Kim Madrid Gets Win at Vintage Auto Racing Association Route 66 Classic Race
- Mar 19, 2010
At the recent Route 66 Classic, held on the 2.88-mile road course portion at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, Madrid dominated her class. Having set the fastest time during the morning session, Madrid started the afternoon Qualifier Race on the pole. She went on to win that race, beating second place finisher, Dietmar Bauerle, her engine builder, by a narrow .0804 of a second. That was funny," remarks Madrid. "Bauerle only runs one race a season and that is at Auto Club Speedway. That seems to be the race that I am the most pumped up about. He probably also has the most experience of anyone racing Formula Vees. He has been involved with the Vees for over 20 years. I do like racing when he is there though, because when things happen to the motor, he is there to work on it. When he is not racing I am the one that has to do the work."
A friend of Madrid's told her about VARA while she was still racing a Mazda RX7. I wanted to switch to open wheel cars – I love the rush," says Madrid. "I made the decision to buy a Formula Vee because I am racing on a budget. The Vee class is a spec class that tends to show your ability more. We all have the same motor, tires and set up. I love the competition in this class." The race weekend at Fontana went exceptionally smooth for Madrid, after Friday's two 25-minute practice sessions, no major repairs were required. "Saturday was an awesome race. Very close and very exciting. So much so that when I was trying to get to the pits, I had so many people in there, that I couldn't even get my car under the EZ up sign next to my K&N Flag. I thought my husband and son were going to tackle me after I got the victory. I was on a high all night. We did our traditional BBQ for all the Vee drivers, my husband Rudy is the chef, and everyone was having a blast." "Sunday morning we had one morning practice for 15 minutes. It was very wet and slippery due to all the rain on Saturday night. We went back and forth between slicks or treaded tires due to the weather. We ended up running the slicks. The weather held out and it was a dry fast track." Madrid started on the pole again and had an incredible start. "I was out in front all alone and led for seven of the ten laps, then on lap eight, going into turn four, I spun for some reason. I keep watching my car in the video to see what I did and I can't figure it out. I did get passed by one Vee but ended up getting second place over all and second in class. Go Figure," adds Madrid. "I am so thrilled that K&N has decided to sponsor me. Thankful is more like it. Racing on a budget is tuff. I have always used K&N products on all my racecars and streetcars. Both of our Vees use K&N air and oil filters. I love the fact that I am going to be promoting K&N at races and car shows that we attend." This season Madrid plans on running in all of the VARA races, plus one extra vintage race held at Laguna Seca. That one is a Historic Motor Sports Association (HMSA) event held on the 24th and 25th of April. And, leading up to that race Madrid will compete with her friend Greg Monise, in his Austin Healy Sprite, in a two-hour Enduro race on the main road course at Willow Springs, on April 10th and 11th. 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. |
