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Jeremy Frankoski has the 2009 season long lead in the USAC Ford Focus Carolina Series. He recently took the checkered flag at Dillon Motor Speedway in the Calico Coatings All American driver Challenge Midget with K&N products.
Jeremy Frankoski extened his season long lead in the USAC Ford Focus Carolina Series
The win marked the fourth victory in the series for Frankoski who now counts two wins at the Dillon, South Carolina facility plus two wins at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina.
Checkered flag for Jeremy Frankoski after his win at Dillon Motor Speedway in the USAC Ford Focus Carolina Series
Frankoski was the fastest qualifier of the evening at Dillon Motor Speedway, but started in 6th place because of the inverted line up. Frankoski made his way to the front of the pack quickly. On lap 8 he was in second place behind race leader Scott Hunter. There was a caution at lap 10 and on the restart Frankoski made a pass for the lead and took it.
Frankoski ran strong for the remainder of the 35 lap race. He was followed by Hunter, Eric Coomes, Justin Hommel and Rick Fedrizzi. “The inverted line up makes it harder to win,” said Frankoski. “We always want to run as fast as we can, especially for qualifying. Winning is great, but winning from an inverted pole position is even more satisfying.”
The team had a major setback after the No.2 midget that Frankoski piloted all
year was wrecked at the USAC Pavement Ford Focus National Championship Race at Columbus Motor Speedway in Ohio. On lap three of the race, three cars tangled directly in front of Frankoski and drove him hard into the wall. “We were really on top of our game at the National Race and were turning the fastest laps all weekend,” he said. “We were the ones to beat. Losing the race was one thing, but losing the car really put us into a tough spot before heading into Dillon.”
The team worked hard to get the No. 11 midget ready for the next race. “We spent so much time in the shop
before Dillon, the only thing we didn’t do was sleep there,” he said. “It shows how hard you have to work to stay ahead of the competition.”
Frankoski has raced for 14 years and has used K&N products for 14 years. The 23-year old began his career driving Go Karts at 9-years-old. He moved up to Mini Sprints and then Micro Sprints before he started driving Midgets. He also competes in the Open Wheel Class with K&N filters. “I wouldn’t use anything else,” he said. “K&N enhances performance and protects our engines better than anything on the market.”
Frankoski will next race in the USAC Ford Focus Carolina Series at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina on October 3.
Hillbilly Racing’s Gary Ross competes with the biggest engine in the Pacific Street Car Association (PSCA) 10.5 Outlaw Class.
2005 Pro Stock Grand Am with 711 cubic inch Chevy Hemi engine gives Gary Ross 1600 to 1700 horsepower for an additional 100 to 200 horsepower difference over his previous power plant
Hillbilly Racing's Gary Ross will next race at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
“Sonny Leonard developed a Chrysler hemi type head and adapted it to a Chevrolet,” said Ross. “Our 2005 Pro Stock Grand Am with its new Sonny’s 711 cubic inch Chevy Hemi engine gives us 1600 to 1700 horsepower for an additional 100 to 200 horsepower difference over our previous power plant.”
Biggest engine in the Pacific Street Car Association is a Sonny Leonard Chrysler hemi type head adapted to a Chevrolet with a new 711 cubic inch Chevy engine
Hillbilly Racing has used K&N products for three generations
Ross is a contender in the Outlaw Class after his win at the PSCA Labor Day Nationals. The Orange County California resident then set the pace with another number one qualifier at a heated West Coast Shootout in Fontana, California. Ross had a blistering 6.874 at 200.92 mph.
“Track conditions were tough at Fontana,” said Ross. “Track temperatures reached a sizzling 135 degrees and the competition was fierce. Almost all of the racers who competed at this event ran at over 200 mph.”
In the Outlaw 10.5 series racers run a 10 1/2 inch wide tire instead of a 15 to 17 inch wide tire. Competitors can also run any fuel combination they choose. “We call our series the world’s fastest cars on ten inch tires,” said Ross. “It’s all about having the proper tuning. The fans love to watch and the racing is simple. The first one to the finish line wins.”
K&N is an official class championship and contingency sponsor in the 2009 Pacific Street Car Association. In addition to being a PSCA sponsor, K&N posted contingency cash on K&N oil filters in all classes for each 2009 event. K&N will post $1500.00 in Championship Cash for the PSCA’s Street Challenge Class.
“K&N has worked great on my cars for years,” Ross said. “Now K&N is working great on our grandkids cars. My grandson Brandon Willoughby is only 15, but he’s putting his whole heart into junior dragsters and is the third generation in our family to use K&N products.”
Ross will next race at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Nevada on November 20-22.
The 2009 Redline Time Attack Series, Round 7 was held at Spring Mountain Motorsports Park in Pahrump, Nevada. Pahrump is about an hour’s drive northwest of Las Vegas.
Ryan Gates has secured the 2009 Modified AWD Class Championship in the Redline Time Attack Series
Driver Ryan Gates continued to dominate the Modified Class with his 6th consecutive victory in the Time Attack Series. In addition to winning the Modified AWD and the Overall Modified Class in Round 7, Gates also secured the 2009 Modified AWD Class Championship with his win
in Nevada.
Ryan Gates took his 6th consecutive victory in the Modified Class at Spring Mountain Motorsports Park in the Redline Time Attack Series
2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X on the grid in Pahrump, Nevada for the Redline Time Attack Series
“I was excited to head back out west after completing four rounds of the Redline Time Attack Series in the eastern portion of the United States,” said Gates. “I knew the remaining events out west were going to be very interesting because of the competition, fast cars and larger tracks.”
The team prepped the Mitsubishi Evo X in anticipation of a smooth track. “We went with higher spring rates on the JRZ shocks, adjusted the ride height and reinstalled the front splitter that was taken off for Round 6 of the Time Attack Series at E-Town,” said Gates. With the minor changes Gates was confident that he would be competitive against some of the fastest Time Attack cars in the United States.
The practice sessions were important for Gates since it was the first time he had driven on the grueling 3.1 mile long track.
Spring Mountain Motorsports Park is packed with 18 turns of all shapes and sizes and has very few straight-aways. Gates did well at practice on Saturday. On Sunday, he set the fastest practice lap time with a smooth and conservative lap.
During the first Time Attack session, Gates pushed his 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X much harder than he did in the practice sessions and posted a 1:25.5 lap time. It was the fastest time for the Modified Class by 1.5 seconds. He had one Time Attack session left and knew it was important to improve his time. Gates then posted a 1:24.9 lap time which was fast enough for the victory.
“The win felt great,” said Gates. “The competition was much stiffer out west so it was cool to live up to my expectations. I knew I had the drive to get this far in the series, but I had no idea that I’d make it to this point so quickly. I’m very happy with things so far. The K&N filters on my car actually helped a ton. With air temperatures around 111 degrees in the desert, having fresh clean air coming into the engine was so helpful. The K&N oil filter kept the oil clean and fresh even when oil temperatures were about 260 degrees.”
Gates will next race at the Super Lap Battle Finale at Buttonwillow Raceway in Buttonwillow, California. From there he will race at the Season Finale of the Redline Time Attack Series at Auto Club Speedway in November at Fontana, California.
United States rider Robie Peterson is King of the Hill. He was the only competitor to reach the 900 foot summit at the Hillclimb World Trophy Event in Arette, France. Switzerland won the European Cup, France took second and Estonia third.
United States Rider Robie Peterson was the only competitor to reach the 900 foot summit in Arette, France
“I was honored to go back to France and ride again,” said Peterson. “There is nothing greater in racing than to be able to represent your country in the sport that you love.”
Robie Peterson holds his King of the Hill Trophy at the Hillclimb World Trophy Event in France
A different rear on Robie Peterson's Malcolm Smith Motorsports KTM 950 gave him additional traction and K&N air filters gave Peterson more air to help him make it to the top of the mountain
Peterson won in the Inaugural Stock Class at the Hillclimb event in 2006. Hillclimbing is a branch of motorsport where riders take off road motorcycles straight up extremely steep hills. The winner is the one who can climb the highest. If more than one person makes it to the top, the one who gets there first wins.
“Getting to the top was very difficult,” said Peterson. “I tried four attempts on the mountain. I wanted to go fast through the smooth section at the bottom and be patient for the rough technical portion at the top. I gambled on a different rear wheel set up for the final round and that seemed to make the difference in traction to get me to the summit.”
Peterson drove his Malcolm Smith Motorsports KTM 950 with K&N XStream top universal air filter, part number
RX-4020-1 and K&N oil filter, part number
KN-158. “The steepness of the
mountain also required a lot of horsepower to make it to the top and my K&N filters gave my bike plenty of air to reach the summit,” said Peterson.
Peterson is back in the United States and just wrapped up the North American Hillclimbers Association 2009 racing season in New Plymouth, Idaho. He finished 2nd in the 450 class, 3rd in the 700 class and 10th in the Open for the years overall point standings.
“It’s not bad,” he said. “But it’s also not where I really want to be. My KTM’s worked good all year
but I have to do my homework this winter to get the edge on the competition. I plan to come out swinging for the season opener in Tracy, California.”
Peterson’s next event will be A Day in the Dirt on Thanksgiving weekend.
Custom wood interior for the "Pirates of the Caravan"
One year after graduating High School in 1975, Don and Becky Noone of Kansas City, Kansas, transformed their 1971 Chevy into a show van they called "Knights in White Satin." This move soon turned into a lifestyle of vanning that would include customizing the common van and attending van shows around the U.S. and Canada. The couple started the Vantasia Van Club in 1976 and have been hosting the Springfever Van-In since 1976. "Knights in White Satin" was later stripped down and converted into the "Rocky Van."
Don and Becky Noone's "Pirates of the Caravan" with K&N custom air cleaner assembly
In February, 2007, the couple purchased a 1976 Ford van from an old friend in Des Moines, Iowa. This van had not been out of the garage in over 18 years. After pushing the van out of the garage and winching it onto a trailer, Don Noone was on his way home to begin a resurrection that would turn this ordinary van into a showpiece.
This was only the beginning for Noone. "The paint was in bad shape, tires dry rotted and the carpet and upholstery needed to be replaced," Noone stated. "A gallon of paint thinner had fallen on the hood and the interior wood was very dry and needed oil."
The van was sent to a local mechanic to get it in running condition. This required a lot of work, including a radiator, master cylinder, gas tanks, wires, plugs, wheels, tires and brakes.
After getting the van in running condition, Noone took the outside wood, molding and emblems off of the vehicle. He then installed new 16" wheels and tires he purchased from a local tire shop.
"Pirates of the Caravan" was built from the ground up
It was time to begin the body transformation process. Noone took the van to a body shop where a fellow club member was the service manager. The crew began by blasting the van with baking soda to completely strip the paint down to bare metal. Next, they welded all of the holes left from the outer molding and emblems while taking care not to set fire to the interior of the van. Once the body work was complete, they applied a base coat of blue paint.
Noone transferred the van to a local motorcycle shop where four skilled artists painted the mural and artwork that covers the van. Back at the body shop, they applied the final coats of clear paint and buffed out the finish.
"I took off all of the door panels and seats and had them reupholstered," Noone said. "I also painted the batteries to look like wooden boxes and the trailer hitch to look like wood." Noone installed the newly upholstered door panels along with new carpet in the van. "I ordered a tilt steering column and wheel then had it painted to look like wood," he said, "Along with the windshield wipers, door straps, shocks, and anything I could find under the hood."
Noone installed two moving fish lights on the back side of the port holes and had some upper back door panels made with pirate heads in them. "The spare tire originally laid flat under the couch," Noone said. "I cut out a place for the tire and made a bracket to hold it upright. This made room for storage under the couch."
A local audio shop was the next to get the van. They installed power windows, power door locks, Jensen 7" flip down touch screen DVD player in the dash, 10" rear flip down monitor, Low Lux night vision rear camera, Rockford Fosgate 6.5 coaxial in rear with components set in front, MTX 300 watt mono sub amp, MTX Thunder 500 watt 12" sub woofer and Dakota digital clock & temperature gauge in the overhead console.
LED lighting was installed in the tube grill, around the back window and under the van to help accent the theme. Don and Becky Noone named their new van "Pirates of the Caravan."
The "Pirates of the Caravan" is equipped with K&N custom air cleaner assembly 60-1300. "I like the performance of my K&N assembly," Noone said. "I like the looks too."
Noone's K&N equipped "Pirates of the Caravan" has won numerous awards. He has attended many car shows including World of Wheels, Everything on Wheels, Truck-In's Lone Stars, CIV Van-In, Three Trails Van-In, E-Z-Life Van-In, Woody Boogie Van-In, Fast Lanes Vans, Midwest All Truck Nationals and a lot more.
Don and Becky Noone enjoy their many adventures together. "As you can tell we love vanning," Noone said. "We enjoy showing our van not only for the awards but to see people's reactions and promote vanning."
Find K&N products for your vehicle using the application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.
