K&N October 2015 calendar model Katie Vernola used her modeling career to save money for a Polaris RZR 900 and begin racing |
After a few turns and a huge step up Jump, Katie Vernola drove her way into second place in the 2016 WORCS Series Round 1 Women’s SxS class with her K&N equipped RZR 1000 |
2015 K&N Calendar model Katie Vernola works modeling jobs as an easy and fun way to earn money. However, a more serious passion of hers emerged after attending a Lucas Oil Regional Off-Road Series race as a spectator. Katie said, “It was love at first site, and I immediately wanted to be able to race the next race in the Polaris RZR 900 Production class.” This was 2014 and at Round 1 of the 2014 Lucas Oil Regional Off-Road Series, in only her first race, Katie managed a top 10 finish.
Since that time Katie has begun competing on a national scale in the Lucas Oil Regional Off-Road Series, Terracross, and the World Off Road Championship Series (WORCS). January 14, 2016 saw the 2016 WORCS season kick-off with Round 1 in Taft, California at the Honolulu Hills Raceway. K&N Filters sponsored racer Katie Vernola took the WORCS Round 1 race as an opportunity to debut her new # 72 Polaris RZR 1000 side by side in the Women’s SxS and Pro SxS classes.
Katie Vernola got her 2016 racing season started with a bang, both literally and metaphorically speaking, with a rear-end collision ruining Katie’s Polaris RZR exhaust system |
Katie Vernola got her 2016 racing season started with a bang, both literally and figuratively speaking. In the Women’s SxS class Katie started the race from the far outside of eight other women. Coming out of turn one Katie had moved into fifth place. After a few more turns and a huge step up Jump, Katie drove her way into second place. Power steering issues in her previously un-raced Polaris RZR 1000 gave Katie trouble and forced her to shut off the RZR multiple times. This resulted in Katie swapping positions back and forth between 2nd to 4th places. Unfortunately, the literal bang, a result of being rear-ended, ruined Katie’s exhaust system and her hope of finishing well in the women’s class.
Katie Vernola got the WORCS Pro SxS race started with an impressive launch off the line heading into the first turn in second place behind of the wheel of her Polaris RZR 1000 |
Not to be discouraged, Katie limped her K&N Filters equipped Polaris RZR 1000 back to the race pits to make repairs in preparation for the Pro SxS WORCS class. “I’m bummed I didn’t have any luck in the race so I went back to the starting line to race the Pros SxS class next. I barely had time to gas up but I was eager to get back out on the track and give it another try,” Katie recalled. Katie got the Pro SxS race started with an even more impressive launch off the line than in the Women’s SxS class. Heading into the first turn following the start of the Pro race Katie found herself in second place. But once again Katie’s race ended early with a bang, probably more of a snap in this case, when her Polaris RZR 1000 suffered a broken suspension A-arm.
Afterward Katie Vernola remained positive saying, “It was my first time driving the new build so I’m happy with the overall outcome of how the RZR handled. This is not the way I wanted to start the season, but I know exactly what I need to do to win round 2.” Katie’s day ended early, twice, on account of mechanical troubles. Her troubles were nothing rare in the world of off-road racing, and fortunately K&N air filters and K&N oil filters kept Katie’s Polaris RZR 1000 engine running smoothly. Use the K&N Search By Vehicle tool to find K&N performance upgrades for Polaris RZR side-by-sides, or another vehicle. Then take advantage of the K&N Dealer Search tool to find a local authorized K&N dealer. |
