E3 Spark Plugs News

King of the Motos must might be the toughest off-road motorcycle challenge yet. Photo by Dirt Rider Magazine.

Here at E3 Spark plugs, we’ve seen a lot of crazy off-roading excursions and competitions. But this one really got our engines racing. Last week, 21 brave, or just plain naïve riders suited up for the inaugural King of the Motos motorcycle race. When the mud stopped flying, the rocks stopped rolling and the dust settled, only six were left standing.

The grueling 65-mile race took three hours to complete and sent competitors across sand-filled washes, through largely impassible boulder fields and over massive hills throughout the Johnson Valley OHV (off-highway vehicle) terrain in Lucerne Valley, California. It’s a new addition to the Griffin King of the Hammers and it mercilessly pits the nation’s top motocross racers against rugged earth usually reserved for custom-built four-wheeled crawlers.

The inaugural King of Motos featured an invitation-only class of riders – most of whom ended having to walk their rides out of the rocks. Mechanical breakdowns or pure pain and exhaustion claimed 15 riders who braved the first-ever event that combined high-speed Baha-style desert racing with extreme terrain, including 10 miles of rocks. The no-holds-barred competition placed no performance limitations on bikes but also provided no pit support. Nor did the course include many marking, forcing riders to rely on GPS units to make sure they were heading in the right direction.

Two hours, 57 minutes and 19 seconds after the start, it would be British endurance specialist Graham Jarvis who crossed the finish line first and claimed the $10,000 prize. It was a winner-take-all event, so there were no runner-up prizes save for sheer props. So, E3 Spark Plugs sends mad props to Kyle Redman, Destry Abbott, Mike Slawson, Cody Webb and Jimmy Jarett.

Planning your own off-roading excursion? Pick up a set of E3 motorcycle spark plugs or ATV spark plugs and leave your buddies in the dust.

Chad Reed (22) leads James Stewart (7) in one of the two rivals' epic dirt battles. Each is a two-time Supercross Class champ with an eye on winning the 2012 championship.

The 2011 Supercross season proved quite the exciting ride. When the dust finally settled, it was Ryan Villopoto at the podium as the 2011 AMA Supercross Series Championship winner. So how will the 2012 season play out? E3 Spark Plugs has a few predictions.

One guess is that we’ll get quite the show from the ongoing rivalry between Australian native and two-time Supercross Class champion Chad Reed and James Stewart, also a two-time Supercross Class champion, as well as a former AMA Motocross champion and the first African American to win a major motorsports title. The two have treated fans to some of the sport’s toughest battles and neither has any plans to back down.

“James and I have a lot of respect for each other,” says Reed, who last year became an entrepreneur founding Two-Two MotorSports. “We both want to win and neither of us lets anything get in the way of that.”

No doubt Stewart shares that sentiment. But he’s also got his eye on knocking seven-time Supercross Class champ Jeremy McGrath from his title as the all-time winningest rider before moving on to four-wheel competition. McGrath currently boasts 72 supercross wins.

“My No. 1 focus is get to 73 wins, and after that, we can hit NASCAR full force,” Stewart, who makes his debut with the Joe Gibbs Racing MX Team next month, recently told USA Today. “We are definitely making steps to hopefully battling with Junior [Dale Earnhardt] and [Jimmie] Johnson. I am looking forward to it as another challenge in life. The cool part is maybe I have a chance to be great in two different sports.”

Of course, if Ryan Dungey has his say, neither Stewart nor Reed will see the champion’s podium come May 5. In just two Supercross Class competition seasons, Dungey earned respect as one of the fastest motorcycle riders on the planet and in 2010 became the second rookie in history to win the Monster Energy AMA Supercross. He came excruciatingly close to defending his title in 2011, letting it slip by a mere 10 points. This year, he joins the Red Bull KTM team.

We’re also expecting an exciting season show from Monster Energy / Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Broc Tickle, who makes his Supercross Class debut next month after an impressive five-year run in the Lites Class.

Got a prediction of your own? E3 Spark Plugs wants to hear it. Post your thoughts on our Facebook fan page. And remember to stock your bike with a set of E3 motorcycle spark plugs for a championship-worthy performance.

It’s a new year and a new opportunity to treat yourself and your car, truck or motorcycle right. E3 Spark Plugs offers its list of the top 10 New Year’s resolutions for every auto owner:

1. I will schedule two vehicle checkups this year and every year. My teeth look great to me, but my dentist no doubt can spot potential problems with my chompers that I can’t. Same goes for a well-trained mechanic and my car. Plus, having all those maintenance records gives my car a resale value boost.
2. I will check my tires and wheels. Properly inflated tires improve fuel efficiency by 3.3 percent and save me an average $.09 a gallon at the pump. Underinflated tires contributed to more than 600 fatalities and 33,000 injuries a year on America’s roadways.
3. I will check my vehicle’s fluids and keep up with scheduled fluid changes. Checking fluids is quick and easy. And changing them on schedule will save me serious repair money down the road.
4. I will not lollygag in addressing minor knocks and pings and assorted other “minor” issues. Minor problems always turn into major ones when they’re ignored. Pay a little now or a lot later.
5. I will have my brakes checked when I get my tires rotated or at the first instance of brake noise, vibration or increased stopping distance. Worn brake pads turn into damaged rotors. Again – pay a little now or a lot later. Maybe a whole lot if my brakes fail and cause a crash.
6. I will ditch those worn out wiper blades scratching rainbow-shaped notches in my windshield. I will also get rid of faced or bubbled window tint or anything else that impedes my vision. And I’ll make sure all headlights, turn signals and brake lamps are working correctly. After all, it’s not enough to see – a safe car has to be seen too.
7. I will have my vehicle’s charging and electrical systems checked once a year, every year. Being stuck in the mall parking lot with a dead battery sucks. And even if I get a jump start and get home in time to watch the game/race/rodeo, a dead battery can be just a minor symptom of a much bigger problem.
8. I will find my owner’s manual / maintenance schedule and use it. I swear I have it somewhere. And all those reminders will help me keep my car in top shape and my resale value high.
9. I will finally vacuum the beach sand out of my carpets and find that tuna sandwich my kid dropped in the back seat floorboard two weeks ago. Dirt, grime and other nasty stuff can act like sand paper, creating abrasions that can wear down my car’s upholstery and carpeting and putting a serious dent in my car’s resale value.
10. I will switch to E3 spark plugs and quit mucking up the environment. E3 car spark plugs, truck spark plugs and motorcycle spark plugs are like none other on the market, giving my ride a power boost while reducing emissions and saving me a few bucks in fuel costs.

Got any New Year’s resolution suggestions? Leave us a comment or visit the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook Fan page and post your ideas. Most of all, have a safe and happy 2001!

Cooler weather and a well-groomed track awaited the Lucas Oil AMA 250cc MX Pro riders at Steel City Raceway outside Delmont, Pennsylvania, over the Labor Day Weekend. E3 Motorcycle Spark Plugs fans lined the fence early to watch another great battle for the AMA Lites national championship. The day was overcast early, sunny late and long sleeve weather all day. Oklahoma’s Trey Canard trailed former 250cc World Champion Christophe Pourcel by 13 points coming into the eleventh round of the 2010 AMA Pro MX Lites season. But, the Frenchman came to Delmont with a spectacular win in the final moto of last week’s national at Unadilla, NY, where Pourcel put on a late charge and blasted past Canard with two laps to go.

Geico Powersports Honda rider Trey Canard celebrates his 1-1 finishes with the fans at Steel City Raceway outside Delmont, Pennsylvania, over Labor Day Weekend in the Lucas Oil 250cc Lites National Championship. He now trails Pourcel by 7 points for the 2010 outdoor national title. Photo courtesy of http://motocross.transworld.net/

Grand Marshal for this year’s Steel City National was fan favorite and former Lites national champion Timmy Ferry.  Ferry had the crowd cheering as he and his son Evan took a farewell lap aboard the #15 factory Kawasaki before the start. When the gate dropped on Moto One, Monster Engery/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s  Tyla Rattray took the lead with teammate Pourcel close behind. Honda’s Canard was riding just inside the top ten early on but would mount a charge through the pack to catch and pass Pourcel for the win. Pourcel would finish in second place in Moto One ahead of Rattray and Geico Powersports Honda rider Eli Tomac.

In Moto Two, a couple of rookie 250 Lites riders, Pro Circuit’s Dean Wilson and Honda’s Eli Tomac, blasted to the lead off the starting line. Wilson would get the better of Tomac before the end of lap one and looked to be in control of the race. Geico Powersports Honda rider Canard was running in fifth behind Yamaha’s Nico Izzi and Suzuki’s Wil Hahn. Kawasaki rider Rattray was holding off Honda’s Justin Barcia who was holding off the Kawasaki of points leader Christophe Pourcel. By mid race, Canard and Pourcel had passed Wilson and the race was on. Canard (who never bobbled) and Pourcel (who never let up) put on a show for the E3 Sparks Plugs Racing fans.

Pourcel would set the fastest lap of the race late in Moto Two but Canard was almost flawless and never gave the Kawasaki rider a chance to pass. For the last five minutes of the moto, the two championship contenders battled as though it was the last lap of the race. Each showed great respect for the other by keeping the racing very clean. As the championship contenders caught race leader Dean Wilson, Wilson showed his respect for the senior Lites riders and let both Canard and Pourcel past. You could sense the tension in the Honda camp as everyone knew Canard would need to win points over Pourcel at Steel City to have a realistic shot at the national championship in Pala, CA next weekend.

Canard’s lane choices and his ability to jump the triple later in the race allowed him to hold off Pourcel for the moto win and first overall at Delmont. Pourcel would finish in second for the moto and second for the day which helped to minimiz the damage to his point’s lead. Canard now trails Pourcel by seven points for the AMA Lucas Oil Outdoor MX championship as teams travel west this week to race the newest venue on the schedule, Pala Raceway outside San Deigo, CA. If you are looking for Pro Performance from your bike, insist upon E3 Motorcycle Spark Plugs for street bike, dirt bike or chopper. E3 delivers the Energy, Efficiency and Ecology needed for today’s high performance engines.
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Defending EnduroCross champion Taddy Blazusiak of Poland raced to a hard-fought win, opening the E3 Spark Plugs-sponsored 2010 GEICO EnduroCross Series at Las Vegas’ Orleans Arena July 17. Touted the sport’s “premier showman,” Blazusiak rode his Red Bull KTM to victory over Geoff Aaron and Cory Graffunder.

Poland's Taddy Blazusiak, winner of the 2010 GEICO EnduroCross Series' Las Vegas opener.

Ten time National Trials champ Aaron kick-started race day by setting the fastest time in the Pioneer Hot Lap, which determined the gate picks for the evening heat races. When the dust settled, Blazusiak, Graffunder and Mike Brown were awarded the best gate picks for the main event. Blazusiak wond the $750 Girardi Wealth Management holeshot award, but it proved a short-term victory when Aaron quickly passed him by. The two riders ran neck-and-neck during the first half of the race, until a mishap sent Aaron tumbling into the GEICO rock garden. That gave Blazusiak a small lead that he managed to hold for the rest of the race.

The competition for third place proved to be a nail biter. Graffunder, Brown, Justin Soule, Gary Sutherlin, Cody Webb and Kyle Redmund. Each had a shot at the podium at various times during the race, but all bets were on Webb until he crashed into the Monster water hole. Brown and Soule followed closely for fourth and fifth place, respectively.

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ricky Dietrich provided the biggest shock of the day when he crashed during the Last Chance Qualifier, knocking him from the main event. Lucas Oil rider Colton Haaker, last year’s E3 Spark Plugs Junior champion also sat out the main event on the bench.

Next up for the GEICO EnduroCross Series presented by E3 Spark Plugs, maker of the top-rated E3 motorcycle spark plugs: Round Two at Guthrie, Oklahoma’s Lazy E Arena August 14.
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