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SpeedWorld Off Road Park in Surprise, Arizona hosted the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series in front of a standing room only crowd. Drivers in buggies, Karts, 850hp trucks and UTVs tried to conquer the 9/10 mile dirt track.
RJ Anderson of Walker Evans Racing goes through the UTV racing field at a LOORRS event in Surprise, Arizona, courtesy of JnL Photo
Walker Evans Polaris Razor is equipped with K&N air and oil filters, courtesy of JnL Photo
Riverside, California teen RJ Anderson drove the Walker Evans Racing Polaris Razor UTV in side by side, door banging action. “On Saturday we had trouble,” said Randy Anderson, RJ’s father. “But on Sunday, RJ was the fastest qualifier and ended up in second place.”
Riverside, California high school student RJ Anderson (left) on the podium after taking second place in LOORRS Race at SpeedWorld Off Road Park, courtesy of JnL Photo
16-year-old RJ Anderson is the third generation in the Anderson Racing Family to use K&N air filters on their vehicles, courtesy of JnL Photo
The high school sophomore has raced UTVs for two years. He started out in Go Karts and moved up. “Our background is in racing,” said Anderson. “I was a crew chief and manager at Walker Evans for years. I have 186 wins overall as a crew chief and we’ve used K&N products in every one of those wins. K&N gives us extra power and filtration and protects our engines from track debris. K&N is also easy to service. We use K&N air intake kit part number, 63-1120 and K&N oil filters, part number KN-198.”
Anderson said his son has raced at 22 main events this year. RJ is currently 2nd in points overall in the TORC Off-Road Series and took the series UTV win in the M4SX Series in Perris, California.
“Racing is a lifestyle for our family,” said Randy Anderson. “My dad worked on vehicles and my brother and I raced. Now it’s my son RJ’s turn.”
Anderson said RJ will be driving Legend cars next. “My brother and I ran in the Legends Series for about ten years,” he said. “We sold all of the cars except for one and we’re going to put RJ in the Legend car that we raced. This is a stepping stone into the next generation for us. My dad taught us about racing and now my son is learning. RJ not only races, he also has to work on the vehicles. When RJ understands the mechanics of a vehicle he can communicate more effectively with the crew if there are problems during racing.”
RJ’s next event is a Lucas Oil event in Primm, Nevada in November.
Veteran off road racer, rock crawler and open desert racer Kevin Yoder has a 129 point lead in the VORRA Sportsman Championship Series. He is expected to seal the deal for the series win Halloween weekend in Prairie City, California.
VORRA Sportsman Championship Series leader Kevin Yoder is ready for the season finale Halloween weekend in Prairie City, California, photo by Speed Bump Racing
The VORRA series combines desert racing and short course racing. “We run in four short course races and three open road desert races and tally the points at the end,” said Yoder. “Our buggy can reach speeds of 120 mph, but it’s a handful to drive
at that speed. I’ve had it at 100 mph.”
Veteran racer Kevin Yoder also competes in the CalRocks Series and has plans for King of the Hammers in 2010, photo by Speed Bump Racing
Yoder took fourth place at the VORRA short course race in Prairie City in mid October. Eleven cars competed for the win on the short course track that included high speed turns, long jumps and fast straightaways. During practice Yoder found a loose front-drive line and broken rear sway bar. Both were removed from the buggy and he had to race in rear wheel drive.
“It worked out pretty well actually,” he said. “I learned a lot more about entering and exiting the corners by sliding the car instead of using the brakes and 4-wheel-drive to pull me through. When a rock took out my rear brake line in the first moto, I wasn’t as affected because I was already sliding.”
It’s tough to stay competitive on a short course in a buggy. Yoder used his experience and knowledge of the vehicle dynamics and made a few adjustments prior to the event.
Yoder is the current Nor Cal Rock Racing Champion for the second year in a row in rock short course racing. He also competes in the CalRocks Series and finished the 2009 King of the Hammers race in 18th place.
“I’ve used K&N products for at least 20 years,” said Yoder. “I like K&N because I come up with the specs I need and go through the K&N catalog and find the K&N filter I need. K&N is also cost effective and gives me great filtration. K&N protects my engines from course debris in off-road racing.”
Yoder said he is looking forward to the 2010 racing season. “I have a full schedule next year,” he said. “I can’t wait for it to start.”
Vaughn Gittin Jr. took fifth place in the 2010 Falken Tire Ford Mustang
It has been a season of many ups and few downs for K&N drifters Chris Forsberg and Vaughn Gittin Jr. who finished first and fifth in the Formula Drift Championship, respectively, while making history in the meantime.
Formula Drift Champion Chris Forsberg and the NOS Energy Drink Nissan 350Z
The face of the Championship has flipped around a few times since the FD season opener in Long Beach back in April. Chris secured the first place spot with a huge points lead when he took the win at Round 5 in Seattle, his second win and third podium of the season.
Going into Irwindale, Chris and the NOS Energy Drink Nissan 350Z were in first place with a fairly big points lead over Ryan Tuerck. Chris's first place finish was confirmed during the round of 32 when he was matched with Doug Van Den Brink. By winning the battle and advancing to the top 16, Chris gained the points he needed for the Championship win.
Chris Forsberg takes the podium after his Formula Drift Championship win
Chris has made history for being the first Formula Drift driver to win the Championship with no previous background in another type of motorsport. Previous FD Champions Samuel Hubinette, Rhys Millen, and Tanner Foust all are seasoned drivers of different motorsports. For his outstanding driving throughout the year, as well as his commendable personality on and off the track, Chris was awarded the title of Formula Drift's "Driver of the Year" which was voted by fellow drivers and teams in the series.
"To finish first in Formula Drift, you need consistency," says Chris. "Whether it's in your car, your team, or your driving abilities - consistency is key. Using K&N Filters gives us one thing less to worry about when it comes to the car because we trust in their dependability."
Going into Irwindale, Vaughn Gittin Jr. and the 2010 Falken Tire Ford Mustang were in third place, with Samuel Hubinette hot on his trail and less than two points behind him. Adding to the pressure, Tyler McQuarrie followed in fifth only a few more points behind. Vaughn knew that the fight for third place in the Championship was going to be a brutal one. With Tyler's second place finish at Irwindale, he was able to slide past Vaughn in points, pushing Vaughn back to fifth place.
"We have had a great Formula Drift season and were high-risk contenders for the Championship right down till the very last event," says Vaughn. "Finishing fifth overall is no easy task, especially with a new car. I can't wait to implement all of our data with new improvements to chase down that gold in 2010."
Vaughn made history this year when he placed second at Round Three in New Jersey by being the first driver to put a 2010 Ford Mustang on the podium in any professional motorsport. "Driving the 2010 Mustang this year was simply incredible; it performed flawlessly and offered the most reliability I have ever had in my career out of any vehicle. A huge part of that reliability is due to K&N Filters," says Vaughn.
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.
There is a lady from California who is living life in the fast lane in Europe. Michelle DiSalvo has taken her ride on the road for the European Motorcycle Union (UEM) Supermoto Championship Series.
California Supermoto Rider Michelle DiSalvo warms up before her race in Mettet, Belgium
During the past month she has competed at two races. The first was in Mettet, Belgium. “This is one of the biggest Supermoto events on our circuit,” said DiSalvo. “I enjoy this track the most, because it is like a street race. The track is wide and very fast. The dirt portion is two tabletops followed by a big step-up jump.”
RMZ 450 Suzuki ready for competition with K&N air and oil filters in the European Motorcycle Union (UEM) Supermoto Championship Series
DiSalvo competed against the world’s top riders at the 23rd Proximus Superbiker on the Jules Mettet Tacheny circuit. “I qualified in 12th place,” she said. “The next day we had unstable weather. It started to rain so organizers took our times from the previous days sessions,” said DiSalvo. “I was 7th fastest in my group of 48 riders. I finished 11th but was disqualified along with four other riders for passing under a waving yellow flag.” The flag was out of DiSalvo’s field of vision.
On Sunday, the rain was on and off. “I started from 31st position because of my disqualification on the previous day,” said the rider from Manteca, California. “I finished in 11th place.”
The next weekend DiSalvo participated in the last round of the Belgian Series in Namur. “It was the perfect scene for a race,” she said. “We went to the Citadel Arena which seemed like an ancient gladiator pit. I rode my 450 Suzuki with K&N air (YA-2506XD) and oil filters (KN-207).”
The track was a series of switchbacks with loose gravel and jumps. “It was hard to keep the bike straight on the runway to the jumps,” she said. “I had a few interesting landings. My arm hit one of the blockades on the tarmac and I almost crashed. I managed to miss the fence because I pushed the bike as far over as possible.”
DiSalvo finished 13th and is currently 16th overall in the Prestige Class. The next round of the UEM European Supermoto Series will take place in Busca, Italy.
Engines roared under the peak of fall colors in the 9th and final round of the Rally America Championship Series in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
X Games Competitor Andrew Comrie-Picard took third overall in the 2009 Rally America Championship Series
Competitors, including Andrew Comrie-Picard came prepared for the tough gravel roads. Comrie-Picard (ACP Racing) drove his NOS Energy Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X with K&N products. He also had consistent podium finishes throughout the 2009 Rally America season.
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX will be back in 2010 for the new Rally America Cross contests in the Northeastern United States
Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing. It is an all season motorsport where drivers take their modified cars to the limit over hundreds of miles of gravel, dirt or snow covered roads.
In Houghton, Michigan, Comrie-Picard scored a third place overall, edging Monster Energy’s Ken Block out of the top three. Team ACP suffered an engine failure while angling for the podium at the season ender. Initial investigations suggest that the engine was damaged by water taken in at a deep water splash about 90 miles into the 130 mile contest.
The factory-backed Travis Pastrana of Subaru Rally Team USA took the championship win. “We had the runner-up position in the championship within our sights,” said Comrie-Picard. “The DNF at the final round was a disappointment, but we’ve had a strong season.”
Team ACP will be back in 2010 to contest not only the Rally Championship Series and the X Games, but the new Rally America Cross contests scheduled for late 2010 in the Northeastern United States.
“Next year looks like a great one and we expect great success,” said Comrie-Picard. “The entire team and all of our partners deserve thanks for the effort that carried us to all the successes this year. We could not have achieved our results without the support of K&N. We are proud that K&N has been our filter choice for a decade.”
