|
The
Checkered Flag
|
| January
22, 2004 Edition |
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| GREEN
FLAG |
Team
AMSOIL With Two Seconds at Anaheim 2
January 17 ~ Kevin Windham seemed unaffected by the events
of the past week. K-dub went out and challenged wire to wire
at Anaheim 2. With a runner-up finish in the 250 main Windham
moved into fourth place overall in AMA THQ Supercross. Mike
LaRocco gave a gallant effort to finish just off the podium
in fourth. Still, after three rounds of racing LaRocco is
second overall.
The other
second place finish for AMSOIL/Chaparral/Honda was posted
by Travis Preston. He's been on the podium in consecutive
weeks. Preston is now third in overall 125 points. Chris Gosselaar
fell in practice and rang his bell pretty good. He had to
be carted off for medical attention. He didn't make it to
race day. He's now ninth overall.
In the
250 main it was Windham who got out front quickly. Supercross
racing is very much about momentum and fluidity. Windham had
the lead until about the halfway point when he was unable
to triple coming off a whoops section. That little stagger
cost him time and the lead. LaRocco's race was prototypical
of his style. He came from back in the pack to steal away
a fourth place finish.
Preston
grabbed the holeshot in the 125 main and cruised for 11 laps.
Two competitors were able to catch him and pass by. Preston
grit his teeth to get one of the spots back. Only a couple
seconds separated the leaders at the finish line. Preston
is the 2002 AMA 125 West champion and last year's runner up.
The AMA
is still reviewing appeals by AMSOIL supercross team owner
Rick Zielfelder and Honda for a penalty against Windham handed
down after last week's race. Windham was stripped of 10 overall
points because of what was deemed, "unsportsmanlike"
riding. The way the season is progressing it looks like every
point will matter after round 16 in Las Vegas.
5 Minutes
With... Kevin Windham
Do you
want to learn more about the newest supercross superstar to
race for AMSOIL/Chaparral/Honda? There's a very nice interview
with Kevin Windham at www.racerxill.com. You'll get a little
insight into what makes K-dub tick and why he's such a great
pick up for Team AMSOIL.
Tate
and Eckstrom Take Home Hardware
January
16-18 ~ AMSOIL... AMSOIL... AMSOIL... was about all the announcer
had to say as DJ Eckstrom and Justin Tate went home with nearly
every first and second place trophy from snocross events at
the Eagle River World Championships. Eckstrom took with him
a huge first place trophy for winning Sunday's Pro Open main
event. Tate was hot on his heels in a battle of teammates
to finish second. An estimated 25,000 fans watched Tate finish
second in Pro Stock while Eckstrom paced to a fifth place.
The action
really started on Friday night with the Ice-X competition.
This is an oval ice and snocross hybrid race. Combining the
two elements seems to suit the AMSOIL/Polaris/Scheuring guys.
Eckstrom rode to victory with Tate crossing the line in second.
Tate grabbed a solid win in a Pro Stock race also held that
night. Eckstrom took a backseat and settled with second place.
Later in the evening the team stepped up to the Mod sleds
and a Pro Open race. Eckstrom wanted back in the winner's
column and drove brilliantly to first place. Tate wanted to
share in the spoils and made it an AMSOIL party on the podium.
He finished second.
These
races won't show up in the World Snowmobile Association standings,
but they served as a great tune up for the Winter X Games
in Aspen, CO next weekend. If these results are any precursor
to the X Games we can expect a great showing from Team AMSOIL
in The Rockies.
Side Note:
AMSOIL driver Ross Martin had a superb weekend at Eagle River.
He continues to show great growth as a racer as he won the
Semi-Pro Open and Semi-Pro Stock events. Two more notches
for a top Team AMSOIL racer. Bobby LePage experienced a good
weekend, too. He placed second in the Semi-Pro Stock and third
in Semi-Pro Open. LePage started slow in this his rookie year
in Semi-Pro, but he's beginning to come around.
ESPN
X Games Update
January
23-27 ~ Team AMSOIL is in Aspen, CO preparing for ESPN X Games
VIII. DJ Eckstrom and Justin Tate will compete in the snocross
and hillcross. Last year Eckstrom electrified the crowd with
a remarkable race which he led most of way. On the final lap
a bobble cost him the lead, but the Team AMSOIL rider did
capture the Silver. It was his second X Games medal. He took
home a Bronze in 2001. Eckstrom continued his fantastic run
last year at X with a fourth in hillcross. He was in the chase
all the way up the mountain, but sudden loss of power at the
wire dropped him from medal contention. Both riders vow to
be on the starting line for both finals.
Team Owner
Steve Scheuring says temperatures in Aspen are in the low
double-digits, but that the weather forecast is good. The
last two competitions have seen near blizzard conditions on
Buttermilk Mountain. Practice begins for the team on Friday,
January 23. It will be the first time riders will get to see
the snocross track. Historically the course has had a demanding
up mountain section with a "Big Air" jump on the
downward side. The track will claim riders if they're not
careful, but caution will buy roost in the face.
Nearly
all the competition will be under the lights. ESPN moved the
action to accommodate live, primetime broadcasts and updates
on ESPN SportCenter. The plan is to draw more viewers and
fans to "action sports." Team AMSOIL will spend
the days leading up to snocross qualifying on Saturday testing
in the high altitude. In the mountains races can be won or
lost by the amount of time working on the sleds, not riding
them.
Go to
www.amsoil.com for more on Team AMSOIL, Winter X and the X
Games broadcast schedule. Also check out www.expn.com for
more detailed analysis on the athletes, events and television
schedules.
AMSOIL
Racing Notes
- Bruce
Prochnavy competed at round 3 of AMA THQ Supercross in Anaheim,
also called Anaheim 2. It was his first SX ever. He reports
some spills, but no major injuries. Prochnavy says he was
right there with the rest of the competitors on all parts
of the track except the whoops section. He went from top
five to picking himself and his bike off the ground. Generally
he rode very well and actually finished fourth in a last
chance qualifier. Overall Prochnavy says he was happy with
his riding and knows where he needs to improve. He says
he will be back.
- There's
a Jr. Dragster out of Canada getting a little attention.
Keely Benner is the driver. Her car recently showed up on
the DragRaceCanada.com website. She was proud of it and
wanted to let The Checkered Flag Report in on it. We're
proud of her and wanted to share it with you. Go to www.dragracecanada.com/media/pressreleases/127.asp.
- The
indoor Tuff Truck season is underway. AMSOIL product using
NEMESIS with Erick Foor behind the wheel competed recently
in the "Super Bowl of Motorsports" in Atlanta,
GA. With a new power plant under the hood, Foor gave the
67,000 fans quite a show. He says with some tuning changes
to the fuel system because of the bigger engine he'll be
ready to challenge for a win at the next round.
- Lookback
Racing is one of the premiere snocross teams competing in
Rock Maple Racing. The team was in Malone, NY recently for
a RMR event. The track was huge which provided for some
high-flying action. Colleen Clar won the Women's 440. It
was a bit bizarre. The event was red flagged just as she
crossed the finish line in victory. So, instead of a win
she needed to wait for the race to be restarted. Two extra
laps were required, but she still rode away with first place.
Clar also won the Pro Women's final. She was feeling pretty
good about her day and tried a little "trick"
at the end. She did a "Lookback" which was "not
as fancy as what the big guys do," but we bet it was
spectacular none the less. A scary moment for the team when
Jerry Butler lost power over a tabletop which sent him flying
over the hood with the sled tumbling behind. A sprained
shoulder took him out of the rest of the weekend's action.
Wade Clar made it to the Pro Vet final. He pulled a holeshot
and lead much of the race. A recent bout with the flu had
weakened his stamina and slowly he drifted back to fourth.
A gallant effort. Check out the team website at http://hometown.aol.com/wc14564/lookbackhome.html.
- Perry
Prichard is getting ready for the Supermoto season. Last
year he finished third in the Unlimited Class and fifth
in the 450 Class. Prichard reached the podium three times.
Because of his strong year, he was selected by Ultimate
Edge Racing to be one of its riders in the AMA Red Bull
Supermoto series in 2004. There's a press release explaining
the big move at www.ultimateedgeracing.com. Congratulations
to Perry.
- PJ
Osmer is a young California motocross rider we like
to follow in The AMSOIL Checkered Flag. He recently sent
some results that were simply astounding. In 42 race finals
between April and November 2003 he earned 20 first places,
eight seconds and three thirds. He had streaks of eight
and five where he earned victories. Overall, he had 39 top
five finishes. Outstanding!
In
Staging
What more
can be said about the ESPN Winter X Games. It's the Super
Bowl of extreme sports. Team AMSOIL is confident and ready
to go January 23-27 in Aspen. The AMSOIL supercross team moves
down to Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego for round four January
24. LaRocco and Windham didn't race there last season because
of injury, but in 2001 The Rock did finish third.
On
TV
Remember,
all AMA supercross races are run on Saturday and broadcast
the very next day, Sunday, on ESPN2 at Noon EST. The events
are then rebroadcast. Check your local listings for those
times. The WSA Polaris Canterbury Snocross from Shakopee,
MN will air on the Outdoor Life Network Saturday, January
24 at 5:00PM EST, 4:00 CST. That race will air again on January
25 and 27. Mark your calendars and set your VCRs.
The biggest
show will be the Winter X Games from Aspen. Go to www.amsoil.com/snocross/2004/winterx/tv_schedule.aspx
for broadcast times. For complete X Games info got to www.expn.com.
