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The Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio hosted the top AMA Arenacross racers in the country. The pros competed in the first once-race weekend of the 2009 season in front of a sold-out house.
AMA Arenacross Round Four at Broadbent Arena in Louisville, Kentucky, photo by Will Pattison
Team Babbitt’s Kawasaki rider Chad Johnson took second place in his heat race and went on to finish 6th in the main. The Rhienlander, Wisconsin resident is the AMA Arenacross defending series champion and two-time title holder. Johnson has been a full time Arenacross competitor since 2001 and has arguably logged more laps on the challenging, technical layouts than any of his competitors.
Team Babbitt's Kawasaki is ready for the world's best AMA Arenacross competitors, photo by Will Pattison
Team Babbitt uses K&N products during competiton. “We dyno tested K&N air filter (KA-2506XD),” said Team Manager Denny Bartz. “The result was one horsepower gain. That is a huge amount in
Arenacross racing.”
Team Babbitt’s lites rider Leighton Lilly finished sixth in his heat and eleventh overall, which was a great weekend for him at the Nutter Center.
Bartz is working on replacing the injured Kelly Smith, who is expected to sit out the rest of the season with a broken leg. Smith has raced professional since 1998. He has been a part of both AMA Motocross and AMA Supercross. He was a preseason favorite, but was ultimately unable to start the season he had hoped for. Bartz will soon announce the new rider. He is looking at some of the best talent out there for his bikes.
Team Babbitt’s next race will be Round Four in Louisville, Kentucky. The series will return to its two race weekend format on the Broadbent Arena floor.
South America hosted the 31st Dakar for the first time in the race’s history. Organizers changed the location from Africa to South America in 2009. The 2008 event was cancelled because of terrorist activity along the race’s route in Mauritania. Organizers were determined to have a rally in 2009.
Michel De Groot drove the Mc Rae Enduro in the 2009 Dakar Rally
One of the best Dutch female drivers, Gaby Uljee, navigated through 9,000 km of different terrain in South America for the Dakar Rally
Nearly 850 racers with 500 vehicles spent their last day before the
January race in the Argentine capital readying for an extreme adventure between two oceans. The round trip started and finished in Beunos Aires.
The Dutch Vicking Team used K&N filters to help get through Chile's Atacama Desert in the Dakar Rally
The 2009 Dakar started in Buenos Aires, Argentina to Patagonia, into the Andes Mountains and then Chile's Atacama Desert back to Buenos Aires
Competitors faced a number of different terrains and obstacles south to Patagonia, to the Andes Mountains and then through Chile’s Atacama Desert. Dakar Rally drivers are familiar with the problems of sand in the African desert where eight of the fifteen stages of the rally were held in previous years.
K&N sponsored racer Michel De Groot finished the Dakar twice on a motorcycle in 2006 and 2007. The Dutchman hit the South American continent in a car for the first time in 2009. He said he does not have a preference between motorcycles or cars, he just had to wait longer to race a car in the Dakar because it cost more to operate. De Groot was teamed with fellow Dutchman Gaby Uljee, a navigator who finished the Dakar in 2007. The Dutch Vicking Team car was built by Alister McRae, brother of the famous WRX champion Colin McRae.
De Groot and Uljee hit the first stage of the race in La Pampa. They faced more than 400 km of rolling routes and vast plains. The second stage of the Dakar was 837 km from Santa Rosa to Puerto Madryn and was the longest of the stages. It was full of difficult sand. De Groot has been a proud user of K&N for several years. He is familiar with the engine protection and filtration K&N filters provided through the dust, silt and sand.
The Vicking Team encountered a big change in the terrain in Patagonia with more hills, and lakes that border the route during the 694 km stage three from Puerto Madryn to Jacobacci. The Rally course was 9,000 km with seventeen stages. The Dutch team said there main goal was to finish the Dakar and they did. Overall they placed 39th and first in their class (T3).
The AMA Supercross West Coast Lites Series will host round three in Anaheim, California where Fun Center Suzuki is looking for a top ten finish.
Fun Center Suzuki Team Rider Cole Seely ready for AMA Supercross West Coast Lites Series in Anaheim, California, courtesy of TonyScavo.com
Fun Center Suzuki Team Rider Michael Lapaglia has recovered from his injuries at the AMA Supercross West Coast Lites in Phoenix, Arizona, courtesy of TonyScavo.com
Fun Center Suzuki’s Michael Lapaglia, Cole Seely and Brady Sheren had a rough start during round one of the series in front of more than 45,000 fans in Phoenix, Arizona. In the first practice session Lapaglia was hurt. Another rider smashed into him and sent them both to the ground.
Fun Center Suzuki Team Rider Brady Sheren on his 2009 Suzuki RMZ 250, courtesy of TonyScavo.com
2009 Suzuki RMZ250s equipped with K&N air and oil filters for Fun Center Suzuki Team, courtesy of TonyScavo.com
“Michael went to the mobile medical unit on site and was diagnosed with a stage two concussion,” said Gregg Lynk, Fun Center Suzuki’s Owner and Team Manager. “He ended up taking a few days off and will be ready for Anaheim.” Lapaglia finished the 2008 West Lites Series with two top ten finishes.
During heat one Sheren took a late jump off the gate and rode to 15th for a trip to the LCQ or last chance qualifiers. Sheren struggled with timing at the gate in the LCQ and finished 16th. “I know what I need to do to put my Fun Center Suzuki in the Main next time,” he said.
Seely got a great start on his 2009 Suzuki RMX 250 during heat two and came around the first turn in sixth place. He worked his way up and finished in fourth place. This was Seely’s first main event as a pro. “For my first Main Event I felt really good out there,” said Seely. “I’m looking forward to the next event and bettering my results.”
Fun Center Suzuki uses K&N air (YA-2506XD) and oil filters (KN-207). “We did a lot of product testing and K&N has the best performance products,” said Lynk. “K&N works better than anything we’ve ever used.
Bracket racer Luke Bogacki captured his second Mobile Footbrake Nationals victory in three years behind the wheel of his Chevrolet Vega.
IHRA Sportsman Class Racer Luke Bogacki
Bogacki maneuvered through a talented field of Sportsman Class competitors to reach the final round in Mobile, Alabama. He took a .012 to.037 starting line advantage and crossed the finish line first by the slimmest of margins. Bogacki took a 5.827 (5.80 dial in) victory over Terryl Paul’s dead-on 6.153.
Mobile Footbrake Nationals Win for Luke Bogacki in his Chevrolet Vega
Luke Bogacki claimed 4 IHRA National Event Titles in 2008 and at least $50,000 in Bracket money
This 2009 kickoff race marked Bogacki’s third consecutive final round appearance at the annual event. The Alabama resident won the opening day of the Mobile Footbrake Nationals in 2007 and took runner-up honors to Mark Taylor last season.
During Bogacki’s 2008 racing season he claimed 4 IHRA national event titles on route to top ten national finishes in three Sportsman Class categories (Stock, Top Dragster and Quick Rod). He was also awarded the IHRA Sportsman Driver of the Year Award.
Bogacki uses K&N air filters. “K&N helped my engine perform the way it should,” he said. “I can also count on K&N for additional power and great filtration.”
Bogacki also had a diverse run of strong bracket finishes pocketing at least $50,000 at several different events in 2008 and hopes to do the same in 2009.
K&N provided a Custom Air Intake System for American Heroes Camaro
Project American Heroes 1969 Camaro will be auctioned in April
Project American Heroes 1969 Camaro was built at Route 66 Motorsports in 118 days
American Heroes 1969 Camaro SS on one of K&N dynos in Riverside, California
The aftermarket automotive industry equipped this 1969 Chevrolet Camaro with only the best to benefit American soldiers
BFGoodrich tires and Intro Wheels are part of the Project American Heroes package
All good deeds have a starting point. This good deed started with a 1969 Camaro Rally Sport
and a 427 LS7 block engine. It was built under the name Project American Heroes and will be auctioned off at the 7th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car auction in Florida. All the proceeds will go to the Armed Forces Foundation to help active-duty and retired military who must cope with difficult circumstances.
The build began with Bill Jelinek and his crew at Route 66 Motorsports in New Lenox, Illinois. The Camaro was built in 118 days, which included construction and coordination of donated parts from automotive aftermarket suppliers. K&N in Riverside, California was one of forty automotive aftermarket sponsors who donated time and product to this worthwhile project.
The parts on this Camaro are some of the most advanced products on the market. The aftermarket industry equipped this Heroes Red 1969
Chevy LS7 with nothing but the best for our soldiers.
Some of the equipment includes:
High quality sheetmetal from Classic Industries
The subframe is from Detroit Speed & Engineering including DSE rear four-link with up to the minute Baer brakes
Route 66 Motorsports mixed the custom Heroes Torch Red color which works well with the stinger hood
Turn Key Engine Supply LS7 427 motor
Custom K&N air intake system
BFGoodrich Tires
Intro Wheels
The Barrett-Jackson auction will take place in West Palm Beach, Florida in April, 2009. Project American Heroes raised $130,000 to benefit the Armed Forces community in 2008 with a custom-built 1957 Chevy convertible.
