Dernières Nouvelles

Joe Sylvester Motorsports is embarking upon a new endeavor during the 2014 season, racing in the Traxxas TORC Series

In the Monster Jam Series arena, the name Joe Sylvester carries a lot of weight, and rightfully so. From the seat of the Bad Habit Monster Truck, the driver has dazzled fans in practically every venue he has visited. His performances have set world records, leaving the crowds standing on their feet.

Sylvester, however, is not the kind of guy who is willing to sit back and ride the shirt-tail of his previous accomplishments. In fact, the driver recently embarked upon new endeavors, as he has begun a quest to earn notoriety in the world of short course off road racing. Competing in the Traxxas TORC Series, presented by Amsoil, Joe Sylvester Motorsports will sport four drivers, including himself.

Joe Sylvester is shooting for finishing in the top ten in the Traxxas TRORC Series during his rookie season

NASCAR K&N Series driver, Bobby Runyan Jr., will be manning a rig on the new Joe Sylvester Motorsports team. The driver has an impressive resume, as he was twice deemed the IKF Grand National Karting champion. Runyan earned the rookie of the year title in the Formula Ford Class in the SCCA in 2009. The year following, the driver earned second place in the USAV Western Pavement Series. He recently wrapped up his second season as the NASCAR Richard Childress driver.

"Bobby has a very positive outlook on his racing career and trains hard to be on top of his game," explained Joe Sylvester. " His deep motorsports background will definitely be a strong foundation for him to build off of in off-road racing."

San Diego native, Bryan Osborn will also be driving a Joe Sylvester Motorsports sponsored vehicle during the 2014 season. A.K.A. the West Coast Kid, Osborn began his short course off road racing stint in 2008, at the age of 12. The driver drove his way into the second place spot at the Stadium Kart World Championship in the 250 modified kart class at the 2010 season's end. He earned rookie of the year in the Lucas Oil Off Road National Series during the following season, as well as taking the title in the So-Cal Lucas Oil Off Road Series.

Joe Sylvester Motorsports has put together a team of four proven drivers to compete in the Traxxas TORC Series during the 2014 season

In 2012, there was no stopping the driver, as he won the Super Lite class in the Lucas Oil Off Road Regional Series at Las Vegas, Nevada. Osborn focused predominantly on UTV racing during the 2013 season, juggling his time in a fashion that he could race in multiple series.

Bryan actually has the most off road racing experience, starting with his trophy kart racing, when he was a little kid," expressed the team owner/driver. His experience will for sure allow him to evolve quickly in TORC."

The remaining new Joe Sylvester Motorsports team member has seen her fair share of action and success in the French Canadian Pro Motocross arena. Cynthia Gauthier will be racing her 1600 buggy in the Traxxas TORC Series and various MORRA Series events for Joe Sylvester Motorsports in 2014.

Not only has the driver proven her ability to find the podium throughout the years, but she has also served as a positive role model for young women racers. Quick to explain that she is not easily intimidated, Gauthier is anxious to prove she will be as much a force to be reckoned with on four wheels, as she was on two.

In reference to Gauthier, Sylvester said, "Cynthia is a die-hard racer and competitor at heart. She was a pro motocross racer in Canada , and moto is a great crossover sport into off road racing. She will develop very quickly in her 1600 buggy."

When asked his expectations of himself, Sylvester said, "So far, I have been finishing consistently in the top 10. I would say if I can get at least one podium and finish in the top 10 for the season, it would be a successful rookie season, especially with the level of talent in our class. I am very competitive, and as bad as I want to win, I also understand that it takes time. We are taking all of the right steps to be a championship caliber team in the near future.

With an acute understanding of the importance of the entire team, Sylvester has put together a list of top notch crew members to go along with the drivers. Long time Joe Sylvester Motorsports team member, Scott Haskin, will play an important role in the overall scheme of things, as will former Pro 2 racer, Drew Britt.

The driver/owner is also aware that proper maintenance will play an essential role in the team’s success. In turn, he is a strong advocate of keeping the internal components of his engines contaminant free. And for that, he turns to K&N products.

"All three trucks and Cynthia's buggy run K&N air filters," he ensured. "My truck and bobby's truck also run on K&N oil filters. I also run a K&N fuel filter. Simply put, they're the best filtration products money can buy. I have been using them since I was a kid in every race vehicle I ever had, as well as on my street vehicles."

When asked what fans can expect from Joe Sylvester motorsports throughout the remainder of the season, he concluded, "Action! Without a doubt, action. We love interacting with our fans in the pits and always give them 100 percent when we are out on the track."

Ben Rhodes celebrates winning the Casey's General Store 150 at the Iowa Speedway

Ben Rhodes won his second race of the season in the first NASCAR K&N Pro Series combination race of the season.

Rhodes led a pack of eight drivers from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in the Casey’s General Store 150 at Iowa Speedway. The race pitted drivers and teams from both the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West.

Ben Rhodes leads a pack of eight on his way to his second win this season

The top-eight drivers in the race at Iowa Speedway were from the K&N Pro Series East.

David Mayhew was the top-finishing driver from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and also credited with a win.

Rhodes took the lead from pole winner Brodie Kostecki on lap 36 and led the final 115 laps of the race.

“It just had speed. I don’t know. I think the track really came to us there at the end,” said Rhodes, a 17-year-old junior in high school. “The sun went down and it just came to us. All day long we were struggling with grip, struggling with tires and how slick the track was.”

Ben Rhodes and his Turner Scott Motorsports team celebrating in Victory Lane

Rhodes also won the K&N Pro Series race at Greenville Pickens Speedway in South Carolina in March.

He extended his lead in the K&N Pro Series East standings to 38 points over Cameron Hayley. Gray Gaulding is third in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East standings, one point behind Hayley.

Iowa Speedway President, Jimmy Small, with Ben Rhodes

“We had a fast car,” Rhodes said. “It’s hard to say because I don’t know if we had that much a better car or if other people were just struggling. It was close to where I wanted it, but it wasn’t perfect.”

Rookie Nick Drake crossed the finish line in second place. It was the best finish of his K&N Pro Series career. He was third at the K&N Pro Series race at Richmond International Raceway in April.

“I think we’re headed in the right director with the third at Richmond and then coming here and running second,” Drake said. “It was a good night.”

Scott Heckert also posted the best finish of his NASCAR K&N Pro Series East career in third place. His previous best finish was seventh place at Road Atlanta in Georgia.

“The car was really good,” Heckert said. “I thought we had a chance at the win there. We were fighting with Ben Rhodes and thought maybe we were a little quicker than him. Just burning off a little bit, started to get a little loose at the end. Just rode there and came home with a good finish.”

Mayhew finished ninth overall and won his second NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race in a row. He also won the K&N Pro Series West race at Stockton 99 Speedway in California earlier this month.

“We played it safe,” Mayhew said. “We knew we didn’t have the car to win tonight, but wanted to bring it home in one piece.”

Greg Pursley was 12th overall and the second place driver from the K&N Pro Series West. He has a 12-point lead over Mayhew in the K&N Pro Series West standings. Dylan Lupton is third in the K&N Pro Series West standings, two points behind Mayhew.

The next NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race is the NASCAR Hall of Fame 150 at Bowman Gray Stadium in North Carolina on May 31. The next NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race is the Armed Forces 150 at Kern County Raceway Park in California on May 24.

Billey Alley driving in a Sprint Car Race

Billy Alley and the Ironwood Motorsports # 3 are poised to ramp up their efforts in 2014 in a big way! With a schedule of around 50 races that include World of Outlaws, Knoxville Raceway, ASCS National and regional events, Nebraska 360 sprint car series, NCRA and other races around the Midwest, the heat is turning up!

And it all started at Eagle Raceway, a local dirt track in Nebraska featuring Sprint Car races every Saturday night. Billy grew up watching all his racing heroes from the grandstands. He started racing go-carts at age 13 and won his sixth time out, then moved up to micro sprints at age 16. In 2001 he won his first Sprint Car Race at age 18 at Eagle Raceway.

Billy is a two time 360 Knoxville Nationals Champion and 360 and 410 Knoxville Points Champion with a whopping 52 career Main Event Sprint Car Wins.

This year is his first full season with a team behind him and they recently announced their partnership with Larry the Cable Guy’s Git-R-Done Foundation, that actively supports children’s and veteran’s organizations. “We will have extra motivation to run up front this year”, stated Billy, “as 50% of all winnings will be donated to the Git-R-Done Foundation!” With some great new cars by Eagle Motorsports, and some new horsepower behind them, they are primed for success.

Billy says he ran K&N air filters since his very first race in a go-cart. “I've always been a clean and neat freak,” continued Billy. “K&N products go hand-in-hand with that. I would always submit my results to K&N and at an Indianapolis trade show, I met some representatives and I became involved in their racer’s support program in 2006.”

“Engines are so expensive in Motorsports” concluded Billy. “It's important to do what ever you can to keep them safe from dirt. But you also want your engine to run at maximum performance. K&N solves both those issues. At maximum air flow there is never dirt in my injection. Plus air filters are easy to work with and maintenance free.”

Jason Patison Racing has run out front this season, so they know their Super Late Model is fast, yet a wicked run of bad luck has plagued them

The inaugural season for the Lucas Oil Modified Series was 2006 and in that first year Corona, California's, Jason Patison notched five wins on his way to wearing the series’ first championship crown. He moved on to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series for a couple seasons after that, and then he took time off to focus on his family and his career working as programming director for MAV-TV. Last season Patison returned to the series he helped put on the racing atlas, and after only a few rounds acclimating his racing legs, he found his way back to the front, dominating the featured 75-lap Lucas Oil Modified LoanMart Hot August 75 event at Irwindale Speedway. This season Patison displays even loftier ambitions, he’s armored-up, and clearly appears to be eyeing a second championship run.

Championship driver and MAV-TV programming director, Jason Patison also possesses savvy interview skills

“We have had two races in the Lucas Oil Modified Series, and each race has had at least 40 cars, which makes it the strongest touring series on the west coast,” Patison said. “I'm really encouraged after the first few races of the year. Our car has been fast at every event, we just have had some ‘new car blues’ that we have to work through. We had an oil leak in one event and a shock issue in another.”

The Patison Racing crew qualified 3rd and finished 9th out of the 43 car field in the season opener at Havasu 95 Speedway. Then at the next race at Tucson Speedway Patison and the K&N supported No. 80 qualified 5th and finished 9th. “But we have at least hung on to a top 10 finish at both events,” Patison adds.

Most recently Patison Racing took their Super Late Model out to Irwindale Speedway and it ran extremely fast, but unfortunately the team’s unreasonable run of bad luck followed them there.

“We qualified 1st and led the first five, laps of the main event and then had the engine stop running on lap 6,” said Patison. “We think it was a fuel delivery issue, possibly the fuel pump. Mechanical failures are part of racing, but we have definitely had more than our fair share so far, but I have a great team and I know we will rebound and get the finishes we deserve.”

“Next we head to Las Vegas for round 4 of the Lucas Oil Modified Series, the 75-lap main event is on May 17th. We have a brand new motor we are bringing out for that event, equipped with K&N Filters – it’s going to be fast!”

David Gotts won Super Quick finals in his first ever NMCA West event

The first major event to be held at Fontana Dragway since it reopened this February was the National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) West 3rd Annual Street Car Nationals. Marking the occasion in grand form was K&N backed David Gotts. Gotts drove his Camaro to victory in the Super Quick finals and to the quarters in Pro Comp, winning 10 of 11 rounds of racing along the way. It was the Corona, California, resident’s first ever race with NMCA West, as he usually runs Super Street in NHRA Division 7 races, along with various other associations races.

The K&N backed racer says the start of the 2014 season has been his best yet

“At this NMCA race I raced two different categories, Super Quick and Pro Comp, both of these categories run on a different tree,” Gotts explains. “Super Quick is a .500 full tree and Pro Comp is a .400 pro. This was my first time running my car on a .400 pro tree and at 9.90. In NHRA I run on a .500 tree at 10.90, so to win six rounds and win the race in Super Quick was a truly amazing day. But then to go four rounds in Pro Comp in the same day, in the same car, that made it truly special. It was a busy day to say the least, but thanks to K&N Filters and Lucas Oil my ‘67 Camaro handled it with ease.”

“2014 has been an amazing start for me. In our first race out with a new motor combination we went to Arizona for the CarQuest Nationals, and we went all the way to the finals and with a great race in the final round, we came up just a little short. Then going to the NMCA West race in Fontana, which has been a topper – I don’t think I could ask for much more.”

Gotts won 10 of 11 rounds of racing in the first major event at Fontana Dragway since it’s reopening

Officially Gotts has been racing for about eight years. Back in 1995 he attended a couple of the street legal races when they were in Pomona. “And that’s where I got the bug for sure,” he says. “Then I decided to build a real drag car and that took almost 10 years to complete from scratch, with a lot of blood sweat and tears. And I’ve been learning more and more over the years. Before this year I had won a few small bracket races, and I’d go rounds here and there, but this is my best season so far, and the entire time K&N Filters has been there for me.”

“My relationship with K&N Started back in 1994 with I bought a brand new 1995 Camaro, and there weren’t many after-market parts made for it yet. I contacted K&N, and they in turn used my car as their test car to build one of the first Fuel Injection Performance Kits (FIPK). During that process I met and became friends with many of the people at K&N and some of them are still there today. K&N has truly treated me like family for the past 20 years.”

Gotts currently uses K&N's carbon fiber composites hood scoop (100-8517) with carbon fiber hood scoop plugs (100-8519), a high-flow drag racing scoop air filter (28-4210), a Stubstack Air Horn designed to straighten airflow and help even the flow to all four venturies (85-0600), a washable/reusable oil filter (SS-3002), and K&N’s inline fuel/oil filters (81-1002).

“We are super excited to get our home track Auto Club Dragway in Fontana back,” Gotts adds. “We expect it will not only help save all of us tons of driving time and fuel, but with them running almost every weekend, we can now get much more seat time and become better racers. With the reopening of Auto Club Dragway, and the street legal program, I have no doubt we will have less illegal street racing in southern California.”

“Along with K&N and Lucas Oil, I would like to thank all my sponsors for making it possible – Cagles Appliance, Lamb Components, Hoosier Tire West, Meziere Enterprises, PMR Race Cars and Performance Speed and Custom – I would not be here without all your support.”