Windham Solidified In Second

San Bernardino, Calif. ~ In less than two weeks, Team AMSOIL/Chaparral/Honda star Kevin Windham will be wearing the colors of the American flag, both on his body and his bike.  The Mississippi-native will be leading the charge, along with Ricky Carmichael and Ivan Tedesco, at the well hyped Motocross des Nations in Ernee, France.  For the final round of the AMA Outdoor Nationals, Windham showed his true colors and unveiled the Team USA look for worldwide spectacle.

“It was a lot of fun to wear the colors for the country today,” said Windham.  “The season is not over for the three of us, Ivan, Ricky and me; we still have one more to go.  We want to go over there (France) and kick butt.  We’re ready to go. It’s time to stay focused. This next race for us is the biggest of the year.”

It’s been awhile since Windham has raced in a meaningful race.  With Carmichael heading into the final motocross weekend with a perfect record, and K-Dub easily holding onto second, the past few rounds of the outdoor schedule have been on cruise control.  Since June, Carmichael and Windham have finished one-two, so the only question remained, how big would the gaps be between them and the third place rider?

The Glen Helen track in San Bernardino, Calif. is one of the better tracks on the AMA tour.  Being the final testing site for the pro circuit always means there’s a sense of prestige around the track.  However, there were no pre-qualifying races last weekend, a first for 2005 and an indication of the low bike count.  The track was also considered to be in rough shape for Sunday’s racing.  Many blame this on the lack of watering and grooming on Saturday.

No matter what the track set-up is, the pros will ride on.  Windham started the first moto on a positive note.  He made a great move to get by Carmichael, but the series champ quickly retained the lead and held on for another win.  Windham stayed in second for the remainder of the race, the eighth consecutive time he’s finished in that spot this year.

The second moto would be a little controversial.  The large lead Windham had over third place meant he could have a poor run and still be in second.  The controversy comes from Honda teammate Ernesto Fonseca.  Fonseca and David Vuillemin were in a close battle for third in the points standings entering the final moto.  Fonseca found a way to get by Windham in the second moto, and as K-Dub says, he just checked out.  Some insiders say Windham let Fonseca stay in front of him, allowing him to finish third overall.  Windham, who finished third in the moto, isn’t buying it.

“I felt like I was riding pretty well today, but man, Ernie was on it in that second moto.  Obviously I wanted to get around Ernesto in that second moto, but he was riding well; plus I caught a rock in the knee – right now it’s hard to even bend it.”

Windham, who rode hard all year long, just couldn’t find the right spot to get around Fonseca.  Even if the rumors were true, and Windham was showing his ability to be a good teammate, that’s a characteristic that will come in handy next week in France.  This time, however, the whole world will be watching.   

Staying Put

Corona, Calif. ~ Speaking of rumors, it’s looking more and more likely that the AMSOIL/Chaparral/Honda 125 team will stay the same in 2006.  Josh Grant, Billy Laninovich, Tommy Hahn and Joaquim Rodrigues are all scheduled to return to the team for the start of the AMA Supercross series.

Grant, who finished seventh overall in the Outdoor Nationals, is scheduled to have knee surgery soon.  The young rider twisted his knee during a practice session before the Steel City event two weeks ago.  Grant will be sidelined for up to four months.

A New AMSOIL Champion

Superior, Wis. ~ In 2005 it was AMSOIL sponsored driver Darrell Nelson who took home the AMSOIL Late Model Championship after an impressive win at the Superior Speedway in mid-September.  It marked the first time in the series history that an AMSOIL sponsored driver won the points championship.  In 2006, another AMSOIL-backed driver was looking to take home the title.

Before a packed house at the Superior Speedway, Tom Nesbitt of Thunder Bay, Ontario showed everyone that the fire was still there. The National Dirt Late Model and Superior Speedway Hall of Fame inductee who just turned 65 years old in July, showed the way as he won the 40 lap Late Model feature at the 17th annual Budweiser Northern Nationals. Nesbitt recorded his 54th feature win at the banked clay oval track, winning out in a three-car battle with Pat Doar and Joey Jensen.

It was Team AMSOIL driver Doar who lead the series heading into the sixth and final race.  The New Richmond, Wis. driver held a one point lead over Terry Casey.  By winning his heat race and placing fourth in the feature, Doar had enough points to win his first AMSOIL Late Model Series championship after seven years of trying.

Smith Looking For Late Season Charge

Solon Springs, Wis. ~ The Brady Smith Racing team is scheduled to compete in a pair of World of Outlaws Stacker2 Late Model Series races this coming weekend.  The action kicks off this Friday at the Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Ill, a $10,000 to win event.  The exciting Dirt Late Model competition then turns to the I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo. on Saturday for the $10,000 to win ‘Pepsi Nationals 50.’  The SPEED Channel cameras will be on hand at Ken Schrader’s facility to tape all the exciting action for a December 3 airdate.

 “The Deuce” invaded the Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio last weekend for the annual ‘World 100’.  He struggled a bit during qualifying, which put him mid-pack in his heat race.  His ninth place finish would place him in the B-Main.  There he would pick up a 15th place finish. 

“We just have to qualify better at Eldora because that is the name of the game,” Smith said this week.  “You have to make a perfect lap around that place to qualify up front and that is very hard.  With all of the competition there, you have to start up front in your heat race because it is very hard to pass those guys.  We will go back in October for the UMP Fall Nationals because we just need some more laps around that place.  We’ll turn it around this week and try to have some successful runs at Granite City and Pevely.  I have been to both places this year, so we have some notes to go off of for these two races.”

More Racing Results

Fred Gagnon’s team made a strong showing last weekend at the Sept-Iles Speedway in Quebec.  Gagnon grabbed a second place in the first qualifier and followed that with a third place finish in the second heat race.  In the feature, he drove the AMSOIL backed car to a fourth place finish.  The team is currently second in the season point standings.  They are sponsored by AMSOIL Dealer Yves Perron.