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.

(more…)

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.
(more…)

Red Bull Honda’s Ashley Fiolek finally got her 2010 AMA WMX season on track in Buchanan, Michigan, over the July 4th weekend. E3 Motorcycle Spark Plugs fans cheered as the defending WMX National Champion and current series points leader Jessica Patterson battled for the lead in Moto One at the popular Red Bud MX National. DNA Shred Stix Yamaha’s Patterson tangled with a back marker late in the race giving Fiolek the cushion needed to take the win. Troy Lee Designs/Honda rider Tarah Geiger led Yamaha’s Vicki Golden to the line finishing third and fourth, respectively.

Ashely Fiolek regained her National Championship form with dominate 1-1 finishes at Red Bud MX in Round Five of the 2010 AMA WMX Championship. Photo courtesy of www.ridelust.com.

St. Augustine, FL native Fiolek gave notice to the talented WMX field in Moto Two when she grabbed the holeshot for Moto Two. Patterson wasted no time putting pressure on Fiolek early in the second race and last weekend’s podium finisher Sara Price moved her Monster Energy Drink Kawasaki into third. As the deep-rutted Red Bud MX track was taking its toll on the talented field, Patterson and Fiolek gapped the field leaving the pair to fight it out for the moto win. TLD/Honda-powered Geiger picked up her pace and moved past Price for third place on the rough Michigan motocross track.

With nothing but first place overall wins in 2010, Yamaha’s Patterson fought to keep her winning streak alive with a late moto charge on the rear wheel of Fiolek. But, the Red Bull Honda rider would show the same determination that landed her the Number One plate in ‘09 and kept Patterson behind her all the way to the checkers. Geiger brought her Honda home in third place ahead of Price and Yamaha rider Mariana Balbi who posted 5-5 finishes for fifth overall on the day. The victory moved Fiolek to 20 points behind Patterson for the series championship followed by Geiger, Golden and Price.

WMX riders have two weeks off before teams travel to Millville, Minnesota, for the July 17th showdown at the Spring Creek Motocross track. This will be Round 6 for the lady motocrossers with only three races remaining to crown the 2010 WMX National Champion. Follow all the action to the final round at Steel City Raceway in Delmont, PA, by checking WMX race results at the E3 Spark Plugs news blog and remember to install E3 Car Spark Plugs in your favorite vehicle. Our patented DiamondFire technology delivers Energy, Efficiency and Ecology to any engine including your lawn & garden equipment.
(more…)

Picturesque views and lots of action-packed off-road racing greeted fans over the weekend as Miller Motorsports Park hosted Round 7 and Round 8 of the 2010 Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series. This was the first year the off-road vehicles raced in the salt desert just west of Salt Lake City near Tooele, Utah. In Saturday’s Pro2 Unlimited class final, Lucas Oil/Tecate Ford driver Rodrigo Ampudia claimed his first ever series win and, on Sunday, E3 Truck Spark Plugs driver Kevin Probst posted a solid seventh-place finish in the Pro2 final for Round 8 of the championship.

Pro2 Unlimited driver Carl Renezeder rebounded to finish 3rd in Sunday's feature event after taking a spectacular end-over-end tumble in the Lucas Oil offroad truck on Saturday at Miller Motorsports Park outside Tooele, Utah. Photo courtesy of www.teamrenezeder.com.

Rockstar Makita’s Todd Leduc finished second to Ampudia in Round 7 of the Pro2 Unlimited off-road trucks class just ahead of former NORBA pro downhill mountain bike racer Robert Naughton. In Sunday’s final event, Leduc would again finish in the runner’s up position this time behind series points leader Rob MacCachren. AMA multi-time national MX champion Ricky Johnson brought his Red Bull truck home in third but was later disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct. Johnson’s indiscretions moved Carl Renezeder to third overall. Good luck came late in the weekend for Renezeder who flipped his Lucas Oil-sponsored truck end-over-end in Saturday’s feature.

In the Pro Lite Unlimited class on Saturday, Hart & Huntington/Rockstar truck driver Chris Brandt took the checkers ahead of Monster Energy’s veteran ace Marty Hart with Jimmy Stephensen, Jacob Person and Adam Wik rounding out the top five. On Sunday, Hart claimed the win in a battle with former X-Games freestyle gold medalist Brian Deegan. Jacob Person and Adam Wik moved up one spot each from Saturday’s round finishing third and fourth respectively. Brandt could only manage a sixth place overall in Round 8 behind Anthony Verdone.

The E3 Spark Plugs team of Kevin Probst heads to San Bernandino, California, for Round 9 and Round 10 of the Lucas Oil Off-Road Truck Series on August 7 & 8. The popular Glen Helen Raceway is always a favorite of diehard off road racing fans. Whether you’re cruising across town or testing your skills in the salt desert, E3 Car Spark Plugs with our patented DiamondFire technology offer you energy, efficiency and ecology for your ride. Remember to bookmark our website and check often for the latest results from the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series.

After winning the number one plate during his rookie supercross season aboard a 450cc factory Suzuki, Ryan Dungey disappointed some fans with his 8th place overall finish at Hangtown MX in the opening round of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship two weeks ago. In round two at Firestone MX, Dungey silenced the skeptics with impressive 1-1 moto finishes to move within eleven points of series leader Chad Reed who finished second overall on the day. Native Texan Kyle Regal was third overall after he claimed the first pro podium of his young career with a solid ride in Moto Two that saw the native Texan pass KTM’s Mike Alessi, Honda’s Brett Metcalfe and the defending MX champion Chad Reed.

AMA Women's National Champion, Ashley Fiolek hasn't let being deaf slow her progress in the sport that she loves. The Red Bull Honda rider from St. Augustine, FL, also won a Gold Medal at the 2009 X-Games. Go, girl!

The Texas heat and humidity took its toll on Honda’s rookie sensation Eli Tomac. Tomac took the lead in the both motos and it looked as though he might repeat his AMA record setting performance of round one. But, in the first moto, Tomac lost the lead to Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Christophe Pourcel on the last lap. In Moto Two, Canadian rookie Dean Wilson would pass Tomac early and appeared to have a commanding lead that might earn him his first pro MX win. But, World Champion MX rider Tyla Rattray and Yamaha’s Broc Tickle passed Wilson on the white flag lap. Pourcel captured the overall for the day with 1-5 finishes and leaves Texas with a nine-point lead in the Lights Division of Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship series.

No surprises in the women’s division as the trio from Florida claimed the podium for the second time in two races. Yamaha pro Jessica Patterson won both WMX motos, St. Augustine native Ashley Fiolek had a pair of second place finishes with Tarah Gieger bringing her Honda home in third. The 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship continues next weekend at the RockStar Energy High Point National when riders travel to Mt. Morris, PA, for round three. Don’t forget to bookmark the E3 Spark Plug website and try our patented DiamondFire motocycle spark plug in your favorite ride.

Read on for race results and championship standings.

(more…)