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Team Aon entered the 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship running a pair of Ford Focus ST's powered by liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Propane or LPG is a clean-burning fossil fuel that can be used to power internal combustion engines. LPG fueled vehicles produce fewer toxic and smog-forming air pollutants. LPG is usually less expensive than gasoline too, and the question of whether it can be competitive in a racing environment has been answered by Team Aon.
LPG fueled vehicles not only produce fewer toxic and smog-forming air pollutants, they are furiously competitive on a racetrack, as Team Aon continues to prove each race weekend.
The decision to run the alternative fuel follows an extensive evaluation program in conjunction with the team's engine development partner, Mountune Racing and the leading LPG supplier in the United Kingdom, Calor. Chris Taylor, Autogas Development Manager at Calor says he is excited by this unique opportunity, which uses brand new LPG technology.
"The launch of the first competitive LPG car specially developed to suit a motorsport environment is testament to the hard work that has gone into improving performance for autogas vehicles," commented Taylor.
"We've been delighted at its performance in testing so far. In a climate where motorsports is under intense scrutiny for its contribution to carbon emissions, it's never been a better time to show how LPG, as a greener alternative fuel can help to power the sport with a reduced environmental footprint. And the best thing is that similar technology can be applied to the majority of petrol vehicles - on and off the track."
For 2010 Team Aon will retain drivers Tom Chilton and Tom Onslow-Cole. Both drivers performed well in the team's first year with the Ford Focus series last season.
Team Aon secured its fourth pole in as many race weekends for the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship last weekend at the Croft circuit in North Yorkshire, with Tom Chilton completing the fastest lap around the 2.1 mile track in 1:24.629.
Chilton led the way in first Free Practice, with a best time of 1:25.685, which he improved upon for qualifying, despite going off early on in the 30-minute session. Having returned to the pits, the team turned the car around quickly enough for Chilton to get back on track and set pole position.
"Maximum points for trying hard today I think. I locked up but got out of it just in time. This is the closest qualifying of the year so far and I'm on pole; some of it is down to luck definitely, but I'm still chuffed to be back at the top," said Chilton.
With both Chilton and Onslow-Cole having secured victories this season, the team now sits in third place in the Teams Championship with 119 points; just 34 points from the lead. The 2.25 mile Croft track is known for its demanding mix of tight corners and long straights, which should suit the LPG powered Ford Focus well.
"Croft is a great track and the atmosphere there tends to be very special with strong crowds coming to support the series," said Team Principal Mike Earle. "Neither of our drivers have scored a victory at this circuit before and that is certainly something we're looking to change. Both of them are looking forward to the weekend and to continue this season's success rate." K&N supplies Team Aon with their Apollo Air Induction System, which consists of an outside shell with an air filter housed inside.
Payne brought home the bacon for his family, earing the first place check in the Pro Stock 4WD class.
Back in the day, when horses still pulled farming machines, farmers bragged about the strength of their horses, challenging other farmers to beat the fully loaded hay carts or wagons their horse could pull. And so, truck and tractor pulling competitions, also known as power pulling, was born. In these competitions juiced up tractors and trucks pull a heavy sled (sledge) along a track. The sled creates progressively greater resistance as it pulled. A typical "full pull" is generally only around 300 feet, but the shattering power of engines and the churning of tires searching for traction makes this a very popular affair in many rural areas.
Jonathan Payne's 2005 Ford Ranger with a 485 cubic inch big block won The Battle of the Bluegrass Pulling Series event with a 291.56 foot pull
There are various classes that compete, from factory tractors, to custom built vehicles with multiple engines. Jonathan Payne from Georgetown, Indiana, and his Major Payne Pulling team compete in the Pro Stock 4WD truck class. Payne and his 2005 Ford Ranger with a 485 cubic inch big block, has been creating major pain for his challengers. In the last five events the team has competed in, they have one third place, two seconds, and two wins. Their last victory came at The Battle of the Bluegrass Pulling Series (BOB) in Louisville, Kentucky.
"I probably go to 25-30 events per season and the truck and driver both need to be consistent to be competitive. Being consistent is what worries my competitors. I have been going to Lanesville, Heritage Weekend in Indiana for 30 years watching Truck and Tractors pull. I like to hear the engines push their limits, make new friends, and when everything comes together down the track, I make a full pull and feel a great sense of accomplishment," remarked Payne after his win.
The proper gear selection for each pull is determined by which sled is at the pull, the amount of weights in the sled, and the length and condition of the track.
"I will probably hook to as many as eight to ten different sleds and they all pull somewhat differently, and they all have their own way of trying to stop the trucks," explained Payne. "The trucks have solid suspension so we can only change tire pressure to match track conditions."
Any additional impetus to win events comes from his sponsors says Payne. "K&N provides me with the latest technology in their high flow filters. My engine requires a lot of air and K&N high flow filter and extreme top flow, provide even more than I need."
For the rest of the season Payne says his focus is to stay competitive. "I pull with four different sanctioned organizations, Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League, Indiana Truck Pullers Association, Kentuckiana Truck Pullers Association, and the Battle of the Bluegrass. My first priority is to make all Lucas Oil Pulls for the points race."
With his win at Knoxville Raceway Brian now has seven victories for the year.
"This is probably my most special win ever, we felt very honored to run his number and put it in victory lane," commented Brian Brown.
Running the number 77 in honor of his late competitor, Jesse Hockett, the Grain Valley, Missouri driver battled for a win at Knoxville Raceway much to the delight of the massive crowd. Brian and Jesse came about their rivalry organically - they met at the same tracks and races after all - but there was always a mutual respect for each other’s skills.
Brown normally runs the number 21 on his sprint car. Currently he's focused on running with The World of Outlaws.
"We weren't the best of friends, but we weren't enemies either," says Brian. "There were times we were friends, and times when things weren't good between us. The last year or so, we had gotten along really well though. We called each other, or talked about setting the car up for certain tracks whenever we could."
Brian, five years older, witnessed Jesse transform from a weekend racer, to a gritty and polished professional.
Brain Brown proudly sported the number 77 for late competitor Jesse Hockett - commenting that this win will forever stand alone for him.
"It's extremely unfortunate to lose him at such a young age," he says. "He resembles what sprint car racing is all about. He was a small town kid who made it big, but never forgot where he came from. I was honored that the family gave me the blessing to carry his number last weekend. I was just worried I wasn't going to do it justice. We definitely wanted to run well with Jesse's number on the car. He was a great driver and we wanted to make sure and try our hardest to win it for him and his family."
Immediately after the checkered flag Brian says memories of Jesse and his family, and all the recollections they had amassed racing together, continued to race through his mind. "He really did symbolize what sprint car racing is all about," reiterates Brian. "This win will forever be viewed differently from any other."
This win gives the 31 year old driver a total of seven checkered flags so far for 2010. Currently Brian is readjusting his focus to run with the World of Outlaws coming to town.
"Realistically, you need to be qualifying well for when the Outlaws come. If you aren't on, they will eat you alive."
Brian says his relationship with K&N continues to be awesome. "I have been with them since my racing career started and I plan to continue using their products until the day I stop racing. I use the Carbon fiber air box, the wrench off oil filters and the filter oil and cleaner."
Team Motoworks' Josh Frederick wins at Cahuilla Creek in round 6 of the 2010 WORCS series.
WORCS (WORLD OFF-ROAD RACING CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES) Racing kicked off in 2001 like no other series in history, with an ultimate goal to once and for all crown the off road rider who is truly the best in the nation, if not the world. Professional and amateur riders alike race to one of the most exciting series in off road racing. In just nine years, WORCS has established itself as one of the largest off-road ATV racing series in the United States.
Josh Frederick now has a slight points lead over Beau Baron.
The Pros race for 2 hours, in what starts out to be a national caliber Motocross Track, which then leads the competitors into the off-road sections which are a combination of high-speed, technical, sand, silt or dust, with elevation changes that all works out to be about an 8-10 mile loop. This combination of racing makes out to be extremely exciting for the spectators as the riders make numerous loops through the pit areas. Pitting necessary for fuel, filter changes, water and goggles, the riders must make the most of timing and strategy to win the overall championship.
Josh Frederick at Cahuilla Creek in round 6 of the 2010 WORCS series.
Team Motoworks added another victory to their list thanks to Josh Frederick at Cahuilla Creek in round 6 of the 2010 WORCS series. The series is down to 3 rounds and the point's race is very close. Josh Frederick has a slight lead over tough competitor Beau Baron, but anything can still happen. Frederick knows Beau will not go down without a fight.
The rough conditions at Cahuilla Creek is no match for Team Motoworks.
Cahuilla Creek is a very tough track, and that's exactly what the team expected going into the race. The track is known to be rough, and because of the warm spring temperatures, they expected it to get very dry also. These conditions are nothing new for Team Motoworks', so they prepared accordingly. "A few other riders had some overheating issues, but our bikes ran great with no problems" says Ty Zimmerman of Team Motoworks'.
Other riders with Team Motoworks' also had a successful weekend at Cahuilla. Dillon Zimmerman had a great race hovering around the top five for the whole race. "Dillon is adapting well to the pro class with his consistency, but has his work cut out for him to run with the top guys" says Ty Zimmerman.
Another up and coming top rider for the team, Jeremie Warnia, took the hole shot off of the line with a fantastic start to the race, but had bit a bad luck and fell towards the back of the pack. "Warnia (Frenchie) plans to regroup and focus on the upcoming races. He definitely has the speed to win races" says Ty.
K&N has played a huge role for the team in all the different types of harsh racing conditions they experience. K&N racing air filters provide the best combination of air filtration and air flow that is needed to win races. "Trust me our team has raced in every condition all over the country and we have never had any failures or problems with the K&N products" says Ty "…I think everyone on the team uses K&N in their personal cars and trucks too."
Suzuki City is a three year old team of both supercross and outdoor which has been highly successful according to Michael Nasakaitis (manager). With other names passing through their team, their two riders at the moment are Matt Lemoine (250f) and Steven Clark (250f for supercross 450f).
Suzuki City's #31 Matt Lemoine
Even after a season plagued with bad luck and injuries, the two riders managed to get decent standings in the east coast supercross series. Matt placed 11th and team mate Steven followed close behind with 16th. While they have had a similar streak of bad luck in the concurrent outdoor series Nasakaitis is optimistic with 7 remaining races.
A broken wrist in the start of the season and smites from the motocross gods like flat tires broken shifters and levers have contributed to results the team is not happy with. With the moto karma out of the way Suzuki city hopes to pull off a strong outdoor finish.
It's not very often that a privateer team can achieve consistent results like City Suzuki and they are still new. They have great support for a variety of companies since their start, K&N being one of them. While Michael is there to facilitate his riders the best he can, he gives them full credit for keeping themselves where they need to be to race.
"Each rider has their own work out regiment and keeps themselves really fit and fast." With only two riders Suzuki city still stands a contender in both out door and supercross. Suzuki city also has a rider support program for over 14 amateur riders some of which are Loretta qualifiers.
More than anything Michael is even more optimistic about their plans for next year's supercross. There is a chance that the program will switch both riders to 450 classes in which case they would run both west coast and east coast super cross. 450 class holds a little more respect and valor in the eyes of the consumer its where all the big names of the sport race. With supercross being their strong suite Matt and Steven will be sure to put on a show for all in the upcoming season. For now be sure to follow team city Suzuki as the series moves east to Colorado.
Team City Suzuki uses K&N air filter YA-2506XD and K&N oil filter KN-207. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.
