Finishing Strong

Watersmeet, Mich. ~ AMSOIL was hoping for big things when it signed P.J. Wanderscheid and his oval ice racing team to a title sponsorship last fall. An up and down year evened out with a great final weekend of racing and another championship for Team AMSOIL.

Despite temperatures ranging into the 50's, an oddity for northern Wisconsin at the beginning of March, Wanderscheid was able to plow through the slush in the Pro 440 class. He would win all of his heat races and needed at least a third place finish for the season points championship. In the final, the sled ran the best it had all season long and Wanderscheid took the checkered flag and the points title.

"With it being the last race of the season, it was important to me to finish well," said Wanderscheid. "It was really great being able to grab the win on Sunday and almost getting the win in the 600 Open class on Saturday (editor's note: He finished second to Jeff Ludwig)."

Meanwhile, the AMSOIL/Wanderscheid Racing Team had more to celebrate on Sunday. Driver Shaun Beilke finished third in the Semi-pro 440 final and first in the overall points race. He also finished in the top 10 in the Pro 440 class in his first year of riding on the senior circuit.

"I want to thank our crew and my family," said Wanderscheid. "They really gave me a lot of support this year. We added a lot of sponsors and I just wanted to say thanks to each and every one of them. They really came through for us this year."

Keeping Pace

St. Louis, Mo. ~ Team AMSOIL/Chaparall/Honda rider Kevin Windham may have the best view of the epic championship battle between Ricky Carmichael and Chad Reed in this year's AMA Supercross Series. That's because Windham usually finds himself right behind the dueling duo during race weekends. Since his round one victory in Anaheim, Windham has one second and four third place finishes, meaning he sees the battle unfold right before his eyes every weekend.

Windham continued his quest for a championship with a second straight podium in St. Louis last weekend. K-Dub had a great start in the qualifiers, coming out of the gates in second place. He held on and battled Chad Reed but couldn't quite make the pass and ended up charging through to the main event with a second place. From the beginning of the main event, the Mississippi native rode hard and consistent. He started out in fifth and by the fourth lap had made his way up to third. He quickly closed the gap on Reed but was unable to make a pass and eventual fell of the pace as he settled into third for the remainder of the race.

"I was fighting the whoops a little bit," said Windham, "and I just made a couple of little bobbles. That's all it took for (Reed) to open up and once he did, I just kidda wound up in my own little race."

Injuries have slowed Windham down after a crash during round five in Anaheim. But the Mississippi native describes himself as fully healed and is encouraged by his strong performance in St. Louis.

"I felt pretty good about my riding tonight and it's a step in the right direction," said Windham during his podium interview. "I got a third last weekend and those two guys (Reed and Carmichael) just blew me away. But tonight was a successful ride and gets me going in the right direction."

With his finish, Windham maintains his third place standing in the THQ AMA Supercross Championship race behind series leader Carmichael and Reed.

Windham's teammate, Mike La Rocco, headed into St. Louis coming off a fifth place finish in Atlanta with hopes of getting back on the podium. His qualifying round looked great as he had an amazing start and stayed right up front behind Ricky Carmichael before the defending outdoor champion opened up a 12 second lead. LaRocco ended up going to the final with a second place finish. During the main event, he started out in fifth and stayed consistent until his front end slid out going into a corner and took a fall. Consequently he had a few riders make a pass on him as he fell back into eighth. From there he rode hard to make up the lost places and finished seventh for the evening. LaRocco is currently in fourth in the overall standings.

Top Five Finish

St. Louis, MO ~ After experiencing tough luck in Atlanta, Joaquim Rodrigues was determined to make up for last week's misfortunes. The Portugal native's heat race was just a pre-sequel to what he was about to bring to the main event. Coming out of the gates in fourth, he rode solidly and held on to that spot to qualify for the main event. He started the final in sixth but fell back a few places and didn't make much progress until the eighth lap when he started moving his way up through the pack. He moved into fourth and locked it down for the last seven laps. With his finish Rodrigues moves up to eight in the 125cc East Coast THQ Supercross Championship.

Taking part in only his third supercross race as a professional, Josh Grant still is collecting the confidence that most experienced riders already have. During his heat race, Grant had a bad start, as he was involved in a first turn pile up. Unable to make up the necessary positions he turned his sights to the LCQ where he would qualify to the finals. Going into the main event Grant had another bad start. Coming from last place he worked his way up through the pack to finish 13th. He currently sits in 11th in the 125cc East Coast THQ Supercross Championship.

Be sure to catch the AMSOIL/Chaparral/Honda team in Daytona Beach, Fla. this Friday with same day coverage on the SPEED Channel @ 11 p.m. EST.

Hillclimb or Snocross?

Hill City, Minn. ~ The World Snowmobile Association returned to its roots last weekend. Tiny Hill City, Minn. is considered the sport's birth place, and the track offered a perfect blend of old and new for Team AMSOIL/Scheuring Speed Sports.

The old comes in the form of D.J. Eckstrom. Although the Duluth, Minn. native is only 24 years old, he is a seven year veteran of Scheuring Speed Sports and WSA racing. Going into the weekend, Eckstrom sat in second place in the Pro Open standings behind Steve Martin. With only two national events to go, Hill City proved an important stop in the championship race.

Joining Eckstrom in Hill City was a fresh face to Team AMSOIL. Veteran Mike Schultz made is debut with Scheuring Speed Sports, replacing the spot left open when Carl Schubitzke broke his arm. Schultz, who ran most of the season on the East Coast in the Rock Maple Racing circuit, branded the number five sled for Team AMSOIL.

But Eckstrom was the show this weekend. On Saturday, he would start the day out on a high note with a win in the first round of Pro Stock qualifying. But things would quickly change during the first found of the Pro Open qualifying when Eckstrom had to settle for a fifth place finish.

Sunday would bring new hope and warmer temperatures. With t-shirts being a more common site than winter jackets, the weather saw temps reach well into the 50's. But the big track held up nicely and the racing was just as fast as any other track on the circuit. Eckstrom would continue to run well in the Pro Stock qualifiers, taking another first and a second to be the number two qualifier behind points leader T.J. Gulla. Schultz would also live up to his fast rider billing, propelling his Polaris IQ to a fourth place and a pair of thirds in the qualifying heats.

The Pro Stock final would really showcase the speed of Eckstrom. He settled into the front of the pack and powered his ride up the hills of the old Quadna Ski Resort. Robbie Malinoski was able to get out in front of the pack, leaving Eckstrom and Gulla to battle for the number two spot. By the time the checkered flag had dropped, Eckstrom was on the podium, but it was behind Gulla. Eckstrom sits third in the overall standings.

Schultz, meanwhile, showed good speed in the long, up-hill straight-aways and was on the throttle all weekend long. He finished 11th in the Pro Stock final.

A lot of pressure was on Team AMSOIL to succeed in Sunday's Pro Open final. Eckstrom tied for the top qualifier with Carl Kuster, but Kuster won the coin flip and was awarded the top spot. Schultz was the fifth qualifier after winning a heat race and finishing second to Eckstrom in round two.

During the final, both Eckstrom and Schultz came out of the first turn in the top five, with Steve Martin leading the way. Martin would guide his Ski Doo to a four-plus second lead over Eckstrom, while Shultz battled with Malinoski for third. Eckstrom had his sights on Martin, and during lap five, he got his chance. Coming down the first hill, Martin got loose in the bumps and fell off his sled. By the time he recovered, Eckstrom had taken the lead, with Schultz right behind him. Eckstrom would extend his lead to about seven seconds. But the bad luck continued for Team AMSOIL.

Schultz was battling for position with Malinoski when the two collided in turn five. Both riders were thrown from their sleds and dropped to the middle of the pack. Eckstrom was still leading the field, but with less than two laps to go, an exhaust pipe broke causing the sled to lose power on the up-hill straight-aways. It didn't take long for the rest of the field to catch up, and before you knew it, Eckstrom had been passed by former teammate Justin Tate, Shaun Crapo and Martin. When the checkered flag dropped, Eckstrom was off the podium and in fourth place.

Eckstrom sits 20 points behind Martin for the overall poin's championship (491 to 471). A strong final weekend of racing could propel Eckstrom to the points championship. The last event of the season will be held in Lake Geneva, Wis. March 18-20. Each Sunday, you can catch all of the WSA action on the Speed Channel. Check local listings for times.

Picture of the Week

A Welcomed Sight Hill City, Minn. ~ A horrible crash at the WSA race in Shakopee in January put Bobby LePage in critical condition at a Twin Cities' hospital. Another rider landed his sled on top of LePage at the Canterbury event. The accident led to an eventual coma for the talented young rider. This picture was taken at the WSA event last weekend in Hill City. Bobby took time to thank everyone who had supported him through his ordeal. AMSOIL has had a long relationship with the LePage family, which lives throughout northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. AMSOIL wishes Bobby the best and a full and healthy recovery.