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Track temperatures reached 145 degrees under the hot desert sun when Vaughn Gittin Jr., hit the wall in his 2010 Ford Mustang, photo by John Choi, provided by Falken Tires
Gittin though he could drive to the pits after he hit the wall, then realized his 2010 Ford Mustang was on two wheels, photo by John Choi, provided by Falken Tires
Teamwork in the Falken Tires pits readied the 2010 Mustang for competition at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, photo by John Choi, provided by Falken Tires
Vaughn Gittin Jr., returned to drift action at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in his repaired 2010 Ford Mustang, photo by John Choi, provided by Falken Tires
Vaughn Gittin Jr., pushed through the pain and went back on the track in the Formula Drift Pro Championship chase
Vaughn Gittin Jr. made it to the qualifying line with only 10 seconds to go after repairs were executed on his 2010 Ford Mustang, photo by John Choi, provided by Falken Tires
“When you throw cars at walls at 90 mph they don’t always go the way we want them to,” said Vaughn Gittin, Jr. after hitting the wall at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in his 2010 Ford Mustang.
Gittin went to Round 4 of Formula Drift action expecting a good run. The Falken team just came off a second place podium finish
at The Gauntlet in New Jersey. “Thursday night we had an incredible practice, the car was awesome,” said Gittin. “The track temperature on Friday in Nevada was at least 145 degrees and it caught us off guard.”
Before qualifying began, Gittin hit the wall hard and tore the right front corner off his Mustang. “The front right wheel took the impact,” he said. “All I saw was an explosion of parts. Everything ripped off the front corner of the car, the shock, springs and wheels. I was in the zone at the time and it all happened in slow motion.”
Gittin had about two seconds to react and did everything he could to get the car to change direction. “I tried to transition back away from the wall but I could not,” he said. “When everything stopped and I knew I was okay, I thought about driving back to the pits and then realized I was only on two wheels.”
Fortunately the safety equipment on the Falken Ford Mustang did its job. “My back is sore and my neck is sore,” he said. “It was the hardest hit of my career. I just blocked the accident out of my mind and knew I had to get back out on the track. We’re so close to the championship anything else would not be imaginable.”
The entire Falken Team, along with assistance from Autosport Dynamics pitched in to completely rebuild the front end of the Mustang in two hours. Teamwork and dedication paid off which led to salvation. “We got up to the qualifying line with only 10 seconds to go,” said Gittin. ‘If it had been five seconds later we would not have been able to compete. We were able to advance to the top 16, but one of the tires caught a piece of debris and that hurt us.”
At the end of the day, Gittin remained 4th overall in points and only 43 points away from first place. Gittin's Drift Alliance teammate
Chris Forsberg moved to top position overall in the chase for the Formula Drift Pro Championship.
Gittin has put his heart and soul into this sport. He also used K&N products long before starting his professional career. “I read all the flow charts and realized K&N was the best for me because of the abuse I put my cars through,” he said. “When I’m in a cloud of smoke on the track, it’s not just smoke. That cloud is filled with rubber parts and without K&N air filters my motors would be damaged. K&N oil filters also keep metal debris out of my engines.”
The 2010 Ford Mustang is on its way to North Carolina for repairs. “By the next drift it will be ready to go,” said Gittin. Formula DRIFT returns to Evergreen Speedway near Seattle, Washington August 7-8.
Two Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events were on K&N sponsored driver Ray Cook’s calendar. Cook travelled to Ohio and Tennessee to compete in separate events and wound up fifth overall in the chase for points.
North Carolina dirt racer travels for points in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
The Brasstown, North Carolina racer drove his D&R Motorsports No. 53 MasterSbilt House Car with K&N Products. “Our K&N filters protect our engines in this type of dirt racing,” said Cook. “We count on great filtration and additional horsepower for our engines with K&N.”
Cook finished second in his heat race at the Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio and took eighth place in the $10,000 to win feature event. Next on the agenda was the Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tennessee where he ran third in his heat. Unfortunately, he had problems during the $10,000 to win event and would up in seventeenth place.
Cook still has a chance to climb the ranks in his series. He will make repairs and continue the points chase.
Next up for the D&R Motorsports team will be two Late Model Dirt Series races at the North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, Alabama and Magnolia Motors Speedway in Columbus, Mississippi.
A sold out crowd sat through triple digit temperatures to watch Formula Drift action at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Chris Forsberg moved to top position overall in the chase for the Formula Drift Pro Championship, named Round 4, All In. The custom built course in Nevada, is one of the fastest drifting circuits in the world.
Chris Forsberg moved to first position overall in his the chase for the Formula Drift Pro Championship
Forsberg took over the point lead in the NOS Energy Drink/Massis Nissan 350Z with K&N air and oil filters. Forsberg battled Ryan Tuerck in Round 8. He then went on to defeat Tyler McQuarrie for a third place podium finish and top points in the series.
Nos Energy Drink Massix Nissan 350Z with K&N air and oil filters at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Formula Drift Round 4, All In
Formula DRIFT crowd braved triple digit temperatures at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
“Tyler and I both lost in the semi-finals so we had to run against each other for a third place finish,” said Forsberg. “I was thinking about the last time I ran against him and had my mental notes ready for this battle. His car puts out a lot of smoke. I just drove into the smoke and hoped he was driving as fast as I was. It was a super tight battle, but I took the podium.”
Drivers faced a different venue in Nevada. The event started at 4 pm and continued past midnight. “It’s so hot in Vegas, the track temperature is still 100 degrees at midnight,” said Forsberg. “It was nice to run at night and it’s great to have such awesome fans. The crowd stayed and gathered around the podium around 1 am.”
Forsberg currently has 307 points and Ryan Tuerck has 294 points. Samuel Hubinette rounds out the top three in the 2009 Formula DRIFT professional Championship Series with 271 points.
My K&N filters took the heat, took the track debris, rubber and the smoke and continued to give me power,” said Forsberg. “K&N also protects my engine.”
Formula DRIFT returns to Evergreen Speedway near Seattle, Washington August 7-8.
K&N Air Intake installed on 2007 Cadillac CTS-V 6.0L V8
Dyno Chart for Cadillac CTS-V 6.0L V8
American made luxury automobiles, like Cadillac, once captivated the imagination of consumers around the globe. With the rise of the young urban professional, European, and later Japanese, luxury cars invaded the market. American luxury became thought of as a "grandfather's" car. This unfavorable stereotype no longer holds true for Cadillac. Gone are the days of heavy, inefficient land yachts. Cadillac's CTS-V helps to usher in this new era of American built luxury cars. The "V" moniker in the Cadillac line-up is intended as a direct contender to imported luxury such as BMW's M series and Lexus' F cars.
Air Intake for Cadillac CTS-V 6.0L V8
2007 Cadillac CTS-V 6.0L V8
Performance Air Intake System 57-3068 stimulates an already incredible super sport sedan with an estimated 17 horsepower increase @ 5117 RPM at the rear wheels. K&N's 57-3068 fits the 2006 and 2007 Cadillac CTS-V 6.0L and provides increased performance while maintaining that "O/E" look with a rotationally molded high-density polyethylene tube.
K&N intakes are designed to dramatically reduce intake restriction as they smooth and straighten airflow. More air means more power and torque when you need it. With a K&N Performance Cold Air Intake System, consumers can count on extra horsepower whether entertaining clients, or winding through the Santa Monica mountains.
This air intake system uses a round tapered high-flow chrome-top air filter (RC-2960) and powder coated aluminum heat shield in place of the vehicle's stock air box. The result is an air filter that captures harmful particles, flows more air, and increases service life. This K&N air filter performs for up to 100,000 miles before service is required depending on driving conditions. Improving the air path between the filter and the engine is the rotationally molded high-density polyethylene tube. It offers the most flexibility in design and outstanding horsepower numbers. 57-3068 takes about 90 minutes or less to install, using simple hand tools, requires no cutting or drilling, and is covered by K&N's Million Mile Limited Warranty®.
For increased protection and style, K&N offers Drycharger® filter wrap number 22-8049DK that can be used in conjunction with 57-3068. Drychargers® are made from a durable polyester material containing uniform micron openings which will stop small dirt particles and repel water; yet add little restriction to the airflow of the filter.
Torchmate Racing scores a podium finish in the grueling Baja 500, photo by Nick Socha
Sierra Grande crossing in Ford F-150 on the way to Borrego before the Baja 500, photo by Nick Socha
Torchmate Racing crossed the Baja 500 finish line in third place, photo by Nick Socha
Scorching sands of Laguna Salada on the Baja 500 route, photo by Nick Socha
Truck repairs were done quickly in the Baja 500 after the Torchmate Ford Ranger was almost destroyed, photo by Nick Socha
Ford Ranger's deafening pitch of a 500 horsepower V6 engine rocks the Baja 500, photo by Nick Socha
“You are going fast, going up, then down, then up, and you wonder what you hit,” said Brad Lovell about the terrain in the Baja 500. “Then, you go past a truck that died; or see some other expensive automotive equipment on the road in the blink of an eye and wonder why that crew didn’t make it. Then you’re back to bounce and bam and being slammed.”
Lovell is used to sitting behind the wheel when he races. In the Baja 500 it was a different scene. He was the navigator in the Torchmate Ford Ranger with K&N products. “When you hold onto the steering wheel it helps your body absorb harsh bumps and lets you think you are in control of your fate,” he said. “When you navigate it's entirely different and it makes the adventure of Baja racing an extreme hair-raising experience.”
The Torchmate Racing team consisted of nine members in Mexico and a few more back in the United States helping with logistics. “Bill Kunz and I started the race,” said Lovell. Desert racer Mark Levrett and Greg Jones were on the second leg and JT Taylor took care of chase vehicle no. 1.”
Before the start of the Baja 500, Lovell and Kuntz went on a pre-run. “We had a Jeep and Ford F-150,” said Lovell. “While anything off road is fun, 200 miles in a stock truck gives you some sore spots and a fast appreciation for the technology behind desert trucks.”
Lovell and Kuntz crossed Sierra Grande and headed south to Borrego. “The 100 mile pre race jaunt took us well over ten hours and ravaged the stock truck,” said Lovell. “I had to spot Bill over the rocky summit before we reached the scorching sands of Laguna Salada. From there it was 40 miles of whoops, silt and rock before we reached the highway." Eighteen hours later, Lovell and Kuntz made it back to their hotel for rest.
At the start of the Baja 500, the sound of engines was deafening. Lovell and Kuntz made the turn into the Ensenada ditch and soared over a man made jump. “Thousands of spectators looked like barely visible flashes of color on the sidelines as we thundered on,” said Lovell. “We had 35 miles to the first highway crossing and had to watch out for dust, wrecks and booby traps.”
Lovell and Kuntz passed two trucks in their class, which put them in second place. The duo headed south of Ojos Negros and nailed all
of the huge rolling jumps. “My stomach was in my throat as the Torchmate Ranger fell off the leeward side of the rises,” said Lovell.
The team passed through even rougher terrain and managed to maintain speeds of more than 65 mph. “The dust was blinding and the only thing preventing us from a wreck was the GPS system,” said Lovell. “We turned east and faced 100 miles of Sierra Grande with no chase support.”
Torchmate Racing raced down the barren range and hit 107 mph on the dry lake bed. Their truck passed through 40 miles of whoops and
the duo turned the truck over to their teammates at mile 199. "I was dizzy and unstable and could barely stand when I exited," said Lovell. "But the ride was safely over and we bacame part of the chase effort.”
Things can change fast in the Baja 500 and a banked turn caused a full roll and nearly destroyed the
Torchmate truck. The crew worked hard to bend the truck back into shape and got them on the course gain.
“We retreated to a hill near the finish,” said Lovell. “Mike and Lance got the team successfully up the coast. We all felt pride when they crossed the finish line.”
“Coming off a 3rd place finish in the Baja 500 feels really good. It is one of the hardest adversity courses and our finish was hard fought,” said Lovell. “Our K&N air filters kept the debris out of our engines and prevented our sensors from clogging up. We depend on K&N air filters in long distance desert races.”
The team is repairing the damage on both trucks before heading back to the We-Rock circuit and XRRA.
