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Team AMSOIL Strikes Silver at Winter X
Games
Tate Races to Second in
Hillcross, Eckstrom Fourth
January 27, 2004 ~ Justin
Tate was battered and bloodied, but the AMSOIL/Polaris/
Scheuring Speed Sports driver raced strong
to a silver medal in the ESPN Winter X Games
VIII Hillcross competition at Buttermilk Mountain
in Aspen, Colorado.
It took 15 stitches to close
a gash beneath Tate's right eye suffered in
a qualifying round. Tate hit a patch of ice
that jarred his hands free of the snowmobile's
handlebars. The momentary loss of control
allowed his face to hit the steering column.
He received medical attention on-site and
continued racing.
DJ Eckstrom just missed medaling.
He finished fourth by only a couple of feet
for the second year in a row. Earlier Eckstrom
had won a semi-final heat in which Tate came
in third place. The pair moved into the semi-final
round with convincing qualifying runs. Tate,
from Forest Lake, Minn., was fifth after the
first round with a time of 51.573 seconds.
Eckstrom, of Duluth, Minn., was eighth at
52.669 seconds.
"I'll take this after
what the team has been through this year at
Winter X," said a relieved Team Owner
Steve Scheuring. Neither Team AMSOIL driver
advanced to the X Games Snocross final on
Sunday after being heavily favored to compete
for gold. Eckstrom is the 2003 silver medalist
and 2001 bronze medalist in Snocross. The
AMSOIL/Scheuring team, based in Aurora, Minn.,
now has four X Games medals. Tate's is the
first in Hillcross.
Hillcross is a combination
of motocross-like snocross with snowmobile
hill climbing. Drivers must negotiate jumps,
banks and rollers on a quarter-mile course
up the mountain.
The Hillcross competition
will be broadcast tonight as part of ESPN's
live coverage in primetime on ESPN beginning
at 8:00 pm CST. More X Games Hillcross information
is available on-line at www.expn.com. For
more information on AMSOIL and Team AMSOIL
racing go to www.amsoil.com.
ABOUT THE COMPANY: AMSOIL
has been the recognized leader in synthetic
lubricants since 1972. For more information
about AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils call (715)
392-7101 or 1-800-777-8491. AMSOIL INC., AMSOIL
Building, Superior, WI 54880.
News Contact:
Jeremy Meyer
AMSOIL Racing Coordinator
AMSOIL Building
Superior, WI 54880
(715) 392-7101 ext. 220
racing@amsoil.com
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