Teague Wins Triple Crown
AMSOIL powerboat driver picks up another title

Two weeks after competing in New York, Team AMSOIL clinched the OPA Triple Crown Series championship after a dominant win in the rough Atlantic Ocean waters off the beaches of Point Pleasant, N.J.

Team AMSOIL won the first leg of the three race series in Ocean City, Md. and was the runner-up at the second round in Patchogue, N.Y. The New York race was originally awarded to Team AMSOIL, but after review it was determined that the Motley Crew boat actually won the race, bringing a tie to the final round in Point Pleasant, N.J.
Team AMSOIL drivers Bob Teague and Paul Whittier arrived in New Jersey knowing that they had to win to secure the title. Tropical Storm Hanna ripped through Point Pleasant on the Saturday prior to the race, preventing Team AMSOIL from testing. Knowing that the seas would still be rough and confused on Sunday, the AMSOIL crew changed gear ratios and prepared the boat for battle in the rough seas.

When the green flag dropped, Team AMSOIL and Motley Crew were running very close to each other and getting some spectacular air off the five to eight foot seas. After a lap and a half, Teague found the ideal settings for the Team AMSOIL skater and began pulling away from the Motley Crew boat. Both boats were running as hard as possible in the conditions, knowing that the championship was on the line. Doing everything possible to catch Team AMSOIL, Motley Crew got seriously out of shape and landed on its side, damaging one of its transom assemblies. As the race went on, the Motley Crew boat also developed a water leak in its cooling system as a result of the constant pounding from the rough water. Team AMSOIL continued to stretch the lead and eventually lapped the wounded Motley Crew boat.

To make matters more interesting, what was originally advertised as a five mile course was really seven miles long. Fortunately, Team AMSOIL added an extra 10 gallons of fuel prior to the race for good measure. Teague and Whittier knew they could go 110 miles, but may not make the minimum required boat weight at the end of the race. When Team AMSOIL returned to the crane to be weighed after the race, the boat weighed in at 8,380 pounds, only 30 pounds more than the required minimum of 8,350 pounds.

"The AMSOIL Offshore Race Team continues to have great results with the new AMSOIL 15W-50 Dominator Synthetic Racing Oil and the array of AMSOIL lubricants used in every component and system in the race boat," said Teague.

Teague Wins National Championship
Back-to-back for Team AMSOIL

The AMSOIL offshore power boat team of Bob Teague and Paul Whittier can also be considered back-to-back champions.

Teague and Whittier took part in the Offshore Super Series final event at the Horny Toad in Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. On the line for Team AMSOIL was their second straight OSS championship in the Cat Lites class.

Team AMSOIL came out on fire in its class race on Sunday. For a brief time, the duo was even running with the more powerful 850's, which race at the same time as the Cat Lites. After gaining the lead on the field a few laps in, Team AMSOIL walked away with the win and the 2008 OSS National Championship.

The OSS will start the 2009 season in Biloxi, Miss. next March. Teague and Whittier will be competing for a second straight World Championship title in Key West on November 2.

CORR Cancels Primm Event
Contest entries accepted until October 19

Championship Off Road Racing (CORR) officials recently decided to cancel the Primm, Nev. race scheduled for October 25-26. Instead, the AMSOIL Dominator Desert Challenge series finale scheduled for December 6-7 in Chula Vista, Calif. will be expanded to a three-day event (December 5-7).

Live NBC and SPEED television coverage will air as scheduled on December 6-7. The October 25-26 NBC and SPEED shows will also air in their scheduled time slots, featuring highlights and previews from the season.

Due to the cancellation of the Primm event, there are no more opportunities to host a CORR party. Contest entries will be accepted until October 19.

CORR Press Release Regarding Cancellation of the Primm Race:

CHAMPIONSHIP OFF ROAD RACING CANCELS PRIMM, NEVADA RACE AND EXPANDS SERIES FINALE AT CHULA VISTA TO THREE DAYS

NEWPORT BEACH, CA – October 3, 2008 – Championship Off Road Racing CEO Jim Baldwin made the following statement regarding the organization’s decision to cancel its Primm, Nevada race weekend (October 25, 26).

“Championship Off Road Racing has made the difficult decision to cancel the Primm, Nevada race on October 25th and 26th. The current credit crisis has made it very difficult to cover CORR’s costs.”

“CORR is focusing its resources on expanding the ‘Series Finale’ event in Chula Vista, California from two- to three-competition days. This decision enables CORR to maintain the onsite and broadcast production quality our fans expect including two live days of television coverage. It also allows us to protect the integrity of the chase for the Series point championships.”

“The 2008 CORR season has been one of the most exciting ever. The Series has enjoyed a 170 percent increase in track attendance over 2006 and triple digit growth in television ratings. While this decision was difficult given our momentum, it is one that is in the best interest of the sport. We are excited about expanding the Chula Vista event and releasing our 2009 Series schedule within the next two weeks.”

Background on CORR
Championship Off Road Racing™ brings high-action, four-wheel motorsports, including two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive trucks to closed-course, off-road arenas. It traces its roots to the Short Course Off Road Drivers Association (SODA), which was born in the early 1970’s and featured races in the Midwest, primarily in Wisconsin and Michigan.

Flying Dutchman Pro Driver of the Year
Honors pile up for WSORR champion

Dan Vanden Heuvel took on the big guns in 2008 and won the World Series of Off-Road Racing PRO-2WD division. The 30-year off-road racing veteran celebrated the championship title with family and friends at the season-ending WSORR Awards Banquet held in Milwaukee, Wis. at the Potawatomi Bingo Casino.

Even without the help of a title sponsor, Vanden Heuvel was able to fund the team with his own checkbook and the generous payback from WSORR as he kept his AMSOIL/Auto Trans Design/Maxxis Tire Chevy Silverado running in the lead pack every weekend.  Vanden Heuvel landed on the podium nine times during the 12-round PRO-2WD season. The #77 truck took home wins in Bark River and twice in Oshkosh, along with one runner-up spot and five third place finishes.

“It wasn’t until a month before the season started that I decided to go racing,” said Vanden Heuvel. “Even without a title sponsor, we decided to go it alone. Creighton at Maxxis had 28 tires for me to race on, AMSOIL supplied oil and lubricants for the team and Charlie at ATD gave us product and technical support. My crew was my wife, my two sons Junior and Mikey and a few friends. That’s what we started with in Wheatland. Thanks to the great WSORR payback and the Jim Conner contingency program, we were able to keep our truck running all season long.”

When the award for Pro Driver of the Year was presented, Vanden Heuvel and Super Buggy driver John Mason were announced as the two veteran drivers tied for the honor. Both racers had incredible years, both were surprised they had won the award and both were well-deserving of the title.

Next month, the Flying Dutchman Off-Road Race Team heads to Las Vegas, where the PRO-2WD championship-winning race truck will be on display at the Maxxis Tire booth during the SEMA show. The truck will be viewed by over 125,000 automotive performance industry members.

In early December, at the CORR finale in Chula Vista, Calif., Vanden Heuvel plans to unveil his brand new race truck at “The Quarry.”

AMSOIL Partners with Totally Off Road Radio
AMSOIL is the Exclusive Official Oil of off road racing’s top radio broadcast

AMSOIL INC., The First in Synthetics, has agreed to terms with Totally Off Road Radio to become the show’s Exclusive Official Oil partner.

The Totally Off Road Radio Show can be heard live every Wednesday from 6-8 p.m. Pacific Time on San Diego’s AM 1000 and on www.torrshow.com, where listeners from around the world can catch the live action with industry insiders, racers and other special guests each and every week with the latest news and information in the world of off-road.

Totally Off Road Radio broadcasts live play-by-play race commentary from all of the CORR races, along with numerous other race broadcasts, live shows and special events.

“Totally Off Road Radio is the voice of off-road racing,” said AMSOIL Race Program Manager Jeremy Meyer. “They have helped push the off-road market to new heights by granting fans access to the top drivers and series through both the website and their affiliation with San Diego’s AM 1000.”

AMSOIL has increased its presence in the off-road racing market over the past few years.  The company is the title sponsor of the AMSOIL Super Team of Scott Douglas, Mike Oberg and Chad Hord. AMSOIL is also the Exclusive Official Oil of Championship Off Road Racing (CORR) and sponsors a number of other top racers, including Ricky Johnson, Steve Barlow and Jeremy McGrath.

CORR will resume racing at the AMSOIL Dominator Desert Challenge in Chula Vista, Calif. on December 5-7. Saturday's racing action will air live on the SPEED Channel and Sunday's event will air live on NBC.

CORR will also be sporting an AMSOIL-sponsored car at this weekend’s Third Annual Powder Puff Race for the Cure.  In conjunction with the Mojave Off-Road Enthusiasts (MORE), the event will take place in Barstow, Calif.  All proceeds and donations acquired from this event will benefit Cedar Sinai Women’s Breast Cancer Research Center.

Smith Finds Success in Iowa
Team AMSOIL driver finishes third in the Governor’s Cup

Governor’s Cup
Three trips to the Hawkeye state over the past few weeks for Team AMSOIL late model driver Brady Smith meant some late season success.

Smith headed to Davenport on October 3-4 for the Governor’s Cup at the Davenport Speedway. The World Dirt Racing League (WDRL) Series sanctioned the $10,000 to win, two-day show as Smith timed in ninth quickest in qualifying on Friday night and later won his heat race.

Following a second place effort in the dash, Smith started his AMSOIL/Big Red Motorsports car from the outside of the front row in the 60-lap main event on Saturday. The Solon Springs, Wis. native ran amongst the leaders throughout the race and wound up a strong third behind winner Jimmy Mars and runner-up Darren Miller.

Knoxville Nationals
After winning the 2007 Knoxville Late Model Nationals, Smith was hoping for a repeat win September 25-27 in Knoxville, Iowa. The triple header started on Thursday and Friday night with a pair of $7,000 to win preliminary events. Smith ran 11th on Thursday, but won his heat race and finished 10th on Friday.

Smith started on the outside of row six for the $40,000 to win, 100-lap Knoxville Nationals on Saturday night. In front of the SPEED Channel cameras and a huge crowd, Smith looked to repeat his 2007 win. Unfortunately, he could not find his way back into victory lane and instead settled for a 17th place effort.

Yankee Dirt Track Classic
Smith invaded the Farley Speedway in Farley, Iowa last weekend for the annual Yankee Dirt Track Classic.

The two-day event paid $10,000 to win, and Smith started the weekend by posting the fastest lap during Friday night qualifying. After finishing fifth in his heat race, Smith rolled off from the outside of the fifth row for the 100-lap main event on Saturday.

Despite the track locking down halfway through the race, Smith was still able to pass nine cars en route to a seventh place effort.

Smith has just a few events left on his 2008 schedule, including his next race October 17-18 at the K-C Raceway in Chillicothe, Ohio for the Dirt Track World Championships and a $50,000 payday.