he Maxxis EnduroCross takes place in Las Vegas, inside the Orleans Arena on November 18-19 and is the only Indoor Off-Road race of its kind in America. In 2005, David Knight took home the lion’s share of the $20,000 purse against the top Off-Road racers in the world. The “Knighter” returns in 2006 to take on an impressive list of riders including seven-time supercross champion Jeremy McGrath and Moose sponsored motocross legend John Dowd, who finished second behind Knight at last year’s race.
     Following the success and wide fan appeal of the two previous events, a number of companies have announced new or expanded sponsor roles for the upcoming event.


     Maxxis Tires has posted a $6,000 contingency for the qualifying round taking place November 17th, inside the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Only those Qualifier Riders running Maxxis tires will be eligible. If you are the first place rider of Friday’s qualifier round and are running Maxxis tires you will be eligible for a $3,000 cash contingency. Second place pays $2,000 and third place pays $1,000.


     Event promoter Pro-Motion Motorsports, LLC, has announced a multi-year agreement with Moose Racing to be the official riding apparel of the Maxxis EnduroCross. “We saw how exciting EnduroCross was in 2004 and signed on as a sponsor for 2005. We are now proud to announce that Moose Racing has entered a multi-year sponsor agreement that will carry us through 2008 as the official riding apparel of the Maxxis EnduroCross,” stated Brad Kruckenberg, General Manager for Moose Racing.


     FMF Racing has joined forces with the promoting organization with a multi-year sponsorship agreement. “We have kept a close eye on EnduroCross since the first race in Las Vegas back in 2004. Without question, this is one of the most exciting forms of motorcycle racing there is,” claims Donnie Emler, Jr., Marketing Director for FMF Racing. “We are very pleased to be part of this year’s event and can’t wait to see who survives the track and ends up the champion.”

     The promoters of the Maxxis EnduroCross have also announced that DirtRider magazine will once again pay out a $1,000 bonus to the winner of the Qualifier round on Friday, November 17, the day before the Maxxis EnduroCross.
     Sponsors include: Maxxis Tires, Monster Energy Drink, Moose Racing, FMF Racing, Ride Now Powersports, Alpinestars, ThumperTalk, IMS Products, Motorcycle USA, Elka Suspension, American Crew, Christini Technologies, Motorex USA, KTM, Scott USA, Yamaha, TAG, Kawasaki, Division 7, Rekluse and DirtRider.
     For more information about the event and to register for the Qualifier Round, go online to www.endurocross.com. Tickets for the event are available by calling 888-234-2334 or they may be purchased on line at www.orleansarena.com.

ake Johnson will go down in the record books as the first Ford Quality Checked Grand National Singles Champion. Johnson, the 22-year-old American Suzuki rider from Franklinville, N.J., overcame a first-turn crash to finish ninth at the final round in Springfield, Ill. on Sept. 2 to secure the title.
     The Grand National Singles Championship is a new AMA National Championship instituted this year that features single-cylinder Grand National racing motorcycles racing on short track and TT circuits. The Grand National Twins feature twin-cylinder racing machines on the bigger half-mile and mile flat tracks.
     This marks the first national title for Johnson. He won the series with a string of consistent top-10 finishes including a victory at the historic Castle Rock TT National in August. “I don’t think it’s set in yet,” Johnson said of his accomplishment. “It definitely feels good. It was a goal of mine since I started racing.”
     The championship battle came down to the final event. Johnson said he may have sprouted a few gray hairs at the Springfield Finale. His entire season flashed before his eyes when he was caught up in a first-lap, first-turn crash in the final. “Jimmy Wood and Sam Halbert went down in front of me and I hit them and went over the handlebars,” Johnson said. “While this was all going on I just had to laugh. I couldn’t believe it was happening to me.” Fortunately Johnson’s bike wasn’t damaged too badly and he was able to make the restart and cruise to the finish for the championship.
     Johnson was near the top of the standings all season. He was second in the points chase to Bryan Smith after the opening two rounds in Daytona in March. He then trailed Joe Kopp in the standings after the Springfield TT over Memorial Day weekend. Johnson finally broke through to the series lead after winning at Castle Rock in August, and held the lead the rest of the way.
     Johnson rode a Parts Unlimited-sponsored Suzuki RMZ450-based machine tuned by Ronnie Brown. He split time between a Suzuki with a flat track frame and one with the stock frame.

The day after clinching the singles title, Johnson is seen in action on a Suzuki twin on famed Springfield Mile. Matt Polito photo.

15-year old Matt Weidman continues to succeed and impress in the world of motorcycle dirt track racing. The son of the owners of Matt’s Cycle Center in upstate New York, Weidman won two more AMA Dirt Track Grand Championships this year as well as the coveted AMA Dirt Track Horizon Award for 2006 at the Amateur Nationals at DuQuoin, Illinois.


Despite his young age, Matt Weidman has the style of a Dirt Track veteran.

Matt shows off some of his recent awards. He had 6 feature class wins at the recent AMA Amateur Nationals.

arts Unlimited family is excited to announce the arrival of Isaac Ackels as the new Moose Product Specialist. Isaac graduated from Whiteoak High School in 1997 before going on to Southern State Community College where he graduated with a Marketing Degree in 2001. Isaac’s previous employment was at Clinton County Motorsports in Wilmington, Ohio where he was the Parts Manager. Some of his daily duties were to oversee sales and parts promotions along with managing store profits and productivity. As the new Moose Product Specialist, Isaac will be located in Wilmington, Ohio and will be traveling with Parts Unlimited Reps around the country educating dealers on the Moose line as well as attending Showcases and events throughout the year. When Isaac isn’t working he is out racing the AMA District 11 Enduro and Hare Scrambles Series in the 4-Stroke A class aboard a 2006 Kawasaki KX250F. Outside of the powersports industry, Isaac enjoys investing in Real Estate by purchasing rental properties.

     SBS/Ohilns has named Jeff Finup as a new Product Specialist. Finup will be traveling the country with Parts and Drag Reps while informing dealers about the latest SBS/Ohlins products. Jeff attended Mid-State Tech in Wisconsin Rapids, WI where he studied Marketing before heading down to Phoenix, AZ to attend Motorcycle Mechanics Institute. After finishing MMI, Jeff received a job with Drag Specialties as an inside sales phone rep. Jeff’s passion is motocross, Sportbikes and mini bikes. Outside of work, Jeff enjoys hunting, fishing and golf. With Jeff’s background and passion for the sport, we feel he will be a great asset to the Parts Unlimited and Drag Specialties family.

     Smith Optics is pleased to announce a new Brand Manager under the Parts Unlimited tent with the arrival of Jason “Fonzy” Fontes. Fonzy graduated from high school in 1994 from Highland High in Palmdale, California and has been involved with the motorcycle industry ever since. For eight years, he worked at N-Style in Valencia, CA where he eventually became sales manager. Some of his duties were overseeing strategic merchandising campaigns and overall sales. Fonzy most recently worked at Girlyz Clothing Co. alongside his girlfriend, Breanne Schmidt. He took over the Operations Manager position and oversaw the company’s daily operations of sales and distribution. Fontes has been involved in motocross for many years and currently rides a 2006 Honda CRF 450. Outside the powersports industry, he spends his time enjoying RC cars, riding BMX and video games.

Jeff Reid has been announced as the new Michelin Brand Manager for Parts Unlimited and Drag Specialties. Reid will be working from his Flat Rock, North Carolina residence and will be traveling with Parts and Drag Reps around the country as well as attending events all while informing dealer personnel on the latest and greatest products from Michelin. Jeff graduated from Illinois Central College with a Marketing Management Degree in 1980. His most recent employment came from the highly respected Ohlins U.S.A in Hendersonville, N.C. where he was the Automotive Division Manager. Some of his duties at Ohlins included trackside support for Champ Car, IRL and American LeMans Series. Jeff has been involved with off-road riding since the age of 10 and has accumulated six bikes, ranging from a 1972 Penton 175 Jackpiner to a 2005 KTM 625 SXC. Outside of work, Jeff enjoys restoring and collecting vintage off-road motocross bikes as well as racing them in the AHRMA series. Jeff’s 16 year-old daughter, Justine rides a KTM 125 while wife, Suzanne enjoys riding on back of the KTM 625. With Jeff’s knowledge and background in the industry, we feel Jeff will make a tremendous impact on the team.