E3 Spark Plugs News

Monster Energy racer Chad Reed has retired the Number One plate for the remainder of the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Championship. The defending outdoor national champion returned home to recover from the Epstein-Barr virus. Photo courtesy of www.chadreedracing.com.

Big news came this week from the Lucas Oil AMA Pro MX Championship series as the defending outdoor national champion Chad Reed dropped out of the chase for the 2010 title.  After being diagnosed with the Epstein-Barr virus, Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Reed has decided to recover at home with his wife and their new son Tate. Reed had struggled throughout the season with chronic fatigue syndrome before falling out of the series’ top 5 in national 450cc points last week at the Millville MX.

Hondas grabbed an early lead in Moto One as Red Bull’s Andrew Short led the way over Kevin Windham and Ben Townley. Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider Ryan Dungey was charging from a lack luster start when Townley crashed hard in the whoops injuring his right shoulder and ending the day for the fast Kiwi. Dungey would manage his way through the field sailing past Windham for second place before tracking down Short for the lead. Windham would fade to ninth late in the race as Honda riders Short and Aussie Brett Metcalfe would claim second and third in Moto One.

Red Bull Honda rider Andrew Short would grab his second holeshot of the day and his eighth holeshot of the season in Moto Two of the Washougal MX National. Windham would position his 450cc Red Bike into second place as Dungey chased the pair of Honda riders up Horsepower Hill.  As the race approached the halfway point in Moto Two, Dungey stepped up the pace to pass Windham and Short for the lead. Rockstar Energy’s Tommy Hahn put on an impressive ride to third and Yamaha rider Justin Brayton rebounded from a disappointing first moto to finish fourth.

The victory at Washougal was Dungey’s seventh of the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA season giving the factory Suzuki ace a commanding 95 point lead over Short for the championship. Townley’s misfortunes would allow Metcalfe and Joe Gibbs Racing Yamaha rider Josh Grant to move past the injured Honda rider to take over third and fourth place in the points championship. Popular privateer Nicholas Wey would have his best result of the season finishing fifth overall behind a very fast Tommy Hahn. Suzuki’s Hahn turned in the fastest times of the day and seems to be recovering nicely from his own nagging injuries.

The 450cc pro riders will have two weeks off before teams head all the way across the country for Round 9 of the AMA Lucas Oil MX Pro Championship in New Berlin, New York. Don’t forget to follow the action on the E3 Spark Plugs Racing blog from the famed Unadilla MX track as the world’s top riders battle all the way to the 2010 AMA Championship. If you want peak performance and great fuel mileage from your car, truck or SUV, ask for E3 Car Spark Plugs at your favorite auto parts store. Our patented DiamondFire technology is designed to deliver Energy, Efficiency and Ecology for your ride.

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Geico Honda Powersports Trey Canard continued his winning ways in the 250cc Lites class this weekend with a dominating performance over Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Christophe Pourcel at Washougal, WA.  E3 Spark Plugs Racing fans watched as Oklahoma’s Canard roosted his way over the top of Horsepower Hill in first place of both motos and claimed his third straight victory in the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Championship. This was the 30th year that the world’s best AMA pro motocross riders carved their way through the deep loamy soil of the legendary high-speed track at the Washougal National MX Park.

Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Jake Weimer finished third in Moto One at the Washougal National letting his 250cc Pro Circuit teammates know that he's still in the points race for the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro MX Championship. Photo courtesy of www.kawasaki.com.

Championship points leader Pourcel was on damage control in the opening moto with an impressive ride through the field for a second place finish behind Canard in Moto One. As Canard took his first ever win in an opening moto, Pourcel’s Monster Energy teammates Jake Weimer and Tyla Rattray pushed each other to the finish line for third and fourth place, respectively. The other Pro Circuit Kawasaki 250cc Lites teammate, Dean Wilson, went down early in the opening moto at Washougal but recovered to finish in sixth place behind Honda rider Blake Wharton.

In Moto Two, Wilson and Canard had an old fashioned drag race to turn one as the Canadian Kawasaki rider tried to push Canard wide but the Honda ace held his line and rocketed to the top of Horsepower Hill to eventually lead every lap of both motos in the 250cc Lites class. Wilson fell victim to the field when he crashed early on during the second moto relinquishing the position to his teammate Pourcel. South African 250cc World Champion Tyla Rattray continued to show speed and consistency finishing in third ahead of Wharton and Ecuador’s Martin Davalos.

Canard’s 1-1 finishes put the Honda rider on top of the podium for the third consecutive race in a row giving the Honda ace the most overall wins this season so far in the 250cc class. With only three rounds left in the Lucas Oil AMA MX Championship, Pourcel’s points lead has slipped to only 38 points ahead of Canard. Rattray claimed the final step on the podium with a third overall on the day ahead of Wharton, Wilson and Weimer. The winner of round one at Hangtown MX, Eli Tomac, appears to be recovering from an early season case of heat exhaustion with a seventh place overall at Washougal.

The AMA pro riders have two weeks off before teams travel to the opposite coast for Round 9 of the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro MX Championship at the famed Unadilla MX track in New Berlin, New York. Don’t forget to check the E3 Spark Plugs Blog for the latest results from the hills of the Leatherneck region of central New York State and remember to ask for E3 Spark Plugs the next time you change plugs in your car, truck, motorcycle or lawn & garden equipment. Let our patented DiamondFire technology deliver Energy, Efficiency and Ecology for your favorite engine.

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