Picking Up The Pace

Des Moines, Iowa ~ Each day, a truck crosses the Canada-U.S. border every 2.5 seconds, representing roughly 45,000 trucks per day. That high volume of transporters will only be increasing over the next few months, in part to a successful Canadian who is bringing his lengthy track record to the states.

Most Americans don't recognize the name Marco Dubé and for good reason. The Quebec native has only one win in the states, a 2002 U.S. Open 4-Stroke Championship. But Dubé, who recently signed with AMSOIL, is better known in Canada. He is a two-time Canadian Motocross Champion, a five-time Canadian Arenacross Champion, and holds the record for most victories won by a Canadian amateur.

It's that success that Dubé is looking to build on in the U.S. The 27-year-old will be competing in the U.S. Arenacross series this year. Des Moines, Iowa marked the first stop for Dubé and the Montreal resident pushed the AMSOIL/Honda bike to a fourth place finish.

"You know the first race of the season, everybody is excited and going for the win," said Dubé. "And those races usually turn out in a pile-up and a big crash, and this is pretty much what happened. I had such a hard time getting out of the first corner without getting pushed off the track or just getting stuck behind somebody ...it was though."

The series heads east this weekend with a stop in Albany, N.Y. Dubé has made some adjustments to his bike and is looking for an even better showing. "This weekend I'm looking at podium."

Waiting For Winter?

Superior, Wis. ~ With the summer race season over, many race fans are anxiously waiting for the start of winter. The good news is that some regions of the United States and Canada have already seen snow. The bad news is, we still have to wait three weeks for the AMSOIL Duluth National. AMSOIL has signed on with the World Snowmobile Association to become the title sponsor of this year's event. The biggest snocross event of the year kicks off November 26 at Spirit Mountain in Duluth, Minn. The three-day event will play host to more than 40,000 spectators.

Taking part in the races are some of the top names in snocross, including Team AMSOIL racers D.J. Eckstrom and Carl Schubitzke. The AMSOIL Duluth Nationals will also host the first X-game qualifier of the year on Friday night. Duluth National qualifying begins at 11 a.m. Friday.

AMSOIL continues to be the Official Oil of the WSA, Canadian Snowcross Racing Association and Rock Maple Racing.

Missed Opportunity?

Superior, Wis. ~ In a repeat performance, the Maxxis U.S. Open will ride once again on NBC. According to Clear Channel Entertainment, the U.S. Open will re-air in its entirety on the Peacock December 12. The original airing was condensed due to the length of the Subway 500 NASCAR race from Martinsville. After reviewing overwhelming response of the viewers, NBC made the decision to re-air the U.S. Open in its entirety. The race starts at 2:30 pm (EST). Please check your local listings.

Picture Of The Week

St. Louis ~ Like a bull snorting, or steam pouring out of a locomotive, Mabry Racing shows off their high-octane power. Larry Mabry, of West Frankfort, Ill., gets his bright yellow, 1992 Z-28 Camaro fired up for a recent race. This pro-stock model is powered by a 632 Pontiac with nitrous, duel carburetors and a 400-turbo transmission. Mabry's quickest time of the year was 4.73 seconds at 150.89 MPH on a one-eighth mile track. Of course, the team counts on AMSOIL Series 2000 20W-50 Racing Oil for its high performance.