New Look For ‘06
Superior,
Wis. ~ Kevin Windham and Mike LaRocco will be flying newcolors
for the 2006 and 2007 seasons. The AMSOIL/Factory Connection team
has added two major players to their championship line-up in SoBe
and Samsung Mobile. AMSOIL, which as been the title sponsor for the
Factory Connection/Honda team since 2000, but will work with new
title sponsor Sobe, and co-title sponsor Samsung to help the team
obtain its ultimate goal, championships in both motocross
andSupercross.
AMSOIL
Racing Coordinator Jeremy Meyer says the move will help capitalize
all the carry-over sponsors. “Through the expanded marketing that
SoBe and Samsung are bringing to the table, AMSOIL will see a direct
benefit from having two Fortune 500 companies advertising for the
team. AMSOIL has been part of the Factory Connection family for
years and we’re happy to embrace strong, enthusiastic sponsors like
SoBe and Samsung Mobile who step up to support our team.”
“It’s great to have the support of sponsors that understand the
sport and have a history in racing,” said Rick Zeilfelder, Factory
Connection Team Co-Owner. “SoBe and Samsung Mobile have both
demonstrated a commitment to the sport, they make great products and
they are committed to helping us build racing’s fan-base through
active cross-promotion.”
AMSOIL will still be considered the title sponsor for the highly
anticipated U.S. Open that will be held October 7-9 at the MGM Grand
Garden Arena in Las Vegas. AMSOIL/Chaparral/Honda’s Windham, fresh
off a world title at the Motocross des Nations in Ernee, France,
will join the talented field. This is his first U.S. Open
appearance since 2001 where he finished third. He finished second
overall for the 2005 AMA Motocross Championships. AMSOIL’s new role
as “Lead Associate Sponsor” will begin in November when the THQ
World Supercross Series begins in Canada.
“I’m looking forward to racing this year’s U.S. Open after
missing the last three years,” said Windham. “The racing is always
competitive and the fans are great, making for a fun weekend. It’s
also a great opportunity to see where I’m at for the up-coming
Supercross season.”
Teammate LaRocco will also be returning to competition after a crash
left him sideline at the end of the 2005 Supercross season. The
34-year-old LaRocco won this event in 2000.
The AMSOIL/Chaparral/Honda 125cc team will also be in action this
weekend in Las Vegas. The eighth annual U.S. Open will be broadcast
nationally on NBC, October 23 at 3:30 p.m. EST.
for the second consecutive season.
The Dutchman Becomes California Kid
San
Diego, Calif. ~ When the powers-that-be decided to hold two
weekends of Championship Off-Road Racing (C.O.R.R.) in southern
California, the AMSOIL/Kumho Tires Super Team was roaring to gain
new fans and more ground on the competition. The first weekend was
the final points weekend for the CORR series and saw Dan “The Flying
Dutchman” Vanden Heuvel take a sweep in the Pro-2 class, clinching
second place in the year end points race. His strong finish was
followed Mike Oberg's second place finish in the Sportsman class.
That meant both drivers had sky-high confidence heading into the big
money races this past weekend. The 2005 Nissan Off-Road Nationals
would finish off the double header in Chula Vista California.
During the Saturday morning drivers’ meeting, CORR series owner
Jim Baldwin announced how the races were going to be different.
Instead of the normal 15-minute race, drivers would race for nine
laps, then have two laps under a full course caution and then race
for a final five laps. His explanation for the change was to offer
teams a chance for a pit stop and to make the final five laps much
more exciting.
At the start of the Pro-2 race, the field headed into turn one
side-by-side, but when they got through the second corner, Vanden
Heuvel was in fifth place fighting for fourth. He then developed
brake problems when the caution flag flew at lap nine. Falling back
to seventh, he was able to pick up a spot when the sixth place truck
pitted. After the restart, he was able to pick up another spot and
finished the race in fifth.
Meanwhile, the Sportsman class was also on the track at the same
time that the Pro-2 trucks were racing. Oberg, who started with the
rest of the Sportsman field in the second row, came barreling out of
the land rush start and had a sizeable lead on the rest of the
Sportsman field. A few trucks would push the #280 Chevy, but Oberg
was able to hold off all contenders for the win.
Sunday
Sunday
had the same race format as Saturday. At the drop of the green flag,
Vanden Heuvel raced off the starting line in fourth and held it
until he was passed on lap five, dropping him to fifth. By the time
the caution dropped, he had maneuvered the #77 Chevy back into
fourth. When the race restarted, he was on the rear bumper of the
third place truck and with four laps to go, overtook the spot,
adding another podium finish to the team’s successful season.
Meanwhile, Oberg was putting himself in great position to take
home the $20,000 check for winning the weekend series. He was able
to battle the leaders from the start of the land rush until the
checkered flag dropped. When the dust settled, Oberg had a third
place finish, enough to secure the weekend win and the big payday.
While the race season may be over, the teams are busy prepping
the trucks for promotions and trade shows. Vanden Heuvel’s hauler
and race truck will be on display at the Off Road Expo in Pomona,
Calif. this weekend, Oct. 8-9. Then it’s off to the SEMA show in Las
Vegas, Nev. SEMA is the world’s largest automotive trade show held
every year, the first week of November. Over 100,000 industry
leaders are on hand with two million square feet of exhibits for
trade members and buyers.
Mr. Smith Goes To Iowa
Solon
Springs, Wis. ~ Brady Smith was able to put his AMSOIL Monte
Carlo into the A-Main last weekend in the Second Annual ‘Knoxville
Late Model Nationals’ in Knoxville, Iowa. Smith finished sixth in
his heat race and 18th in the $6,000 to win preliminary feature
event on Thursday night. With the starting lineup for Saturday’s
$35,000 to win A-Main based on a points system, his finishes were
not good enough to advance to the feature. However, Smith finished
third in the B-Main on Saturday to earn the 27th starting spot for
the 100-lap main event. “The Deuce” missed the setup in the feature
event and could only muster a 20th place finish in the final
rundown.
“It was good to get into the show, but we just didn’t have enough
time to make the necessary changes to the car before the feature
started,” said Smith. “Knoxville runs a pretty tight show, so we
only had ten minutes after our B-Main to get ready for the feature.
With the competition at Knoxville though, I was glad to get into the
race. I just wish we could have been a little better. Our car was
good during the B-Main and I was up battling for the lead in it
before our tires gave way. We went a little too soft on tires, but
we had to get going since we started ninth in the B-Main. We’ll take
the finish and go on to Dixie this weekend.”
The Brady Smith Racing team gets back into action this weekend,
as they will travel to the Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Georgia for
the 16th Annual ‘Dixie Shootout’. The NARA Late Model Dirt Series
will sanction the big racing weekend at Dixie, and all of the
exciting Dirt Late Model competition kicks off on Friday evening.
The ‘Jimmy Mosteller Classic’ will headline the racing activities on
Friday night, and a $10,000 payday is on the line. The ESPN2
cameras will be on hand on Saturday to capture all of the action for
airing on a date that is yet to be determined.
Dube Pushes For Strong Finish
Montreal,
Quebec ~ Team AMSOIL/KTM rider Marco Dube has had a roller
coaster of a season. After starting with a podium last winter in
the Arenacross series, Dube has seen injuries, bad luck and even a
new ride (switching from Honda to KTM) derail his season. With the
Canadian season coming to an end, he has been looking to get
comfortable on the new bike and end the year strong.
Last weekend started well for the young rider. He went through
the qualifying rounds by pulling the fastest lap times in both the
125cc and 250cc classes. Although he was fast, he said the bike
felt a little strong for the hard packed ground and that some
adjustments would be needed for the race.
When the 125cc final started, it seemed like more of the same for
Dube. He started 12th, but he knew the speed of his KTM would push
him toward the front. With the race only being 10 laps, Dube had to
work hard to find the right lines and was able to finish in second.
Fans and foes saw the Dube of old in the 250cc final. Starting
in the 15th spot, he began picking off riders at a furious pace. He
battled with a rider on nearly every lap, and was able to push his
bike into the top five with just two corners to turn before the
checkered flag.
Dube will be competing in the Toronto Arenacross race this
weekend.
General Lee
Dan Vanden Heuvel might have some competition at the SEMA show in
November. He might have to schedule and exhibition with Team AMSOIL
drivers Chris Mosher and Jeff Dedick. The Autumn Woods Racing
teammates will have the General Lee on display at the annual trade
show convention.
Following SEMA, AWR will be racing in three separate events in
Oregon, Indiana and Florida.
More From Team AMSOIL
- Ryan Posocco likes the sound of a “three-peat.” The
Stafford Springs, Conn. Driver recently notched his third
consecutive Stafford Motor Speedway Late Model Championship.
His 7th place finish last weekend kept him atop the standings
and earned him the title by 46-points over Tom Butler.
“I am a little speechless,” said Posocco. “The first
championship was very special to me for several reasons. It was
great to go back to back last year, but to win it again this
year is really unimaginable to me.”
-
P.J.
Osmer continues to rack up podiums and wins. Last weekend at
the Caruthers Fair in Caruthers, Calif., Osmer took a first in
the heat and main in the 85cc class. In the 250 Expert
four-stroke class, he picked up two seconds. He followed that
with a third in the heat and a fifth in the main of the four
stroke open Expert class.
- John Hansen from Brush, Colo. won the inaugural BST Jasper
Modified Series Championship. Hansen, who is sponsored by
AMSOIL Dealer Michael Browne, came into the last event with a
large lead over second and third place and ended up winning the
series by 113 points.
