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Brandon "Bud" Kaeding lives in Campbell, California, he likes Mountain Dew and his mother's chicken pot pie best, and like one of his favorite characters, Lucky Jackson (Elvis Presley) in the movie Viva La Vegas - he is a racecar driver by occupation. Sprint Cars to be accurate.
This USAC win gives Bud Kaeding his sixth career Ocean Speedway victory
Last season Kaeding made eight Ocean Sprint Car Series starts and tallied seven top-five finishes, with five of those being podiums, yet he never once made it to victory lane. Granted it was his first year in the number 19 car, co-owned by Brian Matherly and Mike Sala. But, there's no danger of that happening this year, in the 2010 season opener at Ocean Speedway, a quarter-mile dirt track located at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville, California - Kaeding claimed his first 360 Sprint Car win at the track in over a year.
"We put this deal together last year with Brian and Mike and we were fast every night last year, but were never able to win, so I couldn't be happier to get it done for them on opening night," said Kaeding.
When the numbers were drawn for the main event it put Kaeding, the three-time and defending USAC K&N Silver Crown Series champion on the front row. And when the green flag came out in the feature Kaeding took the lead into turn one. After some early back-and-forth squabbling in the early laps, Kaeding found his bite and was able to maintain the top-spot. The 30-year-old Kaeding continued to run mistake free on the open track as the laps wound down, scoring his sixth career Ocean Speedway victory overall.
"The biggest thing we have this year is that our team really seems to be coming together," remarked Kaeding. "They are all working hard and have one thing in mind and that is trying our hardest to win."
"I'd like to thank K&N for their product support," continued Kaeding. "Our relationship with K&N is great, we have had a long going relationship and I feel that they clearly make the best filters on the market. We use the Sprint Air Box and the HP4 oil filters. Our engine builders couldn't be happier with the product."
As for any other definitive plans for the rest of the season, Kaeding says they don't really have any yet. They want to remain focused on one race at a time. "We are trying to take a bigger step in the sport, and move on to the next level of racing, so we will see what that is," concludes Kaeding.
Mike Edwards Rewarded Top Spot at Gateway International Raceway
In a sport that is dominated by wins and losses that are determined by mere thousandths of seconds, K&N Pro Stock competitor Mike Edwards has certainly set the mark for other teams in the class to strive for over the last year.
K&N Pro Stock competitor Mike Edwards' Penhall/K&N Pontiac GXP
With only one blemish in an otherwise perfect number one qualifying record that stretches all the way back into the middle of last season, Edwards' Penhall/K&N Pontiac GXP continued to look as if it would stay almost unstoppable for the near future coming as the teams rolled into the most recent stop on the 2010 NHRA tour at Gateway International Raceway, just outside St. Louis, Missouri.
An event that, according to the forecast looked as if it could have shortened qualifying sessions, had teams tightening their belts during each session treating them all as they could be their last for the race.
Qualifying for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals started off with Edwards in his familiar top spot, posting a 6.644, almost a full two-hundredths of a second on the closest team in the field.
That run would be the only hit Edwards and his team would get to make on Friday. During the second session of Pro Stock qualifying, the skies opened and all activities for the remainder of the day were cancelled and teams that did not get to make their scheduled run were not allowed the time to make them up.
When the classes got back on the track Saturday, Edwards was bumped from the number one spot by Rodger Brogdon, a fairly new comer to the class, when Rodger laid down an identical 6.644 ET and a 208.01 MPH, which because of the higher MPH, trumped Edwards' first session effort.
After not making it through the quarter-mile under power during the third session, Edwards struck back during the final qualifying shot to deny Brogdon his first number one for a little while longer, just edging him out by a mere four-thousandths of a second, by posting a 6.640.
Qualifying position is extremely important to every team in all NHRA professional categories. Not only for placement on the ladder for race day and the extra championship points that are available for the top three, but for the Pro Stock category there is an extra incentive to come out on top, The K&N Horsepower Challenge.
As the largest single payday in all of NHRA Pro Stock competition, teams work diligently from June to June to garner every qualifying point they can to achieve one of the eight spots in the elite race-within-a-race, held during the NHRA National Event at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.
Edwards securely holds down the number one seed as well as several other drivers to their spots. The top seven points earning drivers with the eighth selected by fan vote, will square off for the $50,000 payday June 24-27.
The Challenge is not just for the racers, but again in 2010 K&N has the added bonus for eight special fans by continuing the K&N Horsepower Challenge Sweepstakes. There is still time to enter for your chance to win and vote for your favorite NHRA Pro Stock competitor.
For all the details on the K&N Horsepower Challenge Sweepstakes and to enter visit - K&N Sweepstakes
"I have always had a big love for motorbikes from a very young age and I have always followed all types of motorcycle racing," says Lee Hardy, 33 year old championship motorcycle racer from RAF Marham, UK. "The sensation you get from riding bikes is unbelievable! It is such an adrenaline rush when you are racing." Hardy started participating in local motorcycle track days in 2004. He then competed in the Honda Hornet Cup for the first time in 2007.
Lee Hardy races Thundersport GB and has progressed to the Streetfighter A Championship
"I finished in the top fifteen of the championship," says Hardy. During that first year of racing, Hardy had seven top 10 finishes and was awarded Rider of the Meeting twice, as well as Novice of the Meeting. In 2008, he competed in the Honda Hornet Cup again, finishing the season in second place with two race wins and eight podiums throughout the season. "After that, I moved up in class and raced with Thundersport GB in the Streetfighter B Championship, where I finished in fifth place with regular top five finishes but unfortunately, never stepped onto the podium," says Hardy.
This year, Hardy is still with Thundersport GB but has progressed to the Streetfighter A Championship onboard an Aprilia Tuono 1000cc. bike. "I am currently third in the championship and my best places this year are a third and second place finish," says Hardy. "I am looking forward to more wins this year as I am gaining more and more experience."
Hardy's title sponsor is the Royal Air Force Reserves, and he will be kept busy promoting their recruiting campaign throughout 2010. "I will be attending many air shows and events throughout the year where I will be promoting all my sponsors and suppliers, including K&N. I choose K&N filters because I want the best in performance and reliability for my race bike," says Hardy. "I have found significant gains in power and performance when my race bike was set up on the dyno. I am proud to use K&N products and recommend them for any racer looking for serious results."
This Super Comp victory gave Bob Fuller his fourth NHRA National Event win
With a tremendous closing rate on NHRA National final round appearances, K&N competitor Bob Fuller is not exactly the person you want to see in the other lane, should you be fortunate enough to make it to the final yourself.
Bob Fuller says he loves racing at the Gateway International Raceway at night because the track is lit up very well
Of his NHRA national final rounds appearances, "I've only lost one final and that was last year on a red-light," according to the Rodger, Arkansas resident.
The AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, held at Gateway International Raceway, was Fuller's first NHRA National event for the 2010 season. Fuller, who competes in both Super Gas and Super Comp, was on an immediate dash in both entries, until his Super Gas entry broke on the line during third round.
While his day came to an end in one class, the rounds he was putting together in his 638 cubic inch, Chevy-powered Undercover dragster, were ones any racer would love to be able to claim the time slips for. Not only for staying on the winning side, but also the very consistent reaction times. During the seven rounds of Super Comp he averaged .010, helping him put quite a few tough customers on the trailer.
Something Fuller considers being somewhat of a special race day advantage, is his mindset going into each and every round.
"Every round is the last round, that's just the way I look at it," said Fuller. "If you don't get past the round you are about to be in, well that's your last round. So, I don't look ahead. I give everything to this round and treat them all as finals."
With yet another event plagued by weather, many of the sportsman class elimination rounds were held during the nighttime hours, just to catch the schedule up from the earlier delays.
"I love racing at night," commented Fuller. "The track is lit up very well and I've had a lot of experience running this track at night. What some may not realize is that when you would normally roll ten into your delay, at this track you can actually take some out. A lot of people don't know that."
Fuller made it to the Super Comp final round via a single he earned by first defeating Kara Roedel in the quarter-finals, coming out on the good side of a double breakout, 8.889 to Roedel's 8.846.
During Fuller's bye-run, he decided to take the other lane in case he didn't get lane choice in final.
"I told my son Tony, that I'm going to roll ten on top of my delay and see what happens," said Fuller. "It was a seventeen, so that would have been a seven light. That told me we were seeing the tree the same on both sides of the track. So if we got tossed back into that lane in the final, we were going to roll the ten back out."
Fuller got the right lane that he had competed in so much during the weekend's events and in the left lane was fellow K&N racer Tommy Phillips, who had already been to the winner's circle in Super Gas earlier this year at the NHRA event in Houston.
Always studying other racers, Fuller felt he knew what to expect during his final with Phillips.
"He was dropping everybody and we kind of figured he was going to do that to us, too," explained Fuller of his final round prep.
"Just about the time we pull around and the excitement is getting pretty hot and we are about to run the final and it starts to drizzle again," he continued. "So we all huddling under the tunnel, no sooner do I get out of the car, everything was ready to go again. So I get back in the car and by that time the adrenaline had changed a little. I decided to roll four more in and four more thou showed up on the tree. I was just really seeing the tree the same all weekend."
And seeing in this case, is winning.
Fuller doubled Phillips on the starting line and by running his car honest, easily took the stripe by about eight feet when Phillips decided to dump too soon.
The Super Comp victory gave Fuller his fourth NHRA National Event win and started off his National Event season on the right foot, right out of the gate.
"I couldn't do it without all the great companies that I have worked with for all these years, K&N being one of them," noted Fuller. "K&N oil filters and K&N air filters can be found on my cars and what I don't think a lot of people realize are all of the reasons that K&N air filters work so well. One, being that I feel the air filter actually cools the air going into the engine because of the metal in the filter. I just know it cools the air down by a few degrees, plus not to mention all the protection their filters give."
Team newcomer David Haagsma topped the Pro-Am podium in round four at Adelanto
Mike Cafro is a portrait of a "natural," not just because of his vast ATV racing skills and experience, but more acutely because of his smooth approach to life. He's a polished professional team owner/manager, humble, generous and soft-spoken, with members of his team taking as much pleasure in winning for him, as for themselves. He is the eye of a perfect race storm - a racer that's empathetic to other racers - and seasoned enough to get out of the way and allow them to do their thing.
Last Season MCR rider Beau Baron brought the team the WORCS Championship, and he's clearly on track to repeat
Asked why he believes his team continues to win, he simply says "Guess it's just because I've been doing it a long time. And I try and look for riders that are self-sufficient and seem to have a knack to them."
Last Season the MCR rider with the hugest amount of knack, Beau Baron, brought home the WORCS Championship to the team. This year at the season opener in Surprise, Arizona, Baron and the team picked up right where they left off, with Baron getting the win and Cafro taking his first ever WORCS Pro podium position.
Josh Row is having a good year so far, finding the podium in Primm, Nevada and finishing top-five in round four
In round two, at Primm, Nevada, Baron and Josh Row found their way to the podium again, while team newcomer David Haagsma claimed the win in the Pro-Am Production class and Julie Russell took the Women's A-Class win as well.
Although the WORCS round three dead engine start didn't agree with Baron, he still managed to hold on for a third place podium finish. Also in the Pro ranks was Cafro, whose eighth place finish moved him into seventh in points for the season at that point (he's currently in the top-five).
Julie Russell has been just plain smoking-hot, winning her fourth straight in Women's A-Class
On to Adelanto, California where Baron and Josh Row grabbed top-five finishes at round four of the 2010 WORCS series. David Haagsma topped the Pro-Am podium for the team and Julie Russell continued to steamroll, claiming her fourth straight win of the season in the Women's A-Class.
Yeah, there's a pattern here, the smart bet is that when the final checkered-flag drops on the 2010 WORCS season, members of team MCR will once again be hoisting championship hardware over their heads. And Cafro will still be understated, diverting attention away from himself with remarks like, "It's our sponsors, like K&N, that are a big part of our success. I couldn't imagine a better relationship than the one I have with K&N. Johnny Jump and I hit it off the first time we met."
In 1989, Cafro's older brother called him back in New Jersey, where he was already getting his feet wet racing ATV's. Carmen Cafro had just moved to San Diego and he said to his younger brother, "You've got to come out here. You've got to try desert racing." So that's what Mike did - all smooth and natural like.
(The Cafro brothers where one of the top desert tandems for a period of time. Mike is still SCORE's reigning overall ATV Champion and in 2006 he won his first point-to-point SCORE Baja 1000 to La Paz. Carmen Cafro is a three-time SCORE Season Champion.)
