2009 Irondog is underway

The 2009 Irondog race started today. The leaders are already through Rhon and some are into Ophir. Come-on team 23. Will post more information as the race progresses. You can find more information on the Irondog website, go to; http://www.irondog.org/.

Tesoro Iron Dog 2008 Videos

Here are a couple of videos from the morning of February 10, 2008. We are watching the guys and hoping for the best for Team 21 and 23. Team 21 is having mechanical problems but Team 23 is running good!

Enjoy these videos now.

Team 23 - Niver/Whitstine

Mark called to give me the URL to their website. Visit Mark, Jeff and their families at their own website, Team 23.

This is the snowmachine that they will be racing - Yamaha Nytro RTX.

4-Stroke Team 23

I am sponsoring a four-stroke team racing in the 2008 Tesoro Iron Dog too! Meet Team 23. Jeff Whitstine replaces Ron Zugg. Jeff ran his last races in 97 and 99 and completed both times. Mark and Jeff will be riding Yamaha Nytro's.

Both teams Doug's Synthetic Lubricants will be sponsoring are leaving nearly at the same time! Team 21 got 11th position at the Start Line and right after them will be Mark Niver and Jeff Whitstine in 12th. Mark and Jeff are two guys I've known from my job on the North Slope.

Mark and Jeff will be using AMSOIL's Formula 4-Stroke® PowerSports
0W-40 Synthetic Motor Oil

and also AMSOIL's Synthetic Water Resistant Lithium Complex Grease.

The Iron Dog's Starting line on Sunday February 10th is coming fast and I am stoked for watching how well these guys will be doing on the trail.

Good luck guys!

Tesoro Iron Dog 2008

Here are some pictures from the 2008 Iron Dog Safety Festival that happened on Saturday in Wasilla, Alaska. All the guys that will be racing in the Iron Dog were there with their machines for a safety check.

I set up a table and displayed some AMSOIL products. Last year and this year I sold the most Sno-go toys - more than anything else! Sold out actually! (You know those kids got a lot of clout with Dad and Mom.) The picture below shows Kaylynn working on her toy snow machine. This little toy comes with a few tools to take off the skiis and then put them on again. She was busy for hours! Good job Kaylynn.

I am sponsoring a snowmachine team this year! Team 21, Randy and Dave, two guys from Big Lake where we live, thats how my wife and I decided to sponsor them. Read more about them at the Iron Dog website. We are expecting to see excellent and fast riding guys!

I am sponsoring them with AMSOIL's Dominator Synthetic 2-Cycle Racing Oil for both of their machines. They will be racing 1,971 miles from Big Lake to Nome then back down to Fairbanks!

Go to my AMSOIL Dealer Site: Doug's Synthetic Lubricants to purchase AMSOIL products. If you become a Preferred Customer you can purchase at wholesale prices. You can also Contact me via email for more information.

I am looking forward to the beginning of the race on Sunday and anticipating a great race from Dave and Randy too.

More Cold

I'm kind of a poor blogger. I tend to be slow in getting back here to update my blog. My wife is a very good blogger and updates her's probably everyday. Well, I can't keep up with that but I'll try to add something more regularly.

Lot's has happened since I last posted. One event that was note worthy was the Iron Dog race. I had an AMSOIL booth set up at the 2007 Iron Dog Expo which took place at the Wasilla Sports Complex. The racers were all there and went through their safety checks. The next day was the start of the race and there was a lot of people there for that. Was a bit cold but the day was beautiful clear and sunny. A couple of guy's I used to work with on the North Slope raced in this years event.

The cold weather causes equipment to be a bit sluggish when it's been sitting for a while. Especially if you happen to be using regular old mineral oil. You know, the usual stuff you get at the auto parts or discount store. Not much effective lubrication going on when it's thick and cold. AMSOIL synthetic lubes remain fluid and keep their superior lubrication qualities even in the cold of the arctic.

AMSOIL has recently announced the addition of 5W-40 Premium Diesel Oil (DEO). It is the premium choice diesel oil for model year 2007 and newer heavy-duty and pickup truck diesel engines requiring API CJ-4 emission quality oil standards. So if you have one of the newer diesel rigs that require low sulfer fuel, you need this oil. I wanted to mention this oil for those of you who have the newer haulers.

AMSOIL has also expanded it's Powersports filter line. Twin Air is the most recognized name in powersports air filters, engineered for more makes and models of dirtbikes and ATVs than any other filter line. Twin Air Filters are constructed from two layers of open-pore foam to provide maximum filtration and superior airflow. A coarse-foam outer shell is fused with a fine-foam inner core, resulting in a one-piece design that is both functional and durable. It provides continuous filtration and airflow while protecting engines from dirt, dust and sand. Click on the link and check it out. They even have water soluble cleaners and tack oil.

Be sure and check out my website at Doug's Synthetic Lubricants.

Where is the snow?

Okay, enough cold weather without snow. I am ready to ride my sled. Actually the cold with no snow has made it possible to extend my 4-wheeler riding. This has been good but this time of year is supposed to be for snowmachining. I was up the Parks highway a couple of weeks ago and was amazed at the lack of snow all the way to Cantwell. I guess now days we can expect about anything with the weather. Hopefully the snow will be along soon. Check out my previous post for synthetic oil recommendations for your sled.

The cold weather has made gear boxes on trucks and cars quite stiff. Especially when you take off first thing in the morning after being parked all night. It sometimes feels like you forgot to release the parking brake. Synthetic gear lube in the rear end (and front end on four wheel drive vehicles) makes a big difference in getting that cold iron moving. AMSOIL makes several grades of synthetic gear oil. You can find these by going to my AMSOIL website (a link is provided in the right hand column). I use the Severe Gear 75W-90 in the front and rear ends of my Duramax 3500 Chevy truck. No mater how cold it gets, there is no sluggishness in getting things moving. This gear lube is a Synthetic Extreme Pressure (EP) premium grade lubricant. It is specifically engineered for maximum performance in severe duty applications. Check out my website for more details on this and other gear lube's available.

Grease is an important ingredient in the smooth operation of moving parts. AMSOIL makes the highest quality grease available. I use the Synthetic Water Resistant Lithium Complex Grease in my snowmachine. Especially in the suspension and track components. It won't wash out in wet snow or get stiff in cold weather. For my truck I use the Synthetic GH Series Heavy-Duty EP Grease (good for high stress pivot joints like steering knuckles, spring shackles and other high load, low-speed applications). I also use the Synthetic Multi-Purpose Grease in my zert fittings, wheel bearings and general purpose joints and bearings. Several grades are available in each grease type depending on application and temperature. Check out my website for complete descriptions or drop me an email or phone call for help in determining which one is right for you and your needs.

Last Ride?

Well, this past weekend's plan didn't go quite as expected. The weather provided a pretty good snow blanket on everything. We had planned on a 4-wheelin trek on the King's River trail but due to the snow and slick roads we ended up on Buffalo Mine Road.

One of our party was pulling a four place enclosed trailer and he was concerned about the slick road. Things got a bit squirrelly with the trailer a couple of times so that is when we stopped at Buffalo Mine Road.

This photograph was taken by my daughter Marie. Thanks Marie.

It ended up being a very fun trip. We drove in and off-loaded our bikes near the end of the road. There is a trail that winds up into the hills about a mile from the end of the road. The first hill we encountered looked a little daunting but we made it up no problem. Even with the new snow, we got quite high before we stopped to build a camp fire, roast meat, and eat snacks.

Some of the mud holes looked like they were frozen but we found out that looks can be deceiving. It is a very beautiful view of the Matanuska Valley from way up there. That's just one of the reasons we enjoy these trips so much.

The snow doesn't dissappoint us. It kind of curtails our 4-wheelin activity, but opens the door to snowmachining. Come on snow! (I hope this latest dump doesn't just melt away.) It should provide a good base if we continue to get more snow.

My sled is a 2000 Polaris 800 RMK. I bought it used and it has some after market mods which make it a great sled for me. I will post some pictures of my sled once we get out and do some riding. Hopefully, that will be in the next week or two.

This is the HP Injector Synthetic 2-cycle oil. You can get it in quart size, gallons, 30 and 55 gallon drums. I use this Amsoil product in my sled.


HP Injector Synthetic 2-Cycle Oil (HPI)
Excellent for all outboard motors with a performance emphasis on modern direct fuel injected (DFI) technology. Also recommended for personal watercraft, jet boats, motorcycles, snowmobiles and ATVs. Injector use or 50:1 premix.
NMMA TC-W3, API TC






For those of you with the power exhaust valves, the Interceptor 2-cycle oil is perfect for your application. This is the Interceptor High Performance Synthetic 2-Cycle Oil. You can get it in quart size, gallons, 30 and 55 gallon drums also.

INTERCEPTOR™ High Performance Synthetic 2-Cycle Oil (AIT)
A high-performance two-cycle oil with a performance emphasis on exhaust power vales. Excellent for all types of snowmobiles, motorcycles, personal watercraft, ATVs and jet boats. Contains high levels of detergent additives to prevent valve sticking. High quality replacement for manufacturer branded oils. Injector use or 50:1 premix.
JASO FC, API TC




For the racing crowd, there is the Dominator Synthetic 2-Cycle Racing Oil.

DOMINATOR™ Synthetic 2-Cycle Racing Oil (TDR)
This racing two-cycle oil has a performance emphasis toward high horsepower and modified racing or trail motors. Examples include snowmobiles, motorcycles, ATVs, personal watercraft, go-carts and outboard motors*. Contains higher viscosity oils for best overall protection. Contains additives for higher operating temperatures. Injector use or 50:1 premix.
JASO FC, API TC


Click on the oil bottles to view more products or to order on line.