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Cam Reimers Posted Seasons First Top-Five Finish in Traxxas TORC Series at Eldora Speedway

Jun 28, 2013

TORC Series PRO Lite racer Cam Reimers at Eldora Speedway

Cam Reimers took advantage of sloppy, stormy conditions at Eldora Speedway and posted his first top-five finish of the season in the Traxxas TORC Series in May.

Reimers, running his first full season in the TORC Series, was fifth in the PRO Lite race at Eldora Speedway in Ohio. Eldora Speedway was supposed to host Rounds 3 and 4 of the TORC Series, but rain washed out the fourth round.

The stormy conditions evened the playing field for Reimers and his team. Rain washed out the practice sessions and qualifying; leaving some of the better-funded teams without the data to make adjustments before the race.

PRO Lite racer Cam Reimers is running his first full season in the TORC Series

"I wasn't that upset. There are quite a few high-dollar, budget teams there that make a lot of changes and have a lot of different gearing choices," Reimers said. "We're kind of limited on some of that. The less test and tune time they have, sometimes it's not all bad for a team like us. I enjoyed it. I actually didn't mind only being on the track once."

His first top-five finish came after a disappointing opening to the season at Dodge City Raceway in Kansas. Reimers opened with an 11th-place finish in the opening race and followed with a seventh-place finish in Round 2.

The team gradually improved through the first three races of the season, an encouraging trend, Reimers said. He anticipated better results at Eldora Speedway after the races in Kansas.

"The team is getting better race to race," Reimers said. "To be completely honest, I feel better every time I get in the truck. It was muddy and the track conditions were terrible, but I still just kind of focused on racing, not necessarily the truck. There wasn't a lot of thought behind it. I was just driving and stuff kind of clicked."

Cam Reimers is in ninth place in the TORC Series PRO Lite standings after six rounds

Conditions at Eldora Speedway were terrible. The first two practice sessions were cancelled because of rain. Reimers said the track officials had about 10 drivers meetings to inform the teams about the changes in the schedule. Qualifying was cancelled and the start of the race was delayed because of the weather.

"To be quite honest, they didn't do much to prep the track," Reimers said. "They weren't doing much to make it better. They put us right out on the track after it rained. It was raining so hard, we did one little pace lap and they sent us right back into the pits. It poured for 15 minutes. It came down hard."

Rounds 3 and 4 were supposed to be run at Eldora Speedway. Round 4 was postponed because of the weather.

Reimers posted a pair of top-10 finishes at Bark River International Raceway in Minnesota. Bark River hosted Round 4, 5 and 6 of the TORC Series. He was sixth in the Round 4 race and eighth in the Round 5 race. He finished in 11th place in the Round 6 race.

But Reimers, an accomplished motocross rider, said he expects to win some races even in his first season in the TORC Series. He is in ninth place in the TORC Series PRO Lite standings after six rounds.

"Our goal is to come out and to win," Reimers said. "We come from a type of racing where we're accustomed to winning. I like to go for the top five. Some team's goals are a top five. But that's not our goal. I think we might need to have some luck to pull off a win. I don't think that's a stretch of the imagination to say that. Our goals are to win races."

The next two races in the TORC Series are at Crandon International Off Road Raceway in Wisconsin at the end of June.

"We're limited on budgets compared to some teams, but we've got good people behind us that are helping us," Reimers said. "Out of the smaller teams, I would definitely put ours as the strongest one out of all of them."

Using K&N filters is one of the reason Reimers team is running as well as it is. During the races in Dodge City, Reimers flipped his truck in practice and the filters prevented a dangerous situation from escalating.

"I rolled the truck over in practice and could see the fuel coming out the filter lid," Reimers said. "They're thinking about mandating a rule for that, you have to run a filter lid like how K&N makes so the fuel runs out. They had an incident the next night where a guy rolled. They rolled him back over and there was a huge flash fire. I think about stuff like that even from a safety aspect with the K&N deal. That could have been me."

Related K&N News Articles about Cam Reimers: Cam Reimers Comeback in 2012 Should Translate to a Successful 2013 Season; Cam Reimers Walks Away From Loretta Lynn's With Two Overall Wins

K&N's Lyn Rosas Addresses Motorcycle Riding and TrackDaz at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway

Jun 28, 2013

Rosas says she's looking to work on her lines and speed at every track event she attends.

Riding motorcycles teaches you to value the power of patience and the total pristine beauty of focusing only on the moment. Motorcycles don't suffer fools well. Split-second decisions made only by overriding ego ultimately and always meet head-on with the unflinching laws of physics. That's the first lesson you learn. They can also help you to get in the game, instead of regrettably spending a lifetime on the sidelines playing it safe. And they're so overwhelmingly enjoyable to ride that you never think about any of those things except upon reflection. That's what makes motorcycles so addictive, and why those who get it, are so passionate about them.

K&N Human Resources Manager, Lyn Rosas and her Yamaha YZF-R6 spend quality time together bonding at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway.

Take K&N's Lyn Rosas for example; four years ago she had never even been on a motorcycle, and now she has already attended her third TrackDaz event at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway in Desert Center, California and she's raring for more. "My husband, Alan actually turned me into a rider," Rosas explains. "He got his 2009 Yamaha R1 back in August of 2009, and after I rode on the back of it, I realized that I wanted my own. I purchased my 2009 Yamaha YZF-R6 in October of 2009 and once I learned how to ride, I just wanted to ride more."

"Chuckwalla Valley Raceway is a great organization and very supportive of all of the riders and all of their paces. The event always starts with a rider meeting where the organizers let all of the riders know the rules and what they can and can't do.

Learning to ride off-chamber turns at speed requires a deft touch.

They always offer classroom instruction for riders that have never ridden on a track or have never ridden on the track that they are riding that day. Then the track day starts, typically with the A group first, which is the fastest of the groups. Each group gets a 20 minute session. Then B group goes, which is the intermediate group, and then C group goes, which is beginners and riders not yet ready to bump up to B. My next track day at Chuckwalla will be in September, and I will be moving up to B group for that session. So far I have only ridden in the C group."

Riding in traffic on the track teaches Rosas the importance of holding her line.

Rosas rides, she doesn't race, and she doesn't believe she ever will. "I just love the adrenaline rush of riding the track," she says. Rosas plans on attending a total of five TrackDaz events this year, where she will continue to work on setting up her lines, and her overall speed around the track. Later this month she will be attending a track riding event with the FastTrack Riders at the California Speedway for the first time. "I am looking forward to it," says Rosas. Then I will be back at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway in September and October. Maybe someday I'll be able to ride in group A with the racers, but I still have a lot to learn, and a lot of practice to do before that happens." And so the motorcycle jones intensifies.

Rosas continues to demonstrate keenness for adventure in her job as well. She has worked for K&N for nine years and beginning in January of this year she took on the challenge of Human Resources Manager. "I am sad to say that I had never heard of K&N before I started working here," Rosas acknowledges. "But Alan was excited about me getting this job, because he knew about K&N."

Related K&N News Articles about Yamaha YZF-R6 air filters and R6 oil filters: Stunt Rider Jessica Maine Shares Her Thoughts on K&N Air Filters for Yamaha YZF R6; K&N's 2008 to 2012 Yamaha YZF-R6 Air Filter Adds Performance; K&N Race Specific Designed for the 2008 to 2012 Yamaha YZF R6 Air Filter; Dress Your Street Bike Up with K&N's Chrome Yamaha YZF-R6 Oil Filter;

Sprint Car Driver Billy Alley Takes I-80 Speedway Knowledge to 360 Knoxville Nationals

Jun 24, 2013

Billy Alley began racing his 360 winged sprint car with this new paint scheme last weekend

The season hasn't been the best of seasons for Midwest sprint car racer Billy Alley in 2013, but his attitude hasn't changed and the Bennet, Nebrasca, driver is closing in on a breakout.

Motor problems and a crash while leading are just a few of the things that have kept Alley down this year, but the motor is repaired and that, along with some other great events have Alley all smiles and ready to go racing.

"We have had a pretty up-and-down season so far," Alley said. "There have been times when we have been really fast, but we are still looking for consistency."

Billy Alley ran up front and finished in the top five in the ASCS National Tour event at I-80 Speedway

The motor problems crept up in early April during a double-header weekend in Alley's home state. It was a disappointing moment, but not as disappointing as his crash while leading the Nebraska 360 Sprints race at Butler County.

"We let one slip away that night," Alley said. "We're better now. We got the car fixed; we fixed the motor issues too. We have a great relationship with our engine builder."

Alley and his Ironwood Builders team concede that this year has been a struggle, but they know it comes with the territory.

"We are still a very young team," Alley said. "We will gain the consistency we are looking for and win some races."

Alley proved he could compete for wins more than once this season. Aside from his run at Butler County, Alley also ran up front and finished in the top five in an ASCS National Tour event at I-80 Speedway.

Alley also welcomed a daughter, Cameron, into the world. He called that moment "the best of the year."

And the potential for more great moment exist with the 360 Knoxville Nationals approaching quickly. That's the one race Alley has had circled all season on his calendar.

"I can't thank my sponsors enough," Alley said. "My car owner, Joe Steinbach, who owns Ironwood Builders. Jeff Lehms at Carpetland, Donn Steinbach at Colby Ridge, Ben and Tim Vogt with Vogt Poured Walls, and everyone else, including Klone Farms, Stepping Stone Genetics, Astro Buildings, Depicted Images by Jeff White, all of my crew guys, and K&N Filters."

"(K&N) provides us with the best filters on the market. Sometimes the average fan doesn't realize that after every night you race, the oil needs to be changed in a sprint car motor. Having the right products and support from a great company like K&N Filters really helps out the team, and I can't thank them enough for that support."

Related K&N News Articles about Billy Alley and I-80 Speedway: Billy Alley Finds Victory Lane at I-80 Speedway Near Greenwood, Nebraska; ASCS Midwest Northern Plains Race at I-80 Speedway in Nebraska with Billy Alley; 2011 Knoxville Raceway Champion Carson McCarl's American Sprint Car Series 360 Race at I-80 Speedway; 360 Sprint Car Racer Brian Brown Gets Checkered Flag at I-80 Speedway Near Greenwood, Nebraska;

NHRA Kansas Nationals Super Gas Win at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kansas for K&N's Steve Williams

Jun 24, 2013

Steve Williams grabs Super Gas win at 25th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kansas

For the fifth time of his career, Steve Williams whittled his way through the competition to find himself in the winner's circle at a NHRA National Event, when he and his faithful K&N Filters 1963 Corvette roadster took the win in Super Gas during the 25th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kansas. The win marked his second NHRA national event Wally in Super Gas.

Williams was doing double duty in both his Super Comp dragster and 9.90 Corvette, but he's the first to point out he's not yet quite satisfied with the dragster's performance thus far in 2013. "The dragster is still not as good as the Corvette," admitted Williams, V.P. at K&N Engineering. "It's got a problem where it's giving up a little more 60ft when the track gets hot and I haven't quite got that figured out, but I'm working on it. It's about eighty percent there."

"I don't race again until after the Fourth, so I'm going to go up to Bakersfield for a couple of days for a race there and just work on the dragster," he said.

K&N Filters 1963 Corvette Super Gas roadster driven by Steve Williams

While he was able to make it to third round in the dragster, it would be his Corvette that would carry him through the weekend to the win and for the Beaumont, California resident, it all started with sending Super Gas racer Doug Kohl home, right off the bat.

"I think we were both about the same on the tree," said Williams of his Super Gas first round match up with Doug Kohl. "They [NHRA] were going to run us all day on Saturday and we were out there that morning about nine. It was one of those breakout rounds and I knew I wasn't going to catch him, so I just dropped and he went under and I was a few over."

After the first round win, that would put Williams and his fellow Super Gas competitors on the ladder and he was pleased with where he landed. "Yeah, I was pretty happy with my spot," he said. "That paired me with Trisha Allen, who went red and third round I came up against Ricky Hill. He's another one of the local guys there. I was .025 on the tree and he was .014. It was just another bit of luck there, because he just barely broke out with his 9.896 and I knew I wasn't going to catch him, so I dropped to a 9.92."

Williams' win over Hill moved him on to the quarterfinals and a huge matchup with fellow K&N Filters racer, Tommy Phillips. Not just a battle of great drivers, but the winner would earn the all-important bye into the championship round.

K&N Vice Presendent Steve Williams outran Shawn Carter for the NHRA Kansas Nationals Super Gas win

"He went red by a couple of thou and that was pretty unusual for him," Williams pointed out of Phillips reaction time.

"From my perspective, I was probably a little too conservative with the delay box most of the rounds," he noted. "Because first round the track is a lot colder and a lot tighter. I was .014 with .024 in first round and then I left that in for the next three rounds, where I then stayed in the twenty's. So, I really think I was just too conservative with that part to start with. I took .010 out for my semifinal bye and was .007, then added .005 back in and was .014 in the final."

Williams pointed out that in most of his rounds, he was always the one doing the chasing with his high mile-per-hour Corvette roadster and its low 170 charge. "I think everyone else was like 164 mph and slower, but Carter who I ran in the final. I had run him in a time run, I think it was the third one on Friday and we both ran 9.88's. So I had a time slip that showed me exactly where he was and his track position."

"So I knew at 1000ft that I would outrun him by about a hundredth to the finish line," he continued. "We had identical 1000ft ET's. Even though he missed the tree pretty bad, I didn't see that. It was pretty dark with the crazy weather that we were having, so was really just trying to make sure I hit the tree good. But by the time we got to the 1000ft, he wasn't even at the back of my wheelie bar. I just ripped the throttle a few times to bring him up to my door and then when we crossed the stripe, I just tightened it up a little more."

"I didn't really have to make it very close, because I was pretty comfortable that I was well over [the index] by then," he added.

By doing his homework and visualizing the round before he ran it, Williams turned his knowledge, and his good size starting line advantage, into a NHRA Super Gas national event win by taking down Shawn Carter.

Williams' Super Comp ride is a TNT dragster, loaded up with a 622ci powerplant. "It's a new motor and makes a little more power than last year. At Houston, we ran over 190mph on the stop at 8.90. The car also has an A-1 converter and a Hughes transmission and I just started working with the guys at JRi and put their gas shocks on both cars. It's really tightened both of them up and made them much more predictable."

"The Corvette has a 565ci in it and with an A-1 converter and transmission in it," he added. "Both cars have the K&N composite scoops and air filters. I'm also using the brand new K&N billet reusable oil filter on both cars. That oil filter has so many benefits including, being able to quickly change the oil and just drop another stainless steel filter down in and then clean the other filter up when you get a chance. It really helps to encourage you to change the oil a little more often because the filter is so easy to just plunk it off and put another one on."

"I usually go to the division race at Topeka, because it's right before Indy [U.S. Nationals] and on the way there," he explained. "This was only my second time racing the national event there. I really like the race track and the people there. It's a great facility and there isn't a bad pit spot there."

"We just felt if we kept our heads down we were going to win one of these races," he said. "I think it was just really gratifying to finally punch one out. Last season was the first one in five or six years that I didn't win at least one race. So I think we were just really focused and realized that if we just kept plugging away that something good would happen."

Williams keeps a great group of folks around him and is always grateful to each of them for the roles they play in his on-track successes.

"Without the support of everyone here at K&N, I wouldn't be able to race. With Travis Hodges driving the truck and John Reed doing the motors, we do all of our engines in-house here," he said. "With Mike Ferderer, who set up the Corvette chassis, which thanks to him is just awesome. Really, just all the different manufacturers that help us out, JRi Shocks and Brodix, A-1 and many more. Without all those other manufacturers helping us out with great products, these cars wouldn't be capable of being so consistent."

"Maybe I'm biased, but it is just an absolute pleasure to get in that car," he said of his NHRA National Event winning Corvette roadster. "I think it's one of the best Super Gas cars in the country and feel that it is directly related to the people and the manufacturers that build the products."

Find out which K&N performance products are available for your vehicle using the K&N Application Search at KNFilters.com.

Related K&N News Articles about Steve Williams and Super Gas: Steve Williams Rolls to Another NHRA K&N's Super Gas National Final in Las Vegas ; K&N's Steve Williams Tunes Up for Indy With Super Comp Final in Seattle; K&N's Steve Williams Battles His Way to NHRA Super Comp Victory During Arizona Nationals; K&N's Steve Williams Continues Fantastic Streak at Firebird Raceway with Super Gas Win;

2012 to 2016 Chevy Sonic Gains Horsepower and Performance with K&N Air Intake System

Jun 24, 2013

K&N Air Intake under the hood of Chevy Sonic

In 2012 Chevrolet released the Sonic 1.8 liter compact car, with the Sonic being a replacement and redesign of the Chevy Aveo. With this vehicle, consumers have even more options than before when looking to get a smaller car that costs less and has better EPA estimated fuel economy than some of the other vehicles Chevy offers. Besides the economic reasons, the Chevy Sonic has a more aggressive street look to help set it apart from the other compact cars available. However with the EPA estimated 40 MPH highway rating, many owners are looking for ways to help boost horsepower.

K&N Air Intake System for Chevy Sonic

So to help increase horsepower and performance, K&N offers the 69-4525TS air intake system for the 2012 Chevy Sonic with 1.8 liter engine. This air intake system is easy to install and includes a high flow air intake tube, one piece heat shield, clamp-on style cone air filter, mass air sensor venturi as well as all of the nuts, bolts, brackets and hose clamps that are needed to install this intake system in your 2012 Chevrolet Sonic.

The 69-4525TS air intake system includes an oversized clamp on style K&N air filter. This air filter is designed with a large surface area allowing for an increased service life. Because of the large size of the RU-4960XD washable and reusable air filter, most drivers can go up to 100,000 miles before cleaning is needed, depending on driving conditions. The high flow air intake tube is a mandrel bent aluminum tube with a silver powder-coated finish. The powder-coated finish is very durable and is also very easy to clean using a slightly damp cloth. The air intake tube has a welded on mass air sensor adapter. The mass air sensor adapter has been engineered so that you can use the stock mass air sensor and stock computer programing without the need for modification or remapping the computer. To assist in keeping the stock tuning, the air intake also includes a venturi insert that is designed to help keep the air flow within the range the computer is programmed to handle.

Dyno Chart for K&N Chevy Sonic Air Intake 69-4525TS

The 69-4525TS air intake system is very easy to install. Following the detailed installation instructions, on average, this air intake system should take less than 90 minutes to install.

Top View of the K&N Air Intake for the Chevy Sonic

Once this intake is installed, owners can benefit from the estimated gain of 5.1 Horsepower at 6003 RPM and 4.8 feet-pounds of torque at 4531 RPM; giving owners that much sought after bump in performance.

The 69-4525TS air intake system has been engineered to fit and work perfectly, with the vehicle's stock computer and mass air sensor. With this, plus the high quality components, this air intake system will be the last air intake you will ever need for your Chevy Sonic as K&N backs this intake with their famous Million Mile Limited Warranty.

The K&N 69-4525TS air intake system fits the following:
2016 Chevrolet Sonic 1.8L L4
2015 Chevrolet Sonic 1.8L L4
2014 Chevrolet Sonic 1.8L L4
2013 Chevrolet Sonic 1.8L L4
2012 Chevrolet Sonic 1.8L L4

To see all K&N air intakes for Sonic models visit the Air Intakes for Chevy Sonic page on KNFilters.com.

Related News Story: 2011 and 2012 Chevrolet Sonic Models Gain Performance with K&N Air Filter