“AMSOIL Goes Dirt Track Racing”
Leader in synthetic oils adds title
sponsorship of WISSOTA
 Superior,
Wis. ~
AMSOIL and the WISSOTA Promoters Association have reached a
landmark agreement to make the synthetic oil company the title
sponsor of all WISSOTA auto racing beginning in 2007. All
sanctioned events at WISSOTA's more than 50 American and
Canadian member tracks will now be a part of the newly named
AMSOIL Dirt Track Series.
The AMSOIL
Dirt Track Series will include competition among high powered,
pulse-pounding race cars in a variety of divisions, including
Street Stocks, Mod Fours, Midwest Modifieds, Super Stocks,
Modifieds and Late Models.
"AMSOIL
has long been associated with quality products and quality race
teams," said Jeremy Meyer, AMSOIL Racing Coordinator. "We have
a long history of working with drivers and WISSOTA and this new
relationship helps solidify our status as the First in
Synthetics. WISSOTA continues to work for the betterment of the
sport, and AMSOIL is excited to be part of that commitment."
WISSOTA
president Terry Voeltz echoed that sentiment from the racing
organization's perspective. "All of us at WISSOTA are very
excited about this great opportunity. Obtaining a title sponsor
for our organization is a fantastic way to begin the New Year,
and to do so with a prominent company such as AMSOIL makes it
even better. A partnership between AMSOIL and WISSOTA is a
natural fit for both of us.”
AMSOIL
sees this as a fantastic opportunity to market its product line
not only to the nearly 3,000 competitors who race at WISSOTA
member tracks but even more importantly to the more than 1.5
million spectators who will attend exciting weekly racing and
special events across the expansive WISSOTA auto racing region.
In 2006, there were WISSOTA member tracks in seven states and
two Canadian provinces, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa,
South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Manitoba and
Ontario.
“Eckstrom,
Crapo Ready For Aspen”
Local snocrossers ready for prime time of
Winter X Games
Aspen, Colo. ~
Dennis “DJ” Eckstrom and AMSOIL teammate Shaun Crapo will be
looking for podium finishes at Friday night’s Winter X Games in
Aspen, Colo. The ESPN extreme games will feature the sports’
top riders and will air live on ESPN and ABC this weekend.
Crapo, who
finished second the WPSA Pro Open race in Brainerd two weeks
ago, will be looking for his first Winter X Games medal. Crapo
finished second at the Winter X qualifier at the AMSOIL Duluth
Nationals in November. Crapo finished 12th at last year’s
games. The young rider is currently sixth overall in the WPSA
points race.
Eckstrom
will head to Aspen with hopes to carry on his winning ways. He
has a bronze and a silver medal from previous X Games
performances. Although Eckstrom has had some tough luck so far
this season he is a model of consistency on a race sled and has
finished in the top five in the Pro classes each of the past six
years. Eckstrom currently sits out of the top 20 after three
rounds of racing.
“With ESPN
beaming the race worldwide, you always want to do well,” said
Eckstrom. “The track is one of the best we’ll see and winning
in Aspen is a great accomplishment for your team, sponsors and
family.”
The Winter
X Games airs live starting Friday, January 26. The Snocross
races will be aired live on Friday and Saturday nights.
“Wanderscheid, AMSOIL Take Center Stage”
Title sponsorship of World Championship marks
AMSOIL as leader in snowmobile racing
Eagle
River, Wis. ~ When AMSOIL reached an agreement with the
Eagle River Derby Track to become the title sponsor of the venue
and the World Championship Snowmobile Derby, race fans expected
the world’s premier ice oval racing event to be better than
ever. They weren’t disappointed.
 With
Team AMSOIL oval ice racer P.J. Wanderscheid vying for his
fourth World Championship, AMSOIL decked the Derby Track in red,
white and blue AMSOIL logos, and the Wanderscheid crew worked
tirelessly to give themselves a winning edge in Sunday’s final.
Wanderscheid started the week off by finishing 8th in qualifying
for the Pro Open 600 class. Despite running a 440 engine, PJ
found himself in the front of the pack during Thursday’s final
but couldn’t hold on against the 600 sleds and settled for a
well-earned third.
Friday
brought the Friday Night Thunder and the AMSOIL Derby Track’s
spectacular fireworks show. A full night of finals meant
Wanderscheid would be on the track twice. In the Formula 1
final, the Sauk Centre, Minn. native finished fourth. In the
final race of the night, Wanderscheid powered his Arctic Cat
around the ½-mile oval for another fourth place finish in the
Race of Champions, which pitted the top riders from the four
major race series.
Saturday
meant qualifying for Sunday’s AMSOIL World Championship race.
Wanderscheid finished third in the first round and had to run a
second round qualifier, in which he won. In the semi-finals,
Wanderscheid finished second and advanced directly into Sunday’s
final.
With no
races until the main event, the Wanderscheid crew took the sled
and tested on a nearby lake, still trying to tweak the brand new
chassis. When the green flag dropped, Wanderscheid came out of
the first turns battling in second place. He would run in the
top three for a third of the 25-lap final. The handling issues
wore on the young rider during the longest race of the year, and
when the checkered flag dropped, Wanderscheid was unable to grab
his fourth title as he finished in sixth.
Other
AMSOIL racers that fared well at the Derby included snocross
racers Mike Bauer, Kristen Leirmoe and Team AAEN. Part of the
intermission entertainment included a Dealer co-op team called
Vertical Mischief. VM is an internationally know stunt bike team
that put in more than 1,300 metal studs in their tires. AMSOIL
will be the title sponsor of the Eagle River Derby Track for two
more years.
“Windham,
Preston Leading AMSOIL Charge”
Supercross
riders finding way as new season gets underway
Anaheim,
Calif. ~ Team AMSOIL supercross riders Kevin Windham and Travis
Preston have been battling each other for position in each of
the first three rounds of racing in 2007.
Two weeks
ago, it was Preston who outwitted the veteran Windham at the
second round of AMA racing in Phoenix Arizona. Preston, who
returned to the AMSOIL/Factory Connection team this year in a
supercross only deal, finished fourth after dueling with Kdub
early in the race. Windham, who is working at getting back into
riding shape, finished eighth.
This past
weekend, Windham was looking for his riding partner to continue
the friendly feud. Unfortunately, Windham was flying solo in
Anaheim as Preston failed to make the main. Windham would ride
to a strong sixth, his best finish of the year. Heading into
this weekend’s race in San Franciso, Kdub has jumped ahead of
Preston in the points race. Windham currently sits in sixth
while Preston is just two spots behind in eighth.
In the
Lites class, it was Josh Grant who returned to the lead laps
after crashing out during the first two rounds. In Anaheim,
Grant got a great start and battled up front, finally finishing
fourth, his best finish of the season. Jake Weimer followed his
substandard ride in Phoenix with a strong run of sixth. He
currently sits in seventh overall. Grant has not cracked the
top 10.
“Arenacross Stars Take Plenty of Podiums”
Two
teams bringing home wins and pushing for points championships
In the AMA
Arenacross Series, defending champion Chad Johnson moved closer
to defending his crown in Dayton, Ohio. Johnson rode to a fourth
on Friday night and a second on Saturday. Johnson now sits in
second overall. New teammate Jimmy Albertson finished tenth on
Friday night. The AMA AX will be in
 Denver,
Colo. This weekend.
In the BooKoo AX series, Babbits Racing’ Darcy Lange continued
his dominance atop the AMSOIL sponsored Kawasaki in Ft. Wayne,
Ind. Lange won both Friday and Saturday nights’ 450 class and
Saturday night’s 250 class. On Friday night, he took second in
the 250 class. Lange leads both series and has won six out of
the past eight races. The Babbitts Racing team will follow the
BooKoo series to Guthrie, Okla. this weekend. |
