top pro rider Shaun Crapo, who is using Eagle River as a final test before next weeks Winter X Games. Crapo's teammate, Ryan Carey will also race this weekend in the Pro class.


Friday Night Thunder starts at 6:00 p.m. You can watch all of the action this weekend on a Pay Per View basis at the Derby Track website.


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

AMSOIL Eagle River Snowmobile Derby Starts January 15

Thursday marks the start of the most historical snowmobile race of the year. The AMSOIL World Championship Snowmobile Derby will be held for the 46th time at the AMSOIL Eagle River Derby Track in Eagle River, Wis. starting on Thursday.

Qualifying in the Pro 600 class, along with several support classes will begin tomorrow morning at 9:30. The weekend will be highlighted by several events and riders, including AMSOIL's PJ Wanderscheid. The Sauk Centre, Minn. native will be looking for a record setting fourth win in the AMSOIL World Championship race on Sunday afternoon.

Wanderscheid wraps up his 2007 quest and the importance of winning the AMSOIL World Championship

Along with Wanderscheid, Pro snocross racer and AMSOIL rider Shaun Crapo will make his first trip to the AMSOIL Eagle River Derby Track. Crapo, who has never raced in Eagle River, will use the event as a final test for the ESPN Winter X Games next week.

"I've always wanted to race in Eagle River but our schedule has never allowed us to get there the past few years," said Crapo. "With a break in the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series schedule before X-Games, and with (Semi-Pro teammate) Ryan Carey also going to Eagle River, I thought I would come out take part in this great event."

The AMSOIL World Championship also has a long history of bringing together the stars of snowmobile racing and the stars from other race disciplines. Bobby Unser and Dick Trickle are just two of the names that attend the annual event and take part in Friday's sponsor ride. Joining the charitable event in 2009 will be NASCAR's Scott Wimmer, a Wisconsin native.

The celebrity charity ride started three years ago as a fundraiser for the families of two drivers who died at the Derby, Flip Merwin and Ed Devault. Snowmobile enthusiasts offer donations to ride along with the celebrity drivers over 50 miles of trail.

"I really look forward to getting back to the Northwood’s of Wisconsin to watch the greatest snowmobile race of the year; this has long been considered the Daytona 500 of iced oval snowmobile racing” said Wimmer."

Check back each day for updates on who won big and everything else that is going on at this year's AMSOIL Eagle River World Championship Snowmobile Derby.

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

Phoenix Supercross and Canard Crash Video

As the defending East Coast Lites Supercross Champion, Trey Canard is finding a tough go on the 2009 West Coast Lites Supercross series.

In the Anaheim opener, the AMSOIL rider got caught up in a Jason Lawrence crash, which relegated him to the back of the pack. In Phoenix this past weekend, Canard didn't even get the chance to race in the main. During his heat race, Canard made a crucial mistake coming out of the whoops section that sent him over the handle bars and off the track. A concussion would leave him out of both the LCQ and the main event, probably out of contention for the 2009. As he told Transworld Magazine, he can still win some races this year.


"It would take a miracle–I would have to win every single race and everybody else would need to make some big mistakes. If it’s not going to happen it’s not going to happen. Nothing that I do now is going to make anything better, so I need to concentrate on having some good races."


Canard's Lites teammate, Dan Reardon, fared a little better in Phoenix. The Austrailian rider finished third in his heat race and had to work his way through the field in the main to finish tenth. He sits 13th overall in the points standings.

Kevin Windham rebounded from a wicked crash involving James Stewart in Anaheim. K-Dub finished second in his heat race in Phoenix before tallying a sixth place finish in the main. Windham moved up to eighth overall in championship race.

The AMA Supercross Series heads back to Anaheim, Calif. this Saturday for round three. The Phoenix race will re-air on SPEED today, starting at noon EST. Anaheim II will air Sunday on CBS starting at noon EST.

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

Huge Crowd Highlights AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series in Shakopee

With one of the biggest crowds on hand in the ten year racing history at Canterbury Park, Tucker Hibbert continued his season unbeaten streak in the Pro ranks with two driving away victories. Fans also got a taste of the new one-day, three-hour main event format, which featured an all-final show with back to back Pro and Semi-Pro finals.

With his unbeaten streak on the line and the competitors hungry to end it, Hibbert foiled their efforts once again by gaining the lead on the first lap by overcoming the holeshot lead of fellow Arctic Cat rider Brett Turcotte. In their wake was a swarm of AMSOIL riders, including DJ Eckstrom and Ross Martin.

In the early laps, Eckstrom went wide and off the track, shuffling him back in the pack while TJ Gulla (Pol), picked off Robi Malinoski and settled in to fifth. The running order remained Tucker, Turcotte, Levi LaVallee, Martin and Gulla until lap 13, when Martin and Levi began to battle for third, swapping the spot several times over the course of five laps.

The grueling 26 lap final was prolonged when Malinoski, who was running sixth, fell off on lap 19 forcing a red flag and a single file restart for the remaining seven laps. With the field bunched up, the chance for Hibbert to be knocked off his game was on once again. But a clean restart put him back in position for the win. A late charge by Gulla put the finishing order at the flag of Hibbert, Turcotte, Gulla, LaVallee and Martin.

The Pro Stock class started with a melee’ immediately following the start as Ryan Simons, Gulla, Martin and Andrew Johnstad, all legitimate podium contenders, were forced to work from deep behind the leaders. That set the stage for another Tucker Hibbert victory, continuing his unbeaten streak for the season and further securing his points lead.

At the close of the first lap, Hibbert edged out LaVallee and Brett Bender, with Garth Kaufman, Eckstrom, Brett Turcotte and AMSOIL rider Shaun Crapo rounding out the top seven riders. The running order remained consistent for more than half the race, as Hibbert began to checkout and encountered back runners on lap nine.

While Hibbert continued at the front, it was Kaufman who perhaps put on the second most impressive ride of the night, as he slowly edged towards the front, picking off Bender on lap 16 and then having an impressive battle with LaValle during the closing laps. The two swapped positions several times during the closing laps, with Kaufman eventually taking second. At the line is was Hibbert, who lapped every sled in the field except the top four riders, followed by Kaufman, LaVallee, Bender and Eckstrom to complete the top five.

For complete results from the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series and the Air Force Nationals, go to: National Results.

Next up for Team AMSOIL will be the ESPN Winter X Games, where Eckstrom will try to defend his bronze medal and Martin and Crapo will be looking for their first X Games medal. The ESPN Winter X Games will air live on ESPN and ABC January 22-25.

The next AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series race will be the BIR National in Brainerd, Minn. February 6-8.

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

Team AMSOIL Opens 2009 Supercross With a Bang

LITES

The future met the past for the GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda team this weekend during the opening round of the 2009 Monster Energy Supercross series in Anaheim, Calif.

The future came out early in the Lites class. Defending East Coast Lites SX champion Trey Canard and teammate Dan Reardon banged bars and battled for the hole shot in the second qualifying heat at Angels Stadium. Reardon took an early lead, but Canard soon pushed his Honda CRF 250 out front.

Defending West Coast Lites SX champion Jason Lawrence returned from an AMA supported suspension and quickly settled in behind Canard. Already in the transfer spot, Lawrence kept the pressure on Canard, who gave away the lead when he missed the rut heading into one of the big Anaheim turns. Reardon also capitalized on the mistake and took over second place. Canard quickly remounted and finished third behind Lawrence and Reardon.

In the main event, it was more bad luck for Canard after a first lap crashed shook up the field. While Reardon grabbed the holeshot coming of the start, Canard was right in the mix until the second turn when Lawrence got squirrely and crashed into Canard and a pile-up of other riders.

Reardon kept the lead for a few laps before former teammate Jake Weimer closed the gap and took over for the win. Reardon would crash out of the race and was given a DNF. Canard was able to remount, but was only able to make it up to 14 when the checkered flag dropped.

SUPERCROSS

Kevin Windham will once again be leading the AMSOIL charge in the Supercross class in 2009. After getting banged around of the start, Windham settled in to his qualifying heat and finished eighth, good enough to advance into the main.

Once in the main, Windham started quickly before literally getting caught up in the action. K-Dub was running fourth behind former James Stewart, Chad Reed and former AMSOIL rider Josh Grant. Stewart and Reed were battling back and forth entering a rhythm section when the two riders tangled, sending both to the ground. Grant was able to get by the chaos, but Windham was forced to take a line on the inside of the track. Stewart, who took a hard hit to the head during the crash, was trying to get his bike out of harm’s way, but instead pushed the Yamaha right into Windham’s line. With nowhere to go, Windham slammed into Stewart, sending both riders to the ground. It took Windham a few moments to get the Honda CRF 450 restarted. By then, much of the field had passed by and Windham was only able to get back a few spots, finishing 15th. Grant took his first win in the Supercross class, followed by Andrew Short and Reed.

The GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda team will follow the circuit to Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz. this Saturday for the second round. The Anaheim race, which aired live on SPEED last weekend, will re-air with two hours of coverage on Tuesday starting at noon Eastern Standard Time. Round two will air on SPEED this Sunday starting at 5:00 p.m. EST.


AMSOIL's Kevin Windham gets caught up in crash between Chad Reed and James Stewart

The GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda team will follow the circuit to Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz. this Saturday for the second round. The Anaheim race, which aired live on SPEED last weekend, will re-air with two hours of coverage on Tuesday starting at noon Eastern Standard Time. Round two will air on SPEED this Sunday starting at 5:00 p.m. EST.


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

AMSOIL Duluth National Airs Sunday

The first round of the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series will make its television debut this weekend on Fox Sports North.

Round one from the AMSOIL Duluth National will air on FSN's SledHead 24/7 on Sunday at 12:30 pm CST. The racing will feature all of the pro action from Spirit Mountain in Duluth, Minn. on Thanksgiving weekend. The AMSOIL Duluth National will also air the week of January 3 through January 9 on additional FSN networks nation wide. If you are looking for the show on your cable or satellite listings, look under SledHead 24/7.

The AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series resumes its national schedule January 8-10 in Shakopee, Minn. You can order discounted tickets from ISOC until January 2.



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