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14-Year-Old Prodigy, Mitchell DeJong, Races with K&N Filters into Future Stardom

3 Aug 2012

Micthell DeJong is no stranger to the podium and would like to make frequent appearances to the stage in the number one position

We don't like to throw the word "prodigy" around, but it's hard not to when talking about off-road phenom Mitchell DeJong. The 14-year-old continued his dominance over The Off Road Championship series (TORC), sponsored by Traxxas, with a win and third place finish at June's Red Bud Motocross Park in Buchanan, Michigan, and blazes head-first into the fray for the remainder of the series. Despite sporadic mechanical hurdles, ranging from a flat tire, to losing 3rd gear and a broken sway bar, DeJong still pulled away with a podium finish at the end of each round.

Mitchell DeJong drivers the black and red number 24 Buggy in The Off Road Championship Series

Of course, DeJong's recent wins come shortly after two 2012 Pro Buggy victories at Glen Helen Raceway and setting a new track record of 47.6 seconds during the Round 2 main event, besting the previous record by 0.3 seconds. Contrary to what one might think, Mitchell still isn't old enough to legally drive a car on public roads, which is typical for a 14-year-old Temecula, California eighth-grader with eighth-grader concerns, like homework.

When this Traxxas/Red Bull athlete's nose isn't buried in his schoolwork, you can find him working with his dad, Vince prepping his race vehicles, "I spend a lot of time at my parents business, DeJong Off Road Mfg.," DeJong explains. Proudly sponsored by K&N Filters, DeJong said, "The K&N Air Filters give me a lot of confidence. Being the youngest driver to be approved to compete in this class is really awesome and I hope to earn the respect of the other competitors on the track."

The consecutive wins at the first two rounds of the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Regional Series are only made more amazing by DeJong's lack of prior experience in Pro Buggy. New elements like turning brakes, foot pedal clutch, H-pattern shifting, and open wheels only seemed to stoke DeJong's excitement, exclaiming, "Pro Buggy is a blast to drive!" I'd say the biggest challenge so far would be going from the sequential shifter to the H-pattern shifter and the floor clutch."

Many hours go into the preparation of Mitchell DeJong's off road buggy with the help of his father

Nonetheless, the young gun remained undaunted, turning lap times at the Devore, Southern California track comparable to the class' more seasoned drivers. Of course, it only makes sense as DeJong's goals include becoming a race champion like Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Travis Pastrana, and of course, his dad. Goal-setting is key to DeJong's success, as he explained, "The first time I went out to the track for a test, I had set a personal goal to run the same times as the top competitors in the class."

DeJong wields an ironclad work ethic which has paid off in a succession of championships. DeJong started racing competitively from the age of five, proving his mettle on both pavement and dirt, from go-karts, to off-road modified trucks, to Legend cars. Within five years, DeJong has accrued, an amazing, 8 championship titles, including two Lucas Oil Off Road Championships, two Karting championships, and Off-Road wins at Lake Elsinore Motocross Park, Primm Desert and in the Traxxas TORC Series.

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.

K&N's David Rampy Wins 81st Career NHRA National Event

2 Aug 2012

David Rampey drives a red '32 Bantam roadster in the NHRA Competition Eliminator class

The amazing drag racing career for Piedmont, Alabama's David Rampy continues to play out at NHRA facilities across the U.S., where the dynamic professional sportsman racer broadens his win count on the NHRA National level to an illustrious eighty-one with his most recent victory in Competition Eliminator. The win came for Rampy in his trusty A/EA 1932 Bantam during the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.

With heat warnings in effect for the area during most of the event and temperatures soaring into the low 100's, combined with extremely high humidity, it wasn't the most comfortable event for participants to endure. "Well, ya know we are from the south, so we are supposed to be used to it," Rampy commented on the extreme heat that plagued the race. "But, I'll have to admit it was pretty ugly, that's for sure. We just tried to get inside as much as we could to stay cool."

K&N is proud to sponsor David Rampey, the veteran drag racer from Piedmont, Alabama

As many other racers, Rampy tries to position himself on the ladder for eliminations in a particular spot and for the Norwalk, Ohio event, he almost didn't get where he wanted to be. "The first runs, I had not run it wide open," he admitted. "So, I wasn't where I wanted to be after the first two qualifying sessions. I thought, man I hope we could move up, because as it turned out, if we would have stayed where we were, we would have had the number one qualifier second round and we didn't want that. So, on the final session we were able to pick up and move up to what I thought was a pretty good spot."

After moving up from the number eight spot to number five during the final session on Friday, Rampy set up to face Stu Sandhaus in round one during the most oppressively hot day of the event, Saturday. "I felt like the heat really played to our advantage," he said the multi-time champion K&N racer. "Our car does just not fall off in the heat like a lot of cars do. So, I just felt like we had a good opportunity there if we could just do our job."

Rampy skillfully drove his K&N Comp car to take just enough of the stripe over Sandhaus for the round one win, all while staying safely close to his index and not taking any Competition Index Control(C.I.C.) hit to carry into round two where he would face Steve Ambrose from Michigan.

"The heat seemed to work good for us on Saturday," he pointed out. "The track (temps) didn't really seem to give us too much of a problem, we did have tire shake a little bit, but we made an adjustment and it seemed to be pretty good from there. It actually surprised me that we were getting down the track as good as we were."

No matter was stage of your racing career, winning never gets old

Rampy used a .036 starting line advantage over Ambrose in round two, to easily take the win and secure a spot for him and his K&N Bantam Roadster to take part in Sunday's elimination rounds.

"A lot of people really struggled during this event," he said of his second round opponent. "I don't know if it was track for them or what."

Sunday's temps would remain warm, but nearly twenty degrees cooler combined with less humidity for the remainder of the event and the help that it would give the cars to pick up some E.T., was much welcomed by Rampy and his crew. "Well, the only problem about where I did end up qualifying was that I felt like he had the advantage over us," Rampy admitted of his third round pairing with Justin Rosen. "And if he ended up making a real good run, then we might be in trouble. So I was just hoping that he didn't, that he was really late on the tree or that he red-lighted or something. But just to outrun him, I just felt like he had the advantage over us."

The round played out to Rampy's advantage as Rosen had taken a .04 C.I.C. hit the previous day and would have to carry that into his round with the seasoned K&N champion. Rosen went for it on the line, in hopes of making up for his handicap and his .019 red light became favorable moment in Rampy's quest for the Comp Eliminator Wally.

"The key round for me during the race was the third round match-up," Rampy noted. "With him redlighting, I was able to get by clean (no CIC). We only qualified fifty-one under and that was about all we could go in that heat. But then when it cooled off on Sunday, I felt like we could go a fair amount faster, like fifty-six or fifty-seven under. The round with Brian Browell in the semi-finals was another one of those rounds that I knew was going to be tough, but they didn't seem to be having the best weekend with the heat."

Rampy used another huge holeshot win to send Browell packing in the semifinals and still stay way safe on his index as he sailed into the Comp Eliminator final.

While his car had been doing an outstanding job over the course of the event, it was Rampy's good, very consistent reaction times that seemed to be lighting up the big red "W" high atop the scoreboard in his lane during each of his rounds and without having lane choice in the final, he was hoping he would be able to keep up the pace.

"For some reason, we had been in the left lane all day," he explained. "I felt like the right lane, for one reason or another, might be a little worse. Somebody had actually asked me right before the finals, if I thought the right lane was slower. I told them that I didn't really see it in qualifying, but it had been several days since then and what blew me away was that all four of the Pro Stock cars, in the semi-final, blew the tires off and I could just not figure that out. Like what in the world was going on with those guys and the track conditions."

Although put in the other lane, Rampy stayed deadly consistent on his reaction times from the previous rounds and was only a mere two-thousands of a second slower than his last hit at the tree, but his final round competitor, Bo Butner, gave him a job to do at the far end of the track after posting a near perfect reaction time and nearly three hundredths quicker.

"I felt like he would be on time. Bo is a good driver," Rampy said. "I felt like I had a little cushion on him and that was my reason for not trying to hit the tree any harder and just try to stay right where I had been."

Rampy saved his quickest pass of the long weekend to secure the Competition Eliminator victory, doing so in his 135th NHRA National Event final round to take home his 81st Championship Wally.

"I just really appreciate all that K&N does for us and the quality of their products that helps keep everything going in all the conditions we run in," said the latest Comp Eliminator winner. "It was some pretty crazy heat this weekend and it's always nice not to have to worry about how our engines are being protected from one round to the next. I just feel like when you run the best that's available, you can just concentrate on your racing and that's why we protect both our Comp and Super Stock cars with K&N."

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.

From a Victim to a Victory - K&N Horsepower Challenge Sweepstakes Storybook Weekend

2 Aug 2012

NHRA Pro Stock drag driver Vincent Noble brought home a Horsepower Challenge victory and won brand new Toyota Tundra for Peggy Coleman

Each year, as part of the K&N Horsepower Challenge for the NHRA Pro Stock competitors, K&N Engineering also gives fans a chance to participate in all the action, both by having a say and voting for the eighth and final driver who will get to participate in the race-within-a-race, as well as a shot to win big for themselves.

For 2012, eight sweepstakes finalists were selected from the thousands of entries that poured in from all over the country. Each finalist was provided travel expense and event credentials to the NHRA national event at Summit Motorsports Park and once there they were paired with one of the NHRA Pro Stock K&N Horsepower Challenge contestants. Should their driver win the Challenge, they would become the proud new owner of a K&N Horsepower Challenge Edition Toyota Tundra.

When the drivers and sweepstakes finalists were paired prior to the commencement of the 2012 K&N Horsepower Challenge, Joplin, Missouri resident Peggy Coleman may have been the last to be partnered with a driver but that selection was about to pave the way into a dream weekend for the survivor of last year's devastating tornado.

"We had a lot of major damage to our home and to both of our vehicles," she explained of the severe weather's aftermath. "I had full coverage on mine, but we only had liability on Gary's truck. FEMA didn't do anything to help with his truck, so he's been driving it with all kinds of damage to it and everything we have fixed on it has been out of our own pockets."

"Years ago, I used to enter a lot of different sweepstakes and I never won diddly," she laughed. "After the storm, I didn't have internet for over a year. So when I did, I thought I would get back online and start entering some of these sweepstakes again. The K&N Sweepstakes was one of the very first that I entered."

Persistence started to pay off in a big way for Coleman when she was selected as a finalist, although she was quite doubtful for the too-good-to-be-true news and was quite reluctant to believe what she was hearing.

"The day the lady called me to tell me I had been chosen as one of the eight K&N finalists, I was in complete disbelief," she reflected on first learning of her soon to be very good fortune. "This lady was doing everything she could to convince me that it was legit. I just still did not believe it and thought it may be a scam, so much so, that when we got off the phone I did a reverse lookup of the number she called me from and then I finally realized that it was apparently real."

When the time came for Peggy and her fiancé to head to Norwalk, Ohio, she was extra excited to attend the NHRA national event, not only because it would be the very first professional drag racing event she had ever witnessed, but they were also looking forward to a vacation away from all they had been dealing with since the storms blasted through their home and lives.

"Just watching it and witnessing it, I was in total awe of all the power those machines have, period," she admitted of her experience. "When we were down close to the track and were able to take in all what the drivers and teams do, I just couldn't believe how these folks do this. I am most definitely a new drag racing fan, that's for sure."

"For him being that young and so humble and so sweet, I was just amazed," she pointed out of her first thoughts meeting Vincent Nobile. "He wasn't all macho or anything, such a nice young man and a great driver."

Peggy Coleman could not have been happier to be selected as a contestant in the K&N Horsepower Challenge

As Nobile went through the rounds, knocking down Allen Johnson and Mike Edwards on his way to meet up with Jason Line in the final, Coleman couldn't believe all the excitement that was building for the young driver from Dix Hills, New York that she was cheering on. So much so, that she lost sight of what was really at stake for her and her fiancé.

"It was all so much fun and everyone from K&N and Vincent's team were all so hospitable throughout the entire weekend," she continued. "Every round Vincent would win, I'd keep telling him ‘You're going to do it.' I was just so excited to be a part of everything that was going on, to be able to witness all of it from the starting line and to cheer him on and look for that big red "W" to come on in his lane. I actually got to the point that I forgot all about a chance to win the truck."

When it came time for the final matchup, Coleman and her fellow finalist were whisked to the top end of the track, where they stood in the back of a Toyota pickup to wait for the outcome of the championship round between Line and Nobile.

It was all down to the $50,000 on the line for the winning driver and a Special edition 2012 Toyota Tundra Double Cab, created by Toyota Racing Development (TRD) and K&N Engineering, for the winning finalist.

"We didn't get to actually see the final and the next thing you know, the race is on and we hear the cars coming down the track," she said. "The way we knew who won was by the handheld radio they had down there with us. They had told us before the round that whoever won was to stay in the back of the truck and the other was to hop down."

"Well, I was listening to all that was going on and who won and the other guy jumped off the truck. It was all happening so fast and I thought to myself, why is he jumping off the truck and what's going on," she laughed. "And they had to tell me a couple of times that Vincent won and I won and I just could not believe it."

When the word hit the professional pits of all that Coleman and her fiancé had been through over the last year, several teams spoke up and offered to pay any taxes that would need to be taken care of on Coleman's winnings. Once the Toyota Motor Company heard of the generous offers being made, they took it upon themselves to step up their involvement and made sure that Coleman would have no out-of-pocket expenses for her new custom truck.

"That just brought tears to my eyes," she said of hearing the news. "Just when I thought it couldn't possibly get any better. That just blew me away."

Coleman pointed out how grateful she was to K&N and to Nobile and his family for the entire experience. "When it came down to it, my mind was just not on the chance of winning that truck. To me it was going to be a great vacation, a chance to get away with all that is going on down here and it was even more than I could have expected. What K&N does by giving people this opportunity is amazing. We got to see and be a part of some great racing, we met some wonderful people from both K&N and Vincent and his team, which we won't soon forget. I can't begin to thank everyone involved in making this all happen for us."

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.

2012 Triumph Big Kahuna Triple Crown Named K&N Official Air and Oil Filter Supplier

2 Aug 2012

The Triumph Big Kahuna is eager to work with K&N filters, who was named as the official air and oil filter supplier for the series during 2012.

During April of 2012, racing fans showed up by the droves for the Triumph Big Kahuna Triple Crown at Road Atlanta, to experience what has been referred to by some as "one of AMA Road Racing's most exciting event weekends in recent memory".

"It was a great weekend," explained M1 Powersports CEO, Cameron Gray. "We had over thirty-thousand(people) show up over the weekend, and were very pleased. We had great racing, a huge vendor area, stunt shows, and a bunch of previous champions. It was a great kick-off for us."

With the first of three events behind them, M1 Powersports and the AMA Pro Racing are anticipating an event unsurpassed at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in the weeks to come. In fact, the Triumph Big Kahuna Triple Crown will roll into town on September 21 and continue to entertain racing fans and their families with a plethora of activities over a three day period, before concluding the event on September 23.

Those putting the production together are anxious for mid-September to roll around, to say the least, as this will be the first time that the AMA Pro Racing circuit has been to the speedway in almost two decades. The event promises to be a great one, and K&N filters will be amongst the enjoyment and activities as they have been named as the official air and oil filter supplier for a race that promises to entertain those with a passion for the sport.

M1 Motorsports, AMA Pro Road Racing, and K&N Filters will then begin gearing up and preparing for the final event of 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. In fact, folks can start marking their calendars for October 5-7 and plan to experience an action packed weekend at the NOLA Motorsports Park, a brand new facility that should prove perfect for such an impressive production.

Referring to the array of entertainment scheduled for the Triumph Big Kahuna Triple Crown, Gray said, "We always try to think outside the box, so it will be more than just a race. Our motto is "Come for the party, stay for the race". We've got tons of young, great racers and we've got old statesmen. The racing and the paddock is really strong. We strive to offer the full family experience."

With one of three races behind them, M1 Powersports and K&N filters are looking forward to the final to races of the Triumph Big Kahuna Triple Crown Series.

Referring to entertaining the youngsters, he continued, "We have a huge kid's area with slides, dump tanks, jump houses, and kids demo rides. We've got a petting zoo, a bunch of interactive displays, and monster truck rides for the kids and adults.

While M1 Powersports has obviously gone to the extreme to keep the youngsters occupied, they have also taken steps to ensure the adults have a weekend full of fun and entertainment as well. "We do concerts on the weekends and Friday night fan parties. We have Saturday night movie nights and host fireworks shows. You name it, we do it," ensured Gray. "We try to give the fans much more than racing. We want them to say, hey, I took a weekend out with my kids and it was fantastic."

Just as M1 Powersports is excited about the entire production at all three of the venues chosen for the Triumph Big Kahuna Triple crown, they are also elated with K&N Filters' involvement.

"K&N jumped on board this year," recalled Cameron Gray. "They've been very supportive, and have been open to doing pretty much everything. They're coming out and supporting the events, and giving away some certificates, so we can give some gifts and K&N products away. They've been very good to us," he continued. "K&N products speak for themselves. They're proven winners, so to partner with a company like K&N is huge for us. It puts another stamp on our events that we're dealing with the best. We're dealing with the best promoters and we're dealing with the best companies."

I think that every motorsports fan loves every kind of the sport; if it has a motor in it, they love it. As we go forward, K&N becoming a bigger presence in the motorcycle racing industry is really going to help propel people to come over and see what a great product this is and see sixteen-year-olds going close to two-hundred miles per hour and racing elbow to elbow. As we progress things are just going to get bigger and better. That's just the way K&N is."

Referring to the quality of K&N's products, Gray continued, "When you put a K&N filter on your vehicle, you always notice an increase in performance. M1 Powersports has worked very hard to earn the reputation as one of the best promoters on the industry, and when you talk about air and oil filters, K&N produces the best out there. They're proven winners, and when you come to our events, I think you'll see that also. I think our partnership with K&N is a win-win situation, where both people are going to benefit and show their true performance."

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.

Brooke Kawell Currently Sits 8th in Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Modified Kart Points

1 Aug 2012

The hot pink Modified Kart driven by Brooke Kawell continues to break ground at every Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series event

Brooke Kawell is having a fine second season in her Modified Kart in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. The California kid has run in the top most of the year and is knocking on the door of her first podium at a national race. Last year Kawell became the first female to ever podium in a Modified Kart at a regional race in Chandler, Arizona.

Brooke Kawell hopes to one day become one of the few female drivers to thrive in off road racing

"The field is super competitive this year," Kawell said. "But I do feel that a podium is coming. I feel like I am getting stronger every race and we are getting closer. I hope I end up on the podium this year, that's the goal for every racer."

The ultimate goal for Kawell is to become a star in LOORRS top two divisions, Pro 2 and Pro 4 trophy trucks. It's an ambitious goal for the young girl. Currently the only full-time female in a trophy truck is K&N racer Corry Weller. But Kawell has her sights set on reaching her goal one day. In her second full season in the Modified Kart, Kawell is making strides towards her goal.

"I've become a stronger driver this year. I have matured and I'm using my experiences from last season to try and improve at every race. I won't back down."

Kawell is a respectable eighth in the extremely competitive Modified Kart point's standings. She said her favorite moment of the year was when she ran in the top five most of the day during round three at Lake Elsinore, California. Her friends say it is "super cool" that she is able to race so competitively, and the confidence boost for her and the team is immeasurable.

Brooke Kawell hopes to one day become one of the few female drivers to thrive in off road racing

Kawell has a lot of racing talent in her family to model herself after. Her father, Jason, is an accomplished Baja racer, and her cousin, Blake Baggett, is a budding motocross star.

Kawell made sure to thank K&N for their support.

"Thanks to K&N products, my Modified Kart performs great. The filters give me extra hours of power that I need to get me around the track faster."

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.

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