Back In The Mix

Pontiac, Mich. ~ With only three weekends left in the 2005 AMA Supercross season theAMSOIL/Chaparral/Honda team was looking for better results heading into the April 9 event in Pontiac, Mich. They had been podium-less for almost a month since a third place finish by Kevin Windham in Daytona, Fla. Things would change for the better in front of 51,000 fans at the Silverdome, and new a tone was set for the AMA Outdoor Nationals that start at the end of May.

Windham, who sits third overall in the Supercross standings, may have turned in his best weekend of riding since the series opener in Anaheim back in January. "K-Dub" started the weekend off on the right foot by grabbing the Butterfinger holeshot in his heat race. The qualifier would prove his intentions of competing with frontrunners Ricky Carmichael and Chad Reed. During his heat, Windham rode extremely well, leading the race from start to finish, one spot ahead of Reed.

"My whole set-up tonight is just on fire," said Windham after his heat race. "It takes a lot to get up here (on the podium). It's beenlong over due for me and it feels great tonight."

In the main, Windham looked even stronger. He again took the holeshot away from Carmichael, Reed and James "Bubba" Stewart. For the first 16 laps of the 20-lap final the Mississippi native would lead the talented field before running into lap traffic. This gave Reed and Carmichael an opening to pass. Despite the small misfortune, Windham finished the race on the podium by taking third. He remains third in the point standings in the 250cc THQ AMA Supercross Series.

"Halfway through the main I messed up the rhythm section," said Windham. "And these guys really sneaked up on me. I tried to hold on to it (first place) and kept Chad at bay for a couple of laps. We had some great racing for the fans and finally they (Reed and Carmichael) got by, but I'm pleased with my third place."

"It felt great (grabbing the hole shot)," said Windham after the main. "My Honda was working great today. It feels great. It's been a while and it was nice to give these guys (Reed and Carmichael) a view of the back of my AMSOIL Honda 450 for a few laps."

Windham's teammate, Mike La Rocco, also rode hard this weekend. LaRocco qualified for themain event with a sixth in his heat race. In the final, he started out in sixth but quickly made up a spot taking him to fifth. His consistent riding kept him in that spot for the remaining 17 laps. "Rock" sits in fourth in the 250cc Series point's race.

In the 125cc class, Team AMSOIL/Chaparral/Honda bounced back from a disappointing weekend in Dallas. Coming off an injury that happened in Orlando, Fla., Juaqium Rodrigues worked his way back onto the track with a podium finish. In his first heat race, the Portugal native battled to an eighth place finish, good enough to advance to the final.

"Orlando was a very poor race for me," said Rodrigues. "I had a real bad crash and had to go to the hospital for a few days. But I made it through it and everything worked out."
In the main, Juaqium was determined to ride a great race. He quickly jumped into the lead by passing holeshot winner Kelly Smith. He led the first three laps but was passed by Josh Hansen. With just a few turns to go, the first year rider was passed for second by Davi Millsaps. The third place finish was Rodrigues' first podium of the year. He jumps up a spot to ninth overall in the East Coast THQ AMA Supercross standing points.

"It was my last shot (of the season) and I did it," said Rodrigues.
Meanwhile, teammate Josh Grant had another strong weekend of riding. The rookie finished third in his heat race to advance to the main. Unfortunately the final got off to a bad start as he found himself behind the pack in 14th. He continued to push his Honda and eventually made his way up the pack, finishing in ninth. Grant sits eighth overall East Coast THQ AMA Supercross Series standing points.

The AMA Supercross Series moves backs to the West Coast for two races before the season finale in Las Vegas on May 7, 2005. The AMSOIL/Chaparral/Honda team will be in Seattle, Wash. next Saturday, April 17. This year's races receive two hours of next day coverage on ESPN2. Be sure to check your listings for show times.
If you would like to check out the Seattle Supercross track being built on a live feed, please check out mms://colostream1.vulcan.com/seahawks01.

Holed Up For Jackson

Pocatello, Idaho ~ Another three-day race weekend is behind the Zollinger brothers. Ryan,Anthony and Nate found themselves in Pacatello, Idaho for the annual "The Rock" Hill Climb. The race is a fan favorite on the circuit due to its level of difficulty, steep terrain and very rough conditions.

In the 700 Mod class, Anthony recaptured the checkered flag after being shutout from a podium spot last weekend. In the Open Mod class Anthony again struck gold with his top finish, and Nate was standing next to him on the podium with a second.

Nathan, Anthony and Ryan are the top three point getters in the 700 Mod class. In the 800 Mod class, Anthony has returned to the top 10 and currently sits in eighth. Anthony also jumped up to second in Open Mod with Ryan moving up to eighth.

ZBROZ Racing will be at the Antelope Butte Hillclimb event in Greybull, Wyo. this weekend.

A Little Spring Testing

Colorado Springs, Colo. ~ It is a rock climber's biggest obstacle, besides the rocks, of course. Rain and mud can make a weekend of carefully tumbling over rocks into a slippery slope. That's exactly what faced the AMSOIL/Lovell Rock Climbing team at the first United Rock Crawlers and Off-Road Challenge (UROC) event of 2005 last weekend.

The weather was described as nasty and the courses were soaking wet. Rain clouds filled the skyand water filled the man made rock course in Colorado Springs, creating mud bogs at the base of every climb. Moisture also played havoc on traction and disrupted electronics, humbling even the most experienced teams. But when the clouds broke and the sun peaked through, it was the Lovell Brothers that were beaming on the podium.

"We had a lot to prove at this event," said Roger Lovell. "Everyone was questioning whether or not we could maintain our consistency from last year."

Day one brought a little bit of off-season rust for brothers Brad and Roger. Their truck knocked over several cones, some, they admit, that could have been avoided. But they ended the day battling for top honors in the Modified Class.

"Even though we didn't do as well as we hoped on Friday, we both realized that the Ranger was holding up and we were competitive," said Brad. "I felt really confident going into the second day."

That confidence paid off and the team had a remarkable Saturday. With Roger's coaching, Brad blasted over the infamous Matterhorn, gaining ground on the lead with a -17 score.

"I heard Roger yelling and I couldn't see a thing," recalled Bard. "I finally felt the front tires lock over the top and I went crazy. I didn't care about going down because at that point I knew we would finish. It was the highlight of the event!"

The Lovell's entered the last course with a -12 point lead. The only problem was two conesthatwere unavoidable due to the mud and degradation of the course. The only hope for a win was a nearly vertical bonus climb that had only been conquered by two teams.

"Our plan was to take penalties, get through quick, and get that bonus," said Roger. "We had 1:30 on the clock and got about five shots at it."

Brad had several near rolls before time eventually expired. Overall, the Lovell's were pleased with their second, especially since they eclipsed third place by almost 60 points.

"We have a hot vehicle and a lot of confidence, it's going to be a great season, said Brad."

The team will be back in action on May 12-14. This time they hope to ditch the rain as they head to the desert climate
of Phoenix, Ariz. The three-day event will be held at Firebird Raceways.

Picture of the Week

A little help here, guys! There's one rule that you need to follow when you decide to go water skipping with your favorite toy. At least this guy won't have to don the scuba gear to fish out his ride. But do you really think his buddies brought a towrope long enough to tow him out of this mini lake? Ahh, the signs of spring.