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THE CHECKERED FLAG |
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June 29, 2007 Edition |
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| GREEN FLAG | |
Douglas, Oberg win, Vanden Heuvel doubles up on podiums
World Series of Off-Road
Racing
Round 3, Saturday, June 23, 2007
Crandon, Wis.
Mike Oberg, Scott Douglas and Dan Vanden Heuvel proved their off-road
superiority at the famed Crandon International Raceway on June 23-24. It marked
the third and fourth rounds of racing for the WSORR and the first time that
Douglas and Vanden Heuvel would line up on the same course as teammate Mike
Oberg. (Oberg is running a full WSORR schedule while Douglas and Vanden Heuvel
are running the CORR series and select WSORR events).
Saturday – Pro-2wd
In
the Pro-2wd race it was AMSOIL wire-to-wire. Oberg shot out of the land rush
start and led the field through turn one. Shortly behind him was Vanden Heuvel
in third. Vanden Heuvel quickly made it into second and two-thirds of the AMSOIL
Super Team was running first and second. With eight-time off-road champion Scott
Taylor on Vanden Heuvel's bumper, the field of Oberg, Vanden Heuvel and Taylor
ran tight for most of the nine lap race. Oberg never gave up his lead position
and took the win. Vanden Heuvel kept Taylor at bay until the second to last turn
when Taylor made a move to get by the Flying Dutchman. Vanden Heuvel wasn't
ready to give up the spot as both trucks dipped hard into the final turn. The
trucks hooked into each other and it was a matter of centimeters on who took
second place. After review, WSORR officials gave second to Taylor and third to
Vanden Heuvel.
Saturday – Pro-4x4
In
the Pro-4x4 race, Douglas and several top pros lined up in the back row after
they missed the first two rounds due to conflicting dates with the NBC-televised
CORR BorgWarner Cup races. Douglas shot out of the gates and came into turn one
in second, despite giving up nearly 30' of starting position to the race leader.
Douglas bumped and battled for the first three laps before getting his turn at
the lead. From there the defending BorgWarner champion held the lead for the
remaining six laps despite heavy pressure from defending series champion Johnny
Greaves. It marked the fourth straight win for Douglas at Crandon, dating back
to his weekend sweep of three races in September 2006.
After a day of picking up three class wins and a controversial third place, the
AMSOIL Super Team was back on the throttle for Round 4.
Sunday – Pro-4x4
Douglas was looking for his second win of the weekend in the Pro-4x4 class. He
came out of the first turn in a tight group of five drivers, and as the pack
headed into the infamous Gravel Pit (turn 3), Douglas made a move and pushed his
AMSOIL/Kumho Ford F-150 into third. The next few laps featured nose-to-tail
racing with Douglas getting by Curt LeDuc for second. On the back stretch, LeDuc
got into the left rear tire of Douglas, causing a flat and a loss of positions.
After trying to run with the back, Douglas opted to change the tire. When he
returned he would battle for the third position but he ran out of time and
crossed the finish line in fourth by less than one truck-length.
Sunday– Pro-2wd
In
the Pro-2wd race, Oberg and Vanden Heuvel were looking to pair up on the podium
for the second straight day. Oberg shot out of the land rush start and found
himself in third behind Kevin Probst and Taylor. With Taylor and Probst
switching spots on the first lap, the top three would run in order until the
sixth when Taylor pulled off the track. Now in second, Oberg was trailed by the
Flying Dutchman, Vanden Heuvel. Vanden Heuvel would find some contact with Carl
Renezeder heading into Calamity Corner just before the finish line. While Vanden
Heuvel held his position, Renezeder received the black flag and had to pit. The
running order stayed the same for the final two laps with Oberg taking home a
second and Vanden Heuvel finishing in third.
The end of the weekend meant it was time to line up the Pro-2wd, Super Stocks and the Pro 4x4s for the Chairman’s Cup. The cup race pits all of the trucks against one another on the same track, with the Pro-2wd and the Super Stocks getting more than a full straightaway head start.
Oberg started on the pole and took the early lead. Vanden Heuvel was bunched up on the LeMan's start but was in the top five and moving towards the front. Meanwhile, Douglas roared from through turn one as the first Pro-4x4.
On the first lap, Oberg dropped back a position as Probst got around him. By then the Pro-4x4's had started picking off the Super Stocks and the rear of the Pro-2 trucks. Oberg was able to get around Probst and Douglas quickly had his Ford F-150 into second. Vanden Heuvel was then able to push past the Super Stock truck of Ben Wandahsega for third, giving the AMSOIL Super Team the first three positions.
The top running wouldn't last long after Douglas was slammed by Even Evans, bending his A-arm and causing another flat tire. With Douglas slowing, Vanden Heuvel was battling to keep the 4x4 of Renezeder behind him. The duo found their way around Douglas, who eventually pulled into the pits and called it a day.
On
the last lap, Oberg fought hard at keeping his Pro 2wd in front of the on-coming
4wd, but with a half a lap remaining, Oberg couldn't keep Renezeder behind him.
Vanden Heuvel also gave way to Kent Brascho for third. Oberg finished second and
took the honors as the first Pro-2wd to finish. Only two Pro-2wd drivers, Oberg
and Taylor, have ever won a Cup race against the Pro-4x4's. In WSORR action this season, AMSOIL-sponsored drivers have taken 14 podiums, including six wins. Oberg and Douglas will be racing at the next round of WSORR July 14-15 in Bark River, Mich. Vanden Heuvel will be racing again in September as the WSORR comes back to Crandon and will then return to racing in CORR later that month.
AMSOIL Battles the Heat at Budds Creek
Three riders find top ten finishes in Maryland
Round four of the 2007 AMA
National Motocross Championship brought Team AMSOIL to the infamous Budd's Creek
Motocross Park in Budds Creek, Md. for a battle with the best and the near-100
degree heat.
AMSOIL rider Josh Grant continued his push towards the overall championship in
the Lites class. Grant battled the front of the pack in both moto's and came
away with a pair of top-five finishes. The young Californian finished fifth in
moto 1 and fourth on the second circuit for an overall fifth. Teammate Jake
Weimer returned to the top ten with a sixth and a ninth leading to his overall
seventh. Grant sits fourth in the season points race while Weimer is in eighth.
In the Motocross class, Kevin Windham continued his top-ten streak, finishing
ninth and tenth in his two moto's. The star rider finished the weekend eighth
overall and sits seventh in class points.
Team AMSOIL will be off this weekend before returning to Red Bud Track 'n Trail
in Buchanan, Mich. on June 30-July 1. AMA airs all of its races on SPEED.
AMSOIL is also the Exclusive Official Oil of the AMA Outdoor Nationals.
Dubé Dabbles in Mud,
Again
Canadian
motocrosser, field battle elements for second time this season
Marco Dube was back on the throttle for two weekends of racing as the CMRC Canadian Motocross Series headed west to the Shadow Valley Raceway in Mordin, Manitoba, and Regina, Saskatchewan.
Dube and the rest of the field battled Mother Nature in Manitoba as heavy rains made the track a muddy mess. The CMRC held the first moto on Sunday, but a rider boycott cancelled the second moto as the track was in no shape to ride.
"For Saturday's practice
the track was dry and even dusty," said Dube. "As for Sunday, believe me it was
a mud festival. The only thing I can add is that this race was the worst track,
mud-wise, of my career."
In the only moto of the weekend for the top MX1 class, Dube moved his AMSOIL/KTM
into the top ten after a slow start. While the field was unrecognizable due to
the layers of mud on the bikes, Dube maneuvered into fourth, despite falling a
few times. He finally crossed the finish line in eighth.
Dube then picked up a pair of top-five finishes at the fourth round of racing in
Regina, Saskatchewan last weekend.
Dube piloted his AMSOIL/KTM to a fifth in both moto's on Sunday. The Quebec-native finished the overall in sixth place and picked up 32 valuable points at the Moto Valley Raceway in the chase for the season championship.
For the season, Dube is fourth overall after four rounds of racing. His 104 points are just 10 away from third-place rider Mitch Cooke.
The CMRC travels to the Wild Rose Motocross Park in Calgary on July 8 for the fifth round of racing.
Rinker Bumped from Podium
in Bay City
AMSOIL driver roaring over contact
Terry Rinker started the
season a month ago with a third-place finish, ending his unbeaten streak at
seven straight. Rinker was hoping to start a new winning streak as the ChampBoat
Series headed into the annual Bay City River Roar on the Saginaw River in
Michigan.
Rinker set the pace in Saturday's qualifying, posting a blistering 33.3 seconds
around the four-pin, 1.25 mile circuit. On the pole for the first heat race,
Rinker battled Tim Seebold for the entire contest. Seebold nudged by Rinker,
leaving the defending champ in second. With the inverted second heat, Rinker
struggled to get by the field and finished sixth behind Shaun Torrente.
Rinker would have his work cut out for him in Sunday's final. Starting fifth on
the Le Man's style start, Rinker maneuvered the yellow #10 into third before the
bad luck ensued. Running strong and in podium contention, Rinker was hit from
behind by Wyatt Nelson on the 40th lap. The crash caused damage to his steering,
putting Rinker in the pits. When he returned to the race, he was a lap down. He
eventually finished eighth. It also marked the first time in three years that he
was unable to finish a full race distance.
"It was a tough day," said Rinker. "The boat is fast, maybe even faster than
last year. But you can't win when we’re playing bumper cars out there. That cost
us a podium.”
Rinker's brother, Randy, also had a top-ten finish at Bay City. Randy Rinker
started the race in tenth and was able to finish ahead of Terry in seventh.
The Rinker brothers and their AMSOIL-sponsored boats will be back on the water
August 4-5 in St. Louis, Mo.
More Top Finishes for
Smith
AMSOIL driver finding summer groove
Team AMSOIL Late Model
driver Brady Smith traveled south over the weekend to compete in a trio of UMP
Summernationals events in Illinois and Missouri. Following a rain-out on Friday
night, June 22 at the Farmer City Raceway in Farmer City, Ill, Smith invaded the
I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo for a $10,000 to win show on Saturday. Smith was
third fastest in his group during qualifying at the St. Louis area venue and
later finished second in his heat race. During the course of the 40-lap feature
event, the Solon Springs, Wis. native drove his AMSOIL machine to the front and
settled for a third-place finish behind winner Mike Marlar and runner-up Billy
Moyer.
The action then turned to the Lincoln Speedway in Lincoln, Ill. on Sunday for a
$6,000 to win UMP Summernationals show. The Deuce timed in fourth-quickest in
his group, finished third in his heat race, and won his B-Main to gain access to
the 40-lap feature event. After starting 13th on the grid for the A-Main, Smith
was able to pass four cars en route to a respectable ninth-place performance.
“I thought it was a good weekend for our AMSOIL team,” quoted Smith this week
via telephone. “We had a real good run at Pevely on Saturday to finish third.
Then at Lincoln on Sunday, we were the highest finishing four-bar car. The track
was rough and fast and that is what those Rayburn cars love. They had a ton of
cars and considering the track conditions, a ninth-place finish wasn’t bad
there.”
A Brother’s Duel
Team
AMSOIL rock climbers face off for first time
The Colorado Spring’s XRRA event is now in the history books and it was quite an event for Team AMSOIL.
The
event marked the first time that brothers Brad and Roger Lovell raced against
one another in the same event. Brad Lovell raced first and weaved through the
timed course solo. A crash pushed the Ford Ranger down a steep rock face,
causing an electrical malfunction that affected the engine's timing, but he was
able to finish the course on time.
Roger was next and he
launched the black Alloy USA/AMSOIL Ranger onto the course.
He was pulling a great time and reached a technical sandstone climb. Unable to
make it the first time, he backed up and hit it again at full force. The
rear-end bounced up violently and snapped as soon as he landed. With a broken
locker and axle his day was over as fast as it started.
With Roger sidelined, he joined Brad's crew. The tandem was hoping they had fixed the electrical short, but the problems persisted in the second race. The Ranger once again stalled on the course. After getting the engine re-fired, Brad pushed the Ford towards the finish line, but was done-in when the truck bobbled after a jump, landed sideways and cart-wheeled through the finish line.
The crew went back to work before the third race, hoping to solve the electrical problems. Not knowing if the bug was fixed, Brad ran a conservative race, which ended up being one of the fastest times posted.
With one course left to race, the team was hoping to salvage a top-ten finish. The brothers worked in tandem to tackle the difficult course. They finished the circuit in lightning-quick time, and were surprised to realize they had ended the day with a fifth-place finish, only 11 seconds from third and more than a minute up on sixth.
"It was good racing and a huge hometown event," said Brad Lovell. "We now have two weeks to prep the FABTECH Ranger for the WE-Rock Finals in Donner, CA June 29th.” The team has a 3 point lead on the series and hopes to return with a championship.
Schwenkbeck Advances on
Sooner Run
Elite Series anglers fishes on Saturday
Team AMSOIL Elite Angler
Darrin Schwenkbeck put together three straight days of solid fishing as the
Bassmaster Elite Series drifted into Grove, Okla. for the annual Sooner Run on
Grand Lake.
Schwenkbeck, who has missed the cut all season long, put together two strong
days of fishing last week. The Varysburg, N.Y. resident took home two straight,
five-fish limits on Thursday and Friday totaling 29.5 lbs. That was good enough
to push the second-year pro into Saturday's field of the tournament’s top 50. On
Saturday, Schwenkbeck was looking to move into the top 12. While he weighed-in
with a five-fish, 12.8 lb limit, he was unable to make it into Sunday's finale.
"I put together some good days this week," said Schwenkbeck, who took home
$10,000 for his 39th-place finish. "I had a shot, but I couldn't keep the six-pounder
on the line towards the end of the day on Saturday."
The Elite Series moves closer to Schwenkbeck's hometown as the world's top pros
will be fishing in the on July 12-15.
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