Title To Tampa
Kankakee, Ill. ~ It took a winless 2004 for
Terry Rinker to get motivated. The 2003 ChampBoat Series Champion
didn’t like losing, so he rekindled his passion for powerboat racing
in the off-season. He built a new boat, trained his 44-year-old body
harder than ever and rediscovered the look of a champion. After
winning three of the season’s first four races, the look was back
and he just needed to keep the boat afloat to once again be named
series champion.
The final round was scheduled for late September.
However, conflicts in San Diego pushed the ChampBoat Series finale
to Kankakee, Ill. over the Labor Day weekend. That gave the Rinker/AMSOIL
team very little time to secure the points win that they had been
holding onto all season long.
Thousands of fans lined the shorelines of the
Kankakee River for the 21st Annual American Power Boat Association’s
OPC Nationals. The championship weekend would feature a narrow,
two-pin, one-mile course. With speed the biggest factor, the
championship was up for grabs as Rinker led the series by less than
60-points when the qualifying began on Saturday.
Rinker would not breeze through the weekend as he
hoped for. After qualifying sixth on Sunday, Rinker would take to
the water on Monday morning for the warm-up session. But a
self-proclaimed “driver error” put the yellow #10 on its back. The
crash caused a massive rush to fix the damaged boat in time for the
final event. If the boat didn’t get fixed in time, Rinker would have
had to take out his back-up boat and start dead last. But the team
was able to dry out and fix the boat in time for the start.
“We worked like we were in fast forward all
morning long,” said Rinker. “We dug down hard to get the boat ready
for the water by the mid-afternoon event.”
When the final event started, Rinker was sitting
in his sixth qualifying spot and optimism was running high. The
AMSOIL-backed driver raced hard during the 50-lap feature and when
the checkered flag dropped, the Florida native had finished fifth.
That was enough to secure his second career title. Three wins and
five podiums aided rinker in the eight-race season.
“It is such a great feeling to be back on top,”
said Rinker after the race. “We had one goal this year, and that was
to win something. We didn’t care what it was, just as long as we won
something. Well we won something alright, and we did it by rolling
up our sleeves and getting our hands dirty.”
Extended Series
Crandon, Wis. ~ The Crandon International
Raceway usually marks the biggest and best the Championship Off-Road
Racing (CORR) has to offer. In the mix of all the action, the
AMSOIL/Kumho Tires “Super Team” stood out from the crowd during the
busy Labor Day weekend that brought more than 60,000 fans to the
northern Wisconsin racetrack.
Sportsman 2
Rounds 11 and 12 meant the series championship was
on the line for the Sportsman 2 class. Team AMSOIL/Kumho Tires
driver Mike Oberg was on the outside looking in. However, the
veteran driver loves the spoiler role and had the chance to shine in
front of the sport’s biggest crowd last weekend.
Oberg was the first of the three Super Team trucks
to thunder down the front straightaway on Saturday. The Eagle River,
Wis. resident led the field of 13 trucks around the famous first
corner. Oberg pushed his Dynomax Chevrolet to the front of the pack
and held on for the entire race. It marked the third win of the
season for the Oberg team and helped keep him in the fourth spot
overall.
On Sunday, Oberg would get a chance to take the
weekend sweep. The start of round 12 was déjà vu for the #280 truck.
Leading out of turn one, Oberg led the field for more than half the
race. It wasn’t until he came into contact with another driver that
he would relinquish the lead. He would battle for the lead for the
rest of the race, but when the final flag fell, he had to settle for
a second place finish. It marked the final race of the Sportsman 2
season. Oberg finished with three wins, a total of eight podiums and
a fourth overall in the class.
Oberg will be traveling to California for the two
races at the end of September and the beginning of October.
Pro-2
Dan Vanden Heuvel was itching to get back on the
podium after a disappointing weekend in Bark River, Wis. The Flying
Dutchman came rushing out of the first corner in the fifth position.
Vanden Heuvel used his veteran knowledge of the track to move
through the field and into the third spot. It was the first time in
three races that the Wisconsin native had been on the podium.
Success would be harder to find on Sunday for
Vanden Heuvel. Coming off the start, he again found himself behind
the leaders and had to work his way up to the pack from the eighth
spot. Track knowledge and a take no prisoner’s attitude moved the
Dutchman up into fourth. With his sights set on the leaders, the
unfortunate happened. Another truck plowed into Vanden Heuvel’s #77
Chevy. Heavy damage was done to the rear wheel, breaking the ring
and pinion on the rear axle. Vanden Heuvel was sidelined for the
remainder of the race, finishing the day in seventh.
Pro-4
As the Pro-4 class came to the line for Crandon’s
land rush start, the excitement grew as nine of CORR’S high
horsepower 4-wheel drive trucks got ready to blast into the first
corner. Steve McCrossan got a great start off the line until he got
sideways in the air before the first corner. The Toronto native was
able to right the truck and came around the corner in eighth. The
top eight trucks raced bumper-to-bumper for the first four laps.
McCrossan would work his way up to fourth spot. He would hold that
position for the next few laps before dropping down to sixth, his
finishing position for the 11th round.
Sunday would bring even more action to the fans in
the Pro-4 class. McCrossan would get a cleaner start to round 11,
coming out of the first turn in fourth. After a brief battle with
the fifth place truck, McCrossan would pull away and join the race
leaders. Contact would be the downfall that Sunday afternoon. After
getting bumped, the #33 truck made contact with a concrete wall,
resulting in a flat tire. After the pit stop, he was able to get
back on the track and salvage a seventh place finish.
The Pro-2 and Pro-4 season continues with four
races in the California sun. Both McCrossan and Vanden Heuvel will
be traveling to southern California at the end of September to try
and climb up in the CORR standings. The two-weekend trip marks the
first time in CORR history that point races will be held on the West
coast.
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Steve McCrossan
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Borg Warner Shootout
The last event of the weekend was the Famous Borg
Warner Automotive brawl, which puts the world’s best Pro 4, Pro 2,
and Sportsman 2 drivers against each other in a 10 lap all out race.
During Friday’s time trials for starting position,
the entire team Super Team had impressive runs. McCrossan made a
lightning fast trip around the track to secure the position of fifth
fastest truck. The Flying Dutchman was able to pull off a fast lap
quick enough to put him in the front row starting grid know as the
“Fab 5” row. Oberg blasted around the track and not only destroyed
the other Sportsman 2 times, but was the fastest two-wheel drive
truck in a time trials, also placing him in the “Fab 5” row.
When the green flag flew Vanden Heuvel and Oberg
took advantage of the head start with Vanden Heuvel shooting into
second with Oberg on his tail. After avoiding numerous accidents
McCrossan quickly worked through the field to fourth spot and stayed
there until the half way mark of the race, when two flat tires put
him on the sideline. Meanwhile, Oberg and Vanden Heuvel continued on
with the Flying Dutchman finishing third and Oberg finishing fifth
overall in the first Sportsman 2.
Champion Crowned
Crandon, Wis. ~ While the AMSOIL/Kumho
Tires Super Team had a great showing at Crandon last weekend, it was
another AMSOIL sponsored driver that was stealing the show. Ben
Wandahsega was winning championships and other titles all weekend
long. The Wandahsega Off-Road Team started the weekend strong at the
Annual Pit Crew Challenge. The three-man crew beat the second place
team by almost two full seconds in the tire-changing event on
Friday.
On Saturday, the focus returned to racing.
Wandahsega, who entered the weekend at the top of the Sportsman 2
standings, had a great start off the line during round 11. On the
verge of clinching the championship in Sportsman 2, Wandahsega
battled with AMSOIL driver Mike Oberg all race long. When the
checkered flag dropped, Wandahsega was in second, less than a half
truck length behind Oberg. It marked the tenth podium of the year
for the Wandahsega team. The strong finish wrapped up the season
championship with a 25-point lead over second place heading into
round 12.
Wandahsega didn’t even need to race on Sunday, but
the champion showed his true colors and took the starting line for
round 12. He came out of the first turn in fifth and eventually
worked his way onto the podium with a strong third place finish. His
four wins in 2005 also helped him grab the Precision Gear Sportsman
Driver of the Year Award.
Windham Battles Storm,
Carmichael
Delmont, Penn. ~ AMSOIL/Chaparral/Honda’s Kevin
Windham felt lucky just to be racing last weekend at the Steel City
National. The Mississippi native faced one of the biggest tests of
his life during the week leading up to the second to last race of
the AMA Outdoor Nationals. Windham, who lives in Centreville, Miss.,
had to deal with the harsh reality of Hurricane Katrina last week.
K-Dub and his family were able to escape harms way without much
damage, but the lingering effects the storm will have on his home
state will stay in his mind for months to come.
“I must be one of the luckiest guys around, there
was so much devastation,” said Windham. “I feel very blessed and
very lucky. The week wasn’t the best, and I didn’t get to ride as
much as I like to, but riding a motorcycle in the U.S. or anywhere
suddenly doesn’t seem that important in the wake of Katrina.”
Windham’s luck did not last long however, as he found himself on the
ground in the first turn of moto one on Sunday. Looking to keep his
long string of podium finishes alive, he picked up his Honda CRF450R
and charged through the pack, picking off rider after rider before
earning a hard fought second place finish. By the time moto two
rolled around, Windham was eager to improve upon his first moto
start. K-Dub followed series leader Ricky Carmichael’s holeshot into
the first turn and settled in behind the modern-day legend in second
position. Windham chased RC but he could not catch the newly crowned
2005 champion. So once again, Windham took home another second place
overall finish. He comfortably holds on to second place in the 250
AMA Motocross Championship standings with only Glen Helen remaining
on the 2005 outdoor schedule this coming weekend.
“When I fell in the first turn,” said Windham, “I
thought it was a great opportunity for me to have a huge challenge
in front of me. Like I didn’t already have some challenges (with the
hurricane). So I really put my head down to try to get to the podium
and I did that; and actually surpassed that with a second so I was
excited. I was a little bit of a man on a mission in that first
moto.”
Hard Luck on 125’s
Just when it looked like Josh Grant could have the storybook ending
to a great outdoor season, the injury bug bit. Grant had an
unfortunate crash while practicing at home the Thursday before Steel
City, injuring his knee. Trying to ride practice on Sunday proved
too painful, so he was forced to withdraw from the race. Now
contemplating a possible knee surgery, Grant currently sits seventh
overall in the 125-point standings.
His teammates would race on, however. In the first moto, Billy
Laninovich found himself in good position after a solid top ten
start. Unfortunately for “Lano,” he was fighting an illness that had
zapped his energy and endurance. He hung on to finish 19th in moto
one. Despite his good intentions in the second moto, the sickness
forced the young rider back to the pits early in the race, forcing
him to call it a day. Nevertheless, he finished 23rd on the day and
slipped one spot to 15th in the overall 125-point standings.
Hoping to avoid the struggles of his 125 teammates, Tommy Hahn
wanted to bring home some good news for the AMSOIL/Chaparral/Honda
team. In the first moto, Hahn earned a top five start putting him in
good position for a solid finish. He pushed his Honda CRF250R
throughout the moto but had to settle for 11th when the race ended.
In the second moto, Hahn did not get the start he wanted and was
forced to race from behind. Starting 22nd, he would have to work
through the crowded field to finish 13th. With the solid day of
racing, Hahn cracked the top ten finishing tenth for the day. His
efforts pushed him up two spots in the overall point standings, now
sitting in 13th overall in the 125 standings.
Although it was not part of the weekend results, Juaqium Rodriquez
has been picked to represent Portugal in the upcoming Motocross Des
Nations. He will be joining fellow AMSOIL/Chaparral/Honda teammate
Windham, who will be riding for the United States. With his nation’s
honor now on the line, J-rod was able to rise up to the challenge of
leading the 125 team by posting two very respectable finishes at
Steel City, finishing 12th in both motos for ninth overall on the
day. With the team-leading finish, Rodriquez moved into 22nd overall
in the 125 standings.
Picking Up Steam
Solon Springs, Wis. ~ Brady Smith had a busy Labor
Day weekend and found success at three different racetracks across
the upper Midwest. Smith was able to capture his biggest win of the
2005 season on Saturday night when he captured the $5,000 top prize
in the PolyDome WDRL Late Model Series show at the Deer Creek
Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn. Smith finished second in his heat
race and rolled off fourth for the 50-lap main event. The Wisconsin
native then battled race leader Denny Eckrich for a number of laps
before finally making the winning pass stick on lap thirty.
“The Deuce” registered two top ten finishes in his
other events over the weekend behind the wheel of his AMSOIL #2
Monte Carlo. On Thursday evening, he was in action in the annual
‘Silver 1000’ at the Proctor Speedway in Proctor, Minn. He finished
third in his heat race to earn a 12th place starting spot for the
main event. He passed six cars on the one-grooved racing surface en
route to a solid sixth place finish. His busy weekend concluded on
Sunday with another $5,000 to win WDRL event at the LaSalle Speedway
in LaSalle, Ill. Smith finished fifth in his heat race at LaSalle,
but ended up eighth at the end of 50 grueling laps.
“It was great to get into victory lane again,”
said an excited Smith. “We have been traveling a lot lately and
going to some of the bigger shows to gain some experience.
Unfortunately, when you run against the best competition in the
country at tracks you have never been to before, it is very hard to
make the shows and make any money. But, we have learned a lot about
our car and obviously it paid off last Saturday night at Deer Creek.
That was a great race between Denny (Eckrich) and myself and the
fans had to really enjoy that. I have to thank AMSOIL and all of my
sponsors for all of their support this season and we will try to
reach victory lane a few more times before this season is finished!”
Smith and the team will tackle the famed Eldora
Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio this weekend. The granddaddy of all Dirt
Late Model races takes place this Friday and Saturday at the
1/2-mile, high-banked dirt oval in west-central Ohio and Brady will
be on hand to vie for the annual ‘World 100’ crown.
More Team AMSOIL Results
