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Paul Brown of the Tiger Racing World Challenge team grew up in his father's repair shop, was around cars constantly, and never thought of doing anything other than working with them. According to his Mom, he was taking things apart and putting them back together as a toddler and simply never stopped.
Paul started out doing autocross or gymkhana events with his street cars and the local SCCA, moved on to open track events with various clubs, then got his race license and got really serious. "As I got older and worked on the Saleen program right out of high school, I worked with Steve Saleen, Rick Titus, Scott Pruett, Parnelli Jones, George Folmer and Pete Halsmer to name a few in the exclusive league," stated Brown. "They all had an influence on me one way or another and I soaked up as much information as I could. Sometimes it didn't make much sense until a decade or so later when I could actually apply what was being taught or fit the scenario. I've even had the pleasure to race against many of them years later in either modern pro racing or vintage racing which is always fun."
Paul Brown driving the K&N Time Attack G35.
"The real thing I found with all of them is that it doesn't come easy. Every one of them had to eat, live, and breathe the sport to make it where they are today, or at the height of their careers. I think it's actually tougher to stand out now than back 20-40 years ago. So many modern cars have driving aids that help you be a better driver whether it's anti-lock brakes, traction control, or data acquisition, to just having better quality parts like shocks and tires. It's a much different game today. You also have all the driving/race schools and clubs that are around now; it's really a full time business and the separation between a good driver and a great driver is actually closer than it's ever been."
Paul getting up on two wheels at Sears Point.
To date, Paul holds more than a dozen track records, and numerous championships in SCCA Pro Racing, NASA American Iron Series and Monterey Historics. He has been a factory test driver for Aero Racing USA, a tier 4 test driver for Ford Motor Company, and has even been called in to drive K&N's G35 Time Attack car.
"I actually started out selling K&N products over 15 years ago," said Brown. "When I relocated to the west coast I got to know some of the staff and guys in the race shop from being at the track and race events. This eventually led into the sponsorship of the Porsche GT3 car we raced in World Challenge back in 2008. K&N has been a big part of our program for many years now and the products are top notch."
Paul Brown has now become a mentor as well. He takes the experience he's gained on the track and uses it to help other drivers. From coaching trackside, to managing one of the largest and most successful race shops and retail outlets in the Midwest, to now building a reputation for himself on the West Coast, he does everything from modifying street rods to building complete racing chassis. Paul's mechanical knowledge of the cars he drives, his innate car control skills and his focus and dedication to the sport, all combine to make him a fearsome and noteworthy competitor.
AEV's V8 conversion kit comes with everything necessary to make the conversion seem like it was from the factory.
American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) simply specializes in Jeep Wrangler aftermarket parts. For the last 15 years, or so, they have been manufacturing products mainly for off-roading. You may recognize some of their work displayed on the factory built limited edition Call of Duty Jeep Wrangler. David Harriton from AEV claims this is, "quite an accomplishment for an aftermarket company." It is definitely a huge accomplishment to be recognized alongside one of the most popular video games in the world.
The guys at AEV managed to squeeze a 392ci HEMI V8 and manual transmission into this JK.
Their most recent innovation was displayed on a yellow 2012 Jeep Wrangler at SEMA 2011. If you happened to see the Jeep JK in the AEV booth you may have noticed the quite large HEMI sitting in the engine compartment. It wasn't just for show. It is actually one of their V8 conversion kits for the 2012 Wrangler. This is quite impressive considering that they stuffed a 392ci motor and a manual transmission inside the compact Wrangler platform that actually functions. The kit comes with everything necessary to make the conversion seem like it came that way from the factory.
AEV specializes in Jeep aftermarket parts and their work has been displayed on the limited edition Call of Duty Jeep Wrangler.
The AEV V8 conversion kits include a K&N high flow air filter. It simply bolts onto the factory intake pipe. The K&N air filter helps the massive V8 engine breathe easier and offers protection for the most extreme off road conditions. We asked David what he thought of K&N products and he said, "We supply K&N air filters on all of our HEMI kits because of the quality and name recognition." K&N has been around for over 40 years and to this day still manufactures a high quality product made in the USA.
The AEV Wrangler also came equipped with other AEV items such as:
-AEV front and rear bumper
-AEV skid plates and splash guards
-AEV Pintler Wheels
-Interco Super Swampers
-AEV leather seating
AEV plans to launch the 2010 HEMI kit this year sometime as well as release more off-road products for Jeep Wranglers. For more information about AEV by sure to go to their website at www.aev-conversions.com.
For Menzies Motorsports, the biggest race of their 2011 season boiled down to their first ever SCORE Baja 1000.
After entering the 2011 TORC season as a rookie, Bryce Menzies concluded his championship run in Pro-2 by winning his seventh race of the year. But, he wasn't done yet- everything for the Menzies Motorsports team boiled down to one last race, and what may have been the biggest race of their 2011 season - their first ever SCORE Baja 1000.
According to those in attendance the 44th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 is one of the toughest Baja 1000's to date, yet that didn't slow down Menzies and co-driver Peter Mortensen. Over 4 hours into the race the sun started to set on what would be the roughest part of the 700-mile course. The San Felipe loop ended the night for a lot of the racers, but the calm Menzies guided his truck through the dark terrain with Baja Designs lighting the way.
The 44th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 is arguably one of the toughest Baja 1000 to date.
Menzies and Pete continued with their game plan, setting a steady pace and making certain to hit every line they mapped out during pre-running. Making it out of San Felipe with no errors put the No. 70 truck in the lead and now it was time to head back towards Ensenada.
Bryce knew he needed to continue driving how he had been the last 460 miles if he was to have any chance of a possible win and to claim the 2011 Championship, but in Baja, you never know what lies ahead and you are never in the clear until you reach the finish. Continuing with the lead, it was at mile 470 when Bryce felt something wasn't right with the truck. The decision was made to stop and check the driveline. With nothing visibly wrong they got back to the race, but the problem was still there. Calling ahead to their pits to let them know something was wrong and to prepare for anything, it wasn't long before the truck pulled into the pit at race mile 474, and they figured out it was just a loose wheel. With the problem fixed quickly, it still wasn't fast enough to hold off the 2nd and 3rd place trucks.
Menzies had to surrender the lead at race mile 474, having to pit for what turned out to be only a loose wheel.
Bryce got back on the course following in the dust of the top two drivers, thinking at this point that only something like a flat tire on their end would allow Menzies to regain the lead. A quick driver's change at race mile 540 which had Menzies trade driving duties with short course teammate Ricky Johnson went flawlessly, and the Red Bull truck was on the final stretch back to the finish.
The slowest part of the race awaited Ricky, as he took the truck through the cold air coming off of the pacific and into the tight, twisting, silt and rock filled hills of Uruapan. Flawless driving on Ricky's end saw the truck through the dark night terrain as he continued to stay within minutes of the two leaders.
At 3:27am Saturday morning the No. 70 Menzies/Red Bull Trophy Truck crossed the finish line in first place.
Returning into Ensenada through the dark and ghost town like washes, the Kroyer-powered No. 70 Menzies/Red Bull Trophy Truck made its way back to the heart of town, and came around the last turn to see the checkered flag and team members awaiting its arrival. With no Rob MacCachren in sight, Bryce, Pete, Ricky and the team celebrated as they realized they had just won their first ever SCORE Championship in their rookie year!
At 3:27am Saturday morning the truck crossed the finish line and completed the 2011 Baja 1000, and along with finishing the biggest and longest race of the year, the truck and team completed every race mile that was thrown at them this season.
The year's racing has now officially wrapped up for the Menzies Motorsports Team, and they walked away with three championships overall. Now the team will focus their attention to what the upcoming 2012 racing season will bring.
Matt Eddy paid his dues, riding the Baja three times a year for five years, before winning both the 500 and the Baja 1000 in 2011.
The 44th annual 2011 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 hosted 278 starters from 34 U.S. States and 16 countries, all battling the rugged terrain in 36 Pro and seven Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs. In this year's granddaddy-of-all desert races 155 made it to the finish line. Taking the checkered for the first time ever in Class 21, the 450cc Pro class, was 29-year-old Matt Eddy from Barstow, California, riding the Snap-On Pro Circuit K&N Honda Team motorcycle. At beginning of 2011 Eddy listed winning the 1000 at the top of his wish list, and it appears the wish fairy deemed him worthy.
"I have been racing down in Baja since 2006, three times a year. So I worked for this championship for the last five years," Eddy told K&N. "It is really hard to go down to Mexico and win your first time out. The logistics of the pits, tire changes, air filter changes and rider changes are a huge part of the race."
Eddy said he loves his K&N filter immediately and credits it for helping him to win the 2011Baja 1000 Class 21 Championship.
The SCORE Baja season starts in March with the San Felipe 250 race and the Baja 500 in June, followed by the Baja 1000 in November. "The San Felipe 250 is a very rough race and it's very demanding. This year we had some trouble with one of my teammates crashing and bending up the bike," said Eddy. "We ended up 4th in class and 11th overall. To finish the 250 was our main goal after the crash in order to salvage some points."
Which he managed to do, so going into the Baja 500, Eddy now sat in 4th for the class 21 points chase. "We had to win the 500 to have a chance at the points championship," continued Eddy. "Going into the 500 our only goal was to win to stay in the hunt for the championship. We had a perfect race with no problems and won the 500 by one hour on the next bike in class 21. With the win at the 500 it put us one point out of the lead in class 21."
Headed into the Baja1000 one point behind, the Snap-On Pro Circuit K&N Honda team knew they had to have another perfect ride. The Baja 1000 is worth double points, so whoever won would wrap up the points championship.
When not in Baja, Eddy races in the National Hare and Hound series and the WORCS series.
"We started right behind our biggest competition at 6:30 a.m. and we raced back-and-forth for the next 400 miles, with the lead changing every five to ten miles. At about mile 450, the other bike melted there starter on a 100mph dry lake bed called Diablo, so that gave the Snap-On Pro Circuit K&N Honda a comfortable lead. We still had to ride fast and smooth, but we could breathe a little easier."
Eddy and the team took the bike all the way to finish without incident to claim the Class 21 points championship. For Eddy the K&N connection came about when he was at the Power Puff MORE desert race. Eddy said, "I started talking to one of the K&N sales reps about motorcycle air filters, and he gave my info to Johnny Jump. A couple days later I got a call from Johnny, and we talked about what I was doing and if I would like to try out the K&N filters. So I tried it out and I loved them, and I decided to use the K&N filters in the Baja 1000, and the results speak for themselves. It is a great filter, and with less filter changes at the 1000, I'd have to give it credit for being one of the reasons we won the championship."
When he's not honing his skill in Baja, Eddy races in the National Hare and Hound series, along with the WORCS series; it's a full-time schedule that keeps him at the top of his game year round. "I will for sure be defending my title next year," adds Eddy.
Cusco's 2012 Subaru Impreza WRX STi showcased every product they have to offer at the SEMA Show.
SEMA is all about showing off the world's greatest automotive products. A mixture of performance parts, wheels, tires, and tools are displayed during the event while approximately 100,000 people stroll around in amazement. It is also a great place to meet with manufactures such as CUSCO USA Inc. K&N had the opportunity to check out their sweet 2012 Subaru WRX STi show vehicle and catch up with Steve Enomoto of CUSCO USA Inc.
2011 SEMA featured 2012 Subaru Impreza WRX STi by CUSCO USA Inc.
Here is what Steve had to say about CUSCO USA: "CUSCO is a manufacturer of street-legal and professional automobile racing products including coil-over suspension kits, suspension components, limited-slip differentials (LSD), clutch systems and body/suspension add-on parts such as strut/under braces and roll cages." They offer pretty much everything to make your import handle like a dream. If you need any performance drivetrain or suspension products for your import vehicle, take a look at what CUSCO has to offer. The company began manufacturing parts specifically for Rally vehicles out of Japan in 1977 and now caters to the US market.
The CUSCO STi displayed just about every aftermarket product the company offers. Four CUSCO employees had the task of building the show vehicle in time for SEMA. Not to mention the vehicle had to be driven to SEMA from Orange County. Steve said, "We did it to prove it was a streetable machine."
2012 Subaru Impreza WRX STi in the CUSCO USA Inc. Booth at SEMA.
The STi came equipped with a long list of CUSCO suspension, chassis, engine, drivetrain, and even interior accessory components specific to the 2012 Subaru Impreza WRX STi. Steve made a valid point by saying, "Aftermarket automotive products are much more appealing to the consumer when they are visible instead of inside a glass case or photographs." Physically seeing performance products on a vehicle gives consumers the ultimate understanding of how products fit and look. One such product that not only fits and looks great on the CUSCO Subaru STi is the 69-8005TWR K&N Typhoon™ intake system they installed.
Seeing K&N intake system on the CUSCO Subaru Impreza WRX STI also allowed the consumer to assess the quality of the product. Steve mentioned that, "Everyone knows that K&N is the most reliable and the best choice for air intake/filtration system in the entire world." Knowing that you are using a product you can trust is quite satisfying.
Cusco USA has been attending SEMA for last three years now and there main goal is to improve their presence in the US market. So if you are interested in what they have to offer check out their website.
