Canard Wins Salt Lake Supercross

The 2009 AMA Supercross Series is winding down, and the GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda team headed into Salt Lake City not knowing what the dirt would be like, or what the weather had in store. In the end, despite having second practice canceled during the day because of rain, the track ended up really good for the night’s racing.

In the Lites class, 2008 East champ Trey Canard had a perfect night. He took a great start in his heat race, holding on for the win. In the main, he started sixth and began working on the five bikes in front of him. Eventually, Canard chased down eventual champion Ryan Dungey and passed him for the lead, then fought off series runner-up Jake Weimer to take his first win of the season.

“I was a little timid around Dungey because I didn’t want to mess him up,” Canard said. “I just tried to keep my head down and push through. I ran into a couple lappers near the end that hurt me, but the last lap was definitely a barn burner. I was happy to get the win, though.”

In the 450cc class, Kevin Windham was having a good day. In the main event, though, he was moving forward when he encountered a mechanical issue. K-Dub still hung on for a strong seventh-place finish.

“It’s not bad, but nine times out of ten in this industry, if you finish seventh, most people don’t even know why because the coverage back there isn’t really good, and there’s such a great race up front,” Windham said. “But at this point, with where I’m at in the series, it’s just frustrating. I’ve just got to keep plugging away until I’m where I think we can be.”

From here, the AMSOIL sponsored team heads to Las Vegas for the final round of the AMA Supercross Series, and the Lites East/West Shootout on May 2 inside Sam Boyd Stadium. There will be five riders underneath the team's awning, with Windham, Canard, Dan Reardon, Blake Wharton and Daniel Blair all taking part in the event.

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

Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL Added to Laguna Seca Schedule

With approval from event organizers, AMA Pro Racing and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca announced the addition of AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL to the weekend schedule of the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, complementing the already notable schedule of premier international motorcycle racing including the MotoGP World Championship and AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited, as well as AMA Pro SuperSport presented by Shoei.

"We are very excited to bring the Daytona SportBike division to the Monterey Peninsula," said AMA Pro Racing President Roger Edmondson. "The Daytona SportBike riders will round out the world-class talent already scheduled to participate and the intense competition will provide the fans with as thrilling an experience as you can get in motorsports."

On-track activity will begin on Friday, July 3rd with MotoGP and AMA Pro Practice. Saturday, July 4th will see MotoGP and AMA Pro Qualifying and will end with the AMA Pro SuperSport race. Each premier class will have one race, ending the weekend on Sunday with the AMA Pro American Superbike, AMA Pro Daytona SportBike and MotoGP World Championship finals.

"We are showcasing the premier overseas and American motorcycle riders," said Gill Campbell CEO/general manager, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. "During the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix you will be able to watch the amazing talents of our U.S. riders - Nicky Hayden, Colin Edwards and Ben Bostrom."

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. AMSOIL is the Official Oil of AMA Pro Road Racing and the presenting partner of the Daytona SportBike class. AMSOIL is also the sponsor of Ducati's Larry Pegram in the AMA Pro SuperBike class.

The AMA Pro Road Racing series returns to action this weekend at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.

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

Oberg Recaps Preseason Test Session

AMSOIL, in conjunction with TORC and the Professional Driver's Group (PDG), held a free test session for all PDG members April 18-19.

About 40 teams were on hand for the two-day testing, including AMSOIL Super Team drivers Scott Douglas and Mike Oberg. Last week you heard from Scott Douglas about his test session and today, Mike Oberg talks about his first time behind the wheel of his AMSOIL Pro 2wd.

video courtesy of Mike Reusche, MT Graphics

The Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL will begin Friday May 15-16 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. The series will air on ABC and ESPN2.

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

Douglas Talks About AMSOIL Test Session

AMSOIL, in conjunction with TORC and the Professional Driver's Group (PDG), held a free test session for all PDG members this past weekend.

About 40 teams were on hand for the two-day testing, including AMSOIL Super Team drivers Scott Douglas and Mike Oberg. Douglas talked about what his team learned from the preseason event.

The Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL will begin Friday May 15-16 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. The series will air on ABC and ESPN2.

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

Canard Finds Podium In Seattle

The Lites Western Region returned to action at the Seattle round of the AMA Supercross Championship, and the GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda team brought 2008 Eastern Regional champ Trey Canard and Australian champ Dan Reardon out of moth balls for the event after an eight-week layoff from racing.

Reardon got progressively faster all day and nearly had the hole shot in the main event, but got tangled up in the first turn and went down.

“As the day progressed, I got better,” Reardon said. “I made some changes and I was comfortable out there, and then I came into the main and was confident about my start. I got a good jump and I was happy, and I thought I had the hole shot, and then all of a sudden there was another red bike on the outside of me and we ended up tangling and I went down. I couldn’t regroup properly, but I did my best.”

Despite a tough track for passing, he climbed all the way back up to 13th at the finish.

Canard, on the other hand, was fast from the start of the day.

“It feels good to actually ride strong,” Canard said. “I felt like the start of the season was, well, not great, but I feel like we’re heading in the right direction and hopefully by the end of this thing, we’ll be good to go.”

Canard actually started near the front in the main and worked his way forward, eventually challenging for second – and even passing for second for a moment – before he was re-passed and then fell down.

“Well, I passed him, and then he got me back, so I didn’t make the pass stick, but I don’t know, I was a little bummed on that,” the AMSOIL sponsored rider said. “I felt like I was riding really good, and I felt like if I could’ve gotten around him soon, I could’ve gotten [eventual winner Ryan] Dungey – or at least caught up to him. But shoulda, coulda, woulda, we’ll just keep working for next week.”

Canard still finished a strong third for yet another podium finish on the season.

In the 450cc class, Kevin Windham had speed all day, but in the main he got a mediocre start and was working forward when he went down challenging for fifth place.

“I got off the gate pretty good, but then I got across the gate and just spun a lot and got beat to the first turn,” Windham said. “I had a good reaction time, but I think I just picked the wrong gate in the main and it cost me. I was coming up through the pack, riding really strong, and it was one of those tracks where it was easy to make a mistake, and I was cutting up the inside on one section, where I was doing it every lap, and I cut a little too far up the inside and landed on some Tuff Blox. Everything was bent up pretty bad, and there was only like three and a half laps to go, and it was just one of those things where it was hard to keep the bike going straight, so I did my best just to finish where I was.”

Windham ended up finishing 10th on his battered machine.

From here, the team heads to Salt Lake City, Utah for the next to last round of the AMA Supercross Series, and the Lites West finale on April 25 inside Rice-Eccles Stadium, where rain is in the forecast.

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

AMSOIL/PDG Test Session Huge Success

AMSOIL, in conjunction with the Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL, and the Professional Drivers Group (PDG), helped kick off the series 2009 season with a widely successful test session at Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, California.

The two-day event, which featured the top short course off road racers in the world, was held on the same track that will feature the third and fourth rounds of racing on the TORC schedule. The test session was free to all PDG members, and featured all classes from Pro 4x4 to Trophy Karts. Roughly 30 teams showed up to get some preseason seat time and learn more about the 2009 TORC series. Top racers included Scott Douglas, Johnny Greaves, Mike Oberg, Jeremy McGrath, Steve Barlow, Mike and Mark Jenkins, the LeDucs and Rick Huseman.

AMSOIL which sponsored the event was one of the many TORC sponsors on hand to see all of the action. Kumho Tires, Traxxas, BFGoodrich, King Shocks, Walker Evans and Monster Energy were all on hand to get their first glimpse of the top short course series in the world.

A Traxxas two-seater gave a number of free rides on the 1/2 mile oval to all of the spectators that showed up and were granted free access. The event was also streamed to the world via the Internet by Totally Off Road Radio and Trackside International.

"This was a great way to integrate the teams, sponsors, media, fans and television prior to the first race next month in Texas," said Jeremy Meyer, AMSOIL Race Program Manager. "There hasn't been this many top racers at any event in 2009, and it was a great spot for AMSOIL to get involved with the TORC series and give back to the fans and racers."

The first event will be held May 15-16 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas.

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

AMSOIL Sponsoring Test Session at Perris Raceway

AMSOIL, the Exclusive Official Oil and Presenting sponsor of the Traxxas TORC Series, is treating all series racers to two free days of pre-season testing at Perris Raceway in Perris, Calif.
The Professional Drivers Group (PDG) is hosting the two day event on Sunday and Monday, April 19-20, in Perris. The open practices are free to all PDG members, compliments of AMSOIL, and provide an excellent opportunity to get dialed in for the 2009 TORC Series season opener in Fort Worth, Texas.

The PDG test day will be hosted by TORC series sponsors and USAC. Practice will be open to the public both days and will feature music, concessions and fun. Media and television crews will be on hand to capture all the excitement of the first practice session of the year. Admission is free. AMSOIL Super Team drivers Scott Douglas and Mike Oberg will join the top pro drivers, including Rickey Johnson, Jeremy McGrath, Johnny Greaves and Curt LeDuc for the event.

Perris Auto Speedway is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds, home of the Southern California Fair. The track is approximately one hour east of Los Angeles and one hour north of San Diego. To get to the track, take the 215 freeway, exit at the Ramona Expressway and go two miles east to the fairgrounds. You can call the track office at 951-940-0134.

The Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL will open May 16-17 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas.

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

AMSOIL Rock Racers Push Hard in Moab

Photos courtesy Jud Leslie and Chad Jock Photography


After suffering some phantom electrical issues at the Tucson We-Rock event, the AMSOIL/Torchmate rock racing crew of Brad and Roger Lovell headed to Mecca of the rock racing world - Moab, Utah.


The electrical problems that surfaced in Tucson cropped up again in Moab, but after a last ditch effort to locate the bug, it was found hiding in the truck's computer system. A few taps and the #232 roared to life and was ready for the XRRA tech crew.


Finally able to concentrate on the competition at hand, Brad Lovell ran consistent times and was looking to conquer the bone jarring track that the XRRA is know for. He entered the finals in second place, but the leader had a 30 second lead. Lovell made up 17 seconds in the first run, but got hung up on some rock, handing the win to Rick Deramo.

"What can I say," said Brad Lovell. "(Rick) did a great job. We just missed an opportunity to get the AMSOIL/Torchmate Ford into the winner's circle."


Meanwhile, the XRRA allowed Brad to spot for his brother, Roger during his races. Roger was plenty fast, pinning the #32 in the corners and smashing it through the rocks. The truck is much more stable with the new Fabtech suspension and Roger got a lot of good experience completing King of the Hammers only a few weeks ago. The AMSOIL/Torchmate Ford launched over the jumps but the luck of the draw caused him to get hung up on some dug out rocks, costing him about 30 seconds and a spot in the finals. Roger the day in eighth.

The marathon continues for the AMSOIL team as they head to Primm, Nevada for the Terrible’s Town 250. I’ll take the right seat in the #7231 Torchmate/AMSOIL/Ford Ranger under driver of record Bill Kunz.

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

AMSOIL Presenting Sponsor for F1 ChampBoat Series

AMSOIL, The First in Synthetics, increases its marketing partnership with the F1 ChampBoat Series by becoming the presenting sponsor for 2009. The series will be known as the “F1 ChampBoat Series presented by AMSOIL” for the entire 2009 season.

AMSOL has been the “Official Oil” for F1 ChampBoat since the series inception back in 2005. The leader in synthetic lubricants has also been the title sponsor for each of Terry Rinker’s four series titles (2003, 2004, 2006, and 2008) who remains the early series favorite to repeat for another championship in 2009. AMSOIL’s F1 powerboat sponsorship programs date back to the early 80’s and has been a mainstay sponsor each year of the F1 ChampBoat history.

“We are so proud to have such a quality company such as AMSOIL step up with our series for 2009. They have been fantastic to work with over the years and their products really are second to none” stated series director, Michael Schriefer. “Our series is in a great place to really excel as it’s the very best value on all of motorsports, so we are excited this is a fresh start to a powerful marketing future for F1 ChampBoat”.

“F1 ChampBoat presented by AMSOIL is a high tech sport that really tests the limits of our products” says AMSOIL Race Program Manager, Jeremy Meyer. “The series is really taking off and host events in huge downtown festivals that are either free or for a very inexpensive ticket, so we love that the sport is easily accessible to all. We are also very proud that F1 ChampBoat teams have enjoyed the performance advantages of AMSOIL products, the same products which have propelled Terry Rinker to four championships in the past six seasons.”

F1 ChampBoat Racing is the #1 spectator sport on water which enjoys a rich 36 year history in North America. F1 Powerboat racing is also one of the most popular forms of motorsport throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. F1 ChampBoat events participate in America’s largest downtown riverfront festivals throughout North America with huge annual attendance figures. F1 ChampBoat presented by AMSOIL will be televised on VERSUS for the 2009 season with web broadcasting available on http://www.champboat.com/.

The first event is scheduled for May 2-3 in Port Neches, Texas.

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

Windham Roars to Podium in Jacksonville (Windham Interview)

For the last few weeks, GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda’s Kevin Windham hasn’t had any problems going fast, it’s just the starts that have been hindering his results. In Jacksonville, he remedied that.

Fast all day through practice and in his heat race, Windham started fourth in the main event, passed Mike Alessi for third, and then pulled away from the rest of the field while the two championship rivals battled out front. The end result was a quiet, but strong, podium finish for the fan-favorite.


“We were struggling at the beginning of the season, and I think that the last few races, I’ve been where I needed to be,” Windham said. “My lap-times have been up on the board, and that’s impressive, and it’s hard to get to, because there are some guys in practice who can do some real glory laps. It’s hard to get up there in this environment, especially when you’re coming from the back. So I know I’ve had the speed. I just needed to get off the line, and tonight was proof of that.”

Windham has three rounds left to find the additional speed necessary to run with the front two, but he has now moved up to fourth in the points standings.

In the Lites class, St. Louis winner Blake Wharton won his second heat race of the year, and in typical Wharton style, did no celebrating over the finish line. In the main event, though, Wharton got a poor start and was forced to work his way forward. After posting the second-fastest lap-time of the race, with only the winner posting a faster one, Wharton was able to battle his way up to fifth.

“My start wasn’t real good, and when you’re back there, everyone’s all over the place, but I made some passes and rode pretty good,” Wharton said. “My lap-times were good, but the track was kind of hard to pass on. But it was a good night. I didn’t crash or anything, and I’m looking forward to Vegas.”

Wharton finished his rookie supercross season fourth in points, only one point out of third (despite missing one main event in the eight-round series), with one win and one additional podium finish.

Daniel Blair had a tough night in Jacksonville. He never felt comfortable all day, but still managed to run near the front much of the night. Blair will be back with the team for the East/West Shootout in Las Vegas on May 2.

From here, the AMSOIL sponsored team will get its first weekend off since the beginning of the year before heading to Seattle for round 15 of the AMA Supercross Series, and round seven of the Lites Western Regional Supercross Championship, with riders Trey Canard and Dan Reardon scheduled to re-assume racing on April 18 inside Qwest Stadium.

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

Pegram Fights Off Injury, Keeps Ducati in Top Ten

Team AMSOIL road racer Larry Pegram left Road Atlanta after a difficult but productive weekend, finishing the third round of the series seventh overall in the championship.

The weekend started slowly for Pegram and the Foremost Insurance Ducati AMSOIL team. Friday’s first qualifying went smoothly; and in an effort not to agitate injuries from the last race Pegram did only what he needed for advancement to Superpole. The Superpole session saw Pegram ride a smooth and steady lap on the Ducati, and despite the pain finished up sixth for a second row start.

Saturday’s race proved a struggle for the team as six bikes battled for second position throughout the race. The Ducati 1098 R had the speed needed to make the podium, but Pegram’s injuries from the Fontana race made it difficult for him to move around on the bike. The veteran rider fought to the end, and stayed with the lead pack to retain a seventh at the checkered flag.

With the forecast predicting rain, the team entered Sunday’s race with a goal of scoring points and retaining their championship position. Pegram pushed from the get-go to secure third place on the first lap; holding it until lap six when a cramp from the injury forced him back to sixth position in the track’s third sector. As the race progressed, the rain never came but the injury continued to agitate Pegram. He fought the pain to finish the race a credible tenth.

“I wasn’t feeling well at all this weekend, with pain in my ankle and hip,” commented Pegram. “Despite a hard time in race one I felt good going into race two. Early in the race I got a huge cramp around turn 9, and lost a few positions. The cramp persisted, so from then on I was racing for points not the win. All things considered it was an ok finish, but not where I wanted to be.”

Team Foremost Pegram Racing now heads back to its Ohio shop, where they will rebuild the Ducati 1098 R Superbikes for a test at Infineon Raceway, and the next race at Barber Motorsports Park May 1-3.

AMSOIL is the Official Oil of AMA Pro Road Racing and the presenting sponsor of the Daytona SportBike class.

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

TORC Series and AMSOIL Featured at Texas Motor Speedway

The Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL was on display at NASCAR this past weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. AMSOIL sponsored off roaders, Jenkins Brothers Racing put their Pro 4 on display for all race fans to see and to promote the May 15 TORC season opener at the Speedway.

“The Texas NASCAR weekend brings 200,000 plus fans every year,” stated Ricky Johnson, owner of TORC. “TORC took this opportunity to reach race out to race fans, face to face, and get them pumped about this exciting form of racing! We are excited at the possibility that many of these race fans will come out to our event in May.”

The opening weekend will be a “Pro Only Event” (PRO Light, PRO 2WD, PRO 4x4, PRO Buggy) and TORC will schedule an additional Sportsman weekend on the west coast with a location to be announced shortly. TORC officials and members of the PDG are working together to format an exciting race format that will surely light up the Texas crowd along with the television fans at home.

The Traxxas TORC Series- The Off Road Championship, presented by AMSOIL is the world’s premier off road series, bringing together the best of Midwest short course off-road racing with exciting new Western State venues. TORC drivers push the limits with action-packed fender pounding on challenging natural terrain racetracks. The season kicks off May 15, 2009 at Texas Motor Speedway. For more information on TORC please visit http://www.torcseries.com/.

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

Pegram Heads to Road Atlanta

Team Foremost/AMSOIL Racing has arrived in Atlanta and begun preparations for the third round of the AMA Pro Racing American Superbike Championship, to be held this weekend at the Road Atlanta road course in Braselton, Georgia.

Team owner and rider Larry Pegram is entering this weekend's doubleheader confident he can return his Ducati 1098 R to the podium and fight for race wins. Despite a major high-side collision at Fontana's Auto Club Speedway two weeks ago which left him severely bruised, Pegram is upbeat about this weekend's races.

"The crash at Fontana hurt pretty bad," commented Pegram. "I guess you could say I made the podium in race two out of sheer stubbornness; as I was in pain the whole time. I'm pretty bruised up and haven't trained since, but I should be good to go once I get back on the bike tomorrow. The Ducati will be fast here so I'm planning on scoring as many points as possible to make up a few spots in the championship."

This weekend's races mark the series return to road courses after two consecutive super-speedway rounds. Qualifying begins tomorrow at noon; and both races can be seen April 11th at 10pm EST on SPEED. The second race from Fontana, where Pegram placed third, will air this Saturday night, April 4 on SPEED at 10 PM ET.

For a race report, photos and team information please visit http://www.pegramracing.com/. AMSOIL is the Official Oil of AMA Pro Road Racing and the presenting sponsor of the Daytona SportBike class, which will also race this weekend at Road Atlanta.

Also racing this weekend for Team AMSOIL:

Kevin Windham, Blake Wharton and Daniel Blair will be in Jacksonville, Fla. for the AMA Supercross series. Blair, who won two weeks ago in St. Louis, will try to get back on the podium after a tough ride in Toronto.

Team AMSOIL late model driver Brady Smith will take part in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series in Farmer City, Illinois on Friday and Saturday. A top prize of $20,000 will be up for grabs at the Illini 100.

And Monster Jam's "Rising Star" award winner Jon Zimmer will be in Pocatello, Idaho with the AMSOIL Shock Therapy truck on April 4.

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

Top Tens Abound for Team AMSOIL in Toronto

Once a year, the AMA circus takes a trip north of the border to Toronto, and it’s always an adventure. The dirt, being frozen for much of the year, comes inside and thaws during the weekend, which causes havoc for the racers and track builders alike.

GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL rider Kevin Windham was strong all weekend in Toronto, despite the changing, soft, rutted conditions on the racetrack. In the main, Windham got a horrible start, but began moving forward quickly. Despite some mistakes, and some allergies, he nearly got another top-five finish, having gained 11 spots during the main event. He ended the night in sixth.

“I actually thought I rode really well, but I was sick and I couldn’t breathe from like the 10th lap on,” Windham said. “I started getting bad ringing in one ear and I was very disoriented and off-balance due to a sinus infection I had. I’ve been having some pretty major allergies. But it was a tough weekend for me. But the reality is that was the best I could do from 17th [off the start]. I mean, maybe I could’ve gotten IT and gotten into the top five, but if I started in the top two or three, it would’ve been a pretty easy weekend.”

In the Lites class, replacement rider Daniel Blair got a strong start in the main event, despite having a poor gate pick, but then he was balked by another rider and was forced to battle around at the tail end of the top 10, eventually finishing ninth.

Blair’s teammate, and last week’s race winner, Blake Wharton made a big mistake early in the main, going down in a rhythm section, and remounting not only last, but a couple of straightaways behind the next-to-last racer. Still, he put his head down and charged, finishing the night in tenth.

“I figured the track was rough and people might be getting tired or making mistakes,” Wharton said. “I figured I should get up and catch up to what I could, and I caught up to 10th, which I thought was pretty good. If I wouldn’t have made that mistake and been a little bit more patient, I might have ended up with a top-three or top-five, or something a little better.”

From here, the AMSOIL sponsored team heads to Jacksonville, Fla. for round 14 of the AMA Supercross Series, and round eight of the Lites Eastern Regional Supercross Championship, on April 4 inside Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.

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