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Mike Edwards takes NHRA Pro Stock victory in Las Vegas
After a semi-final round exit at the NHRA Spring Nationals event just the weekend before in Houston, Mike Edwards, driver of the Penhall/Interstate Batteries/K&N Pontiac GXP, rolled into The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway ready to play a Pro Stock hand that was going to be hard to beat.
K&N Horsepower Challenge points leader Mike Edwards
During the first qualifying pass for the Summitracing.com NHRA Nationals, K&N Horsepower Challenge points leader Edwards didn't make quite his usual straight-to-the-top lap down the track and found himself a few hundredths shy of the leader.
"We had some issues with engine and had to make some changes with that," he says of the first shot at the track. "We worked on it and got it to come around a little better for the next pass."
Edwards's car had already had several planned changes made to it and its setup after the NHRA event in Houston, due to the major differences in air conditions that would be present during the Las Vegas race.
"Going from I would say, one extreme to the other when you have conditions in Houston where it's sea level and a thirty inch barometer to the altitude you have in Vegas and a twenty-seven inch barometer, you know several of the changes you are going to make going in," commented Edwards. "We have run there a lot so we pretty much know, but you always have to make your first run and see how it all laid out for you."
Results from the Friday night session would show that the changes the team made were certainly in the right direction as Edwards would bounce back up to the familiar territory of the number one spot, which Edwards even managed to better come session number three.
"Saturday morning we made a pretty nice run," Edwards said of his run that would claim both top E.T. and speed for the event.
That "pretty nice run" was also enough for Edwards to have almost a full three-hundredths of a second on the number two qualifier and a full eight hundredths heading into race day over his first round competitor, number sixteen qualifier, Rickie Jones.
Based on Edwards's average reaction times, one may have thought his oh-sixty-one light in round number one may have been by him wanting to play it safe on the tree.
"I don't know if I would say I was taking it easy, we were just trying to be conservative about everything and make a good run and just try not to do anything really wrong the first round," explained Edwards. "You never really know what the track is going to hold first round but it helped us to know what adjustments we needed to make for second round."
Edwards continued on past Warren Johnson in round two and local resident Greg Anderson in the semi-finals before making his way to pair up with Greg Stanfield in his first Pro Stock final at the Las Vegas venue.
Stanfield, who was the number eleven qualifier, needed to go for all he could on the line during final, knowing Edwards had slightly more than six-hundreds in E.T. over him in the previous round and hadn't run numbers anywhere near that of Edwards throughout the entire event.
While Stanfield managed to pull out a little on the tree, Edwards had it more than made up by the time they reached the three-thirty foot mark and was no match for the Penhall/K&N GXP of Edwards who went on to take the stripe by almost fourteen feet, safely sailing into his fourth victory of the season, twenty-fourth overall and his very first in Las Vegas.
The K&N Horsepower Challenge Points leader, thanks to his phenomenal amount of number one qualifiers since the 2010 points began accumulating last June, also not only holds the current lead in NHRA Pro Stock Championship Points chase, but is doing so by a whopping two-hundred sixty-one points over number two, 2008 K&N Horsepower Challenge Champion, Allen Johnson.
Next the NHRA Full Throttle series heads to Madison, IL, just outside of St. Louis, MO for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, April 30 - May 2.
For Matt Long, the fast track to success didn't always include the track. Long grew up in a racing family, but he took a different path to the drivers seat. When he was younger, Long worked for his father Tye, who owned and raced Super Late Models in the Ohio Valley area. Long quickly became involved with the money side of the business, having passed on opportunities to drive while learning marketing and sponsorship. Long went of to college, and eventually landed a job with Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Corporate Sales Department. After settling down in North Carolina, Long decided to jump back into the family side of the business, this time as a driver.
Matt Long's Number 25 Crate Dirt Late Model Car
"I gave up racing cold turkey when I moved to Charlotte," said the now five year veteran of Dirt Late Model racing. "After a year, I didn't know what to do with myself. I decided to buy a Crate Dirt Late Model, it made the most sense financially. I had no driving experience before that."
Long quickly adapted to the fast pace, high horsepower world of dirt racing. He picked up a top five in the Fastrak Southeast Regional points in 2008, and improved into the national spotlight with a top 15 in the Fastrak National points last season.
Last week Long picked up the third main event win of his career at Carolina Speedway. "It's my home track...we always race well there. That race was the first on a new setup, and the car was awesome. We ended up winning by almost a half track," said Long.
This season, Long's team is looking to crash the National Dirt Racing Association (NDRA) party. The team has set their sights on winning the NDRA Regional Championship, and they're also shooting for a top three finish nationally. On top of that, Long wants to continue moving up the Fastrak standings. "We'd really like to win five to ten main events this year. That would be a lot easier if we didn't run all of the touring series. The competition there is much stiffer."
Long's crate engine car is considered an economy racer. The crate motor allows racers to focus more resources on the suspension and driveline, and focus less on the motor itself; But Long cautions not to be fooled. "Most people think running a crate motor means no engine work whatsoever. K&N Filters help my motors last much longer than some of the guys I race with. I buy my motors from Heintz Performance, and the first time I ever had on rebuilt, they called and told me they'd never seen the inside of one so clean before. We use K&N Filters on the air cleaner, valve cover breathers, transmission breathers, rear end breathers, and fuel cell breathers. I have never once had a mechanical breakdown because of clogged breathers or dirty motor oil. The best thing about K&N Filters: they're easy to clean, and that's a big plus on dirt."
Andi Rothbauer is riding in Supermoto and stunt shows all around Europe and gaining fans everywhere he goes
Austria is a country flourishing with eclectic history - recognized for its castles and palaces, Mozart and Freud, Apfelstrudel and Schuhplattler (folk dancing), yodeling and Supermoto racers. That's correct - Team Honda Austria is one of the premier international Supermoto teams around.
Winning the International Austrian State Championship was a dream come true for Andi Rothbauer
Supermoto is an evolution of motocross and road racing, run on tracks typically configured with 70 percent road and 30 percent dirt. It requires a very specific set of skills crossed-over from both racing venues, and Team Honda Austria is cultivating two of brightest new stars on the international Supermoto landscape.
According to team marketing spokesperson Claudia Rothbauer, Team Honda Austria (THA) first got involved with Supermoto back in 2000, and they have always supported private Honda riders right from the start. The Honda Manufacture supported Supermoto team as its known currently was formed in 2006 with multiple Austrian State Champion Christian Ackerl and Red Bull Rookie Andreas Simpson Rothbauer, or Andi as his sister Claudia calls him, heading the team. Ackerl left the team in 2008, but the original team manager, Gordon Hrgota remains.
The newest team member, Florian Wedenig, is tightening the learning curve and should be in the pro ranks before the end of the seaon.
Andi Rothbauer has experienced several team mates over the years, being that the team encourages and supports young riders to a professional level in both racing and sport marketing, acting as a kind of racing farm league. In 2008 and 2009 THA racers Viktor Bolsec and Andi grabbed the International Austrian State Championship titles in both the S1 and S2 class. Earlier this year, having sharpened his skills, the Croatian Bolsec left the Austrian Team to join the Italian HM Honda Team. Taking his place on the THA team is the young raising star and new junior racer Florian Wedenig.
Andi started racing Supermoto in 2002 and immediately displayed a knack for it. He attended the try-outs for the KTM/Red Bull Supermoto Junior Cup. Out of more than 200 riders, Andi made the top 20, and was allowed to compete in the Junior Cup. He finished his first season third overall. He is now considered a top-five international rider aboard his Honda CRF 450R with Supermoto modifications. Winning the International Austrian State Championship S2 was a dream come true and is so far his biggest accomplishment. He is also getting huge props for his stellar performances in the World, European, and Supermoto of Nations Championships.
The newest team member, Florian Wedenig brings with him familiarity in motocross, cross country, as well as Supermoto Junior Cup experience. The young racer finished the OEMTC Dunlop Junior Cup in second place last year, which is why team manager Hrgota offered him a spot on the team.
"K&N was one of the first sponsors of Andi Rothbauer, back during his KTM times," explains Claudia. "In 2006 with the change to Team Honda Austria, K&N decided to stick with Andi and with supporting the team. THA riders have always trusted the high quality products. The team is using Air Filters HA-4509XD, Oil Filters KN-116 as well as Recharger Filter Care Service Kits 99-5000.
Andi says "We are pushing our Honda CRF450R Supermoto Modification bikes to the very limits, K&N provides us with the great high performance filters that our bikes need for maximum filtration and optimum airflow, so we can compete on such a high level."
The Supermoto season has just kicked off with the first race event of the International Austrian State Championship series. In another two week the World and European Championships get started with the first event in Italy. Andi is planning on riding a few quest starts with both international events, but he is as yet still working out sponsorship support for any fulltime involvement.
Wedenig will continue to focus primarily on Supermoto in Austria. The goal is to get him up to speed and to start gaining Pro-Rider experience.
"We are planning on doing even more effective videos and photos to present to our sponsors such as K&N, especially for the internet," say Claudia. "Andi is riding Supermoto and stunt shows at all kinds of venues and company events, as well as Supermoto instructor classes all over Europe."
With his win at North Georgia Speedway Ray Cook "The Tarheel Tiger" becomes the winningest racer in SRRS history
Ray Cook, driving his number 53 Dirt Late Model team car, recently became the winningest driver in Southern Regional Racing Series (SRRS) history with his victory at the North Georgia Speedway in Chatsworth, Georgia. This was the third win of the season for the Brasstown, North Carolina driver, aptly nicknamed "The Tarheel Tiger" and it was his eleventh career SRRS win overall.
The race track was to Cook's liking and his new D&R Motorsports team car performed perfectly
"It feels great to have the most wins in the SRRS series. We have run this series off and on since it started. I didn't really think about the record until it happened. Once it came to pass though, I was proud of the accomplishment for myself, our race team, and for all the sponsors and supporters involved with our race program," remarked Cook.
"It was great to get back into victory lane again, especially after our disappointing performance at Brownstown," said Cook.
"It was the first time that we have brought this newer style car to North Georgia and I was very pleased with its performance. The race track was in good shape, and overall it was just an awesome night for the D&R Motorsports team. We have had some good luck with the SRRS Series in the past and hopefully that continues.
As far as what is next for Cook and the D&R Motorsports team, Cook says they will continue to do the best they can each and every weekend, and maybe they can ratchet up the final SRRS record tally with a few more wins. (The D&R Motorsports team ran at the Green Valley Speedway in Glencoe, Alabama over the April 16-17 weekend for a pair of SRRS events and Cook drove away with his fourth victory of the 2010 season.)
"Thanks again for the help and support of K&N to our race team. Hopefully we can keep our race team as solid as the products we use from K&N," adds Cook.
The #47 Brian Cannon Motorsports / Autism Awareness / Coors Light / K&N Filters Sprint Car
Last week Andy Forsberg and his #47 Brian Cannon Motorsports, Autism Awareness, Coors Light, K&N Filters Sprint Car team picked up their second win of the season with a victory in the second round of the California Civil War Series. The event was held in Petaluma, CA. Forsberg started the evening's main event in third place, but captured the lead for good in just five laps. It was the first Civil War victory of the year for Forsberg, moving him to third in the point's standings, just six points back of first.
Andy Forsberg looks for his fifth Civil War Series Sprint Car Championship in 2010
"I believe we have good momentum now. We have been fast and competitive at all the races this season," Forsberg said after the win. "The races we didn't finish, those were just racing deals that happen in sprint car racing…with a new team, there are going to be bugs to shake out, but we seem to have positive momentum from the start, which is rare with new teams."
Forsberg is looking for his record fifth Civil War Series championship this season. The Brian Cannon Motorsports entry has steadily improved this season, and the team is feeling confident about the chances of securing another championship. Forsberg says the team's ability to adapt to different tracks has been, and will continue to be key.
"We have been very fast everywhere we've raced so far…four different tracks in five nights of racing has been real beneficial. And since the Civil War Series travels to six different tracks, it's important to remain versatile."
When asked about his teams hot start, Forsberg credited K&N Filters with keeping the team up front early in the year. "They don't call this motor sports for nothing. You have to have a good motor to win, and the motors are very expensive, so we need to take care of our investments. K&N does that for us. Keeping the oil clean with great filters and keeping dirt out of the intake with the carbon fiber air box system is key. We try and get as many nights out of a freshen as possible, and K&N products help us do that."
The Brian Cannon Motorsports entry wants to remind everyone that April is Autism Awareness Month. For more information, log on to www.autismspeaks.org.
