More Than A Name Change
Las
Vegas, Nevada ~ Factory Connection, with the
support of AMSOIL, was an independent team
trying to bust in on the big boys when the team
started in 1999. Only Mike LaRocco would be the
marquee player for the next few years before
Kevin Windham jumped over from wearing yellow.
During that span, the 125cc team grew from its
infant stages to a four headed monster with a
perfect blend of riders that could tame either a
long, winding motocross track, or challenge the
field in the claustrophobic setting of
Supercross.
Six years later, LaRocco has signed his final
contract and only rides during the winter
months. Windham, who is approaching 30, is
still one of the top riders in the world. But
he won’t be there forever. So the Factory
Connection gang is gearing towards the future.
They have refocused their effort on the 125
level. Before his season ending injury at Steel
City, Josh Grant had shown flashes of brilliance
on the Honda CRF250. Tommy Hahn battled early
season injuries before finding enough lines and
speed to podium at Millville. But the team
wanted more from their young guns. So, like
everyone else in the competitive world of
motorcycle racing, they turned towards the
amateurs. There the found a relatively unknown
hiding in the potato fields of Idaho.
The brass at Factory Connection was looking
for a young, fast rider they could add to their
already strong stable. More importantly, they
were looking for a kid that could handle the
pressure and would show a winning attitude both
on and off the track. Jake Weimer proved to be
the perfect fit.
In
his debut at the U.S. Open two weeks ago, served
notice. Like most rookies, he was nervous
before and during his first race. But he
quickly exorcised the butterflies from his
stomach by winning his heat race on Friday night
and finishing seventh in the main. Saturday, he
built on his first night success with a second
in his heat and a third in the main. That left
the impressive rookie in sixth overall and just
two spots behind veteran teammate Billy
Laninovich.
Transworld Magazine caught up with Weimer
between motos in Las Vegas. Here is an excerpt
from that interview.
Transworld: How did you go from the
local level to the National level?
Jake Weimer: I don’t know. I really
don’t know how I did it. I have a couple of
buddies at home that ride who are decent.
But really, I ride by myself. My dad is
really a big part in how I got where I am,
because the local races where I live are
really… the competition is not very strong
at all. It's not like California. It's not
like back in Florida and Georgia; it's not
like that at all. I mean, there are not a
lot of people that ride in Idaho, there's
not a lot of tracks to ride and really the
only thing that saved me was my dad; just
him pushing me racing the stopwatch. I went
down to California when I was young and saw
that those kids were fast. So I went home
and worked on that. I went to a couple of
Nationals and just kind of went from there.
I knew what I needed to do, so I just raced
the stopwatch pretty much.
TW: What would you say some of your
strengths are in riding?
JW: I'm definitely better at
Supercross. I may not show it here at the
U.S. Open just because I'm really nervous.
But I think in the end I will definitely be
better at Supercross. I'm not really good at
riding on the edge. I kind of ride my limit,
and I have a tough time making myself push
over my head. I think in outdoors you need
to be able to just pin it sometimes. So with
Supersross I just feel a little more
comfortable jumping and flowing.
TW: What have you learned so far in your
short time with the team?
JW: As far as the racing end goes, I
learned that these guys are really good at
riding offensively and going forward, but
they don’t leave the door open. That's one
thing that I have to work on. Obviously you
can't ride defensively and offensively at
the same time. I try to block my lines a
little bit too good, and then I end up
losing pace with the leaders. I just need to
learn to keep the door shut but still hold
onto the fast pace. One thing with the team
is just that it's very professional. It's
serious now. We have a good time and it's
all fun. It's serious and during the week
you put in your time and do your job. I did
know that, but I guess it's just
experiencing that now.
The U.S. Open of Supercross, which was held
at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, will air on NBC
on Sunday, October 23 from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
(Eastern).
Dube Grabs The Lead
Winnipeg,
Ontario ~ Experience could be a deciding
factor in the Canadian Arenacross Series this
year. Marco Dube is hoping his veteran
knowledge and fast bike will help him grab the
season points championship. After the first two
rounds, his strategy is already paying off.
After a strong showing in the qualifier, the
Quebec-rider was trying to find his bearings
after a crash in the whoops section. The
accident caused his rear brake pedal to
malfunction, but he was still able to finish
second in his 125cc race. He would follow that
up with a seventh in the 250 main.
“I felt the bike was a little under powered
this weekend,” said Dube. “That’s probably
because I had to race with a damaged pipe on
Friday that caused too much pressure on the
pistons. Who knows?”
Dube would rebound on Saturday night after
working all night and day to fix the bikes. He
jumped out with a strong race in the 125 class
on Saturday, finishing second. That moved Dube
into the series points lead, despite not picking
up a win this year. In the 250 class, Dube
moved into third overall after his fourth place
finish on Saturday night.
Rounds five and six will be held at the
Stampede Corral in Calgary November 4 & 5.
More Team AMSOIL News
- The regular season has wrapped up at
Salem Speedway in Salem, Indiana. Daryl
Hadley Racing’s AMSOIL sponsored teams
finished second and third in street stock
points race. Driver David Bayens finished
second in points and completing 100 percent
of all laps. Finishing third was Scot
Beeler, who picked up two wins this season.
Teammate Kyle Hadley finished fifth in
the Super Late Model division, completing
99.5 percent of all laps. He will make his
third CRA Super Series on October 23 in
Salem. Daryl Hadley Racing is sponsored by
AMSOIL Dealer Al Loew.
-
According
to motocross rider Jason Baldwin, the track
conditions were perfect and fast at the
Mideast Interstate Harescramble Series last
weekend. Baldwin started out in fourth
place in the combined four-class race that
pitted 187 riders on the starting line. He
moved into first after lap one and was
pushed by three of the series’ top riders
for the next 30 minutes. A crash pushed him
back to fifth, but he was able finish the
race after two hours in second place.
Baldwin also won the Virginia State
Championship in the 450 class. He is
sponsored by AMSOIL Dealer John Coffey.
-
Jake
Ott of Ayr, Ontario finished second in
points for the JCAR Super Series and third
overall in the Mini-Car Series at Varney
Speedway in Fergus, Ontario. Ott will be
moving up to Street Stocks in 2006 and will
be the youngest such competitor in Ontario,
at just 12-years-old. Jake’s dad, Jim Ott,
is an AMSOIL Dealer and supports Jake’s race
efforts.
