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In North Carolina, racers call Ray Cook the Tarheel Tiger. The Super Late Model division racer kicked off the 2009 season by capturing a $6,000 top prize at the annual Ice Bowl.
Ice Bowl Trophy win for Super Late Model Racer Ray Cook, courtesy of Thomas Hendrickson Photos
More than 400 cars participated in the race at the Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, Alabama. Cook competed against 93 Super Late Model cars in his division. “This race gets a lot of attention because it’s the first one for us,” said Cook. “We were out here for it the first week of January.”
K&N backed racer captured the top purse at the Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, Alabama, courtesy of Thomas Hendrickson Photos
North Carolina Racer and new MasterSbilt house car kick off 2009 Season with Ice Bowl Victory, courtesy of Thomas Hendrickson Photos
Cook practiced a few days before the race to test out his new MasterSbilt house car. He then clocked in the second fastest time during qualifying and ran second in his heat race. Cook earned the outside fourth row starting spot in the 50-lap Ice Bowl main event.
The Brasstown, North Carolina native was prepared for the dirt track. He had his sights set on driving his D&R Motorsports # 53 with K&N air and oil filters to the front of the large field. Cook engaged in a side-by-side battle for the lead and took it on lap 36. Another driver took the lead away from Cook,
but Cook edged past him on lap 42 to drive straight through to the win.
“Winning the Ice Bowl XVIII was a great way to bring in the new racing season,” said Cook. “The rain made the pits a muddy mess, but racing was great all weekend. Our K&N filters protected our engines from the flying
mud and debris and gave us extra horsepower and great filtration. I’ve used K&N products for ten years and wouldn’t use anything else. I use K&N on my personal vehicles and in my race shop.”
Cook’s next event will take place January 24 at Boyd’s Speedway in Ringgold, Georgia. He hopes to collect a $5,000 paycheck in the Mid-Nite Oil Racing Fuel 50 Challenge.
USAC National Series midget racer Caitlin Shaw has new goals for the 2009 season. The teen hopes to get approved for NASCAR, and run three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.
Caitlin Shaw in the classroom at Sandia Presbyterian Preschool in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Shaw hopes to race in three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Races in 2009
In the meantime, she starts the midget racing season in March. The K&N Development Driver recently completed the NASCAR Drive for Diversity and Evaluation Program and also volunteers at children’s hospitals and libraries.
Teen USAC National Midget Series driver Caitlin Shaw has been interested in racing since she was only 9-years-old
K&N Development Driver Caitlin Shaw also volunteers at children's hospitals and libraries when she is not volunteering in the classroom
Shaw started off the new school year at Albuquerque’s Sandia Presbyterian Preschool in New Mexico where she read racing stories to the children. “I taught the students about motorsports and spoke about my racing experiences,” said Shaw. “The kids were very responsive and genuinely interested. I even had one little girl come up and tell me that she no longer wanted to be a mermaid when she grew up, but wanted to be a racecar driver.”
The New Mexico native also passed out her autographed hero card courtesy of K&N. “I am a big believer in K&N products,” said Shaw. “K&N makes the best products on the market, our engines are protected and we get excellent filtration and additional horsepower.”
The 2009 AMA Arenacross Series kicked off at the Van Andel Arena in Aurora, Illinois in front of a packed house. Keith Johnson took the inaugural victory in the AMA Arenacross class racing.
Bobby J's Yamaha Keith Johnson victory in 2009 AMA Arenacross Series season kick-off
The Bobby J’s Yamaha team driver passed Kawasaki driver Brock Sellards after the catapult jump on lap five. Once Johnson was out front, he never looked back and stayed first during the remaining 20 laps.
Johnson has raced professional since 1999 and said his podium win was completely unexpected. “I’m 29-years-old and was ready to quit,” he said. “At my age I don’t turn heads anymore. But I decided to go one more year and have just a little fun during competitions. Winning changed everything, and now everyone wants me to keep on winning.”
Now Johnson will head to the Supercross track near his house and practice about seven hours a day. “I use K&N products because they work better,” he said. “My engine is protected and I notice more power.”
Johnson’s next race will be at the AMA National Arenacross Series in Baltimore, Maryland.
Conor Daly is only 16-years-old, but he is the youngest driver to win the Walter Hayes Trophy and race at Silverstone in England. The Bertil Roos Racing School graduate represented Team USA Scholarship for the Formula Ford event.
16-year-old Conor Daly with Bertil Roos Racing School President Dennis Macchio
Daly is the youngest driver to win the Walter Hayes Trophy and race at Silverstone in England at the Formula Ford event
Daly started the race on the outside of the second row in a 36 car field. The conditions at the event were very wet and very cold. Scottish Formula Ford Champion Graham Carroll slid off the track at Luffield and Daly took the lead at the halfway point and never looked back.
The Bertil Roos Racing School has a fleet of 20 Formula 2000 race cars equipped with K&N products
Conor Daly and his dad former F1 and Indy car star Derek Daly
The Indiana native controlled the field for the rest of the race, minimized his mistakes and set the fastest race lap to take the win. Conor Daly is the son of former F1 and Indy car star Derek Daly. The trophy presentation was made by Walter Hayes’ widow, Elizabeth Hayes at the British Racing Drivers Club.
Conor Daly began training for open wheel competition at the Bertil Roos Racing School in Florida when he was only 14-years-old. He was personally tutored by Roos President Dennis Macchio. “We have had our share of talented young drivers coming up through our programs over the years, but none showed the track maturity of Conor at such an early age,” said Macchio. “He was number one at his speed level and was able to make key decisions on the track.”
Bertil Roos Racing School has a fleet of twenty Formula 2000 race cars. They are front and rear winged cars with 2.0 liter overhead cam Ford engines that put out 140 horsepower. “K&N has been supplying our school with filters for nearly a decade,” said Macchio. “We are extremely happy with the product. Our cars undergo a lot of wear and tear and having good filters are a central part of what we need.”
Bertil Roos also conducts mobile classes in Virginia, New Jersey and Texas. Conor Daly is one of its success stories. “Conor has graduated and now we’ll see how far his tutoring will take him,” said Macchio. “We are confident that he has a big future ahead of him.”
Black Stallion and Iron Warrior have body slammed the 2009 Monster Jam series like armageddon. Both are Ford powered with new motors, improved performance and increased horsepower.
Black Stallion and Iron Warrior have updated their shock programs to keep up with the demands of Monster Jam Competitions
Monster Truck Competition will reach new heights and levels of destruction in 2009
The two trucks have gone through top to bottom upgrades and repairs to transmissions, exhaust, suspensions, shocks, blowers, sway bars and body work. “I have been in this sport for 27 years,
and have felt all the growing pains that go along with those years,” said Michael Vaters of Black Stallion Racing and Vaters’ Monster Motorsports. “Our fans are loyal and consistent. They save their money and travel in this difficult economy to see us and
in return we are loyal to them.”
Black Stallion will fly higher in Monster Jam Competitions in 2009
Iron Warrior's 2009 upgrades include a new 2008 Ford F-150 body and paint scheme
The bar on monster truck competition continues to reach new heights and new levels of destruction
for the fans. In 2009, Black Stallion and Iron Warrior are flying higher and better on the free style courses. “People expect it,” said Vaters. “The ramps are at least twenty-feet high and we propel to thirty feet in height at stadium shows. As heavy as our trucks are it’s almost unbelievable.”
Vaters is strapped down very tight in the driver’s seat of the Black Stallion for safety. “The technology has progressed so much, that we can do so much more,” he said. “Think of it like this, take a raw egg and shove it in a plastic jar filled with peanut butter then drop it off your house. Then when you dig that egg out of the peanut butter it’s in one piece. That’s sort of like what we go through when we jump high in our trucks, and we want to be in one piece.”
Black Stallion and Iron Warrior travel as a pair. In order to stay competitive as a race team Vaters Monster Motorsports started building its own fiberglass body parts. The trucks have a new three piece cab system that allows Vaters' Monster Motorsports to save money by replacing or repairing the damaged panels. Iron Warrior has a new paint scheme for the 2009 Monster Jam Season. “Iron Warrior has more of an identity now,” said Vaters. “Our artist, Charles Bowman came through in a big way. Charles painted a wicked realistic three dimensional portrait of the Warrior and Trey Meyers painted the body to compliment it. The paint scheme was designed to go with the Black Stallion paint scheme so everyone will know
our trucks are from the same race team.”
Aero Exhaust provided Vaters with eight 2 1/2 inch resonators, one per cylinder on the motor of the Black Stallion. “We also fabricated a set of stainless steel zoomies to connect the resonators,” he said. “The resonators decrease the harmful high pitch decibels but still give out a powerful deep base sound. They also provide back pressure to the motor to increase performance.”
Despite all the changes, K&N air and oil filters have remained on Black Stallion and Iron Warrior. “There is no wear pattern on our engines with K&N,” said Vaters. “K&N catches all the dirt under
very extreme Monster Jam conditions. The K&N oil filter is easy to take off and works well even though it gets banged up every time we take it on the course.”
Look for the Black Stallion and Iron Warrior next in San Antonio, Texas.
