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Windham Soaks in Second
Storms have been soaking California for the last few days, and it was especially severe in the Bay Area leading up to the San Francisco Supercross. The day of the race, practice was postponed until just before the races, and the racers received only ten minutes of practice time. While the rain held off until the races, the rain that fell on the heats were heavy.
 Once again, Kevin Windham was the star of the Torco Racing Fuels/AMSOIL/Honda squad. He won his heat race going away, and then started out the stormy main event in second place before quickly passing race leader Timmy Ferry and grabbing the lead. Windham led for the first four laps of the race before giving way to Davi Millsaps, who was jumping the triples in the rain.
“The start was decent,” Windham said. “I think I was second and made a quick move up into the lead, and man, I felt like tonight was the night. I just had that feeling." Millsaps led a couple of laps before landing on a Tuff Block and going down. Windham slid out on the face of the same jump and jumped off the track. Although the save was amazing, it handed the lead to Chad Reed. Reed went on to win, with Windham hanging on for second.
“It was such a roller-coaster ride all night, because the track was supposed to be wet when we got here, and then it was pretty good, and then all of a sudden, in the main, it was bad again,” Windham said. “I don’t know. I wanted to be a little hesitant because I didn’t want to screw up, but as it turns out, I jumped off the track anyway, so it came back to bite me.”
Windham sits second in the Supercross points standings with 13 rounds left to run, and he’s the only rider within one race’s points of Reed.
Aussie transport Dan Reardon is showing that consistency pays. He got a mediocre start in the  Lites main event, but slowly and consistently caught and passed the leaders while they were making mistakes out front. At the end of the shortened 10-lap race, Reardon was fourth for the third time this season.
“Well, for starters, I didn’t realize it was only going to be 10 laps,” Reardon said. “Seeing that white flag, I was like, ‘Hang on a second...’ But hey, you know what? These mud races are more about survival than trying to hang it out. Another fourth... My first fourth I was pumped, but now I’ve got three of them and it’s not very exciting anymore. I just keep getting better and better and that podium spot is just around the corner.”
Reardon is now solidly in second in points behind Ryan Dungey with four rounds left to run in the Western Region.
 His teammate Weimer, however, had a night he’d mostly rather forget, although it started out good with a Heat-race win early in the night. The main event went bad quickly, though, as Weimer started near the front but then went down after landing on a downed rider’s bike. Weimer, who won round two of the championship, sits 11th in points with half of the series left to run.
From here, the AMSOIL sponsored team heads back to Anaheim for round five of the AMA Supercross Series on February 2 inside Angels Stadium. |
Eckstrom Takes Bronze From Winter X
DJ Eckstrom continued his 2008 resurgence with an impressive weekend of racing at the 2008 Winter X Games in Aspen, Colo.
Eckstrom and teammate Shaun Crapo ran spectacular races on the ESPN designed course on Friday night. Both AMSOIL/Scheuring Speed Sport riders took second in their highly competitive heat races and advanced directly into Saturday night's final. Ross Martin of the  AMSOIL/Judnick team also finished second in his heat race and advanced to the final.
It was Eckstrom, though, who shouldered the weight of the AMSOIL contingency in Colorado. the Duluth, Minn. star pushed his Polaris into an early lead on Saturday night, battling with eventual winner Tucker Hibbert. Eckstrom held second place for the first half of the race, battling with eventual second place finisher Brett Turcotte. Eckstrom piloted the AMSOIL/Air Force/Red Bull sled perfectly for the remainder of the 25-lap final for his second Winter X Games medal.
"That was a long race," said Eckstrom following his third place finish. "The air is so thin up there, it makes it tough for that long of a race. The sled was hooked up tonight, though. I felt great and want to thank AMSOIL and all of the guys on the crew. They put together a great sled this  weekend."
Crapo and Martin finished back in the back after the two riders collided early in the race. Watch the Winter X Games final.
Both AMSOIL teams will be back on the WPSA PowerSports Tour on February 8-10 in Vernon, N.Y. |
Team Torco Racing Fuels Honda/AMSOIL
Featuring Supercross riders Kevin Windham and Supercross Lites riders
Josh Grant, Trey Canard, Jake Weimer, and Daniel Reardon
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2008 AMA Supercross Series
Round 4: San Francisco, CA - January 26, 2008
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Main Results: |
Lites West Results: |
1. Chad Reed - Yamaha |
1. Jason Lawrence - Yamaha |
2. Kevin Windham - Honda (Team AMSOIL) |
2. Thomas Hahn - Kawasaki |
3. Davi Millsaps - Honda |
3. Brett Metcalfe - Kawasaki |
4. Jake Marsack |
4. Daniel Reardon - Honda (Team AMSOIL) |
5. Grant Langston - Yamah |
5. Austin Stroupe - Kawasaki |
6. Ivan Tedesco - Honda |
6. Gavin Gracyk - Honda |
7. Nick Wey - KTM |
7. Ryan Dungey - Suzuki |
8. Heath Voss - Honda |
8. Chris Blose |
9. Troy Adams |
9. Wil Hahn - Yamaha |
10. Tim Ferry - Kawasaki |
10. Michael Blose |
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2008 AMA Supercross Series Point Standings
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SX Point Standings |
Points
|
Chad Reed |
97 |
Kevin Windham (Team AMSOIL) |
78
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Tim Ferry |
57
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Mike Alessi |
54
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Andrew Short |
51
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James Stewart |
47
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Davi Millsaps |
43
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Nate Ramsey |
43
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Josh Hill |
40
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Nick Wey |
40
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Lites West Standings |
Points
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Ryan Dungey |
86
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Daniel Reardon (Team AMSOIL) |
67
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Jason Lawrence |
63
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Broc Hepler |
59
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Brett Metcalfe |
58
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Thomas Hahn |
55
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Justin Brayton |
55
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Austin Stroupe |
52
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Gavin Gracyk |
42
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Wil Hahn |
42
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Eckstrom Third in West Yellowstone, Ready For Winter X
Team AMSOIL snocross rider DJ Eckstrom continues his climb back to the  top of the Pro standings after a strong weekend of racing in West Yellowstone. Eckstrom, riding out of the AMSOIL/Scheuring Speed Sports trailer, was the number two qualifier in Pro Stock at the WPSA West Yellowstone Pro National on Saturday. The long-time AMSOIL rider ran an exceptional race, finishing third and moving into second in the season long points race. Teammate Shaun Crapo raced to a ninth place finish in front of his hometown crowd. Crapo is seventh in the points race. AMSOIL/Judnick Motorsports rider Ross Martin finished sixth in the Pro Stock race and is just two points behind Eckstrom in third. Qualifying for the Pro Open class began on Sunday, but was cut short after two rounds due to heavy snow falling on the course. Starting early on Monday, Eckstrom and Crapo both started from the front row in the final. Eckstrom finished fifth and Crapo seventh. Eckstrom is now third in the points chase, just 8 points behind Martin, who failed to make Monday's final. Crapo is ninth overall in Pro Open. Eckstrom, Crapo, Martin and Judnick Motorsports rider Matt Judnick will be riding AMSOIL backed sleds this Friday and Saturday at the ESPN Winter X Games in Aspen, Colo. Eckstrom is a past medalist at the X Games. The snocross portion of the games will air on Friday and Saturday night on ESPN HD.  (note: all times are Central Standard Time and will air with other X Games events)
Friday, January 25 8:30 – 10:30 p.m. ESPN Round 1 of Snocross
Saturday, January 26 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. ESPN Round 2 of Snocross (LCQ)
Saturday, January 26 8:00 – 10 p.m. ESPN Snocross Final |
Team AMSOIL Pro Snocross Racing
Scheuring Speed Sports Racers D.J. Eckstrom #25 and Shaun Crapo #3
Judnick Motorsports Racers Ross Martin #837, Matt Judnick #58 and Dylan Martin #937
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West Yellowstone National |
January 19-20, 2008
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Pro Super Stock National Finals: |
Pro Open National Finals: |
1. Tucker Hibbert |
1. Tucker Hibbert |
2. Ryan Simons |
2. TJ Gulla |
3. D.J. Eckstrom - Team AMSOIL Scheuring |
3. Mathieu Morin |
4. Mike Schultz |
4. Steven Taylor |
5. Zach Pattyn |
5. D.J. Eckstrom - Team AMSOIL Scheuring |
6. Ross Martin - Team AMSOIL Judnick |
6. Steven Martin |
7. Robbie Malinoski |
7. Shaun Crapo - Team AMSOIL Scheuring |
8. Garth Kaufman |
8. Levi LaVallee |
9. Shaun Crapo - Team AMSOIL Scheuring |
9. Garth Kaufman |
10. TJ Gulla |
10. Blair Morgan |
11. Levi LaValle
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11. Brett Turcotte |
12. Mathew Piche |
12. Mathew Piche |
13. Brett Turcotte |
13. Mike Schultz |
14. Mathieu Morin |
14. Ryan Simons |
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WPSA Point Standings
After the West Yellowstone National Snocross
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|
Pro Super Stock |
Points
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Tucker Hibbert |
244 |
D.J. Eckstrom - AMSOIL Scheuring |
217 |
Ross Martin - AMSOIL Judnick |
215 |
Mike Schultz |
204 |
Ryan Simons |
196 |
TJ Gulla |
192 |
Shaun Crapo - AMSOIL Scheuring |
185 |
Levi LaVallee |
174 |
Matt Judnick - AMSOIL Judnick |
154 |
Blair Morgan |
148 |
Katejun Coonishish |
147 |
Robbie Malinoski |
145 |
Mathieu Morin |
143 |
Mathew Piche |
134 |
Brett Turcotte |
131 |
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Pro Open |
Points
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TJ Gulla |
234 |
Ross Martin - AMSOIL Judnick |
213 |
D.J. Eckstrom - AMSOIL Scheuring |
205 |
Levi LaVallee |
200 |
Tucker Hibbert |
193 |
Mathieu Morin |
190 |
Blair Morgan |
189 |
Brett Turcotte |
184 |
Shaun Crapo - AMSOIL Scheuring |
182 |
Ryan Simons |
180 |
Mike Schultz |
170 |
Robbie Malinoski |
144 |
Mathew Piche |
139 |
Steven Taylor |
135 |
Garth Kaufman |
133 |
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Windham Third at Anaheim 2
The third round of the AMA Supercross Championship returned the series regulars to Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., but this time it was for Retro Night. The track at Anaheim II was built to replicate the 1986 Anaheim Supercross track.
 Team AMSOIL rider Kevin Windham continued to set his groove toward the 2008 championship, as he started well and grabbed his second podium in a row while simultaneously moving up into second in the points championship in the 450cc class.
“I was pretty happy with my start,” Windham said. “I started in the same gate both times. It wasn’t the best gate, but it was consistent. I think the testing that we did this week really paid off in how things came together for me. I was a work in progress today. I was eighth fastest in practice. It’s the same thing every weekend, because I don’t practice that strong, but it’s something about not having to go fast, not having the gate drop, not having the fans in the stands... I was eighth fastest, and I was like, ‘Man, what's going on?’ But the good news is that I was only a second off of second. Once the lights came on, I won my heat and really put it together in the main. I wish I could’ve caught Hill, but two weeks in a row and two podiums, I’m fired up about that. Hopefully I can keep finding the podium.”
In the Lites class, Dan Reardon continued to show his consistency. On a track that he said was similar to tracks he’s used to back home in Australia, Reardon came from near the tail end of the  top 10 to finish inside the top five. “My reaction time off the start was really good, but I kind of overcooked it a little bit going into the first corner,” Reardon said of his start. “I didn’t get hung up on a Tuff Block, but I was on the verge of riding the Tuff Blocks, so I shut it down off the first jump. I was floating around I think in like eighth or ninth on the first lap. Then things started going good and I started picking people off as I went. Fourth place is okay. It’s not a podium, but it’s still points on the board, and there are still a lot of races to go.”
Fourth place was good enough to move Reardon into third in the points championship with five rounds left to run.
 After his win last week in Phoenix, Jake Weimer had a bit of a tough go at Anaheim II, with a fall, a stall, and other issues. He recovered for 15th place despite the lack of a front brake and sits ninth in the points with five rounds left to go.
From here, the AMSOIL team heads to San Francisco's AT&T Park for round four of the AMA Supercross Series on January 26. |
Wanderscheid Fifth in AMSOIL World Championship
With temperatures hovering below zero, the top twelve oval ice racers in the world lined up at the AMSOIL Eagle River Derby Track for the 45th running of the AMSOIL World Championship Snowmobile Race.
The front row included AMSOIL rider PJ Wandercheid. Wanderscheid, riding an Arctic Cat, battled hard into the first turn and came out in third before settling into fifth. On the second lap, a  crash brought out a complete restart. Wanderscheid settled into sixth until another accident stopped the race on lap 18. While defending champion Gary Moyle and Brian Bewcyk lined up one-two, Wanderscheid was hoping to take advantage of the the restart from the fifth spot. After the green flag got the field moving again, Wanderscheid drove the last seven laps in fifth, his final finishing position.
Bewcyk, the pole sitter for the AMSOIL World Championship, was able to retake the lead on the restart and held on for his first World Championship. Yuji Nakazawa was crowned the AMSOIL World Champion in the Pro Open Snocross race. |
Weimer Wins West
With the mud of Anaheim out of the picture, the Phoenix Supercross promised a dry track, and heads-up racing. What that meant for the Torco Racing Fuels/AMSOIL Honda team was a chance for a more straightforward race without the added variables supplied by mud.
The chief beneficiary of the dry track was AMSOIL's Jake Weimer. After failing to make the  main following a myriad of problems in round one, Weimer showed up ready to compete in Phoenix, despite injuring his shoulder at the opener.
Weimer grabbed the holeshot in the main, just in front of round-one winner Ryan Dungey and Broc Hepler.
“I was pretty confident in my gate because it was pretty loamy, so I figured I would get a good jump,” Weimer said. “In my qualifier, I had a good jump, but I got a lot of wheelspin, so I tried to pick a gate that had a lot more loam. It worked out good, obviously. It always feels easy when you get the holeshot, so it was good.”  Weimer settled in behind Dungy and Hepler for the next few laps while those two battled it out for the lead, and then capitalized on their mistakes. First, he passed Dungey when Dungey failed to jump a triple, and then Hepler soon after he fell. From there, Weimer fought off the late-race advances of Dungey to win his first Lites Main Event, coming full circle from failing to make the main one week earlier.
“I’m pretty stoked,” Weimer said after the race. “You hear everybody say it, but I don’t think it’s totally set in yet. Obviously, you’re excited to win, but I’m sure that tomorrow it’ll be like, ‘Oh, man, I really did win!’ Obviously, I’m stoked and happy with the team and the way everything’s going. My training program and everything’s good, so... That’s what we work to do, so it’s good to go out there and do your job right.”
With the win, Weimer moved all the way to sixth in the championship with six rounds still left to run.
 Weimer’s Lites teammate Dan Reardon was a part of the epic battle for the top spot throughout most of the main event, as the leading pack of riders was as many as eight deep through much of the main event. Reardon’s eighth place is good enough to leave him fourth in points with six rounds still left to run.
In the 450cc class, Kevin Windham was looking forward to getting a dry race under his belt. In the main event, Windham didn’t get the greatest start, but at least this time he made it through the first turn without getting hung up.
“I didn’t do what I needed to do in the Heat, so I was a little concerned about the start in the main event,” Windham said. “I was also concerned about my gate position, but I got down to the first turn quickly and got out unscathed. It seemed like there was a crash in every one of those first turns. I started to make it through that, and from there on out, I felt good.”
Windham went to work immediately to get up to the front, and he came from outside the top 10 in the first turn to third in only three laps.
“It took me a little while to get up to third, but once I did, I felt the pressure behind me, stayed focused, and brought it home,” Windham said. “It was a good night for me. I was happy with it. It feels good to be holding my own against at least 17 of the guys, other than myself. At first, we  were struggling some, but the team worked with me and it got better with time. That feels good. It seems like all of the work paid off.”
It was Windham’s first podium finish of the season, and moved him up to third in the championship with 15 rounds still left to run. From here, the Torco Racing Fuels/AMSOIL Honda team heads back to Anaheim, Calif. for round three of the AMA Supercross Series on January 19 inside Angels Stadium.
(courtesy: Steve Cox) |
Martin, Eckstrom Highlight WPSA Podiums
Team AMSOIL/Scheuring Speedsports snocross rider DJ Eckstrom started the U.S. Air Force Canterbury flying high on Friday with a second place finish in the WPSA Pro Stock final. Eckstrom, and the rest of the AMSOIL-sponsored race teams, however, were just getting started.  After qualifying well, both Eckstrom and AMSOIL/Judnick Motorsports rider Ross Martin started in the front row of Saturday's Pro Stock final. Both riders, along with AMSOIL/Scheuring rider Shaun Crapo, would battle in the front of the pack with Martin taking home a podium in second place and Crapo and Eckstrom finishing sixth and seventh, respectively.Saturday began with the first round of Pro Open qualifying. Martin was the top qualifier while Eckstrom lined up third in the final. When the checkered flag dropped, both riders finished on the podium with Martin in second and Eckstrom in third. Crapo finished a great race in sixth after starting in the back row. On Sunday, Martin was once again dialed in for the Pro Open final. As the top qualifier, Martin again grabbed the hole shot and never looked back, winning from flag to flag. Eckstrom was battling hard for third place but a broken throttle caused him to drop to from fourth to eighth with less than two laps to go. Crapo, who crashed violently in the second qualifying heat, again came back from the second row and finished seventh. The WPSA, in which AMSOIL is the Official Oil, will bring its national tour to West Yellowstone, Mont. this weekend. Both teams will take part in ESPN's Winter X Games the following week. |
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Wanderscheid Battles Towards World Chamionship
Activities at the AMSOIL Eagle River World Championship Snowmobile Derby begin today in Eagle River, Wis. with the Loadmaster Vintage Snowmobile Championship. More than 600 sleds are registered in 37 classes for this weekends event, which continues to grow in nostalgia every year.
As for the AMSOIL World Championship ice oval race (January 17-20), teams are getting in some last minute testing before the week's renowned racing. Team AMS OIL rider PJ Wanderscheid went back to work in Ironwood, Mich. last weekend. Wanderscheid, one of only three men to ever win the AMSOIL World Championship three times, has spent the last month testing the teams new 600 Arctic Cat. In Ironwood, Wanderscheid finished fourth and third in his heat races in the 600 Open class. Having to start in the back row, Wanderscheid was able to move into eighth on the final countdown.
In the Pro 440, Wanderscheid finished second and fifth in his heat races, but failed to qualify for the final.
"It's a large undertaking when you bring in a new engine builder," said Wanderscheid. "We're really not that far from having a really fast sled that handles great. We have taken so many great steps in the new chassis design that if we can get the motor to produce like it should we will be back on top."
Wanderscheid and the AMSOIL team will look to get the remaining bugs worked out in the final tune-up to the AMSOIL World Championships with this weekends race in Plymouth, Wis.
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