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Brad Noble in AMA Division 3 NEATV series ATV racing
Change is intimidating, uncomfortable and often time scary. So when Brad Noble decided it was time for a change and a new, more competitive ATV division in 2013, he knew it wouldn't be easy. He also didn't know it would be such fun.
Brad Noble advanced into the B division this year, running in both the New England ATV MX Series and in AMA's Division 3 action, and Noble has used the experience to learn more about how to race an ATV. It was definitely tough at first though.
Brad Noble advanced into the B division this year, running in both the New England ATV MX Series and AMA's Division 3.
"Moving up to a new class can be stressful for anyone, especially the first time you lineup with your new competitors," Noble said. "I think the worst moment this year was at my first round of the NEATV series. I got up there and as soon as I saw there were forty-plus entrees in my class, I lost my confidence.
"It was a rough first round where I unfortunately crashed out of the last chance qualifier and headed home early."
Brad Noble would quickly make up for the rough start, running strong at other events and grabbing two holeshots on his way to a second place at an AMA Division 3 event.
"I'm pretty happy with the way things have been going," Noble said. "It has been a real learning experience running the NEATV series. Those guys are the real deal and I've learned a lot competing with them."
After the first race of the season, many riders would have become discouraged. But Brad Noble instead used the failure as motivation and refocused his attention towards preparation and training.
Brad Noble looks forward to NEATV racing at Hurricane Hills in Clifford, Pennsylvania.
"The most important thing to becoming a successful racer is dedication," Noble said. "If you are not dedicated to motocross, that means you truly don't love the sport and will never push yourself enough to learn. If you are motivated, you will do anything in your power to make it to the track and on the podium."
Brad Noble grew up on the dirt and, while he had a few minibikes in his youth, never really got serious about racing until his teens, and at that point, ATVs were his primary focus. Now, Noble finds himself pushing the limit weekly in order to become one of the top racers in the world. It's a lofty goal, and Noble admittedly has a long way to go, but it's a goal he believes is attainable. But for now, Noble is just focused on this season and right now looking forward to the upcoming NEATV event at Hurricane Hills in Clifford, Pennsylvania.
"My goal is to just keep pushing myself and keep racking up top five's," Noble said. "I have been working hard and training and am confident that I can get back on the podium soon. I know I can still improve."
With a new class comes a higher demand out of performance parts, and in that regard, Brad Noble said his K&N air filters have always delivered.
"The K&N Filters really make my bike come alive," Noble said. "I have had no problems running K&N and I even run the pre-filter depending on the conditions. They really help my engine breath as much as possible without allowing any dirt and debris in there.
Related K&N News Articles about ATV Motocross Racing: AMA National ProAm & College Class ATV Racer Cody Gifford Ready for RedBud MX in Buchanan, Michigan; Team PCS Performance/Can-am's Josh Creamer to Race AMA ATV Motocross Racing Series; ATV Racing's John Natalie & Chad Wienen Go One & Two at Ballance MX for Team Motoworks; Canada Cup Champion ATV Racer Richard Pelchat Proud of his 2009 Season
Renee Hill finished first in Moto 2 at 2013 ISJBA Jettribe West Coast Series Lake Perris Open.
Racing is truly a family sport for watercraft racer Renee Hill, and this season Hill's K&N powered team is taking it to the next level.
Renee Hill is already a world-class watercraft racer, and her 16-year-old son, Tyler, was twice a runner-up at the World Finals in 2012. But Renee Hill added a third craft for her 18-year-old daughter, Kendall, this year, and the results were impressive.
World-class watercraft racer Renee Hill is looking forward to World Finals in Lake Havasu.
At the 2013 ISJBA Jettribe West Coast Series Lake Perris Open, Kendall took home the win in the Beginner Sport Spec class. It was just Kendall's second race. Tyler also finished on the podium, placing third in the ultra-competitive Sport Spec class, a division he finished second in at the World Finals last year.
"Jeff (Renee's husband) and I are both proud parents," Renee said.
But the weekend wasn't all about the kids. Renee Hill overcame some adversity herself to capture the first win of 2013. After appearing to finish second in Moto 1, Hill was penalized and placed in fourth.
Racing is truly a family sport for watercraft racer Renee Hill.
"After being docked a lap in the first moto, I didn't think I had a chance to win the overall," Renee said. "I couldn't hold my line on the start because a younger racer moved into my lane, so I moved over too. At the end of the race, we were both penalized."
Renee Hill entered Moto 2 focusing solely on taking home a win and salvaging some good from the weekend. She was surprised yet again at the end of the race, but this time, good news was in store.
Renee Hill managed to keep the boat running after an early collision in the Moto 2 race and ended winning the race.
"I thought I had taken second," Hill said. "But to my surprise, I had won the moto, and finished first overall too."
Even more surprising about the win was Renee Hill's ability to keep the boat running after an early collision.
"I don't know how I was able to hold onto the boat," Hill said. "When the race ended, I looked at the side and it had a huge crack down it. I'm just glad old red was able to keep running and get me that win."
Hill's husband, Jeff, is already hard at work preparing the family boats for the next race, August 17th at Lake Perris. It will be the final tune-up before the World Finals in Lake Havasu, Arizona, Renee Hill is looking for some payback after mechanical issues prevented her from winning either of her two classes at last year's event.
Jeff is a well-known mechanic and builder of stock and limited boats, engineering some of the fastest boats in the world for riders from as far away as Kuwait and New Zealand.
"Many of Jeff's racers have taken world championships while being powered by K&N Filters," Renee Hill said. "We have huge success with them, and they power more than just our boats. We use K&N on our Ford truck, quads and our Harley Davidson motorcycles as well."
Related K&N News Articles about Renee Hill Racing and Watercraft:Renee Hill Racing Puts Together a Spectacular 2012 Watercraft Race Season; Pro Freestyle Watercraft Rider Jeremy Parr Leads IJSBA National Tour; K&N Flame Arrestors for Personal Watercraft; K&N Marine Personal Watercraft Flame Arrestor Performance Parts and Accessories
Derek Thorn won NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Colorado National Speedway
Derek Thorn won his second NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race in a row and is starting to pull away in the series' standings. Thorn won the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 at Colorado National Speedway, a race that was delayed by rain.
Rookie Jamie Krzysik was second followed by Camera Hayley in third. It was clean race with only two caution periods for 11 laps. But it took a while for the green flag to drop.
"It was a long one with the rain delay," Hayley said. "We stood around for a long time. NASCAR persisted. The fans persisted."
Derek Thorn won the pole and led the first 90 laps of this NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race.
Derek Thorn won the pole and led the first 90 laps of the race. Hayley took the lead for two laps. He led lap 91 and lap 139. Other than that, Derek Thorn dominated the race.
"It's hard when you show up against guys like (Michael) Self, Hayley, (Greg) Pursley and Krysik," Derek Thorn said. "You just don't know how much they're saving. With 10 to go, my tires were worn out. I saw raindrops on my windshield. I'm thankful it all worked out."
Self entered the race three points behind Derek Thorn for the lead in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West standings. Self spun out early in the race, but recovered for a sixth-place finish.
Thorn increased his lead over Self to 13 points in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West standings. Pursley, the 2011 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion, was fifth at Colorado. Krzysik posted his best career finish in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West as the runner-up at Colorado.
Derek Thorn won the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 at Colorado National Speedway
"We knew it was a long race and we knew that the right rear was going to be crucial," Krzysik said. "We needed to keep on it, make sure the car didn't burn up in the first 100 laps, basically before the end. We were just running, logging laps and picking them off where we could."
Derek Thorn has won three NASCAR K&N Pro Series races this season. He won the G-Oil 150 at Stockton 99 Speedway in May and the Carneros 200 at Sonoma Raceway in June. He has five wins in his NASCAR K&N Pro Series West career.
"When it came down to the last 30 or so laps, we just started coming to the front," Kyzysik said. "A couple more laps I think we would have had something for the 6 car (Thorn's) up there. Just ran out of time. Next time."
Hayley posted his sixth top-five finish in seven NASCAR K&N Pro Series West races this year. He has yet to win a race. "We had a good car, it went away at the end there," Hayley said. "There's a lot of bumping and banging. Who knows if we have a cut tire or what."
The next NASCAR K&N Pro Series race is the Pork Be Inspired 150 at Iowa Speedway, an East and West Series combination race, on August 2.
Related K&N News Articles about NASCAR K&N Pro Series West:NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Racer Derek Thorn Won the Carneros 200 at Sonoma Raceway; Michael Self Wins Third NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Race in a Row at Lebanon I-44 Speedway; NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Racer Michael Self Wins NAPA Know How 125 at Brainerd International Raceway; NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Driver Derek Thorn Wins G-Oil 150 at Stockton 99 Speedway
Jeff Lopez in NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series at Texas Motorplex
Jeff Lopez is back to his winning ways after taking the IHRA Super Rod races at Dallas Raceway on July 13. It was his third drag racing win of the season and his first in the IHRA.
It was also his first drag racing win since April.
NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series' Jeff Lopez
Lopez started his drag racing season with wins in the NHRA Lucas Oil series in Houston and Dallas. But he has gone winless in his past five NHRA events.
"We started off really hot. Then we went through a couple races where we didn't win," said the 35-year-old Lopez from Dallas-Fort Worth. "That's part of it."
He entered and raced in his first and only IHRA event in July. He said his team experimented with set-ups and strategy which resulted in a winning run in the Super Rod races at the Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour event.
"That was pretty neat," Lopez said. "We weren't really expecting to win. We were just looking to go out and try a couple different things. We'll try to apply that to our NHRA stuff also."
Lopez, driving a 1963 Corvette, beat James Carter from Forney, Texas, by 0.017 seconds in the final round.
NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Super Gas Winner Jeff Lopez
"I'm not going to complain at all," Lopez said. "We've had a really good year in the Super Gas car. Everything is looking pretty good so far. We can't complain about anything."
Five weeks prior to the IHRA event in Texas, Lopez and his team raced in the NHRA Jegs All Star event at Route 66 Raceway in Illinois.
NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Super Gas Racer Jeff Lopez at Royal Purple Raceway
The Jegs All Stars event pitted the top drivers from the seven divisions in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. Lopez reached the semifinals of the Jegs All Stars event
"I was happy with the result. It was the first time we did the Jegs All Star race," Lopez said. "It was a neat experience to be racing guys from California to Washington, Florida. It was neat to have everybody at one track that will never be at one track again. That's the one time of year that everybody goes to one location and races. It's just basically the best racers out there."
He also raced in the Super Gas division and reached the semifinals as well. A cracked piston in his car hampered his weekend.
"We just did what we could," Lopez said. "The car stayed together, but it just got considerably slower and slower."
NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Super Gas champion Jeff Lopez
Lopez, the 2012 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series national champion in the Super Gas division, is ranked fifth nationally this year. He has a little break between races and said he wants to work his way into the top three before the end of the season.
"It wasn't anything that was expected to me to win it last year," Lopez said. "It's not like anything I would ever expect to do again. There's over 1,000 different racers around the country. To come out on top, that's a great accomplishment."
With two race cars, Lopez said one of the reasons he like using K&N filters is because of the consistency in performance the products deliver.
"You want everything to be the exact same every round," Lopez said. "Something as simple as dirt in the carburetor, a bug flying by, anything can get in a carburetor, we're talking about thousandths of a second here. As long as you got everything covered up, as long as you got everything filtered, that's a big key in what we do. You gotta do everything you can to help yourself win and K&N definitely helps do that."
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Kekich Racing Team's 410 Sprint Car Driven by Adam Kekich
Kekich Racing, with Adam "Adam Bomb" Kekich at the wheel and with K&N's support, continues to be a formidable force in Mercer Raceway's 410 Sprint car class.
Adam Kekich and the Kekich Racing Team Crew
With the first race of the season cancelled due to weather, Adam's 2013 debut was in the 305 sprint Steel City Stampede make-up race. Adam Kekich ran strong and consistent on the slick track, heeding the advice his father gave him before the race: "You aren't going to win this deal with your motor, you will win it with your head. Keep the wheels from spinning. Carry your speed off the corners." Kekich kept it together and brought home the team's first win in the 305 class.
Two weeks later, the 410 debut brought highs and lows to Adam Kekich and the Kekich Racing team.
Paul "Putzy" Kekich, the family patriarch and the first Kekich to wheel a sprint car.
"The car is just bad fast," Adam said after winning the heat race by a full straightaway. In the feature event Adam got right to work, moving from 9th to 6th in only five laps. Unfortunately traffic ahead slowed and trapped him, knocking off the front axle and ending his night.
The several weeks following brought some great results including two All-Star A-mains at Fremont Speedway running toe to toe with the greatest teams in the sport, as well as three top-5 finishes at Mercer. Two brake failures have slowed their momentum this season.
Despite this and with heavy hearts owing to the loss of Paul "Putzy" Kekich, the family patriarch and the first Kekich to wheel a sprint car, Adam put in a great drive last week, winning his heat and placing 6th in the feature event. Adam Kekich will surely draw on inspiration from Paul as he marches through the rest of the season.
