Viva la France!

Lakewood, Colo. ~ Kevin Windham has reinserted himself into the upper echelon of the Motocross world. Two weeks ago (July 24), Windham did the unthinkable in New Berlin, N.Y. at the Unadilla track. He beat Ricky Carmichael. Not an easy task since RC has only lost twice on an outdoor track in the past four years. One of those losses just happened to come against Windham.

That win might have helped K-Dub in more ways than you might think. Prior to last weekend's showdown at the Thunder Valley Race Track in Lakewood, Colo., Windham was picked to represent Team USA and race in the prestigious Motocross des Nations. K-Dub will join Carmichael and Mike Brown as the US Representatives at the September 24-25 event in Ernee, France.

With the Motocross des Nations team settled, Windham shifted his focus back to the US for round seven of the AMA Motocross Championship. After finishing runner-up at the last two events, K-Dub was looking to unseat the seemingly unbeatable Carmichael. Entering the Thunder Valley National as one of the hottest riders on the pro circuit, Windham wanted to overall win. He has been getting great starts on his Honda CRF450R, and Thunder Valley was no exception.

In the first moto, Windham was second off the line into the first turn but quickly took over the lead. The Mississippi-native was riding well, but a few laps later he relinquished the lead to a hard charging Carmichael, and that is how they finished in moto one.

click image to view photogallery

In the second moto, Windham again took the early lead, and it looked like he had an answer to RC's dominance. Leading for most of the race, Windham was pushing Carmichael to the point of frustration as RC was trying to find a way around. Windham made a slight mistake on the backside of the track, and that was the crack in the door Carmichael was looking for allowing him to pass and take the lead. Windham chased but could not retake the lead finishing second once again for the day.

"In the second moto, he just kept hounding me and hounding me until he just got by me," said Windham. "I think he had a couple better lines."

Windham liked the track and the chance to ride someplace new. "The track was good," he said. "I've been racing professionally for 11 years, and besides Glen Helen, this was the first new track I got to race on. It was a breath of fresh air."
However, Kevin did post the fastest lap time in the second moto, which serves as a confirmation of his fitness and overall lightening speed. For the third straight event, Windham finished second overall while adding some cushion to his second place overall points in the AMA Motocross Championship 250 standings.

Team AMSOIL/Chaparral/Honda will be back in action this week in Washougal, Wash. for the next round of the AMA Outdoor Nationals.

Loretta's Let's Loose

Hurricane Mills, Tenn. ~ August 1st marks the beginning of the grand spectacle known as Loretta Lynn's Amateur Nationals. The annual weeklong event is presented by AMSOIL and features the sport's top amateur riders. Former champions included Team AMSOIL standouts Kevin Windham and Josh Grant. Team AMSOIL will be represented by a number of racers this year, including: Nick Howard, Daniel and Dillon Huddleston, Rhett Urseth, Shane Bowlden, Brandee Payne and Tyler Bowers. Loretta Lynn's runs August 1-6 at the Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn.

• Saturday, August 20, 2005 2:30pm (Show)
• Tuesday, August 23, 2005 5:30pm (Repeat)
• Thursday, August, 25, 2005 12:00pm (Repeat)

• Saturday, August 27, 2005 2:30pm (Show)
• Tuesday, August 30, 2005 5:30pm (Repeat)
• Thursday, September 1, 2005 12:00pm (Repeat)

ATVA National Championships: Loretta Lynn Dirt Days

• Saturday, September 3, 2005 2:30pm (Show)
• Tuesday, September 6, 2005 5:30pm (Repeat)
• Thursday, September 8, 2005 12:00pm (Repeat)

Better Late Than Never

Superior, Wis. ~ After a long hiatus, the 2005 AMSOIL Late Model Series for WISSOTA sanctioned Late Models resumes action with two events this weekend. The racing begins Friday night as part of the annual Chuck Anderson Memorial at the ABC Raceway in Ashland, Wis. The weekend culminates on Sunday at the Proctor Speedway featuring the Twin Ports Twin 25's.
After rain canceled the first AMSOIL Late Model Series race of the year in Superior, Terry Casey of New London, Wis. captured his first ever AMSOIL Late Model Series Victory at the Hibbing Raceway on June 7, 2005. Casey started the 35-lap event from the inside of the second row and tracked early leader and three-time AMSOIL Series Champion Steve Laursen of Cumberland, Wis. for much of the event before powering past into the lead and the win.

Points Leader

	Car Number	Points
Terry Casey	42c	57
Steve Laursen	19	54
Jeff Provinzino	28	52
Caley Emerson	21E	51
Pat Doar	11	51
Bob Reed	41	50
Harry Hanson	7	47
Paul Brust	19B	47
Jeff Broking	5	47
Darrell Nelson*	44	46

* Nelson is the defending AMSOIL Late Model Series champion.

A Weekend Sweep

Solon Springs, Wis. ~ The Brady Smith Racing Team had a solid weekend with two impressive finishes. Smith finished third on Friday night at the Superior Speedway in Superior, Wis. He finished third in his heat race to gain access to the $1,500 to win main event. On Saturday, the Deuce made his way to Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis. Smith won his heat race at Cedar Lake and had an exciting battle for the lead with Jerry Redetzke in the main. On the final lap of the $2,000 to win feature, Smith took the lead from Redetzke with a slidejob in turn one. Unfortunately, Redetzke returned the favor in turns three and four and narrowly beat Smith for the win.

Heat Shield

Champaign, Ill. ~ With temperatures in the triple digits, the AMSOIL/Autumn Woods Racing Team was unfazed and dominated the weekend action in Champaign, Ill. Jeff Dedick and the General Lee finished the weekend in third, while teammate Chris Mosher and the "00" truck took the first place overall finish. "Thanks to AMSOIL's products we were able to keep the engines cool and protected from the extensive heat," said Dedick.