E3 Spark Plugs News

Motorcycle fans headed to Las Vegas’ Orleans Arena for the Nov. 20 finals round of the GEICO AMA EnduroCross presented by E3 Spark Plugs are in for a double treat.

Motorcycle Hall of Famer Bob "Hurricane" Hanna will be honored at the Amercian Motorcyclist Association's Legends & Champions Weekend ceremonies.

“Your ticket … might have you seated next to a former AMA off-road, road racing or motocross champion,” said Mike Karsting, VP of Events for Source Interlink Media. That’s because the American Motorcyclist Association’s Legends & Champions Weekend is slated for the same time in the same city. Top billing is the 2010 Motorcycle Hall of Fame induction Ceremony at the Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa in Las Vegas.

This year’s inductees are: Eyvind Boyesen, Don Castro, Larry Coleman, Clark Collins, David Emde, John and Rita Gregory, Bruce Ogilvie and Mitch Payton. And existing Hall of Famer Bob “Hurricane” Hannah will be honored as one of America’s greatest racing legends. At the time of his induction in 1999, Hannah held seven AMA National Championship titles and was one of just two riders in the history of AMA racing to win championships in 125 and 250cc motocross and Supercross competitions. Hanna dominated the motocross scene in the late 1970s and is credited with helping to solidify its popularity. Even after sitting out the entire 1980 season recovering after a water skiing accident on the Colorado River shattered his leg, Hannah rebounded to win another 20 national titles and represent the USA three times in the prestigious Motocross des Nations. In fact, he was a member of the victorious 1987 team that competed when the event was held in New York.

Several of the inductees are expected to drop in on the EnduroCross finals, so be on the lookout.

“It’s going to be fun to see who shows up as these guys all love a good race and there’s none better going on that weekend than GEICO AMA EnduroCross at the Orleans,” Karsting says.

E3 Spark Plugs congratulates all the 2010 Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductees and honorees for helping to make motorcycling what it is today and for inspiring future champions.

If you’re planning to attend the GEICO AMA EnduroCross finals (tickets are still available) and want to check out some of the AMA Legends & Champions Weekend festivities, visit the AMA’s website. And to get your own ride race-ready, be sure to install a set of E3 motorcycle spark plugs. See you in Vegas!

Defending champ Taddy Blazusiak got off to a fast and furious start in round five of the GEICO AMA EnduroCross Series presented by E3 Spark Plugs at Denver’s National Western Complex this weekend. But when the dust settled, it was 10-time AMA National Trials champion Geoff Aaron of KTM who would cross the finish line, taking his first win of the year and keeping his title hopes alive. Kawasaki riders Justin Soule, Colton Haaker and Kyle Redmond would take second, third and fourth places with Blazusiak taking a hard-fought, but disappointing fifth.

Geoff Aaron, round five winner of the GEICO AMA EnduroCross Series Presented by E3 Spark Plugs.

Blazusiak and Aaron both hit the tracks hard early in the day, winning their respective heat races. And Blazusiak made an aggressive start to the main event, handily winning the Girardi Wealth Management $750 Holeshot award. But things soon went downhill for the defending champ, as he fought off a quick-starting Redmond who snatched the lead for half a lap. Once Aaron caught up and took the lead, it looked as if he and Blazusiak would battle it out for the win – until a piece of debris lodged in the front brake caliber of Blazusiak’s ride, rending the brake useless and allowing

“I knew as soon as I lost my front brake that I was in trouble, Blazusiak told reporters.

Meanwhile, Aaron kept his eyes on the blocking the battles behind him and his sights on the finish line.

“I knew that Taddy was not directly behind me,” he told media just after the race. “I had a small fall and was able to remount quickly, but I knew that I didn’t have a ton of breathing room. Luckily, I kept charging while Soule and Colton kept Taddy at bay, and I was able to take the win.”

From the Podium, second-place rider Soule revealed a pre-race jab that prove his motivation for a strong round five ride: “My team manager told me that I was riding around like a girl at the last round, I I had to prove him wrong.”

Aaron no doubt will be jacked up on confidence when he revs up at the starting line of the GEICO AMA EnduroCross Championship race set for Nov. 20 in the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. But Blazusiak will show up with an intensified resolve to defend his championship title. And with both Soule and Haaker proving legitimate threats themselves, anyone’s guess who the last man standing in AMA GEICO EnduroCross Series presented by E3 Spark Plugs will be.

If you haven’t already, get your tickets for the final race in this year’s EnduroCross season. And if you want to a power and economy boost from your motorcycle, be sure to pick up a set of E3 performance spark plugs.

2010 Denver, CO EnduroCross Expert Class results:

1. Geoff Aaron KTM
2. Justin Soule Kawasaki
3. Colton Haaker Kawasaki
4. Kyle Redmond Kawasaki
5. Taddy Blazusiak KTM
6. Gary Sutherlin Kawasaki
7. Cody Webb Gas Gas
8. Cory Graffunder Husqvarna
9. Kevin Rookstool KTM
10. Jamie Lanza Kawasaki
11. Ryan Sandoval KTM

Taddy Blazusiak wins Round Two of the GEICO Powersports AMA EnduroCross Series presented by E3 Spark Plugs. Image courtesy of EnduroCross/Source Interlink.

Round Two of the 2010 GEICO Powersports AMA EnduroCross series presented by E3 Spark Plugs delivered a dramatic show this past weekend at Guthrie, OK’s Lazy E Arena. Bets were on KTM racer Mike Brown, who dominated much of the race – until the checkers flew. After an exhausting battle across the biggest track of the series, KTM teammate Taddy Blazusiak pulled out all the stops for a spectacular come-from-behind win. After also taking the series opener at Las Vegas’ Orleans Arena July 17, Blazusiak thus far has a firm grip on the championship lead.

Brown and Blazusiak traded leads throughout the event, with Brown hitting triples and scrubbing speed in the straights and Blazusiak, true to form, holding the advantage in the technical rocky turns. In fact, it was one rock in particular that ultimately took Brown out of the running for the win. Wet sand had made the river rock 180-degree turn incredibly slick and it was there that Blazusiak made the pass that stuck. Several laps later, Brown’s KTM stalled and never fired back up, saddling its rider with a disappointing DNF.

Taddy Blazusiak wins Round Two of the GEICO Powersports AMA EnduroCross Series presented by E3 Spark Plugs. Geoff Aaron (right) took second, Justin Soule (left) third. Image courtesy of EnduroCross/Source Interlink.

Brown’s exit handed second place over to GEICO Christini rider Geoff Aaron, a ten-time National Trials champ. For a moment, it looked as if he may take the win when Blazusiak nearly performed an endo across a double jump on the last lap, but held on long enough to finish first. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Justin Soule took third place, making his first podium finish in only his second main event. The turn of events pushed Soule’s Kawasaki teammate Ricky Dietrich further away from regaining his AMA EnduroCross championship. Dietrich raced despite debilitating pain from a compound fracture of his pinky toe suffered just two weeks prior. The pain and a bent shift lever on the opening lap of the main left him with a modest ninth-place finish.

Next up: Round Three of the GEICO EnduroCross series presented by E3 Spark Plugs in Indianapolis, Indiana Friday, August 27 during MotoGP weekend. Be sure to check the E3 Spark Plugs blog for all the latest racing news. And to boost your own racing performance, pick up a set of E3 Powersports Spark Plugs at one of our licensed dealers with stores online and nationwide.
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