More Than A Name Change

Las Vegas, Nevada ~ Factory Connection, with the support of AMSOIL, was an independent team trying to bust in on the big boys when the team started in 1999.  Only Mike LaRocco would be the marquee player for the next few years before Kevin Windham jumped over from wearing yellow.  During that span, the 125cc team grew from its infant stages to a four headed monster with a perfect blend of riders that could tame either a long, winding motocross track, or challenge the field in the claustrophobic setting of Supercross.

Six years later, LaRocco has signed his final contract and only rides during the winter months.  Windham, who is approaching 30, is still one of the top riders in the world.  But he won’t be there forever.  So the Factory Connection gang is gearing towards the future.  They have refocused their effort on the 125 level.  Before his season ending injury at Steel City, Josh Grant had shown flashes of brilliance on the Honda CRF250.  Tommy Hahn battled early season injuries before finding enough lines and speed to podium at Millville.  But the team wanted more from their young guns.  So, like everyone else in the competitive world of motorcycle racing, they turned towards the amateurs.  There the found a relatively unknown hiding in the potato fields of Idaho.

The brass at Factory Connection was looking for a young, fast rider they could add to their already strong stable.  More importantly, they were looking for a kid that could handle the pressure and would show a winning attitude both on and off the track.  Jake Weimer proved to be the perfect fit.

In his debut at the U.S. Open two weeks ago, served notice.  Like most rookies, he was nervous before and during his first race.  But he quickly exorcised the butterflies from his stomach by winning his heat race on Friday night and finishing seventh in the main.  Saturday, he built on his first night success with a second in his heat and a third in the main.  That left the impressive rookie in sixth overall and just two spots behind veteran teammate Billy Laninovich.

Transworld Magazine caught up with Weimer between motos in Las Vegas.  Here is an excerpt from that interview.

Transworld: How did you go from the local level to the National level?
Jake Weimer: I don’t know. I really don’t know how I did it. I have a couple of buddies at home that ride who are decent. But really, I ride by myself. My dad is really a big part in how I got where I am, because the local races where I live are really… the competition is not very strong at all. It's not like California. It's not like back in Florida and Georgia; it's not like that at all. I mean, there are not a lot of people that ride in Idaho, there's not a lot of tracks to ride and really the only thing that saved me was my dad; just him pushing me racing the stopwatch. I went down to California when I was young and saw that those kids were fast. So I went home and worked on that. I went to a couple of Nationals and just kind of went from there. I knew what I needed to do, so I just raced the stopwatch pretty much.
 
TW: What would you say some of your strengths are in riding?
JW:  I'm definitely better at Supercross. I may not show it here at the U.S. Open just because I'm really nervous. But I think in the end I will definitely be better at Supercross. I'm not really good at riding on the edge. I kind of ride my limit, and I have a tough time making myself push over my head. I think in outdoors you need to be able to just pin it sometimes. So with Supersross I just feel a little more comfortable jumping and flowing.
 
TW: What have you learned so far in your short time with the team?
JW:  As far as the racing end goes, I learned that these guys are really good at riding offensively and going forward, but they don’t leave the door open. That's one thing that I have to work on. Obviously you can't ride defensively and offensively at the same time. I try to block my lines a little bit too good, and then I end up losing pace with the leaders. I just need to learn to keep the door shut but still hold onto the fast pace. One thing with the team is just that it's very professional. It's serious now. We have a good time and it's all fun. It's serious and during the week you put in your time and do your job. I did know that, but I guess it's just experiencing that now.

The U.S. Open of Supercross, which was held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, will air on NBC on Sunday, October 23 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. (Eastern).

Dube Grabs The Lead

Winnipeg, Ontario ~ Experience could be a deciding factor in the Canadian Arenacross Series this year.  Marco Dube is hoping his veteran knowledge and fast bike will help him grab the season points championship.  After the first two rounds, his strategy is already paying off.

After a strong showing in the qualifier, the Quebec-rider was trying to find his bearings after a crash in the whoops section.  The accident caused his rear brake pedal to malfunction, but he was still able to finish second in his 125cc race.  He would follow that up with a seventh in the 250 main.

“I felt the bike was a little under powered this weekend,” said Dube. “That’s probably because I had to race with a damaged pipe on Friday that caused too much pressure on the pistons.  Who knows?”

Dube would rebound on Saturday night after working all night and day to fix the bikes.  He jumped out with a strong race in the 125 class on Saturday, finishing second.  That moved Dube into the series points lead, despite not picking up a win this year.  In the 250 class, Dube moved into third overall after his fourth place finish on Saturday night.

Rounds five and six will be held at the Stampede Corral in Calgary November 4 & 5.

More Team AMSOIL News

• The regular season has wrapped up at Salem Speedway in Salem, Indiana.  Daryl Hadley Racing’s AMSOIL sponsored teams finished second and third in street stock points race. Driver David Bayens finished second in points and completing 100 percent of all laps. Finishing third was Scot Beeler, who picked up two wins this season.

Teammate Kyle Hadley finished fifth in the Super Late Model division, completing 99.5 percent of all laps.  He will make his third CRA Super Series on October 23 in Salem. Daryl Hadley Racing is sponsored by AMSOIL Dealer Al Loew.

• According to motocross rider Jason Baldwin, the track conditions were perfect and fast at the Mideast Interstate Harescramble Series last weekend.  Baldwin started out in fourth place in the combined four-class race that pitted 187 riders on the starting line.  He moved into first after lap one and was pushed by three of the series’ top riders for the next 30 minutes.  A crash pushed him back to fifth, but he was able finish the race after two hours in second place.  Baldwin also won the Virginia State Championship in the 450 class.  He is sponsored by AMSOIL Dealer John Coffey.
• Jake Ott of Ayr, Ontario finished second in points for the JCAR Super Series and third overall in the Mini-Car Series at Varney Speedway in Fergus, Ontario. Ott will be moving up to Street Stocks in 2006 and will be the youngest such competitor in Ontario, at just 12-years-old. Jake’s dad, Jim Ott, is an AMSOIL Dealer and supports Jake’s race efforts.