Dernières Nouvelles

K&N's Gary Stinnett Retains NHRA National Super Comp Crown for a Second Year

5 janv. 2012

Gary Stinnett warming up the tires before a big race.

After an outstanding 2010, Gary Stinnett returned to the trail in 2011 not thinking he had a shot of repeating so soon. He went on to not only deny all other hopefuls when he secured his fourth national Super Comp title as well as adding to his already impressive divisional championship count by winning the LODRS Div 5 Super Comp title, and did so during a season of rather extreme experimentation.

"Basically after winning the championship last year, I got a new car and I thought the chances of repeating are like nil," Stinnett explained of his early season plans. "You know it just doesn't happen that often. It's only happened twice since 1986. I just didn't concern myself with thinking I was going to go out there and win another championship. I had all these ideas that I had wanted to try for years, so I thought now was the time to do it."

"So I changed everything; my wife hates it when I do that," he said with a laugh. "I wanted to try a different gear, different converter, and different throttle stop combination. Well I went out for the first race at Dallas and I did go five rounds, but it was horrible. The graph just didn't look good at all."

While most racers may have thought to give up on the experimenting at that point and go back to what they knew was a proven setup, Stinnett did just the opposite. "I thought if that didn't work maybe it was telling me to be going the other way," he said. "So, I changed everything again and went out to a couple of races and eventually, with that combination I won the Brainerd divisional race. The car was just phenomenal."

Now feeling like he had really hit on something, Stinnett left the car in its new trim and went on to his next NHRA Div 5 event at Bandimere Speedway, just outside of Denver, Colorado. "I ended up winning that race, but every round the car was getting worse and worse," he admitted. "I drove well enough and had a couple of redlight wins or whatever and won the race, but I came home and I knew that I was going to need to change everything again."

Gary's office doesn't have the most space, but it has a great view.

Every event during a season has its individual level of importance for a racer's overall season. For the next trip on Stinnett's schedule, it would be one of the most important of the year- a NHRA National event claim at Route 66 Raceway along with the prestigious JEGS All-Stars Shootout. "The car was just Jekyll and Hyde all weekend," he pointed out. "First round I was double-oh on the tree, second round I was double-oh on the tree, then I go fifty. At this point they are calling us right back up for the first round of the All-Stars."

"I know I am paired up with Tommy Phillips in the first round of the All-Stars and I'm thinking to myself, 'Well I just missed it,'" he explained of his reaction time just moments earlier. "I go back up and I'm fifty again and of course that's death with him. So I get beat and all my buddies are telling me there is nothing wrong with my car, that it's just me. But the next morning, for the national event, I go out there and go fifty again although I did get lucky enough that the guy lifted on me and I got around him."

At this point, Stinnett knows he cannot go on hoping that luck will carry him through and he's back to the drawing board. "I go back to the trailer and start changing buttons and delay boxes and solenoids and just everything that I could change and when I went back up for the next round, I went double-oh. I thought 'OK, I fixed it and I'm in the semi-finals against [Kevin] Klineweber and I'm fifty again.'"

When Stinnett returned to his home in Emporia, Kansas following the Chicago race, it would be a lot more than a button or two that he would be swapping out on his dragster. "I changed the transmission, converter, the gear and so on. I was still too hard headed to put everything back to the way it was the year before. I was trying to achieve perfection. I knew what I had last year was good, but it still had flaws. I was like a mad scientist and I was just trying this and this and in the process, I was learning things. You know I've been doing this Super Comp racing since 1989 and I'm still learning things."

Stinnett lining up on the starting line.

Stinnett went on to put a near strangle hold on the class with his back-to-back victories starting with the national event win in Brainerd and then scooping up the divisional win at Heartland Park Topeka- his home track.

"That was the same thing I did last year," reflected Stinnett. "Winning those two races back-to-back; in fact I have won Brainerd [national] three years in a row now."

Stinnett's game plan and outlook on the season now changed from where he was just a few months prior, when the thought of repeating his national championship seemed quite farfetched to him. Now, it was well within reach. "With the Topeka win, I was now in the lead for the world [championship] and it made me start driving differently," he confessed. "You start being a little more conservative and I left that setup in the car. I ended up going four rounds at Indy [U.S. Nationals] and three rounds at Earlville [division event] which gave me my 686 points."

"At that point I got to thinking that all this testing I had been doing and studying, every bit of it, no matter which combination of gear, converter, tires or throttle stop- it all had a flaw," he pointed out. "In other words, there is no such thing as perfection. So for the last race of the year, the World Finals, I just put everything back to the way it was last year. I came full circle and I can tell you that I didn't find anything that worked any better than what I had, but I can definitely tell you things that don't work."

Even though Stinnett was fully aware of how well he was doing on not only the divisional level, but the national level, when all was said and done, he was still quite shocked that he was able to secure his fourth NHRA Super Comp National Championship. "I was like, 'You mean I won, I frickin' won?' I was busy testing all year. I don't mean to say that to insult anybody out there that I can win a world championship and beat everybody out there by fooling around and testing," he said. "I really was truly trying stuff every week."

Gary accepting an award.

Well before the dust begins to settle on the 2011 season, Stinnett has lots of exciting plans in store for 2012 where he will spend his time between not two cars and classes, but four. "Next year I plan to run two divisionals and two nationals in Super Stock and two other divisionals and nationals in Super Street and then probably one divisional and national in Stock," he explained.

He did point out that he will continue to chase championship points in Super Comp, but running for two classes is not something that he cares to do at this time. "I'm going to be fifty shortly and I've been at this a long time," he said. "I do eighty to ninety percent of the work myself and I just don't want to put that on me, especially when we get into the part of the season when we have eight to nine races back-to-back to have to get two cars ready. By breaking it up with the other three cars, it will make a big difference."

A very successful engine builder by trade, Stinnett is quite particular about every part and piece that goes on or in each motor that he builds, including those for his championship winning race cars. Each are protected from the word go, with the full line of K&N air and oil filters. "I think the world of Steve Williams and everybody at K&N," he said. "They have been nothing but extremely helpful for not only my program but all that they do for sportsman drag racing, even down to many of the programs they offer at tracks across the country at the local level. Their products are outstanding and from one to the next the quality is not only unsurpassed but absolutely consistent in nature. You always know exactly what you are getting and with any K&N product, whether it's one of their oil filters or air filters, it's going to be the best there is available to anyone, anywhere. We build seventy to eighty engines a year and every one of them leaves the shop with a K&N oil filter. There is no better way to protect your investment, whether it's for racing or even your everyday driver than to do so by using K&N filters. The choice is quite simple- it's always K&N."

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

Brian Brown Racing Looks Forward to the 2012 Sprint Car Season

5 janv. 2012

Although many drivers would be more than satisfied with a seven win season, sprint car driver Brian Brown is accustomed to many more victories on an annual basis and is looking forward to the opening race of 2012.

Brian Brown suffered through a back injury during a portion of the 2011 race season.

"During 2010 we had fourteen wins, and our goal going into this season was to have more wins than we had the prior season. So in my eyes, we kind of went backwards a little bit in 2011. At the season's end, you have to look back at the overall picture figure out why you didn't win as much, and what can we do better, so we can win more in 2012. That's what we're doing right now," explained Brown. "We're really working hard to get our program back to where we feel like we can win fifteen races a year. Our goal is always twenty to twenty-one wins and we really need to be in that fifteen to twenty range to feel like we've had a successful season."

Fans would likely suspect that a back injury might have played a role in fewer checkered flags than Brian Brown Racing team expected during 2011. During hot laps at the 360 Nationals in Knoxville, Iowa in early August, Brown's engine showed signs of mechanical failure. After changing the engine, Brian qualified, but their luck quickly went south during the heat race when he compressed a vertebrae in his back. "I would say, that would be the low point of the season," Brian recalled. "Going into the 360 Nationals, our goal every season is to win."

Although not totally happy with their win/loss ratio in 2011, Brian and his crew did experience some high points as well. Recalling racing in the month of June at the Lucas Oil Speedway at Wheatland, Missouri, Brown said, "We had some motor issues in our heat race. Having to change motors, we started last in the B feature and finished second. Then we started twentieth in the A feature and won it. Anytime you can start that far back and put on that good of a show for the fans it's always good, especially since a lot of the local people who support and help us were there. There's nothing like winning in front of folks who support you."

"We also ran pretty well this season at the Knoxville Nationals," he continued. "I think we ran sixth or seventh. We're still in contention to win that event year after year and hopefully, one of these years we'll get that."

Brain Brown and the Brian Brown Racing team are anticipating a successful 2012 season.

Referring to his wins during this season, Brown credited his entire team with their success. "You've got to have a good team, and we had some really good guys who worked for us this year. If something goes wrong, they're the guys who take the brunt of the blame, but if you win, the driver gets all of the credit. We try to keep everybody's morale up. I think you can attest all of your wins to everybody on the entire team doing their job."

"The competition level is so close that if you're off one bit or one way or the other, you're not going to win. It takes a total team effort, and there's no way that I could ever go out and win a race by myself. I might be able to help the cause, but if I don't have any air in the tires or fuel in the tank, it doesn't really matter how well I can drive the race car."

Somewhat his own crew chief, Brian Brown has a knack for knowing what mechanical changes need to be made to improve the performance of his car. As such he is also acutely aware of the importance of maintenance, and protecting his engines from the rigors of the sport.

Referring to keeping the internal components of his motors contaminant free and well lubed, Brian commented, "We have been using K&N products since I first started racing, about ten years ago. I'm using the K&N carbon-fiber air box and filter oil and filter cleaner." Explaining the importance of using the best of the best, Brown continued, "It all starts with how much clean air is getting down in your engine. That's why we use K&N. They make the best filter on the market today."

Looking forward to the 2012 season, Brown said, "We're focusing on every component, every part, each person who works on the car and me as a driver to get a little better. Every single aspect is going to be looked at. We've just got to make sure that we dot every 'i' and cross every 't' if we want to accomplish our goals. I'm definitely not happy with seven wins, and the 2012 season can't start quick enough. We're going to work really hard and come back as focused as ever in 2012."

In closing, Brian Brown said on behalf of his team, "Without our fans and people who come to the grandstand, there wouldn't be any racing. You have a choice on what you do with your money, and we're thankful that you come out and support something that we love to do. Hopefully, we give something back by putting on a good show." Referring to his sponsors, Brown continued, "Again, thanks. We know you have a choice of who you want to market with, and we're glad you support Brian Brown Racing. Hopefully we can show you a return on your investment and we can continue to be partners for a long time to come."

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

Ryan Buetzer Wins the 2011 SCCA C-Stock National Championship

5 janv. 2012

The most unflappable opponent a racer will ever face is time. The clock ticks forward relentlessly, unfazed by intimidation or nerves and few understand, or savor that dynamic any better than K&N sponsored Ryan Buetzer.

"Racing against the clock is extremely difficult," Ryan told K&N. "At the Solo Nationals, you only get three runs so you have make them count (walking the course is permitted but no practice runs). Unlike road racing, if you make a mistake, you're unable to determine how much time you've lost to a competitor. With road racing, you can see other drivers and determine if you're losing or making up time. In autocross you simply have to focus on each corner, and if a bobble occurs, you immediately forget about it and start thinking about the next corner."

The 2011 Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Solo Nationals were contested at Lincoln Airpark in Lincoln, Nebraska. The event brought together nearly 1,200 drivers, competing in a wide array of cars totaling almost 40 different classes, ranging from nearly stock street driven cars to purpose-built racecars. Buetzer, a Seneca, Kansas native, won the C-Stock National Championship driving a 2007 Pontiac Solstice.

Driving his Pontiac Solstice Ryan Buetzer won the 2011 SCCA C-Stock National Championship, his sixth title in just eight years.

Ryan and his parents, Eric and Carol, also former Seneca residents, began autocross racing when Ryan was a junior at Nemaha Valley High School. Now 28 and living in Hermosa Beach, California where he works as a product engineer for Toyota, Ryan has already amassed six National Championships, along with finishing 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 7th in his 12 years of SCCA competition.

What makes Ryan's six championships even more impressive is that they have come in five different cars. In the first two he drove his family-owned Toyota MR2, and the others have come in four different cars.

"It's rare to win the same class in four different cars. All of the cars had some similar qualities though- rear wheel drive, low horsepower, and they were all fairly light-weight," remarked Ryan. For the 2011 event Ryan had the luxury of driving a car he is very familiar with, as he and co-driver Steve O'Blenes competed in the car that Ryan regularly drives in competition in California.

In autocross, two competitors are allowed to drive the same car in a class. After O'Blenes took the initial run, Ryan took control of the Solstice for the second pass. "One goal the co-driver hopes to accomplish is to build heat in the tires," explained Ryan. "The tires we use are much better (more grip) once they have some heat in them. The co-driver will also provide valuable feedback on the course and can let the other driver know about tricky sections on the course."

Ryan began competing in SCCA autocross and Pro Solo events when he turned 16 in 1999. Along with his six SCCA Solo National titles, Ryan was selected the SCCA National Solo Driver of the year, and at the age of 22, he was the youngest driver to ever win the award. In 2007 Ryan added road racing to his résumé and won his first race at Laguna Seca, competing in the Skip Barber Western Series. He followed that up the next year by racing in the 2008 VW Jetta TDI Cup in the SCCA Pro Racing division.

"Autocross fits my skill-set well because I have the ability to find the 'edge' of the car's handling without crossing over it," says Ryan. "Our events have been won by .001 seconds over a two day period, so you must drive the car to the absolute limit. Many drivers can't quite find that edge and they usually end up going over it, pushing or spinning the car."

Ryan lists his particular driving skill-set in the following order of priority- "Finding the cars handling limits quickly, meaning how fast can you really entry a corner without causing under-steer and adapting quickly to a car's handling characteristics. Many drivers struggle if the car under-steers or over-steers. I'm able to adjust my driving style and 'drive around' the cars limitations. And, just like road racing, you need to look ahead to see where the course is going. Something is always coming up very quickly."

How did the K&N connection come about for Ryan? "Because we run in a stock class, we're unable to modify the engine, exhaust, or intake. We're only allowed to change the air-filter, so we're always looking to get the maximum performance. With that said, it's easy to pick the K&N air filters. They provide the best performance for our car and it shows on the dyno sheet. We've been using K&N air filters in our cars for over 11 years."

Regarding his 2012 race calendar, the K&N sponsored driver said, "I have a full schedule of autocross (local and national events) and teaching for a performance driving school. I'm hoping to run a couple open track days in a spec Miata rental. The cost of a road racing weekend can be quite high, so we'll see how things shake out, and hopefully I can find a ride for a race or two in the Los Angeles area."

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

West Coast Customs (WCC) Debuts Their 7 Steps to Customization Program at SEMA

5 janv. 2012

SEMA 2011 featured West Coast Customs, one of the most innovative vehicle customization shops in the world.

In the past most people had a person they trusted for certain projects on their vehicles. One might have had an interior guy, a service guy, and a paint guy all work on the same car. Each one had a specific area of expertise. There once was a time where one could make a decent living tuning up carburetors alone. Today, it is necessary to become jack of all trades to be successful in the automotive industry. Local tire shops not only change tires. Some locations will bolt on aftermarket products or even offer full service.

We like to use the best products available. K&N makes a great product so WCC's experience has always been very positive. WCC at the 2011 SEMA Show.

Often times it is difficult to find a trustworthy person to work on one's vehicle. That is not the case for West Coast Customs (WCC), one of the most innovative vehicle customizers in the world. The cars they build might be pretty extreme but, they certainly exceed customer expectations. WCC started out in 1993 and was founded by Ryan Friedlinghaus. He opened a custom car shop with a goal to complete every job in-house and to ensure the job was done right. To do this, he hired experts in every automotive area imaginable to create some of the most incredible customs cars ever. Now WCC is highly recognized and has 6 franchise locations around the world.

WCC success has been result of the innovative styling and unmatched creativeness. You may have seen some of their work on MTV's television show Pimp My Ride or heard of their "7 Steps to Customization" program. The program was displayed at SEMA 2011 and helps customers fully customize their vehicle at a local Best Buy. Alex from WCC described the program in his own words- "The seven steps of customization is a program WCC came up with to use at Best Buy stores where the customer can walk in and purchase one or more of the products we have for each of the 7 steps using his Best Buy credit card. We are starting out with 600 of the Best Buy stores and the program will start out with 21 cars." This will most certainly make it easier for consumers to upgrade their rides. The Seven Steps to Customization are:

The 2011 WCC SEMA Booth showed the entire 7 Steps process, customers can select K&N intake systems for their vehicles.

1) Wheels & tires
2) Graphics
3) Accessories
4) Interior
5) Audio
6) Detail
7) Safety & Security

During the "7 Steps to Customization" process, customers can select K&N intakes to upgrade their ride. We asked Alex why they use K&N products and he said, "We like to use the best products available. K&N makes a great product so WCC's experience has always been very positive." K&N makes products for almost every vehicle on the road and stands behind the Million Mile Limited Warranty on all application specific over-the-road air filters and intake systems.

Stop by your local Best Buy to see if they offer this program in your area. If you would like further information about WCC, check out their website at www.westcoastcustoms.com or view their TV show Inside West Coast Customs Sundays on Discovery's new channel called Velocity.

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

KWS Motorsports and Millennium Technologies Win Multiple WERA Championships

29 déc. 2011

Fifteen year-old phenom Jake Lewis won a total of 21 races. He made the podium 31 times and won six of the seven championships.

Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia hosted the 2011 WERA Grand National Finals where K&N supported KWS Motorsports and Millennium Technologies won multiple races and championships. "We have been supporting riders in the WERA national series for the last 10 years with lots of success, but this year was really good." Chip Spalding, Manager of KWS Motorsports told K&N, "Jake (Lewis), Tim (Hunt) and Luie (Zendejas) did an awesome job."

Heading the list of awesome accomplishments was fifteen year-old phenom Jake Lewis. Lewis added the 600 Superbike National Championship, as well as three regional Sportsman Championships, to his list of achievements in 2011. Overall Lewis competed in four classes for the Nationals and he won the championship in three. He also won three regional championships at the GNF. Lewis won a total of 21 races, made the podium 31 times, and won six of the seven championships.

"This was a huge year for Jake," said Spalding. "He has won championships in USGPRU (United States Grand Prix Racers Union) on 125cc machinery and in flat track, but this is his first full season on a big four-stroke and he was awesome."

"Thanks to Earl's Racing Team, Millennium and KWS! Thanks to all the sponsors that helped us this year. Thanks to Garrett for pushing me at every track. We had a blast racing each other. Thanks to my family and Tryce Welch for all the support. It was an awesome year of racing. That's all I can say," commented Lewis.

In his first full season, Luie Zendejas finished the year with one win and five podium finishes in the WERA National series in 2011.

Tim Hunt also had a banner year riding for the North Charleston, South Carolina team. Hunt won the Open Superstock National Championship on his Dunlop-shod KWS Motorsports built Suzuki GSX-R1000. Unfortunately the WERA Superbike race was decided before it started when both Hunt and his main competition for the championship, Tim Bemisderfer, crashed in separate races on Saturday. Both riders sustained minor injuries, but they were enough that neither rider could compete. This meant the Open Superstock Championship fell into Hunt's hands and the WERA Superbike Championship was conceded to Bemisderfer.

Hunt said, "It's been a great year and I cannot thank all the sponsors enough for making it possible. We won one out of the two championships we were going for and we won a lot of races, so I can't ask much more than that. It's a shame the season ended the way it did with a spectacular crash, but that's the way it goes. Congratulations to Tim Bemisderfer on the WERA Superbike Championship. We pushed each other all year long. I really want to thank my mechanic Aaron Ralph and all sponsors for their support, especially Millennium Technologies, KWS Motorsports, Race Tech, and Dunlop!"

KWS Motorsport's Luie Zendejas switched to a KWS built GSX-R1000 Superbike for the last race of the season, while continuing to run the BMW S1000RR in Superstock. The new GSX-R helped him finish his first full season as an expert with three top-five finishes, and he finished fourth in both the Open Superstock and WERA Superbike championships. In total, Zendejas finished the year with one win and five podium finishes in the WERA National series in 2011.

Luie Zendejas switched to a KWS built GSX-R1000 Superbike for the last race of the season, while continuing to run the BMW S1000RR in Superstock.

"It was an awesome year and we learned a whole lot about what it takes to complete a full season at this level," said Zendejas. "Every time we went to the race track we learned something. I would not have been able to do any of this without the help of Michael Godin, Eric Knight and Mike Fitzgerald. A special thanks goes out to all the sponsors too."

Spalding added, "I can't tell you how proud we are of Jake, Tim, Luie, Scott, Dan and all of our sponsored riders, teams, and customers. It was a great year and we are very much looking forward to doing it again next year. Special thanks to all of our long term friends, partners, and sponsors for supporting us and our racing endeavors for all the years."

Team KWS rider Dan Crawford achieved three podium finishes and won both the 750 Superbike and 750 Superstock Novice championships in his first year of racing. Veteran Scott Carpenter won his eighth Senior Superbike Championship on his KWS built GSX-R1000.

Regarding 2012 Spalding concluded, "Next year we will continue to support riders in the WERA National Series, but our program is not in place at this time."

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

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