Rinker Wrecks,
Recovers
St. Louis, Mo. ~ 2003
ChampBoat Series champion Terry Rinker just
wanted to win something, anything in 2005 after
a winless 2004 season. After the first four
races of the new season, the Tampa native had
easily accomplished his goal after winning three
events. Now he has his sights set on another
season title and a strong showing at the famous
St. Louis race would help his chance immensely.
After four different starts,
three different accidents and three different
leaders, the water finally settled on the St.
Louis race after two hours and 15 minutes.
Rinker, who entered the weekend with a large
lead over second in the overall points
standings, was running hard with just seven laps
to go before the unthinkable occurred. Heading
into the final turn, a lapped rider had his
steering brake hard right in front of Rinker's
#10 boat. The unexpected move caused Rinker to
climb up and over the other boat. A dangerous
move when you're traveling over 100 mph. The
accident forced Rinker to take his brother's
back-up boat for the seven remaining laps of the
event. Rinker would finish the race in fourth
and still holds an 86-point leader in the
overall standings.
"It was a struggle all weekend but we climbed
ourselves out of a hole and overall we are proud
of our efforts," said Rinker after the race. "We
will now focus on the next event and plan to
push for our fourth victory of the season in
Colorado."
The ChampBoat Series heads off
to Windsor, Colo. next week. The sixth round of
the nine race series will be held August 27-28.
The ChampBoat Series, sponsored by AMSOIL as the
"Official Oil," airs on a tape delay basis on
the Outdoor Channel. The next televised race
will be Saturday, August 20. Check local
listings for air times.
Keeping Cool
In Millville
Millville, Minn. ~
Kevin Windham has been the unquestioned number
two rider in the AMA Outdoor Nationals Motocross
Series this summer. For the past month, he has
finished second overall each week and has not
had a third place finish in almost two months.
Things were status quo for the
Mississippi-native at the popular Spring Creek
track in Millville, Minn. last weekend.
Windham started the first moto
on Sunday getting caught up in the tight first
turn. Starting in eighth, Windham quickly made
up lost time by maneuvering his way into second
before the first lap was half over.
Unfortunately for the AMSOIL/Chaparral/Honda
rider, race leader Ricky Carmichael had grabbed
the holeshot and was increasing his lead without
having to worry about passing anyone. Windham
would hold about 20 seconds off the pace set by
Carmichael, but was almost a full lap ahead of
third place finisher Travis Preston when the
checkered flag dropped.
Moto two started out in K-Dub's
favor Sunday afternoon. Windham made amends for
his poor start in the first moto by grabbing the
holeshot over Carmichael. Windham led RC until
the duo rode into the infamous downhill whoops
section at the southern Minnesota track.
Carmichael would increase his lead over the
remainder of the race with Windham finishing in
a solid second and another second overall for
the weekend.
"Where he made the pass, and
made up most of his time was in the sand
whoops," said Windham. "It seems like week in
and week out we've been riding about a second
off; and he just keeps inching away to the 15 or
20 seconds that he ultimately wins by. I've just
got to find that missing second, before he finds
another one."
Windham was one of the few
rider to consistently jump the "Holy Schmidt"
jump. K-Dub and Carmichael were the only two
riders to tackle the big uphill triple, the same
jump that dropped Chad Reed out of the outdoor
series in 2004.
"It was kind of fun to do,"
said Windham. "I wasn't really worried whether
it was faster or not and I know it was a lot of
air-time. Going back to Unadilla where I was
having a really strong ride, there was a new
rhythm section that Ricky was able to do, that I
just put it out of my mind not to do it, and I
think that's where he made up some time - so now
when I can, I jump stuff."
For Windham, any extra second
would be a big deal. His fifth straight
runner-up to Carmichael seems to be getting a
little old for the AMSOIL/Chaparral/Honda rider.
"Second is getting kind of boring," said
Windham, the last rider to beat Carmichael in
motocross. "It's getting to the point that I
just race the clock. I'm doing the best I can
do. I've got to find another second per lap and
hope that Ricky doesn't find one."
Strong
Showing
Millville, Minn. ~ The
AMSOIL/Chaparral/Honda team had its best showing
of the season, by far. Despite a flat tire by
Juaqium Rodrigues in the first moto on Sunday,
all four riders ran strong atop their Honda CRF
250's.
In the first moto, it looked
like Tommy Hahn was in line to pick up his
second podium of the outdoor season. The
young-rider was in a battle for second place
with KTM's Mike Alessi throughout most of the
race. While running in third until three laps to
go, Hahn "hit a dirt wall and high sided,"
dropping him back to eighth for the moto.
Meanwhile, Hahn's teammates
were busy making up ground on the leaders. Josh
Grant and Billy Laninovich, who was noticeably
limping around the pits after the morning
practice session, were turning some of the
fastest lap times of the day. Both riders found
themselves in the middle of the pack after the
first turn. The two riders would work together
to gain ground on the leaders, moving into the
top five with less than five laps to go. Grant,
riding exceptionally hard, was able to move all
the way up into the third and final podium spot.
Laninovich landed a well-deserved fifth finish.
For Grant, the extra time spent in the Midwest
this summer is paying off.
 |
"I've been working really hard
these last few weeks," said Grant. "I've been
staying out here (Millville) working on the
whoops and at other tracks around the area that
I could find. I felt very strong through the
whoops today, and I think that's where I was
really making my time up. I didn't have the
greatest starts but I'm hoping to do it next
weekend! I'm only five points out of third, and
third is where I want to be (if I cannot win the
championship)."
The AMSOIL/Chaparral/Honda
team will be back in action this weekend in
Binghamton, N.Y. The Washougal race from last
month will air this weekend on the Outdoor Life
Network (OLN) Saturday at 4:00 p.m. EST.
More AMSOIL TV Coverage
Hurricane Mills, Tenn. ~
AMSOIL continues its support of grass roots
racing with on-air sponsorships. AMSOIL has
agreed to terms with Gear Media, the new
television arm of the Loretta Lynn's Amateur
Motocross Championships presented by AMSOIL.
AMSOIL will retain its "presented by"
sponsorship and will run one 30-second spot
during each broadcast of the AMA Amateur and
Mini Cycle National Championships at Loretta
Lynn's. AMSOIL will also be featured throughout
the program with the AMSOIL Team Spotlight and
the AMSOIL Slow Motion Replay.
The events will air on the Outdoor Life Network
(OLN), with each event being rebroadcast twice.
The first airing will be this Saturday, August
20th at 2:30 p.m. EST. The Mini Cycle National
Championships will air Saturday, August 27th at
2:30 p.m. EST. For a complete listing of Team
AMSOIL on television, go to:
Super Team Back On Track
Bark River, Mich. ~
After a five week hiatus from racing, the AMSOIL/Kumho
Tires "Super Team" was back on the track in Bark
River, Mich. last weekend. The "Super Team" was
looking to extend their strong showing from the
Topeka, Kan. race where they finished with five
podiums in six races. Rounds nine and ten of the
C.O.R.R. series promised some fierce competition
for Dan Vanden Heuvel, Steve McCrossan and Mike
Oberg.
The weekend started off on
Friday with the track's long jump competition on
what is measured as the largest jump in the
C.O.R.R. series. Ninety-nine trucks took part in
entertaining the 7,000 fans in attendance for
the jump-off. Up first for the "Super Team" was
Oberg, who pushed his Sportsman 2 truck a
whopping 120 feet. As the competition moved on,
the power of the trucks also increased. Vanden
Heuvel pushed his 850 horsepower Pro-2 truck
over the lip of the jump and scored a leap of
162 feet. With a few other trucks sitting just a
little farther down the line than "The Flying
Dutchman", it was up to the third member of the
AMSOIL/Kumho Tires "Super Team" to bring home a
win. McCrossan lined up the ramp perfectly and
launched his Pro-4 truck 170 feet. That would be
good enough to tie for first in the long jump
competition.
Saturday - Sportsman 2
The first race slated on
Saturday for the AMSOIL/Kumho "Super Team" was
the Sportsman 2 division. Oberg had an excellent
start and found himself coming out of turn one
with the hole shot. After a turn two pile up
behind him, the Eagle River, Wis. resident had a
commanding lead that would only be extended in
the coming laps. Just after the halfway point,
Ross Hoek managed to break away from the pack,
and challenge Oberg. With only three laps
remaining and a ˝ lap lead over the rest of the
field, Hoek made contact with the AMSOIL/Kumho
truck, pushing Oberg off the track, and causing
a left rear flat. The contact also took Hoek out
of contention. The AMSOIL/Kumho Super Team pit
crew got the #280 back into the action to come
home in eighth.
Saturday - Pro-2
The "Super Team" ride of
Vanden Heuvel was next up in the Pro-2 division.
Taking the drop of the green flag, "The Flying
Dutchman" found himself in the top five for the
first few laps of muddy competition on the
overzealously watered racecourse. An ensuing
battle with two other trucks was raging, and
another truck tagged Vanden Heuvel's #77 in the
quarter panel, swapping him sideways and sending
the truck skipping across the track on the
passenger side door. The Dutchman was able to
correct the truck back on its wheels, sending
the crowd into a frenzy. Unfortunately, the
contact with the other truck and the ground had
caused major suspension damage, and he was
unable to finish the race.
Saturday - Pro-4
When the green flag flew for
McCrossan on round nine of the Pro 4 race, he
got a good start, and found himself in the
middle of the pack. As the race progressed, the
high-flying Canadian moved through the field,
battling with Jason Baldwin and Carl Renezender.
At the end of the race Steve was able to cross
the finish line just outside of the podium in
fourth place.
Sunday - Sportsman 2
Hoping for a better outcome in
Sunday's event, the AMSOIL/Kumho Super Team
headed into the day with force. Oberg headed up
the Sportsman 2 field once again with an amazing
hole shot, with Hoek in second, and Dan Badoux
in third. Oberg held the position for the first
three laps until he hooked a berm, and spun
sideways, allowing Hoek to slip by. The top
three trucks were bumper to bumper for the
remainder of the race until the final lap, when
Badoux pulled a bold move to try and take second
away from Oberg. He saw Badoux coming, tapped
the breaks, which caused Badoux to overshoot the
corner, and hit the wall. Hoek took first, the
AMSOIL/Kumho Super Team truck of Mike Oberg
wound up with a strong second place, podium
finish. The Oberg Team moved up one position in
the point's standings to fifth.
Sunday - Pro-2
Vanden Heuvel's crew stayed up
all night prepping the damaged AMSOIL/ Kumho
truck for Sunday's action. Practice went
according to plan, and Vanden Heuvel was ready
to rock. The track crew once again managed to
severely over water the racetrack, leaving
standing water in every corner. After the green
flag flew, other trucks throughout the first lap
slammed the 77 truck. With the truck looking
like it had been through a war, Vanden Heuvel
slid out on an over watered corner, over a berm,
and into a drainage culvert, wrecking the right
tie rod. He pulled into the pits and the crew
ripped what was left of the hood off for
visibility. He got back on the track and went on
to set some of the best lap times of the day,
only to have his brakes fade due to the earlier
contact, finishing ninth.
Sunday - Pro-4
Steve McCrossan was the final
AMSOIL/Kumho Super Team member in competition.
After the fierce battle of the first lap, he was
holding strong in fourth position. By the
halfway mark, he had worked his way into third,
gaining ground on the leaders. As McCrossan held
the throttle wide open in a corner, a
transmission failure caused the truck to drift
into the same berm that Vanden Heuvel had hit
earlier, sending the #33 truck into a metal
guardrail, which rolled the Chevy two times.
When the dust settled, the truck had landed on
its wheels, and McCrossan got back onto the
track without losing a position. Unfortunately,
the failing transmission only lasted a few more
laps, and sidelined the AMSOIL/Kumho Chevy for
the remainder of the race.
The AMSOIL/Kumho Super Team had a less than
perfect weekend, but they are very hopeful for
the upcoming rounds at Crandon, Wis. on Labor
Day weekend.
More from Bark River…
Bark River, Mich. ~ The
AMSOIL Super Team wasn't the only AMSOIL Team
battling in the CORR series last weekend in Bark
River. Ben Wandahsega headed into the weekend
with a slim lead in the Sportsman 2 class.
Wandahesega battled power
steering troubles all weekend, but was able to
bring home a third and sixth place finish in
Bark River. Wandahsega heads into the final two
point rounds of the year with a 17-point lead
over defending and two-time champion Dan
Baudoux. Wandahsega has been enjoying his best
year in racing in 2005. He has four wins,
finished second once and has four, third place
finishes.
