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Michael Malmgren and the Malmgren Racing Pontiac Grand Am.
Michael Malmgren says he views himself as a perfectionist, referring to the fact that he works very hard, approaching all things in his life with an exceptional degree of gusto. There's nothing neutral about this K&N sponsored Swede from Arild. As the driver of the Malmgren Racing Pontiac Grand Am, he is also the team manager and President of the European Pro Stock Racers Association – and he is highly regarded for his skills in both arenas.
After having the fastest car all weekend, setting the low ET and top speed, Malmgren missed winning the Santa Pod Main event by a heartbreaking four-thousandths of a second.
Malmgren has been racing since 1980, and he's one of Europe's most experienced drivers. He is funny and easy-going, with the sort of confidence that can only be earned through accomplishments. Career highlights include; two back-to-back FIA Pro-Stock Championships in 2002 and 2003, first non-American to win a national event in USA, first non-American to set a NHRA world record in USA, and his most memorable - the first European to drive a Pro-Stock car into Holley six-second club. When he is not racing Malmgren sells high quality prefab houses for Myresjöhus, the most popular brand of new houses in Sweden, and they're a team sponsor.
Santa Pod Raceway in Bedfordshire, England is the home of European Drag Racing and host to the televised FIA European Drag Racing Championships, Malmgren Racing had yet another successful weekend there, taking home a hard fought for second place. Malmgren had the fastest car all weekend, setting the low ET and top speed, yet they missed winning the event by a hole-shot.
"I had a very good light at 0.041, but my competitor had 0.034 and you have remember that we don't have led lights on our Christmas-tree," explained Malmgren.
"We ran about same ET, so I lost by four-thousandths of a second. I made all my runs this weekend within one-hundredth of a second, but he (Micke Callin) pulled off his personal best ever in the finals (6.78).
In Europe teams don't have fulltime employed crews, they all have day-jobs and race as hobby, so hard work and commitment is a given.
"During the off-season we went over the JBRC Pontiac GTO from top to bottom, and we spent a lot of time also talking to my good friend Jerry Bickel at JBRC regarding car changes. Also, every winter of course I want my car totally refinished, cleaned, so it looks like new. I am known for having the best looking car out there. It doesn't make it any faster, but it makes my sponsors look good," says Malmgren.
"The same goes with my team/crew, with support from Oakley we are all looking good, including me with my new SFI 15 Oakley Factory Pilot driving suit."
Malmgren's reaction times have improved enormously this year, believing first and foremost that it is "all in your head."
"I am not afraid anymore off going out there and risking a red-light. If you are, that's what makes you late at the lights. We have also tested different linkage positions for better reaction. There are so many factors to consider and we have tried to improve them all."
Malmgren's relationship with K&N got its start in 2009 at the Performance Racing Industry Show when he had a chat with Bob Harris.
"We decided to promote K&N's high quality filters in Europe, and also to be the first overseas team to run their new (hood) Scoop. We can already see after the first race that it has helped the engine breathe better. Also, we of course use the K&N oil filters, as they are high flow and very efficient. My street car is a BMW 645 and even that now has a K&N air filter."
A part of Malmgren's normal twelve to fourteen hour work days includes attending Trade Shows for his main sponsor Lahega. Lahega is the largest car wax and industry chemicals manufacturer and supplier in Scandinavia.
"For example we put the whole rig on display inside the yearly Truck Show in Jönköping, Sweden. This is the biggest trade show for Truckers in Scandinavia. We will also attend several others trade shows, so that is good for everybody involved in with Malmgren/Lahega Racing, and all the exposure we get allows us to keep racing."
The XDL challenges a rider's ability to control a 454 pound machine.
What started in the streets as a menace to the rules and regulations of the road is now the fastest growing sport in the motorcycle industry. If you didn't catch it we are talking about stunt riding, more specifically stunt riding in the XDL series. XDL stands for extreme drift league because in 2005 when the series first started it was a combination show including car drifting and street bike freestyle (stunt riding). While this event didn't quite work, the following year it gave birth to the XDL we know today, a series of stunt riding exhibitions that involve a plethora of challenges testing a rider's ability to control a 454 pound machine.
XDL at Los Angles Toyota Speedway in Irwindale
This year XDL is a 5 round series making stops in Daytona Beach, Lake Havasu, Nashville, Los Angles, and Indianapolis. Each stop tries to incorporate a more urban setting emphasizing fan accessibility. Traditional motorsport events are on tracks "out in the sticks" which is exactly what XDL creators are trying to avoid. Their intention is to keep stunt riding close to where it was created, but in a safe controlled environment where the athletes and spectators are not in any danger. This way athletes will be able to show exactly what they are made of. The beauty of the XDL series is that it requires no course work which is indicative of other freestyle exhibitions. A patch of pavement 100'X300' and custom sport bikes are the only ingredients to the madness.
XDL stands for extreme drift league because in 2005 when the series first started it was a combination show including car drifting and street bike freestyle
This year at XDL there are several components that make up each event. As always there is the individual freestyle where riders must pack in their best run into two minutes and they are judged based on their performance. The results from the two minute run determine the overall point's winner at the end of the series. Other than the individual freestyle there is Aprilla all-star challenge, Freestyle burnout comp, speed and strength sickest trick, team battle, K&N circle challenge and for the first time a woman's freestyle competition.
This past weekend of June 19 on Saturday XDL came to Los Angles Toyota Speedway at Irwindale for two days of street bike freestyle. Nick Brocha placed first followed by point's leader Bill Dixon and third was Luke Emmons for the men's individual freestyle. These top placing athletes are judged on flow difficulty and overall but what sets them apart from the other riders is their innovative style and trick sets. In the women's cup it was a K&N sandwich with rider Brandy Valdez in first and rider Alicia Speck in third. In speaking with K&N rider Alicia she could not have been happier to be able to participate in an XDL event. She is really amazed in how far the sport has come especially in regard to the skills of her fellow female competitors. This event promises to provide more entertainment and surprises in the following competition and years to follow.
Andrew Ranger at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort 200
The strategy for the drivers in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma on Saturday was risky, but simple.
Pit early and hope to not run out of gas.
Andrew Ranger won the Thunder Valley Casino Resort 200 in Sonoma
Andrew Ranger won the Thunder Valley Casino Resort 200 in Sonoma cutting his fuel supply as close as possible. He ran out of gas on his warm-down lap and had to coast around the 1.99-mile road course for his victory lap.
"All race long my crew chief told me to try to save as much fuel as I can," said Ranger, two-time NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champion from Roxton Pond, Quebec. "I saved fuel a little bit, not much. Right there in the last corner, the last lap, I saw the car moving really weird. I saw something wrong with the engine. I thought probably it's the end of fuel. Really lucky, at the same time, I think our strategy was really good. I'm really happy."
Ranger said he tried racing his car in fourth gear at times to conserve fuel. He took the lead from David Gilliland on lap 49 and led the last 15 laps to win the first West Series race of his career.
"It's been an amazing year," Ranger said. "First time here in Sonoma. We did a great pit stop. We stalled in the pit stop, my engine. We came out of there fourth, I think, I don't remember. It was a great race, really happy."
Jason Bowles, winner of the West Series races in Sonoma in 2008 and 2009, was running in second place when his car ran out of fuel 100 feet from the finish line. He sat helplessly stalled as car after car passed him and ended up in 22nd place.
Bowles, the reigning West Series champion, started on the pole and led the first 16 laps of the race.
Paulie Harraka was second, his best finish since winning the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season opener at All American Speedway in Roseville in March. He moved into third place in the West Series standings with his runner-up finish at Sonoma.
"We came into the season wanting to win a championship," said Harraka, who is 103 points behind teammate Eric Holmes, the leader in the West Series standings. "We've had a little bit of a black cloud over us, had a little trouble shaking it. We kind of shifted our focus. We'll see. Right now we're in this race win mode."
Harraka used the same strategy as Ranger, pitting early and doing his best not to run out of fuel. He said he was shutting down his engine and coasting down the hills on the course during caution periods.
"A couple guys got by me early on," said Harraka, a driver from Wayne, N.J., and a junior at Duke University in North Carolina. "I just wanted to save my stuff. I had a lot left at the end. It was perfect."
Brandon Davis, a rookie driver from Huntington Beach making his second career start in the West Series, was third. It was the best finish in his short West Series career.
Holmes was fourth and took over the lead in the West Series standings. He is 24 points ahead of David Mayhew.
Mayhew, who started on the second row and in the third spot, ran into trouble midway through the race and fell off the pace. He finished 23rd.
Gilliland, a driver from Riverside and one of three drivers in the West Series race who also qualified for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway, led the most laps in the race. He was out front for 19 laps, but the transmission gave out on his car at the end of the race and he came in 28th.
The next NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race is at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on July 3.
During a weekend of immense heat and extremely high track temperatures, local Pro Stock favorite Allen Johnson managed to show his team's hard work is paying off as he grabbed the number one qualifying spot for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at historic Bristol Dragway.
Allen Johnson takes number one qualifying spot for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals
Johnson, a nearby Greeneville, Tennessee native, has been on the tail of class runaway competitor and reigning champion, Mike Edwards, who held the number one qualifying spot after the second session on Friday, when he posted a 6.725 in the heat.
"We made a pretty bad run on Friday night," reflected Johnson. "We knew we had more in it."
With track temperatures soaring well into the 130 degree range, Johnson and his Team Mopar Dodge Avenger went into Saturday's qualifying pass looking to better their position, but didn't feel they had enough to grab the pole.
"We really didn't think we could run that fast. We thought we could nab second, but we absolutely made a perfect run to grab the number one spot," said Johnson.
Johnson's 6.722 pass during what his team considered a "perfect run", put him at the top of the heap for the second time this season, ninth of his career and just happened to be his very first number one qualifier at his home track of Bristol Dragway.
With the Bristol event being the final chance to grab points for the 2010 K&N Horsepower Challenge, one of Johnson's main goals for the Thunder Valley Nationals was to out qualify as many as possible and move back up on the ladder.
"We had messed up at Englishtown and qualified thirteenth because we had to get in on Saturday after the weather changed real bad," explained Johnson. "We had dropped all the way to fifth and we just made it our goal to qualify well and move back up to third."
The field is now set for the 2010 K&N Horsepower Challenge, Johnson holding the third position which will pit him against number six qualifier Ron Krisher in round one, when the prestigious event unfolds during the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio this week.
As a past K&N Horsepower Challenge Champion, Johnson is more than geared up for the weekend's event and when asked about his thoughts for the 2010 Challenge, his response was very simple.
"Win the damn thing," chuckled Johnson.
"I feel like I left uncompleted business there in 2008," he continued. "That's when I won the K&N Challenge and then didn't double up on Sunday. I lost in a holeshot in first round and I had the car to beat on Sunday."
There are just certain races and events that a driver looks forward to more than others each season, special events with tons of history and prestige, such as the NHRA U.S. Nationals. And in Johnson's book, the K&N Horsepower Challenge is the single biggest event of the year for Pro Stock teams, even bigger to him than winning "Indy".
"What Steve Williams and the entire K&N family continue to provide for our Pro Stock class is just outstanding," said Johnson. "We are really looking forward to the race at Norwalk and we feel that after Bristol we have a great tune-up for the K&N Challenge and the Nationals."
Johnson will join the seven other Pro Stock drivers qualified for the 2010 K&N Horsepower Challenge on Saturday June 26th at high noon for round number one of the three round shootout, during the 4th Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.
The last driver standing will walk away with a cool $50,000 and the highly coveted 2010 K&N Horsepower Challenge Championship.
Zhu Xun celebrated his third place podium finish in the Xi Delong Cup 2010, but kept things in perspective by his belief that in racing, as in life, the journey is the thing.
"There is no problem with competition as a Buddhist as long as you are fair," say the Buddhist. "When you win, you can share your success with all beings, by letting them take joy in your success."
The six man final was a hotly contested race with Zhu Xun finishing only seconds behind first place.
While the Taoist sage wrote; "A wise man knows himself to be more precious than fame - and so - obscure, remains."
Buddhism and Taoist are the two oldest religions in China, so to understand the Chinese perspective on racing and competition in general, it’s imperative to know that this is a nation that has forever been a harmony of paradoxes. The Taoist sage shuns competition, for it nurtures egotism, fosters brutality and justifies humiliation. Yet, as China continues to open up to western influences, such as off-road racing, these values and beliefs too, continue to be redefined.
Zhu Xun at Xi Delong Cup 2010
When long distance cross-country rally racer Zhu Xun recently finished third in the Xi Delong Cup 2010 Chinese Circuit Off-road Championship, one of the three major races held by the Federation of Automobile Sports of in Jinjiang, Fujian Province, he was quoted as saying;
"While participating in races, if you truly enjoy the race itself, you will be happy regardless of what place you come in at."
Xun has also said that these three races are his personal favorites, "as they are the most demanding and comprehensive test of a race driver’s capability."
A total of 79 race drivers from various teams and race clubs across China participated in the Delong Cup 2010. K&N distributor, Carnet Motor, sponsors Zhu Xun, a veteran racer from the Yong Tang Sheng Team. Xun has nearly six years of racing experience. Xun also heads the Race Car Modification aspect for the team. The Young Tang Sheng Team is from Fuzhou, Fujiang Province.
After two rounds of racing, a half dozen drivers remained for the final; Zhu Xun was one of those six. In the fiercely competitive final, Toyota X-Game driver Ou Minsheng came through with the victory
As the head (CTO) of Race Car Modification, Zhu Xun is outspoken about safety and street-racing. He is against all illegal car racing on the roads, "as it not only puts the driver in danger, but also endangers all other drivers on the road."
He says that the primary foundation of all car modifications should always be about safety first. On racecar modification, Zhu Xun shared the following analogy, "just like the shortest wood panel will determine how much water a bucket can hold, racecar modification should be a comprehensive improvement across all parts, instead of a pure propelling power play. The key focus should be on the race car body structure, as well as control mechanisms."
