The store will not work correctly when cookies are disabled.
We use cookies to make your experience better.To comply with the new e-Privacy directive, we need to ask for your consent to set the cookies. Learn more.
Steve Bucaro's SEMA featured 400cc Pilot Class Buggy
Steve "Wheels" Bucaro is a growing personality in the off-road racing world. Wrapping up a 2012 season with multiple 1st place finishes, the rear bumper of Steve's 1989 400cc Honda Pilot FL440 is becoming a common site for other racers. At the 2012 SEMA show in Las Vegas, Steve's buggy allowed spectators a rare view of seeing it close up and from the front.
400cc Pilot Class Buggy at SEMA
"I had started and run Check Me Out Customs doing retail from home...but my dream has always been to race," said Steve. "So I bought something I could afford and didn't have to modify to drive." Bucaro is also a 14 year veteran of the SEMA show and no rookie when it comes to building custom trucks. "Building a SEMA vehicle is awesome as well as stressful," said Steve. "I think I've gotten more experience as the years go by. Having been the only person in a wheelchair out there building trucks has put me on the map. I enjoy trucks and whether its air bagged or lifted, just trucks!"
Steve Bucaro's LOORRS Pilot Class Buggy at SEMA 2012
Bucaro is currently working on a project 1999 Chevy Dually and upon completion is expected to be featured in Truckin' Magazine. Steve's Honda Pilot also received some great press coverage and feature in the November 2012 issue of Sports ‘N Spokes, a magazine for adaptive sports and recreation.
One of the most important elements in racing is proper vehicle maintenance and when asked what products Steve Bucaro uses, he replied K&N. "My first K&N filter was in my first car in high school," said Steve. It was the best out there, more performance, more power, lifetime warranty, never had any issues, and [I] won't ever use anything else!" "I have and only ever will use K&N air and oil filters on everything from my daily driver to a show [car] to my race cars! My mom and girlfriend's cars even have drop in's in ‘em! K&N is simply the best out there!"
Bucaro has been making a serious name for himself in the off-road racing circuit and has high aspirations for 2013. "My goals in 2013 are to make the next step up into a SR1 Rhino and race the LORRS series in So Cal and try to climb my way to the top." Steve is also looking forward to building his tow rig for the 2013 SEMA show and racing season. "I'd like to thank everyone who has helped me and stood by me throughout my truck building and now racing career! These great companies that have awesome people working for them make it all possible for me to do what do."
Carl Renezeder won the 2012 season ending Challenge Cup at Firebird Raceway, it’s his second Cup in four tries
Saving the best for last – for the past four years the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing has done just that. The season finale Challenge Cup race, held at Firebird Raceway in Chandler, Arizona, featured combined classes duking it out, and it continues to draw more attention and larger crowds each year. And why wouldn’t it, it’s a formula deliberately set to deliver plenty of high drama and fantastic racing.
Although the Pro-4 and Pro-2 trucks may appear similar in size and weight, the variations in drivetrains and chassis usually spell about a second a lap difference, which is why the Pro 2s start half a lap ahead of the Pro 4s, and it’s also why the action heats up immediately from the get-go. The trick for winning the event is to make bold moves while staying clear of all the drama, which precisely fits into Carl Renezeder strike zone, and why his name is now engraved on the trophy for the second time in just four tries. Renezeder entertainingly demonstrated every aspect of the skill set he acquired during his 14-year tenure in his Lucas Oil short-course series to win 2012 Lucas Oil Challenge Cup at season ending show down.
Renezeder said his Pro-4 truck ran flawless during the opening laps of the race
“I’m pretty sure we could have had problems on all four corners of my truck during that race and I would have driven it the same way – I was in the zone,” explained Renezeder after passing 21 trucks on his way to his 104th career win and the $30,000 prize. “The truck was flawless in the opening laps. I could put it anywhere, and it worked. We did have a broken sway bar arm before halfway, but it didn’t ruin our day. I had so much fun driving today!”
The K&N sponsored driver finished out the points season the day before the Cup with a convincing win in Pro-4 and a disappointing eighth-place in Pro-2, landing him third and fourth in the points championships, respectively. Renezeder had his choice of running either his Pro-2 or Pro-4 truck in the Cup race and he went with the Pro-4 based partially on that win.
The carnage in the Cup race is infamous, and this year didn’t disappoint as only 12 of the 24 starters finished on the lead lap of the 20-lap event. Fourteen Pro-2s led the field, and Renezeder was the eighth Pro-4 starter, with only two trucks behind him at the drop of the green flag. The initial start had to be thrown out though when two trucks got together in turn three on the first full lap. Renezeder was disappointed in having to do a full restart after a fantastic start in his truck, but he was up to the task as he was able to restart well, and in only three laps he was past all of the Pro-4s in the field.
The Cup victory gave Renezeder his 104th career win and the $30,000 prize
Fans got every penny of their Challenge Cup dollar as they witnessed the master do his thing on the big stage. Renezeder’s most spectacular pass was the leap over the step-up into turn four, where he got around four trucks in one bold, calculated move. By lap ten he was in the lead with Pro-4 champion, Kyle LeDuc, close behind. Renezeder caught a lip on a jump out of turn one that just about ended his day and LeDuc as able to make a move around him for the lead. Unfortunately, on the very next lap LeDuc wasn’t as lucky on the same jump, going for a hard end-over-end ride that ended his day. Fortunately, he walked away from the wreck. Renezeder led the rest of the race, closing out the 2012 season with the big win.
“I’m so proud of our team,” Renezeder remarked. “My team, my family, my sponsors and all of the fans – they’ve been here every step of the way and this win is for them.”
The 2012 season didn’t start well for Renezeder, and by mid-season it didn’t show much hope for great improvement. But he’s an eight-time champion for a reason, and the final two events of the year showcased that. The team wrapped up the year with five wins in eight races, including the biggest race of the year, no doubt making the off-season much more bearable. They’ll look to pick up the 2013 season right where this one left off, with confidence and the ability to win.
Located in Pleasant Hill, California is a company devoted to building unique rides since 2008. Curt Hill, owner and builder of Hill’s Rod and Custom, has a lot of experience when it comes to customizing cars and trucks into distinct and awesome hot rods. "I personally have 18 years working in the industry at various shops," said Hill. "I started Hill's Rod and Custom four years ago and have been enjoying building different projects. I think my specialty is one-of-a-kind cars and the parts they are made of." For the 2012 SEMA show, Hill brought one of his newer creations, a heavily modified 1972 Chevy Blazer, built for the Alworth’s of Manhattan Beach, Ca.
SEMA Featured Chevy Blazer From Hill's Rod and Custom
"The theme of this Blazer was to appear stock at first, then at second glance all the little things would then set it apart from other stock Blazers," said Hill. "The idea was to have a low stance with coil overs and ride and handle like a Corvette." When asked how extensive the modifications were, Hill replied, "There is not one thing that is not been touched, painted, plated, or powder coated." "This Blazer is a true frame off build, starting with only the frame rails and everything made from there. The suspension, frame stiffeners, heat shields, exhaust, engine starting with a new block and built from there. The body got the full treatment with new paint and added moldings to make it a two tone like the trucks. The trucks were two tone but the Blazers were one solid color with the top white," said Hill. Curt also noted that the interior was a complete one-off design by Sid Chavers upholstery.
Curt Hill's 1972 Chevy Blazer Outside SEMA Building
Curt Hill's SEMA Chevy Blazer
"The frame was the most radical modification," reported Hill. "It was done in house at Hill's Rod and Custom in Pleasant Hill, CA. The reason the frame was so important [is] because it made the blazer frame super stiff." With Hill’s concept to take this street car and modify it to a race car, a strong and stiff frame was imperative to support a removable top which offered no additional strength.
Building such an extensive project for the SEMA show is certainly a considerable challenge. "It take[s] many long hours to get a vehicle up to the standard...that SEMA has risen to," said Hill. "Another important ingredient is to have the best parts in the industry on the vehicle to make it stand out from others." When asked which parts Hill’s Rod and Custom trusts, Curt told about his first car. "I have been using K&N products since my first car, a 1954 Chevy hard top. I would always put a K&N air filter because they are proven," said Hill. For the Blazer build, Hill used K&N air filter E-3029R. "I used the filter because it works; Brett the owner wanted it because it looks better than other white filters," said Hill. "...We spend so much on getting horsepower, it would be a shame to put a poor air filter on that takes power away!"
1972 Chevy Blazer at SEMA 2012
Optima Street Car Invitational Chevy Blazer at SEMA
Since its completion, the 1972 Blazer has received quite a bit of notoriety. "1st Place in its class at the Grand National Roadster Show Pomona, Sacramento Autorama, Goodguys Gazette Pick, Meguiars Magnificent Masterpiece, and ‘70’s Pick." "The blazer also competed in the Optima Street Car Invitational, and placed 23rd out of 52 cars," said Hill. As for upcoming exposure, the Blazer is scheduled to be on the February cover of Street Trucks. Hill is also looking forward to seeing the Blazer rack up some miles over the next year. "...It was meant to be driven and enjoyed be the owners. I also can’t wait to get other vehicles out that I'm currently working on for people to see."
Steve Alexander said the pre-filter on his new K&N air filtration system worked so well that the secondary filter remained spotless
“It felt great!” stated Steve Alexander, commenting on winning his third Class 5000 Championship in a row. Alexander locked up the title at the 2012 Bluewater Desert(BWD) Challenge in Parker, Arizona. The BWD Challenge is the fifth event in the six-race “Best in the Desert Racing Series”(BITD) and unlike the other five races that are either a long loop race, or a point-to-point course, the BWD Challenge is a two day multi-race format that combines the results from both days to determine the winners.
This was the third running of the Challenge and it’s rapidly establishing itself as a classic, must-attend, fall season event. The unique two-day format amounts to 150 miles of demanding desert racing, and allows for racers to fine tune their vehicles in-between for the second day of shoot-out style competition.
“No,” said Alexander to the question of whether he prepares differently for this event. “I prep the car every time as if it was a 1,000 mile race. I try not to leave anything to chance.”
Alexander won race one on Saturday with newcomer Kris Trajano as navigator
Race one, Saturday morning, the first heat left the starting line at 6:15am. Alexander Motorsports' car, number 5005, was to start in the third heat at 10:15am. Class 5000 would be running with Class 1000 and the 7200's. Alexander left the starting line dead last with newcomer Kris Trajano as navigator. After three intense laps through sand, silt washes and some killer whoop sections, and what felt like a hundred thousand turns (very technical course), Alexander finished first in class and 22nd out of 44 for the heat.
“Yes,” was Alexander’s response to the question of whether Trajano will be racing more with the team in 2013. “He proved to be very valuable as a navigator.”
Race two on Sunday followed the same schedule as race one. This time though Gavin Ferguson navigated. The course proved to be even more challenging on Sunday, as the whoops were now squared off, and some of the holes were so deep that car would nearly disappear at times. During the first half mile of the race the hits were so extreme that the car almost came to a stop on several times.
Although the Bluewater Desert Challenge course was rough, Alexander Motorsports’ new ICON shocks proved to be bulletproof
“But thanks to the unbelievable torque of the Wiks Racing motor along with the RC Trans prepped Mendeola, the car got on top of the bumps and powered through everything,” declared Alexander. “The Longero Motorsports front arms, together with ICON Vehicle Dynamics' shocks, proved to be bulletproof. After the race one photographer commented “the new front end works so good it's hard to get actions shots of you, the car just floats over the whoops. The new air filtration system with K&N Filters kept the motor running clean and powerful. The pre-filter worked so well that the secondary filter was spotless. The Mickey Thompson
'Baja Pro' tires once again ran without any flats as they ripped up the course.”
After two remarkable days of racing Alexander Motorsports not only finished first in Class and 14th overall in their heat for the weekend, but with one race to go in the 2012 Best in the Desert series the team had technically already secured the Class 5000 Championship.
The Alexander Motorsports car won first place in category Bugorama car show, and the Best Engineered Car in the show
“We still had to start the Henderson 250 to receive the Championship honors,” Alexander added. So even though all he had to do was to show up for the 250 to claim the title, but being the first-class competitor that he is, Alexander and his team simply went out and won that event as well for good measure.
For an encore, the following weekend after the Henderson 250, Alexander Motorsports entered their vehicle in the car show at the "Bugorama" held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Not only did they take first in their category, but they also received a special award for "Best Engineered Car" in the show.
“I am sure that had something to do with it,” replied Alexander to the question of whether his radically impressive looking suspension had anything to do with winning that honor. “We were taken by surprise when we received the special award though.”
The 2013 BITD season kicks off February at the Bluewater Resort and Casino Parker 425. Alexander adds, “We will be debuting or newest sponsor, General Tire, at that event.”
The BMW X6 body on the AGM's rig is certainly one of a kind in the Baja racing world
Racers are always trying to push the limit and develop new and exciting things never seen before. In 2012, Baja racing team All German Motorsports(AGM) did just that, and they did it successfully.
After years of competitive racing in the Class 1 buggy, AGM spent the break between 2011 and 2012 building a brand new trophy truck, built around the popular BMW X6 SUV. When teams enter the sports top division for the first time, it rarely finds success early, but the AGM team of owner/driver Martin Christensen, Armin Schwarz, Armin Kremer and Tony Miglini formed a team capable of winning in both of the premier classes of SCORE racing, and left the team with countless memories.
“I don’t know if there was any one particular moment (of joy),” said AGM’s Bryan Lyttle. “(It is) probably more of a general feeling. For instance, after the last Baja 1000, when the truck finished the 1,122-mile race without any suspension, chassis or transmission issues. We proved our concept and finally put some reliability questions to rest.
Baja race vehicles depend on a durable suspension to withstand the rugged terrain
“And with the pre-race suspension work Fox Shocks did, we saw a huge jump in speed, to the point where we were passing in areas that earlier in the year we got passed. It was cool!”
Of course, 2012 was not without some disappointment.
“You could say we’ve had more than a few of those this year, but I don’t wish I could take any of them back,” Lyttle continued. “Those issues were the ones that taught us the most. This has really been a learning year for us. Not only did we move up to trophy truck, but we decided we would do it in a completely new design, utilizing products and parts that did not exist before this project started.”
Despite building an all new vehicle, AGM had great success this year
But despite the challenges of fabricating a brand new machine, one that had never been attempted before, AGM persevered. The team also learned that it had some great friends in the business that provided their expertise and support.
“We were able to tap into decades of experience that our design partners (Jimco Racing, Meziere Enterprises, Fortin Racing, Fox Shocks, Schaeffler Group and Danzio Performance) have. I’m sure this greatly reduced the amount of headaches and shortened the length of time it took to get the truck reliable and competitive.”
Even with the best preparation, one can never expect what is to come out in the desert
Not only did the truck become reliable and competitive, it also gained notoriety world wide for its unique and innovative design, from the suspension and motor to the beautiful X6 body. The team never expected the design to be so popular, so fast, but they quickly learned that when you have a product that nobody has seen before, and prove that it can be successful, heads turn.
“As the year went on, we definitely noticed we were getting more attention. Quite a bit more than we had anticipated, in fact, especially in the European market. It’s kind of crazy to hear people say that they flew from all different parts of the world to come and watch a Baja race and just to see our truck in person. RCP and McGrath fiberglass deserve a big thanks for all their hard work in designing and fabricating the body. They are the ones that made our concept a reality.”
People come from all over the world to see AGM race in the desert
This season, American fans will also get their first look at AGM’s revolutionary vehicle.
“We are going to run the SCORE International Series again, competing in the San Felipe 250, Baja 500 and Baja 1000. But to mix it up we also plan on running a few races north of the border too. We hear that Casey Folks and Roger Norman both run very professional operations, so we’re thinking we might go run the Vegas to Reno race and the Rockin’ on the River race. Both sound like a lot of fun and lend themselves well to entertaining guests and sponsors with their close proximity to hotels and casinos.”
Lyttle also had this to say about AGM’s association with K&N Filters.
“Whether it be our product line or racing we are always striving to be the best and to do that you need to align yourself with the best people and use the best products available. With K&N we have found a partner that offers both. That’s why we are proud to say that we use K&N products in all of our race, chase and personal vehicles.”
