Eckstrom Back on the Podium
Team AMSOIL rider closes gap in point’s race
Valcourt, Quebec ~ The AMSOIL/Scheuring Speed Sports snocross
team made a fine showing at the World PowerSports Association race in
Valcourt, Quebec last weekend. D.J. Eckstrom had a strong performance,
finishing third in the Pro Stock class and getting back into contention
for the season points championship.
The Duluth, Minn.-native ended the string of bad luck that has
hounded Team AMSOIL for the last three events by qualifying third for
the main event in Pro Stock with top-two and top-three runs in each
heat. In the final, three sleds distanced themselves from the rest of
the field. At the checkered flag Eckstrom was finally back on familiar
territory, the podium.
“We’ve just had some bad luck lately,” said Eckstrom. “We wanted to
win, of course, but we’re happy with the podium. My mechanics have
really done a great job on the stock sled.”
In the Pro Open class of the WPSA, Eckstrom, as usual, started with
strong qualifying runs, winning the first heat and taking third in the
second. In the third heat Eckstrom was knocked off the track and ended
up in eighth place. This forced him into the Last Chance Qualifier,
which he easily won. Starting from the back row in the final, Eckstrom
ran a strong race and worked his way into a sixth place finish.
Eckstrom’s teammate Carl Schubitzke was still on the mend from a
tough bout with the flu and never really challenged for the podium.
Team AMSOIL/Scheuring Speed Sports will be back in action this
weekend in Canada. The seventh round of racing on the PowerSports
Snowmobile Tour will take place at the CanWest Global Park in Winnipeg,
Manitoba, Saturday and Sunday. ESPN 2 will air last weekend’s race from
Valcourt on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. EST.
Team AMSOIL Invades Valcourt Ice, Podiums
Wanderscheid and Smith both find way to awards
ceremony
 Valcourt,
Quebec ~ Three time Eagle River World Champion P.J. Wanderscheid had
never taken his oval ice show on the road to the second biggest oval ice
race in North America. But fresh off his third win at Eagle River,
Wanderscheid loaded his Arctic Cat race team into the 48’ hauler and
headed to the French-Canadian mecca of oval ice racing, Valcourt.
The 5/8 mile oval is well known for its banking and its unique
drop-off coming out of turn four. Besides being one of the most
prestigious races in oval ice racing, the Grand Prix de Valcourt, was
also the fourth and final race in the Millennium Technologies and VFORCE
Oval Challenge Series in 2006. Wanderscheid would hit the ice three
times over the weekend, all on his Eagle River-winning 440 Champ Sled.
On Friday, the temperatures were hovering around 45 degrees and a
strong cold front was coming in. With winds hitting 50 mph, track
officials had to cancel that day’s racing, putting the pressure on the
young phenom to excel at the new track on Saturday. With temperatures
back to around zero, the racing was underway. Wanderscheid’s first two
heats of the day produced third and fourth place finishes, pushing him
to the back row for the final. The track, which was described as rough
by many riders, tested the fortitude of many more over the weekend. On
the first lap of the final, multiple accidents stopped the race. On the
restart, Wanderscheid was unable to get in front of the leaders and
fought through the thick snow dust to finish sixth.
Wanderscheid headed in to Sunday’s racing determined to get a better
starting spot for the last race in the “Oval Challenge”. He would
finish his two heats in second and third, respectively, putting him on
the front line for the final. Heading into the first corner,
Wanderscheid was even with Terry Wahl and Jacques Villanueve.
Wanderscheid settled in to second for a few laps before being passed by
Wahl. The Sauk Centre, Minn. native was able to hold his third place
position when the checkered flag fell.
"Valcourt is another great venue and they put on a good show with a
lot of fans in the stands,” said PJ. ”Overall, for our first time at the
track, we did very well. It might have helped to get a hot lap or two in
each day as that provides some important setup data for the upcoming
heat races. We were pleased to get a good finish on Sunday to take
second in the “Oval Challenge”. There are just two races left in our
season and we are pushing hard for the points championship.”
Wanderscheid will be a little closer to home this weekend. The
AMSOIL-backed racer will be on the banked oval track in Wausau, Wis. for
the second time this year.
Eastern Pro Turns Heads in Valcourt
Smith finds good lines at Grand Prix
Valcourt, Quebec ~ Team AMSOIL was also showing well in the
semi-pro class at Valcourt. Team AMSOIL rider Jason Smith, who runs
full time in the Eastern Pro Tour, headed to the Grand Prix de Valcourt
to take on the world’s best last weekend.
Smith, who runs both pro and semi-pro classes, started off his
weekend of racing on the right foot by winning his semi-pro heat and
final. He then moved his 440 Champ Sled into the pro class and finished
his two heat races in second place.
Overnight cold brought panic to the race trailer after the team’s
generator gave out. Despite missing his first qualifying heat in
semi-pro, Smith was able to get his Arctic Cat on the track for the
second heat, winning the race. In the final, Smith was leading when a
crash caused the race to stop. Track officials decided to run a
snocross race before Smith was able to restart his race. At the
restart, Smith grabbed the holeshot, but a steering linkage failure
caused him to slam into the first corner bails.
With a broken sled, Smith had to borrow a ride from Moyle Racing to
compete in the pro class. After winning his second round race, Smith
started the final in the back row. Despite the snowdust and being on a
new sled, Smith was able to hold on for fifth.
Dedick Sets Tone For 2006
General Lee driver wins first race of season
 Houston,
Texas ~ AMSOIL is once again riding along with the quickness and
power found under the hood of Autumn Woods Racing and the General Lee.
Driver Jeff Dedick started the year off with a bang in Houston, Texas
two weeks ago. Dedick pilot his AWR ride inside Reliant Stadium for a
USHRA series event. The sold out crowd of 70,000 people witnessed
Dedick start the 2006 season off right with a win. The event was filmed
for television and will be released at a later date.
Autumn Woods Racing is getting a lot of notice this winter.
Reputable off-road magazines such as DirtSports (March ’06), Sport Truck
Magazine (March ’06) and Four Wheeler Magazine (April ’06) are featuring
the team. The team has also parted ways with Chris Mosher and has
turned to the services of Ricky Brantly to be the team’s second driver.
East Coast Swing Proves Rocky Ride
Supercross team gets bumped off track in St. Louis
St. Louis, Mo. ~
The East Coast swing was supposed to mean
good things for the AMSOIL/Factory Connection team in 2006. After a
strong start to the AMA Supercross Series on the West Coast, riders like
Josh Grant and Tommy Hahn were inked to carry the momentum into the
second stage of the season.
Things started out well for the team. Josh Grant, who many insiders
felt could challenge for the East Coast championship, was finally
healthy after an injury sidelined him in the fall. Grant finished his
heat race strong and was able to advance into the main. Teammate Hahn
also transferred into the final. Both riders lined up for the start of
the main event with high hopes. For Grant, those hopes were quickly
wiped away after an early race crash dropped the young rider down to
17th. He was able to work his Honda up to sixth place, but any new
hopes he had of finding the podium were wiped away after a second crash
sidelined him for the night. He was taken away on the Asterik Medic
Mule holding his shoulder, meaning he gained no points for the season
title chase. Hahn, meanwhile, finished a respectable fifth, picking up
15 points in the point’s race.
 Mike
LaRocco usually finds a stronger run when he gets closer to his Indiana
home. LaRocco entered the weekend fourth in the Supercross (250cc)
series. This race proved to be a good spot to make up ground on the
top three riders, but unfortunately for the veteran LaRocco, he was
unable to get going in the main. Heading into the first turn, LaRocco
was bar-to-bar with points leader Ricky Carmichael. Carmichael and a
pack of riders got tangled up heading into the left- hand turn. LaRocco
was a victim of the onslaught and found himself tangled up with the
masses. He would finish the race in 15th. The finish dropped the
34-year-old pro into seventh in the series points chase after seven
rounds.
The AMA and Factory Connection team will be back in action this week
in Atlanta. The race can be viewed on CBS and SPEED Channel.
Click Here for the 2006 AMA Supercross Series TV Schedule.
Co-op Sponsorships
If you are an AMSOIL Dealer looking to sponsor a local racer through
the AMSOIL Co-op Race Program, please fill out the G-2074 and send it
the AMSOIL Racing Department. Teams who were sponsored last year will
need to fill out the form once again. Also, please remember to send in
your race results, as they will be included in the Checkered Flag. |
