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K&N Backed Speedtec Racing Team Wins 2011 Dutch Supercar Challenge

15 Nov 2011

The BMW driven by Nico and Peter van Vliet finished the season at Assen with a second and third place finish.

Dutch Supercar Challenge team, Speedtec Racing, competed in 16 races over the course of eight weekends, on historic tracks such as Hockenheim, Donington Park, Assen, Zolder and Spa. At the completion of their highly competitive season the team has marked an impressive nine podiums, four of which were wins, without a single DNF.

In the last race of the season at Assen the Dodge Viper GT3 driven by Diederik Sijthoff set the Dutch Supercar Challenge lap record.

"We are very happy to win the championship after developing the Viper from a standard GT3 to a GT1 worthy car over the last few years," Speedtec Team Manager, Robert Bleijenberg told K&N News. "We are also very very satisfied to have a 100% finish rate, as that is fundamental for winning this championship."

The K&N sponsored team ran two cars in the Supercar Challenge, the Dodge Viper GT3 driven by Diederik Sijthoff, and a BMW E46, driven by the team owner's sons, Nico and Peter van Vliet. For Speedtec Racing the championship battle came down to the last race weekend at TT Circuit Assen, located in Assen, Netherlands.

In the last race on Sunday Sijthoff only needed to cruise to a third place finish to lock up the championship over his closest rival a Corvette C5R.

"We started the weekend with two free practice sessions to set-up the car and try to find a good balance for the races and for the qualifying session on Friday afternoon," explained Bleijenberg. "After a few long runs we were very satisfied with the handling of the car. It improved a lot from the last time we were at Assen circuit.

Driving on a new set of soft tires Sijthoff posted a 1:37:50, nearly a second quicker than the car had ever rounded on the circuit. "We were feeling really good after qualifying," added Bleijenberg. "We got a 1:35:8 out of the car, which was a lap record for the Dutch Supercar Challenge, and 1.5 seconds in front of the second place qualifier."

Although the BMW team experienced engine problems mid-season, and they raced in a borrowed car the last two races, they still finished the year with five podiums and sixth place in the championship.

In the first race on Saturday Speedtec grabbed the lead after only a few laps, holding on to the lead until the pitstop. The series awards penalty seconds in the pitstops based on results from previous races, and since Speedtec won the previous weekend at Spa they spent 15 extra second in the pits. There's a penalty of 10 seconds for second place, five for third, and so on.

"Because of our penalty seconds from the Spa race we came back on the track in P2 after the pitstop, our main rivals also had some penalty seconds and were behind us," said Bleijenberg. "We were catching up with the leader again when we found out that we received a drive through penalty for too short pitstop. It wasn't a big problem, as we came back in third position just behind P2. And because our main rivals for the championship were in P5 we didn't push too hard and finished in third. For Sunday we could now finish three places behind the Corvette C5R and still be champion."

"The Sunday race was in the afteroon as well and it was nice and sunny, but with a temperature of 14 degrees it was quite cold. So a very quick track," said Bleijenberg. "We started at P3 and were able to take the lead at the end of the first lap." Yet, as on Saturday, the Viper came back on the track in third after more penalty seconds during the pitstop. However with about ten minutes to go the corvette suffered a suspension failure and it all became a moot point. "We slowed down some more to not risk to breaking anything and finished P3 again," continued Bleijenberg . That made us champion with a 100% finish over the 16 races. So a brillant season. And we would like to thank K&N and all our sponsors, suppliers, mechanics, drivers and everyone else that contributed to this championship.

The BMW driven by the Nico and Peter van Vliet had a good weekend as well. The brothers were driving the same borrowed car they used in Spa. "The car qualifyied well with P4 and the drivers were still getting to know the car," said Bleijenberg. "The races went very good as well, with P2 on Saturday and P3 on Sunday. A shame we had some engine issues in the middle of the year, so we had to retire in a couple of races. In the end the brothers took five podium finishes and sixth overall in the championship. So still a very satisfying season in the end."

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TORC Rookies Menzies Motorsports - Earn Most Wins in 1 Season & 2 Championships

15 Nov 2011

In dramatic fan pleasing fashion veteran off-road racer Ricky Johnson drove the No. 48 Menzies built PRO-4 to a 2011 championship in the last race of TORC season.

Cycle Ranch Motocross Park in Floresville, Texas was the venue for the final round of the 2011 Traxxas TORC (The Off Road Racing Championship) series. This was a brand new track with even more challenging obstacles, and a full-house packed with off-road savvy fans looking for action, and the racers didn't let them down. After the last checkered flag ended the tumultuous season, Menzies Motorsports had amassed the most wins in a single year for the team to date, and two championships. Ricky Johnson locked up his PRO-4 title with his sixth victory of the season, and Bryce Menzies concluded his championship run in PRO-2 by winning his seventh race of the year.

Rookie Bryce Menzies continued to gain the respect of drivers as he repeatedly found the top of the podium all season in PRO-2.

Menzies Motorsports entered the 2011 TORC season as rookies to the series, yet they clearly left an indelible mark on the race year. Bryce Menzies continued to gain the respect of drivers as he repeatedly made it to the top of the podium all season in PRO-2. In his first race on Saturday Bryce found himself in a two truck battle with Jeff Kincaid. The two separated themselves from the pack leaving everyone else to battle for third. As Jeff and Bryce made their way down the straight into the last turn, Bryce got around Jeff and closed the door coming out of the last turn. Bryce held the lead coming down the front stretch, where thrilled fans lined the fence and cheered him on. It was Bryce's second win in a row and it sealed his 2011 PRO-2 title.

In his inaugural TORC season Bryce Menzies earned the title with seven race wins.

Sunday's race came a little easier, as Bryce rolled the bright yellow wheels of the championship winning truck from his sixth place starting position, all the way to first in just one lap, and that's where he remained all the way to the checkered. "This was an incredible year! I have to give it up to my crew; I would not have been able to pull this off without them. This was a year I will never forget and I also want to thank Rob, Chad and all the drivers out there for giving it their all too. I am proud to share the podium with some of the best off-road drivers out there," said the K&N sponsored driver.

Ricky Johnson claimed the 2011 PRO-4 title with six total wins.

Veteran off-road racer Ricky Johnson drove the No. 48 Menzies built PRO-4 to many wins throughout the 2011 season, but it all boiled down to this weekend between rival Johnny Greaves. Ricky put the Menzies/Red Bull PRO-4 on the pole for the start of Saturday's race, and when the green flag dropped it was a drag race between Ricky and Johnny going into turn-one. Much to the delight of the fans the two knocked fenders and bumpers the entire race.

With only a few laps to go, and Ricky understanding how much he needed this win, the veteran put the pedal down. Setting up his lines perfectly Ricky waited for Johnny to make a mistake, which he did when he over-rotated going into the last turn, handing Ricky the final lead to the checkered. With that win the two were now tied in the series and Sunday, the last race of the season, would now determine the champion.

Bryce locked up the PRO-2 championship on Saturday with his thrilling come from behind victory.

Ricky and Johnny showed up at staging on Sunday with their game faces on, both ready to leave it all out on the track. It all came down to this. The 2010 defending PRO-4 champ ready to defend his title and Ricky Johnson, new to the PRO-4 class, ready to take title for himself and the Menzies Motorsports team.

Starting side-by-side, but towards the back of the pack, were the Red Bull and Monster Pro-4 trucks exploding towards the start and as soon as the flag dropped. Scott Douglas hit turn one first with Johnny and Ricky right on his rear tires. Johnny lost control barreling for the lead and nearly took Scott with him, leaving the lead wide open for Ricky. The K&N sponsored driver took hold of the race and never looked back. Ricky claimed the 2011 TORC series PRO-4 Champion before the race even ended, as Johnny had to retire with a broken truck. Ricky walked away with the title and he also swept the PRO-4 class.

After winning the final round against his chief rival, Johnny Greaves, in a fan pleasing, door-banging race that was indicative of how the entire season rolled, Johnson said, "This is one of those moments that I'll remember for my entire life."

Next up for Menzies is conquering their first ever SCORE Baja 1000, where Bryce Menzies will have one more shoot at another 2011 championship.

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K&N's Janice Swan Puts a Period on Season With Super Comp Final at Indy Fall Classic

15 Nov 2011

Janice Swan's 2007 Super Comp Rooman dragster

When the time comes for each racer to "put 'em away" for the season, it's a little less bitter when you can do so after making a final during your last outing for the year. Janice Swan, of Mooresville, Indiana was able to do just that during her final outing of the season when she put her 2007 Rooman dragster into the Super Comp final for the NHRA Div 3 Fall Classic National Open at Lucas Oil Raceway outside of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Janice Swan made it to the Super Comp final for the NHRA Div 3 Fall Classic National Open at Lucas Oil Raceway.

While the National Open does not provide competitors the opportunity to earn any form of championship points, it does give drivers in the NHRA Division 3 area a final chance to earn a precious national event grade point all while having some late season fun. Swan noted that during the first part of the two-day race, there was quite a lot of wind to deal with. "It was a crosswind, so it was quite hairy on the top end," she explained. "You just had to be ready for it. Down track it moved you to the wall, if you were in the right lane especially. So it was really hectic. It got your attention, that's for sure."

Time runs for the classes were held on Saturday and Swan was pleased with her passes. "Everything went really smooth and actually, I was driving my dad's Opel in Super Gas as well," she pointed out. "He had injured his back, so I was driving his car, too. We were really more focused on the Opel and the motor broke in the first time trial. It was my first time ever stepping into a door car, so I had been so looking forward to it that when it broke, I was really bummed. It was really supposed to be dad running my dragster and me his car, just so we could have a change of pace. Since it was a non-points race, we would switch cars."

"The dragster, well it was of course the most comfortable of the two to drive," she added. "It just finally clicked that weekend. We really had a rough season this year. Either I wasn't on my game or the car had a glitch and couldn't get past second round. I was just really frustrated. So to come out and have good time trials and all the round wins was just a great way to end the season."

Come eliminations, Swan faced Chuck Ridenhour in round one. "The first round is always the most nerve-wracking, because you don't know what the track [conditions] is and it's really a guessing game. My husband and crew chief, who does such a wonderful job of setting me up. I always know I'm close to the number that we are looking for. I had Ridenhour, who is a good bracket racer. I'm always a little intimidated sometimes by bracket racers, because they are able to be out there racing a little more than I am, since I travel with my job. I felt good that I was able to drive the top end well that round with my 8.890 to his 8.886."

Swan again outdrove her competition in round two, on both ends of the track, and used her better reaction time to push Dennis Brown full hundredth under the index for an 8.911 to 8.890 victory.

"Third round sticks out for me in my mind, too," she confessed. "Chad Lamont bracket races and runs the Mid-West Super Comp Series, so going into that round I felt like they may be a little more on their game this season than I had been. I was able to cut a better light than he did and catch him rather quickly, since I had a little higher mile-an-hour car and just ride along with him to take the stripe on that round win, as well."

In her quest for the final round, Swan went on to beat Tony Quinn in round four, which earned her an ever-so-important semi-final bye. "I hadn't been in the right lane all day, so I thought it was a good idea to take that lane for my bye," she pointed out.

Swan would meet up with Danny Tool in the Super Comp final and was feeling very good about her chances at taking it all. "We flipped for lane choice and I ended up getting the right lane that I had just run for the bye. I had been good on the tree with my twelve and fifteen lights," she said thinking back to just before the final. "So I was feeling pretty safe. There was an alcohol car testing in my lane just before me and I thought for a moment, maybe I will grip better [off the line], maybe I should add a little more [delay] and then, no-no, I'm safe."

Her car was dialed very close, running an 8.906, but for Swan it was over in less than a blink of the eye by a mere two-thousandths of a second, the amount of time she fouled on the tree.

"It really was a good weekend and it's great to be able to put the car away on a good note like that," she said of her final. "You know you have that little extra momentum for next season. The winter will go a lot easier than if I had gone out first round."

Swan continues to be a huge fan of all the K&N products that she uses not only on her race car, but also the GMC diesel dually that transports them to and from the events. "We use K&N products on everything we have," she said. "I also have the K&N first generation composite scoop on my dragster that has its own K&N filter and tray. We have been using K&N for a very long time and they are such great people to work with, too."

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.

Bertrand Motorsports and Randy Cabral Win 2011 NEMA Title Their 3rd in Four Years

15 Nov 2011

(From Left) Bertrand Motorsport's NEMA success is based on communication between teammates Gil Bertrand (Tim's dad), Glen Cabral (Randy's dad), Tim Bertrand and Todd Bertrand.

History and dependable communication between the driver and team is how you win championships, claims Bertrand Motorsports team owner Tim Bertrand. Clearly Bertrand and his driver Randy Cabral are on to something, the dynamic duo have captured the Northeastern Midget Association (NEMA) driving champion for the third time in four years. Since teaming up back in 2006, the duo have in fact won 24 features, to put that in perspective, the team closest to them and their biggest rival this season, the Dumo's Desire team, with drivers Joey Payne and Russ Stoehr, is next with 14.

Randy Cabral celebrates victory with multi-time NEMA champion Dave Humphrey.

"People think it is equipment," says Bertrand, a driver himself until 2004, "But It isn't." He insists that it comes down to Cabral's experience and ability to be in touch with what he wants from the car as a driver, and his team's knowledge to set up the car through that communication. "We are always trying to make the car go faster," says Bertrand. "We think about set up all the time. Not a week goes by that we don't talk five times or more about the car."

It came down to consistency, brought on by the teams keenly honed communication skills, that helped them win the 2011 title. "Victory wise it was our worst season since 2006," said Bertrand. "But in terms of consistency we had nine podiums in 13 starts. Over the last eight races he (Cabral) was on the podium seven times.

"We really had good set ups wherever we went this year and we made adjustments once we got there," explains Cabral. "I drove better this year once the car got to handling, and that's because I was communicating better."

Cabral and Stoehr battled on, at times only inches apart in the final race at Thompson Speedway, yet Cabral remained focused on the big picture, avoiding contact and clinching the 2011 NEMA Title.

There's one other intrinsic ingredient that goes into making Bertrand and Cabral such a successful combo, they both simply love to race. They will tell you flat-out that point chasing and defending championships is not what they focus on. "This season we didn't pay attention to points, not even after we took the lead," declared Cabral. "This year was more about having fun."

And when talking about the last race of the season at Thompson Speedway's World Series, in which Russ Stoehr claimed the battle, yet Cabral won the war, Bertrand told K&N News "It was nerve racking to watch the two battle. At the time, I was more concerned about winning the race versus the championship. It's what I love about our team, regardless of the points; we are there to win every race!" Although Cabral set the fastest feature lap (18.076) at Thompson, Stoehr got the jump on him after the lap-19 restart, and he went on to win the 25-lapper.

Cabral and Stoehr fully understood what even the slightest bump would mean to them, yet the two battled on only inches apart. "Nothing was more fun than the last race," remarked Cabral. "I went to Thompson extremely excited and I wanted no one to fall out of the race. I wanted this to come down to a great race for the fans. But, I also never lost sight that if we bumped, I had the most to lose." Cabral added that he remained totally focused on the big picture over the final two laps.

"This one was the toughest one yet," commented the K&N sponsored team owner, regarding his third championship title. "The Russ Stoehr/Dumo's Desire team are on their game at all times, and they came out of the gates with three wins early in the year, while we had a DNF during the first three races due to a broken spark plug, the only DNF this year. We thought we were out of it."

"We are all done for the year," concluded Bertrand. "We do indeed plan to defend our title for 2012. The cars are all apart, down to the frame already, and they will be back together before February. We'd like to be testing as soon as the snow thaws!"

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Kent Ladners Custom Red 1955 Plymouth Belvedere Shines at 2011 SEMA

14 Nov 2011

What catches your attention after the paint job is that the SEMA 1955 Plymouth Belvedere appears to rest on the ground.

The sweet red 1955 Plymouth Belvedere drew people to the Meguiar's Car Crazy TV booth at SEMA like bugs to a flame. The tantalizing red paint so delicious from afar you could almost taste it with your eyes. Once you get up close the next thing you notice is that Plymouth's body appears to rest on the ground, yet on even closer examination, "I'd have to say the onboard computer system is what most people remember," Kent Ladners told K&N News. "The car was built without the use of any switches. There's no key, no window, light, or any other kind of switches in the car at all. Electrical is easily my specialty. That's all I do at work all day. I'm also well versed in suspension and metal fabrication too, but there's always more to learn."

The bright red paint on Kent Ladners 1955 Plymouth Belvedere drew SEMA fans for a closer look.

The 1955 Plymouth is Ladners fourth personal full-build custom vehicle and it clearly won't be his last. Ladners owns his own custom shop in Katy, Texas called Pistons N Pipes. His shop specializes in simple repairs, to one-of-kind, hand-made custom creations. Currently Ladners' day job is working for a local Chevy dealer as an ASE and GM Master Technician, but as word spreads and appointments mount, we suspect he'll be spending increasingly more time at Pistons N Pipes. Ladners says his inspiration for the dazzling red Plymouth was simple "To build something cool and bend a few rules along the way."

Like so many other custom builders, Ladners passion for cars grew from a childhood surrounded by them. "I've been around cars and motorcycles all my life, my uncle has been building drag cars and hot rods for as long as I can remember," he adds. "I built my first custom vehicle when I was 14; I am 33, so it's been 19 years now."

What visitors to the SEMA show remember about Ladners Plymouth is the complete absence of any electrical switches.

Ladners' work has had its share of accolades over the years too, having won many awards and several Best of Shows. His Plymouth for example was featured in Rod and Custom magazine and it was on the cover of Street Scene magazine, as well as in a charity calendar in Houston, and it was the featured vehicle in a Crime Pays video. Some of his past builds have been featured on the cover of Street Trucks, Truckin', Streetsource, and Phlat Out video magazines.

When listing what sort of modifications Ladners has done to his Plymouth it's easier to begin with what hasn't been modified. "There's not much that hasn't been modified in some shape or form," says Ladners. "I think the front turn signals, headlights and headlight trim is about it."

Regardless of how you view it Ladners' 1955 Plymouth Belvedere was a stunning show stopper at SEMA.

A good friend of Ladners was to taken by the extreme custom work on the Plymouth that he insisted Ladners contact K&N, figuring they would be impressed enough by his handy-work that they would feel it worthy of promoting their products. And they were, three months before the SEMA show K&N installers arranged to hook-up his ride with a full array of K&N goodies. Now when the car isn't at shows says Ladners "It mainly sits in my garage or the showroom at my shop."

The 2011 Las Vegas SEMA show is Ladners' eighth visit to the Specialty Equipment Market Association trade show, and he's without doubt a devoted fan. "I even got married during the SEMA show six years ago. My goals for the rest of this year and next year are to spend time with my kids, continue to grow my business, and to work on my current project when time permits for next year's show."

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