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Mitch Guthrie Jr. Takes 1st and 2nd in LOORRS Rounds Three and Four

Jun 16, 2011

From his top perch on the podium in Surprise, Arizona one has to wonder if Mitch even notices the giant green lizard.

The most familiar, and oft time's most comforting stop on the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series schedule, Speedworld Off-Road Park, is located in Surprise, Arizona. And two weekends ago Speedway Park played host to LOORRS round three and four.

The last four rounds of LOORRS racing in the Modified Karts class as produced some of the most exciting action ever, with Mitch Guthrie Jr. earning two firsts, and two seconds.

In the much anticipated Modified Karts class, K&N sponsored Mitch Guthrie Jr., did all he could to give fans every penny's worth of their entertainment buck. The young Glendora, California racer was first in practice on Friday, and he was top qualifier on both Saturday and Sunday. Then in the main events Guthrie Jr. took home a second Saturday and first on Sunday.

"We are very proud that he has held the points lead so far. May was a good month, we have been focusing on the car's set up and Mitch has always been a calm and focused driver," said his dad, Mitch Guthrie Sr.

And, as is so often the case, the apple didn't fall far from the tree. Mitch senior knows what he's talking about, he was 2004 Pro Rock Champion, he was King Of The Hammers UTV Champion in 2009 and 2010, and he finished second this year. In the 2011 Soboba Grand Prix he also earned the number two spot on the podium, a feat he accomplished with his co-driver, Mitch junior.

Mitch Jr. has held the points lead since the second race of the season.

Mitch Jr. started racing in the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series in 2008, in the stock Kart class, quickly moving up to the up to the modified class. In his very first year, Mitch Jr. was the Trophy Kart World Cup Champion. He's continued to add significantly to his race resume every year since, and he currently sits atop the points in LOORRS.

Mitch Sr. told K&N Race News, "After the next round, we'll be halfway through the season. It goes by really fast, and we're also running the Lucas Oil Regional Series, so We've been pretty busy. Our family loves this race life, and we feel very good about this year. Mitch Jr. looks forward to all of the upcoming races.

Mitch raced the Lucas Oil Regional Series on April 2nd at Glen Helen, where he was first in practice and in the first heat. He was leading the main, but was unable to finish after the car threw the chain.

"Consistency and finishing races is very important," adds the more experienced Mitch. "Mitch Jr. has set a personal goal to win back-to-back rounds. This year is also his first year of high school, and he has done a good job of balancing racing and keeping his grades up."

Along with their second place UTV finish in the Soboba Grand Prix, the father and son team also finished second in The King of the Hammers in their Polaris RZR this year. "I drove and Mitch Jr. was navigator," adds dad.

"We are happy to have some added support this year from new sponsors such as, K&N, Polaris, Pro Armor, CFD, ESP Pools, and MTA. In addition to our longtime sponsors Walker Evans Racing Shocks, Dirt newz.com and Performance Construction," says Mitch Sr..

K&N Race News Update:
Last weekend in round five and six of the Lucas Oil Regional Series at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California, Mitch Jr. took full advantage of his pole starting position in round five by notching his third win of the season. He followed that up with a strong second in round six, increasing his points lead significantly.

Next up for Guthrie Racing is Utah on the 26th and 27th, for more Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series action.

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Duck Tape Racing's Michael Beard Finds Victory Lane at the Farmington Race of Champions

Jun 14, 2011

The front-wheel drive, naturally aspirated combo has worked well for Beard in 2011.

When you've been racing for the better part of two decades, it's rare that a career year sneaks up on you. But for Duck Tape Racing's Michael Beard, 2010 was just that. The 19-time drag racing champion was crowned the IHRA Sportsman Driver of the Year, Division 2 Stock Champion, and IHRA Summit All Stars Stock Champion. Beard has taken the success of 2010 in stride though, and is already off to another strong start this season, despite changing cars.

Beard found Victory Lane for the first time in 2011 at the Farmington Race of Champions

"It feels like I've struggled this year, but by any other measure, two wins and a runner-up isn't too bad of a start," said Beard, who is also a two-time IHRA Stock World Champion.

Beard started the season in his Duck Tape Racing 1985 Plymouth Turismo. The car is a rarity in the Stock Eliminator world; a front-wheel drive, naturally aspirated four-cylinder that not only goes rounds, but wins races. The car has run more than a full second under the index at some events. But why switch to such an improbable setup after having a great year? The answer lies in the form of a new challenge for Beard, who is upgrading the Duck Tape Racing Plymouth Volare to a Super Stock combination.

Beard hopes to unveil the Volare at the IHRA Summit Pro-Am event in late July, and will run both Stock and Super Stock at some of the remaining events in 2011.

The famed Duck Tape Racing Volare is getting a makeover, but will return in late July.

Running both cars will present an opportunity for Beard to win twice in one day, which presents another interesting story. Beard once found himself in the final with two different cars at an event. Problem was, it was the same event. He had double-entered himself in the 2008 World Footbrake Challenge, an event that paid $10K to win. And in the oddest of occurrences, Beard raced both cars to the final round, making himself one of the only drivers (if not the only driver) to ever defeat himself in a final round.

Beard got his start in bracket racing thanks to his father, who had taken a 20-year hiatus from racing. When dad returned to the game, he found bracket racing had changed, and it became Michael's job to learn the ins-and-outs of index racing. "I fell in love with the numbers game and the strategy involved, something I soon discovered I had a knack for. I continue to learn more of the mechanical side of the sport, but my focus has always been on an intense study of the mental aspects of driving and strategy," Beard added.

Beard will continue to run a full-schedule of IHRA Pro-Am and Nitro Jam events. He is already entered in some of the biggest bracket races in the country, including the Summit Tournament of Champions in the Stock class at the IHRA World Finals. He will also venture to some more big money footbrake races, where maybe Beard will face himself in a final again.

With 161 wins in 235 final round appearances, quality equipment is key to the success Beard has attained in his career, and K&N has seen its share of victory lane photographs with Beard, who praised the filters. "K&N Filters provide the highest quality oil filters and air filters, and that translates into peace of mind. Many of the smaller facilities that we go to can be dusty, so air filters are extremely important, and the oil filters are your engine's last line of defense, which allows your oil to do its intended job. That protection isn't just for your race car. I use K&N filters on my tow vehicle for the very same reasons."

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.

Max Gresham Wins NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Race at Gresham Motorsports Park

Jun 14, 2011

Max Gresham captures third K&N Pro Series East win of his career.

Max Gresham already had his name on the race track at Gresham Motorsports Park in Griffin, GA. Now he has his name on one of the trophies after winning the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at the track on Saturday night.

Gresham led a race-high 98 laps en route to his first K&N Pro Series East win of the season.

Gresham led a race-high 98 laps en route to his first K&N Pro Series East win of the season and the third of his career. He won the pole for the Slack Auto Parts 150 and survived a green-white-checkered flag finish battling Darrell Wallace and Matt DiBenedetto to the end.

"To win at home in front of all the fans at Gresham Motorsports Park, I couldn't be any happier," Gresham said. "I can't thank my Joe Gibbs Racing teammates enough they work so hard on this car."

The start of the race was delayed for 2 1/2 hours because of rain. When the race started, Gresham was out front for the first 42 laps. Wallace, who graduated from high school in North Carolina the day before the race, took the lead from Gresham on lap 43 and held it for the next 56 laps.

Max Gresham does a burnout at Gresham Motorsports Park after he won his first K&N Pro Series East race of the season.

Gresham took the lead back in lap 99 and held it to the end when rookie Alex Bowman hit the wall on lap 144, setting up the green-white-checker finish. Gresham and Wallace raced side-by-side and allowed DiBenedetto to make it a three-car battle on the closing lap. Gresham was able to to pull away from the other two drivers.

"I kind of expected Darrell to do what he did when we went down into Turn 1," Gresham said, "and I would do the same thing in a green-white-checkered finish."

DiBenedetto, who won the K&N Pro Series East race at Bowman Gray Stadium last weekend, ended second, behind Gresham.

"It was definitely interesting at the end," DiBenedetto said. "It was a pretty quiet race the whole time. We had about a third-place car, a good car. The front two were pretty exceptional. We kind of evened out with them at the end. We got decent, but just not quite as good as the 18 (Gresham). He had the dominate car for sure. He deserved to win."

Andrew Smith snuck up to pass Wallace for third place. Wallace crossed the finish line in fourth, followed by Corey LaJoie in fifth.

"That was a blast. This is a fun track," Smith said. "I worked hard trying to save my tires, make 'em good at the end. There at the end we raced hard with some lapped cars, with some other cars and it kind of burned a few of them off. We had to muscle it there at the end, kind of bounce off a few and did the best we could. We needed this after the last couple of weeks."

Wallace remained atop the K&N Pro Series East standings after six races. He has a five-point lead over Gresham and a 12-point lead over DiBenedetto.

The Slack Auto Parts 150 will be broadcast on Speed on Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.

The next K&N Pro Series East race will be at Langley Speedway in Hampton, VA, on Saturday.

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 Sponsored Team Peterson Conquers Glen Helen Pro NAHA Hillclimb

Jun 13, 2011

The inaugural winner Jason Smith and Bret Peterson launched into the history books with the first ever X-Climb event.

Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California, recently hosted round two and three of the Racer X/Malcolm Smith Motorsports North American Hillclimbers Association (NAHA) Pro Hillclimb Series. And for the fifth year running the world's top riders agree that Glen Helen is indeed one of the most technical and competitive races on the circuit, with 50-foot jumps, motocross style berms and vertical ledges throughout the course.

The X-Climb featured motocross-style starting gate.

Over 7,000 spectators turned out for the event which included a weekend of closed-course off-road truck action, motocross, along with the two rounds of the NAHA Pro Hillclimb Series, and an exhibition of a new fan favorite called X-Climb. The NAHA is an organization of professional hillclimb competitors and they sponsor events held primarily in the western United States.

North America's best hillclimbers made their way to the famed raceway to attempt a nasty 500-foot hill and take part in the first-ever X-Climb. After two days of competition K&N sponsored Team Peterson walked away as the big winners of the event.

Before the first ever X-Climb had even completed, there was already talk of including the event as a part of the regular schedule.

"Team Peterson's success over the weekend can be attributed to all of our sponsors help in providing us with the most competitive bikes on the circuit, and all of our riders dedication to bringing their 'A' game to the race when it counted," Bret Peterson told K&N Race News. Bret is the son of five-time Hillclimb World Champion Kerry Peterson, and along with teammates, Austin Fox and Logan Mead, they owned the hill.

Bret continues, "With two class wins over the two days of racing, as well as numerous podiums and top ten finishes, Team Peterson was the most dominate team of the weekend. We came away with valuable points to keep our team at the top of the leader board and will continue to dominate the rest of the six round series."

Bret Peterson was not only a big winner in the hillclimb, but also with his crowd pleasing X-Climb event.

We asked Bret what he thought comprised the unique skill-set required to being a successful hillclimber.

"Each race is so unique in its own way. You definitely have to have the right setup on your bikes as far as length, gearing, tire choice, and so on. But it really takes a well rounded rider to put it all together and stay up front race after race. Every hill is different and tests a different set of skills as a rider, some are fast, some are really technical, and some have big jumps or cliffs. Having confidence in your bike, and ability, play a huge part in achieving consistent podium finishes."

One of the clear highlights of this year's event was the first ever X-Climb, featuring drag-race-style bracket racing, which saw two riders battle side-by-side up the course. What made this exceptional was the fact that riders started in a motocross-style starting gate, hit regular freestyle ramps, and jumped up 40-feet to the base of the hill. In the end, Utah's Jason Smith won the inaugural event and took home $500 during the exhibition.

"The idea of X Climb actually came from me," Bret explained. "I had this idea after seeing Jeremy McGrath's hybrid motocross race he had years ago, where he integrated freestyle ramps into his track layout. During the off season I was getting the hill ready for this year's climb and saw the 40-foot cliff next to the already existing hill and the gears started turning."

"Working with, Mike Metzger, I was able to borrow a ramp and go out and see if not only I was able to hit a ramp on an extended hillclimb bike, but if I could also do that, and clear a 40-foot cliff. I guess I got lucky with the minimal setup I did and was able to make it happen. The next issue I came into was the 'fear factor' involved in hitting the ramps. Luckily we proved to enough riders that it was possible, and we thereby raised the bar on what is actually possible in the sport of Hillclimbing."

"After the first Exhibition was held on Sunday, there was already talk that the next round in the series would have an X-Climb event. The crowd loves the side-by-side racing and all the riders said it was the best part of the weekend. I am proud to be the brainchild of X-Climb. I definitely see it being a big part of Professional Hillclimbing in the future."

Mike Metzger will be riding for Team Peterson at select events in the 450 Pro Class. The next event is in Columbus, Montana, on June 17 and 18.

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Steve Waldman Takes Third in Class at the 6th Annual Chihuahua Express

Jun 13, 2011

After a ceremonial start from Chihuahua City the race heads northwest across the mountains to the city of Madera.

The Chihuahua Express - where else on the planet can you race pedal-to-the-metal for three days, on public highways, and dine at some of the finest tourist attractions found anywhere? It's a rhetorical question, as we suspect this may be the only event where that's possible. K&N sponsored Steve Waldman ran his 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX MR at this year's event. Waldman and his longtime navigator, Felipe Arguelles, came in eighth overall and third in their class, beating most of the V-8's in the field.

Steve Waldman says his Mitsubishi Evo IX MR is the ideal car for competing in the Chihuahua Express.

"My Mitsubishi is perfect for this event because of the 2-litre turbo engine that puts out 300hp," Waldman told K&N Race News. Waldman has participated in this event every year since its inception.

"In 2007 and 2008, my co-pilot was Juan Jose Alessio, who graciously offered to navigate when Felipe could not," continues Waldman. "In our class we finished first and second those two years. Since 2009, my usual co-pilot Felipe Arguelles has been back in the navigator seat. Felipe has been my navigator for the past 14 years. In 2009 we came in second in our class, and in 2010 we came in first."

"This year, we started 30th in a field of 51 cars, and after the three days, we came in eighth overall and third in our class. We feel really good about our accomplishment and our overall standing especially when we were going against Michel Jourdain Jr., who came in first!"

Waldman and his co-piloto, Felipe Arguelles, have been competing together for 14 years.

The Chihuahua Express, a part of the Silver State Classic Challenge, is an open-road rally run on paved highways across northern Mexico. Each day the participants start and finish at a four-star hotel in the heart of Chihuahua, navigating a different road each time. The Express covers 1,000 miles of highways with 360 miles of racing. The stages in between are transit sections designed to get drivers to the next speed stage. Cars must check in at the next speed stage within 59 seconds of their assigned time in order to avoid time penalties. The Express rules are based on FIA and SSCC rules and regulations.

Waldman and Arguelles have found themselves in this position many times over the years, and judging by their smiles, it never gets old.

"After a ceremonial start from Chihuahua City on day one, we race northwest across the mountains to the city of Madera," Waldman says. "Then after lunch and service we race back on the same roads. The second day we run southwest to the famous Copper Canyon, the Grand Canyon of Mexico. On the third and final day, we head 145 miles east towards the Ojinaga, near the Presidio, Texas, border across ridges and valleys."

"Prior to the first event that took place in 2007, the organizer of the Chihuahua Express, Chacho Medina, consulted with me. Based on both of our experiences in organizing events, the Chihuahua Express was designed to be a weekend event, close to the U.S. (only 220 miles south of El Paso), based in the same hotel each night and run on good roads. Since then, it has become very popular with the SSCC participants and La Carrera Panamericana participants from the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Europe."

The Silver State Classic Challenge has been affiliated with one rally or another in Mexico almost since its beginning, giving it a true international flair. Any participant that competes in the Chihuahua Express, and at least one of the SSCC's events in May or September, and depending on how they finish, can earn points. Then the participant with the most points after the September SSCC event is awarded the International Series Trophy.

"I participate in four events each year," Waldman adds. "The first is the Chihuahua Express, followed by the Silver State Classic Challenge events every May and September, with the last one being the seven-day La Carrera Panamericana rally through Mexico. All three of my race cars, as well as my truck and my wife's car, all carry K&N air systems and oil filters. In the Mitsubishi I use a K&N Typhoon Performance Intake Kit (#69-6545T) and K&N Oil Filter (#HP-1004).

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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