The Rookie and The Vet Podium in Indy

Supercross veteran Kevin Windham thrilled a capacity crowd in Indianapolis on Saturday night by leading 11 laps of the main event before eventually taking third place. Meanwhile, his teammate and Supercross Lites rookie Justin Barcia had a thrilling debut on his own GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/ Honda, also finishing third in the lites main.

"I could hear the crowd all night and that made it special," said Windham, an obvious fan favorite. "It definitely pushes you when everyone is cheering and you look up and see the 'Windham' signs. I wish I could have gotten them the win."

After qualifying first in the second heat, Windham had the Hoosier State faithful at full throat from the first lap of the main event when he set up early leader Davi Millsaps and made a slick pass to assume the lead. A back-and-forth battle with Millsaps consumed the next few circuits until Windham managed to pull away and enjoy some free time out front.

But point leader Ryan Villopoto, who barely qualified for the main in the Last Chance Qualifier after wrecking in his original heat, methodically tracked down Windham. After poking his nose out in front a few times, Villopoto finally made the pass in lap eleven. Not long after, Ryan Dungey also managed to get past Windham and the three settled into their positions and finished the race without any other changes.

No. 2 qualifier Barcia rocketed from the gate in the Lites race, taking the $1,000 Spike Holeshot Award for leading the way to the first turn. He then settled into second place behind reigning champion Christophe Pourcel until the third lap when he had a slip. "Just a rookie mistake," he said. Fortunately, his bike didn't stall and he was able to get back in line in fourth place.

Barcia held that spot for the next 11 laps until finally passing Ryan Sipes in the second-to-last turn to steal away a third-place finish, with the razor-close action sending the fans into a frenzy.

"It all set up just right in front of me and I got a lucky line," Barcia said of the finish. "I'm glad I was able to stay with those guys all night so I could be in position to do that. I could see them all race and I could hear the crowd whenever I got close."
(Racer X Five Minutes with Justin Barcia).

Team member Brett Metcalfe had mixed results in Indy. Metcalfe ran well throughout the day in his Lites East debut and finished fifth overall in the main event. But a strange landing in qualifying aggravated a pre-existing ankle injury that hampered him a bit in the race itself. (Racer X on Metcalfe's Indy Race).

The GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda team has now placed a rider on the podium at six of seven Monster Energy Series events this year.


Up next on the schedule is Atlanta, Ga.



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

Wanderscheid Sweeps Another Weekend

Team AMSOIL oval ice racer PJ Wanderscheid continued his dominance last weekend at the Oval Racers Alliance event in Grey Eagle, Minn.

On Saturday, Wanderscheid piloted his AMSOIL/Arctic Cat to first and second place finishes in the Pro 600 qualifiers. In the 12-lap final, Wanderscheid left the starting line from the pole position and battled with Gary Moyle for the entire race before finishing in second.

In Champ 440 action on Sunday, Wanderscheid swept all three rounds of qualifying and was the number one qualifier for the final. On the start of the 12-lap final, Wanderscheid battled for second down the backstretch and passed the leader on the second lap for the lead. He extended his lead to over eight seconds for the win.

"Our champ ride is absolutely amazing and we have really got things working well with the sled," said Wanderscheid.

Wanderscheid will be racing in Garrison, Minn. next weekend for the last race of the 2010 ORA race schedule.

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

Martin and Johnstad Find Success in Sarnia

Team AMSOIL continued its dominance of the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series as the competition headed north of the border to Sarnia, Ontario over the weekend.

In Friday nights Pro Super Stock, it was a freight train of AMSOIL sleds leading the way around the technical track laid out at the Hiawatha Horsepark in Sarnia. Ross Martin, Andrew Johnstad and Robbie Malinoski went bar-to-bar for the first half of the race, lining up in second, third and fourth respectively. A rare mishandle by Martin allowed Johnstad and Malinoski to take over second and third behind eventual race winner Tim Trembley. Johnstad would pull away from his teammate Malinoski, but would have a battle on his hand with Emil Ohmen. The rookie from Sweden edged out Johnstad for second, but Johnstad was able to pick up his first podium of the year. Malinoski finished fifth and Martin came across in ninth.

"I've been getting more consistent on this AMSOIL sled," said Johnstad. "Tonight I felt really good and found some great lines. This team has been working so hard between races to get better, and the results are starting to show for both Robbie and myself."

Martin, who entered Sarnia with the points lead in AMSOIL Pro Open, continued to open up his championship quest with another win on Saturday. Martin had to work for the win with fellow Polaris rider Levi LeValle pushing the lead group to AMSOIL Finish Line. Johnstad finished fifth in the open class, while Malinoski finished eighth. Malinoski now sits third overall in the points race, just behind LeValle.

Mike Bauer also brought home two more podiums in Semi Pro Super Stock. Bauer won on Friday night and finished second on Saturday. Scheuring Speed Sports rider Joe Fallon finished second on Friday night. Bauer sits in the points lead in Super Stock #1 and second in Super Stock #2, just one point behind the leader.

The ACSS takes a much needed week off as teams return home after more than a month on the road. The next national event will be in Hayward, Wis. on March 5-7.

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

Lovell Second at King of the Hammers

More than 20,000 off road enthusiasts lined the 2010 King of the Hammers race this past weekend as Team AMSOIL driver Brad Lovell pushed his AMSOIL/Ford Ranger to a second place finish at the popular winter event.

The King of the Hammers has quickly become THE rock race and over the past three months, Brad and brother Roger Lovell have spent all their time and money gambling for a win. The goal of the #232 AMSOIL Ranger was to get it through the 135 miles of the roughest off road race ever run. With navigator Bill Kumz by his side, Lovell darted around competitors through boulder and rock trails. By race mile 23, they had already passed 63 trucks.

With two rock trails down, they pulled into the Torchmate pit at RM 55 for fuel and a quick inspection. Entering the most remote stretches, Bill noticed the transmission heat climbing to 260 degrees. but the team put their faith in the Art Carr transmission and synthetic fluid from AMSOIL and pushed on.

The team entered Race Marker 104 in fifth position with the roughest parts of the track ahead. As they crested a gigantic sand dune, thousands of spectators came into view and they knew they had reached the terrain that makes the race famous. Miles of horrific boulders went by until they reached the epicenter of it all – the plaque at Sledgehammer. John Reynolds, the physical leader, got to it first and winched his truck through. Lovell followed his lead but a strap got wedged and it took forever to free it. Reynolds was out of sight but the AMSOIL team stayed focused. Once back in the truck, Lovell noticed the steering fading. With 26 miles to go, it was not what they needed to see.

Misfortune had struck Reynolds as well as he had rolled in the rocks. He was the 87th pass for the AMSOIL truck. Now determined to finish, Lovell put all his strength into the wheel and found it slow but possible to move through the desert. The biggest problem was the last rock trail called Spooners. They stuffed the AMSOIL Ford into the rocks and while it was uncontrollable and they almost rolled twice, they made it through unscathed. Kunz was spent from spotting Lovell down the rocks. As he belted back in, the duo entered the final desert stretch. The last eight miles were long and Lovell's strength was fading. Finally, they saw the checkered flag and the celebration ensued. Nobody was sure who had won. After the numbers were run and KOH official Jeff Knoll pulled two nervous teams aside. In the end, Loren Healy won after a well executed race but just 28 seconds.

Lovell Racing will have a couple months off to construct the new V8 powered AMSOIL Pro-Light for the Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL.

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

Martin, Malinoski Lead Charge in New Hampshire

The AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series continued its East Coast swing with the fifth round of nationals held at Rockingham Park in New Hampshire. For Team AMSOIL, it was a break out weekend both Scheuring Speed Sports and Judnick Motorsports filled up the podium in both Pro and Semi Pro.

Judnick Motorsports rider Ross Martin continued his push for a pair of championships with strong runs in Pro Stock and Pro Open. On Friday Night, he pushed race leader Robbie Malinoski of the Scheuring Speed Sports team to the finish line. Malinoski battled out front with eventual race winner Tim Trembly before Martin came into the mix. When the final flag dropped, Malinoski was second with Martin in third. Scheuring Speed Sports rider Andrew Johnstad showed an impressive run finishing right behind Martin in fourth. Martin now sits just 16 points behind Trembly for the Pro Stock championship.

In Saturday's Pro Open final, Martin took advantage of his two heat wins to get a good start in featured race. Martin grabbed the lead on lap two and never looked back. Martin now leads the AMSOIL Pro Open points standings by 41 points.

Judnick Motorsports Mike Bauer continued his onslaught of two championships this season. Bauer picked up another win in the Semi Pro Super Stock class on Saturday after finishing second on Friday. With each class being scored separately, Bauer now leads both in the points race.

The next event for the ACSS is February 19-20 in Sarnia, Ontario Canada. Versus will have coverage of the New Hampshire rounds on February 28 at 4 P.M. EST.

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

Canard Wins Again, Windham Third in Anaheim

Team AMSOIL supercross rider Trey Canard won his second AMA Supercross Lites race of the season Saturday by blowing away the field at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Canard wasted little time getting to the front of the pack in the 15-lap main event and managed to extend his lead each lap, winning with plenty of room to spare before an enthusiastic, near-capacity crowd.

"Smooth and smart," Canard said. "That's how I wanted to ride and it came together well for me."

Racer X Five Minutes with Trey Canard

Canard, who also won two weeks ago in San Francisco, entered the race second in the points behind Jake Weimer and will certainly gain a substantial amount of ground as Weimer struggled in the race. Canard now sits just 14 points behind Weimer in the standings.

"I saw Jake go down at one point and it really made me focus on what I was doing even more because I knew I had a great chance to make up some ground," Canard said. "He's got a pretty good lead in the standings but we knocked it down a bit tonight.

Meanwhile, teammates Kevin Windham and Blake Wharton also had strong showings in the sixth race of the Monster Energy season, with Windham posting a third-place finish in the Supercross main and Wharton taking fourth behind Canard in Supercross Lites.

Windham looked racy from the gate in the 20-lap Supercross main and managed to pass a few riders in the middle part of the race to climb into third place. The finish equaled his effort at the first race of the year, which also was held in Anaheim.

"I'm pumped up," said Windham, a 16-year veteran on the circuit. "We had a tough finish last weekend so we really wanted to step up big here for GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda. We were right there all night. There was a bit of a freight train going with the lead pack and it was some exciting racing. That was a respectable race for us and it sets the team up nice as we head east."

Wharton rode alone for most of the night, caught in a large gap between the front three riders and the chase group.

Canard will be joining Windham in the 450 class in Indianapolis this weekend as he fills in for Team Honda rider Andrew Short. The Lites West Coast Series will take a few weeks off as the East Coast Lites Series gets underway in Indy. Team AMSOIL riders Brett Metcalfe and Justin Barcia will be making their 2010 debut this weekend.

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

AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series Heads to New Hampshire

The AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series will enter uncharted territory this weekend as the national series heads into New Hampshire. The inaugural New England Nationals begins this evening at Rockingham Park in Salem, N.H.

Practice is now underway at the new venue, with Semi-Pro Open and Pro Stock racing tonight. The Monster Energy Freestyle Show will also take place under the lights this evening.

On Saturday, the AMSOIL Pro Open and Semi Pro Super Stock classes will end the ACSS portion of the weekend. The Rock Maple Racing series will also be hosting a full weekend of racing in conjunction with the ACSS. RMR racing begins on Saturday morning and finishes on Sunday. AMSOIL is the Official Oil of both the ACSS and RMR.

If you want to tune in, go to ISOC Racing and click on the live streaming button. The ACSS Canterbury show will air on Versus this Sunday at 4:00 PM EST.

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

Wanderscheid Continues Friday Night Dominance

Article Courtesy of Arctic Speedway

When it comes to Friday Night oval racing, AMSOIL ice oval racer P.J. Wanderscheid has been all but unbeatable this season.

At the AMSOIL Eagle River World Championship Friday Night Thunder program, Wanderscheid won his heat race and the coveted Champ 440 final in convincing fashion. Better still, the champion was wearing special pink DRIFT Authority race gear that, after his win, he autographed and donated as auction items to the Pink Ribbon Riders.

Two days after winning Friday Night Thunder, Wanderscheid finished second in the AMSOIL World Championship final.

“Second place in the World Championships is a solid result,” said the three-time World Champ. “The truth is that we go there to win, which we did convincingly in the Friday Night program but, unfortunately, not in the title event.” Clearly unsatisfied with anything less than winning, Wanderscheid left Eagle River intent to dominate the rest of the season. In Wausau, Wis., Wanderscheid stamped his authority by handily winning Champ 440.

A week later, in his hometown of Sauk Center, Minn., Wanderscheid claimed the Friday Night Champ Shootout. He was about to back it up with a dominating victory in the Champ 440 final on Sunday when a blown belt on the final lap cost him the win. “We’ve won our class in three of the four weekends we’ve raced this season,” said Wanderscheid. “We have three or four more races remaining, and it’s my goal to win at each of them.”

See the AMSOIL/Team Arctic-sponsored Wanderscheid Race team Feb. 13-14 in Weyauwega, Wis., and Feb. 19-21 in Grey Eagle, Minn.

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

AMSOIL Great American CIRCLE TRACK Tour Ready to Roll

CIRCLE TRACK magazine, the #1 Source for Advanced Racing Technology,announced the launch of the AMSOIL Great American CIRCLE TRACK Tour. The most popular and comprehensive technical magazine dedicated to Oval Track racers in the world is embarking on a four year adventure that will criss-cross the greatest racing regions of our country. We will travel to both local Saturday night race tracks and a selection of the most prestigious special events in the country. Our goal is to interact with racing teams, drivers and fans to promote grass roots racing, discuss current trends in racing technology and build sponsor awareness among the hard-core racing community.

The first year of the AMSOIL Great American CIRCLE TRACK Tour will take Senior Tech Editor, Bob Bolles, to 25 race tracks throughout the Southeastern United States during a four month period. Each stop will be pre-arranged with track owners and promoters ensuring the maximum possible exposure through advance announcements, local publicity and press releases. While at the track, Bob will meet with the racers to talk shop and discuss issues important to their racing and also to distribute sponsor information, literature and promo items. He will talk one on one with the top teams in all divisions racing at each track in a unique exchange that will be shared with our larger online audience through blogs and web exclusive articles at www.circletrack.com.

This interaction with the racers will be reported in more detail through a series of articles published in the pages of CIRCLE TRACK Magazine on a monthly basis. Feature stories will review the trip and discuss the technology of racing and how it varies throughout the regions we visit. During the entire Tour, Bob will share his experiences online with daily entries into a special trip blog where our friends can keep track of our progress. The tour promises to be the most innovative program in the history of short track racing. Bob had the idea for a tour like this more than five years ago, but circumstances at the time prevented it from coming to fruition. When current Editor Rob Fisher heard about the idea he liked it and the pair worked to refine the concept for launch in 2010. When synthetic lubricant manufacturer AMSOIL joined the tour as title sponsor, it was off to the races...literally.

The first event will be at the Citrus County Speedway in Inverness, Fla. on February 20.

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

Martin Doubles Up at New York National

AMSOIL snocross racer Ross Martin continued his push towards another AMSOIL Pro Open championship as the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series headed to Farmington, NY for the Eastern National.

Martin started Saturday's final in the middle of the pack and battled his way up to second-place as he found several good lines to work with on technical track. Martin made the final as the number ten qualifier after getting catapulted off his sled during one of his qualifying heat. Martin also finished third in Friday nights Pro Stock class.

AMSOIL/Scheuring riders Robbie Malinoski and Andrew Johnstad qualfied for the open final as top qualifiers. Malinoski was tied for the third spot while Johnstad was number two behind Tucker Hibbert. In the final, Johnstad finished sixth while Malinoski did not complete the race after another rider tried to drive through him, cutting a main line and causing the anti-freeze to drain completely out of his sled.

Martin's junior teammate Mike Bauer had another strong run in the Semi Pro Super Stock class. Bauer grabbed the hole shot and battled with eventual race winner Kyle Pallin all the way to AMSOIL Finish line. Bauers second on Saturday followed up his win on Friday night in the first round of Semi Pro Super Stock racing in New York.

The next stop for the ACSS will be race number six in Salem, NH for the HK Powersports New England National on Valentines weekend Feb. 12 -14..

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

Wanderscheid Wins Wausau 525

Team AMSOIL oval ice racer PJ Wanderscheid had redemption on his mind in Wausau, Wis. this past weekend.

Wanderscheid, who finished second at the AMSOIL Eagle River Snowmobile Derby in Eagle River, Wis. two weeks ago, was looking to get back on track and beat a talented field at the Wausau 525 race. The competition was brutal on the smaller track, including defending AMSOIL World Champion Matt Schultz

Wanderscheid set the tone early, winning all three of his 440 Champ heat races. He entered the final as the number one qualifier. Turn one saw Schultz with a narrow lead, but Wanderscheid answered quickly and by turn four the Sauk Centre, Minn. native had the lead. He would keep his AMSOIL/Arctic Cat out front for the entire race, but Dustin Wahl and Schultz battled it out right behind him for the final two podium spots. This was Wanderscheid's second straight win in Wausau.

"This is a great event to win because it honors the late Flip Merwin," said Wanderscheid. "The community does a nice job coming together and putting on a great race for the teams and the fans."

Congratulations also goes out to Matt Ritchie who took his AMSOIL #355 to a pair of semi-pro wins in Wausau.

Wanderscheid will compete in his hometown of Sauk Center on February 5-7.

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

Trey Canard Wins San Francisco Supercross

GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda rider Trey Canard rode to victory in the fourth round of the 2010 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Calif. on Saturday.

Coming off the heels of a strong third place performance at round three in Anaheim just a week earlier, Canard was eager to get back on the track in San Francisco and had his sights set on the win. The AMSOIL rider won the second qualifying heat of the night, placing him in good position for the main event. While he did not capture the Spike Holeshot award, Canard was leading the field by the end of the first lap. He continued to lead for the entire fifteen lap main event to take the win.

The field in the West Lites class is proving to be a competitive one, and Canard showed that he is a true contender for the title. “I am just very thankful” said Canard, “I’m so excited for the team and everyone involved, it was a great night!”

Canard will head to San Diego on February 6 for the fifth round of racing and is now second overall in points, just 16 behind the leader.

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

Team AMSOIL Picks Up Three X Games Medals

The 2010 ESPN Winter X Games wrapped up last night with its newest event, Knock Out with Team AMSOIL rider Robbie Malinoski finishing fifth. The Scheuring Speed Sports rider just missed medal consideration by less than one inch. Not a bad finish for someone who never hit a freestyle ramp before that mornings practice.

On the snocross tracker earlier in the day, Team AMSOIL/Judnick Motorsports rider Ross Martin took home another X Games medal in snocross. Martin, who started in the back row of the 25-sled final, stormed from as far back as eighth place to finish with the silver medal. The podium was a bit of redemption for the current points leader in the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series after he broke his hip during the 2009 games.

"I had to really work for this one," said Martin. "It's a great track and it was tough coming back here after last years accident, but we found a way today."

Malinoski, who won the second round LCQ, crashed in the first turn of the final and rebounded for a ninth place finish. His teammate, Andrew Johnstad finished sixth on the highly technical track.

Team AMSOIL also picked up two medals in Adaptive Snocross. Mike Schultz piloted his AMSOIL/Ski Doo to the gold in the inaugural event. Schultz lost his left leg in December of 2008 during the national event in Ironwood, Mich. Jim Wazny, on board his AMSOIL/Scheuring Speed Sports sled, was close behind Schultz in the final, taking home the silver.

The ACSS returns to national racing this weekend as the series heads on its East Coast swing. The next race will be held in Farmington, N.Y. at the Finger Lakes Casino.

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