Superior, Wis. ~ AMSOIL and the WISSOTA Promoters Association have reached a landmark agreement to make the synthetic oil company the title sponsor of all WISSOTA auto racing beginning in 2007.  All sanctioned events at WISSOTA's more than 50 American and Canadian member tracks will now be a part of the newly named AMSOIL Dirt Track Series.

The AMSOIL Dirt Track Series will include competition among high powered, pulse-pounding race cars in a variety of divisions, including Street Stocks, Mod Fours, Midwest Modifieds, Super Stocks, Modifieds and Late Models.

"AMSOIL has long been associated with quality products and quality race teams," said Jeremy Meyer, AMSOIL Racing Coordinator.  "We have a long history of working with drivers and WISSOTA and this new relationship helps solidify our status as the First in Synthetics.  WISSOTA continues to work for the betterment of the sport, and AMSOIL is excited to be part of that commitment."

WISSOTA president Terry Voeltz echoed that sentiment from the racing organization's perspective. "All of us at WISSOTA are very excited about this great opportunity. Obtaining a title sponsor for our organization is a fantastic way to begin the New Year, and to do so with a prominent company such as AMSOIL makes it even better. A partnership between AMSOIL and WISSOTA is a natural fit for both of us.”

AMSOIL sees this as a fantastic opportunity to market its product line not only to the nearly 3,000 competitors who race at WISSOTA member tracks but even more importantly to the more than 1.5 million spectators who will attend exciting weekly racing and special events across the expansive WISSOTA auto racing region. In 2006, there were WISSOTA member tracks in seven states and two Canadian provinces, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Manitoba and Ontario.

For more information on WISSOTA and its member tracks, go to www.wissota.org.
 

Aspen, Colo. ~ Dennis “DJ” Eckstrom and AMSOIL teammate Shaun Crapo will be looking for podium finishes at Friday night’s Winter X Games in Aspen, Colo.  The ESPN extreme games will feature the sports’ top riders and will air live on ESPN and ABC this weekend.

Crapo, who finished second the WPSA Pro Open race in Brainerd two weeks ago, will be looking for his first Winter X Games medal.  Crapo finished second at the Winter X qualifier at the AMSOIL Duluth Nationals in November.  Crapo finished 12th at last year’s games.  The young rider is currently sixth overall in the WPSA points race.

Eckstrom will head to Aspen with hopes to carry on his winning ways. He has a bronze and a silver medal from previous X Games performances.  Although Eckstrom has had some tough luck so far this season he is a model of consistency on a race sled and has finished in the top five in the Pro classes each of the past six years.  Eckstrom currently sits out of the top 20 after three rounds of racing.

“With ESPN beaming the race worldwide, you always want to do well,” said Eckstrom.  “The track is one of the best we’ll see and winning in Aspen is a great accomplishment for your team, sponsors and family.”

The Winter X Games airs live starting Friday, January 26.  The Snocross races will be aired live on Friday and Saturday nights.  For a complete schedule of race and television times click here.

“Wanderscheid, AMSOIL Take Center Stage”
Title sponsorship of World Championship marks AMSOIL as leader in snowmobile racing

Eagle River, Wis. ~ When AMSOIL reached an agreement with the Eagle River Derby Track to become the title sponsor of the venue and the World Championship Snowmobile Derby, race fans expected the world’s premier ice oval racing event to be better than ever. They weren’t disappointed.

With Team AMSOIL oval ice racer P.J. Wanderscheid vying for his fourth World Championship, AMSOIL decked the Derby Track in red, white and blue AMSOIL logos, and the   Wanderscheid crew worked tirelessly to give themselves a winning edge in Sunday’s final.  Wanderscheid started the week off by finishing 8th in qualifying for the Pro Open 600 class.  Despite running a 440 engine, PJ found himself in the front of the pack during Thursday’s final but couldn’t hold on against the 600 sleds and settled for a well-earned third.

Friday brought the Friday Night Thunder and the AMSOIL Derby Track’s spectacular fireworks show.  A full night of finals meant Wanderscheid would be on the track twice.  In the Formula 1 final, the Sauk Centre, Minn. native finished fourth.  In the final race of the night, Wanderscheid powered his Arctic Cat around the ½-mile oval for another fourth place finish in the Race of Champions, which pitted the top riders from the four major race series.

Saturday meant qualifying for Sunday’s AMSOIL World Championship race.  Wanderscheid finished third in the first round and had to run a second round qualifier, in which he won.  In the semi-finals, Wanderscheid finished second and advanced directly into Sunday’s final.

With no races until the main event, the Wanderscheid crew took the sled and tested on a nearby lake, still trying to tweak the brand new chassis. When the green flag dropped, Wanderscheid came out of the first turns battling in second place.  He would run in the top three for a third of the 25-lap final.  The handling issues wore on the young rider during the longest race of the year, and when the checkered flag dropped, Wanderscheid was unable to grab his fourth title as he finished in sixth.

Other AMSOIL racers that fared well at the Derby included snocross racers Mike Bauer, Kristen Leirmoe and Team AAEN.  Part of the intermission entertainment included a Dealer co-op team called Vertical Mischief. VM is an internationally know stunt bike team that put in more than 1,300 metal studs in their tires.  AMSOIL will be the title sponsor of the Eagle River Derby Track for two more years.

“Windham, Preston Leading AMSOIL Charge”
Supercross riders finding way as new season gets underway

Anaheim, Calif. ~ Team AMSOIL supercross riders Kevin Windham and Travis Preston have been battling each other for position in each of the first three rounds of racing in 2007.

Two weeks ago, it was Preston who outwitted the veteran Windham at the second round of AMA racing in Phoenix Arizona.  Preston, who returned to the AMSOIL/Factory Connection team this year in a supercross only deal, finished fourth after dueling with Kdub early in the race.  Windham, who is working at getting back into riding shape, finished eighth.

This past weekend, Windham was looking for his riding partner to continue the friendly feud.  Unfortunately, Windham was flying solo in Anaheim as Preston failed to make the main.  Windham would ride to a strong sixth, his best finish of the year.  Heading into this weekend’s race in San Franciso, Kdub has jumped ahead of Preston in the points race.  Windham currently sits in sixth while Preston is just two spots behind in eighth.

In the Lites class, it was Josh Grant who returned to the lead laps after crashing out during the first two rounds.  In Anaheim, Grant got a great start and battled up front, finally finishing fourth, his best finish of the season.  Jake Weimer followed his substandard ride in Phoenix with a strong run of sixth.  He currently sits in seventh overall.  Grant has not cracked the top 10.

“Arenacross Stars Take Plenty of Podiums”
Two teams bringing home wins and pushing for points championships

In the AMA Arenacross Series, defending champion Chad Johnson moved closer to defending his crown in Dayton, Ohio. Johnson rode to a fourth on Friday night and a second on Saturday. Johnson now sits in second overall. New teammate Jimmy Albertson finished tenth on Friday night. The AMA AX will be in Denver, Colo. This weekend.

In the BooKoo AX series, Babbits Racing’ Darcy Lange continued his dominance atop the AMSOIL sponsored Kawasaki in Ft. Wayne, Ind. Lange won both Friday and Saturday nights’ 450 class and Saturday night’s 250 class. On Friday night, he took second in the 250 class. Lange leads both series and has won six out of the past eight races. The Babbitts Racing team will follow the BooKoo series to Guthrie, Okla. this weekend.