Windham Earns Third Place Podium at Anaheim II, Metcalfe Earns Second Place Podium in Houston

	Anaheim, Calif. The third round of the 2009 AMA Supercross season was held January 17 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., where Team AMSOIL supercross star Kevin Windham was looking for his first podium finish of the season. Quickly grabbing the lead after the first lap, Windham held onto first for the first half of the race, but was eventually passed by James Stewart and Chad Reed. Windham finished the race in third, earning his first podium finish of the season and moving into eighth in the overall points standings. Teammate Dan Reardon finished sixth in the Lites class, while Trey Canard spent the weekend recovering from a concussion suffered the previous weekend in Phoenix.
	Houston, Texas The fourth round of the 2009 AMA Supercross season, and the first round of the Lites Eastern Regional Supercross Championship, was held January 24 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, and new Team AMSOIL Lites riders Brett Metcalfe and rookie Blake Wharton were eager to kick off their seasons on a positive note. Metcalfe entered the race as one of the favorites, and he won his heat race to set himself up for a good gate pick in the main event. Getting off to a good start in the main and working his way through the pack, Metcalfe eventually finished just behind the winner for a second place podium finish. Teammate Wharton finished a strong fourth in his heat race, started at the tail end of the top five in the main and finished with a strong fifth place finish.
	In the 450 class, Kevin Windham finished third in his heat race, but didn’t get the start he was looking for in the main.  Starting outside of the top 15 and forced to work his way through the field on the tight, one-lined circuit, he finished ninth. San Francisco Supercross Results – January 31

Tomac Takes Two WORCS Wins in Phoenix

Team AMSOIL amateur motocross racer Eli Tomac earned two class wins on the weekend of January 17-18 at the first round of the World Off Road Championship Series (WORCS) in Phoenix, Ariz. Using the off-road event for some early season training, each of Tomac’s two races lasted over one hour each, testing the competitors’ speed, skill and endurance. Tomac got the best of the off road specialists, earning wins in both the 250F-A class and the Sportsman 15-29 yr old A class. Tomac will continue to train and sharpen his riding skills as he prepares for the Amateur Spring Nationals in March.

Wanderscheid Finishes Fourth in Eagle River, Earns Sweep in Wausau

AMSOIL World Championship Snowmobile Derby – Eagle River, Wis. The AMSOIL World Championship Snowmobile Derby took place on the weekend of January 16-18 at the AMSOIL Eagle River Derby Track in Eagle River, Wis. Seeking a record-setting fourth win in the AMSOIL World Championship race on Sunday afternoon, Team AMSOIL racer P.J. Wanderscheid got tangled with another racer shortly after the start. Untangling before the first turn, Wanderscheid quickly went to work to make up lost ground, pushing himself up to third after five laps. However, a series of accidents led to three straight red flags and restarts, with the third forcing Wanderscheid to start from the back. Gaining a hole shot, Wanderscheid soon fought his way back up to third, but spun out after getting a little too high on a turn. He finished the race in fourth. Team AMSOIL snocross racer Shaun Crapo asserted his dominance in the snocross class, winning three combined heat races in the Pro Super Stock and Pro Open classes. As the number one qualifier in Pro Open, Crapo got a great jump off the start and dominated the final, leading the field from start to finish to earn his first win at the AMSOIL Derby Track. He finished second in Pro Super Stock. Wausau 525 Championships – Wausau, Wis. TheWausau 525 Championships took place on the weekend of January 24-25 in Wausau, Wis. Aboard his 440 champ sled, Wanderscheid opened the weekend by winning all three of his 600 open class heat races against the more powerful 600 sleds. Taking the early lead in the 10-lap final, Wanderscheid dominated the race, maintaining his lead even after two restarts to take the win. Wanderscheid was equally impressive during Sunday’s 440 Champ class racing, earning two wins and a third place finish in his heat races. In the 15-lap final, Wanderscheid once again shot out in front of the pack to grab the lead, maintained it after two restarts and finished with the victory.  Wanderscheid’s next race will take place the weekend of February 7-8 in Forest Lake, Minn. The weekend will mark a double feature in the Champ 440 class to make up for the final that was cancelled in Rock Rapids, Iowa in December.

Near Miss at Winter X 13

Team AMSOIL snocross racer D.J. Eckstrom has had his share of success at the Winter X Games, including a bronze medal in 2008. The Duluth, Minn. native set himself up for another successful run in Aspen this year, but a rough spot in the track took him out of contention.

Eckstrom came out of the first turn in a group of riders battling for second behind eventual winner Tucker Hibbert. Once the scrum cleared away, Eckstrom had worked his way into second and was pulling away from the pile. He held the position for the first six laps of the 20-lap final before trying a secondary line on one of the course’s uphill sections. The move proved costly as it kicked Eckstrom off the sled and out of the top 10. Eckstrom finished the final in 11th. Meanwhile, teammate Shaun Crapo was also riding in the top five and gaining ground for a podium spot when he was rear-ended by a hard-charging sled, breaking his rear shock. Crapo finished 13th.

Eckstrom and Crapo will be in Brainerd, Minn. February 6-8 for round four of the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series. Ross Martin of the AMSOIL/Judnick Motorsports team dislocated his hip in Aspen and will miss the remainder of the year.

Lovell Brothers to be Featured on Spike TV

Team AMSOIL rock crawling racers Brad and Roger Lovell will be featured on Spike TV when the station covers the team’s near-win at the 2008 XRRA Rock Racing Finals at 12:30 p.m. ET/PT on Saturday, February 14 and Sunday, February 15. After the shows air, they will be available on the web at http://www.powerblocktv.com/site3/index.php/xtreme.

The Lovell brothers are currently preparing for the February 27 King of the Hammers race. Brad will take a break from the preparations to act as co-pilot in Bill Kunz’s #7231 Ranger at the Best in the Desert Parker 425 on Saturday, February 6.

Brady Smith Kicks Off 2009 Season in Georgia and Florida

Team AMSOIL late model racer Brady Smith kicked off his 2009 racing season at the Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga. this past weekend, and he is right back in action at the annual “Winternationals” at East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla. February 2-7, where Saturday’s finale will be taped by the SPEED Channel cameras for broadcast later in the year.

Brady Smith will also compete at “Speedweeks 2009” February 9-14 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. Smith will be running full-time with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series in 2009, so the events are critical for getting off to a strong points start.

Shock Therapy Earns Win in Anaheim

The AMSOIL Shock Therapy monster truck and driver John Zimmer earned a racing win January 27 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif.  Defeating Tropical Thunder, Donkey Kong and Air Force Afterburner in the first three rounds, Shock Therapy went head-to-head against Shocker in the Monster Jam racing finals.  Although muddy conditions caused havoc for both trucks, Zimmer nailed the throttle and stayed focused on his run, defeating Shocker to take home the Monster Jam racing win.  Shock Therapy also earned a second place freestyle finish.