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Peter Alexander driving a Simtek S951 F1 car at the Hockenheim circuit
Peter Alexander is the owner, or rather, "team boss" of PA Motorsport, located in Ashford, Kent, England. Recently, he announced to his team that their cars would now feature K&N products. "I am very pleased to have the welcome support of K&N Filters for the Team" said Alexander. "We have been using their products for years and they have always been our preferred choice of air filter."
Peter Alexander racing a Macon car in the Historic Championship
We spoke with Alexander to see if he would enlighten us about PA Motorsport, the UK racing scene, and what K&N's support truly meant to him.
"I started PA Motorsport through my own driving activities. I always used to prepare and run my own cars (Formula Fords), and I ended up being runner up twice in the FF1600 Championship. And, I won the FF Zetec Championship in '08, against some decent works teams. Off the back of those performances I was being asked to look after other drivers cars, which I did to help finance my own racing, and it all grew from there."
We understand originally you had five drivers, two Formula Ford drivers, two Kart drivers, and one driver that drives both - can you speak a bit about that and how have things changed?
"This season will be a busy one for PA Motorsport. We have been running Historic Formula Fords (Pre-1972 cars) in the Historic Sports Car Clubs National Championship. I have a young driver, Darren Burke, that I have been looking after and he did the last three races with me last year, and won them all."
Peter Alexander being interviewed in France
"At one of the circuits (Oulton Park) he hadn't been around the place prior to the test day that we ran the day before. Within six laps he had it all sorted. I'm also looking after two Novice drivers in the Historic Formula Ford Championship as well, so it will be good to have Darren in the Team to help them along."
"I also run contemporary FF1600 cars, with Mark Davies being my main driver. Mark has been with the Team for about six years. We will aim to take in the ‘Champion of Brands' races at Brands Hatch and the Formula Ford Festival and Walter Hayes Trophy at the end of the season. The karting we were doing has taken a bit of a back seat to concentrate on the cars this season. The karting really started off as a keep fit exercise for the drivers in the winter."
You won five straight Championships beginning in 1998, were they all in one form of racing or in a combination of venues? Also, how do you explain your dominance during that period?
"Yes, PA Motorsport won five straight Championships from 1998 onwards. The first was when I won the Zetec Championship, and we took off from there. We won the other Championships in Formula Ford 1600 and Zetec. I had a really good Australian driver at the time, Brett Francis, and he won the FF1600 Championship twice, back to back, as well as winning the FF1600 Formula Ford Festival race."
"I was running the Swift SC93F chassis in FF1600 and we really got to the bottom of the set-up on that car. I ran Van Diemens in the Zetec class, as I thought they were a better chassis for that engine, and we won another three Championships, with three different drivers in those. When you are winning you attract the better drivers for the following year, so that helps, but a lot of hard work went on during those seasons."
Can you talk a little about your Macon Race Cars and how that came about for you?
"I first decided to run a Historic car for one of my drivers who was running in the contemporary FF1600 class and he was thinking of stopping. I got hold of a 1970 Macon MR8, rebuilt it, which he tested and absolutely loved. He has run in the Historic cars for the last six seasons now. During that time I got to know the then owner of Macon Race Cars. He was impressed with the quality of the preparation of our car, and when he suddenly decided he wanted to sell the company, he approached me. I jumped at the chance and acquired Macon Race Cars, including all of the original drawings, jigs and moulds, making us the Macon ‘Works' Team."
"There was a fair bit of history that came with the company too, and since I started researching Macon's, I have gotten more and more into it, so if anyone reading this has a Macon, I would love to hear from you. I have also gradually acquired various other Macon cars over the years, rebuilt them and we now run a frontline Team in the Historic Championship."
How did your relationship with K&N come about and what does it mean to your overall program?
"I first started using K&N products in our 1998 Championship. That was really when we started doing everything properly as a Team, and were looking at all areas of the car. We work very closely with Auriga Racing Engines, Auriga is virtually our own in-house engine builder. As such, we looked at air filters, and as well as providing the best filtration, K&N filters always gave the best performance. Since then nothing else has been on our cars. They are an extremely reliable product. We have never had any air filter related problems at the circuit. With a relatively underpowered car like a Formula Ford, any small increase in performance is significant, that's why the K&N Filters are so important to us."
When does the new racing season begin for you and is there anything new planned for the coming season that you would care to talk about?
"Our 2010 campaign has already started with testing, despite it being very cold here in the UK at the moment. We have been training the novice drivers to get them as much mileage as possible. Our first Historic race is at Silverstone on March 28, so we are looking forward to that."
"As well as running the Team, my driving activities have not stopped over the years, I am also Chief Instructor for Club MSV at Brands Hatch. Two years ago, the owner of two Simtek S951 F1 cars approached me, and he asked me to test one. Off the back of my performance at the test, I was asked to race the car at Hockenheim, a circuit I had not competed at before. Despite this and a wishbone failure (at 174mph), meaning a back row start (22nd on the grid), I managed to battle through to a third place podium finish on my F1 debut. Hopefully I will be running in the car a few times in 2010. The Team is as important though, and I am focused on making sure we can add a 2010 garland to the ones we already have."
NASCAR announces K&N as title sponsor of their top developmental series for the
next seven years.
K&N Filters signed an agreement be the title sponsor of NASCAR's top
developmental series, formerly known as the Camping World Series East and West.
K&N gets started as the series entitlement sponsor of the 2010 Toyota All-Star
Showdown on January 29th-30th. The agreement between K&N and NASCAR will go
through the 2016 season.
The NASCAR K&N Pro Series will continue to crown
champions through separate schedules on the East and West Coast.
"K&N is
a company that epitomizes the spirit of NASCAR," said Brian France, NASCAR
chairman and CEO. "The developmental series are a tremendously integral part of
the past, present and future of NASCAR -- from the great champions throughout
the years to the pipeline of tremendous racers that have made their way up the
NASCAR ladder to our national series."
"Having a company with the
dedication to the sport and the automotive industry that K&N does speaks volumes
to the importance we place in the series."
K&N traces its involvement
with NASCAR back to the early days of supplying parts for the Sprint Cup Series
races at the old Riverside Speedway.
“We are thrilled to be the Official
Developmental Series Partner and sponsor of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series,” said
Steve Rogers, chief executive officer of K&N Engineering. “Our roots in NASCAR
go back to the 1970s and this feels like a partnership long overdue. After
supporting grassroots and professional racing for decades, we love the idea of
supporting a developmental series that provides great racing excitement while
developing the top tier drivers of tomorrow.”
2009 was the second year Ryan Hackett Racing competed in the two NASCAR series
The past race season was a success for Ryan Hackett Racing of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the Nationwide Series. 2009 marks the second year in a row that RHR would compete in the two NASCAR series. With two years under their belt, the team looks forward to an even better 2010 season.
Ryan Hackett Racing's season ended for the #76 Ford at the Talladega Super Speedway
"Things seem to be taking a turn toward the positive and we feel like we are miles ahead of where we were at this point last season," says Ryan Hackett, driver of the # 76 Ryan Hackett Racing Ford.
The team decided to put most their efforts into the truck series where they hoped they would be the most competitive. Their efforts paid off as they had their first top 20 finish in just their third-ever race in the truck series with an 18th place finish at Charlotte in May.
Ryan Hackett Racing took another huge step in June leading their first laps in the truck series and racing in the top 10 almost all day at Michigan before the day was cut short due to an accident late in the race. Their performance landed them a great deal of TV and media coverage.
A key ingredient to the team's success is "just to keep getting to the track and learning," says Hackett. "Not only from a driving standpoint does it help to continuously be driving," he continues, "but our team gets smoother and smoother and makes fewer mistakes each time we race."
The team's season ended at Talladega Super Speedway when they turned heads by laying down a fourth place performance in practice. They raced in the top 15 almost all afternoon but unfortunately had a mechanical problem that forced them out of the race.
The team put most their efforts into the truck series were they hoped they would be the most competitive
This race at Talladega marked a real proud moment for the team as they proved to be one of the more well-prepared teams of the day. "All of the trucks had gone through inspection and about ninety-five percent of the trucks at the race must have had some serious problems, the entire garage smelled like a body shop with teams grinding away at sheet metal," says Hackett. "However, we were very well-prepared and made it though inspections with no issues and sat back; it was a nice feeling for our small team."
Ryan Hackett Racing is a big supporter of K&N Products
"The biggest accomplishment that we really took from the season is that we can absolutely compete in the series," says Hackett. "We never felt out of place and really had some positive building blocks that were established."
RHR uses K&N Filters in their race vehicles. "We truly feel like our engines maintain their top performance when equipped with K&N products," says Hackett. "I am overjoyed that they have chosen to support us and hope that it is a relationship that lasts for years to come."
"Whether it be on the track or in my own personal use, I want nothing but the best products in my vehicles," he continues. "I have always been a big supporter of K&N. I have used their products ever since I started racing dirt late models at the age of 16. I have a Ford F-350, as well as a motorcycle and several dirt-bikes, and I have always used K&N products in all of them."
Ryan Hackett Racing will be at the season opening race at Daytona on February 12, 2010. "We are very excited to be a participant in that race," says Hackett. "This will be my first trip to Daytona and I am thrilled to be a part of the famed ‘Speedweek'."
Plans for 2010 include World of Outlaws, Knoxville Raceway, All Stars, and ASCS
There simply isn't a shortcut, or performance enhancing quick fix for experience - it's earned and accumulated through persistence and hard work, one race at a time. For 20-year-old Jordan Goldesberry from Springfield, Illinois, that learning curve included a total of 30 races last season.
Goldesberry Motorsports gained a lot of valuable experience in 2009
2009 contained some bumps for the number 65 Goldesberry Motorsports Team, owned by Jack and Amy, Jordan's parents. Nevertheless, the year was filled with enough highlights on which to build momentum for the coming '10 season.
"Last year went well. We had many top fives and ran towards the front almost every night. We gained a lot of valuable experience by running many events with the World of Outlaws, ASCS National, and the prestigious Knoxville Nationals," reflects Goldesberry.
"Despite having quite a bit of bad luck, when all was said and done, it was a successful year and we learned a lot of new things every night and worked with some very helpful and knowledgeable people."
Goldesberry says his ultimate racing goals for the future are to simply race for a living and continue to have fun doing so.
"It is a great pleasure to work with the folks at K&N, they are very helpful and polite to deal with. We currently use Sprint Car air-boxes, pre-filters, oil filters, and air filter oil and cleaners," say Goldesberry.
"For the coming '10 season we are going to try to run as many shows with the World of Outlaws, Knoxville Raceway, All Stars, and ASCS as we can, and local racing as time allows. We also plan to participate in both the 360 and 410 Nationals at the Knoxville Raceway."
Gary Scelzi Motorsports use K&N oil filters and air cleaners
At the close of the '07 season, four-time NHRA Drag Racing Champion Gary Scelzi, from Fresno, California, sort of retired. "Maybe I'll come back out one day and maybe I won't. I don't want to say one-way or the other, because who knows what the future will hold?" With that the 49-year-old father of Dominic and Giovanni, leaves the door slightly ajar for a possible come back someday.
Giovanni and Dominic Scelzi
Giovanni Scelzi won his first race at the age of six
During his reign Scelzi was one of the most popular drag racers in the sport's history. His exploits and accomplishments in both Top Fuel and Funny Cars are now the stuff of legends. But, for now Scelzi says he's content focusing on his family, which includes helping his brothers full-time with their rapidly expanding truck body manufacturing business.
"My family has sacrificed a lot to allow me to chase my dream," said Scelzi. "Because of their support, I've accomplished everything I've set out to do in drag racing and so much more. Now it's time for me to watch my kids grow up and to be there for them every day. It's time to hold my wife Julie's hand and tell her I love her every night."
We recently caught up with Scelzi to get an update on how his two sons racing season went.
"This was Dominic's third year in the Restricted 600 Class. Now, he was fast from the beginning, but what happened this year, from years past, was that he learned how to be consistent and he learned to watch for other driver's weaknesses. He quit trying to win the race on the first lap. He also learned what type of car he liked. He really started paying attention to set-ups, loose and tight car indications, stagger, all those sorts of important details," explains Scelzi.
"Once we were on the same page it did not matter where he started, or where he qualified, that boy was going straight to the front. At Plaza Park, Dominic won eight out of 15 races, and his worst finish was a fifth, without a single DNF. Now that Dominic is in the Super 600's we told him that it could take a year before he wins. Guys in their 20 and 30's are not going to move over when a 12 year-old kid tries to pass them. Yet, it only took Dominic four races to win his first Super 600 race in Lemoore, California. It's really hard for me to talk about it because he is my son, and all parents brag about their kids, but right now, every week, both my boys simply amaze me."
"Giovanni, unlike Dominic, never raced go-carts, or anything else for that matter. But again, right from the beginning, he was fast and finished in the top five every week, normally there were 16-20 cars starting in the main. With me not yet knowing how good of a driver he was going to be, we were the only ones left running a KT100 Yamaha, two-stroke. The hot ticket was the Briggs and Stratton animal motor. Once he got that, it was just a matter of time before he won his first race at six years."
"Gio just turned eight last November 28th and the age limit to move up to the Restricted 600's is 10-years old. I believe mentally he is more than ready to move up, he is just very small and only weighs 60 lbs. A 600 has to weigh around 750 lbs., so I think we are still a little challenged on strength. But, I am putting Dominic's last year's car together for Gio to start practicing," says Scelzi laughing out loud.
When we asked Scelzi why he believed his two acorns fell so close to the Christmas tree, whether it was genetics, environment, or a combination of both, he had this to say.
"When I was a kid growing up, my parents were not into racing at all. But I wanted to race to the drinking fountain, race to the cafeteria, race anywhere I could go. Dominic seems to be of the same mind. He and his brother have raced die cast slot cars, bicycles, anything they can get their hands on. So, I'd say it's a little of both."
"We've had a great relationship with K&N over the last five years, from winning our first Ford Focus National USAC championship, down to the kid's Mini Sprints. We use the oil filters and air cleaners. We have always used K&N air cleaners, even before we had a relationship with K&N. It's something Gary Scelzi Motorsports values and hopes to continue for a long time to come."
"In the coming season we are going to try all kinds of things, shock location, wings, a lot of aerodynamic stuff, and now that Dominic is in an Unlimited Class, dad gets to dig in his bag of tricks to find more power."
