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K&N sponsored defending King of California Jonathan Allard raced to his second top- five finish in two starts at the International Thunder Down Under Sprint Car Series in New Zealand. The previous weekend Allard took fifth at Wellington Speedway in New Zealand.
Allard uses K&N products in New Zealand, Australia and the United States in competition
At the Robertson Holder Speedway, Allard and his team faced heavy rains for a day. Crews had to get the track surface ready for competitive racing in time for all the drivers to hit the track on Sunday.
Defending King of California Jonathan Allard and his No. 0 K&N Filters sprint car
International Thunder Down Under Sprint Car Series in New Zealand
Allard drove the K&N Filters No.0 to post the fifth fastest lap of the session out of 31 cars. The Chico, California native then scored finishes of fifth in both his heat race and the dash to set him up with a third row starting spot in the main event.
During the 30-lap race Allard ran in the top five throughout and crossed the line at the checkered flag in fifth place behind fellow Americans Ricky Logan, Craig Dollansky, Joey Saldana and Paul McMahan.
Allard uses K&N Engineering Products. “K&N is the best for our cars, the oil and air filters are easy to use and maintain. We just wash, assemble and race. The K&N Carbon Fiber Air Box works great. K&N products are on all our vehicles “
Allard will race again in New Zealand at events in Western Springs Auckland and Baypark Speedway. He and his team then travel to Sydney, Australia for more sprint car competition.
The 23rd Annual Chili Bowl Nationals will get underway at QuikTrip Center’s Tulsa Expo Raceway in Oklahoma January 13-17.
K&N sponsored racer Ryan Kaplan's hero card with his K&N Filters midget in time for the Chili Bowl Nationals
The list of nearly 300 competitors is a tough crowd. Ryan Kaplan of Corey Tucker/Bryan Clauson Racing will be driving the K&N Filters midget. Kaplan is the 2007 USAC Western States Sprint Car Champion and Rookie of the Year. His teammates are Bryan Clauson, NASCAR Nationwide driver for Chip Ganassi Racing; Hunter Schuernburg with eleven wins in Indiana dirt sprint car action in 2008; Jason Meyers, 8 wins in 2008 along with 2nd place in the World of Outlaws Points Championship; Jerry Higbie, a 2008 358 Modified Track Champion at Orange County Speedway in New York and
racer Billy Wilburn.
“Our whole team has great chemistry,” said Kaplan. “Ideally all six cars will run in the top
ten and we’ll compete against each other for the win. With K&N filters on our
cars I am confident that all of us will have great runs over the week long
event.” All of the team drivers have wins in a variety of different types of
racing. Bryan Clauson has had the most success at the Chili Bowl with a fourth place finish in Saturday night’s A main in 2008.
Kaplan has been working with K&N for more than three years. “K&N hands down makes the best and most reliable filters on the market,” he said. “I use K&N oil and air filters on all of my race cars as well as my production vehicles. K&N filters keep all of our motors running great and that gives us the edge we need to win against the best competition in the country.”
In the world of Australian Superbike Moto GP races, Teknic Honda finished their season with a perfect sweep at Eastern Creek International Raceway in Australia. Top performances by both Jason O’Halloran and Glenn Allerton accrued both a round and a title win.
Australian Superbike Championship Rider Glenn Allerton
Team Teknic Honda Motologic Rider Allerton won the Australian Superbike
Moto GP Championship after two solid rides. The 27-year-old finished ten points ahead of 2007 Champion Jamie Stauffer.
Winning 2008 Hondas CBR1000RR equipped with K&N oil filters
Team Teknic Honda Motologic wins at Eastern Creek International Raceway
Allerton consistently score at each of the seven rounds of the series, eventually securing the first domestic series win for himself as well as for the 2008 CBR1000RR equipped with K&N oil filter
KN-138.
“I’m really excited for myself and the team,” said Allerton. “It’s fantastic to have won at my home track in front of my family and friends. Jason really backed me up as well and helped me to secure the win.”
O’Halloran was unshakable throughout the race and scored a perfect 51 points for the pole position and two race wins. He was fresh off a plane from the UK where he just finished a round of the British Superbike Series. At 20-years-old he is a force to be reckoned with on the track. In Australia, he set a pole-setting time of 1:31 flat and proceeded to clock the fastest laps in both premier classes.
“Both Superbike riders were fast throughout practice and showed great speed over race distance,” said Team Manager Paul Free of Motologic. “Jason grabbed the pole, but there wasn’t much time between him and Glenn, either way it was great to see the Honda’s start from the top two positions and finish on top.”
K&N sponsored teen Cody Swanson had a good 2008 racing season. In fact, it was a lot better than he could have imagined, especially on the dirt circuit.
Turkey Night Grand Prix line-up at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, California
USAC Ford Focus Series Racer Cody Swanson
“The highlight of the year was my second place finish at Oildale Speedway in Bakersfield, California,” said Swanson. “We also had one 5th place finish and four 6th place finishes. Two were on dirt and two were on asphalt.”
K&N Sponsored Ford Focus Midget Racer Cody Swanson promoting K&N on Turkey Night
Brake Problems put a damper on Turkey Night for teen racer Cody Swanson
There was also his 17th place finish in the annual Turkey Night Grand Prix at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California. “It was a great night of racing with the USAC Midgets, Sprint Cars and Ford Focus Midgets. The full Midgets ran a 98 lap race and both the Sprint Cars and Ford Focus Midgets ran a 40 lap main.”
Swanson ran his Ford Focus Midget and by the end of the 3rd practice session was the 6th fastest on the track. Things were looking good for Swanson Motorsports. “The qualifying format was one that I had never done before,” said Swanson. “Usually when we qualify we go out in groups for five laps, with the best lap being the timed lap. On Turkey Night it was single car, two lap sessions.”
The pressure was on and Swanson qualified 11th out of 31 cars on a very close field. For the first 20 laps Swanson swapped positions with about six different cars. “Everyone had to be on top of their game and consistently hit our marks,” he said. “If you missed your mark, you got passed.”
On lap 23, Swanson’s brakes started to get overheated and got worse until he had no brakes at all. “I slipped back in the field and ended up in 17th place at the finish,” he said. “I was very disappointed because I knew we had a fast car and the results could have been better.”
Overall, Swanson said it was very cool being part of the legendary Turkey Night. “Looking back on the race, we put forth a great effort,” he said. “Things were going great throughout the whole day and for a major part of the race, unfortunately the result does not show our efforts or how well we were doing.”
Swanson finished the season 6th place in points in the USAC Ford Focus Series and said he will be coming back in 2009 with even more determination.
Swanson Motorsports uses K&N products. “K&N protects our engines and allows them to breathe,” said Swanson. “Dirt is never a problem on the track with K&N.”
Chad Boat is only 16-years-old, but the teen is a powerhouse when it comes to sprint car racing. He is the youngest driver in the 65-year-history of USAC (United States Auto Club) to win a national dirt sprint car race.
K&N sponsored driver Chad Boat is youngest driver to win USAC Rookie-of Year in both national sprint car and national midget divisions
He was also selected Rookie-of-the-Year in both the National Sprint Car and National Midget Divisions. He joins a select group of only two other drivers to win both titles.
Boat is a second generation racer. Chad Boat’s father raced cars at Indy. “The first time Chad went to a race track he was only two-weeks old,” said his father Billy Boat. “I’ve used K&N products for years and when Chad starting racing it was only natural he use K&N air and oil filters. We would not use any other filters.”
The competitors in USAC are some of the toughest in the nation and Chad Boat said he is ready to compete for the championship in 2009.
“My goal coming into the 2008 season was to win Rookie-of-the year in both divisions, so I feel good about that accomplishment,” said Boat. “Next year we will be looking to win the championship in both divisions. We will also have to step up our game in terms of finishing and winning races and running in the front of each race.”
Chad and his team are preparing midget entries for the inaugural race indoors at the Kemper Arena, then the 2009 season kicks off with the annual Chili Bowl Nationals January 11-17 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
