Grant Picks Up First Pro Win
It will be a family affair for LaRocco in Indy
 Atlanta
~ Promise and potential are two words that are thrown around too
many times in the sporting world. Oftentimes the athlete never lives up
to the hype. For the AMSOIL Supercross Team, the latest round of talent
comes from a 20-year-old California kid who possesses the raw speed and
control to be one of the sport’s best young riders. After an
up-and-down rookie season, the need for consistency was ingrained into
Josh Grant. After a poor start in his first race of the 2006 season in
St. Louis, Grant finally showed the potential he promised coming out of
the amateur ranks in Atlanta last weekend.
Grant, who had crashed twice in St. Louis and finished dead last in
the Supercross Lites final, was able to hold on for a much better day of
riding in Atlanta. In his heat race, Grant had to reel in the leaders
after getting buried off the start. By the final lap, he had moved his
way through the crowd and into a transfer position. With a lap to go,
he pressured the third place rider, but ran out of real estate and
settled for fourth.
The “Lites” main event saw something rare in supercross racing.
Grant got a great start, sitting in third, but quickly moved into
second. The good start was wasted, however, after a rider crashed and
the red flag came out. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise for
Grant who proceeded to grab the holeshot on the restart. Another crash
helped Grant and Davi Milsaps separate themselves from the field.
Milsaps took over the lead from Grant about a third of the way through
the race. Grant found the opening he needed after Milsaps went down.
There was no looking back for Grant, who was on cruise control with one
lap to go. When the checkered flag came out, he took his first career
SX win in style, performing a heal-clicker over his handlebars. The win
gave Grant 25 much needed points, which moved him into fifth in the East
Supercross Series points race. Teammate Tommy Hahn, who finished fifth
in St. Louis, had trouble through out the main and finished in 20th.
Supercross Main
Mike LaRocco recently turned 35-years-old and, after 18-years as a
professional rider, hit the track for his 228th career AMA Supercross
start in Atlanta. LaRocco, who switched to the bigger Honda CRF 450
this year, has been working hard to regain the form and speed of his
youth. He was able to find some of that speed in his semi-final heat.
Historically a poor starter, LaRocco got out of the gate well in his
qualifier and settled into third after the first turn. He quickly got
around the fallen race leader and was sitting in second when the
checkered flag dropped.
When the main came around, LaRocco was hoping for another strong
start. He would not find it in Atlanta. He worked his way through the
field and finished eighth. The Rock, who at one point was sitting in
fourth place in the AMA Supercross standings, now sits in eighth overall
with 108 points.
LaRocco, who is originally from South Bend, Ind., will be racing this
weekend in Indianapolis. It will be extra special for the veteran rider
as his eight-year-old son, Ryder, will also be racing under the RCA Dome
roof. Ryder will be racing in the KTM Junior Supercross Challenge, a
three-lap race on KTM’s 50 SX Pro Senior LC mini-motorcycle. The race
features 7-8 year-olds and is held during intermission of supercross
races. LaRocco won in Indianapolis in 2004.
Eckstrom Finds Speed, Sixth Podium
Schubitzke recovers from flu, gets top five finish
 Winnipeg,
Manitoba ~ Team AMSOIL snocross riders D.J. Eckstrom and Carl Schubitzke
competed in Winnipeg, Manitoba for the first time over the weekend as
part of the World PowerSports Association’s PowerSports Tour. Both
riders found good lines as Eckstrom finished the Pro Open race in
second, while Schubitzke took fifth in the Pro Stock class.
Eckstrom entered the weekend only nine points out of first in the Pro
Stock class, but some tough breaks kept the perennial front-runner out
of the final. He did find the going a lot easier in the Pro Open class,
winning two of his three qualifying heats. Eckstrom, who is considered
one of the most consistent riders on the circuit, almost won his second
Pro Open race of the season, finishing second and ending up on the
podium in the Pro Open class for the third time this year.
“The competition is really stiff,” said Eckstrom. “We’ve really had
an up-and-down season. We’ve struggled to make finals, and we’re not the
only ones that have had difficulties. A lot of the top guys are having
trouble. It’s a long season, and we’re coming down to the last few
races, so we’ll do our best and see how it comes out.”
 Meanwhile
Schubitzke ran a strong race in the Pro Stock class, taking fifth
overall. Schubitzke was aggressive all weekend, a sign of a return to
health for the recently-ailing snocross pilot. “Showtime” failed to
make the top 10 the past two weekends as he dealt with a serious bout of
influenza.
Look for Team AMSOIL on the podium at the next World Power Sports
Association Snowmobile Tour event at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.,
March 4. The Winnipeg race will air on ESPN2 on Friday, March 3 at 2
p.m. CST.
Super Team To Invade Snocross, Lambeau
New driver Douglas introduced in Green Bay
 Green
Bay, Wis., ~ Team AMSOIL worlds will collide at Lambeau Field in
Green Bay, Wis., March 4 as the AMSOIL Super Team will be on hand while
Team AMSOIL/Scheuring Speed Sports snocross riders D.J. Eckstrom and
Carl Schubitzke fight for a spot on the podium.
AMSOIL Super Team members Dan Vanden Heuvel, Mike Oberg and newcomer
Scott Douglas will be signing autographs and spending the day with fans
and snocross racers at the WPSA event appropriately named the Lambeau
Leap.
“This is a great opportunity for snocross racing fans to discover
another sport,” said AMSOIL Racing Coordinator Jeremy Meyer. “There are
more similarities in the WPSA Snocross Tour and CORR than people
realize; high speeds, big air and tight corners make for an exciting
competition no matter what the vehicle is.”
Wanderscheid Wins Again
World champ gets two podiums
 Wausau,
Wis., ~ World Champion P.J. Wanderscheid is getting to know the
Wausau, Wis. area well this winter. The Sauk Centre, Minn. rider
returned to the 1/3 mile track for the second time this year, looking to
repeat his podium performances from the January races held in the
northern Wisconsin town. Track organizers did change things up on the
field for last weekend’s event. The track went from a flatter surface
to a high-banked oval.
Saturday brought out the 600cc class. In the final, Wanderscheid
lined up with some of the sport’s best, and a great start propelled the
Arctic Cat to a big lead. The 21-year-old ran the entire final out in
front to take home the win in the Pro Open final.
More changes had to be made to the track on Sunday. With the asphalt
surface showing through the ice the width of the track was cut in half,
making passing an unrealistic option. Again the holeshot was
important. Wanderscheid brook loose on the start of the Pro 440 final
and dropped into the first corner in third. After a large crash during
the first lap, the riders lined up again for a restart. Wanderscheid
again moved into the first corner in third, and with the tighter track
conditions, ended the race in the spot.
"Saturday the track was in good shape and the 600 was dialed-in for
the short track,” said Wanderscheid. ”On Sunday we tried to put together
the best set-up for the diminishing track conditions. We are happy to
take home a first and third. We’ll be doing some testing this week to
help us get dialed in for our second trip to Beausejour, Manitoba.”
Beausejour, Manitoba is the last race of the season and the final leg
of the Woody’s Triple Crown. Wanderscheid has a good chance to capture
both the points championships and the Triple Crown.
Jason Smith Dominates Ice Ovals
 Evans
Mills, N.Y., ~ Team AMSOIL oval ice racer Jason Smith has been tearing
up the track everywhere he goes. Last weekend Smith turned heads in
Valcourt, Quebec, Canada’s answer to the Eagle River (Wis.) World
Championships, by winning the Semi-Pro final and several heat races in
the Semi-Pro and Pro classes. This weekend Smith won every race in
Semi-Pro he entered, and finished with two runner-up’s in the Pro class.
After winning the first round of Pro races on Saturday, Smith
destroyed a clutch while leading the second race. After some last-minute
repairs, Smith finished second in the final. After winning every one of
his Semi-Pro races on Sunday, he won both rounds of pro qualifying and
finished second in the final.
Look for Smith in Roberval, Quebec March 10 and 11 at the final ice
oval event of the season. Smith is locked into first in Semi-Pro points
and hopes to secure second-place in the Pro class points race.
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.
More From Team AMSOIL
- Team AMSOIL snocross rider Kristen Liermoe had a
weekend of “almosts” last weekend. The young rider finished her
three heats at the Wisconsin regional in second place. She was able
to grab the holeshot in the final, but at the halfway point, she
came up short on a jump, causing her to lose her momentum. She was
never able to regain the lead and settled for a second place finish.
-
 Johnny
Munoz has completed the first two rounds of the Houston MX Dealers
Series. The first round was in Conroe, Texas at Three Palms Extreme
Sports Park. Munoz, who entered the weekend banged up from a bad
practice crash, finished the day eighth overall. The second round
was in Splendora, Texas at San Jacinto Cycle Park. The race turned
into a muddy adventure. Keeping his bike on two wheels, Munoz
finished the day fifth overall.
-
 Team
T Racing was at it again last weekend. Josiah Tognazzini took 8th
overall and is currently holding down the fifth spot in the points
chase with only two races left. He is currently only seven points
out of first and three from second.
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