MX Sports Center Airs Online Daily from Loretta Lynn's

MX Sports Center will be continuing their coverage of the Air Nautiques/AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, presented by AMSOIL, through daily internet video shows at this year’s August 4th-9th event at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch for the fifth year in a row. The show will cover both on-and-off track highlights from the Tennesse ranch, which will become the center of the motocross world for a week of championship racing.

For 2009, MX Sports Center will air on www.AlliSports.com, the online hub for action-sports competitions. Air dates start on Tuesday August 4, the first day of racing at Loretta Lynn’s; new highlights will air each day of racing. A total of 99 championship motos, covering 33 classes, will decide the 2009 AMA Amateur National Champions in motocross.

As they have been for the last five years, the shows will be hosted by Jason Weigandt and Kevin Kelly. Weigandt is the host of SPEED and NBC's coverage of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, and Kelly is the cofounder and co-host of the cutting-edge DMXS Radio, a weekly bench-racing bonanza for the online community. The producer of the show will be Wes Williams, the same creative mind behind Vurbmoto.com, which chronicles the amateur motocross circuit, as well as online video coverage of pro motocross.

"Loretta's is the hardest week of the year and the best week of the year," says Weigandt, who will fly directly to Tennessee from Washington, where he will host SPEED TV's live coverage of Saturday's Washougal Motocross National. "We try to fit all of that into the show-the fun, the drama, everything that makes this week so unforgettable. That's why they call Loretta Lynn's 'The World's Greatest Motocross Vacation.'"

AMSOIL is the Official Oil and presenting sponsor of Loretta Lynn's. Team AMSOIL will be well represented by top rider Eli Tomac at this year's event. The AMSOIL Racing Blog will provide daily updates from Tennessee."Our roots are in amateur motocross," Williams says of his VurbMoto.com crew, which will man the cameras and editing bays all week at Loretta Lynn's. "We cover all of the amateur events, but MX Sports Center puts the focus on the most important race of them all, Loretta's."

Until then, see you at the races.

Team AMSOIL Podiums in Washougal; Windham Returning to Action

The GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda team rolled into Washougal, Wash. for round eight of the AMA Pro Motocross Championships with high hopes.

After a couple so-so performances in the last couple nationals, rookie Blake Wharton snatched his first holeshot of the nationals in the first moto and led the first half-dozen laps on his way to third in the moto. Then, in the second moto, another good start landed him another third-place finish and second overall on the day.

“It feels good to get back up (on the podium),” Wharton said. “I got the holeshot in the first moto and led for five or six laps, and that’s something I haven’t done in a while. Hopefully, I’ll be doing more of that. In the second moto, I got a good start again. I didn’t get the lead, but I was up front, and I held it together for second overall. It was a good day. The last race I led was a supercross, in St. Louis, and that was a long time ago, so hopefully now that I’ve got my starts back, I can get back up there next week, and the week after that, and get up there consistently.”

Wharton’s teammate Brett Metcalfe found his way to the front in both motos as well, going 4-4 for fourth overall.

“Today, I just got bad starts,” Metcalfe said. “I don’t know. I’m not really happy with a 4-4, but it’s a lot better than it could be. I need to get good starts. I can’t pull it off without it, so if I get a bad start, that’s not going to happen for me. Starts have been good for me lately, but today there were two shockingly bad starts, so I need to make sure tire selection and everything is good for the gate, then go for it. A 4-4 at this track is pretty good, though, because I don’t really dig this race. I’m looking forward to the next few rounds.”

And finally, rookie Justin Barcia had a tough day with some falls, but still recovered for a strong finish in moto two.

“I just told everyone to look out for me at Unadilla,” Barcia said. “I just haven’t been myself since my crash at Texas and I needed some time to get back to myself. I had a meeting with the team and we know what we have to work on and we are going to be ready for the last four nationals.”

From here, the AMSOIL sponsored team has a couple weekends off from this series before it returns to action in New Berlin, N.Y., for round nine of the series at Unadilla. However, Wharton and Kevin Windham will be taking part in the X Games this weekend in Los Angeles. In addition, multi-time Women’s MX champion Jessica Patterson will be on board a GEICO Powersports Honda machine at the X Games in the Women’s Moto X event at the Home Depot Center. Barcia will also be making an appearance at the AMA Amateur MX Nationals at Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. AMSOIL is the Official Oil and presenting sponsor of the event.

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

AMSOIL Ready for AMA Amateur Nationals

A full entertainment line-up has been set for the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships presented by AMSOIL in Hurricane Mills, Tenn..

The week-long event, held from August 2 - 8, is known as the "World's Greatest Motocross Vacation" due to its combination of racing action on the track and family-friendly entertainment off of it. This year's event boasts entertainment from lives bands, freestyle motocross shows and even a Guitar Hero championship to go along with traditions such as the talent and fashion show.

"We are excited to have another star studded special event schedule," said Tim Cotter, event director at MX Sports. "Our special events have always been a key part of the success of the best family motocross vacation."

Motocross celebrities that will be present at the event include reigning AMA Supercross Champion James Stewart, all-time supercross king Jeremy McGrath, the Greatest of All-Time Ricky Carmichael, and AMSOIL sponsored rider Justin Barcia, who will debut the 2010 Honda CRF250R.

AMSOIL is the Official Oil and presenting sponsor of Loretta Lynn's. Team AMSOIL will be well represented by top rider Eli Tomac at this year's event. The AMSOIL Racing Blog will provide daily updates from Tennessee.

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

AMSOIL Helps Lovells Secure Sixth Straight Championship

The AMSOIL sponsored rock crawling team of Brad and Roger Lovell found themselves in familiar territory at round four of the 2009 We-Rock Western Series in Oroville, Calif. After calculated moves on the course, the veteran pair of rockcrawlers quietly congratulated each other on the unthinkable, a third We-Rock series championship and sixth pro rockcrawling series championship in as many years.

The immense pressure of securing yet another championship weighed on the pair nearly as much as the 110 degree heat, but concentration and smart thinking won out. They put together a consistent effort during the weekend and were the only team to finish all eight regular courses.

“We did not want to take any unnecessary risks out there and put the title in jeopardy,” commented Roger. “Several times we were tempted to go for glory and had to talk each other down.”

Even with the conservative philosophy, the brothers lead the pro-modified field both days and into the final round before rival Tracy Jordan was able to capitalize on a near perfect run and put the Lovells in second place. While the final course was a loss for the team, the real story is in the big picture.

“Long ago, we chose to stand behind companies dedicated to excellence and it has paid off," said Brad. "For six years we have been the dominant rockcrawling team and it doesn’t come from luck or shoddy craftsmanship. It takes personal commitment and the most durable truck imaginable. To AMSOIL, BFGoodrich Tires, Torchmate CNC Cutting Systems, Art Carr Performance Products, K&N Filters, Spidertrax Off-road, and our other supporters – You have the highest degree of parts and service capable of six years of domination. Thank you. We are also eternally grateful to our friends in the off-road industry and family for their long term support.”

After their 6th (and unplanned) rockcrawling championship, one questions looms. What’s next for the Lovells? Brad answers, “I’m still pretty focused on the eight desert and rock races we have left in 2009. As for next season, we are building an exciting campaign with Team AMSOIL and Torchmate Racing. 2010 should allow us to test our skill in yet more off-road venues.”

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

Barcia Shines at Millville AMA Event

For round seven of the AMA Pro Motocross Championships, the GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/ Honda team rolled into Millville, Minn., with four riders; Justin Barcia, Brett Metcalfe, Blake Wharton and local favorite Alex Martin, whose family just happens to own the Spring Creek MX Park that the team raced on last weekend.

But it was Justin Barcia who turned the most heads, yet again. The rookie ran up front in both motos, ending up third in moto one after fighting it out with teammate Brett Metcalfe for the spot. In the second moto, Barcia once again battled hard before the leader and second-place finisher found their way by, and he settled in for another third place. He credits some of the recent improvement in his racing to his team testing with him after the last round in Michigan.

“We did a little bit of testing after RedBud, at RedBud, and we found a few things with the motor and things like that which help me a little better and deliver the power a little better,” Barcia said. “The team has been working really hard, and it all helps a lot.”

His teammate Metcalfe duked it out with Barcia in moto one, but finished fourth. In the second moto, he was never that close to the top three, but finished with a consistent 4-4 on the day.

“My weekend went good,” Metcalfe said. “I got good starts in both motos, and I came into the races feeling pretty confident and comfortable. I definitely wanted to get a top-three finish and run up front. I fell short of that by one spot in each moto, but I felt like I rode pretty good. Everything went well, and a 4-4 is solid for the championship. I couldn’t complain too much. Each moto, we had some good racing going on, and Justin and I had a great battle in the first one. It was good racing.”

Filling in for the injured Trey Canard, Alex Martin had his best national performance ever. In the first moto, he turned a good start into a strong eighth-place finish. In the second moto, Martin was still a little fatigued, but managed a 12th-place finish for 11th overall.

“About 20-25 minutes into the first moto, my arms started to get kind of tight,” Martin said. “That bike’s got so much damned power that I was sliding back on the seat a lot and kept having to pull myself forward. I think that was a contributing factor.”

Blake Wharton had a tough weekend, with a fluke electrical problem costing him on the line in moto one. In the second moto, though, he was up front until a fall on the second lap saw him come through from dead last to 19th.

“In the second moto, I got a pretty good start, and I was fourth, and on the second lap I crashed going down a downhill,” Wharton said. “I took a line I shouldn’t have taken, and I thought maybe I would’ve known about that had I raced the first moto. I wasn’t that familiar with the track. So then I had to play catch-up, and I caught up to like 19th from dead last. I got some points, but it was a disappointing weekend for me.”

Overall Results

From here, the AMSOIL sponsored team heads to Washougal, Wash., for round eight of the series at Washougal MX.

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

Team AMSOIL Wins Silver Cup

Photos courtesy of Steve Lippincott

Team AMSOIL Offshore was invited by the American Power Boat Association (APBA) to compete in the offshore heat races conducted in conjunction with the 100th running of the Detroit Gold Cup Unlimited Hydroplane Race. The three day event started with testing on Friday. There were three exciting heat races on Saturday and two final heats on Sunday, in front of thousands of fans.

Team AMSOIL put on a great show battling with the other offshore catamarans on the tight 2 ½ mile, pear-shaped course. The tightest turn was in front of the grandstands and gave the fans a close look at some deck to deck racing. The AMSOIL sponsored boat dominated the field and took first in the Cat Division. At the awards, Team AMSOIL was presented with the perpetual Silver Cup where Bob Teague’s and Paul Whittier’s names will be added to the long list of previous recipients.

Next stop is the annual Saint Clair Offshore race on August 1-2. This will be a grand event with the merging of the OSS and OPA racing organizations.

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

F1 ChampBoat presented by AMSOIL on Versus

The F1 ChampBoat Series presented by AMSOIL is pleased to announce that it is moving its television broadcast to VERSUS this coming fall. The new partnership will air at least six shows in 2009 with a strong event schedule coming in 2010.

“We have been very impressed with the growth of VERSUS as a major sports network the past few years and their HD programming is absolutely gorgeous”, stated F1 ChampBoat Series President, Michael Schriefer. “VERSUS has come on strong to rival other major sports networks the past few years headed with their stellar NHL, Indy Racing and Tour de France programming. VERSUS will be promoting our sport bigger than ever, so we’re very excited about having a long term partnership with VERSUS”.

“We are extremely excited about hosting F1 ChampBoat Series presented by AMSOIL this coming fall. The F1 boats are extremely exciting to watch and the water and colors of these exotic machines will look awesome on VERSUS HD”, said Casey Stone, Director of Programming.

F1 Powerboat racing is the #1 spectator sport on water with world class events held throughout the world. In 2009 F1 Powerboat racing is celebrating its 25th anniversary for North American championship competition and is currently in the middle of its season with upcoming events in Nashville August 15-16 and with its season finale schedule for first weekend of November in Naples, Florida.


Tentative Broadcast Schedule (all times EST)
10/20/09 5:00 pm – 5:30pm Amsoil Grand Prix of Texas
10/27/09 5:00 pm – 5:30pm Evansville Freedom Festival
11/03/09 5:00 pm – 5:30pm Dow Bay City River Roar
11/10/09 5:00 pm – 5:30pm Music City River Roar
11/17/09 5:00pm – 5:30pm APBA Nationals
11/24/09 5:00pm – 5:30pm Naples Grand Prix

More information about F1 ChampBoat Series presented by AMSOIL can be found at;
http://www.champboat.com/

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

Video Highlights From TORC Series - Bark River

AMSOIL was well represented at the Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL. Seven podiums were taken during the two rounds of racing by Team AMSOIL drivers.

AMSOIL Super Team drivers Chad Hord took the Pro Light win on Saturday (watch here) and Scott Douglas took second on Sunday in the Pro 4x4 class. Here's a look at Douglas, Hord and Mike Oberg from last weekends action.

Don't forget to watch the Bark River race this weekend on ESPN2. Sunday's three pro races will be highlighted at 11:30 a.m. EST. The next round of racing will be August 8-9 back in Bark River.

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

Team AMSOIL Offshore Wins in Sarasota

Team AMSOIL Offshore traveled to Sarasota, Fla. for Independence Day weekend to compete in the 25th annual running of the Sarasota Offshore Grand Prix. The silver anniversary of the event included a parade and downtown street party with an estimated attendance of 100,000 fans. The Team AMSOIL Skater was positioned in the middle of the downtown event on Thursday night for fans to check out.

Four boats, including Team AMSOIL competed for Kilo Records on Friday. Due to cross winds and choppy conditions, Team AMSOIL was unable to top its existing record, set at the Salton Sea in December of 2008, of nearly 132 MPH average. Also on Friday, the Team participated in the Meet and Greet Who’s in the Driver’s Seat event held at the Hyatt Sarasota Boathouse, where fans lined up to receive signed Team AMSOIL hero cards and take photos with Bob Teague and crew.

The Sunday race took place in the Gulf of Mexico in front of Lido Beach, a small key adjacent to Sarasota Bay, that was packed with spectators. The water conditions were three to four foot waves, which is typical of Sarasota in July. Team AMSOIL ran virtually uncontested and won the checkered flag in spite of having a minor electrical problem. This event will be aired on CBS Sports in the near future.

The next stop for Team AMSOIL is the newly combined OPA/OSS Race in St. Clair, Mich. August 1-2.

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

Smith Third At World of Outlaws

Team AMSOIL late model driver Brady Smith was back in action with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series last week, as the Wild West Tour kicked-off with a pair of events in Minnesota and North Dakota.

On Wednesday, July 8, the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn. played host to the annual 'Gopher 50.' Smith qualified tenth quickest in WOOLMS time trials and later finished second in his competitive heat race. After drawing the pole position for the $10,000 to win main event, Smith lost his brakes early in the race and faded to a fourteenth place finish.

Following a day off, the AMSOIL team returned to competition on July 10 at the River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D. Smith once again timed in tenth fastest in qualifying before running second in heat race action. The Solon Springs, Wis. native later passed two cars in the $10,000 to win A-Main at River Cities to finish third in the final rundown behind winner Josh Richards and runner-up Jimmy Mars.

Smith currently sits sixth in the latest version of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series points battle following River Cities. Smith will be at the Dakota State Fair (SD) Speedway on July 16.


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

Team AMSOIL Leads The Way in Bark River

The Traxxas TORC Truck Series presented by AMSOIL took 12,000 of Michigan's off road fans for a wild ride this weekend. Bark River International Raceway was the proud host to rounds 7 and 8 of the national series.

Watch Saturday's Pro Light Race

The PRO Light class may have the least horsepower, but it is stocked with talent from veteran drivers, to up and coming talent. AMSOIL Super Team driver driver Chad Hord came out on top on Saturday with Chris Brandt in second and Marty Hart in third. Hart led most of Sunday's race until his car caught on fire leaving the window open for Traxxas powerhouse Jeff Kincaid to win. Brandt took his second podium of the weekend in the second spot. Casey Currie brought his first podium and third place finish to newly signed sponsor Monster Energy. Hord's day ended early after a driver spun out in front of him on the third turn of the first lap, breaking the truck's sway bar. Hord sits just one point behind Kincaid in the championship standings.

Monster Energy driver Johnny Greaves was the star of the Kumho Tires PRO 4x4 class this weekend taking two victories and two Oakley Bomb Run Awards for the fastest lap times. In the points race Greaves is closing in on Rick Huseman, who has dominated the PRO 4x4 class with five wins and five Oakley Bombs. Saturday, Greaves shared the podium with two Rockstar drivers-the father and son team of Curt and Kyle Leduc. On Sunday, AMSOIL Super Team driver Scott Douglas and points leader Huseman took the podium with Greaves. Douglas was also racing out front on Saturday before a blown wheel well ended his day.

Longtime AMSOIL sponsored driver Dan Vanden Heuval was victorious Saturday in the AMSOIL PRO 2WD class, and led most of Sunday's race until a flat tire took him out of his quest for a weekend sweep. Rob MacCachren joined Vanden Heuval on the podium Saturday taking second. Ben Wandahsega claimed his first podium of the season finishing third. On Sunday fans were on their feet with excitement, as Jeremy McGrath narrowly missed his first victory after leading several laps; he succumbed to MacCachren, and in the end took a second place finish. Fellow Rockstar driver Todd Leduc rounded out the podium with a third place finish.

The next stop on the 2009 TORC race schedule is Oshkosh Speedzone in Oshkosh, Wisc. for a special round of racing for the sportsman and SRT classes July 24 and 25. The TORC PRO classes will then return to Bark River on August 8-9 for rounds 9 and 10.

The Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL will air Sunday's Bark River races on ESPN2 this Sunday, July 19, starting at 11:30 a.m. EST.

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

TORC Returns to Action in Bark River, Watch Pro Light On-Line

With the premier off-road short course racing series returning to action this weekend in Bark River, Mich., the Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL also announces the return of the groundbreaking, exclusive, same-day internet coverage of the Pro Light race featuring Team AMSOIL driver Chad Hord.

On Saturday Todd Harris will be joined by TORC's very own Mitch Covington, giving the play-by-play and getting the fans at home hyped for the ESPN2 Broadcast of the Bark River race. You can catch the PRO Light race at 8pm EST by logging on to torcseries.com. To catch the entire weekend of action, tune into ESPN2 July 19th at 11:30am EST.

The TORC series will feature two full days of racing this weekend as the Pro classes (4x4, AMSOIL Pro 2wd and Pro Light) will be joined by an onslaught on Midwest Sportsman classes starting on Saturday. AMSOIL Super Team drivers Scott Douglas, Mike Oberg and Chad Hord are all looking to make second half push to the top of the TORC standings.

The Traxxas TORC Series- The Off Road Championship, presented by AMSOIL is the world's premier short course off road series. TORC drivers push the limits with 900 horsepower, action-packed fender pounding on challenging natural terrain racetracks. AMSOIL is the Exclusive Official Oil and Presenting sponsor of the series.

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

Team AMSOIL Impresses at Red Bud

With the WMA on hiatus until Washougal, the GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda squad rolled into Red Bud with three strong 250cc contenders, and they mixed it up at the front of the pack all day long.

Aussie Brett Metcalfe is getting stronger every round, and after the Colorado event, he said he was really looking forward to challenging for the win. At RedBud, he got that opportunity. In the first moto, he ran third early and was challenging the leaders, but arm-pump set in, and he began to fall back, eventually getting passed on the last lap by his teammate Justin Barcia, and finished fourth.

In moto two, "Metty" made some changes to his bike to try and fix his arm-pump, and it helped him maintain a fast pace for the whole moto.

“For the second moto, we changed my bike setup quite a bit, and as soon as I got out there, it felt really good,” Metcalfe said. “I got a good start and worked my way up into third, and that was it. I kept charging the whole moto and felt really strong the whole moto, and I was slowly creeping up on Searle for second, but I couldn’t bridge the gap fast enough. I went 4-3, and it was a good day, but I still think I can do better, and I want to do better.”

With the final results, the difference between first and fourth, where Metcalfe finished overall, was just the spot he lost in moto one. Had Metcalfe finished third in moto one, he would’ve won the overall.

“That’s how crazy that was,” Metcalfe said.

His teammate Justin Barcia came from way back in the first moto to challenge Metcalfe for third, eventually passing him on the last lap over LaRocco’s Leap.

“You know, it was a mess in the first turn, and I got bumped around a little bit, and my thumb got smashed... I thought I broke it,” Barcia said. “But I just forgot about everything and tried to ride my butt off. But I came through the pack really hard in the first moto and made a last-lap pass on my teammate Brett Metcalfe over LaRocco’s Leap. I wanted to get on the podium, and it was the last lap, and I was pushing really hard the whole moto until I finally got up to the position where I was on the podium. I was excited about that.”

Unfortunately, moto two’s start was even worse for Barcia.

“I got two bad starts this weekend,” Barcia said. “I just had bad starts. I was off my game a little bit off the start. I really wanted to get on the podium in both motos, but I got the worst start ever. I was probably last, and there were a few fast guys up front who checked out. I got up to a position at the end of the moto where there was no one around me. I kept pushing, but the guys in front had a good pace and I couldn’t do any better than seventh in that moto.”

Barcia ended up sixth overall in the competitive 250 class.

And finally, Blake Wharton was fast all day at RedBud, but ran into some problems, starting with getting tangled up in the first-turn mess that Barcia narrowly avoided. As Wharton worked his way forward, he fell in a turn and was unable to start his bike, and that was the moto for him. But in moto two, things were a lot better. He started somewhat poorly, but caught up to seventh before a couple falls cost him.

From here, the AMSOIL sponsored team has a weekend off before heading to Millville, Minn., for round seven of the series at Spring Creek MX.

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

AMSOIL Motocross Team Adds Hometown Hero

With the injury of top 250 rider Trey Canard at the High Point National, and with the WMA not picking back up until the Washougal round of the championship, the GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda team is adding Alex Martin to its stable for the Millville round of the championship.
Martin, who isn’t just from the area, but whose family owns the Spring Creek facility and lives at the track itself, will be racing Canard’s CRF250R at his home track.

“After Trey got hurt and High Point and hurt his wrist, I was sitting in the airport Sunday morning after the race and had the same flight home as Jeff Majkrzak (co-owner of the GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda team), so I just threw it out there to see how curious he was about maybe hiring a fill-in rider for a couple races or something,” Martin said.
“It took a while to get stuff organized, but they arranged something for Millville, and I’m pretty excited about it.”

Majkrzak is really looking forward to the weekend.

“Racing can be very cruel when you’re faced with an injury such as Trey’s,” Majkrzak said. “However, it does provide an opportunity to help somebody out like this. Alex is a great kid and this is a chance for him to show everyone his potential. It’s also good to put another rider on a GEICO Powersports Honda, and with it being his home race, we’re expecting the Millville fans will rally around him, cheer him on, and really help him make the best of the opportunity.”

Martin hopes the machinery alone will make a big difference for him.

“I think the biggest difference with this bike is that I think it will help me with my starts,” Martin said. “I know we practiced quite a few starts on Monday, and the whole team, we were doing group starts, and I feel like I improved. My starts have been terrible this year. I don’t think I’ve had one start inside the top 15, and maybe only one or two in the top 20. If I can get a good start, that should change things for me.”

Martin will be on board a number-144 GEICO Powersports Honda at Spring Creek.

“I really want to thank GEICO Powersports Honda for giving me this opportunity, and my other sponsors who were willing to help me out by letting me ride for the Factory Connection Racing team for this one- off race,” Martin said. “It’s a big deal for me on both sides of it.
It’s something you never want to pass up, for sure.”

Martin will join the rest of the AMSOIL sponsored team of Blake Wharton, Justin Barcia and Brett Metcalfe in Millville on Saturday, July 18.

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

Kevin Windham To Race Summer X Games, U.S. Open

Video » Kevin Windham Film

Posted using ShareThis

Team AMSOIL rider Kevin Windham is getting ready for some high-profile events this summer. The former motocross champion and top rider on the Geico Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda team has committed to take part in ESPN's Summer X Games and the Rock Star U.S Open this fall.

Windham, who finished second overall in the 2008 Supercross series, has been invited to take part in two events at this summer's X Games. Windham is on the list of competitors for Moto X Step Up on July 30 and the Moto X Super X race on Saturday, August 1.

K-Dub has also committed to racing at this year's Rock Star Energy Drink U.S. Open inside Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena on October 9-11. Windham has enjoyed success at the event in the past, placing as high as second in 2000 and 2005. In his five appearances at the U.S. Open, Windham has finished no lower than seventh.

“The U.S. Open is a fun weekend for the riders and fans,” said Windham. “The MGM Grand Garden Arena provides a great atmosphere for a race. It’s like you come to a party and a race breaks out. This fall is going to be exciting because I will race the US Open the first part of October and my wife, Dottie, and I are expecting our fourth child at the end of the month.”

Windham joins defending AMA Supercross class champion James Stewart, who recently announced he will compete at this year’s event, on the starting gate. Tickets for the 2009 Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open are available at Ticketmaster locations.

See what products Kevin Windham uses in his bike

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

Brady Smith Climbs World of Outlaws Standings

Team AMSOIL late model driver Brady Smith closed out an extremely busy June with the Great Northern Tour with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series with five events in the states of New York and Pennsylvania. The five races were held from June 22 through June 27.

Smith was strong throughout the week, as he posted a trio of top five efforts. The Solon Springs, Wis. driver finished 14th at Can-Am (NY) Motorsports Park, third at Canandaigua (NY) Speedway, 13th at Big Diamond (PA) Raceway, and third in the $10,000 to win show at Lernerville (PA) Speedway on Thursday.

In the $30,000 to win 'Firecracker 100' at Lernerville, Smith stormed past six cars from his tenth starting position to earn a solid fourth place performance behind only winner Jimmy Mars, Darrell Lanigan, and Earl Pearson, Jr. The 100-lap 'Firecracker 100' was taped by the cameras of the SPEED Channel for viewing later in the year.

Following the Great Northern Tour, Smith currently finds himself sixth in the latest version of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series point standings.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
July 8 Deer Creek (MN) Speedway, World of Outlaws (TV) $10,000 to win
July 10 River Cities (ND) Speedway, World of Outlaws $10,000 to win
July 14 Gillette (WY) Thunder Speedway, World of Outlaws $10,000 to win
July 16 Dakota State Fair (SD) Speedway, World of Outlaws $10,000 to win

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

Pegram Readies For Laguna Seca, Nabs Two Cover Shots

Pegram The Defender

As the global racing community descends on California’s Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Ducati’s AMA star prepares to defend his recent Superbike victory.

This coming weekend marks the seventh round of the AMA Pro Racing American Superbike Championship; held in conjunction with the United States Grand Prix. Ducati Corse’s MotoGP squad has flown over to participate in the World Championship event, enabling the AMSOIL sponsored Larry Pegram to shine in front of the 1098 R’s Bolognese fabricators.

The last race, held in Elkhart Lake, Wis., was an epic duel. When the dust settled, Pegram and the Ducati 1098 R beat Suzuki’s Mat Mladin, only the second time anyone has done so this year. The Foremost/Ducati/AMSOIL squad has had a few weeks off to refresh their 1098 R’s, and Pegram is looking forward to a good performance at Ducati North America’s second “home” track.

“The win at Road America has really boosted my own and the team’s confidence. We are hungry to win more races and I hope the streak continues at Laguna Seca,” commented Pegram. “Massimo Capanna and his crew have been busy preparing for weeks now, and I’m ready to race.”

The AMA Superbike race will take place Sunday at 4:15, following Saturday qualifying at 1:00. The Daytona SuperBike class presented by AMSOIL will also race at Laguna Seca this weekend. AMSOIL is the Official Oil of AMA Pro Road Racing.

Cover Boy

With Pegram's recent win at Road America, he and his Foremost Insurance/AMSOIL/Ducati have been gaining a lot of media coverage, including the front cover on the industries top magazines, Cycle News and Road Racer X. Here are those cover shots:

Television Coverage

This weekend's AMA Pro Road Racing at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca will be the first races to air on SPEED in a new, same-weekend programming format that was announced last month. SPEED's decision to return to same-day or same-weekend coverage of AMA Pro Road Racing has been welcome news for series competitors, promoters and, most importantly, motorcycle road racing fans.

After a brief experiment in the first half of the year with the Saturday evening studio program AMA Pro Prime Time, SPEED is returning to same-weekend coverage of AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited and AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL racing beginning with the action from Laguna Seca this weekend. The AMA Pro Road Racing action can be seen Sunday, July 5 at 9 p.m. PT (late Sunday/early Monday, July 6 at Midnight ET). T

"Plain and simple, this move was a reaction to the fans," said Rick Miner, SPEED Senior Vice President of Production & Network Operations. "Naturally, they wanted to see the races as close to real time as possible. As the longtime television destination for motorcycle racing in North America, we will continue to work very hard with AMA Pro Road Racing and other sanctioning bodies at all levels to move through the current economic challenges in a collective effort to deliver great racing to the fans."

Enjoy your Fourth of July holiday and we'll see you at the track.

Barcia Second, Golden Fourth in AMSOIL Debut

The GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda team rolled into the Mile High City with a new rider under the tent in WMA front-runner Vicki Golden. As a "replacement rider" for Trey Canard, Golden will be competing in the final part of the WMA series as well as the X Games for the AMSOIL sponsored team.

Series rookie Golden was blown away by the support offered to her by the team.

“It was really good,” Golden said. “Everyone was nice and welcoming to me, and they helped me out with everything that I needed. They were all very welcoming, and it was a new experience having a full-time mechanic looking after every detail. It was definitely awesome. He’s a great mechanic, and I couldn’t complain about the day.”

The 16-year-old was second fastest in practice despite having no time on her new race bike prior to race day. In the races, Golden was fourth in the first moto, then led for a period of time in moto two before finishing third.

“Knowing that I did just as well, if not better, in this race than I had before, and it was my first time ever leading a WMA race, given my lack of time on the bike, it really helps my confidence and I can’t wait for my next race,” Golden said. “It’s a great start, and I know I have more time to get comfortable, and I’ll get better from here.”

Golden returns to action with the WMA series in Washougal on July 25.

In the 250 class, another rookie in Justin Barcia had a good day at altitude, despite a bad start in moto one, finishing ninth. But in the second moto, Barcia started closer to the front, only to inherit the lead when Jake Weimer went down.

“Yeah, when I got out front, I tried to pull out a lead as best I could, and Weimer was riding really well, so he caught up to me and passed me,” Barcia said. “I tried to stay with him, but I made a few mistakes, but second was pretty good.”

Barcia hung on for second, giving him fourth overall.

Brett Metcalfe started up front in both motos, but had a problem seeing after all of his tear-offs came off on the second turn in moto one, eventually finishing seventh. But in the second moto, Metcalfe ended up in a seven-rider battle for third.

“The second moto, I got another good start, and then I worked my way up into fourth,” Metcalfe said. “Searle and I were having a good battle, and then I finally made a move on him, and I tried to put a little time on him, and then I spun out in a turn and made a mistake. That allowed him to get back by me, and I had to find another way around him again. I finally got past him again, and that same lap he put a pretty good move on me and pushed me out wide, and Dungey got underneath me, so I lost two spots, and a couple turns later Pourcel was on me and he went by me too. I got swallowed up pretty good and was in sixth, and on the last lap, I made a move on Pourcel and I was just a bit angry from going backward, so I got back into fifth, and that was it.”

Blake Wharton ran up front the entire first moto, ending up fourth. He started near the front again in moto two, but got caught up in an on track incident and was taken out by another rider. He would finish 11th in moto two and eighth overall.

From here, the GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda team heads to Buchanan, Mich. for round six of the championship at infamous Red Bud.

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