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Tom Bradley Sr. and the Winningest Off-Road Truck in Mexico Ready for Baja 1000

11 Nov 2010

Bradley is extremely diligent about pre-running the Baja 1000 course, he says at 100 mph plus - especially at night - you have to know the route well, or you won't make it to La Paz in one piece.

"We don't play golf or tennis, off-road is what we do, and it is our passion," says Tom Bradley Sr.

Tom Bradley's number 805 Chevrolet Class 8 truck is not only the most recognizable off-road truck in Mexico, it's also the winningest.

Bradley Racing has in fact been fervent about racing in the desert, specifically the Baja peninsula, for 32 years. Since 2000 the team has won more races and championships than any other off-road truck in Mexico. For the last 12 years Bradley has been racing with his son, Tommy. Besides racing alongside his dad, Tommy also races in CORR (Championship Off-Road Racing) in the Midwest, where he has now clinched the Crandon World Championship the last four years in a row. For this year's running of the Baja 1000 the team however will be racing separate trucks.

You need to feel the freedom...the adrenalin going maximum speed, our truck does not have wings but it can fly, says Bradley.

"Tommy is driving Trophy Truck number 45 in this race next week for Gary Magness, and I will be in truck number 805," says Bradley.

Bradley Sr. has won four Baja Championships and three Mexican National Championships in all thus far. In 2006 he was also honored with the Overall Off-Road Driver Award.

"The race shop is in La Paz, Mexico, and all prep work is done there," remarks Bradley regarding his residence being listed as Nevada and Mexico. "I fly down monthly to race in Baja. Tommy and I live in Las Vegas where we each have our own glass business. Tommy mostly races in the U.S., and all my racing is in Mexico."

Bradley's lure for Baja is powerful, and why not, Baja is the world's longest peninsula, and it's the last outback left in our corner of the world. The peninsula is divided into the state of Baja California in the north and the Baja California Sur in the south. Except for two large coastal plains on the Pacific side, the peninsula consists largely of rugged mountain ranges, with one peak, San Pedro Martir, reaching more than 10,000 ft above the Sea of Cortez. The Sea of Cortez, also known as the Gulf of California, is the body of water that separates the peninsula from the Mexican mainland. The land is desolate and arid. The only naturally cultivable areas are isolated mountain valleys. The austere immensity from horizon to horizon has woven many into its magical spell.

"We are pre-running all this week, using a GPS that has a chip that has been pre-marked by SCORE to show the route - all 1061 miles of it," says Bradley. "We also mark it as we go, for dangerous spots, special landmarks and pit areas. At 100 mph plus - especially at night - you have to know the route well, or you won't make it to La Paz in one piece."

Class 8 has a special attraction for Bradley as well, "It's a real production Chevrolet that has been modified to race in the Unlimited Truck Class," explains Bradley about his truck. "The engine is the same as a Trophy Truck, only the suspension is different because we have the original chassis and driving compartment, whereas a Trophy Truck is built out of tubular steel, like an Indy or NASCAR. Our goal is to get first place in Class 8, and we will try to move up on the Trophy Trucks and Class 1 Unlimited cars, that start in front of us."

In 2006, Bradley Off-Road Racing made a bold move, entering three different racing Series, the Baja Sur Championship, the Mexican National Championship and the Coppel Challenge. The result was yet another triple Off-Road Championship, winning all three Series in CLASS 8 Unlimited Trucks.

"Our entire professional career has been with K&N filters," comments Bradley. "We use all the K&N filters possible on the truck - carburetor, oil, breathers, etc."

Last year Bradley Racing won the biggest race of the year in Mexico, the "Dos Mares 500" and he was the first overall truck to finish, ahead of the Trophy Trucks. In all, his team was active in six major races in 2009, winning the Baja Sur Class 8 Championship for the fifth time in ten years.

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 Steve Williams Hits NHRA Jackpot in Las Vegas, Nevada

10 Nov 2010

Steve Williams is no stranger to the winner's circle

Far from being a stranger to the winner's circle, with numerous NHRA National event victories, K&N Vice President of Research and Development, Steve Williams still remained in search of a national win in Super Gas prior to the most recent NHRA National event in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Steve Williams at NHRA National event in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Williams has made four previous trips to the Super Gas championship round during NHRA Nationals events, only to find himself on the wrong side of the win light due to many of the same scenarios that plague all racers from time-to-time.

"I've won in division Super Gas races, I've won four or five National events in Super Comp and seventeen to eighteen division races in Super Comp. But in Super Gas National event finals, and I've been in four of them, I've lost every one of them," admitted Williams. "It's just been some bad luck. I've had a broken transmission, where it broke right off the line. I've had a shifter that wouldn't shift in the final and the other two were just really close races where it would be by say only three thou."

K&N Vice President of Research and Development, Steve Williams

In addition to some fantastic driving, Lady Luck was also about to pay Williams a visit during the Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"It was a really big event, I mean it was sold out, there were over a hundred and forty cars," noted Williams of the Super Gas entries. "There are still guys who are claiming national event points, but because it's close to the end of the year, I'm already claimed out. So I guess it was an easy time for me, I was more relaxed."

Due to the size of the much anticipated event, many of the Sportsman competitors completed all three of their times runs on Thursday, with first round of eliminations commencing Friday morning.

"It was just tough all the way through," noted Williams. "I ended up pulling a guy named Kelly our of division six and my day almost ended first round. When we rolled up, it was real dark. I had .029 delay in the box and there had been a couple of red-lights in front of us. For some reason, I just reached over and put another .002 in the box or I would have been .399 red first round. Then he broke out by a few thousandths, so that kind of got things going."

Williams moved on to second round, where he would not only better his opponent on the tree but be able to carry that through the stripe for a very close margin of victory.

"Third round I had Thomas Bayer," he continued. "He and I have raced each other for years. I had worked really hard to get close on the dial, we had had a lot of swing, a lot of weather changes. Mostly wind, from a head wind to a tail wind and it meant as much as eight to eleven hundredths shift. So it was pretty hard to dial. When it came down to it, I was .009 and he was .001 on the tree and he was under by one thou at the stripe and I was good by two thou."

"That was really the lucky round," he confessed. "That was the round that you know, you got to win those where it really comes down to a coin toss at the stripe. Once I won that round then I had a really good race with Pete Bothe and it was the only one where I really felt like I missed the tree."

It was once Williams made it to the following round, many things had changed for the racers and their way of thinking in how to set up their cars.

"The pros were finishing up and it started to get dark," reflected Williams. "In that fifth round I kept watching, since I was hanging near the back. Every round had redlights by people who don't normally go red. So I told myself, since I didn't know the guy I was racing, he was out of division five. So I added another ten to the delay and was then at .041 in the box and went .019 on the tree." Williams's safe green was all he needed to head into the semi-finals when his opponent pulled up a .009 red on his side of the tree.

For the next round, the story was all told on the starting line as Williams had a nice .017 advantage and giving himself all he needed to play with at the stripe.

"We've probably raced each other twenty times," said Williams of his semi-final opponent Sheldon Gecker. "We're about 50/50 and it was just my time to win when he missed the tree a little bit."

Both drivers posted identical 10.053 ET's, but it was Williams taking the holeshot win and on to his fifth NHRA National event final in Super Gas.

The final round would find Williams and his K&N clad 1963 Corvette Worthy Roadster paired up with Stephanie Warn-Skaggs in her first NHRA National final.

"She wanted to stay in the right lane," noted Williams. "I had raced all but one round in the left lane. So, that was fine to stay where I had been."

Possibly with the added pressure of her first final, Warn-Skaggs missed the tree and gave Williams all the ammunition he needed right off the line. Williams was able to quickly put a wheel on her and carry it through the stripe for, what may have looked like to the untrained eye, a rather easy victory and his very first NHRA Super Gas National event win.

"I knew the minute we left the line that she was late. So from then on it was like don't get too cute down there and just make sure you are in front," said Williams.

"It's been great," he said of his first Super Gas National win. "Each year when I come to SEMA, people always ask how I did at the Vegas race and this year I got to say that I won."

Williams competes on both the NHRA National and Divisional level in not only Super Gas, but continues to campaign in Super Comp, as well.

"I couldn't do it without the support of K&N," he said. "Plus a lot of thanks go to a lot of people, one being Travis Hodges. He gets the truck and trailer to the races and if he didn't do that I couldn't race. Plus with the help of John, Ferderer, Boutte, they are all there helping me out."

"What is great about K&N is we have guys that work for the company that are involved in all kinds of motorsports. From drag racing to dirt track, NASCAR, motorcycle racing, just all types," said Williams. "But all these guys that race are also in product development for some area of the company, they are really the R&D staff in the field that bring back those ideas."

"For example, every Pro Stock car in the country now runs the K&N scoop," he continued. "That scoop was designed and built at K&N by people that race and you know that's why we do it. And of course, my car has a K&N scoop, the one that has the filter in it, along with our oil filter program."

Look for Williams to compete at his last event of the 2010 season, in both Super Gas and Super Comp at the 46th Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, slated to take place Nov 11-14 at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California.

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.

2010 IHRA Sportsman Driver of the Year Michael Beard

10 Nov 2010

Duct Tape Race Team

To those of you who know who Michael Beard is, you should know that he has been announced IHRA Sportsman Driver of the Year for 2010. To those of you who don't know who he is, I suggest you check out the amazing year he has been having for the Duct Tape Race Team.

2010 IHRA Sportsman Driver of the Year Michael Beard

Now that the infamous Volare is out of commission for the season, Beard is driving a 1974 Plymouth Duster as a backup. Beard has driven behind the wheel of a few different cars this season including Jeff Ross' Dodge Avenger to the winners circle at the Summit Racing All-stars event at the IHRA World Finals.

Over the Halloween weekend, Beard drove the Duster to a, "career-best 1/8th mile time of 7.09 @ 96 mph on Saturday." Not bad considering he, "was among the last nine cars left standing on Sunday." Many plans still lie ahead for Beard for the few remaining events of 2010. Beard mentioned, "The Duck Tape Turismo will do battle at Coastal Plains Raceway in Jacksonville, NC on Saturday with two separate $5,000-to-win races on the line in the Fall Footbrake Frenzy II.

Sunday will be an "off" day, as Michael and Jill Beard celebrate their upcoming 2nd Anniversary (a day early)." Beard gave a special thanks to his sponsors including K&N filters in an interview after receiving recognition as the Sportsman Driver of the Year. Congratulations to the Duct Tape Team and Michael Beard for such amazing talent.

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 Bobby Santos III Wins His First NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Championship

10 Nov 2010

The 24-year-old from Franklin, Massachusetts says that 2010 is clearly one of his best years in racing yet.

"I enjoy long distance races, and a lot of cautions seem to be a part of that. I just try to stay focused, and concentrate on the next restart," remarked a low-key Bobby Santos, referring to his win of the CARQUEST Fall Final at Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut.

The K&N sponsored Santos won the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Championship in his very first fulltime season of competing in the division.

Santos was able to get around first place Ryan Preece on the final restart with only six laps remaining in the 150 lap race.

Santos came into the race with a slim seven-point lead in the points standings. He endured the caution-filled final 50 laps to pick up his fourth win of the season, and his first since back in June at Martinsville Speedway. The final one-third of the race saw six cautions, including one red flag after a multi-car accident on Lap 140 forced the track to make repairs to the guardrail.

It was Santos huge victory at Stafford Motor Speedway that all but locked up the title for his team Mystic Missile Racing and owner Bob Garbarino.

After the race at Stafford only one race remained on the schedule. Santos and his team Mystic Missile Racing now carried a 37-point lead into the season ending race at International Speedway in Thompson, Connecticut, for the Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing. Santos won the season opener at Thompson in April.

"After Stafford I felt very confident with our lead going into the last race," said Santos. "Knowing that we run well at Thompson throughout the year and that we just needed to do our job to finish it off, and it turns out it was in our own fate."

Santos finished the race at International Speedway in sixth place, which was all he needed in order to lock up his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Championship. The Whelen Modified Tour title came in Santos' first fulltime season competing in the division.

"The season started really well," said Santos, "Then mid-summer we fell off a little, but we came back strong at Stafford to end the year, which was a huge win for our team in the end. That's what got us the comfortable lead which allowed us to wrap it up at Thompson."

In winning the Whelen Modified Tour Championship, the K&N sponsored driver gave car owner Bob Garbarino his third championship in four years. Garbarino has been owner in the division since 1961, and has now won titles in 2007, 2009 and 2010.

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.

Duck Tape Racing's Michael Beard Wins Summit Allstars

10 Nov 2010

Duct Tape Team's Plymouth Volare

Another busy weekend flies by for the Duct Tape Team with loads of frustration and excitement. Tensions are high as the season comes to a close. As the IHRA race event was under way, Michael Beard took to the track for the World Finals Nitro Jam at Virginia Motorsports Park and during the second qualifying session, the Duct Tape Volare had issues with a broken rear-end.

Michael Beard took to the track for the World Finals Nitro Jam and during the second qualifying session had issues with a broken rear-end.

The weekend seemed to come to a dim close for Beard but, to his surprise he was given the opportunity to get back behind the wheel and head toward victory lane.

"Thanks to the generosity Jeff and Zac Ross (who I purchased the Volare from back in 2005), I was still able to compete in the two major shootout races, driving Zac Ross's Dodge Avenger."

Beard took on the challenge and ended up racing in the Summit Racing Stock Allstar showdown. Call it luck or call it skill but, Beard ended up winning the Summit Stock final in the Ross racing Dodge Avenger. This race win brought much reward for Beard and his race team.

The Duck Tape Volare will be down for the rest of 2010 as they replace the rear end and transmission with beefier components.

"As the Summit All Stars Stock Champion, I received $5,000, a special Summit All Stars trophy, a Gold Card for entry into National/Divisional events next year, and a qualifying spot in both the 2011 Summit All Stars and the 2011 Tournament of Champions!"

Duct Tape Racing's Michael Beard

Not to mention, "Competition Plus Magazine bestowed upon me the Mike Aiello Award," referred to by the media as "The Spirit of Drag Racing Award," which honors determination and the spirit to persevere and remain positive in spite of obstacles. ", and for overcoming the challenges of Bell's Palsy." To have a weekend go from a broken rear-end to the victory circle is something that no racer would expect but, would proudly boast.

This victory may be one of many this season as, "The Duck Tape Volare will be down for the rest of the 2010 season as we take the time to replace the rear end and transmission with beefier components that will sustain the massive number of runs made. The Duck Tape Turismo will pick up the slack as we head for Montgomery Motorsports Park this weekend, Oct. 22-24, 2010 for the 4th Annual Footbrake Classic, consisting of three $5,000-to-win races and one $20,000-to-win race."

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.