San Diego, CA – Multi-time Sports Car Club of America Solo Champion Jeff Kiesel, of Poway, Calif., has been named the latest SCCA Star Performer, as revealed in the ESPN3.com and ABC broadcasts of the American Le Mans Series Presented by Tequila Patron Baltimore Grand Prix.

Kiesel earned his first-ever Gumout Super Challenge win on Sunday, Aug. 28, topping the 260-car field at the Tire Rack SCCA ProSolo Finale in Lincoln, Neb. Less than a week later, Kiesel earned his sixth SCCA National Championship at the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships driving his E Modified rotary turbocharged Austin-Healey Sprite.

As part of its relationship with the American Le Mans Series Presented by Tequila Patron, one SCCA member will be announced as the Star Performer during each ALMS series broadcast. Past winners include Robert Thorne, Chip Van Vurst, Scott Rettich, Ron Sharp, and, now, Jeff Kiesel. The next SCCA Star Performer will be announced during the broadcast from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Sunday, Sept. 18.

Kiesel’s turbo Sprite is lubed with Maxima Performance Auto lubricants from engine to driveline, brakes to coolant.

San Diego, CA – For more than a decade, Maxima Racing Oils has been the official lubricant of Mitch Payton’s Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki race team.  That partnership will continue in 2011 as preparations are well underway for the 2011 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season.

Living up to its incredibly high standard, Mitch Payton (Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki – Team Manager) has again assembled a championship caliber roster for 2011.  Returning to the team are riders Tyla Rattray (#28), Dean Wilson (#15) and Josh Hansen (#100).  Rattray and Wilson will compete on both the Supercross and Motocross circuits, while Hansen will focus on Supercross.

New to the squad will be riders Blake Baggett (#57) and Broc Tickle (#20).  Baggett completed the 2010 Lites East Supercross season with one main event win (Dallas), two podiums, and five top-5 finishes, which was good enough for fifth overall in the season standings.  

Tickle also collected a main event win (Seattle) and compiled three podium finishes on his way to an impressive fourth overall in the Lites West class.

Maxima Racing Oils is a proud supporter of the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki race team and looks forward to continued success both on and off the track in 2011. 

San Diego, CA – Maxima has once again continued its role with Kawasaki in helping to continue developing youth riders in motocross and off-road racing in America.  In one of the longest standing partnerships in the industry, Maxima and Team Green have signed a 2-year agreement, whereas Maxima will be the exclusive oil and lube partner to Kawasaki Team Green.

The partnrship includes all Team Green actitivites, including Amateur MX, Amateur Off-road and Pro Off-road racing.  Maxima is proud to be aligned with Kawasaki, providing a foundation for future riders/racers and to help promote the sport of motorcycling throughout the USA.

San Diego, CA - Josh Strang wrapped up the 2010 XC1 Pro title at Sunday’s Powerline GNCC in St. Clairsville, Ohio. Strang put in a hard charge aboard his 2010 fuel-injected Suzuki RM-Z450 late in the race to claim the championship with a dramatic pass for third in the last few corners before the finish. “It feels incredible to win the championship,” said Strang. “It’s all been worth it from the day I got over here. To finally get the title is a great feeling, and I want to thank the FMF Makita Suzuki team for going out on a limb for me.”

 Strang’s championship-winning podium finish didn’t come easy. Josh got off the line in last place, and was having trouble finding his rhythm for the first lap of the three-hour race.  By the second lap he had fought his way through the pack to fourth, immediately behind his championship rival. Strang worked for hours to find a way around, and his opportunity finally came on the last lap as they came out of the woods for the finish. “This was a tough race,” said Strang. “The track was good, but it started to get really rough. This was definitely one of the hardest races I’ve done.”

“Josh proved today why he will own the number one plate next season,” said FMF Makita Suzuki Team Manager Mike Webb. “Champions always step up when they need to, and that’s what Josh did today. I want to thank the entire team for their tireless effort during the season.”

Strang’s championship season has been an exciting ride. Josh tore out of the gate with four consecutive wins at the River Ranch, The General, Steele Creek and Big Buck rounds, followed by another podium finish at Loretta Lynn’s that launched him to a massive early lead in the points. At the sixth round in Yadkinville, NC, Josh suffered a major crash when he clipped a tree that nearly took him out of the race, but he was back on the podium just two rounds later at the John Penton GNCC in Millfield, Ohio. Two rounds later Josh took another race win, this time Lafayette, Tenn. at the Titan GNCC. His fifth win of the season placed him in prime position to wrap up the title early, a feat he accomplished with Sunday’s podium.

San Diego, CA – Maxima Racing Oils was present in Peru over the weekend with 2 important events.  The first event took place on September 11 in the dirt with Maxima /Cecchi Performance sponsored enduro pilot taking the overall win in E2.  September 12 took Maxima to the tarmack for SBK racing.  Maxima/Cecchi Performance supported both classes 600 (#107) and 1000 (#12) with a win in both classes.

San Diego, CA - Monster Energy/Specialized riders Sam Hill (Elite Men) and Troy Brosnan (Junior Men) dominate the 2010 UCI World Mountain Bike Championships and take home the gold!  With Sam Hill battling injuries in 2010, his work was cut out for him to win back the precious jersey.  In a morning interview, Hill stated “I feel a top 20 would be respectable for me today”.  When it was go time and the race was on, Sam picked up where he left off just a short while back and put in the fastest time of the day earning him the title of World Champion once again.

Troy Brosnan wins junior mens World Championships in Mont Sainte Anne.  Neko Mullaly sat in the hot seat for an awfully long time waiting for the three B’s, Brannigan, Brosnan and Buchanan, the last three juniors down the hill.  Brannigan and Buchanan fell short but Brosnan gave it all to win gold by just 0.06 of a second.

Monster/Specialized uses Maxima Racing Oils to keep their equipment in top shape.  A team favorite – Maxima SC1 for keeping the bikes’ showroom shine and helping to eliminate costly muck buildup on the frame and critical shifting parts.

• Ryan Dungey clinched the AMA Pro Motocross title at Southwick, making it the second title of his phenomenal rookie year in the 450 class.
• Dungey wrapped up the championship with two races left in the series, thanks to the massive points lead Dungey built by his monumental winning streak of nine overall races in a row.
• Dungey has been on a Suzuki throughout his amateur and pro career, and has now won four titles in two years aboard Suzuki dirt bikes: 2009 AMA Supercross Western Regional Lites Championship, 2009 AMA 250 Motocross Championship, 2010 AMA Supercross Championship, and now the 2010 AMA Pro Motocross Championship.
• Dungey has been named as the captain for the U.S. team competing in the Motocross of Nations in September. He won his event last year, securing the win for Team USA in 2009.

San Diego, CA  – History has been made. Ryan Dungey is the 2010 AMA Pro Motocross Champion, securing his second title of the year this weekend at Southwick MX in Massachusetts. The 20-year-old rookie has gained enough points in the series with his complete domination of the 450 motocross class to take home the trophy with two races still left on the schedule. Dungey claimed the 2010 AMA Supercross title in May, making him the youngest rookie racer ever to do so, and now has added the Pro Motocross championship to his list of accomplishments, making him the only rookie ever to clinch both titles. Dungey has been unstoppable on his Maxima lubricated Suzuki RMZ 450 and has taken home the win in the past nine races in a row and won 16 out of 20 motos

“What Ryan has done, no one has ever done before including McGrath, Stewart, Carmichael,” Team Manager Roger DeCoster said. “No one has ever won both the Supercross and a National Championship back to back as a rookie. It’s pretty impressive. Sometimes, because Ryan is such a subdued nice guy, you don’t really realize what a big thing that he has done. I expect more and more perfection, but you look back and see that he is doing things that no one has ever done before – it’s pretty impressive.”

Dungey went into Southwick focused on racing his best race, like always. He lined up at the gate determined to give his best performance on the sandy, technical track in Massachusetts, and at the start of moto 1, Dungey started near the front of the pack. He moved into second place and stayed there most of the race. During the last lap, Dungey was battling for the lead when the opportunity to move up presented itself. Dungey and his RMZ 450 took the lead with less than a lap to go and took the win.

With the championship in view, Dungey lined up for moto 2 focused on finishing strong again. Dungey moved into the lead early in the race and by the time the checkered flag flew, he was more than 24 seconds ahead of second place. Dungey clinched the title by ending the day 151 points ahead of second place with only two races left on the schedule.

“This feels great,” Dungey said after the race. “It’s a lot of hard work and a lot of long weeks in the off season to prepare for this, but it’s all the better when you pull it off and win the championship. It’s not all me, everyone on the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team put in 110 percent into everything they do and that’s all I could ever ask. We work well together and enjoy working together at the same time. It makes it fun.”

“The Suzuki family is ecstatic to add this championship to our trophy case,” Rod Lopusnak, Suzuki’s National Sales Manager for the Motorcycle Division, said. “Looking back at the last year, it is hard to find one word other than ‘Champion’ to express what Ryan and Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki have accomplished in their rookie season!”

“Congratulations to Ryan Dungey for his awesome, record-breaking rookie season!” Yoshimura R&D of America Vice President Don Sakakura said. “Ryan’s courage, superior skills, and diligent conditioning were instrumental in his dominating motocross season, accomplishments which Ryan will surely cherish for a lifetime. His Suzuki RMZ 450 performed flawlessly all season long, and we must offer sincere appreciation to the Suzuki engineering team abroad, as well Roger DeCoster and his team of race technicians.”

“It’s been a perfect season; probably a season we will remember for the rest of our lives,” DeCoster said. “It’s never happened before – a rookie has never won back to back championships. Ryan has done it.”

Dungey has made history winning a total of four national titles in the past two years. Ryan won two titles in 2009, the AMA Supercross Western Regional Lites and the 250 Motocross championships, both on the RM-Z250, as well as being the hero of Team USA at the Motocross of Nations in Italy. Now with the 2010 Supercross and the Motocross title in his possession, Dungey was named the captain of Team USA and hopes to keep the Motocross of Nations championship in the U.S.

The next AMA Pro Motocross race takes place at Steel City in Delmont, PA, on September 4th. Dungey, despite having clinched the title, will be focused on battling for the lead there.

San Diego, CA – X Games 16 is in the books.  Great racing, insane whips and 4-peats were the talk of the competition.  Congratulations to all the participants, medal winners and everyone involved in another successful X Games.

Maxima sponsored athletes battled their way through the field to bring home 8 medals, topping the field in Best Whip (Todd Potter) and Step UP (Matt Buyten).  Moto X continues to be a crowd favorite at X Games with more and more events coming on.

Maddison: Best Trick – Silver

Stenberg: Speed & Style – Bronze, Best Whip – Bronze

Buyten: Step Up – Gold

Potter: Step Up – Bronze, Best Whip – Gold

Hansen: Super X – Bronze

Price: Super X (womens) – Bronze

San Diego, CA – X Games 16 starts Thursday July 29th and runs through Sun Aug 1st in LA.  Maxima backed athletes will take stage in Moto X Freestyle, Super X, Moto X Step Up, Moto X Best Whip, Moto X Best Trick and Moto X Speed & Style.  Tune into ESPN and cheer on Carmichael, Buyten, Hansen, Potter, Sleeter, Stenberg, Wey and more.

http://espn.go.com/action/xgames/summer/2010/ for more information.

WILDMAR, Calif., (May 19, 2010) –After a long off-season, the Monster Energy/Specialized riders were podium hungry landing three spots on the box at the first round of the UCI World Cup Downhill Series held this past weekend in Maribor, Slovenia.

The course in Maribor is usually fast and rough, but after two days of solid rain it was slippery, filled with massive ruts and roots that were catching riders and throwing them all over the track. More than one rider got thrown over the bars due to the conditions, where even tire mud spikes were packed solid by the time they reached the bottom.

Saturday saw both Monster Energy/Specialized’s Sam Hill and Brendan Fairclough qualify 1st and 2nd, respectively, while teammate Troy Brosnan qualified for the Sunday finals in his first ever World Cup try.

Sam Hill - Maribor DH

During Sunday’s final the top team rider on the weekend was Fairclough, who slid his way into 3rd place, and only 1.82 seconds off the leader’s time. Fairclough had a couple of moments in the woods, as well as an unexpected second sighting of his lunch mid-run, while also managing to avoid catastrophe narrowly missing a tree exiting the rock garden.

Said Fairclough: “I can’t complain, you know? It was just so hard, rough, and tough. It was gnarly and pretty adventurous to say the least! I had a few moments, but I think everyone did. I went off the track pretty badly in one spot and lost a bit of time, and then I was sick in my helmet. It was pretty bad. But hey, I’m in one piece and in third, so it’s great.”

Teammate Hill took 5th following a crash in the lower woods section while trying to remove a tear off after setting the pace up top, leading by almost 1.5 seconds.

“My run was going pretty good until about halfway, where I made a silly mistake removing a tear off too late entering a corner and went too hot into the turn causing me to slide out and land on my head into the bushes,” said Hill. I was debating whether to take off a tear off or not before the second half of the track and it seemed like an easy spot to do it, but I should have done it earlier. I’m just pretty devastated about making such a small mistake leading to another crash. I had a great run going, it was just more annoying because it was a silly mistake. With my 5th place and 1st place qualifier, I still managed to come away with some decent points on the weekend.”

Newest team member, Brosnan, finished in 48th in his first ever World Cup. With the result Brosnan takes control of the Junior World Cup leader’s jersey.

Troy Brosnan - Maribor DH

“I can’t believe it, first junior – all I wanted to do was qualify,” he said. “To do that and get first junior is more than I could ever ask for. My Specialized Demo 8 is kitted out so perfect it felt like home. I had a fun weekend and can’t wait to race the next round in Ft William and see how it goes!”

Brendan Fairclough nails first DH MTB podium

The team now heads to the U.S. Open of MTB at Mountain Creek, N.J., before resuming the World Cup in Europe in Fort William, Scotland, at the beginning of June.

We’d like to thank the following companies for their continued support: Monster Energy, Specialized Bicycles, Mad Catz, SRAM, Truvativ, Rock Shox, Avid, SDG, Troy Lee Designs, Alligator, Cane Creek, Crank Brothers, DT Swiss, e-thirteen, Five Ten, Maxima, Obtainium, Freestyle, Kicker, KMC.

For more information on UCI World Cup MTB racing: www.uci.ch