Latest News

Toni Elias was the speedster of day one of the Dunlop tire testing at COTA (Photo: Brian J. Nelson)

The stars of the K&N-sponsored Yoshimura Suzuki Superbike Team took turns posting blazing-fast times in the testing on the Austin, Texas, track. COTA will host round one of the MotoAmerica Superbike series.

On day one of testing, last year's COTA winner Elias topped his teammate Hayden by .556 in the final session. Elias claimed the overall best time, but the Spaniard was not totally satisfied with the feel of the front end on the new factory Suzuki.

“Today, I don't feel comfortable but I had the perfect lap,” Elias said. “The team worked hard and we improved, but I'm still missing some front information. With brakes, without brakes, it's the same feeling and we need to work on that."

Elias (left) and Hayden show off the new GSX-R100 at COTA testing (Photo: Brian J. Nelson)

“It was nice to get a dry day in and get to learn more about the bike,” said Hayden. “We tried out a lot of things. Some were positive, some weren't, but we were pretty fast all day and that's good. We're always looking for a little more, but we were always toward the front every session and the bike, for me, is getting more comfortable.”

Hayden was the story of the circuit on the second day of testing. Not only did Hayden garner the fastest time of the day, but he did it with the fastest time a MotoAmerica Superbike has ever posted at COTA. That time of 2:08.305 on the 3.4-mile track edged out Elias’ second-day time of 2:08.432.

While both Elias and Hayden agree that there is much work to be done before the first race, the pre-season success of the Yosimura riders on the new Suzuki GSX-R1000 is very encouraging going into the 2017 campaign.

Day Two 2017 Dunlop Preseason MotoAmerica Superbike Test Results:

1. Roger Hayden (Suzuki) 2:08.305

2. Toni Elias (Suzuki) 2:08.432

3. Cameron Beaubier (Yamaha) 2:08.827

4. Josh Hayes (Yamaha) 2:09.696

5. Bobby Fong (Kawasaki) 2:09.745

6. Kyle Wyman (Yamaha) 2:10.521

7. Josh Herrin (Yamaha) 2:10.627

8. Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) 2:10.977

9. Jake Gagne (Honda) 2:11.122

10. Cameron Petersen (Kawasaki) 2:11.506

Jake Hodges, son of K&N's Travis Hodges, took a class win in March at Irwindale in SECDA Jr Dragster

To those of you unfamiliar with Junior Dragster, think of it as a miniature Top Fuel dragster with no wings and powered by a lawnmower engine (wait, there’s more). The cars first appeared in 1998 in New Zealand, with the NHRA taking on the class in 1991.

SCEDA divides drivers into three classes: 6-9, 10-12, and 13 and up. All races are conducted on an 1/8th mile course. Jake is running in the first group.

Young drivers starting out must use a factory-sealed Briggs & Stratton 206 crate engine with a slide valve to reduce power. Then things open up. Drivers age 8-9 cannot exceed an ET of 11.90, drivers 10-12 years old are limited to a 8.90 ET, and 13-17 year-olds can clock up to a 7.90 pass, which sets a trap speed of about 85 mph. Both male and female drivers compete on equal terms, and drivers can share a car to reduce costs.

Jake Hodges working on his staging skills, especially important as Jr Dragsters run only 1/8th mile

Once you move out of the starter class is when things get interesting. The cast-iron Briggs & Stratton is sold off and a highly-tuned aluminum replica of the B&S motor is installed at the cost of anywhere from about $1800 to $6500. Put one of those in your mower and see how fast you can finish up the yard.

The K&N RX-4020-1 X-Stream Filter provide extra surface area and better direct airflow

But despite that fact that Travis’s day job is looking after Steve Williams’ (K&N Chief Engineering Officer) Super Comp dragster, he didn’t push son Jake into the sport. Jake initiated going out to watch some races and then wanted to take some single car test passes to see if he liked it or not.

And Jake seems to like it okay. In fact, at the SCEDA race this March at the Irwindale Speedway 1/8 mile dragstrip, Jake took home the first place trophy in his 11.90 class. We’re all rooting for Jake as he takes on the rest of the SCEDA season and hopefully brings a second-generation championship home to the K&N Filter family.

Matt Hancock is flying high in third place overall in WORCS Pro SxS

The K&N-sponsored UTV racer piloted his Polaris RZR to podium finishes in both the Pro SxS and Pro Stock classes. That kind of consistency is what championship runs are made of. “I needed the points,” said Hancock. “It’s still early in the year and we’re looking for a championship.”

K&N is a proud sponsor of Hancock's racing efforts in WORCS SxS

“One, two, and three were all non-turbo cars which is pretty unreal,” said Hancock, who ran a non-turbo in Havasu. “This track doesn’t provide a huge advantage for the turbo cars.”

Hancock’s teammate, Gareth Dihel had a stellar, while slightly less consistent race weekend in Lake Havasu. In a doubleheader round for the amateur classes, Dihel won the first of the two SxS 1000 Stock events on Saturday. He finished 15th in the second race staged on Sunday.

Hancock (left) on the podium in Havasu with a second in Pro Stock

“Everything went really well on Saturday,” said Dihel. “A lot of people frown on this course because it’s so rough, but I like Havasu. It’s in a really cool area and I like that people can see a lot of the course.”

Dihel’s now leads his class championship series by 11 points on the season.

Next on the schedule for Hancock and Dihel is the WORCS race in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Orleans Arena.

Tight track conditions made for some great racing in Georgia (Photo: Ken Hill)

Course assessment is a vital first step in the racing effort of every round of the GNCC. “Upon, arrival Friday afternoon, I began walking the course,” said Phillips. “It was shaping up to be great weather; sunny and mid 70s."

“The course had a mix of everything such as tight wooded sections, clear cut fields, rocks, and even a couple of muddy areas,” Phillips continued. “A few spots were extremely tight and it would be a chore to squeeze my Renegade through.”

Phillips put himself in an early-race bind with a mistake on the first turn. “When the green flag dropped I rocketed forward and ended up spinning out into the first corner,” Phillips said. “This was less than desirable, but I kept pushing forward and worked up to 6th after completing lap one.”

The salvage work was not done. Phillips raced his way back into an entertaining mid-pack battle for position.

Phillips roosted his way back into contention after a bad first turn (Photo: Ken Hill)

“By the checkered flag, I had to settle for 5th in 4x4 Pro and 7th overall.” Phillips said. While not the finishing position that Phillips would have liked, fighting back for a solid points finish is a positive.

The next round of the GNCC holds some added intrigue for Phillips. “April 8th we will be racing in Morganton, North Carolina, for the fourth round of the GNCC series. This is also my home track and we are looking forward to another great race here. Thanks for everyone's continued prayers and support!”

Pulley was flying high in Atlanta before he was grounded by a dastardly rock

At nearly the midpoint of the Supercross season, Pulley has seen the lows and the highs in consecutive races. In the Atlanta, Georgia, stop of the series, Pulley went into the race weekend with high hopes. However, those hopes were rocked…literally.

“The Atlanta SX started out well. After the first qualifying practice, I was sitting within the top 40,” Pulley said. “But unfortunately in the first lap of the second practice, I had a rock get caught in my chain and it ripped my countershaft through my cases, destroying my transmission and entire bottom end of that motor. So that left me out for the remainder of the night.”

Pulley's 450 engine shows the damage of the Atlanta race

“I qualified 36th on a bone stock 250F in the 450 class. I rode a stock 250F because it was the only bike I could find to borrow for the race due to my motor issues the weekend prior,” Pulley said.

In the night show, the bike's power limitations hampered Pulley’s effectiveness on certain track features.

Pulley's positive attitude smooths out the ups and downs of the Supercross season

Pulley is optimistic that he will reach more main events when he is back on his 450. He said, “I know if I ride the 450 the way I rode this 250 last night, with that same aggression and intensity, we will be reaching more goals in no time!”

K&N will be right there supporting David Pulley in his pursuit of more Supercross career goals. “Thanks so much for all the support,” said David. “I wouldn't be able to do all this without your help!”