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The most important race of the year for Ford Focus Teams and drivers is the season-ending annual Turkey Night Grand Prix at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California. Drivers from across the country ate turkey at the track before they competed on the 1/3 mile paved oval. Two of those racers were Michael Lewis and his teammate Cody Gerhardt.
Turkey Night Grand Prix Third Place finish for Western Speed Racer Michael Lewis
The Western Speed Team Racers went to the final 2009 USAC Ford Focus event with five feature wins between them. Both drivers recorded strong lap times during the five practice sessions and anticipated a strong qualifying effort.
Final USAC California Pavement Ford Focus Car Series Event podium win for Michael Lewis during 69th Lucas Oil Turkey Night Grand Prix at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California
Lewis qualified in 5th place and was placed on the front row for the start of the 40-lap feature. “Kevin Gerhardt worked really hard for both Cody and I and gave us great cars,” said Lewis. “I felt like I had a chance to get a win for the Western Speed Team.”
Western Speed Racing is owned by Rick Lew and Kevin Gerhardt. Western Speed cars are equipped with K&N filters. “Our K&N products give us extra power and excellent filtration,” said Gerhardt. “The K&N air filters are also washable and reusable and protect our engines from track debris.”
When the green flag waved Lewis tucked in behind the leader and the chase began. The top four cars ran nose to tail. Lewis lost a position during lapped traffic and worked hard to get it back. Lewis finished third when the checkered flag waved.
Lewis had a very successful season in the No. 60 Western Speed Ford Focus midget. He recorded three feature wins, earned four fast time qualifying awards and numerous heat race wins. Even though Lewis competed part time this season, he earned 4th position in driver points and the No. 60 Ford Focus midget earned the car owner’s championship for Western Speed Racing.
“The motor has to last, the tires have to last and the drivers have to last,” said Bryan Clauson after his rubber hit the road the Toyota Speedway in Irwindale for the 69th running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix Mopar National Midget race.
Bryan Clauson holds up The Aggie in celebration of his dominating victory Thanksgiving Night in the 69th Annual Lucas Oil Turkey Night Grand Prix
The Noblesville, Indiana racer won the Thanksgiving night Midget Race and was never seriously challenged during the 98 lap contest. “We battled some mechanical issues early,” said Clauson. “But the crew was able to get the car fast for the main event.”
Clauson drove the Marc DeBeaumont owned Beast/Ford-Esslinger No 11 and led all 57 laps of the event. “It was a pretty cool night,” he said. “But the crown jewel was getting my name on the Aggie Trophy.”
Clauson raced more than 200 events at 82 different tracks in 24 states during the racing season. His victories have also earned him a 51 point lead for the 2009 National Midget Driver of the Year Championship.
“Our K&N filters give us additional performance on the track,” he said. “They protect our engines from track debris and are part of our winning package that helps us make it to the Winner’s Circle.”
Clauson’s next event will be the Bull Ring Midget Nationals in December at Kansas City’s Kemper Arena. In 2010 he’ll kick off his season at the Annual Chili Bowl Nationals.
Papas and Beer racer Rodrigo Ampudia will next race in the Lucas Oil Challenge Cup at the Lake Elsinore Motorsports Complex in California
Papas and Beer Ford F-150 drove his Ford F-150 at the starting line of the Baja 1000
The best desert racers in the world came together on the Baja California Peninsula for the 42nd Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. Competitors from fourteen countries and 39 U.S. states took part in 29 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs in the finale of the five-race 2009 SCORE Desert Series.
Papas and Beer Racer Rodrigo Ampudia took second place in the Baja 1000 in his Ford F-150 Class 8 truck with K&N air and oil filters
The 672.85 mile race started and finished in Ensenada, Mexico. Rodrigo Ampudia of Papas and Beer Racing drove his Ford F-150 Class 8 truck with Greg Adler. "Greg drove the first part of the race," said Ampudia. "I took over at mile 200 and took the Ford to the end for a second place win."
Nine racers started in Class 8, but only 5 finished. The rugged course travels from Ensenada to Ojos Negros, to Laguna Salada then San Felipe. It continues through the infamous Matomi Wash, around Mike's Sky Ranch and goes down the La Rumarosa Grade. The La Rumarosa Grade is a 3400 vertical foot drop to the floor of the lower Mexican desert. Drivers also take their vehicles back to the Pacific Coast below San Vincente and up through Santo Tomas. The teams cover a good portion of the Baja California peninsula to and from Ensenada.
Ampudia won the Baja 500 in 2009 and was hoping to close out the Baja 1000 with a win. "I really wanted a first place win," he said. "But we got stuck in a tough silt bed. We had a winch but we had to rock ourselves back and forth to get out. The first place winner beat us by two hours and we beat the third place racer by two hours. Our K&N air and oil filters provided our truck with the power and protection it needed. The bottom line is, K&N worked after being stuck in the silt for hours and throughout the demanding race."
Ampudia will next race in the Lucas Oil Challenge Cup, December 11-12 at Lake Elsinore Motorsports Complex in Lake Elsinore, California. In 2010 he plans to compete in the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series and the SCORE Baja Desert Series.
After six full seasons most fans and aficionados have come to recognize that the Formula DRIFT series puts the X-factor in extreme motorsport racing. Maneuvering through a designated course at high speeds while executing controlled sideways slides requires mad skills. This season just over 60 professional drivers participated in all seven competitions. Michael Essa, from Los Angles, California, is systemically working himself towards the top of that group of racers.
Formula DRIFT Rookie Michael Essa
In this his rookie year, Essa finished the season in second place out of eleven total rookie drivers. Due to budget issues he was unable to attend the New Jersey event. With the momentum he was carrying, the potential points he would have earned there could very likely have put him in the Rookie of the Year spot. "I had a good season, finishing sixth overall in Las Vegas and in the top sixteen at the last event at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California," says Essa.
Essa first got behind the wheel of a racecar at age 17 – he says he knew instantly that this was where he wanted to be. From that point on he has remained focused on the machinery and the track, in his ongoing efforts to build on a solid foundation to create a legacy in global motorsports.
Drifter Michael Essa in action.
He has held positions as Crew Chief and Lead Tech Inspector, building and developing his talent from the ground up. In the spring of 2001 Essa opened Tech Trix Motorsports in Anaheim, California. It's there that he builds, maintains, and provides track support for Porsche racecars. Essa not only worships racing, but he also supports the community by offering driving instruction for both Porsche racers and drift drivers.
Essa races a 1987 Mazda RX-7, powered by a 2003 Z06 LS6 Corvette engine. "The car is basically the same as how it started the season. For the last event though we added a new cam and ported the heads, to up the power to 430whp and 390wtq," says Essa.
1987 Mazda RX-7 with 2003 Z06 LS6 Corvette engine
"I'm happy to represent K&N. I would buy and use their products even without their support, and I have in the past. K&N makes only high quality items, I truly believe them to be the best available. I always use K&N air filters/kits and oil filters."
"For the 2010 Formula Drift season I've teamed up with GSR Autosport to build, campaign and drive a 2008 BMW 335i. Were excited to bring a new European car to the FD series," adds Essa.
The rear-engine BMW 335i is a sports coupe with a rock-solid chassis and plenty of room for aftermarket development. The new platform will easily handle the 550-hp turbocharged 3.2-liter M3 powerplant which Essa has almost finished.
Andrew Comrie-Picard won the North American Rally Championship in the season-ending Canadian Rally of the Tall Pines near Bancroft, Ontario. The win represents the first championship for the NOS Energy Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X with K&N products.
North American Rally Championship win for Andrew Comrie-Picard in Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, photo by Neil McDaid, photo by Neil McDaid
“This is a terrific result, especially given that we were working on developing the new rally car throughout this first competition season for the Evolution X,” said Comrie-Picard. “But our sponsors and our team came through and we won a very tight championship race.”
Aggressive fast driving in the season-ending Rally of the Tall Pines in Canada bent bodywork and tore off bumpers on the 150 kilometer course, photo by Neil McDaid
Team ACP is preparing for the New Year and will defend its championship in 2010, photo by Neil McDaid
The Rally of the Tall Pines features some of the toughest driving challenges in North America with conditions often referred to as winter roads and summer ditches.
Team ACP was ready for unpredictable weather at this time of year, but it was unusually dry and warm. The cars were very fast and the competition was intense. Comrie-Picard was very aggressive throughout the 150 kilometers of competition. He tore off bumpers, bent bodywork and took out a finish board.
A late-season push, including a win at Rally Colorado and a second-place finish at Rally of the Tall Pines, sealed the driver's title for Comrie-Picard. “We told ACP to win the championship or leave the car in the woods,” said crew chief Eric Vlasic. “He did leave some of the car in the woods, but brought home the championship.”
“We had the car wide open the whole time,” said Comrie-Picard. “I just wasn’t lifting in most corners or over crests and fortunately, the Ohlins TTX shocks were amazing, the Yokohama tires took the super-high sideloads at 200 km/h (120 mph), and our K&N air filter kept the engine safe even through some deep water splashes.”
Comrie- Picard has used K&N filters for more than a decade. “We compete under very tough conditions and do the most extreme things we can do in a car,” he said. “K&N is the perfect formula for our turbo charged motors. There is no compromise with K&N.”
Team ACP is preparing for 2010 and looks forward to defending the championship and competing at the X Games for a fifth time.
