|
|
|
THE CHECKERED FLAG |
|
July 27, 2006 Edition |
 |
|
GREEN FLAG |
Rinker Rolls To Third Straight
Defending Champ swamps field on Mississippi
Minneapolis,
Minn. ~ Team AMSOIL driver Terry Rinker continued his
domination of the 2006 ChampBoat Series this past weekend at the 10th Annual
Grand Prix of Minneapolis. Rinker, a two-time and defending series champion,
controlled his fate from start to finish on the Mississippi River in front of
10,000 fans.
The Florida-native took the fastest
qualifying time on Saturday by more than a second over the next competitor. He
then pushed his yellow #10 AMSOIL boat to a convincing win in the first of two
heat races. After the field was inverted for the second heat race, Rinker
worked his way from the back of the pack to fifth, ensuring he would start on
the pole for Sunday’s final.
From there, Rinker left no doubt
that he was going to pick up his third straight win to open the season by
grabbing the holeshot (see
video) and leading the 50-lap final from start to finish.
“Winning here in Minneapolis was
important for us,” said Rinker. “We felt we wanted to make a statement at this
event and I think we accomplished this. History here in Minnesota is so exciting
to the sport and these knowledgeable fans appreciated everyone’s effort this
afternoon, which was great.”
The ChampBoat Racing Series takes a three week break before heading to the
fourth race of the season in St. Louis for the longest standing event in North
America, the Grand Prix of St. Louis, on the weekend of August 19-20.
“Super Team" Picks Up Two
Podiums
AMSOIL put to the test in torrid temperatures
Chula
Vista, Calif. ~ The AMSOIL/Kumho Tires "Super Team"
continues to place its imprint on the Championship Off-Road Racing Series after
a strong weekend of racing in Southern California. Two AMSOIL drivers took home
podium finishes while the team picked up two more top five finishes in the
California sun.
In the Pro-4 class, Scott Douglas
was able to grab two top fives, including a third place finish in Sunday’s
race. Douglas, who hails from nearby El Cajon, Calif., was leading the field
for most of the race before a questionable move by another driver pushed him
high near the end of the last lap, allowing two trucks to pass. It is the
second week in a row Douglas has finished on the podium in the Pro-4 class, and
it marks his second third place finish of the year. Douglas also finished fifth
on Saturday. The California native currently sits in seventh in the points
race.
In the Pro-2 races, it was rookie
driver Mike Oberg who stole the show from the other "Super Team" members. Oberg
finished a season best fourth on Saturday and then improved on Sunday for his
first podium of the season with a third place finish. Dan Vanden Heuvel ran
into mechanical problems after breaking a timing belt, but was able to pick up
an 11th place finish on Saturday and a 10th on Sunday. Douglas is currently in
sixth in the Pro-2 points standings with Oberg in eighth and Vanden Heuvel in
13th.
In the Pro-Lite class, Dan Vanden
Heuvel Jr. showed improvement over the two days of racing. The rookie driver
crossed the finish line in 15th on Saturday. On Sunday, Junior found a better
groove and was able to crack the top 10 with a seventh. Junior sits in 14th in
the Pro-Lite standings.
The CORR series will be back in
action in two weeks when the series heads back to Bark River, Mich. on August
12-13 for the ninth and tenth rounds of the series.
Windham Getting Back In Form
Motocross rider nabs second, remains fourth in points
Lakewood,
Colo. ~ Team AMSOIL motocross rider Kevin Windham is
starting to find his stride in the AMA Motocross Series after a season ending
injury curtailed his 2006 Supercross season.
Two weeks ago, the Honda-backed rider found his best finish of the season at the
Unadilla MX Park in New Berlin, N.Y. Windham finished the first moto in third
and improved to a second place finish in the second moto for a second overall on
the weekend.
Last weekend, Windham posted two
more strong motos at the Thunder Valley MX Complex in Lakewood, Colo. The
Louisiana-native posted a pair of fourth place finishes for fourth overall.
Windham currently sits in fourth in the AMA MX points race, just five points out
of third place. The AMA Motocross season will be in Washougal, Wash. this
weekend.
Shryock Does it Again!
Arcadia, Wis. ~
Team AMSOIL Modified driver Casey Shryock continued his dominance in the AMSOIL
sponsored U.S. Modified Touring Series last weekend. The Fertile, Iowa driver
picked up his sixth and seventh straight victories in grand fashion during the
last two stops on the USMTS schedule.
On July 20, the USMTS made its debut
at the historic Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. It took Shryock eight-laps to
take over the lead, a position he wouldn’t give up for the rest of the race. It
marked his 21st win of the 2006 season.
The next night, the USMTS headed to
Slayton, Minn and the Murray County Speedway. In the 30-lap, 26-car final,
Shryock again had to work his way to the front of the pack after getting caught
up in traffic. The seven-time defending champion took over the lead on lap10
and never looked back.
The USMTS will be back in action on
Tuesday, August 1 when they travel to Vinton, Iowa and the Benton County
Speedway.
Smith Finishes Strong
During Triple Header
Two top tens, a top five mark strong weekend for AMSOIL
driver
Solon Springs, Wis.
~ The Brady Smith Racing team posted a top five finish and a
pair of top 10 efforts over a busy weekend in Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska.
Smith’s weekend kicked off last Friday night at the Knoxville Raceway in
Knoxville, Iowa. He was sixth fastest for the NARA Late Model Dirt Series show
and transferred to the feature event by virtue of finishing second in his heat
race. Smith rolled off sixth for the 50-lap A-Main and drove his AMSOIL Monte
Carlo to a solid tenth place finish at the historic Knoxville oval. His top 10
finish was recorded by the cameras of the SPEED Channel for viewing later in the
2006 season.
After failing to make the starting
field in Wheatland, Mo. on Saturday, it was off to the Boone County Fair
Speedway in Albion, Neb. on Sunday for a $5,000 to win PolyDome World Dirt
Racing League (WDRL) Series event. Smith qualified second fastest overall and
finished second in his heat race. The Solon Springs, Wis. native rolled off from
the pole for the 50-lap feature event before ultimately finishing fourth in the
final rundown of the A-Main.
Schwenkbeck Picks Up First
Career Win
Victory helps rookie anglers cause for Classic
Fort
Madison, Iowa ~ Darrin Schwenkbeck has been looking
for the right combination of fish and a little bit of luck all season long. The
rookie bass angler is a full-time member of the Bassmaster Elite Series, but his
schedule also allows him to take part in the Bassmaster Northern Tour. That
loophole in the scheduling paid off in a big way last weekend for the rookie
angler.
Schwenkbeck earned the first win of
his bass career on the Mississippi River with a three-day catch of 42 pounds, 12
ounces. His prize was $17,700 in cash and a Triton boat rig with Mercury
outboard worth $45,000. Schwenkbeck took the day 2 lead, moving up from the
fourth position after the first day of competition. Saturday, he held on handily
for the win with a final-day catch of 12 pounds, 7 ounces.
"Things are just starting to happen
for me," said Schwenkbeck. "It's been a struggle, but I guess I had the [lucky]
horseshoe with me this week."
The win elevated Schwenkbeck's
standing in the Northern Tour points race from 29th to first, much closer to a
coveted berth in the 2007 Bassmaster Classic. The top three points finishers at
the conclusion of the Northern Tour will qualify for the Classic. Schwenkbeck
has five top 50 finishes at Elite Series events and sits in fifth place on the
Toyota Rookie of the Year Standings.
Lovell’s Add Rookies to Pit
Crew
Brothers become fathers over summer break
Colorado
Springs, Colo. ~ A mid-season break for the AMSOIL
sponsored rock climbing team of Brad and Roger Lovell has suited the team well.
On June 22, Roger's wife gave birth to a 7 lb. 7 oz. boy named Parker Wilson
Lovell. Not to be outdone, Brad’s wife gave birth to fraternal twin boys, Adam
Joseph and Byam Andrew last weekend, July 15.
All this adds up to a new junior pit
crew that will grow up together and be staunch AMSOIL users. The team will be
back in action at the next UROC Pro National event in Salt Lake City July 29 and
30.
Co-op Sponsorships
If you are a T-1 certified AMSOIL
Dealer looking to sponsor a local racer through the AMSOIL Co-op Race Program,
please fill out the G-2074 and send it to 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.
- NHRA Super Pro driver Jason
Rollins extended his season points lead at the Summit Racing E.T. Series
event at Rolling Thunder Drag Strip in Pacific Junction, Iowa on July
22. Rollins made his second appearance in the semi-final round this
season working through the 38-car field. The racer said he’s pleased
with his consistency despite running with a back-up motor in the car.
The 10 race Summit Series resumes again in August with three races
remaining. Dealer Art Durand sponsors Rollins Racing
- At mid-season, Alex Amen, of Alex Amen
Racing, holds fourth place in the Mod Lites of Colorado overall points
standings. He drove the number 9 modified lite for fast qualifying time
at Cheyenne Big Country Speedway on Saturday, July 22. It was his fifth
straight fast qualifying time out of six races; he ran second in one
other race. According to Cheyenne track rules, fast time qualifiers
start in the last position.
Amen has garnered three third place and
two fourth place finishes this season at Cheyenne. He is turning times
that have not been seen in years, let alone by a 15-year-old driver.
Amen races both asphalt and dirt tracks.
His best finish on the dirt was sixth place, with top 10 finishes in all
of the dirt track races he has run.
The team credits AMSOIL 10W-40 motorcycle
oil for the speed Amen gets during his races. The team runs a pure stock
Honda CBR 1000 RR, while many competitors run custom-built motors with
modified cams, pistons, valves and power commanders. AMSOIL Dealer
Michael Browne sponsors Amen Racing
|
\
|
 |
|
New Products |
|

SSO
- Signature
Series Oil®

P.i.
Performance Improver Concentrate

Ea Oil
Filters

Ea Air Filters

Ea Air Filters

Ea Induction
Air Filters
|
|