Eckstrom, Schubitzke Out Early at Winter X
High altitude, carburetion problems force AMSOIL duo
home early.
 Aspen,
Colo. ~ Team AMSOIL/Scheuring Speed Sports snocross pilots D.J.
Eckstrom and Carl Schubitzke had the desire to run well at Winter X 10
in Aspen, Colo. last weekend. What the two top riders were lacking,
however, was the power.
Thirty-two of the world’s best riders qualified for the annual ESPN
showcase. Eckstrom, who has raced at Winter X every year since 1998,
and Schubitzke lined up for Saturday’s quarterfinal heat with the hopes
of finishing in one of the top-four transfer positions. Engine
problems, however, caused both riders to finish out of the top four,
with Eckstrom taking a sixth in his heat and Schubitzke an eighth.
“A week of testing showed the sleds working flawlessly,” said team
owner Steve Scheuring. “As soon as we go on the actual track on Friday,
the sleds started to miss going through the bumps and in the air. We
tried everything we could think of to fix the problem, but when Saturday
rolled around, the sleds were still having problems in the higher
elevation.”
Eckstrom and Schubitzke will be back in action on February 11, 2006
as the World PowerSports Association heads to northern Minnesota for
round five of the PowerSports Tour. The race, which had been scheduled
for Buffalo, N.Y., was rescheduled for the Park X track in Hill City,
Minn. due to a lack of snow in up-state New York.
Eckstrom is currently in second place in the Pro Open standings and
just seven points out of first. He is also fifth in the Pro Stock
class. Schubitzke is currently 12th in Pro Stock and 14th in Pro Open.
The WPSA and Scheuring Speed Sports airs on ESPN 2. Click
Here for TV Schedule.
One Day Wonder for Wanderscheid
Warm Weather Cuts Weekend Short for Team AMSOIL
 Wausau,
Wis. ~ Fresh off his World Championship at Eagle River, PJ
Wanderscheid quickly found the podium in Benson, Minn. The three-time
world champion was looking for a strong finish at the Wausau 525
Championships in Central Wisconsin over the weekend. The weather,
however, played the role of spoiler for the entire field.
Nineteen Champ sleds were registered for the weekend of racing. The
competition heated up along with the unseasonably warm weather. After
the heat races were finished, the temperatures caused an unusual
incident, leading to the race weekend being cancelled.
“During our sixth plow break, on one of the last passes, our plow
truck hit a stress crack that had formed near the shoreline,” said one
track official. “Because the crack developed near the shore, the
pressure was not able to release so it broke completely open.”
While the ice was still 12” thick, the continuing rain forced track
officials to cancel Sunday’s racing. The finals for the Wausau 525 will
be held in Garrison, Minn. this weekend and at Beausejour, Manitoba in
March. The Garrison event is the third and final leg of the Woody’s
Triple Crown.
Mud Spoils AMSOIL Podium Party in San Francisco
LaRocco, Laninovich lose ground in season points chase
The veteran Mike LaRocco, who grew up riding
countless mud races at places like Red Bud and Baja Acres, was an early
favorite.
 San
Francisco, Calif. ~ Kevin Windham would have loved riding in San
Francisco last weekend. The last time the Team AMSOIL rider navigated a
course with that much mud (Anaheim 1, 2005), he walked away with the
win. But Windham is on the disabled list for at least another month
with a broken arm. That meant his Supercross teammate, Mike LaRocco
would have to carry the torch. LaRocco should have a leg up on the
competition on a track that wet. He grew up riding countless mud races
at track like Red Bud and Baja Acres and even finished second to Windham
at last year’s opening race in Anaheim.
LaRocco started the night off well, finishing second in his heat race
behind Ricky Carmichael. The strong finish pushed him into a good
starting spot for the main. However, when the green flag dropped,
LaRocco couldn’t find a good line through all of the mud. His usual
start-slow, finish strong style of riding didn’t help in the sloppy
conditions in San Francisco. LaRocco finished the main in 11th, the
first time he’s been out of the top 10 in 2006. He is currently in
sixth overall in the AMA Supercross standings.
Meanwhile, his Supercross Lites teammates were also busy battling the
muck. Rookie Jake Wiemer was unable to battle the bulging ruts and was
unable to qualify for the main event. Teammate Billy Laninovich, who
entered the weekend second in overall points in the Lites class, found a
fifth place finish in his heat race and secured a seventh in the final.
Laninovich is still in second place behind leader Nate Ramsey. The
AMSOIL team will be back in action this weekend for the third race of
the year at Anaheim. The race will air on a tape-delayed basis on CBS
on Sunday.
ZBROZ Returns to the Hills
Preston, Idaho ~ ZBROZ Racing is back for another year of
hillclimb racing in the Rocky Mountains. The snowmobile team consists
of Brothers Ryan, Anthony and Nate Zollinger. Last weekend ZBROZ headed
to Preston, Idaho for the first round of racing.
Friday’s qualifying went well as all three men posted great times and
smooth runs up the hill. Saturday stared with a literal bang. Ryan and
Nate both crashed and Anthony ran into sled problems. Things quickly
turned for the better after Nate won the 600 improved stock and modified
700 classes. When it came time for all of the “king” runs, Nate was
able to claim the first modified king title of 2006 in the 700 class.
Changing Seasons
If you are an AMSOIL Dealer and are 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.
Other AMSOIL Racers
- Several Team AMSOIL motocross riders took home
wins at the first round of the CMC Copperstate Classic Series at ACP
near Buckeye, Ariz. last month. Rhett Urseth won in four classes
(schoolboy, 125B, 250B and Big Bike Open) atop his Kawasaki KX250F &
KX450F.
Team Huddleston of Desert Hills, Ariz. had Dillon Huddleston
finish second in the 85cc 12-13, 2nd in 85 Open and 3rd in Supermini.
Brother Daniel rode his Kawasaki’s to three 3rd places finishes in
4-Stroke Open, 250B and Schoolboy and a fifth in 125B.
Ryan Mortenson took third in the 250 Pro class and teammate Josh
Zimbal won the 250 Beginner class. Bruce Buchanan also won the 50+
Non pro and finished second in the 40+ Amateur class.
*AMSOIL Dealer Jason Keranen and AZ-Synthetics
sponsor all of these riders.
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