E3 Spark Plugs News

Round 14 of the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series presented by GEICO Powersports and sponsored by E3 Spark Plugs offered up plenty of action from crushing rolls to dizzying spinouts to a bit of a fire show in the Pro 4 Unlimited. As dust and smoke flew, fans cheered as Adrian Cenni landed his first win since Round 10. But Rick Huseman’s fans cheered just as loud. His third-place finish in the #36 Traxxas/Monster Energy Toyota scored him more than enough points to secure his first Lucas Oil Off-Road championship.

A shot from Round 14 of the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series presented by GEICO Powersports and sponsored by E3 Spark Plugs.

The Pro 4 Unlimited revved up with Jerry Daugherty in the #23 Magnaflow/Racin’ Dirty Chevrolet and Kyle LeDuc in the #99 Rockstar/Makita Ford in front. By the end of lap one, Daugherty still held the lead, but soon gave it up when he rolled into the hot pits with an unknown issue. Next, Mike Johnson provided a bit of a fire show when his truck caught flames. A stuntman by trade, Johnson made a quick escape and drivers stopped while emergency crews cleared the track. By then, it was Huseman in the lead, followed by Carl Renezeder, Cenni, John Harrah and Kyle LeDuc. Harrah and Leduc battled it out trying to get ahead, with Harrah spilling Leduc nearing turn three, shredding LeDuc’s left rear tire. Harrah got a bit of comeuppance when he rolled his own truck just two turns later. Trouble hit Huseman when he split his rear driveshaft, forcing him to finish the race with only front wheel drive and significantly less speed.

In the day’s most gut-wrenching turn of events, defending champ Renezeder passed the white flag, only to see his truck slow down and begin puffing out smoke and steam in turn eight of the final lap with the finish line in sight – a cruel twist for the reigning champion. The race finished with Cenni crossing the finish line first, followed by Travis Coyne, Huseman, Harrah and Josh Merrell, who struggled nearly the entire race with only rear wheel drive.

E3 Spark Plugs congratulates Cenni, Huseman and all the other winners of the day. Visit the Lucas Oil Off-Road website for full results of the day’s races and to purchase your tickets for Round 15 December 11 and the season-ending Lucas Oil Challenge Cup December 12 at Firebird Raceway in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, AZ. Meanwhile, get your truck in racing shape with E3 truck spark plugs – the best high performance spark plugs on the market.

Round 13 of the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series presented by Geico Powersports and co-sponsored by E3 Spark Plugs was a thrill-a-minute for fans, racers and one very special kid. In the midst of all the hard-fought competition on the tracks, 15-year-old Baydon Yundt enjoyed the experience of a lifetime thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a nonprofit organization that grants the wishes of kids with life-threatening medical conditions. Yundt’s wish was to meet X-Games champ and Metal Mulisha founder Brian Deegan. Not only did he get to meet Deegan, who raced in the Pro Lite Unlimited, but Deegan agreed to give Yount a ride-along on Friday. And it was Yundt who waved the green flag in both of the weekend’s Pro Lite Unlimited Races while his family enjoyed the view from the Lucas Oil VIP area and went back home to Monkton, Ontario, Canada with a bountiful booty of Metal Mulisha gear. E3 Spark Plugs gives props to Deegan and best wishes to Yundt and his family.

The full day of races proved a great one for racing. Blue skies, sunshine and a light breeze made it a comfortable one for all and the racers were on top of their game. The Pro 4 Unlimited provided particularly exciting, opening with a Jumbo Tron video production of “Deegan vs. Deegan.” The race began with Kyle LeDuc, Mike Johnson, defending points champion Carl Renezeder and Adrian Cenni leading, respectively. But that lineup got significantly shuffled by lap three with Johnson hitting the leading edge of the outside K rail and dropping to last place in turn one and Renezeder falling to last with a half spin in turn four. Cenni rolled his truck in turn four, prompting a full course yellow, but quickly re-fired his truck and got back onto the tracks. Shortly after, LeDuc’s rear suspension broke as he landed off a jump out of turn one, sidelining him for the rest of the day. When the smoke and dust cleared, it was Rick Huseman who crossed the finish line first, bumping him up to a total of 631 points and a 77-point lead for the season championship.

The Pro Lite Unlimited provided some on-track fireworks as well with a panel-crushing train of contact involving Marty Hart, Matt Loiodice, Jimmy Stephensen, Corey Sisler and Chris Brandt followed by a rollover in turn four by Loiodice. The last lap of the race was a battle between hart and Brian Deegan, but it was Deegan who was ahead at turn six when racers were forced in line while track officials cleared Aaron Daugherty’s rollover. The race ended under yellow with Deegan taking the win. Hart finished second, but closed the margin to points leader Brandt from 17 points to nine points with Deegan 30 points out and Loiodice 10 behind.

Visit LucasOilOffRoad.com for full results and check the E3 Spark Plugs blog for a recap of Round 14 coming soon.

E3 Motorcycle Spark Plugs fans salute Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider Ryan Dungey on setting yet another AMA Lucas Oil MX Pro National record. The cream of the 450cc crop throughout 2010 became the first rookie motocross racer in history to win 10 of the 12 championship rounds. Week after week, Dungey defeated the world’s best riders in the world’s most prestigious motocross championship. He certainly left little doubt that he is currently the “Best of the Best” by winning the final national at Pala MX Raceway Park outside San Diego, CA, this past weekend.

Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey claimed another AMA Lucas Oil MX Pro record becoming the first rookie in series history to win 10 rounds in the same National Championship season. Photo courtesy of www.ryandungey.com

Red Bull Honda rider Andrew Short is always a sure bet for the holeshot at the start of any AMA national. Once again, it was Short out front early with Yamaha/MotoConcepts rider Ryan Sipes in second ahead of Dungey and Honda’s Brett Metcalfe. Once again, Dungey would twist the throttle and take the lead. Metcalfe would protect his second place in the 450cc point’s championship by passing Short later in Moto One dropping the Red Bull Honda rider to third. Sipes would hold on to fourth after battling with an aggressive young Texan, Kyle Regal.

The start of Moto Two was “almost a surprise” in that Short was outraced through the first corner by a determined Brett Metcalfe. The Aussie has often had the speed this season at the start and the finish but hasn’t always stayed upright during the middle of the moto. Short would stay in the chase but both he and Metcalfe would watch Dungey pull away, yet again. Several factory teams have brought in former World Champions (even Yamaha’s Bubba Stewart) to challenge Dungey’s dominance but the Rockstar Makita rider has shown them all the backside of his Suzuki.

Dungey would cruise home for the win leaving the pair of Honda riders to battle amongst themselves for second on the day and second place in the AMA Lucas Oil 450cc national points standing. Although Short would pass Metcalfe, the Geico Powersports rider would finish third ahead of fellow Aussie, Ben Townley. Yamaha riders Kyle Chisholm and Ryan Sipes would finish fifth and sixth respectively. Metcalfe’s third overall at Pala allowed the Honda rider to maintain a 3-point lead for second place in the 450cc MX national championship.

Dungey’s historic win put the crowning touches on what was the most surprising 450cc outdoor MX national season in years. Suzuki’s Dungey will join fellow American racers Trey Canard (Geico Powersports Honda) and Andrew Short (Red Bull Honda) as the United States team tries to sweep the Trophy Des Nations at Lakewood MX in Denver, CO, in two weeks. If you are looking for a winning combination for your car, truck or motorcycle engine, insist upon E3 car spark plugs as an eco-friendly option for your favorite ride. Our patented DiamondFire Technology will deliver the Energy, Efficiency and Ecology that you need.

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The AMA Lucas Oil Pro MX Championship traveled to the leatherneck country of central New York State over the weekend for the 450cc MX pro national championship. Perfect weather. . HOT and perfect track conditions . . ROUGH awaited a world-class field of challengers for Round 9 of the 2010 season at the famed Unadilla motocross track. For the last 40 years, the same classic layout, has played host to the greatest outdoor motocross racers to ever race a dirt bike. This weekend was no exception and many had predicted this would be the best outdoor motocross race of the series.

Belgian Clement Desalle (riding for Rockstar Teka Suzuki) finished 2-2 for second overall at Unadilla in his only appearance at the Lucas Oil AMA MX Pro series. Desalle is currently second in points for the World Championship chase. (Photo Courtesy of Suzuki Racing.)

E3 Car Spark Plugs racing fans know that a rookie 450cc motocross racer is never supposed to win both the AMA MX Pro Championship and the AMA Supercross Championship in their maiden season. In fact, it has never happened in the history of professional motocross. Plus, the decked was stacked against Rockstar Makita’s Ryan Dungey. After all, San Manuel Yamaha rider James “Bubba” Stewart was making his return to outdoor motocross after a two-year hiatus. Plus, Belgium’s Clement Desalle, currently second in the World Grand Prix MX Championship, was scheduled to race in his only 450cc AMA motocross event of the season.

In Friday’s practice, Stewart let everyone know that he hasn’t lost any of his speed by clocking the fastest lap times of the day. But, in Saturday’s opening moto, Bubba’s timing was a tick off. After working his way around Red Bull Honda’s Andrew Short for second place, Stewart went down and had to work his way back through a talented field of the world’s best riders. Desalle had a solid ride and would finish in second. Late in the race, Stewart had passed the Belgian but crashed a second time and had to settle for third. Once again, somebody forgot to tell Ryan Dungey he was not supposed to win. So, he did.

The stage was set for Moto Two and neither Desalle nor Dungey would disappoint the Unadilla fans. At the start, It was yellow bikes out front and Stewart’s Yamaha was buried somewhere in the middle of the 40-rider field. A few laps later, Bubba would pull off the track and call it a day. Meanwhile, Desalle and Dungey put on a show. Desalle was in the lead and had been running the fastest lap times of the day, when Dungey picked up the pace and passed his Suzuki teammate. At the checkered flag, it would be Dungey’s win with Desalle in second. Geico Powersports’s Brett Metcalfe and Red Bull’s Kevin Windham would work past Andrew Short for third and fourth place finishes. Short would cross the line in fifth.

The win was Dungey’s eighth in a row and allowed “the rookie” to extend his point’s lead in the Lucas Oil AMA 450cc MX national championship series to triple digits. The teams will have two weeks off and a little time to regroup before heading to Massachusetts for Round 10 of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro MX Championship at the famed Southwick Moto-X 338 track. Don’t forget to follow your favorite rider on the E3 Spark Plugs Racing blog and, for peak performance from your bike, always ask for E3 Motorcycle Spark Plugs. Our patented DiamondFire technology is designed to deliver Energy, Efficiency and Ecology for all of your engines.
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