SHS Powersports Blog

Suzuki ATV’s dominated the field this past weekend at the AMA Pro ATV Open Invitational at Steel City Raceway. It seemed as the three man Suzuki team had it going on in the form of Chad Wienen, Dustin Wimmer, and the veteran Doug Gust. The Steel City track was almost to much to handle for the ATV’s, as numerous racers took soil samples on the technical jumping sections that made up the track. It seemed as the most popular section for the racers to crash on was the uphill triple that closely followed by a double into the corner. When the gate dropped for the main event it was the #55 Suzuki of Doug Gust who would grab the holeshot and the lead for the first few laps. Chad Wienen was close on his heels while the newly crowned champ of Dustin Wimmer was stuck in the pack off the start but made his charge towards the front once in the clearing. When the checkered flag finally threw it was Chad Wienen who would hold on for the win as Dustin Wimmer put in an impressive ride for second spot and Honda pilot Josh Upperman took the third spot, edging out Doug Gust. The racing was intense over the weekend but make sure you find all of your ATV parts and accessories at SHS Powersports and stay tuned to the SHS Blog for all your updates and information.

The 2008 AMA Outdoor Motocross Series has officially concluded this past weekend as the checkers were thrown at Steel city Raceway. The highlight of the weekend was the 1-1 finish put in by Kawasaki’s James Stewart to clinch his 24 moto win streak and perfect season. Only one other rider has managed to put together an undefeated season and that was Ricky Carmichael, otherwise known as the greatest of all time. Some highlights of the Motocross Lites class over the weekend would include a 1-1 finish for Suzuki pilot Ryan Dungey, and a second place overall finish for his teammate Nico Izzi. Honda rider Jake Weimer finished out the day in third spot and on the final spot of the podium. Steel City also marked the final round of racing for the WMA nationals. Honda pilot Ashley Fiolek clinched the championship after taking the first moto win after battling with fellow Honda rider Jessica Patterson all the way till the last lap. The overall win would however go to Yamaha’s Tara Geiger who finished third in the first moto and came back in the second moto to take the win. A surprise to most, Kawasaki rider Ryan Villopoto found himself on the ground in the second moto after a disappointing first moto tangle with Nico Izzi that caused RV to DNF the opening moto. The season was full of ups and downs for most, but the Kawasaki boys put it all together to win the war. Make sure to stay tuned to the SHS Blog for updates and breaking news!

Defending AMA Supercross Champion Chad Reed is scheduled to race the last round of the outdoor series this weekend at Steel City Raceway in Delmont, PA. Freshly signed with the Rockstar Makita Suzuki factory team, Reed has not raced an outdoor national since last year at Budds Creek. Reed has chosen Steel City because he feels that the track best suits his style and the race will be a great warm up for the upcoming Motocross Des Nations where he will represent his home country of Australia. The supercross-only racer, Reed, said that if things go well with him throughout the 2009 season, he may make a return to full time racing doing both the supercross and outdoor season next year. The race this weekend at Steel City will also mark the last round of the WMA 6 race series. Right now Honda rider Ashley Fiolek has a convincing lead going into the last round, but Jessica Patterson has the momentum on her side coming off a two moto win streak at Southwick last weekend. Suzuki teammates Sarah Whitmore and Sherri Cruse currently sit third and fourth in points while Yamaha’s Tara Gieger sits 5th in points after a season full of ups and downs. Other big news in the industry comes from the Joe Gibbs Racing camp, as some of you may know the two premiere riders of Gavin Gracyk and Josh Summey are both injured. Instead of not racing the Steel city national, the team has decided to give rookies Ben Lamay and Sean Borkenhagen a chance to ride out of the JGRMX semi at the final round. The two young riders will be competing aboard the factory Yamaha YZ450f’s. There will be a lot going down this weekend at Steel City, so stay tuned to the SHS Blog for all your updates and recaps on the weekend.

When the factory teams unloaded their bikes Saturday morning at the Southwick national, a lot of the focus was surrounded by the Factory Honda Red Bull Racing team and the #154 bike. The question was, who is he? where is he from? and how did he get a spot under the factory tent? Well it turns out that Honda had a secret weapon planned out for the deep Southwick sand in the form of Belgium sand rider Marc De Reuver. De Reuver races for the Factory Honda Team in Europe for the Moto GP series. During Saturday’s timed qualifying De Reuver posted some impressive times that landed him second fastest and within a second and a half of James Stewart. In the opening moto on Sunday, the #154 Honda struggled coming out of the gate, and found himself in 25th position on the first lap. Showing some very impressive sand skills, De Reuver put on a charge and caught all the way up to 3rd position passing guys like Jeff Alessi, Cody Cooper, Matt Georke, and Tim Ferry in the process. The only two riders that got out to far was the fellow Honda teammate of Andrew Short and of course the one and only James Stewart. James has yet to lose a moto this season and now he only has two more to go until he joins Ricky Carmichael as one of the only riders to complete a perfect season. The season finale will kick off this weekend at Steele City Raceway in Delmont, PA. Though the championships are already decided, this will be the last chance riders get, to show what they got in hopes of getting a ride for 2009. This weekend will also mark the third and final stop of the Monster Energy triple crown, which James Stewart and Ryan Villopoto have won the first two rounds thus far and are likely to sweep the series. Make sure to catch all the racing this weekend as riders fight for their final spot in points and attempt to land on the podium. Make sure to check out SHS Powersports for all your motocross needs and hit up the SHS Blog for latest news and information!

Racing will resume this weekend at the well known MX338 in Southwick, MA. Since the champions are crowned in the form of James Stewart and Ryan Villopoto look for other guys in the field to hang it out and try to get a win before the season ends. Look for Honda riders Josh Grant, Blake Wharton, and Jake Weimer to be strong in the lites class as they try to run the pace of RV and Ryan Dungey aboard his Rockstar Makita Suzuki. In the Motocross class Suzuki’s Michael Byrne and Cody Cooper have been strong and consistently finishing inside the top 5 in nearly every moto, so look for both of them to turn it up and try to run with the number 7 Kawasaki. The Honda squad currently consisting of Andrew Short and Jimmy Albertson has been strong thus far as Short has consistently been taking top 3 finishes. The fields in both classes are stacked with talent, but we are going to see who has what it takes to battle the deep sand and land on the top spot of the podium this weekend. The fight for the championship may be over, but the fight for the moto win is still in effect, so make sure you stay tuned to the SHS Blog to follow up on the results of Southwick. Have a great weekend from everyone here at SHS Powersports!

For those of you paying attention to the Toyota AMA Motocross Championships, the question of who would win the title probably never crossed your mind, but the question was, when James Stewart and Ryan Villopoto would clinch it. Well it is now official that James Stewart and Ryan Villopoto are your 2008 Motocross and Motocross Lites Champions. The Kawasaki riders managed to seal the deal this weekend at Spring Creek Motocross Track in Millville, MN. Stewart managed to win both motos this past weekend in Minnesota and continues to keep the perfect season in reach with only 4 motos yet to race. Villopoto on the other hand won the first moto with ease but was defeated in moto two by the Minnesota native of Ryan Dungey aboard his factory Suzuki. Honda rider Andrew Short had a great day with second overall after a first turn crash in moto 2. It was another great weekend of racing and look for it to continue as the series heads east to the deep sand of MX338 in Southwick, MA. Make sure you stop by SHS Powersports for all your Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki needs! Stay safe and have a great week!

The long 3 week break of racing from the AMA Toyota Motocross Championships has finally come to an end. Racing will kick off this weekend at the famous Spring Creek raceway in Millville, Minnesota. The race will mark round 10 of the 12 race series and the kick off of the final three events. The event is sure to provide some great racing for the fans as the natural elevation changes and monster sand whoops will challenge even the best of riders. So far this season its been clean sailing for James Stewart and the Kawasaki crew as they have yet to lose a moto, and the racing has been similar in the lites class as Ryan Villopoto has won all but 2 motos. The Minnesota native of Ryan Dungey has been looking confident aboard his Suzuki, and coming off a win at Washougal the local boy may have a few tricks up his sleeve this weekend as he performs in front of his hometown fans. There will also be a handful of rookies jumping up from the amateur ranks to make their pro debut at Millville, a few of the heavy hitters to look for include PJ Larsen, Blake Wharton, and local boy Alex Martin. The racers are rested and ready to go, so make sure you pay attention to action this weekend at Millville. Make sure to check out SHS Powersports for all your motorsport needs and stay tuned to SHS Blog for all your updates and information!

Newly crowned AMA Supercross champion Chad Reed has recently signed with the powerful Rockstar Makita Suzuki team for the 2009 supercross season. Reed, a long time Yamaha rider, decided to make the switch over to the yellow bikes after his Yamaha contract expired. When asked about the switch, Reed has said that it was time for a change in his career, and what better of a change to make then a spot under the factory Suzuki tent of Roger DeCoster. Reed seems really excited on the deal and looks forward to the Motocross Des Nations where he will represent his home country of Australia aboard his new Suzuki. Reed also commented that if he gets back into shape he would like to race the final round of the outdoor series at Steele City. As of right now Reed is on a supercross only deal for 09′ but he has said that if things go well and he feels up to it, Chad and the team might race the outdoor series as well. If the Suzuki deal had not gone through as it did, Reed said he was planning on hanging up the boots and heading home to Australia where he would start a new career in car racing. Chad will continue to wear Thor gear, Alpinestar boots, and Scott goggles as well as use the normal team sponsors. Reed seems excited and ready to go come SX 09′, so look for great things out of him and the Suzuki squad. Stay tuned to the SHS Blog for more breaking news and inside information!

If you have ever wanted to purchase a brand new Sea-Doo watercraft but just couldn’t come up with a good enough reason to do so, well now is the time for you to take advantage of an all-star offer on an all star lineup. Right now you can get a deal of no money down, no payments, and no interest until next season on any brand new Sea-Doo personal watercraft or sport boat. Not only do you get a free season of riding, but you will also receive a 3 year limited warranty along with a $1,000 prepaid gas card with the purchase of any new personal watercraft and a $2,000 prepaid gas card with the purchase of any new sport boat! This is the perfect incentive for anyone to go and pick up their brand new Sea-Doo and surely the supply wont last. Whatever model of Sea-Doo you’re looking for, you can count on finding it at SHS Powersports, along with every Part and Accessory you need to make your watercraft fit your personal needs. There is plenty of summer left and this great offer ends soon, so make sure you get into SHS Powersports and check out all we have to offer!

It was nothing but Honda’s to sweep the podium at X Games 14 this past weekend in the Moto X racing event. When the gate dropped for the final it was Josh Hansen who grabbed the hole shot and got out to an early lead aboard his Red Bull, Troy Lee Designs Honda. Hansen was the under dog going into the event and was not even supposed to compete, yet showed everyone he has what it takes to land on the box. Behind Hansen was the legendary king of supercross Jeremy McGrath, who rode a consistent race and came out second in the end. Josh Grant was the final Honda to land on the podium with a third place finish. Grant ran second for most of the race but just couldn’t't hold up to the pressure of the king, as McGrath passed Grant towards the end of the race to take over the second position. The top 5 consisted of Josh Summey taking fourth aboard his Yamaha and Justin Brayton riding the solo KTM to a fifth. Partners in crime Jason Lawrence and Josh Hill finished in 9th and 10th aboard their Yamaha’s but had some troubles staying on two wheels. This was the first time motocross racing was part of the X Games, but the sold out crowd proved that it was a success. Stay tuned to the SHS Blog for all your inside news on the motorsports industry!