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K&N's Janice Swan Puts a Period on Season With Super Comp Final at Indy Fall Classic

Nov 15, 2011

Janice Swan's 2007 Super Comp Rooman dragster

When the time comes for each racer to "put 'em away" for the season, it's a little less bitter when you can do so after making a final during your last outing for the year. Janice Swan, of Mooresville, Indiana was able to do just that during her final outing of the season when she put her 2007 Rooman dragster into the Super Comp final for the NHRA Div 3 Fall Classic National Open at Lucas Oil Raceway outside of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Janice Swan made it to the Super Comp final for the NHRA Div 3 Fall Classic National Open at Lucas Oil Raceway.

While the National Open does not provide competitors the opportunity to earn any form of championship points, it does give drivers in the NHRA Division 3 area a final chance to earn a precious national event grade point all while having some late season fun. Swan noted that during the first part of the two-day race, there was quite a lot of wind to deal with. "It was a crosswind, so it was quite hairy on the top end," she explained. "You just had to be ready for it. Down track it moved you to the wall, if you were in the right lane especially. So it was really hectic. It got your attention, that's for sure."

Time runs for the classes were held on Saturday and Swan was pleased with her passes. "Everything went really smooth and actually, I was driving my dad's Opel in Super Gas as well," she pointed out. "He had injured his back, so I was driving his car, too. We were really more focused on the Opel and the motor broke in the first time trial. It was my first time ever stepping into a door car, so I had been so looking forward to it that when it broke, I was really bummed. It was really supposed to be dad running my dragster and me his car, just so we could have a change of pace. Since it was a non-points race, we would switch cars."

"The dragster, well it was of course the most comfortable of the two to drive," she added. "It just finally clicked that weekend. We really had a rough season this year. Either I wasn't on my game or the car had a glitch and couldn't get past second round. I was just really frustrated. So to come out and have good time trials and all the round wins was just a great way to end the season."

Come eliminations, Swan faced Chuck Ridenhour in round one. "The first round is always the most nerve-wracking, because you don't know what the track [conditions] is and it's really a guessing game. My husband and crew chief, who does such a wonderful job of setting me up. I always know I'm close to the number that we are looking for. I had Ridenhour, who is a good bracket racer. I'm always a little intimidated sometimes by bracket racers, because they are able to be out there racing a little more than I am, since I travel with my job. I felt good that I was able to drive the top end well that round with my 8.890 to his 8.886."

Swan again outdrove her competition in round two, on both ends of the track, and used her better reaction time to push Dennis Brown full hundredth under the index for an 8.911 to 8.890 victory.

"Third round sticks out for me in my mind, too," she confessed. "Chad Lamont bracket races and runs the Mid-West Super Comp Series, so going into that round I felt like they may be a little more on their game this season than I had been. I was able to cut a better light than he did and catch him rather quickly, since I had a little higher mile-an-hour car and just ride along with him to take the stripe on that round win, as well."

In her quest for the final round, Swan went on to beat Tony Quinn in round four, which earned her an ever-so-important semi-final bye. "I hadn't been in the right lane all day, so I thought it was a good idea to take that lane for my bye," she pointed out.

Swan would meet up with Danny Tool in the Super Comp final and was feeling very good about her chances at taking it all. "We flipped for lane choice and I ended up getting the right lane that I had just run for the bye. I had been good on the tree with my twelve and fifteen lights," she said thinking back to just before the final. "So I was feeling pretty safe. There was an alcohol car testing in my lane just before me and I thought for a moment, maybe I will grip better [off the line], maybe I should add a little more [delay] and then, no-no, I'm safe."

Her car was dialed very close, running an 8.906, but for Swan it was over in less than a blink of the eye by a mere two-thousandths of a second, the amount of time she fouled on the tree.

"It really was a good weekend and it's great to be able to put the car away on a good note like that," she said of her final. "You know you have that little extra momentum for next season. The winter will go a lot easier than if I had gone out first round."

Swan continues to be a huge fan of all the K&N products that she uses not only on her race car, but also the GMC diesel dually that transports them to and from the events. "We use K&N products on everything we have," she said. "I also have the K&N first generation composite scoop on my dragster that has its own K&N filter and tray. We have been using K&N for a very long time and they are such great people to work with, too."

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.

Bertrand Motorsports and Randy Cabral Win 2011 NEMA Title Their 3rd in Four Years

Nov 15, 2011

(From Left) Bertrand Motorsport's NEMA success is based on communication between teammates Gil Bertrand (Tim's dad), Glen Cabral (Randy's dad), Tim Bertrand and Todd Bertrand.

History and dependable communication between the driver and team is how you win championships, claims Bertrand Motorsports team owner Tim Bertrand. Clearly Bertrand and his driver Randy Cabral are on to something, the dynamic duo have captured the Northeastern Midget Association (NEMA) driving champion for the third time in four years. Since teaming up back in 2006, the duo have in fact won 24 features, to put that in perspective, the team closest to them and their biggest rival this season, the Dumo's Desire team, with drivers Joey Payne and Russ Stoehr, is next with 14.

Randy Cabral celebrates victory with multi-time NEMA champion Dave Humphrey.

"People think it is equipment," says Bertrand, a driver himself until 2004, "But It isn't." He insists that it comes down to Cabral's experience and ability to be in touch with what he wants from the car as a driver, and his team's knowledge to set up the car through that communication. "We are always trying to make the car go faster," says Bertrand. "We think about set up all the time. Not a week goes by that we don't talk five times or more about the car."

It came down to consistency, brought on by the teams keenly honed communication skills, that helped them win the 2011 title. "Victory wise it was our worst season since 2006," said Bertrand. "But in terms of consistency we had nine podiums in 13 starts. Over the last eight races he (Cabral) was on the podium seven times.

"We really had good set ups wherever we went this year and we made adjustments once we got there," explains Cabral. "I drove better this year once the car got to handling, and that's because I was communicating better."

Cabral and Stoehr battled on, at times only inches apart in the final race at Thompson Speedway, yet Cabral remained focused on the big picture, avoiding contact and clinching the 2011 NEMA Title.

There's one other intrinsic ingredient that goes into making Bertrand and Cabral such a successful combo, they both simply love to race. They will tell you flat-out that point chasing and defending championships is not what they focus on. "This season we didn't pay attention to points, not even after we took the lead," declared Cabral. "This year was more about having fun."

And when talking about the last race of the season at Thompson Speedway's World Series, in which Russ Stoehr claimed the battle, yet Cabral won the war, Bertrand told K&N News "It was nerve racking to watch the two battle. At the time, I was more concerned about winning the race versus the championship. It's what I love about our team, regardless of the points; we are there to win every race!" Although Cabral set the fastest feature lap (18.076) at Thompson, Stoehr got the jump on him after the lap-19 restart, and he went on to win the 25-lapper.

Cabral and Stoehr fully understood what even the slightest bump would mean to them, yet the two battled on only inches apart. "Nothing was more fun than the last race," remarked Cabral. "I went to Thompson extremely excited and I wanted no one to fall out of the race. I wanted this to come down to a great race for the fans. But, I also never lost sight that if we bumped, I had the most to lose." Cabral added that he remained totally focused on the big picture over the final two laps.

"This one was the toughest one yet," commented the K&N sponsored team owner, regarding his third championship title. "The Russ Stoehr/Dumo's Desire team are on their game at all times, and they came out of the gates with three wins early in the year, while we had a DNF during the first three races due to a broken spark plug, the only DNF this year. We thought we were out of it."

"We are all done for the year," concluded Bertrand. "We do indeed plan to defend our title for 2012. The cars are all apart, down to the frame already, and they will be back together before February. We'd like to be testing as soon as the snow thaws!"

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.

Kent Ladners Custom Red 1955 Plymouth Belvedere Shines at 2011 SEMA

Nov 14, 2011

What catches your attention after the paint job is that the SEMA 1955 Plymouth Belvedere appears to rest on the ground.

The sweet red 1955 Plymouth Belvedere drew people to the Meguiar's Car Crazy TV booth at SEMA like bugs to a flame. The tantalizing red paint so delicious from afar you could almost taste it with your eyes. Once you get up close the next thing you notice is that Plymouth's body appears to rest on the ground, yet on even closer examination, "I'd have to say the onboard computer system is what most people remember," Kent Ladners told K&N News. "The car was built without the use of any switches. There's no key, no window, light, or any other kind of switches in the car at all. Electrical is easily my specialty. That's all I do at work all day. I'm also well versed in suspension and metal fabrication too, but there's always more to learn."

The bright red paint on Kent Ladners 1955 Plymouth Belvedere drew SEMA fans for a closer look.

The 1955 Plymouth is Ladners fourth personal full-build custom vehicle and it clearly won't be his last. Ladners owns his own custom shop in Katy, Texas called Pistons N Pipes. His shop specializes in simple repairs, to one-of-kind, hand-made custom creations. Currently Ladners' day job is working for a local Chevy dealer as an ASE and GM Master Technician, but as word spreads and appointments mount, we suspect he'll be spending increasingly more time at Pistons N Pipes. Ladners says his inspiration for the dazzling red Plymouth was simple "To build something cool and bend a few rules along the way."

Like so many other custom builders, Ladners passion for cars grew from a childhood surrounded by them. "I've been around cars and motorcycles all my life, my uncle has been building drag cars and hot rods for as long as I can remember," he adds. "I built my first custom vehicle when I was 14; I am 33, so it's been 19 years now."

What visitors to the SEMA show remember about Ladners Plymouth is the complete absence of any electrical switches.

Ladners' work has had its share of accolades over the years too, having won many awards and several Best of Shows. His Plymouth for example was featured in Rod and Custom magazine and it was on the cover of Street Scene magazine, as well as in a charity calendar in Houston, and it was the featured vehicle in a Crime Pays video. Some of his past builds have been featured on the cover of Street Trucks, Truckin', Streetsource, and Phlat Out video magazines.

When listing what sort of modifications Ladners has done to his Plymouth it's easier to begin with what hasn't been modified. "There's not much that hasn't been modified in some shape or form," says Ladners. "I think the front turn signals, headlights and headlight trim is about it."

Regardless of how you view it Ladners' 1955 Plymouth Belvedere was a stunning show stopper at SEMA.

A good friend of Ladners was to taken by the extreme custom work on the Plymouth that he insisted Ladners contact K&N, figuring they would be impressed enough by his handy-work that they would feel it worthy of promoting their products. And they were, three months before the SEMA show K&N installers arranged to hook-up his ride with a full array of K&N goodies. Now when the car isn't at shows says Ladners "It mainly sits in my garage or the showroom at my shop."

The 2011 Las Vegas SEMA show is Ladners' eighth visit to the Specialty Equipment Market Association trade show, and he's without doubt a devoted fan. "I even got married during the SEMA show six years ago. My goals for the rest of this year and next year are to spend time with my kids, continue to grow my business, and to work on my current project when time permits for next year's show."

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.

Ray Connolly Gains Division Victory in Super Comp at Silver Dollar Raceway

Nov 14, 2011

Like Father like Son or like Son like Father, either way you look at it, if your last name is Connolly you've had some great successes in NHRA competition once again during the 2011 season. Ray Connolly recently added another notch to his ever-growing win column when he outdrove anyone who showed up in the opposite lane in Super Comp to take the NHRA Div 2 Wally during the event at Silver Dollar Raceway in Reynolds, Georgia.

Ray Connolly grabs NHRA Div 2 Super Comp Win at Silver Dollar Raceway in Reynolds, Georgia.

After a little rain on Thursday, when teams first arrived at the track, Connolly notes that the weather for the remainder of the race was beautiful. "It stormed pretty good when we first got there, so I was in no hurry to unload. After that, a little chilly at night, but it was really comfortable and sunny for racing during the day."

Ray competed at the event in both his K&N Super Comp dragster and his Super Gas Corvette Roadster that he won a divisional event with earlier this season at Beech Bend. While he didn't make it to another final in the Corvette, he did manage to put a few more rounds under his belt, before bowing out to George Caheely in round three.

This race would be his time to shine in Super Comp, although he wasn't very pleased with some aspects of his driving. "I wasn't very good on the tree," he laughed. "But I was driving the finish line good, so everything seemed to work out. At that track, it's a little touchy at certain times of the say in the way the sun hits the tree. Not to use that as an excuse. When I didn't hit the tree, well neither did the guy in the other lane, so it all worked out well."

"It wasn't pretty," he added of his elimination rounds with a chuckle. "But it all pays the same."

Connolly started off elimination rounds in his borrowed K&N/Dart American dragster [owned by Mark Horton] by sending home Houston, Roberts and Sheldon before meeting up with Duane D'Agostino in round four. As Connolly has pointed out, when he wasn't at his best on the tree, the other guy wasn't either and in this case, D'Agostino went way red, sending Connolly on to match up with Deborah Bogle in the Super Comp quarter finals.

"When I ran Debbie, she was like double-oh and I just completely missed it," he admitted. "I was sixty-three. I went down there [top end] and it was just easy. I mean there was no way I was catching her and I just got out of it and hoped my win light came on. It was just that simple."

Now moving on to the semifinals, next Connolly would face Brad Plourd. "That was a really good race," he pointed out. "It came down to two-thousandths at the finish line. Brad had been on the tree all day. He is always tough."

Connolly might be a little too hard on himself concerning his reaction times during eliminations, since he did use a nice .016 light and a 8.928 to Plourd's .008 ad 8.938 to seal the deal at the stripe by taking only seven inches and safely on his way to the championship round.

For the Super Comp final, he would match up with Frank Altilio, who only took the tree during his bye the previous round and didn't make a pass down the track. Neither driver had a light to write home about, but when it came down to it, they were only separated by one-thousandth of a second and the advantage was Connolly's. The former NHRA Lucas Oil World Champ put together another great driving job at the stripe, taking only inches for a .008 margin, the Super Comp Wally, all while adding more to his points for 2011.

"It was a really fun weekend," he said. "I have run that race from time-to-time and while it was great to win in Super Comp, I had gone there hoping to do well in the other car. I was trying to get a few more points in Super Gas to remain in the top ten nationally. I knew with not doing as well as I had hoped to there in Super Gas, I could easily get bumped out with the races that were left on the west coast."

Still a fantastic NHRA season for Connolly, who currently holds the number eleven spot nationally in Super Gas and number three in his home division standings. Thanks to this recent win, he also sits strongly at number four on the divisional level in Super Comp.

While Connolly's NHRA points season may be completed, he has one more race on his agenda before hanging it up for the year. He plans to return to Georgia to compete in a big money four day bracket race the first weekend of November at South Georgia Motorsports Park.

With 2012 fast approaching, Connolly already has a new American car on the way and is excited about finally being able to add a K&N Composite Scoop to his new ride. "All my cars have used and will continue to use K&N oil and air filters," he said. "Being able to add the K&N carbon fiber scoop to the new car, it's pretty neat. We've heard so much about it and it will be a super addition to the new dragster. We're looking forward to getting some of that instant bolt-on horsepower that others are experiencing with their K&N scoops."

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's Javelin Broderick Wins 2011 B Superbike WERA West Championship

Nov 14, 2011

Lining up for his "B" Superstock race Javelin knew he would need to come up large to pull out a championship.

If there were a poster-model search for racing perseverance, self-belief, and relentless drive, 15-year-old Ojai, California roadracer Javelin Broderick would be on the short list. Javelin and his dad, Bernie, went into the last weekend of the Western Eastern Roadracing Association (WERA) competition at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a shot at winning a championship. They weren't leading in any class, but they were close, and if things aligned just so, they might very well head home with a number-plate.

Going into the last race of the 2011 WERA season Javelin Broderick still had a chance of winning two titles, however uncalled-for side-by-side elbowing in the "C" Superstock class prevented him from getting it done according to his dad.

With only three years of roadracing experience under his helmet, the K&N sponsored rider did indeed win the WERA West 750 Superbike Expert title. After a demanding season, Javelin clinched the championship by the slimmest margin with his thrilling victory on the final day of competition. To clarify, the "B" Superstock and Superbike class is essentially the same; however you can move up to 750cc machines. Meaning you are allowed to race up a class in WERA, so Javelin won his championship in a 750cc class, racing on a 600cc motorcycle.

"He didn't start on a bike until he was nine-years-old which is old compared to a lot of the kids he was racing against," explained Bernie to K&N News. "His learning curve was much steeper than most and he had to adapt quickly to both the motocross and roadracing disciplines. He pulled back on the motocross effort after two years and decided to focus his attention to roadracing, starting on a Honda RS125 with an 85cc engine. Those were rough days, as just about everyone on the track was able to run circles around him, but he was very determined and never gave up a fight."

Javelin won the 750 Superbike Expert title riding his new Yamaha R6 and set the fast lap with a 1:18.6. (Photos by Eric Anderson and Alberto Gonzalez)

Javelin was 12 when he first started racing as a novice with WERA, riding a Suzuki SV650 Superstock. "First race of the year he came in dead last, yet by the end of the season he won both the Lightweight Twin Superstock and Superbike novice classes. Exciting for our first year," says Bernie.

"Second year we went expert, still racing the SV650 in Superstock, but added a Suzuki GSXR600 in "C" Superstock (600cc stock class). That year went amazingly well and he clinched the LWT Superstock "Expert" class at the final race in Vegas, and also set the lap record for a Superstock SV650 at that track. We didn't win a championship on the 600, but we were okay with that - it was a learning year. Finally, we went all 600cc this year, racing a pair of Suzuki GSXR600's in both C and B Superstock, and Superbike."

The year started off a little rough for team Broderick, as their Superbike wasn't ready in time, and they had to miss the first Superbike even of the season. But things steadily improved and by mid-season, Javelin hit his stride. "We continued to make up points and actually went into the final event at Las Vegas with a chance to win two championships," said Bernie. "We only ended up taking one away, but that was more than enough for us, as he set his personal best laps around the track, and we learned a huge amount from the year."

For Javelin and Bernie there wasn't any one moment during the 2011 season where they felt comfortable that this might be a benchmark year for them, it was a year where they just kept grinding, and moving forward.

"I don't think either of us thought we were getting a championship this year, as the competition was very high. On top of the riders in WERA, we would regularly have to compete against AMA Pro riders that use WERA events for practice," added Bernie. "Not that WERA riders can't hold their own against them, but it made it very challenging. We learned a lot from these guys though and love having them there. I wish they would white flag their own races though and not take the finish. It screws up the points for racers who are in it all season. If there was any real turning point, I would have to say the R6 was probably it (three-quarters through the season the Superstock was replaced with a Yamaha R6). At that moment, he was pretty determined to put that thing on the box. In 2012 we will be competing on Yamaha R6's in AMA Supersport."

Sixteen is the minimum age for AMA Pro Racing and Javelin turns 16 this November the 8th. "So we are legit to start racing the national AMA circuit next year starting in Daytona. We have formed a brand new team for the effort with Title Sponsor "Dynojet Research out of Las Vegas, and also "Diablo Racing from North Carolina. We are still in the infancy stages of getting the team together for next year, but we know it's going to be a strong effort," continues Bernie.

"I'd like to add that we are very grateful for the help that K&N filters provided for us in 2011. Johnny Jump was instrumental in putting our deal together and he has been great. The products are the unsung soldiers on a sportbike, because you can't really see them. We are working to create ideas for K&N in our 2012 AMA effort to change that!"

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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