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The fascination of drifting is controlling the car at the very edge of mayhem - Photo by Ross Ianson and Alok Paleri (lokkydesigns.com)
Modern drifting, as a motorsport, started out as a racing technique made popular in the All Japan Touring Car Championship races over 30 years ago and it caught on quickly due in part to the success of several movies based on the subject. Yet, in Europe, drifting is still a relatively young sport, but it's catching on fast there as well, thanks in large part to drifting celebrities like Alex Gräff and his wife Corrina.
Alex's beloved Polizei-Car before the crash that destroyed it in Alkerslenben - Photo by Ross Ianson and Alok Paleri (lokkydesigns.com)
Alex began drifting in 2000 and became an International Drifting Championship (IDC) Pro Driver in 2008, competing against the most skilled drivers on the international circuit. His car "The Policecar" quickly became a cult vehicle in Germany. Now everyone, regardless of age, has heard about Alex and his amazing drift shows. At a recent Motorshow in Essen, Germany, over 414,000 visitors watched Alex perform his drifting magic inside the fair hall.
A car is said to be drifting when the rear slip angle is greater than the front slip angle prior to the corner apex, and the front wheels are pointing in the opposite direction to the turn. In other words, you stump the gas pedal breaking lose the rear end, crank the steering wheel into the slid, and power through a marked course of turns in a blaze of smoking rear tires and screaming horsepower.
Corrina and Alex are a one-of-a-kind couple in the drifting scene, attracting fans and new drivers with every race - Photo by Ross Ianson and Alok Paleri (lokkydesigns.com)
"Drifting is different than other motorsports," say Alex. "We always drive near the limit, and often over it. The fascination is to be able to control the car along that border area - the 'Grenzbereich.'" It's a term that loosely translated means - at the edge of the border.
Alex's BMW is built for drifting and is easier to drive - Photo by Ross Ianson and Alok Paleri (lokkydesigns.com)
In European drifting competitions high powered Japanese cars are still quite rare because many of the popular models were never on sale there on the domestic market. Therefore, in Germany for example, the drifting car of choice is a used BMW. Used BMW's are relatively cheap there and they have rear-wheel drive, in addition, there is a high interchangeability of parts between various models, which makes tuning or beefing up a drifting car a lot easier. Something Alex recently became all too aware of.
Alex says he is very proud and thankful for his fans, friends and International Drifting Series (IDS) colleagues who gave him the opportunity to build a totally new car within a mere two weeks after his crash in Alkerslenben, Germany, that completely destroyed his beloved Polizei-Car. After missing two runs of the Championship, Alex still managed to finish in eighth position in the 2009 IDS Season.
"The new car is better. This car is built only for drifting and it's easier to drive" remarks Alex.
This May, at the 24 Hour Race at Nürburgring, Alex will be presented with still another new car, a BMW E36 M3 with 320 BHP with a K&N air intake system that will add an additional 15 BHP.
Alex's wife, Corrina, started drifting at the beginning of 2008, after Alex taught her all she needed to know to compete in the IDC Rookie Class. Proving that talent runs in the family, Corrina finished her first season in fifth position overall. After much hard work, she entered the IDS Pro Class last year, finishing ninth.
As a couple, Corrina and Alex are a one-of-a-kind in the drifting scene, and they are attracting many more people to the sport. At the beginning of the 2010 season Corrina also got a new drift car, a BMW E30 V8 4.4, equipped with the same K&N air intake system. Corrina says she is very happy to see more young ladies coming around and willing to compete in the sport. Strong competition after all raises everyone's game.
Paulie Harraka reaches the Pole at All American Speedway in Roseville
Paulie Harraka picked up where he left off in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. He won the West Series season opener at All American Speedway in Roseville on Saturday night, his second in a row at the third-mile oval in Northern California.
K&N Pro Series West Winner Paulie Harraka with checkered flag
Harraka, from Wayne, N.J., and a driver for Bill McAnally Racing, won the 2009 West Series season finale race at All American Speedway. His latest win in Roseville was the third of his West Series career and his third in the last four West Series races.
"That was our goal," Harraka said when asked about starting the 2010 season with a win. "It's a little bit better than it was last year. The car was really good. We banged wheels a lot, but we had fun."
Harraka won the pole and led the first 16 laps of the race. Jonathan Gomez, a driver from Twin Falls, Idaho, took over the lead on lap 17 and held it for 32 laps when the first caution came out.
Paulie Harraka claims trophy at All American Speedway in Roseville
"He was a little bit better than us in the middle of that race," Harraka said. "It was a matter of running hard enough. He was good."
David Mayhew spun out on lap 39 and when the race resumed on lap 49, Harraka and Gomez battled for the lead, banging fenders and bumping each around for the next five laps.
Harraka took over the lead on lap 54 and held it for the rest of the race, including 10 laps passed the scheduled 150. Troy Ermish crashed on lap 148, brought out a caution flag and set up a green-white-checker finish.
Harraka said the crash at the end of the race was surprising. He was expecting the race to go green to the end after running nearly 100 virtually caution-free laps.
"It was all good," Harraka said. "We had that breathing room that we needed. I was relaxing inside the car knowing I had to click off solid laps."
Even though Gomez was more than 100 laps removed from the last time he led the race, he said he still thought he could win the race.
"We thought we had it," Gomez said. "I thought we had the fastest car. Coming out of turn 2, I just got a little bit too anxious, got on the gas too hard, had to settle for second because of it."
Harraka didn't give up his lead and was out in front for the green, white and checker flag laps, even though he said after the race that he was worried about Gomez and Greg Pursley, the third-place driver.
"As soon as I cleared Gomez for the lead, I knew it was mine," Harraka said.
However on the last lap of the race, Pursley, a driver from Newhall, was hit from behind and spun out in turn 4. He dropped to seventh place and Josh Combs, a rookie from Sacramento, took over the third place spot.
Eric Holmes, the winner of the spring race at All American Speedway in 2009, collided with Jack Sellers midway through the race. The crash severely damaged the left side of his car. Holmes went into the pits for repairs and returned. He finished in 21st place, 17 laps off the lead.
Ford created the Super Duty line of pickup trucks for the enthusiast needing a more robust pickup capable of doing the extreme grunt work that other trucks just can’t. The Ford F-250 Super Duty, Ford F-350 Super Duty, Ford F-450 Super Duty and Ford F-550 Super Duty were designed with high towing and payload capacity, more powerful engines and heavy duty body-on-frame construction. Ford’s Super Duty pickups are aggressively styled and packed with luxury features and storage capacity.
Replacement Air Filter for Ford F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 Super Duty Pickup Trucks
The 2008, 2009 and 2010 Ford F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 Super Duty trucks were designed with a twin-turbo Power Stroke Diesel V8 engine. K&N engineered an air filter, part (E-0785), for these models. It is designed to increase horsepower and torque while providing excellent filtration and protection. Your second-generation Ford Super Duty will get a lifetime of performance with the E-0785 air filter.
K&N backs all OE replacement air filters for street vehicles with the famous Million Mile Limited Warranty™. The E-0785 will be the last air filter your 2008 to 2010 Ford Super Duty will ever need.
Installation of the E-0785 is very simple. The air filter's oval shape allows it to drop directly into the unique factory airbox without any other fitting. Clamp the airbox lid back into place and you’re done. Since the filter is washable and reusable, simply clean and re-oil it after up to 50,000 miles of driving, depending on driving conditions, then continue this process for a million miles or more. This K&N air filter will be the last filter your truck will need.
Find K&N products for your 2008, 2009 and 2010 Ford F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 Super Duty or any other 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.
Greg Kamplain has an intense schedule planned during the 2010 NHRA season
Long before Indianapolis, Indiana resident Greg Kamplain began his current very successful stint in NHRA Super Comp and Comp Eliminator, he could be found running though the gears of his 1967 Camaro on Sunday afternoons at the famed O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis.
Greg Kamplain wins Competition Eliminator in 2009
Every racer has a special story they keep close to their heart and Kamplain's was one of instant success that of course, immediately had the young man hooked.
"I had a factory 4-speed Camaro that I drove to high school and it's the first car I took out to the track," reflected Kamplain. "Back then they ran Stock Eliminator on a weekly basis at the local track. At that point I really didn't know too much of what was going on. I went out and they put me in a class, which I believe was F Stock. There were seven cars in my class and somehow or another, I ended up winning my class and got a trophy."
Greg Kamplain has completed 37 years of drag racing
"I was so excited after I won that trophy that I went home. I didn't know you were supposed to stay and run eliminator after that for money," Kamplain laughed. "I just took the trophy and headed home. I was only a junior in high school, so that pretty much set the hook in me."
Now beginning his thirty-eighth year of drag racing, Kamplain's long road has been paved with experiences in numerous NHRA sportsman classes.
"I competed in Stock until I made the move to Super Street in the early eighty's and was NHRA Div champ twice before switching to Super Gas," notes Kamplain. "Once my son, Josh, was old enough to make the move from juniors to a full size car, we ran Super Gas and Super Comp for a while. After winning the 2003 Div title in Super Comp, we sold the Super Gas car and made the move to two dragsters in 2004 by adding the Comp car."
While competing in Super Gas and Super Comp is very similar, and can sometimes only help a driver by competing in both, one might think the differences in procedures between Super Comp and Comp Eliminator could be somewhat hindering. Not so according to K&N racer Kamplain.
"While there are differences in the tree between the two classes, one being pro and one full sportsman, I use a blinder so it's kind of the same thing where I get to react the same in both cars," Kamplain explains. "I hide all of the tree, but the last bulb."
"I also feel that all my racing in Super Gas and Super Comp has helped my Comp racing at the finish line," he continued. "In Comp, you are always trying to win and save your index. Because there are many times where you are just trying to win and not by anymore than you have to. I feel that has given me a leg up on the guys that have run Comp for years since in those other two classes you get a lot of practice trying to take the stripe by mere inches or thousandths."
After another successful season for Kamplain Racing in 2009 where Greg captured his first divisional win in Comp Eliminator and set a National Record in his class, C/ED, they have another intense schedule of both NHRA National and Divisional events planned for both cars during the 2010 season.
"Every year we keep doing a little better in the Comp car, I would love to win a National meet for K&N in the Comp car. Of course Super Comp would be nice to, for that matter," he chuckles. "Every year we get a little more horsepower in that car and that is very critical in the Comp class and this year (pauses), we have a little more."
The long string of fortune that has come Kamplain's way over the decades doesn't happen easily or without aligning oneself with the best products available.
"We started our relationship with K&N back in 2003," said Kamplain. "I use their high-flow air filter on the Super Comp car and their wrench-off oil filter on both cars, which is really nice."
"The relationship with both Steve (Williams) and Bob (Harris), who are both racers themselves, is fantastic," he continued. "It has even allowed me to provide a sample of a K&N Wrench-Off Oil Filter, from time-to-time, to a racer that has never tried the product. I highly recommend the complete line of K&N products, there's something for everyone."
Fuchs Lubricants supports the PSM Motorsport Renault Meganes in the Pro-Car 2000 Class
Rallycross is a combination of touring car racing and rallying, on tracks that combine both tarmac and gravel surfaces, and it’s a booming, fan-favorite form of motorsport in the United Kingdom.
The 2010 Rallycross Championship will be at the Mallory Park circuit in Leicestershire on the March 28th
"There are championship classes to suit all ages and budgets, from clubman cars which are standard specification road cars with added safety features such as a roll cage, extinguisher and safety harness, to top specification 4wd supercars, with over 500BHP, that can accelerate faster than a formula 1 car. Drivers can start in the junior class at the age of 14 and when they are 16 can choose the class that suits them best," explains Craig Brown, one of the preeminent young drivers in the sport.
PSM Motorsport are the organizers of the 2010 Fuchs Lubricants Rallycross Open Championship. Brown has competed in the Championship over the last couple of years and was approached towards the end of 2009 to drive one of the Fuchs Lubricants supported PSM Motorsport Renault Meganes in the Pro-Car 2000 Class.
Rallycross tracks combine both tarmac and gravel surfaces challenging both the drivers and the cars
"Peter Stott (PSM Motorsport Ltd Director) has worked hard to build a championship that meets the requirements of the drivers in all classes, and PSM Motorsport has developed a unique approach of combining the aspirations of the Championship organizers, title sponsors and an aspiring young driver to create a unique motorsport opportunity," says Brown.
2010 will see Craig Brown Racing and PSM motorsport run two cars in the championship, with Brown driving the lead car. The second car is available for hire throughout the season. This creates the opportunity for anyone who has motorsport ambitions to come and try their hand at Rallycross at a relatively low cost.
In 2010 there will be Rallycross events held at Mallory Park, England, Nutts Corner, Ireland, Pembrey, Wales, Knockhill, Scotland, as well as a new track in Tockwith, England. There are nine rounds in the Championship Series and the last event is a double header with the Rallycross Superprix, which attracts top drivers from all across Europe.
"The product support from K&N is very much appreciated," remarks Brown. "This year more than ever before, organizations have cut back financially and this is having an impact on most drivers as sponsors are hard to find."
"To know we have the best air filter products under the bonnet means that we have one less thing to worry about, particularly as K&N has provided sufficient product to see us through the year. We will endeavour to maximize the exposure of their support in every way we can, and look forward to maintaining a relationship in future years."
"I have used K&N filters since I started racing in Rallycross five years ago. I found that the engine could breathe much better as the K&N filter does not restrict airflow. Because Rallycross involves both gravel and tarmac sections, the conditions are either very dusty, or muddy and wet; K&N filters work well in all conditions."
"We have fitted RC-5052AB cold air intakes with RC-5052DK Air Filter Wraps to both of the Renault Meganes we are running. We will provide you with updates throughout the year regarding my progress in the 2010 Fuchs Lubricants Rallycross Open Championship."
