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Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Daijiro Yoshihara take podium at Formula D Round 3. Photo by Larry Chen of Driftfotos.com
Formula Drift Rd. 3 "The Gauntlet" at Wall Stadium in New Jersey was déjà vu for Falken Tire teammates Daijiro Yoshihara and Vaughn Gittin Jr. when they took 1st and 2nd place, respectively, for the second time in a row this season. After three rounds of Formula D, Vaughn and the Monster Energy/Falken Tire 2011 Ford Mustang sit in 1st place overall in the Championship standings with 291 points, and Dai and the Falken Tire/Discount Tire 2008 Lexus IS350 is trailing close behind in 2nd place with 270 overall points.
Vaughn Gittin Jr. and the Monster Energy/Falken Tire 2011 Ford Mustang. Photo by Larry Chen of Driftfotos.com
During Friday's qualifying session, where drivers fought for a spot in the top 32, Dai qualified in 4th place and Vaughn landed one spot behind him in fifth. During Saturday's main event, these two top-notch drivers would find themselves each battling through four of drifting's finest before meeting each other in the finals.
Vaughn fought his way through Robbie Nishida in the top 32, then Falken Tire teammate Tyler McQuarrie in the top sixteen. He found himself matched with Drift Alliance brother Justin Pawlak, driver of the 2010 Falken Tire Ford Mustang, in the top eight. After two close runs from both drivers, and a small correction from Justin causing contact between the cars, Vaughn was awarded the win and would move on to face two-time Formula Drift Champion Tanner Foust in the semi-finals.
Vaughn led first against Tanner, with a fast and high line while atop the bank of Wall Stadium. Tanner tried to stay close to Vaughn, but hit the wall causing him to correct and then struggle to keep up the rest of the run. When Vaughn gave chase, he kept close to Tanner, while maintaining good line, speed, and angle. The judges awarded Vaughn the win, and he would move on to the finals with an automatic podium position.
"It is really unbelievable to check out our K&N Air Filter after running all the way from the top 32 to the podium and seeing the amount of rubber and dirt that is blocked from going into our engine," says Vaughn. "I am simply amazed how it can still breathe. Even though it looks like there is no way it is sucking air from all the dirt caked up, that Ford Racing 5.0L still responds when I slam my right foot down each and every round!"
Dai was faced with Brian Wilkerson in the top 32, who spun out, allowing Dai to advance. In the top 16, he was paired with Forrest Wang, who fought a good battle, but was no match for Dai's intense angle and speed throughout the course. Dai moved on to battle Michihiro Takatori in the top 8, and after two nearly-flawless runs, Dai was awarded the win and would move on to the semi-finals.
Dai was lined up once again to face Falken Tire teammate Darren McNamara, who he also had faced in Atlanta's Round Two. After two amazing, evenly-matched runs from both drivers, a very appropriate One-More-Time was called by the judges. During the repeat battle, Darren had a slight error upon initiation on the bank which caused him to tap the wall several times. His vehicle was too damaged to continue which led Dai into the battle for first place against Vaughn.
It was déjà vu for Dai and Vaughn when they were matched in the finals - as the two had battled for 1st place at Round 2 in Atlanta a month earlier. For the final battle of the night, the Falken RT615-K tire smoke filled Wall Stadium during two amazing runs from both competitors. After the smoke cleared, Dai had once again been deemed the winner of the battle and the event, locking down two consecutive 1st place finishes. Vaughn would finish the night in 2nd place, rounding out his third consecutive podium of the 2010 Formula Drift season.
"Winning back-to-back Formula D events is just crazy," says Dai. "Before Round Two, I hadn't won in a long time, and now it came in a pair! Definitely without the help of my team, I could not have pulled this off. And everyone knows having a great drift car means you have to have a solid motor. With K&N Filters helping my motor breath better and cleaner, I never have to worry about my car dying during my competition runs. Hopefully I can continue my winning streak in Seattle and it would be awesome to see if my teammate JR and I can continue to battle again!"
Vaughn and Dai slide into Seattle July 9-10 for Formula Drift Round 4 at Evergreen Speedway as they will both fight to gain some crucial points landing them one step closer to the 2010 Championship.
Dyno Chart for 2007 to 2011 MINI Cooper 1.6L & 2008 and 2009 MINI Cooper Clubman 1.6L
The MINI Cooper is a smaller compact car designed by vehicle manufacturer BMW. The current BMW MINI Cooper was designed larger and faster than the previous models. The MINI Cooper and Cooper Clubman (Estate) bring style, comfort and performance directly to the forefront.
K&N Air Intake System for 2007 to 2011 MINI Cooper 1.6L & 2008 and 2009 MINI Cooper Clubman 1.6L
2007 MINI Cooper 1.6L
K&N designed a performance boosting air intake system (69-2005TTK) for the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 MINI Cooper 1.6L and 2008 and 2009 MINI Cooper Clubman models with the 1.6L engine. The 69-2005TTK only fits U.S. models at this time. K&N air intake systems are guaranteed to increase horsepower and acceleration. Dyno testing revealed a 4.1 horsepower gain at 5300 rpm with this simple performance modification.
The 69-2005TTK completely replaces the factory intake housing and air filter with a custom intake tube that straightens and smoothes airflow to your engine and a K&N cone air filter (RC-5144). The RC-5144 is a washable and reusable high-flow air filter designed to provide excellent filtration and performance.
Complete installation instructions with photo illustrations are available on KNFilters.com. A typical 69-2005TTK installation takes less than 90 minutes and can be done with common hand tools. Check out the Mini Cooper install video for more information about installation of K&N's performance intake system for the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper Clubman.
K&N's power gaining 69-2005TTK air intake system is backed by the famous K&N Million Mile Limited Warranty. 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.
The Lamborghini doors are something Verdugo searched for a long while - with them finally completed his Dodge Charger is an immediate show-stopper.
Some artists paint, others sculpt, Abel Verdugo does his interpretation of both. Verdugo's choice of expression is vehicle customizing and his current palate of colors is his 2008 Dodge Charger. As with most artists and craftsmen the roots of their creative inklings reach back to childhood.
Realistic looking flames where one Verdugo's priorities - his House of Kolors Custom Paint jobs gives the look of fire just beneath the clear coat.
"It all started when I was little kid," says Verdugo, the Phoenix, Arizona resident. "I know you've heard that cliché before, but it's true. My dad and I would go to the junk yards early every morning to find parts for a 1972 Chevy Impala that he purchased from an old man when I was six. It took about ten years, and a lot of hard work, but when I turned 16 he gave me the car as a gift. That sparked my interest in anything that has wheels. When my dad gave me the Impala it was pretty much all original, and a year later I redid the whole car over completely, from engine bay to interior and outside."
The initial motive for going with the K&N intake was based strictly on appearance, finding extra power and a smoother ride was a big bonus for Verdugo.
According to Verdugo the modifications in his Dodge Charger are mostly time, sweat and money - plus a good deal of planning and experimenting with paint schemes. His efforts were once again recognized with a second place overall in the Semi-Custom class at the recent Phoenix Lowrider 2010 Tour. Verdugo regularly wins at smaller car show venues (34 first place honors in all), but it's the major's that he really gets up for. At the end of last year, at the Phoenix Dub Show, he won Best Dodge.
Verdugo consistently takes top honors at every car show he enters, from small parking lot affairs to huge national events like the Dub show and the Lowrider 2010 Tour.
"What I originally had in mind were realistic flames - red and orange are my favorite colors - so I ran with that. I can't forget to give Chavo from Phoenix (House of Kolors Custom Paint) a lot of credit for his beautiful paint work too."
"I wanted the Lamborghini doors for a long time and was finally able to get them done by JC. My interior was all suede and leather, done by Chino in Phoenix, until Katzkin (Tuscany Leather Interiors) offered a sponsorship for another interior. The wheels are 24 inch, color matched to the car along with realistic flames. The Webasto full sliding ragtop was done by Mouse's Custom Fabrications. The MGP caliper covers are pinstriped to match, and they were also done by Chavo. The Kicker car audio system includes four L7's (subwoofers), installed by Elite Sounds in Surprise, Arizona. And, I went with a Flow Master Exhaust system to compliment my custom K&N intake."
Verdugo says he decided to go with K&N after plenty of discerning shopping around. His initial priority was of course how the intake looked with his car's overall scheme and the K&N system won hands down, but finding extra horsepower was also a sweet bonus.
"I'm very glad I went with K&N because it allows my car to feel lighter, I can feel that it breathes easier. I don't have to worry about that sucking noise it used to make either, plus when I accelerate - it's real nice."
2008 to 2014 Kawasaki KLX450R motorcycles feature a 449cc, DOHC engine. The large engine displacement, liquid cooling, and electronic fuel injection make the Kawasaki KLX450R a competitive ride for the 450 enduro market.
Replacement Air Filter for 2008 through 2014 Kawasaki KLX450R motorcycles
K&N has released a replacement air filter (KA-4408) to meet the high performance demands of the Kawasaki KLX450R and their owners. K&N high-flow replacement air filters are designed to increase horsepower and torque while providing excellent filtration and long service intervals.
This high-flow replacement motorcycle air filter is washable, reusable, pre-oiled and ready to use. K&N's KA-4408 is specifically designed to fit into the stock air filter assembly of 2008 - 2014 Kawasaki KLX450R models. This makes adding performance to your KLX450R very simple.
K&N made installation of the KA-4408 performance air filter very easy with detailed instructions that walk you through the entire process. The KA-4408 is warranted against defective materials or workmanship for one year from date of purchase with no mileage limitation.
The wire-to-wire win at Brainerd International Raceway had been a long time coming for the hard working Mans Racing team and it was well deserved.
Mans Racing traveled to Brainerd International Raceway (BIR) for round two of the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and they left with a dominating win. Mike Mans qualified number one with a 9.35 second run, .949 seconds under the SS/CS National Index, then battled through five rounds of eliminations before posting a perfect .000 reaction time in the final.
Mike Mans qualified in first place, weeded through five rounds of eliminations, then posted a perfect .000 reaction time in Sunday's final.
"We were having some issues with our reaction times being inconsistent and actually too fast," explained Mans. "So after testing on Thursday we decided to change a few things inside the transmission as well as my transbrake button in the car. It made all the difference in the world, I was able to get the car in a window of .020 lights for eliminations and stay where I wanted to be."
Mans said that this win had been a long time coming for the team. They came up to BIR on Thursday and tested all day, and found a few changes that needed to be made and it paid off for them. The biggest struggle had been getting their reaction times in a good window. Mans’ final run proved yet again that luck favors the prepared.
"My .000 reaction time in the final was definitely not intentional, it was just a bit of unbelievable luck that it didn't turn red when I let go," remarked Mans.
"The car actually picked the tires out of the beams instead of using the rollout of the tire, so my light picked up from the .015 I was set for. It was the best scenario from an error in the car I've had in a long time. Getting back on top of the qualifying sheet was a testament to the power my dad Randy can make; it was a real morale booster heading into that final on Sunday," added Mans.
"Our car was flawless and incredibly consistent and dial-able all weekend. It seems to be rare to have a car that makes you so confident, but this weekend everything seemed to fall into place for us."
Every part in the Mans Racing Pontiac Firebird is equally demanding of quality and performance, that’s why they depend on the K&N oil filter (PN: HP-3002), K&N Stubstack (PN: 85-0200), as well as a custom K&N high performance air filter to keep their motors at peak power and consistency.
