Douglas Doubles Up on NBC
Super Team driver takes second win, point’s lead in Pomona

Scott Douglas told the live NBC audience following his first win of the season in Chula Vista, Calif. (July 27) that once the wins started, they were going to come in bunches. The AMSOIL/Kumho Tire Pro 4 driver may now be seen as a prophet after his second win of the season in Pomona, Calif. on August 17.

Douglas entered Saturday's race just one point behind Carl Renezeder in the Pro 4 standings. After Renezeder was black flagged, Douglas took advantage and battled for second with Johnny Greaves. Unfortunately for Douglas, CORR officials thought he wasn't playing nice and gave him a black flag after Greaves crossed in front of the AMSOIL Pro 4, causing both trucks to lose ground. Douglas was able to finish seventh, and he entered Sunday's race tied for the points lead.

On Sunday, the black flag was once again flying strong in the Pro 4 race. This time, however, Douglas kept his nose clean and took advantage of the over aggressive driving by his competitors. Douglas sat just behind the race leaders, who were slamming into one another, and waited for the right opportunity to take the lead.  Renezeder and Curt LeDuc banged into each other on lap 16, giving Douglas a narrow opening to take the lead. LeDuc was black flagged and Renezeder dropped to third after AMSOIL/Red Bull driver Steve Barlow made the move into second. Douglas picked up his second win of the season and leads the championship chase by nine points.

“I kept thinking about putting my nose into the mix between Carl and Curt,” said Douglas after the race.  “But something clicked inside my head to just let them battle it out and take advantage when I get the opportunity.  The next thing you know, I had an opening and I was gone.”

In the Pro Lite class, AMSOIL Super Team member Chad Hord also picked up his second win of the year on Saturday, dominating the class on the tight Pomona track. The 2006 Pro Lite champion finished fifth on Sunday and moved into sixth in the points race.

“We had the extra caution because of an accident,” said Hord, “and I saw them watering the track again.  I knew right then that it was my time and that I wasn’t going to lose that race.”

AMSOIL is the Exclusive Official Oil of Championship Off Road Racing. The series turns back to Chula Vista, Calif. for rounds 11 and 12 on Saturday, September 13 and Sunday, September 14. The Saturday race will air live on SPEED. Round 10 from Pomona, featuring Scott Douglas' win, will air Sunday, September 14 on NBC.

Rinker Regains Lead in Michigan
Rough waters can’t slow former champ

Despite extremely difficult conditions on the St. Clair River on August 9-10, AMSOIL ChampBoat driver Terry Rinker was able to secure his fourth straight podium finish and took hold of the overall points lead for the first time in 2008.

The three-time champion joined the ChampBoat Series in Algonac, Mich. for the fifth round of racing. Held on the longest course of the season (1.5 miles) and settled just north of downtown Detroit, the race became a survival test for most drivers due to winds that reached 28 knots and served up two foot swells. It became so rough that officials dropped the race from 50 laps to 35 before deciding to drop down to 30 during the race.

Rinker made the most of the dangerous conditions, running a conservative race and finishing the 30-lap feature in second behind winner Tim Seebold. His second place finish follows up his win last week in St. Louis and vaults him into the overall points lead with 2693 points, 49 points ahead of former leader Shaun Torrente. The Miami, Fla. driver barrel rolled his boat on lap 16, stopping the race and taking him out of the points lead.

"It's been a long time since we've raced in conditions that crazy," said Rinker. "The AMSOIL crew had a good set up today, but the weather was the biggest obstacle. We are excited about regaining the points lead and look forward to a great battle for the championship between Seebold and Torrente."

Robert Dinicolantonio did a nice job filling in for regular driver Randy Rinker in the #41 AMSOIL/Rinker Racing boat, finishing ninth.

The next round of the 2008 F1-ChampBoat Series will take place on the weekend of September 27-28 as the series heads west to Tempe, Ariz. for the “Tempe Grand Prix.”

The Flying Dutchman Zeroes in on WSORR Championship
AMSOIL off-road racer holds lead heading into final showdown

Dan Vanden Heuvel Sr. brought his AMSOIL-sponsored Chevy Silverado to Bark River, Mich. August 8-9 with thoughts of winning the PRO-2WD championship.  Already having won three times this season, Vanden Heuvel had a 36-point lead over second place driver Evan Evans in the championship race. The team’s goal for the weekend would be to stay out of trouble and finish both races on the lead lap.

Saturday’s start saw Kevin Probst grab the holeshot and the win, while Vanden Heuvel grabbed the second spot by the end of lap one. While Probst needed the win to stay in the championship fight, the #77 AMSOIL truck just needed to have a solid, trouble-free race. And that’s exactly what happened. After 10 laps, Vanden Heuvel finished in a solid third place.

“I wanted to race for the win, but we weren’t going to beat Kevin today,” commented Vanden Heuvel. “His truck was really hooked up. After Evan passed me, I tried to make a move to get back around him, but I backed off. It could have become a bad situation, where either of us could have wrecked, and I didn’t need that. Kevin and Evan finished just in front of me, but that’s okay. I wanted to go for the win, but winning the championship is more important.”

On Sunday, Vanden Heuvel continued his title trek with a clean start as he watched Probst and Ross Hoek battle it out for the first few laps. Rhonda Konitzer was also able to get out in front of Vanden Heuvel, but he knew Konitzer had run a limited schedule and didn’t figure into the championship battle. By the start of the third lap, Vanden Heuvel had his #77 AMSOIL Chevy running in third, his finishing position.

The Flying Dutchman has finished on the podium in every round of racing during the 2008 WSORR season. With just two rounds remaining in the quest for the 2008 WSORR PRO-2WD Championship, Vanden Heuvel has a 32 point lead over Probst.

The final weekend of racing for the Flying Dutchman Off-Road Team in the 2008 World Series of Off-Road Racing is the BorgWarner Off-Road World Championship August 29-31 in Crandon, Wis.  AMSOIL Super Team members Scott Douglas, Mike Oberg and Chad Hord will also travel from the West Coast to take part in the Crandon weekend of racing.

Smith Speeds Through Schedule
Team AMSOIL late model driver finishes sixth and third on recent swing

Brady Smith is settling in as a consistently fast driver as he heads into the fall racing season, recently taking home two top 10 finishes on his tour through Tennessee and Arkansas.

The AMSOIL late model driver invaded the Batesville Speedway in Locust Grove, Ark. August 15-16 for the annual “Topless 100,” which was taped by the cameras of SPEED Channel for the first time. 

The event was shortened to a one-day, $25,000 to win show on Saturday after storms pounded the area on Friday.  When the action heated up, Smith laid down the second-fastest lap during time trials and later won his heat race.  During the “100,” Smith pushed his AMSOIL/Bloomquist car briefly into the lead before settling for a third place finish.

Next, Smith entered the “Scorcher 100” at the Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn. on August 20-21.  On the first night of racing, Smith ran second in his heat before driving his #2 AMSOIL car to a sixth place finish in the main.  On Thursday, Smith won his heat race and took home the runner-up spot in the World of Outlaws-sanctioned event.

Smith will have one final tune-up before he takes part in the World 100 at the Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio on September 5-6.  This Friday night, Smith will attend the WDRL event at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn.

Race Tightens Up for Teague
Wins becoming commonplace for offshore team

Team AMSOIL traveled to Orange Beach, Ala. on August 16-17 to compete in the “Thunder on the Gulf” race sanctioned by the Offshore Super Series (OSS). This race came just two weeks after the OSS race in Kenner, La., where Team AMSOIL was leading the race before snagging a crab trap that resulted in the team having to pull off a lap early.

In Orange Beach, tens of thousands of spectators lined the beaches and filled the high-rise condominiums to view the testing on Saturday and races on Sunday. The rough sea conditions in the gulf made for some spectacular racing.

During the first Cat Lite heat, Team AMSOIL was making a charge on the first place boat when an engine sensor went into “guardian” mode, causing the boat to slow. Team AMSOIL finished the heat in second place behind Peppers.

Team AMSOIL returned to the pits to make repairs and adjustments and then headed out for the second heat. Team AMSOIL was assigned to lane two for the start, between Peppers and Popeye's. After the green flag dropped at the start, all three boats ran side-by-side towards the first turn. Popeye's pinched the Team AMSOIL boat from the outside, and Peppers hopped out into their path. A minor collision transpired with the Team AMSOIL boat being hit on both sides. Bob Teague and Paul Whittier took evasive actions, which cost them precious seconds on the race course. Although Team AMSOIL was able to run some faster laps than the first place boat, there was not enough time to catch them while also battling boat traffic on the race course. Team AMSOIL finished the weekend second overall to continue their 2008 podium success.

Teague is scheduled to participate in the OSS race in Lake Cumberland, Ky. on Labor Day Weekend.

Millville Marks Rookie Debut for Blake Wharton
Rookie pulls holeshot in second pro motocross race

Every year at the Millville round of the AMA National Motocross Championship, the newest and brightest stars make their debuts, up from the amateur ranks at the previous week’s Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National Championship presented by AMSOIL and into the pro class.

Last year, that rider for the Geico/AMSOIL team was Trey Canard. Canard finished fourth in the second moto at Millville in 2007 before going on to win the Lites East Supercross Championship.

This year, the team’s understudy making his pro debut was 17-year-old Blake Wharton of Pilot Point, Texas.  Coming into Millville, Wharton expected to be in the top 10, but hoped to be in the top five. Although he fell twice in the first moto, he still managed to finish 10th.

“The first moto showed me a lot,” Wharton said. “My times were pretty good, and I was coming from the back. I went down twice, but still managed a top 10. That showed me that the next moto, if I just got a good start and put myself in a good position, that good things could happen, and that’s what happened.”

In the second moto, Wharton fought his way through from a decent start near the front of the pack to run second in the early going behind Ryan Dungey. Wharton eventually finished fourth in the moto and fifth overall.

“I was just riding my own race out there,” Wharton said. “I just got a start in the top five and then I just rode my own race. I wasn’t trying to beat any one person or block anyone or try to pass anyone back or taking any chances. Ryan Villopoto was going his speed, which is faster than everyone, so it really made no sense for me to do anything dumb and try and block him. What I did was finish up the race in fourth, and that was one of my goals.”

Jake Weimer had a decent start in the first moto, but fell right away, putting him well behind the leaders. The second moto result was better, but Weimer wasn’t as happy with his ride the second time out. He finished fourth overall with a 7-5.

“I should’ve gotten a good start, but basically I let off when I shouldn’t have in the first turn, and I ended up with a not-very-good start,” Weimer said.

After sitting out the last few rounds with an injured shoulder, Aussie Dan Reardon made his return at Millville. In the first moto, he ran around the tail end of the top 10 for most of the race, eventually finishing 11th. In the second moto, however, Reardon dropped out after an early fall tweaked his injured shoulder.

And finally, the top single moto of the day for the AMSOIL team went to Josh Grant, who grabbed third place in the opening moto. During the second moto, however, he started inside the top five, moved up to fourth and then dropped out of the race after lap six due to illness.

Grant is now tied with Canard in the championship chase and is less than 20 points out of sixth place despite missing the first five rounds. Canard is out for the remainder of the season with a broken leg.

The Geico Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda team now heads to Delmont, Pa. this weekend for the final round of the AMA National Motocross Championship. AMSOIL is the Official Oil of the AMA Outdoor Nationals.

Trey Canard Injury Update
Interview with Transworld MX

Courtesy of Transworld Motorcross

Read the interview below to get filled in on how Trey has been doing since breaking his femur.
While there were a few riders that returned to action this weekend, there were still a few others that were either put on the sidelines or already there. One such rider that we ran into was Team Geico Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda’s Trey Canard. After having an up and down national season, Trey broke his femur at Washougal a few weeks ago and is on the mend. He was on hand to check out the races and show some support for his team. We caught up with him on Saturday…

Just take us through what happened to you…
It happened at Washougal on the last lap. I came around and a lapper didn’t notice that he was getting lapped. I came around, and I think he finally realized that I was there and tried to get out of the way. I just hit his back tire and that was the end of it. It was a stupid little crash, but unfortunately sometimes that’s how it goes.

It’s your rookie year, so is it disappointing to have this happen to you already?
It could be a lot more disappointing. I could be in the points chase or at least in a decent position. I mean it is a bummer to break my femur, but it could have gone in a lot of other hard ways, and it could be a lot worse. I know that I always come back stronger from my injuries, and it’s definitely going to make me a better person in a lot of ways since I have to wait and not ride. You don’t realize how much you love something until you can’t do it, so I’m hoping it makes me a better rider when I return. That’s all I can really hope for.

Was it a pretty scary injury?
It was really scary. When I got up and tried to move, I felt it wiggle around and I kind of went into shock. Surgery and being in the hospital for so long just isn’t fun, but I know that’s part of it and that’s really been my first overnight stay in the hospital; I’ve been pretty fortunate. It definitely will make me think of myself as being very fortunate, not take anything for granted, and just work that much harder.

Did you have a roommate in the hospital?
No, my mom just stayed with me and I had some cool nurses in Portland. That’s about it, just hanging out with the Morphine drip.

How long until you’re back to 100 percent and will they take the rod out?
They said that if it’s not bothering me, then I should keep it in. But if it starts to bother me, then I’ll get it taken out. It’s going to be a pretty long road, but the brace did save my knee, which if that had been injured, it could have been six to eight months. I’m not going to worry about it too much and just take the three months that they said I’ll have and try to make myself better. I’ll just stay in the gym as much as I can and just do a lot of rehab.