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Michael Beard knows the what it's like to be in the Winner’s Circle and he knows you can't win all the time. He had three wins at Pageland Dragway in his 1980 Volare with K&N products. Two of those wins were back-to-back. “We found a winning, quality combination with K&N,” he said. “We've used K&N throughout the years. My cars run flawlessly.”
1980 Volare vies for big money in Bristol, Tennessee for the World Footbrake Challenge, photos courtesy of Angela Macy and Lisa King
Duck Tape 1980 Volare did not repeat last year's win at the 2008 World Footbrake Challenge but driver Michael Beard said he had a great time, photos courtesy of Angela Macy and Lisa King
During the Pageland Dragway race, SMACdownracing posted a $100 bounty for the first driver to trailer the Duck Tape Team Volare in the 3rd round or later. “The bounty sparked some extra excitement in the stands and the staging lanes,” said Beard. “The fans were also excited.”
Michael Beard took a holeshot in his final run for a 140th career victory at Pageland Dragway in Pageland, South Carolina
Duck Tape Racing's 1980 Volare had three dead-on runs at Pageland Dragway
Beard had three dead-on runs, and got the hole-shot in all but the final round. It marked Beard’s third straight Pageland
Dragway victory and his fourth of the year in North Carolina. “It was also a notable 140th career victory,” said Beard. “And, the SMACdown
bounty money remains at the dragway for next time.”
In the past month, the Duck Tape Volare has travelled from North Carolina to central Pennsylvania for the York Nostalgia Nationals at Beaver Springs Dragway. From there, Beard was off to Bristol, Tennessee for the World Footbrake Challenge.
“The World Footbrake Challenge III was the toughest footbrake race on the planet earth,” said Beard. “There was an absolute bloodbath on the track but everyone had a great time. Champions were reduced to tears after a constant barrage of double-oh packages, the likes of which I had never seen with such regularity at a footbrake race.”
The World Footbrake Challenge is more of a participant than spectator event, but more than 250 drivers competed for $50,000 in prize money. Beard did not repeat last year’s win in the 2008 World Footbrake Challenge, but said he had an amazing time.
Rally driver Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard returns to battle with the best drivers in action sports when he takes on the invitation only X games 15 Rally Race.
X Games 15 will have same 70 foot jump for Rally Drivers that was in X Games 14
Drivers go head-to-head on a mixed asphalt and dirt course through the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, California. There is also a 70-foot gap jump that is a highlight for fans and drivers.
End over end crash for ACP in X Games 14
Andrew Comrie-Picard and Jen Horsey will be at X Games 15 at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, California
“I’m looking forward to keeping it pinned and getting massive air over that gap, said Comrie-Picard. “We learned last year that the Evo likes a little more speed than the other cars heading into the big jump. That knowledge is going to be a real advantage when we get into the stadium at X Games 15.”
During X Games 14, ACP was in the lead over rival Dave Mirra when he shorted the jump slightly in his K&N Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX and flipped end over end. Comrie-Picard and co-driver Jen Horsey were unharmed.
“The X Games is about going big and sometimes crashing big,” said ACP. “We gave the fans a show last year. This year we’re in it for the gold medal.”
ACP is among just four drivers from around the world who have been invited to the X Games every year since Rally Car racing was introduced to the contest in 2006. ACP is a strong contender for the Rally America title. There is only a four point spread between ACP, Ken Block, Tanner Foust and Andi Mancin. All are trailing defending champion Travis Pastrana.
“We couldn’t have achieved our results so far this season without the support of K&N,” said Comrie-Picard. “For us to be a top contender is an accomplishment we can all be proud of. K&N has been our choice for a decade. We work in a high-dust, high speed environment and K&N keeps contaminants out of our engine.”
The field for the 2009 X Games Rally Car Race is as follows:
Andrew Comrie-Picard
Travis Pastrana
Ken Block
Dave Mirra Brian Deegan
Tanner Foust
Matt Johnson
Andi Mancin
Piotr Wiktorczyk
Arkadiusz Gruszka
Jimmy Keeney
Kenny Brack
The X Games Rally Car Race airs live on ESPN and ABC starting at noon Pacific Time on Sunday August 2, with additional broadcasts in more than 100 countries around the world.
Kathy Fisher plans to race as many NHRA/IHRA Division 3 events as she can in the 2009 season.
Kathy Fisher at the IHRA Mopar Canadian Nationals, photo by BME Photography
She took a little unplanned diversion to the IHRA Mopar Canadian Nationals. “My trip to Grand Bend would not have been possible without Ontario resident, Pete Hunt,” said Fisher. “I met Pete through my work at Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School. Pete knows that I really like racing in Canada and was disappointed that we had to skip the event for the first time last season.”
Frank Hawley of Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School and Drag Racer Kathy Fisher
Hunt noticed that the event was also missing from Fisher’s schedule in 2009. “Pete send us a card and a $1500 check so we could make the Nationals,” said Fisher “I am so grateful, that was awesome.”
In Fisher’s first round, she had a near perfect light. She made it through the rounds to take on Ron Folk in the final. “I left a little too much on the line in the final,” she said. “I ran an 8.905 but my light just wasn’t where it needed to be. Ron didn’t take me lightly, with his .002 light and deserved the round win.”
Fisher hopes to pass on Hunt’s monetary generosity by sending whatever funds they have left from the event to God Speed Ministry.
“We could not do what we do without products from K&N,” said Fisher. “Our success depends on products that hold up to some pretty harsh conditions for on and off track. Everything we have that has an engine on it, or in it, is protected by and runs better because of a K&N product. From our truck that gets us to the events that uses both a K&N air intake system and K&N oil filter, to our generator that keeps the juice going for us to maintain between rounds, they all utilize K&N. What amazes me the most is how much the high-flow K&N air filter in our scoop tray protects our engine. Just this weekend we found a couple of small stones in mine. I can’t say I would have made it to a final round if those stones went through the engine.”
Fisher said she loves to race in Canada. “The fans cannot be beat,” she said. “The amount of spectators that stopped by our pit to chat was amazing. It really kept me busy and I loved it. I just get the biggest kick out of the kids, especially the little girls. They remind me of what I was like when I was younger.”
Jason Crump is after is third World Speedway Grand Prix Championship. The Australian is preparing for round six of the 11 round World Championship series at Latvijas Spidveja Centrs Stadium in Daugavpils, Latvia.
Double World Speedway Grand Prix Champion Jason Crump is half-way to his Third World Championship
Crump is sitting at the top of the table with a 31 point lead over his nearest rival and knows what he needs to do if he is to win his third world crown. “Jason needs to maintain the consistency he has shown in the first half of the season,” said Roy Stone, Crump’s Media Relations Manager. “He won at Latvia last year and is very familiar with the track. Jason is also the hot favorite to take out this year’s event.”
Australian Jason Crump has a 31- point lead over his nearest rival Russian Emil Sayfutdinov in the World Speedway Grand Prix Championship chase
“We are only at the halfway mark and there is a lot of hard work to do,” said Crump. “The strategy is simple, but putting it into practice is the hard part.” Crump plans to remain consistent and have his machinery working right and
hopes to stay injury free.
“The pressure is on, but K&N products give me one less thing to worry about,” he said. “Mechanically I can count on K&N products. K&N makes the best motorcycle air filter on the market and keeps the dirt out of my engines. I can also depend on extra filtration during extreme track conditions.”
After five rounds the points total is as follows:
Australian Jason Crump 98 points
Russian Emil Sayfutdinv 67 points
Poland's Tomasz Gollob 53 points
Denmark's Nicki Pedersen 52 points
Sweden's Andreas Jonsson 51 points
Round 6 of the World Speedway Grand Prix resumes August 1.
Many people are defined by what they do instead of who they are. Ricky James knows who he is. James is a racer, an X-Games 14 Silver Medal Winner, an Iron Man triathlon competitor, a paraplegic and an inspiration to many who will never be able to walk again.
Ricky James Dominated the Super Lite Class at Lake Elsinore, California in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Ricky James said his motocross background helped him compete and win in short course dirt off road racing
The 20-year-old was paralyzed from the sternum down at an amateur motocross race in Texas. At the time, he was on top of his game and only a few months away from turning pro. He and another rider mixed it up and James fell to the ground. The teen felt his bike crash on him as it crushed his spine.
Ricky James hopes his winning streak will carry through to the X Games where he will compete in this year's Adaptive Moto X event
The rest of the pack at LOORRS saw the back of Ricky James' truck at Lake Elsinore, California LOORRS race
Within one year of his spinal cord injury, he was competing at the Lake Elsinore Grand Prix in California. He raced on a quad that was equipped with a special shifter, made it to the top of the pack and his racing career began again. Since then he has continued to compete in various racing venues and win. “A lot of people believed in me,” said James. “Sometimes I felt like giving up but I knew I had to hang in there.”
He came in first place in the Super Lite Class at Lake Elsinore, California in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. (LOORRS). “Having a motocross background helps me compete in a truck,” said James. “Short
course off road racing is motocross in a truck because of the sheer intensity of the racing. In motocross you
also have to understand line traction jumps and changes. To be on the podium in first place was sweet.”
James only had about six hours of practice in his new truck. He steers with his right hand, but his left hand works the clutch, throttle, shifter and brakes. His truck has a manual transmission and a Master Shift built electronic shifting system that converts with the push of a button. “I took a conservative strategy
at Lake Elsinore,” he said. “I set up in the corners, got my braking done, got the back of the truck loose and carried a controlled slide all the way through the lines.”
“Our goal was to make him comfortable and safe in our truck,” said Casey Coughlin, co-owner of SoCal Super Trucks. “Ricky is a talented kid and a born winner who has racing in his blood. We made a Pro Lite Truck to feed his passion for short course dirt track racing. We have the support from the finest companies in the sport,
including K&N Filters, ICON Vehicle Dynamics, Bronson Motorsports, Speed
Technologies, Alpinestars, MasterShift and Racing Plus. K&N is always on top of our list. K&N gives us excellent power and filtration and protects our engines.”
On Saturday James worked his way to the front and won in the LOORRS Series. On Sunday he came back and picked them off one by one and won. “He ended up
leading the pack,” said Coughlin. “When you think about everything he does, Ricky has accomplished more than most able-bodied individuals do in a lifetime.”
This week he will go to the X Games for this year’s Adaptive Moto X event where amputees and spinal-cord victims compete.“He’s our main guy,” said Coughlin. “He’s a force to be reckoned with on the track. He’s also a great guy off the track
and is an inspiration to all of us.”
“I'm stoked. LOORRS was my first opportunity in my career to drive a Super lite truck and show how well I can race
in it,” James said. “My life now is about winning.”
His next Lucas Off Road Racing Series will be in Surprise, Arizona.
