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Teddy Hodgdon's dream season included two separate track championships.
For Danbury, Connecticut's Teddy Hodgdon, 2011 is the sort of "out of this world" year about which most racers spend their entire career's dreaming. The best part is that Teddy's barely double-digits old, and this year completes his fourth year of racing. This talented 10-year-old clearly has big things ahead of him.
Teddy's win rate for 2011 was an incredible 45 percent.
"He matured over the winter as a driver and he is becoming more hands-on with the set up of the kart," his dad Ted told K&N News, "he really started to communicate with me about what the kart was doing on the track. He also started to think about race strategy, and think outside the kart during the race."
Communication and smart thinking is a recipe for success regardless of age, for Teddy they produced two track championships- one at Stafford Motor Speedway and the other coming last weekend at Twin State Speedway. The K&N sponsored kart racer took a 10 point lead into the last race of the season, making his 3rd place feature finish more than adequate to wrap up his second championship title for 2011. Overall Teddy notched 11 feature wins this year, giving him an unheard of 45 percent win rate.
Teddy's parents aren't merely highly supportive. They also keep him cool after his smoking hot season.
Two other key ingredients to Teddy's success are the confidence he has in his driving skills on the track, and the two supportive parents that help him keep things in proper perspective. "Teddy is feeling great after this season," said his father, "his mom and I have emphasized that racing is a game of highs and lows, so it's better to keep a level head."
Teddy's level head and racing perseverance will be on call next season as he moves into the much tougher Jr. Outlaw Kart Division for 11 to 14 year-olds. Teddy will barely be turning 11 at the start of the 2012 season.
"At this time we are still enjoying his dream season. He is just starting to think about next year," adds dad. "Next season will definitely be a challenge for him, because he will be the youngest driver in his new division."
Bringing his first SEMA project vehicle, Rob Barkley spoke with K&N regarding his custom Turbo charged 2008 Subaru WRX. "This will be my fourth year coming to SEMA and my first year that I have a vehicle in SEMA," reported Barkley. "I have always loved cars and I've modified every vehicle I have ever owned which ranged from Jeeps, trucks, Mustangs and Acura's to now the Subaru." Barkley went on to say that this car has been a work in progress for nearly 2 years and that he has been making modifications to vehicles since his first truck at age 15.
2011 SEMA Subaru WRX Project Vehicle
The WRX has been outfitted with these modifications:
KW Variant 3 Coilovers
Agency-Power Rear strut bar
Agency-Power Cat-back Exhaust system
Agency-Power catless uppipe/downpipe
Rotated mount GT3071R Turbo setup
Agency-Power front mount intercooler
Agency-Power manual boost control
TIAL 41mm wastegate with dump pipe
Agency-Power Fuel rails
Rob Barkley's 2008 Subaru WRX at SEMA 2011
800cc Fuel injectors
Walbro 255 LHP fuel pump
Agency-Power Pulley
Tuned by Travis Barnes from Snail PerformanceÂ
Dyno test - 462 hp 373ft/lbs Torque at 15.8psi
Custom White carbon-fiber looking vinyl with black cloth seats
Custom White Carbon-fiber looking vinyl with black suede headliner
White painted dash trim
JVC 7” Double-Din DVD/CD player with Ipod
Rockford Fosgate Components
2- 12” Rockford Fosgate P3 subs in a custom fiberglass box wrapped in white carbon-fiber looking vinyl and black suede- Designed and built by FeslerBuilt.com
1 Rockford Fosgate t1000.1 mono block amp for the subs
1 Rockford Fosgate T400.4 amp for the components
2011 SEMA Show Car Subaru WRX
"It is my daily driver. Although after SEMA it will spend most of the next year in a shop for an entire makeover," mentioned Barkley. " [I plan to] Do a complete overhaul on the Subaru and start on a new project. Mercedes Benz C63 AMG or a Nissan GTR [they] are my top two choices right now... but I change my mind a lot so who knows!" When asked about K&N products Barkley replied, "K&N products speak for themselves; they are a well known name that has always proven to be a better product than the rest." "I have used K&N air filters and/or air intake systems in almost all of my vehicles." Hi-Flow air filters and other K&N products can be found online at www.knfilters.com, or by contacting your local authorized K&N dealer.
Ryan Blaney in action at the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race in Phoenix
Ryan Blaney, making his NASCAR K&N Pro Series West debut, won the season finale at Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday, taking the lead on lap 104 and staying out front over the final 21 laps.
Ryan, the 17-year-old son of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dave Blaney, was making only the third K&N Pro Series start of his career. His other two starts came in the K&N Pro Series East. He started out in 4th and dropped all the way to 11th place in the Casino Arizona 125 before his crew made adjustments at the midway break. Ryan took the lead for the first time in the race on lap 81 and held it for 21 laps. He battled with Alex Bowman over the last 55 laps of the race, but was able to stay out front for most of it. "It didn't start off looking so well, but it ended up good," Ryan said after the race.
Dave Blaney said he had no doubt his son was going to be a challenger for the win at Phoenix. "It's fun, no doubt," Dave commented. "I thought he was going to run good the whole time we were here. Like Ryan said, it didn't start out well, but it really got coming after the break. I was just going to be happy to see him get up there and race for it. It ended up where he was a good bit better than the rest of them."
Ryan Blaney said he started out the race with a tight car. Pole winner Greg Pursley and Daniel Suarez swapped the lead over the first 58 laps of the race. Ryan, meanwhile, dropped back in the field. "It got worse and worse that first segment," Ryan mentioned. "We dropped back to 11th before the break. (Crew chief) Trent Owens made great changes to free us up and help us turn a whole bunch through the center and that put us over the edge to beat the other cars there at the end. So, it was a great night."
Bowman, who was making his second career West Series start, took over the lead from Pursley on lap 59 and held it for 21 laps. Blaney moved past Bowman on lap 81. Bowman regained the lead briefly on lap 104, but could only hold it for one lap. Bowman ended up in 2nd place. "It's definitely not as successful as we would like for it to be," said Bowman, the 2011 Sunoco Rookie of the Year in the K&N Pro Series East. "Overall, everybody did a good job. It was definitely a hard fought race. We probably over adjusted just a little bit there at the break."
Ryan Blaney and team celebrating their victory in Phoenix
Chase Elliott, the 15-year-old son of Bill Elliott, was making his K&N West Series debut and finished in 3rd place. "For us to come out here, first race at this track and first race in the West, that was fantastic," Elliott said. "The biggest thing I look forward to from tonight is momentum for next year. We have a lot of good things going on at the shop back in Dawsonville (Georgia). We're really looking forward to next year. This is a heck of a way to end the season. Obviously, two spots better would have made it even better, but we'll take it and move on."
Pursley, the 2011 K&N Pro Series West Champion, led the most laps in the race with 51. But he crashed on lap 81 hitting the turn 4 wall and finished in 23rd place. "We got up there to race for the lead and I think the 25 car got in there a little deep, pushed up, got loose and got into us, got us into the wall," Pursley said. "I hated to go out like that. I thought we had a car to win there, but stuff happens. Can't complain about the season. We're the champion. Really can't complain."
Pursley won six races en route to his first K&N Pro Series West Championship. He had the title wrapped up last month at All American Speedway in Roseville. "Finally had some luck," Pursley said. "Last year, everything that could have went wrong, went wrong. Had no luck whatsoever. This year, it turned around. We just went on a winning streak there for a while. The guys have done a great job at the shop, giving me a great car every week, in and out."
The stacked start of the motorcycle GP endurance race
Anyone who has ever watched the movie On Any Sunday or has an affiliation with motorcycles knows what rigors constitute a grand prix motorcycle race. A grand prix race brings to mind images of vintage two-stroke motorcycles smoking their way through tight city streets, blasting off into country roads and into fast dirt racing segments. For most people motorcycle grand prix races are a thing of the past; something that some will never experience. While the combination of dirt and street courses in this format are becoming rare there is still one race that has been growing for 16 years - The Oklahoma Gold Rush Mid-America Grand Prix Championship. This race was created by Norm McDonald and friends and family, and is one of the last Grand Prix races alive in America.
Norm McDonald, an avid motorcycle enthusiast, grew up in Riverside, California and was one of the founders of K&N Engineering. When he left K&N and California he moved to Oklahoma to continue running his motorcycle dealership. He took part of his old California life with him and that was Grand Prix racing. He had grown up racing famous races such as the Lake Elsinore and Catalina Grand Prix and wanted to see them continue. Norm said that people in the Midwest had never seen anything like what he was about to bring to them. The dual surface racing provides an entertaining venue where racers are tested on their all-around skills on a bike and not just on component of racing.
Justin taking Sam and Norm's advice and 'backing it in'
The OK Gold Rush is a two day race based at the Hallett Motor Racing Circuit, just west of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The first day saw all the classes of racing motorcycles, quads, and side-by-sides on the course, and classes were split up by vehicle and skill level. With over 800 entries and 3,000 spectators it was quite a show. It started out with the team races, which were two-hour endurance races around a 10 mile loop.
Justin Rastegar, a K&N Product Specialist who attended and participated in the race said, "As a K&N employee I come to work these events and give product support to participants and spectators alike. At this race I was lucky enough to be able to participate in some of the most fun racing I have ever done. On the first day I teamed up with a rider Mark Olley who is part of MDS (Motorcycle Dealer Services) and Bell Helmets. He and I used his 2008 RMZ-450, freshly equipped with a K&N YA-2506XD air filter and KN-207 oil filter. Unfortunately for me, Mark entered in the pro class with the likes of repeat Daytona Sport Bike Champion Danny Eslick, AMA Motocross Champion Guy Copper, and many other riders that don't sit at a desk like I do all day.
A tight chicane on the short course
Like most GPs it was a dead start facing backwards so when the flag is dropped, the riders had to spin around and start their bike, then head straight at a single mound of dirt that shot you straight up in the air. Mark started us on the race and stalled it, letting the entire line get away from him. Once he got it going he made up for it by wheeling up the entire front straight and had people yelling, 'That must be that street bike champion kid!' After the first turn he had already made it to the mid of the pack.
After a lap he handed it over to me with no clutch lever which makes a bike pretty hard to ride. The pits were located on the street portion of the course so once you started you had about a mile of going flat out as fast as a 450 could take you on paved roads. With dirt tires you were in a controlled crash at every turn. Hitting speeds in excess of 70 mph on a dirt bike gets pretty squirrely, and to compound that issue this bike was covered in mud and very slippery. The street turned to grass and you didn't really slow down until you hit the motocross/endurocross section that was built with obstacles like jumps and mud pits. I thought the bike was too clean so I dropped it in the mud pit the first lap just to make things more realistic.
The obstacle course was followed by 8 miles of Oklahoma's finest single tracks. These were tight, but fast and technical sections through Norm's wooded property. The woods had event sponsors' banners placed all through them and when I saw the K&N banner, I crashed into a thick bush. Later in the race I didn't think things were hard enough with no clutch so I dropped it in the creek bed and broke off the front brake lever. Despite all my mishaps Mark was still able to keep us in 11th place.
Justin breaking away from the pack on Sam's YZF-250
This racing was extremely exciting because you could see drivers' and riders' skills in transitioning between racing mediums. I particularly enjoyed watching the side-by side races. A few of them ended up going end over end in brutal crashes but besides one broken leg, there were no serious injuries during the race and the promoters kept every one safe.
The next day solo races took place on the same long GP loop. Once they were finished with all the long course races, things transitioned to a short course race that was equal road and dirt sections. For the bikes this would be considered more like a supermoto course. Sam McDonald, Norm's son, sponsored me with his team K&N Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-250 with class C dirt track tires on it. After the side-by-sides and quads ran, motorcycles were up. In my qualifier I hit a fence post with my handle bars and almost went down but was able to qualify 3rd, putting me on the front grid.
Justin raises his trophy with a Miss Oklahoma contestant
I personally like shorter courses because I get a better gauge of my speed and time and on which sections I need to go faster. Sam McDonald, being a road racing champion, pulled me aside and gave me some pointers. He gave me a short lesson on controlled sliding on the road called 'backing it in in' (supermoto terms). Norm McDonald, 'The Big Boss,' also drove by on his golf cart and yelled, 'Get a better start!' With all the wisdom the McDonald family gave me I knew I had to do well. In the main event I started towards the middle of the pack but slowly picked people off until I was in 3rd again. I saw Sam around the last turn wave me on and that pumped me up to pull into 2nd. I thought I could reel in 1st place but before I knew it the race was over. After the race, getting to talk to Norm about making it to the podium was priceless.
Coming from California I never knew that the Mid-West could be as fun as it was. The OK Gold Rush was my first Grand Prix but hopefully not the last. For anyone that has the opportunity to go, I would highly recommend racing in one of the many classes they have to offer. Meeting the organizers and the participants alone was worth the trip and the icing on the cake was the big trophy I got to take home as a souvenir."
Roaring out of Ohio is Prince Racing with driver Jeriod Prince at the helm. This well-oiled machine of a team has had some very strong results in the 2011 season and looks to do the same in 2012. Recently K&N had the opportunity to ask driver Jeriod Prince about his team, his car, and what to expect in the future.
Jeriod leading during a daytime race.
What type of racing do you do?
We race IMCA type modifieds and we run in the USA modified and ARCA series.
What kind of racecar do you drive and what's your number?
My car is an Ellis chassis with a 358 cubic inch Chevy V8 and I'm number 9.
How long have you been racing?
I'm number 9 and I've been racing in modifieds for 6 years, but I've been racing since I was 9 years old. I've raced go-karts, sprint cars, and late models over my career.
How has your 2011 season been? What are some of the highs and lows?
We won the last race we ran at Sandusky Speedway! That was an awesome way to end the season, and we've been the fastest qualifier every week. 6th place was our worst finish all season and we finished 2nd 3-4 times. Our low of the season was when we got into a tangle with another car during one of the races. I had to bring the car in and get it fixed, but my team was awesome and got me back out on the track in no time. We ended up making it back up to the front of the pack and finished strong.
Jeriod taking the checkered flag at Sandusky Speedway.
What changes/hopes are you looking forward to in 2012?
We're planning to update the car with some more graphics as it's a pretty plain white right now. Our scheme is actually going to match the K&N colors pretty well. We're also in the process of building a new 400 cubic inch motor and hoping to run more ARCA races next season.
How long have you been sponsored by K&N?
This is our first full season with K&N as a sponsor and it's been a great relationship. Bob Harris is very helpful and supportive, even beyond our racecar to badging on our trailer and product for our other vehicles.
Jeriod, his team, family, and friends celebrating 1st place.
How have K&N products helped your racecar?
They're the best! It's super simple horsepower without sacrificing protection. The air filters help our car breathe better and make more power and the oil filters give us clean oil and lots of it. Having the 1” nut on the oil filter makes it really easy to remove too.
With a good portion of their finishes being in the top 5 and a new motor in the works, Jeriod Prince and Prince Racing are poised to be one of the top competitors in the 2012 season. Race fans should definitely keep an eye on this team as the New Year approaches.
