Austin Reed Begins the 2012 Legends Series Season with a Checkered Flag
- Mar 2, 2012
Rolling into the California Desert near Rosamond, Reed and his crew were prepared to line up against fellow drivers at the Willow Springs International Raceway. The driver was no stranger to competing in the Legends Series, but the anticipation was likely a little higher than normal, as this was only his second career road course race. "Being that it was only my second road course race in a Legend only made me want to prove myself more," explained Austin, "I started out racing short course off roads, and it had been a while since I had done anything like it. It was fun to see where I was in comparison."
Reed set the pace qualifying in a field of drivers from across the Southern California region on Saturday. Austin then walked away from his heat race victorious and prepared for the feature event. "The key to our success in the main event was to be patient and to focus on not over-driving the corner," Reed recalled. "On a road course, I learned the most important thing is staying on the race track." Remaining focused, the driver managed to earn his second career road course win and a victory during the first race of the present season. With a stellar opening day under his belt, Austin returned to the track on the following day with anticipation of continuing his winning streak, but this time the race would have a little different twist, as the drivers would tour the 2.5 mile layout in a counterclockwise position. That said, a few modifications had to be made to ensure Reed and his team continued to experience success. "The only major change we made before the race on Sunday was gearing," the driver explained. "Being that the counterclockwise direction of the track had the longest straightaway downhill, we were able to carry much more overall speed."
Although Austin didn't experience adequate track time to grow accustomed to the change in gear ratio, and in turn did not perfect the new shifting points, he still managed to make a showing. In fact, by the race's end, the driver had moved into the second position, earning yet another impressive finish. Referring to his second place position, Reed said, "Coming down to the final lap on Sunday, we were only behind by a car length. When we went across the stripe to take the checkered flag, I was passing the first place car, but had only made it as far as the door. The race competition was stiff for sure, having almost all pro division drivers and only one semi pro in my class," he continued, "Many teams showed up to make the show, including Tony Green and his team of five cars." Of course, Austin Reed's driving abilities play a huge roll in his success, but the driver and his team are also acutely aware of the importance of maintenance of their car. In fact, they depend upon K&N products to ensure the engine receives the optimal air and oil flow while her internal components remain contaminant free. "Our race team uses a number of K&N products," explained Reed. "K&N has been a huge part of all of my racing, dating back to the short course off road days in CORR. They have proven products, and the technical support has been so valuable to us over the years on all of the race cars we have run. Not to mention all of our tow rigs and personal cars. We run every product they have for all of our race and personal cars. It really is a family between our team and K&N." Austin Reed also credits his team for much of his success. "The thing that I would say I enjoy most about racing Legend Cars is the difficulty to drive one. Without a powerful team backing a driver, it would be a struggle to succeed. I can't thank them enough for everything they do for me," he continued, "I can only imagine what the 2012 season will bring us. Austin Reed Racing as a team has learned so much in the past year alone that I think will mark us as some of the top competition out there. The key to success for Austin Reed Racing will be being prepared for everything that might come our way in the race weekends to come." 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. |
