Five Podiums Await AMSOIL in Crandon
Hord and Douglas win, Oberg second

Labor Day weekend brought a little extra work for the AMSOIL Super Team members as they decided to get a few extra laps in while the Championship Off Road Racing (CORR) series took some time off for the holiday.  Scott Douglas, Mike Oberg and Chad Hord proved to be a powerful trio as they headed to the World Series of Off Road Racing’s BorgWarner Shootout in Crandon, Wis.

Driving his BOSS Snowplow/AMSOIL/Kumho Pro Light truck, Hord started the weekend off with a stellar run in the “Decision at Sundown” on Friday night.  Hord put together a tough battle with nemesis Jeff Kincaid in the non-points shootout and fought through traffic to finish second.  On Saturday, Hord redeemed his near miss by overcoming a back row starting spot to take the win and another World Championship ring.  Sunday’s race brought a third podium to the AMSOIL pits as Hord again tangled with the back markers before finishing second.

Pro 4x4 brought out the high horsepower of Douglas and his AMSOIL/Kumho Ford F-150.  On Saturday, Douglas held the second spot for much of the race but was forced to the pits after a tussle with another driver cracked the fiberglass hood, blocking the truck’s cooling system and his line of sight.  The El Cajon, Calif. native and fan favorite delivered his signature smooth style in Sunday’s class race by taking home the win and his third straight win on a Sunday.  All that was left was a shot at his third BorgWarner Cup, but an accident directly in front of him by Johnny Greaves ended his chance at history as Douglas got tied up with the carnage and was forced out of the race.

“It was a good weekend for us,” said Douglas after Sunday’s Cup race.  “We weren’t here to fight for a championship, but we came out with a win and a lot of new information that will help us be even faster in the final CORR races of the year.”

In Pro 2wd, Oberg showed off his top end speed with three strong races. On Saturday, he started in the back row and found himself in 10th coming into the first turn. On the third lap, however, Oberg started dialing in the truck and began picking off the field. Within four laps, the Eagle River, Wis. driver had one of the fastest trucks on the track and was looking at a podium finish. A large rock would play the spoiler after it kicked up and damaged the transmission, forcing Oberg to pull off.

On Sunday, Oberg would get redemption. Again starting in the back row due to not racing full time in the WSORR, Oberg received perfect bite off the starting line and came through the first turn in fourth. From there, he moved his AMSOIL Chevrolet into second with three laps to go and stayed there for the rest of the race.  In the Cup race, Oberg ran fourth for most of the race, but another rock pierced the transmission casing and ended the day for the championship driver.

Congratulations go out to Dan Vanden Huevel. The Flying Dutchman won his first WSORR points championship with a pair of strong finishes in Crandon. The Dutchman also finished third in the BorgWarner Cup race, which was swept by Pro 2wd's.  It was Vanden Huevel’s first Pro 2wd championship of his 30-year career.

Bad Break Leaves Douglas Sidelined in Chula Vista
Hord fills in for veteran driver

Scott Douglas headed to Chula Vista, Calif. on September 13-14 with a nine point lead in the championship standings. However, hope for a title in 2008 might have come to a violent end before the weekend got underway.

The Southern California resident was taking part in Friday's practice session when he attempted to launch off the finish line tabletop jump. His AMSOIL Ford F-150 grabbed too much air and nosed into the ground, causing the truck to propel an estimated 20 feet high and flip numerous times before coming to a standstill in a twisted lump of metal and fiberglass. Inside the truck, Douglas was not much better as his left leg took a majority of the impact. After getting hauled out of the truck, he was taken to a local hospital. With a large amount of swelling, doctors were able to stabilize the leg, but determined that he had two small fractures in his lower leg and one in his foot. The major damage was done to the upper leg and knee.  Douglas went through a successful surgery on Monday to repair the broken leg and kneecap.  A timeline for his return to action has not yet been determined. 

“We made some suspension changes heading into the weekend that really worked well,” said Douglas after the crash.  “We went out in practice with a damp track and the Kumho Tires really hooked up.  My confidence with the truck was at an all-time high.  On that lap, we came through the quads, cleanly cleared the triple and headed for the tabletop.  For that brief moment I felt invincible, but then found out that I wasn’t.”

On the track, AMSOIL Pro Lite driver Chad Hord pulled double duty over the weekend by filling in for Douglas in the Pro 4. CORR allowed Hord to drive the #7 Ford F-150 and compete for championship points only after he pitted for one full lap. Despite the handicap, Hord was on the track to accumulate as many championship points as possible in the hope that Douglas can join the chase again at the AMSOIL Dominator Desert Challenge in Primm, Nev. October 25-26. Hord battled with the field and finished 11th on Saturday and 12th on Sunday. While Douglas fell out of the points lead, he still sits third, just 40 points behind the leader.

“Thanks go to Chad for filling in for me in a moment’s notice,” said Douglas.  “He did a great job on the track and being an AMSOIL-sponsored driver, it showed what great teamwork can accomplish.”

“Scott took a really hard hit and I was honored when they came over to ask if I could drive the truck,” said Hord. “I had never driven a Pro 4 before, and if Scott and (crew chief) Bill Smith had the confidence in me to do it, I said ‘you bet.’  Bill put together a good game plan, got me comfortable in the truck and was a big help on the radio during the race. I won’t get too comfortable as I expect to see Scott back behind the wheel in Primm.”

Hord did fare better in his full time job as a Pro Lite driver. On Saturday, he was forced to start dead last after he was unable to qualify because of mechanical problems. Once the green flag fell, Hord went on a tear with the live SPEED cameras rolling, moving from 25th all the way up to third by the end of the race. On Sunday, Hord qualified second and was credited with a fifth place showing, picking up valuable points as the championship leaders dropped out or finished behind him. The 2006 class champion moved into fifth in the points standings.

In Pro 2, Mike Oberg had his AMSOIL/Kumho truck pointed in the right direction. Despite a broken shock that put him out of the race on Saturday, Oberg came back strong on Sunday after reconfiguring the truck’s sway arm. Qualifying 12th, Oberg quickly got on the gas and was sitting in sixth just four laps into the race. Contact from another driver brought out a black flag for Oberg on lap five after a 2" steel bar was knocked loose and was considered a safety issue by CORR. After pitting to get the bar removed, Oberg returned to the track with most of the field in front of him. The Eagle River, Wis. driver quickly worked his way around the field and by the time the competition yellow came out, Oberg was back into the top 12. With one lap remaining, Oberg moved past five more trucks to finish sixth.

“I don’t think anyone passed more trucks out there than I did,” said Oberg following Sunday’s race.  “I was really comfortable in the truck today. It’s a shame everyone thinks they have to smash their way to the front.  We had a great setup today and we know we are headed in the right direction for Primm.  I can’t wait to get there.”

AMSOIL is the Exclusive Official Oil of Championship Off Road Racing. The next CORR event will be the AMSOIL Dominator Desert Challenge in Primm, Nev. on October 25-26. Sunday's race from Chula Vista will air on NBC on October 5. Primm's events will air live on SPEED and NBC.

AMSOIL Re-Signs World Champion
Wanderscheid agrees to three year extension

AMSOIL INC., The First in Synthetics, has signed a three-year contract extension with three-time AMSOIL Eagle River Snowmobile Derby World Champion P.J. Wanderscheid.

AMSOIL has been the title sponsor and exclusive oil provider for Wanderscheid since the 2004-05 season.  In 2006, Wanderscheid became only the third person to win three Eagle River World Championships. This year, Wanderscheid will be focused on becoming the first to win the world-famous derby a fourth time.

“P.J. is an excellent ambassador for AMSOIL and the sport of oval ice racing,” said Jeremy Meyer, AMSOIL Race Program Manager. “It’s more than just the results on the track with him, it’s about the countless hours he spends promoting the sport and his sponsors away from the race trailer. He is a true asset to AMSOIL.”

Wanderscheid Racing has 66 career wins and 15 series points championships. In 2008, they won the WSA Pro Open and Pro Champ classes and finished third overall.

“AMSOIL is an excellent company to work with,” said Wanderscheid. “AMSOIL provides us with the best products on the market and the necessary protection our sleds demand. We are excited to be carrying the AMSOIL flag for three more years.”

Scheuring Speed Sports Signs Makita
Industrial Tool manufacturer joins successful snocross team

Scheuring Speed Sports is pleased to announce a new marketing partnership with Makita Industrial Power Tools. The new deal replaces a long time partnership with Red Bull, and the top level snocross team will be known as the AMSOIL/Air Force/Makita team.

 “I am excited to be partnering with the premier industrial tool manufacturer in the world,” said team owner Steve Scheuring.  “Using Makita Industrial Power Tools on our race team for the past 10 years has been a very positive experience. Our race environment could be best described as one of the toughest in all forms of racing.  Racing and testing in snow with temperatures reaching subzero at times puts all our equipment to the test.  All of our Makita Tools have passed the test with flying colors.  This is going to be a great year for the AMSOIL/Air Force/Makita snocross team.”

Scheuring Speed Sports has been testing for the past few months for the first round of the new ISOC series, which will open at the AMSOIL Duluth National in Duluth, Minn. on Thanksgiving weekend.

Rinker Wins National Championship
AMSOIL powerboat driver picks up another title

Team AMSOIL powerboat driver Terry Rinker marked the Labor Day weekend with a successful run at the 25th O.P.C. National Championship races in Kankakee, Ill.

Rinker took part in the festivities, which was not a ChampBoat sanctioned race, by competing in the Modified Unlimited class. Rinker earned the National Championship title driving the AMSOIL-sponsored #10 boat to a strong victory. The AMSOIL boat started on the pole and led the field for all 15 laps to secure the victory. This National Championship win increases the AMSOIL team’s APBA national high points lead in the Mod-U class with just one race remaining. The final race will be held in Florida in mid-October.

AMSOIL team driver Randy Rinker finished a respectable fifth after suffering a propeller failure midway through the 15-lap race.

Terry Rinker is leading the F1 ChampBoat Series points championship. AMSOIL is also the Official Oil of ChampBoat.

Hurricane Ike Forces Race Rescheduling
ChampBoat events to be rescheduled

World class powerboat racers and organizers suffered a significant blow from Hurricane Ike as it devastated a massive area of South Texas, the home of many powerboat racers, organizers and rescue personnel.
 
John Schubert, president of SPORT, the organizer of several Sport/Champ2 Texas events, including one scheduled for this weekend in Orange, Texas stated, “Our family came out ok from the storm, but most of South Texas was hit hard and is still without power, forcing us to cancel the Orange, Texas race. We hope to reschedule it for later this season, but if that doesn’t work out, we’ll have to wait until 2009.”

ChampBoat Chief of Rescue Mike Gibbs suffered significant damage to his home, forcing his family to stay with friends.

 “Our side of Houston (eastern) was hit exceptionally hard and there are still tens of thousands without power, so the last thing on our minds right now is boat racing.”
 
The ChampBoat Series also was forced to cancel the Tempe Grand Prix scheduled for September 27-28.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to all our friends in Texas,” said ChampBoat Director Mike Schriefer. “When disasters hit, it puts the sport of powerboat racing into perspective. It’s a shame, however, as we have worked so hard the past two years on Tempe, so we’ll really be looking forward to rescheduling the Tempe event for 2009, which will quickly become one of our highest profile events.”

The ChampBoat Series now directs its focus on the F1 ChampBoat and Champ2 season finale at the inaugural Grand Prix of Naples November 1-2.  AMSOIL is the Official Oil of ChampBoat.

Smith Wins Again
Team AMSOIL late model driver takes fifth checkered flag of season

AMSOIL late model driver Brady Smith racked up his fifth victory of 2008 on August 30 at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn.

Smith sported a fast car all night as he won his heat race and the dash to earn the pole position for the $5,000 to win World Dirt Racing League (WDRL) main event. The Solon Springs, Wis. native then swapped the lead on several occasions with Chris Simpson during the 40-lap A-Main before guiding his AMSOIL race car to the winner’s circle ahead of Chris and Chad Simpson, Justin Fegers and Eric Pember. The WDRL triumph was the second straight series victory for Smith as he also won the rain-postponed “Masters” on August 1 at the Cedar Lake Speedway.

Smith is scheduled to race at the Farley Speedway in Farley, Iowa on Friday and Saturday night as part of the Yankee Dirt Track Classic.  Smith will also be in Knoxville, Iowa September 25-27 to defend his Knoxville Late Model Nationals title.

AMSOIL Rider Second Overall in Finale
AMA Outdoor Nationals wraps up in Steel City

The 2008 AMA National Motocross Championships wrapped up for the first time on a Saturday at the Steel City Raceway in Delmont, Pa, and although weather reports leading up to the race indicated a deluge, no rain reared its ugly head.

AMSOIL Lites rider Jake Weimer had a solid day at Steel City. He worked his way up to sixth in the first moto and found himself in a battle for third in the second moto before finishing fourth. Weimer finished second overall for the day and finished the season fourth in points with 321.

“The second moto, I had a pretty good start, and there were bikes going down everywhere,” Weimer said. “I was behind [Brett] Metcalfe forever, and I felt like I needed to get around him, but I wasn’t making it happen. I kind of got stuck in his pace, and then [Nico] Izzi got by both of us, and then I finally decided that I needed to make something happen with Brett. We ended up coming together, and he went down, and it wasn’t really intentional, but it was one of those racing situations where I thought I had it, and he thought he had it, and we came together, and unfortunately, he went down.”

Rookie Blake Wharton had a great come-from-behind ride in the first moto, finishing just behind Weimer in seventh. Wharton grabbed his second holeshot of his short career to start the second moto, but went down in a slick spot a couple of turns into the race and was forced to come from the back of the pack. He finished sixth overall.

Australian Dan Reardon was disappointed with his results at the season finale, but he’s happy that he has a healthy season under his belt so that he knows what to expect next year. Reardon went 13-11 for 12th overall and finished out the season 11th in the standings.

Josh Grant grabbed the holeshot in the opening moto and led the first six laps before losing the lead to eventual winner Ryan Dungey. He ran second until he experienced a mechanical failure with about three laps remaining in the race.  In the second moto, Grant again started at the front and ran second for the first few laps before eventually finishing the race in eighth. Grant ended the season ninth in points despite racing only half the series, and he earned two podiums – at Colorado and Washougal.

The GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda team will take some time off before beginning 2009 testing and returning to action for the 10th anniversary of the U.S. Open of Supercross at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. on October 10-11.

Holy Hannibal!
Lovell Racing battles elements in WE-Rock Finals

The Lovell Racing Team showed up in Hannibal, Mo. ready to do battle at the 2008 WE-Rock Finals in the rain, mud and rock of Hannibal Rocks Off-Road Park. Unable to make the trip was the team’s guiding light, spotter Roger Lovell. For the first time, Brad Lovell would be competing without his brother, but under the capable guidance of longtime rock crawler Sean Lazzelle.
 
Lazzelle’s confidence was immediately put to the test as he guided the AMSOIL crawler across one of the most treacherous courses ever created. Lovell was forced to pilot the #232 Fabtech/AMSOIL/Ford Ranger over a rock spine with a 12’ cliff on one side and a 30’ cliff on the other. The spine was so narrow that the tires had to completely hang off either side. As long as everything was navigated correctly, the inevitable crash off the rock could be saved with some throttle action. With great confidence, the pair took to the course and flawlessly negotiated the dangers.

Any racing team needs teamwork, the right vehicle and a little luck. Luck decided to leave the team after their initial success. On the second course, the team had the finish gates in sight, but the crawler stalled just as the truck slid off a sizeable drop and precisely when Lovell needed some horsepower. The result was an end-over-end roll that left the Ford Ranger helplessly “turtled” and unable to finish. Registering scores on only three out of four courses, Lovell Racing was tied for seventh at the end of the first day.

Rain, mud and fog welcomed competitors on day two, so the team concentrated on surviving the courses and taking cones when necessary. Lovell launched the truck up the first rock slope and found just enough traction to break the rear gear set and failed to finish.

The #232 roared back to life on course A1 as Lovell became the first and only driver to complete the course. Team Lovell was patient and stuck to their plan. Their performance was good enough to gain five places in three courses and put them in second with only the final round to go.

“I think most people out there would agree that we have the best climbing vehicle,” said Lovell.  “The engineers at Fabtech have built us the best suspension out there, and if you can keep the BFG’s on the rocks, they will keep you moving forward.”

While others found defeat in the mud, Lovell and Lazzelle gracefully launched up the bonus climb on the final course and made fast work of the remaining gates to handily finish the competition in second.

Lovell Rock Racing will compete in its last 2008 event on September 20 as XRRA holds its U.S. Finals in Jellico, Tenn. Roger Lovell will defend his 2007 U.S. Championship in the 32 Dirt Logic/AMSOIL/Ranger and Brad will hunt for the top spot in #232 after finishing the 2008 XRRA season in third place.

Camburg Shows Helping Hand
Vegas to Reno more than winning race

Coming into the Best in the Desert's "Vegas to Reno" race, everyone knows the difficulties and challenges ahead of them. With more than 450 miles of race course, it has some of the most technical and abusive terrain in the United States.

Jason Campbell, driving with Scott Zindroski and Morgan Wilson in the Camburg/AMSOIL Toyota, was last off the line in his class as he faced a rear starting position. The first 80 miles featured some of the race’s roughest terrains and it showed early as a large number of trucks and buggies succumbed to the elements.

The AMSOIL/Camburg truck was able to overcome a 20 minute traffic jam and numerous stops to help downed racers during the early stages of the race to stay on course. At one point, the truck pulled over to help a stranded buggy that had run out of gas. The crew filled an eight-ounce water bottle with gas from their fuel tank about 30 times to get the buggy restarted.

After they made it over the 8,500 foot summit, Jerry Zaiden took over driving with Brad Hisgen and Justin Held along for the ride. With 200+ miles to go, Zaiden knew they had a chance since half the field typically fails to finish. After helping more stranded racers, the Toyota was stuck in 4-LO and had to make it to the next scheduled pit stop at a high speed of 27 mph.

Zaiden pulled into Pit 9 and the crew refueled and reset the ECU, which allowed the Toyota Tundra to get out of the lower gear. With only 110 miles left to the finish line, Zaiden set a fast pace to the end.

The AMSOIL/Camburg Toyota crossed the finish line sixth in its class and 99th overall in 16 hours, 57 minutes. Out of 202 vehicles that started the grueling race, only 51 percent finished the event. In uncommon fashion, all of the Class 8100 trucks, the same class as the Camburg team, finished the 450 mile race.

The Camburg/AMSOIL Toyota will also be a hit with video gamers starting next week. A new game called Baja: Edge of Control is set to be released across the country next Monday. AMSOIL will be receiving exposure through its partnership with the Camburg Racing team. Camburg Racing is a desert race team that competes in the Baja 1000, Baja 500 and other Best in the Desert races. The game is based on the Baja 1000 and includes more than 95 different tracks that replicate the 1000, as well as the Baja 250 and the Baja 500.