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Chris Brandt, the 2009 LOORRS Driver of the Year qualified 1st in the Unlimited Buggy Class
The start of the 2010 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing season is a few months away
The Lake Elsinore Motorsports Complex in California hosted the Rockstar Energy Lucas Oil Challenge Cup
Some of the fastest drivers in short course off-road racing dueled for large cash purses in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Challenge Cup
Aggressive driving at The Challenge Cup was part of the program for many of the short course off road drivers in Lake Elsinore, California.
Chad Leising drove the No. 17 Hart and Huntington SuperLite in the Rockstar Energy Lucas Oil Challenge Cup
The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series concluded with a spectacular challenge of the sport’s top drivers dueling for large cash purses. The Challenge Cup in Lake Elisnore, California was filled with division rivalries and intense action on the track.
In the middle of it all was the Hart and Huntington Race Team. Chris Brandt, the 2009 LOORRS Driver of the Year, qualified 1st and later led 26 Unlimited Class Buggies and U-L competitors for a good portion of the 15 lap event.
Robert Naughton and Brian Deegan both raced hard, but it looked as if Brandt could fight off the buggies and take the win. Deegan didn’t agree with the competition and forced his way in. In the process, Deegan took himself out and shredded Brandt’s left rear tire along with any shot of money or a podium.
Brandt's teammate and champion buggy driver, John Fitzgerald finished his first Unlimited Lite truck race as the 2nd truck to cross the line. Brandt hung on with his flat tire and crossed right behind Fitzgerald.
Later in the day, Brandt stepped into the K&N Unlimited-4 truck. Unfortunately, Brandt had rear end issues and had to drop out early in the U-2 vs. U-4 event.
Chad Leising, the 2009 SuperLite Runner-Up climbed the ranks of short course racing during the inaugural season. He was expected to be one of the contenders to take a fair share of the $35,000 purse during the Super Lite season finale at The Challenge Cup.
K&N supported racer Ricky James and Chad George engaged Leising in an intense battle going three wide. Leising drove the No. 17 Hart and Huntington SuperLite cautiously to avoid damage to the truck. He found his window of opportunity and followed Naughton up through the field. Leising charged to the front and was door to door on the back stretch.
Unfortunately, the No. 88 flew high off the main jump and made contact with Leising as he landed. Forced off the line and off the elevated obstacle, the No. 17 barrel rolled into a cart wheelie. The front steering arms were sheered, but Leising crawled out of the wreckage and had to accept a DNF, (did not finish).
K&N is the filter of choice for the Hart and Huntington Race Team, Metal Mulisha’s Brian Deegan and Ricky James.
The Hart and Huntington Team will be back in force for the 2010 season. The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS) 2010 schedule will be comprised of fifteen championship rounds of racing.
The events will be held over eight weekends at tracks located in the states of California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah. The short course off road racing season will conclude with the Rockstar Energy/Lucas Oil Challenge Cup at Firebird Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona on December 12, 2010.
Michael Lewis started off the 2010 racing season by setting the quick time at Tucson Raceway Park on New Year’s Day during a special USAC Ford Focus event. Officials and the track promoter agreed to change the original program from a 30-lap feature event to two 20-lap features.
Michael Lewis and the Western Speed Ford Focus team competed at Tucson Raceway Park in Arizona. K&N supported Lewis and teammate Cody Gerhardt had a strong start to the New Year.
Lewis and his Western Speed Ford Focus team began the day strong. Lewis and teammate Cody Gerhardt qualified first and second
respectively. “Kevin Gerhardt had both of our cars dialed in perfectly,” said Lewis. “All I had to do was hit my marks and ended up on top of the chart during qualifying.”
K&N supported racer Michael Lewis set the fast time for the special USAC Ford Focus event on New Year's Day
In the first 20-lap feature, Lewis started 6th and worked his way to the front to win the event. “This is a fast track and it was fun for me to be able to put the car anywhere I wanted. It just kept going faster,” said Lewis. “And, it handled great through all 20 laps.”
In the second 20-lap feature, Lewis started 6th. After a few frantic laps the field settled down and Lewis fell in behind teammate Cody Gerhardt in third place. “My car was loose from the beginning. It was very difficult to keep the car straight and charge to the front,” said Lewis. “I just settled in and held on for a third place finish.”
The next few weeks will be very busy for Lewis. He will move to Europe to race full time in the Formula BMW Europe Series. “The Formula BMW Collective Team testing will begin the first week of March,” said Lewis. “I am excited about this opportunity to race in Europe.”
At the conclusion of the Formula BMW Europe season the K&N supported racer will return home to Laguna Beach, California and finish up the 2010 season in the remaining races on the USAC California Pavement Ford Focus Schedule.
“Our K&N products give us extra power and excellent filtration,” said Kevin Gerhardt. “Our K&N air filters are also washable and reusable and protect our engines from track debris.”
Lewis will stay busy both on and off the track in 2010 as he will continue his freshman year collegiate education in an online program with California State University, Fullerton.
The Yamaha T135 wears many names depending on which part of the world you are in. The T135 goes by Spark 135 in Thailand, Sniper in the Philippines, Jupiter MX in Indonesia, Exciter in Vietnam, and T 135 Crypton X in Greece.
K&N's YA-1306 For Yamaha T135 Underbone Motorcycles
The T135 is classified as an underbone motorcycle. Although the appearance is similar to a scooter, the wheels, engine position, and transmission are based on the design of conventional motorcycles. Underbone motorcycles are especially popular in South Asian and South East Asian countries.
The T135 underbone motorcycle has a performance oriented 135cc liquid-cooled four-stroke engine. It received fuel injection beginning with the 2008 model year. K&N has released a new washable/reusable High-Flow Air Filter™ (YA-1306) to meet the performance demands of these machines and their owners.
This high-flow replacement motorcycle air filter is washable/reusable, pre-oiled and ready to ride. K&N’s YA-1306 is specifically designed to fit into the stock air filter assembly of 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 Yamaha T135 models with a 135cc engine.
K&N high-flow replacement air filters are performance designed to provide increased airflow, resulting in increased horsepower and acceleration while providing excellent filtration. Fuel management modifications to your T135 are not necessary to obtain increased performance.
Covered by the famous K&N Million Mile Limited Warranty®, and made in the USA, K&N’s YA-1306 will be the last air filter your T135 underbone motorcycle will ever need.
"Racing has been my passion since I was little. My father was my hero - So I was doomed early in life," says Wally Pankratz.
A Wally Pankratz Midget Car in Action.
Wally's father was the 1940's Midget Racer legend Bob Pankratz. As a racer Bob was largely considered a journeyman, but his legend grew as he went on to become a master automotive craftsman, injecting new ideas into racecar construction. Bob's innovation and craftsmanship helped contribute to the transition in racecar construction, from the pre-World War II rigid chassis, to the flexible and adjustable streamlined components we're used to today.
Currently living in Orange, California, Wally is the second generation of Pankratz racing legends. He is a very accomplished Midget Racer in his own right, sporting an impressive race resume.
2000 Western States Midget Champion
63 Main Event Wins - Super-modifieds
2 Main Event Wins - Dirt Modifieds
7 Main Event Wins - Sprint Cars
44 Main Event Wins - Midgets
1977 Ascot Midget Champion
1981 Super-modified Racing Association Champion
1984 Kings Sprint Car Champion
1997 Jimmy Caruthers Memorial Award - USAC
Like his father however, Wally may be best remembered for what he's done with his post race career. Wally has a successful and well-respected driving school held at Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino, California.
"Four years ago I realized that the open-wheel midget and sprint car schools on the west coast were all on dirt. If you want to be a major league racer though, you need to know asphalt. So, I thought that there would be a need for a pavement school."
"My school is a one-on-one program, so all students get 100 percent attention. We run 200 total laps - 12 sessions of 15 laps, and one 20-lap run. I watch and fine tune students after each session," explains Wally.
"I have been lucky to have really talented people come to the Orange Show - Bobby Grewohl, Alex Bowman, Jake and Cody Swanson, Tanner Swanson and his brother Kody Swanson, Michael Lewis, Austin Smith - all these have gone on to success in Midgets and Focus Midgets."
"Cody Williams went on to be National Sprint Car Rookie of the Year, and his brother Austin was the '09 Rookie of the Year for CRA-USAC and Victorville Speedway," adds Wally proudly.
"K&N has been very generous with their help and support. We use K&N air filters, oil filters and small breather filters. K&N filters insure our school cars engines run their best and will endure for thousands of laps," says Wally.
Starting next year Wally will begin offering a Primer Course for beginning dirt drivers. They will utilize the Speedway bike track at the Orange Show Fairgrounds. That track is run by Speedway bike racing great, Shawn McConnell.
"Because the track is so small the cars will be virtually sideways the entire circuit," says Wally. "This will quickly teach throttle control and car control, without the necessity of using great speed to shake the car loose. Dirt track is a better teacher of car control than pavement in the beginning," adds Wally.
Topping off the third generation of Pankratz Midget Racers is Wally's daughter Randi. Randi is an up and coming TQ driver. She has raced as far away as Paris, France and New Zealand and locally at Ventura, Bakersfield, Hanford, El Cajon, Irwindale and Perris, California. In the 1999 season, she held the 1 lap record at Irwindale and finished 3rd in Western States TQ points. Her plans include moving up to the midget class. There's no telling what Randi will come up for her post racing contribution, but rest assured, as a Pankratz it will be good.
Between the ages of 12 to 16, Wendy Mathis racked-up 75 feature wins racing Quarter Midgets
As is often the case, talent begins to reveal itself early on in life. For Wendy Mathis, living in Tampa Bay, Florida, her mad skills began to shine overtly between the ages of twelve and sixteen. During that four-year period, racing Quarter Midgets, Mathis racked-up an impressive 75 feature wins.
At age fifteen Wendy Mathis became the first female to win the Florida State Quarter Midget Championship
At the ripe age of fifteen she became the first female to win the Florida State Quarter Midget Championship. Since 2001, Wendy has competed with the Tampa Bay Area Racing Association (TBARA) Sprint Car Club, and she is currently competing full-time in the O'Reilly USCS Asphalt Thunder Series (Winged Pavement Sprint Car).
With the paint still wet on this new decade's Open for Business sign, Mathis is already in Australia, ready to take on a new challenge - the dirt tracks of Australia. Her debut has been delayed slightly though. In her January 3, blog entry she writes, "It's raining cats and dogs (kangaroos and wallabies) down here. Dubbo and Parramatta both got rained out, so I've been playing tourist waiting for another race, which should be on Monday (January 4, 2010).
Wendy Mathis uses K&N Sprint Car Air Box and Wrench Off oil filters
To prepare for her Australian assault Mathis first spent time with Sprint Car Yoda Cory Kruseman. "Right off the bat I have to thank K&N Filters for helping me get into the Cory Kruseman Sprint Car & Midget School (Ventura, California) right before I flew over here. That was a lot of learning in a short amount of time, and it really helped me out tremendously."
Wendy Mathis attended Cory Kruseman Sprint Car & Midget School in December, 2009
"I actually attended Cory's school on December 20. I had the opportunity to race against Cory in the "Little 500" some years ago, so I knew that he was a very talented driver. I had heard a lot of great things about his school and I couldn't wait to get instruction from one of the best in the business," explains Mathis.
"Some of the things that Cory was able to help me with were understanding the cushion, and how to use it properly - how to read the race track - throttle control and braking - and correctly entering and exiting corners."
2010 will be Wendy Mathis' second season as a team owner
"Cory took a lot of extra time with me to make sure that I understood as much as possible. Unfortunately, because of scheduling problems (the Ventura
County Fair Association had pre-scheduled a horse show), our time together was very brief, so I had to learn as much as I could really fast."
Wendy has competed with the Tampa Bay Area Racing Association (TBARA) Sprint Car Club Since 2001 and currently competing full-time in the O'Reilly USCS Asphalt Thunder Series
"If anyone is transitioning from pavement to dirt, or if they are already driving on the dirt, but want to hone their skills, or even if they just want a once in a lifetime experience, I highly recommend that they take Cory Kruseman's Sprint Car and Midget Driving School. This was an amazing experience and I can't thank Bob Harris at K&N enough for arranging it for me," says Mathis.
We asked Mathis how the decision to travel to the other side of the planet to race came about. "This is truly one of those opportunities that found me," says Mathis. "Todd, my marketing guy, my business manager, Josh, and my friend Brian, created a website to help keep sprint car fans in Florida up to date.
The Skene family (Craig, Trisha and their kids Zara, Jackson and Laura) where in the planning stages of a visit from Australia to the United States, to the Orlando area, to visit Disney World, among other things. Craig, being the hardcore racer that he is, managed to work in a few trips to speedways around Florida during their visit. Craig found www.FloridaSprintCarFans.com and contacted Todd. Together Todd and Josh compiled a list of every possible type of sprint car racing for Craig to take in during his visit." That's how the initial connection to Mathis came about.
As fate should have it, the first race on that list was only hours after the Skene's arrived in Orlando. Mathis and TBARA were racing at Desoto Super Speedway in Bradenton, Florida. There was a lengthy, but fortuitous rain delay that night, which provided Mathis plenty of time to chat and get familiar with the entire Skene family, and they hit it off well. "The entire family is so cool," says Mathis.
Mathis nearly won that night, running in third place for most of the race. Craig was "blown away" not just by Mathis, but with how fast and close the racing was. After the race, the family asked Mathis what she was doing for the next couple of weeks? She wasn't busy, so she agreed to show them around Florida.
"This incredible opportunity came about when Craig and his family invited me to travel to Australia and drive for them. I had done some research on Craig when I heard that he was coming over, and I knew that he was one of the best non-wing drivers in Australia. Craig is one of only a few drivers to reach the number one spot in Australia multiple times," adds Mathis. "So, to have the chance to drive his car was something that I couldn't pass up. It's one of those things you really usually only dream about."
"The Skene Family Racing Team has done a great job making sure I don't have too much down time out of the car," says Mathis. "I'm going to squeeze in six races in four weeks. I have two races scheduled at the famous Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway (TPCR) in Sydney. I also have three races scheduled at Dubbo City Speedway, and one at Norwa Speedway. The history at TPCR is incredible; I can't believe that my first race ever on dirt will be there. How do you top that?"
"I really have to say that K&N really is the best filter in the world," says Mathis. "I've always believed in their products, but after touring the production facility and seeing the lengths that K&N goes through to assure that they stay the best is amazing."
"I use the K&N Sprint Car Air Box and the Wrench Off oil filters. I also use the K&N filter cleaner and filter oil to keep my air box working like new, and the
K&N Pre-Filter to keep the pleats from getting clogged with debris. The entire staff at K&N has been so helpful since I've been a part of the team. I just can't say enough good things about everyone at K&N. They really pride themselves on building relationships. Whether you're a retail customer, or a sponsored driver, you get their very best every time."
2010 will be Mathis' second season as a team owner and by all indications she has no intentions of slowing down. "There's a lot of pressure being the team owner and the driver. A lot of that is self-inflicted though. I expect more of myself and refuse to settle for less. I've got some big ideas for 2010 that I would like to announce, but I'm not quite ready just yet. I guess that will have to be another story."
