Dernières Nouvelles

Road Trip Selfie with son and partner in this adventure, Weston Thurmond. Scheduling conflicts prevented Jane's regular crew chief, husband Greg, from attending the event.

What is a mother to do? That seemed to be a pivotal question for K&N Driver, Jane Thurmond, just three short years ago. Her three children were becoming adults and for the past 24 years she spent her days raising capable humans and handling the house and family life.

K&N Driver Jane Thurmond and her C2 Corvette affectionately named "Scarlett" taking the scenic route to PPIR, Optima's 5th Event in the 2016 season.

Jane and her husband, Spectre Performance driver, Greg Thurmond, have owned a Corvette custom shop for almost thirty years. So when their chassis builder suggest they come try out an autocross event, well what did they have to lose. Little did Jane know at the time how this sport would change her life in so many ways. If you asked her then she never would have said she was competitive. But that has all changed. As evidenced by her performance throughout 2016, garnering multiple podium finishes in multiple racing series. And she is only halfway through the season.

Thurmond lays down a 17.32 in the Powerstop Brakes Speed Stop Challenge to secure her a top five finish in the GTV Class.

For the first couple years she and her husband shared "Scarlett". That was until an opportunity came up two years ago that allowed them to add to their paddock. Specifically, a 1965 Corvette that had spent most of its life in a California desert that had been its resting place after competing as a "gasser". Now that '65 is a purpose built Pro-Touring ride that made its debut at SEMA in the Spectre Performance booth in 2015. This now allowed Jane the opportunity to be the sole driver of her red beauty, Scarlett, and the transition has been one both car and driver have made the most of.

Jane Thurmond taking a moment to focus on the autocross course that lies ahead.

As Jane continued to prove how competitive and capable a driver she was, it seemed only natural that in 2016, K&N would want to have this powerful and confident lady as a team driver to represent their brand. It has been a decision that has paid off in spades. Thurmond has consistently placed on the podium in the NMCA West Division, USCA, and Goodguys in the past two years. She has, with the exception of Pike's Peak, driven her pro-touring ride, Scarlett, to all the events that she has competed in for the 2016 season, logging more than 4,500 miles in travel distance alone. A crowd favorite, she has volunteered rides to raise money for the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer at Goodguys Events on the West Coast, and created a blog, Riding Shotgun, that focuses on empowering women her age that may need some encouragement to find life after kids, saying that, "Raising children happens fast - like 0-50 in nothing flat!"

Thurmond getting at it on the Falken Tires Hot Lap Challenge Road Course segment.

Earlier this year Jane spoke to us about OUSCI, Optima's Ultimate Street Car Invitational, and what her strategy was for the invite. In years past she has been invited as a K&N Spirit of the Event Award Recipient and a K&N title sponsor driver. But this year she wants to be invited based on merit. She gave quite a bit of thought to what events would make the most sense since her mid-season class change from GTL to GTV. Unfortunately, the points she earned in GTL class at Thunderhill don't go with her to the GTV class. Pike's Peak was the best logistically for her to gain some ground and much needed points.

Jane Thurmond, ranked 4th in points in GTV Class, being interviewed by Katie Osborne for Lucas Oil and MAV TV before the award ceremony.

This past weekend, as a result of scheduling conflicts, Greg wasn't able to participate at the Optima event at Pike's Peak. Instead, the couple's youngest son, Weston, filled in as crew chief and rode shotgun in the RV. It worked out to be an incredible choice since Weston will be turning 18 in mere days.

Scarlett was ready, the RV was prepped and loaded and they were off. First stop, Phoenix, where they would meet up with friend and fellow competitor, Matt Alcala and John Lindstrom, one of the Lingenfelter Design and Engineering judges. With day one under their belts they felt good. The next day, Jane and Weston would make a quick detour and head to the Grand Canyon in the RV, towing the '64. From there they would head up the Navajo Trail into Cortez, Colorado to visit with more racing friends, taking in some beautiful scenery. Just what a mom wants from a road trip with her son. Friday rolled in and they were feeling the effects of the change in elevation and driving. Each of them feeling the need for a second cup of coffee and they were on the road again. This time heading toward PPIR, the scene of the fifth OSUSC 2016 event. With over 350 miles left on the first part of their adventure, they endured lightning, rain, Wolf Creek Pass, and roads with plenty of construction. The six-hour trek turned into eight hours, but they were still in one piece upon arrival!

Pike's Peak International Raceway, located in Fountain, Colorado, just south of Colorado Springs, has been host to several racing series including the Indy Racing League and 2 NASCAR series, Busch & Truck. PPIR is ideal for testing and features a design that is similar to Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA. The biggest issue that participants encounter when racing at PPIR is the temperature and elevation differences, so car prep in essential to do well in competition. Elevation can also affect the competitor, both physically and mentally. Thurmond knew going in to this event that she would need to be sensitive to these nuances and that in doing so she might have a leg up on her competition. It seemed that Colorado's hottest days of the year were Saturday and Sunday the weekend of the Optima Event. Fortunately, Jane didn't suffer from the elevation differences physically or with her car. Tech went quickly and she felt relaxed and ready to do her best.

Speed-Stop Challenge was her first segment of the competition. The start line had the competitors head backwards on the oval with a hairpin, right turn, into a quick slalom, terminating on pit lane in a 20 by 40-foot box. Jane earned a podium finish at her last OSUSC event in Las Vegas and was hoping for a repeat or better. Unfortunately, that podium for Speed-Stop would elude her at this event. But she has always contended this segment of the event has always been a little tough for her. Later in the afternoon our K&N driver would head over to autocross. The day warmed up beyond what weather reports had initially predicted. The temps were well over 100 degrees with clear and sunny skies making for a gorgeous Colorado day, but a slippery autocross track to say the least. Fortunately, the course was a good mix of tight, technical turns with some speed in between. Scarlett's modified LS1 with Lingenfelter built AFR ceads and K&N cold air intake setup produced the perfect amount of power. And her Wilwood disc brake setup was on point. The GTS Customs cantilever design with single adjustable RideTech shocks worked flawlessly with this course design. A simple air adjustment to her Falken Azenis RT615K gave her the additional grip she needed when the track started to go away. Even with the higher temperatures she maneuvered her car telling us the push she had battled earlier this season was gone and was able to drive off the rear wheels more comfortably. After a hot day on the track the group headed out on the Lucas Oil Road Rally where virtually all the participants wound up lost thanks to Jimi Day and Google. But there wasn't a cross word said as everyone reveled in the beauty that surrounded them in Colorado Springs and Garden of the Gods. Upon the participant’s safe return, they enjoyed the Optima welcome party and feasted on BBQ telling stories of the day.

Day two was all about the Falken Tires Hot Lap Challenge on the Road Course. Bob Boileau, owner of PPIR, took some time to personally coach Jane, pointing out the "line" on the 1-mile oval and just where to position her car on the infield during orientation laps. The drivers were separated into run groups based upon experience; Novice, Intermediate, and Expert. What differentiates the groups? Passing and how you do it. There is no passing in the Novice run group. The USCA encourages all novice drivers to simply learn the basics first. Then when they promote to Intermediate, the driver can "pass" a slower car with a "point by". All passing in Intermediate run group is done in the straightaways to promote safety on course. With the Expert run group, the driver may pass on a straightaway without a point by. The Hot Lap Challenge afforded the drivers (5) 20-minute race sessions. Jane recalls that this was definitely the most road course seat time at any event she's participated in.

All-in-all our team driver said she had a great time and did what she set out to do. She received a podium finish for the Lingenfelter Design & Engineering segment and returns to California with a 4th Place Finish in the GTV Class for Optima's PPIR Event. Jane is currently ranked 4th in points in the GTV Class behind points leader, and K&N Driver, Jake Rozelle, Larry Woo - 2nd, and Chad Ryker - 3rd. She is pleased to see that her efforts were not in vain and hopes to have enough points for the invite.

K&N has a long history of working with NHRA, from the K&N Horsepower Challenge to developing the intake system that the Pro Stock class must use, K&N and NHRA are the perfect example of a symbiotic relationship.

Since its birth, K&N has been making air filters that can handle the stresses of race environments. From racing motorcycles in the dry, dusty Baja California environment to going 200+ mph for over three hours, K&N products are built to last. So it is no surprise that NHRA and K&N have such a long history of working together.

Along with being the official filter of NHRA, K&N was also named the title sponsor of the Route 66 Nationals.

K&N has always had a good relationship with NHRA and that was just taken to the next level. At this weekend’s K&N Filters Route 66 Nationals, the announcement was made that K&N Filters is now the official filter and air intake of NHRA. “This is an exciting time for K&N,” said Tony Yorkman, Senior Sports Marketing Manager for K&N Engineering. “NHRA is an American staple and we are proud to be a part of it.”

“K&N has been a terrific partner of NHRA drag racing for many decades and we are proud to name K&N the Official Filter and Air Intake of the NHRA,” said Brad Gerber, NHRA vice president and chief development officer. “Through announcements like these, K&N continues to reinforce its elite level of commitment and dedication to the greater NHRA racing community.”

This isn’t the first time K&N has worked closely with NHRA. Currently, K&N is the title sponsor of the Horsepower Challenge, which is a race within a race that gives Pro Stock drivers the opportunity to race for a chance to win $50,000. More recently, K&N worked with NHRA, chassis builders, and teams to design, develop, and manufacture the spec’d intake system for the Pro Stock class.

“Sponsoring events and racers gives us the opportunity to prove our hard work,” explained Bert Heck, Performance Kits Manager for K&N Engineering. “The fans of NHRA, who are aligned with our demographics, see that the cars on the track are using our filters and they can feel confident in knowing they are choosing the right product for their vehicles.”

No Downton Abbey here. JR powers past the stately Goodwood Manor House and the massive display of this year’s event sponsor

It was a sound that reverberated off of every tree, building, and person, at once familiar and yet foreign. Certainly the mostly English crowd at the Goodwood Festival of Speed had heard plenty of American V-8s, but this one was so impressive the announcer dubbed it the best sounding car at the event.

Vaughn greets many fans, some who already knew him, and others who became fans after watching him drive

The car was a Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5 Concept driven by American drifting ace Vaughn Gittin Jr. The engine that impressed the crowd so much was a Ford Motorsports Aluminator XS 5.0L V8 pumped full of power-granting air by a Vortec supercharger, producing 750 hp. This wasn’t Vaughn’s usual 900 horsepower Formula D machine but a car built to demonstrate his company’s capabilities as well as those of the component parts like Magnaflow, Nitto tires, American Racing, ASD Motorsports, and K&N oil and air filters.

Who’d have thought our own notorious Fan-Haver  would ever garner so much attention at the very traditional Good Festival of Speed.

And it’s not as though the Mustang were being compared to just a couple of street cars. Participating were Le Mans cars, Formula 1 cars, WRC cars, and even a Dakar Rally truck. But how does a drift Mustang end up with a group of such thoroughbreds? The theme for this year’s Festival of Speed was ‘Flat-Out and Fearless: Racing on the Edge’.  If that doesn’t describe drifting in general and Vaughn in specific, I don’t know what does.

Details, detail. Even just one psi off can change the handling of a drfit car

And speaking of Vaughn, he grew up in Maryland; thousands of miles from the Japanese sport of drifting that had taken hold in California. Without the competition, practice sessions, and exchange of information the California drivers had, Vaughan had to teach himself. And when the time came to come West for some of the first competitions, he impressed. He won two exhibition events against the Japanese D1 drivers, and then won a full-on D1GP from the Japanese, the first and only American to do so. He currently leads the US standings. Definitely the right guy to send to England to represent.

JR blankets the VIPs in the high-bucks suites in Nitto tire smoke

Vaughn then started a company to build street-legal high performance Mustangs and components based on his experience and knowledge. That company, RTR (Ready to Rock), is responsible for constructing the car that impressed the British crowd so much at Goodwood.

Vaughn kicks his RTR Mustang sideways on what he described as “Lord March’s driveway”.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is a 1.61 mile, 9 turn hill climb, which Vaughn described in a Facebook posted as the “track aka Lord March's driveway here at the Goodwood Festival of Speed is very narrow and has very little room for error! Extra danger means extra fun!”

Featuring a mix of significant historic and modern racing cars and motorcycles held on the grounds of Goodwood House, West Sussex, England June 23 – 26. First run in 1993, the event would attract a few thousand spectators; it currently draws crowds of around 100,000 on each of three days.

Every car makes two runs on each of the three days. Vaughn made sure to give the crowd their money’s worth on each pass, power-sliding up the drive and bouncing the motor off the rev limiter. On his final run on the last day, he really gave the crowd a thrill when he dropped his left rear wheel off the road and into a ditch and dislodged his rear bumper.  He starting dragging the loose bumper down the course until a quick twitch to the wheel loosened the bumper, which slid off the road, and has become one of the highlights of the Goodwood Festival 2016.

Myan taking the checkered flag in his Pro 2.

Up Close and personal with Myan Spaccarelli.

Almost everyone has heard of or played with a Tonka Truck while growing up. Could you imagine getting to play with a 900 horsepower Tonka Truck as an adult? Myan Spaccarelli is one of the lucky ones that gets this opportunity. He is the driver of the #12 Tonka Truck Pro 2 in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. Myan said “I always joke that I have the best fans! Of course most of them are under 12. The truth is Tonka has been around since 1947. Next year will be 70 years so we have people come to the track of all ages telling me there Tonka stories. It’s a lot of fun to be a small part of a brand that has so much legacy.”

With kids being a major part of his life and with having two girls and a boy of his own, he and his wife have lead a Jr. High Church group for the last 15 years. They also have held Christmas parties at the LA County Hospital for Women and Children who are in there over the holidays. He said, “I feel incredibly blessed but it came with a lot of work and sacrifice. I love spreading Tonka’s message about being Tonka Tough and being able to share that with kids these days is a big deal.” He also enjoys sharing the story about how it is to drive in a Pro 2, telling them, “The first time you race a pro-2 you get out and you ask yourself, ‘What the heck just happened’. The whole thing seems like a blur between buckets full of dirt being thrown at you, trucks banging into you, hitting the biggest jumps around and holding your breath the whole time. Once you get a bit used to, if that is even possible, it is a lot of fun.” Myan also describes short course off road racing as a mixture of NASCAR, Supercross, and a boxing match.

Flying through the air with style.

Sliding through the chicane in Las Vegas.

Myan missed the last four rounds of racing after starting the season strong and finishing sixth in the first two rounds. For the next two rounds he fell back a little with a pair of ninth place finishes, but still four straight top ten finishes. Myan and the team had big plans for the truck that were in the making for a while, so while there is never really a good time to take time off, there is always a good time to come back. Of course there is no better time to come back then to come back at the track you have been testing the new set ups at. Myan said “It is hard taking time off but we made some good changes to the Toyota engine in our truck and I am excited to see how that works out on race day. We just tested some new Mickey Thompson Tires on the truck at Glen Helen and we put down our fastest laps ever.” Even though Myan was not in his Pro 2 racing, he made sure not to change his practicing routine. Myan tries to drive several laps in his shifter kart weekly to stay racing fit, along with testing and practice in his Pro 2. The more seat time you get, the better you are going to be on race day.

Throwing some dirt with the Tonka Truck.

Passing out Tonka Trucks to all the fans.

Myan uses K&N Filters on everything from his shifter kart, cars, and race truck. He said “Dirt, dirt, dirt is not good for race engines. We have not had one incident where dirt made it through out K&N filters. That is very amazing when you figure the truck in front of you has 900 horsepower attached to a tire that is just shoveling dirt your way. Plus we run a yellow K&N filter wrap over our K&N High Flow air cleaner so it makes our Tonka Truck look awesome. I have been running K&N forever. I really wouldn’t even know who else to use. In racing, when something works well, you do not change it.” Even with taking all the time off to make the changes to the truck, one thing that will stay the same are the filters. So check out Myan for his return in Glen Helen, and you will be able to find him in his bright yellow Tonka Truck on the track or walking around with a huge crowd of kids following him.

Filtre à air 33-2865 pour Volkswagen Jetta Filtre à air 33-2888 pour Volkswagen Jetta Filtre à air 33-2331 pour Volkswagen Jetta

Volkswagen Jetta

La Volkswagen Jetta est une grande berline intermédiaire qui est vendue partout en Europe et dans le monde. La berline plaisante à conduire et éconergétique a offert sa performance de conducteur et un style unique de VW depuis ses débuts en 1979. La Volkswagen Jetta est parfois dénommée l'Atlantique, la Bora, la City Jetta, la Fox, la Sagitar ou la Vento selon les pays.

K&N Filtres a conçu et fabriqué beaucoup de produits de protection du moteur et de performance pour la Volkswagen Jetta. Les filtres à air de remplacement de K&N, les prises d'air de performance, les filtres à air d'habitacle et les filtres à huile premium pour la Jetta sont conçus pour ceux pilotes voulant tirer le meilleur parti de leur voiture.

Les filtres à air de remplacement de K&N pour la VW Jetta visent à augmenter la puissance et l'accélération tout en offrant une excellente filtration. Les filtres à air de remplacement pour la Jetta sont conçus pour s'insérer directement dans la boîte à air sortant de l'usine, sans coupe ni montage requis. Leur simple conception de charge instantanée fait de l'ajout de performance à votre Jetta quelque chose de très facile. Enlevez tout simplement votre filtre en papier jetable et remplacez-le par un filtre à coton haut débit de K&N.

Filtre à air E-2014 pour Volkswagen Jetta Filtre à air 33-2128 pour Volkswagen Jetta

Les Volkswagen Jetta 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 et 2016 avec moteur d'essence de 2,0 litres, de 1,9 litre ou de 1,4 litre et diesel de 2,0 litres ou moteurs diesel de 1,6 litre utilisent un filtre à air haut débit 33-2865 de K&N.

2014 Volkswagen VW Jetta SE 1.8L Turbo

Le filtre à air 33-2888 de K&N a été conçu pour des modèles Volkswagen Jetta 2006 à 2011 sélectionnés avec moteur de 2,0 litres. La Volkswagen Jetta 2007 avec moteur turbo GLI de 2,0 litres utilise également ce filtre à air haute performance.

Les propriétaires des modèles Volkswagen Jetta 2005 à 2014 avec moteur de 2,5 litres utilisent le filtre à air de remplacement 33-2331 de K&N. La pièce 33-3004 de K&N convient avec les modèles Jetta hybride 2013 et 2014 de 1,4 L, ainsi que les modèles Jetta 2015 de 1,4 et de 1,2 litre. Comme tous les filtres de remplacement de K&N, ceux-ci sont lavables, réutilisables, soutenus par une garantie de 1 million mile limité et chacun sera le dernier filtre à air que votre VW Jetta n'aura jamais besoin.

Les propriétaires des Volkswagen Jetta 2007-2013 avec moteur de 1,4 litre, les 2009-2011 avec moteur de 1,6 litre ou les 2009 et 2011 avec moteur de 2,0 litres bénéficieront du filtre à air haut débit E-2014 de K&N.

Le 33-2128 a été conçu pour s'adapter aux modèles Volkswagen Jetta 2000 à 2005 avec moteur de 2,8 litres, de 2,0 litres, un moteur diesel de 1,9 litre ou un moteur de 1,8 litre et aux modèles Volkswagen Jetta City 2006 à 2009 avec moteur de 2,0 litres.

Les prises d'air froid de performance de K&N pour la Volkswagen Jetta sont garanties pour augmenter la puissance, tout en protégeant votre moteur des contaminants nocifs. Les prises d'air froid de K&N remplacent complètement le filtre à air restrictive sortant de l'usine et le boîtier d'admission air.

Si vous possédez une Volkswagen Jetta 2006, 2007 ou 2008 avec moteur turbo de 2,0 litres ou moteur turbo GLI, la 69-9503TFK de K&N est votre réponse à la performance. Les essais de K&N sur la 69-9503TFK montrent une augmentation de 18,6HP à 4500 tr/min.

Système d'admission d'air 69-9501TB pour Volkswagen Jetta Système d'admission d'air 69-9501TP pour Volkswagen Jetta

La 69-9501TP et la 69-9501TB ont été conçues pour s'adapter aux modèles Volkswagen Jetta 2000 à 2004 avec moteur de 2,0 litres et de 1,8 litre. Les deux prises montrent un gain de 10HP à 5079 tr/min. La 69-9501TP utilise un tube d'admission en aluminium poli pour lisser et redresser le flux d'air à votre moteur. La 69-9501TB, une prise d'air froid complet, utilise un tube d'amission revêtu à la poudre en bleu pour gagner en puissance. Les propriétaires de modèles Jetta GLI 2009 à 2010 et 2012-2013 de 2,0 L peuvent également augmenter la performance et la puissance avec la 69-9504TTK. La 69-9504TTK a des gains d'environ 9,1HP à 4 853 tr/min.

Système d'admission d'air 69-9503TFK pour Volkswagen Jetta

La 69-9509TTK s'adapte aux modèles VW Jetta 2013 et 2014 de 2,0 litres diesel, tandis que la 69-9754TS vient dans une finition revêtue à la poudre argentée et est faite pour la Jetta V 2004-2008 de 2,0 L. La 69-9756TFK offre aux propriétaires de divers modèles Jetta 2005 à 2014 de 1,6 litre et de 2,0 litres diesel et de 2,0 litres alimenté d'essence une augmentation garantie de HP.

K&N fait également le système d'induction d'air série 57i qui offre une mise à niveau de la performance facile à installer et peu coûteuse pour la VW Jetta. Vous pouvez obtenir le 57-0570 pour les modèles Jetta 2005-2008 de 2,0 litres, le 57-0600 pour les modèles Jetta 2005-2009 de 1,6 litre, le 57-0618-1 pour de divers moteurs diesel 2005-2014 de 1,6, de 2,0 et de 1,9 litres ou des moteurs à essence de 1,4 et de 2,0 litres et le 57-0620 pour les modèles Jetta 2005-2009 de 1,6 litre.

K&N offre une mise à niveau de la boîte à air sortant de l'usine avec une boîte à air de performance 57S. Il remplace le filtre à air et la boîte à air restrictives sortant de l'usine de la Jetta. Vous pouvez obtenir le 57S-9500 pour de divers modèles de Jetta 2005 à 2014 de 1,2, de 1,4, de 1,6 et de 2,0 litres et le 57S-9501 pour de divers modèles Jetta 2005 à 2014 de 1,6, de 1,9 et de 2,0 litres diesel et de 1,4 litre d'essence.

En plus des filtres de performance, K&N fait également des filtres à air d'habitacle pour la Volkswagen Jetta. Les filtres à air d'habitacle de K&N remplacent le filtre d'habitacle de réserve de la VW Jetta avec une conception réutilisable qui nettoie et rafraîchit l'air entrant. Ils sont chargés de saisir et de maintenir électro-statiquement les particules de poussière. Les filtres à air d'habitacle de K&N aident à contrôler les odeurs alors qu'ils aident à capturer la plupart de moisissure, de mildiou, de fongus, de spores, de bactéries et de germes. Lorsqu'ils se salissent, ils peuvent être nettoyés et réutilisés et mieux encore, ils viennent avec une garantie limitée de 10 ans/100 000 mille.

K&N fabrique également des produits de performance pour des modèles d'années précédentes de la Volkswagen Jetta. Pour trouver des produits pour votre Jetta ou tout autre véhicule, utilisez la recherche par pièce de K&N.