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K&N's Team Honda Austria on Track in International Austrian Supermoto State Championship

13 Jul 2012

K&N's Team Honda Austria rider Florian Wedenig sits comfortably in the third spot heading into the second half of the Supermoto season.

Nestled in the Eastern Alps, in the southernmost portion of Austria, is Carinthia. Mostly known for its jaw-dropping mountain landscape and a punctuation of lakes, Carinthia was the sight of the third race event of the international Austria Supermoto State Championship on July 1. Weather was once again a large part of the overall story, much like it was in the first race in Burgenland, Austria. Only this time instead of rain and muck, racers had to contend with stifling humidity and near triple-digit temperatures. Combining elements of motocross and road racing into one gripping race format is why Supermoto continues to grow as a fan favorite, but in Carinthia, climate once again proved to be the most demanding opponent.

Andreas Rothbauer currently sits in fourth place in International Austrian Supermoto State Championship heading into the second half of the season.

K&N's Team Honda Austria riders are Andreas "Simpson" Rothbauer and Florian "Superflo" Wedenig. At race time the temperature and humidity were both hovering at about 95 degrees, and the team was frantically working to get the right set-up for proper tire grip on a track that is both dirt and melting pavement at this point.

Rothbauer, racing in the Class S1 Elite, got caught up at the start of the first moto, but once free he was able to push hard. Finding room to pass was extremely tricky and it took Rothbauer several laps before he could start apply pressure on KTM rider Haslinger in fifth place. The pressure proved too much for Haslinger as he crashed at the end of the long off-road section. Next Rothbauer closed the gap on fourth place, Kawasaki rider Florian Praxmarer, yet once again he was unable to find a safe passing lane to get around him, which secured a 5th place finish for the K&N rider.

In the second moto Rothbauer got a slightly better start, yet again he found himself looking at the back of Haslinger helmet. Rothbauer put together an impressive show of his race skills with a spectacular pass coming down the off-road passage, finishing once more behind Praxmarer for his second 5th place.

Despite facing some challenges the Austrian Supermoto State Championship continues to pickup in popularity with every event.

"Two 5th place finishes are not that bad at all," commented Rothbauer afterward. "We had a real tough weekend with very high temperature conditions. I was able to still fight with the best and after almost half of the season I am only one point out of the third position in the overall championship ranking. So I'm in a good spot heading into the second half of the racing season."

In his first moto of the Class S Open, K&N rider Wedenig got off to a very solid start. In the off-road section Wedenig was able to get around Suzuki rider Heinz Hochreiter, which put him into the number two spot. He then set his sights on the race leader KTM rider Lukas Höllbacher. On the second lap Wedenig managed to get around Höllbacher to take over the lead. Although he continued to push hard, track and weather conditions wouldn't allow him to pull away, and with only a few laps remaining Höllbacher regained the lead leaving Wedenig to secure the second place.

In the second moto Wedenig again got off to a great start and he pressed the leaders the entire race. With conditions being as they were, Wedenig held on to finish third in the race and third overall for the day.

"Third overall is a great result again," said Wedenig. "I am glad to have managed the heat that well and I liked this new high-speed track a lot. In overall ranking I am now in third position, so this is a great spot for me as well going into the second half of the racing season."

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Sprint Car Racer Willie Croft Sits 6th in King of the West Points

13 Jul 2012

Willie Crofts winged Sprint car

It's been one of "those" seasons for Willie Croft and his Holey Smokes BBQ/Christian Stover Foundation/ButlerBuilt/K&N Sprint Car. The Sacramento, California driver has been bit by bad luck all season long. But things are starting to look up for Croft, who is chasing fellow K&N driver Jonathan Allard in the King of the West (KWS) championship with a quarter of the season remaining.

Willie Croft Currenlty Sits top 6th in King of the West Points

Willie Croft Currenlty Sits 6th in King of the West Points

"Overall it's been a decent season," Croft told K&N News. "We had a few changes to our team and it's taken a little while for them to gel, but it feels like things are coming together for us as the season moves along, which is good with some big races coming up."

Croft sits sixth in KWS points, almost 200 points behind Allard. But he is less then 70 points behind second-place Brent Kaeding, and if you look beyond the A-Main event finishes, Croft is having a season that rivals Allard's. After 14 of 20 events, Croft actually leads the series in Heat Race victories with 6, two more then anyone else. He is also the only driver running KWS full-time that has multiple Fast Time awards. But the finishes just didn't come early in the season.

"The KWS season got off to an absolutely horrible start for us. We had a handful of DNF's that put us behind the eight ball. We've picked it up as of late with some strong finishes helping us climb up the points standings. But in a series that only has 20 races, to have four DNF's is really hard to make up."

Croft thought he might be in for a springboard-type of weekend at the Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup in Alger, Wash. But after a decent night on Thursday and a mid-pack finish on Friday, rain twice washed out the final day of an event that looked promising.

King of the West Race Series driver Willie Croft

"The Dirt Cup is a tough race with very tough competitors. We were plenty fast all weekend long and sat inside the top-10 in points after Thursday. Unfortunately on Friday there was a wreck in front of us and with the dust, it was really hard to see. We just barely got caught in it, and had to go to the back. We worked back up to 13th, but that was about where we started so we slipped in points."

"I am planning on going back up for the make-up race in August so hopefully we can have a good finish in the 'final night.'"

Croft is optimistic about the remainder of the season, and he thinks the team is knocking on the door of a hot streak.

"At this point in our season we are still looking for that defining moment. We have had some flat bad luck followed by some strong runs, but I think if we can have that one night where we can put on a charge from the back, or pick up our first win of the season, it will lead to a string of good things."

"We are starting to put together some good finishes, so I'm really excited about just getting to the track each week because we are knocking on the door for a win or two as the KWS season comes to an end. I have an opportunity to run a 360ci race for another guy out here at a few races as well, so that will be a nice bonus."

And if Croft does find victory lane, K&N will be right there with him.

"K&N Filters provide us with the components we need to put a strong car on the track each week. So much of what you see on the track comes from the tools and products you prepare your car with off the track, and K&N is second-to-none in providing us with great products."

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.

Brad Springer Gets Top Speed Modified Tour Win at Springport Motor Speedway

12 Jul 2012

Brad Springer enjoys the spoils of victory after his recent Modified win at Springport Motor Speedway.

Springport Motor Speedway is billed as Mid-Michigan's best and fastest 3/8th mile Saturday night short track. It was built to replicate the dimensions of another well know track, Michigan International Speedway, only on a 3/8th mile scale. Brad Springer found the track ideally suited to his driving style as he landed in the Winner's Circle with his number 61 K&N sponsored Modified last Saturday.

"I am very pleased with the way our modified handled Saturday night. It was on a rail and made it fun to drive. I have to thank K&N Filters for their support," commented Springer after the race.

The following day Springer competed in the Outlaw Late Model class and the team struggled a bit on Sunday, managing only to bring home a 9th place finish. We talked with the Ashley, Indiana driver to get his take on the weekend and about a new addition to the Springer family.

Congratulations on a big win at Springport! Give us some insights from your perspective- what all went right on Saturday?

"We have been working all year on a brand new shock package that J&J Shocks in Huntersville, North Carolina set up for us, and so week after week we have been getting the car better and better. This particular night we actually had a delay that prevented us from being able to practice the car at all. We showed up and qualified the car in the 8th position, which set us up for a good starting spot in the feature. Without all the hard work my crew and I put in prior to this night, there is no way we could have came home with the win. The car was perfect from lap-1 through the end of the race."

You mention that you feel you've got the Late Model back on track too- what was the problem?

"The late model I am driving this year belongs to another team and I have been working on it all year to find out if it is capable of running the big money outlaw shows next year. So far the car has been good but just not great. We have made a lot of changes and feel we are headed in the right direction. It is an older car so getting the proper updates on it has been the key to making it faster."

Update us on how the race season is treating overall you at this point.

"Overall this has been a good season with all top-5 finishes. Our schedule is pretty limited so far this year. The Top Speed Modified Tour only has about eight races on their schedule, and our local track, Angola Motor Speedway, hasn't been open yet. So this year the team has been just looking for tracks that are putting on bigger races and we travel there."

When and where is your next race and long does your 2012 season run?

"Right now we are planning for our next race to be at Auto City Speedway in Clio, Michigan on July 7th, for the Annual Sam Faur Memorial Race. My wife and I just had our first child on June 21st, so I am spending a little time at home to help with them right now. Our season will continue through October, with races at Sandusky Speedway, Winchester Speedway, Angola Motor Speedway, and more still to come."

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.

K&N Drag Racer Eric Bowling Doubles Up at 2012 No Box Nationals in His Chevrolet Blazer

12 Jul 2012

My father-in-law did a fantastic job on this thing. I couldn't ask for better.

Not even John Force can boast a three-year run as impressive as K&N drag racer Eric Bowling. The bracket racer form Bloomington, Indiana, who combined to win more then 40 races over the last two seasons, switched cars this year and, believe it or not, has only gotten better. And guess what? Like Force, Bowling has a few protégés in the pipelines now.

Bowling decided to park his beloved 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 after last season and go with a far more unconventional ride, a bright green Chevrolet Blazer SUV. But while the Blazer might now intimidate like the Camaro did in the burnout box, it sure handles itself on the strip.

"All I can say is wow," Bowling told K&N. "My father-in-law did a fantastic job on this thing. I couldn't ask for better. The 60-foot times only move maybe two- to four-thousandths (of a second) on a race day and that's what you have to have to be competitive. The whole weekend at the No Box Nationals that thing only moved 9-thousandths (of a second). The only bad part about it is the Blazer is so consistent that now, when I lose, I have nothing to blame but myself."

The Ohio Crankshaft No Box Nationals happened two weeks ago, and Bowling bowled over the competition. He won the $1,600 shootout on Saturday and followed that up with a win in the $5,000 tournament on Fathers Day. It was an emotional moment for Bowling, whose father introduced him to the sport at a young age and passed away in 1995.

It was an emotional moment for Bowling, whose father introduced him to the sport at a young age and passed away in 1995.

"To win on Fathers Day make's the win probably the most memorable of my career. I lost my dad in 1995 and I know he was looking over me; I called my wife when I got back to the pits and all I could say was 'It's Fathers Day.' It was a great day."

Bowling's wife Amy would normally be at the track celebrating, but she was just days herself from making Bowling a father for the second time. Last Tuesday, Bowling and his wife welcomed their first son, Isaac, into the family. Both the baby and mother are doing great, and Bowling's four-year-old daughter, Isabella, is already looking forward to teaching her little brother all about the Christmas Tree, and not the one that Santa Claus puts presents under every December.

"One thing is for sure," Bowling said. "Baby Isaac will be in a junior dragster one day. But his sister gets to go first. She absolutely loves racing and has whipped me on the tree a few times already."

With all the commotion in the house, Bowling isn't sure what his schedule will include this summer, but he has his eye on a few events, including the World Footbrake Challenge in Bristol, Tennessee. Bowling has never been to the event, but he thinks the new ride could be victorious at it.

Bowling is still working out some kinks in the Blazer. He said he struggles with finding his spot on the tree still, and that he finds himself "anticipating the bulb instead of reacting to it" still. The other issue is 'driving the stripe,' a term that refers to bracket racers trying to squeeze every second out of their dial-ins at the finish line.

To win on Fathers Day make's the win probably the most memorable of my career.

"In the Camaro, the nose was so long and I have driven it since 1998, that sometimes I find myself driving the stripe like I'm still driving the Camaro. In the Blazer I sit right on top of the front tires, so I've definitely given up a bunch at the stripe this season. Again, I'll get the hang of it, it's just a matter of not so caught up in the round."

Bowling has found success at other major bracket events this year to pair with his No Box Nationals win. Bowling was victorious at the Bernie Mann Memorial Race in Terre Haute, Indiana, and the next day he took two entries to the finals, claiming both first and second at the Brown County Dragway No Box/Box Combo, sweeping the month of May at the track and winning his sixth straight No Box event at the track.

In his first year with K&N Filters, Bowling said he already notices a difference. "In the years past, I didn't even run any air filters. I must say, Ryan Fellman at K&N has gone above and beyond to make sure I get the right product to help my racecar. I began running the air filter at the beginning of the season and I must say, it makes the Blazer so much more consistent.

"I wanted to see just how much of a difference it made so I ran without (the filter) for a couple of passes in time trials and it didn't perform as well as it did with it. The remarkable thing is, the Blazer didn't lose any ET with it on. It also keeps the carburetor good and clean. I can't thank K&N and Ryan enough for their support and I hope this is the beginning of a great friendship and business relationship."

Bowling also wanted to thank his family, including his wife, children, and his father-in-law, Don Cain, who built the Blazer, and his mother Lou. He also thanked his sponsors and supporters, including Mickey Thompson Tires, Ohio Crankshaft, Cometic Gasket, Spy Optic, Skaggs Transmission, and R&S Lawncare.

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.

Deserving Fan's Story Drives Vincent Nobile to Victory at 2012 K&N Horsepower Challenge

12 Jul 2012

2012 K&N Horsepower Challenge

Riverside, California, July 11, 2012 - This past weekend's K&N Horsepower Challenge proved to be a perfect showcase for the NHRA's most competitive class. Run as part of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, the 28th running of the specialty event pitted eight of Pro Stock's best drivers in a three-round shootout with the winner taking home $50,000. Despite blistering heat and drenching humidity, the capacity crowd was treated to a day of tremendous racing including numerous hole shots and several surprises.

Vincent Nobile Wins 2012 K&N Horsepower Challenge at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio taking home $50,000

In the end, however, it was the category's youngest driver, Vincent Nobile, who ended the day in the winner's circle, defeating No. 1 qualifier Jason Line in the final. Afterwards, the sophomore sensation gave full credit to someone he had met less than 24 hours before - Peggy Coleman, the K&N Horsepower Sweepstakes finalist from Joplin, Mo., a survivor of last year's tornados who was paired with Nobile and thanks to his win took home a one-of-a-kind special edition 2012 Toyota Tundra Double Cab created by Toyota Racing Development (TRD) and K&N Engineering.

"After I heard Peggy's story, the money didn't matter, the trophy didn't matter - all I wanted to do was win for her, and I'm so glad I did," said Nobile, driver of the MountainView Tire Dodge Avenger who also won the race on Sunday, collecting a $25,000 "double-up" bonus from the NHRA in the process. "She lost almost everything last year in the tornados, so to be able to win that Toyota Tundra for her was absolutely awesome.

"I knew she was someone special from the moment I met her on Friday, and when I heard her story, it really touched me. Even though I knew I had to win for her, I didn't feel any extra pressure - it actually made things easier for me. I'm so happy we were able to deliver for her, and want to thank the Mitsos family, my father and my entire Mountainview Dodge team for giving me such a great car to drive.

"I also want to thank everyone at K&N for putting on this tremendous event and for involving the fans through the sweepstakes, as well as Toyota for providing that gorgeous truck Peggy will soon be driving. Finally, I want to thank Peggy Coleman for being such an inspiration - she was the real reason I was able to win."

Vincent and Sweepstakes Winner Peggy Coleman, with Don Brown and Don Cecconi from Toyota

For Coleman, the trip to the Buckeye State was a welcome pause from over a year of recovery efforts following the devastating storms which wiped out most of their possessions. Despite the tremendous loss, much like the majority of the Joplin community, she maintained a positive outlook, focusing instead on doing whatever was necessary to put their lives back together. For example, with husband Gary's pickup truck having been demolished, she entered the K&N sweepstakes, never thinking she would actually be the one to win the new Toyota. In fact, when called about being selected as one the finalists, she was somewhat incredulous. However, from the moment she was paired with the young driver from Dix Hills, N.Y., things just started to fall into place.

"As I told the other contestants, even if we hadn't won the Toyota, it was great just to be able to get away from everything we'd been dealing with at home for a little while," said Coleman. "For the most part, everyone in our town shares our positive attitude and over the last year help has poured in from all over the country, which has been amazing. So to be selected as one of the eight finalists and flown to Norwalk for the weekend put a big smile on our faces, and winning that beautiful pickup was just an added benefit that I could not believe. We had an awesome time all weekend with everyone being so nice.

"When I met Vincent and saw his team color was purple I was thrilled because that's my favorite color. He was so humble and polite, and his entire family and team were so very nice. After the first round I heard someone call my name and it was Vincent's mother, who gave me a big hug and told me he was going to win the race for me.

"Every time I saw him, I kept telling Vincent he was going to do it, and even after he won on Saturday, I told him he was going to win again on Sunday and he did. From here on out, I'll be sure to watch the NHRA races on TV and root for Vincent to keep on winning. On top of everything else that happened during the weekend, when Caitlin from K&N called me on Monday after the race and told me about everyone offering to pay the taxes, it just brought tears to my eyes all over again. It was just like a wonderful dream, and I want to thank everyone at K&N for making it so special."

As the story of the Coleman family spread throughout the Pro Stock pits at Summit Motorsports Park, the racing community responded, with several teams volunteering to pay any taxes pertaining to their winning the truck. After acknowledging the teams' generosity, the Toyota Motor Company added to their already substantial contribution by including the cost of the tariffs, assuring the Colemans would not have to pay anything for their new custom pickup.

"K&N's involvement with the Horsepower Challenge has been a tremendous experience, but the circumstances surrounding this year's event stand above the rest," said Caitlin Clement, Series and Track Support Manager for K&N Engineering. "We want to commend all eight drivers for putting on a great show under very difficult weather conditions and congratulate Vincent Nobile on his exciting win.

"We are also thrilled to be able to present Peggy Coleman with her new K&N Horsepower Challenge Edition Toyota Tundra. Her story of survival is just amazing, and we hope this new truck helps in some small way with her recovery efforts. We appreciate all the teams who inquired about paying the Colemans' taxes, and are grateful to Toyota for volunteering to cover the costs involved. All in all, the 2012 K&N Horsepower Challenge was a tremendous event, and we are already working to make next year's edition even better."

K&N Engineering, Inc. is the world's leader in reusable air filters. K&N High flow reusable air filters, High performance air intake systems and premium oil filters are available at most retailers and directly from K&N. With headquarters in Riverside, California, K&N is heavily involved in nearly every form of motorsports from off-road and powersports to drag racing, stock cars and road racing.

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.

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