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Walsh Race Craft and Lawson finished the 2011 AMA/ATVA Motocross season in a very respectable third overall.
Mechanical uncertainties and the strategic interaction between man and machine is what creates the addictive unpredictability of racing. Or, from a different perspective - if it ain't one thing, it's another. For K&N backed Walsh Race Craft and Jeremy Lawson their 2011 AMA/ATVA motocross season was often as up-and-down as the tracks they competed on.
Jeremy Lawson thanked K&N for helping to keep his Suzuki LT-R450 running at peak performance.
Although Lawson was time and again the fastest rider on the track the unpredictability of racing too often prevented him from running away with the series. At times just when it appeared as though Lawson was ready to pounce to victory, a rider would run up his backside, or an undiagnosed physical issue produced a mediocre moto, and Lawson would then need to utilize all his skill just to salvage a good finish. In the final tally it came down to Lawson's repeated improvisational cleverness that saved the season with a third overall in the 2011AMA/ATVA Motocross Series.
Lawson has been Walsh Race Craft's "in-house" rider for the last two seasons, "This means that we manage the entire racing effort and own the ATV's, Jeremy is responsible for getting to the track (but may ride with us in our truck) and he keeps 100% of all winnings and sponsor bonuses," explained owner Mike Walsh. "We do most of the maintenance on the ATV's but Jeremy also works on them some."
Lawson and Hetrick battled for the hole-shot in Round 10 of the series.
"As for the rest of our sponsored riders, we supply parts at a negotiated rate (sometimes free) such as A-arms, steering stems, swing-arms, etc. You will not see Walsh Race Craft in magazines much because the rider support stuff is how we have always promoted Walsh Race Craft brand products."
In 2004 Walsh Race Craft moved from the non-descript house located in the Connecticut countryside that was their origin, to a 12,000 plus square-foot building in Live Oak, Florida. "Now have more machinery, a dyno, a serdi valve machine, and we are slowly, but surely becoming a Pro Circuit or Yoshimura style company," says Walsh.
Owner Mike Walsh says with all his new machinery they are becoming a Pro Circuit or Yoshimura style company.
"We have also started servicing shocks and do maintenance on many makes of ATV's, dirt bikes and street bikes. We have eight employees, and look to keep it that way for a little while, the way things have been for the past two years in the ATV MX industry, we are trying to save and be more economical and grow wisely."
Commenting on how the 2011 season ended Walsh says, "Jeremy was definitely happy to move up in the points standings, and being in third after Unadilla actually left the door open for us to win the championship, of course we would have needed perfect races, and Natalie and Upperman would have had to have some poor races, but the door was opened."
"However, a collision with Joel Hetrick at Round 10 in Red Bud, Michigan, left us holding on to third place. Jeremy was the fastest qualifier at Red Bud and he was passing Hetrick for second when they crashed. Anyway, to answer the question fully, Jeremy was not doing so well after Round 10, but he got back together for the last round and finished the season respectably."
The win was the 92nd victory for Wilke at the track, ranking them number one for car owners over the track's 65-year history.
Regarding history Aristotle wrote - "If you would understand anything, observe its beginning and its development." When it comes to American racing history few names are anymore observable, have undergone more development, or are more synonymous with creating it, then the Wilke family name. Jerry Coons driving the K&N sponsored Wilke-Pak Motorsports Spike/Toyota recently inked yet another new entry into the books by winning the 75th Anniversary Badger Midget Race. Badger's 75-years of sanctioning midget auto racing positions it as the oldest active open wheel sanctioning organization in the country.
Jerry Coons led nearly the entire last half of the 75th Anniversary Badger Midget Race. The victory moved him into eighth on the all time win list at Angell Park Speedway.
Coons qualified sixth quick, won his heat race, then took the lead on lap 18 of the 30-lap feature at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, and led for the remainder of the race. The win marked the 92nd victory for Wilke at the track, ranking them number one for car owners over the track's 65-year history.
"Having 92 wins at Angell Park Speedway is one of our family's greatest accomplishments," Chris Wilke told K&N Race News. "But the neat part about it is that it spans four generations of racing in the family, so it's not really just one person's record, it's shared in the family across all four generations, and that's what makes it very special to our family."
"It was great to win the Badger 75th Anniversary, our family has been racing at that track since the early 50's; we actually won the 50th Anniversary as well. It's really neat to be part of such a long rich history as the Badger Midgets."
Listing the entire Wilke family historic racing past would require a separate story as it dates back to the 1930's. The family's involvement in Indy Car racing alone includes three Indianapolis 500 wins and six Indy Car Series Car Owner Championships. Combine that with their Silver Crown and Midget racing success and the Wilke family tally is at over 275 feature wins throughout five decades of racing. This doesn't even include feature wins from 1939-1948. Little record keeping and statistics were recorded during this time of the sport, an exact victory count is unavailable, but sources estimate it's in the hundreds.
"Jerry being eighth on the all time win list at the Angell is another great accomplishment for us," continues Wilke. "His name will be forever remembered at that track, I don't really know of a driver who has more experience at Angell Park then Jerry Coon's. I don't think it will be to long before he breaks into the top-five all time winners."
"2011 Has been one of the toughest seasons in midget racing we have had, we lost our primary driver, Kody Swanson, to a early year injury, and we scrambled throughout the year looking for replacement drivers. It's very hard in midget racing to quickly adapt to new drivers and find success. But just like any sport you are going to have your down years or your slumps, we have been here before and we know the steps necessary to regain focus and get back on track. We are excited for the opportunity to work with Kody and hope to get him back on his feet and comfortable once again. We are confident that he will be just as fast, heck maybe even faster than before!"
Prophetic words indeed, as we reported only one week ago, Swanson won his first race back to racing, the USAC Silver Crown race at Lucas Oil Raceway. Stay tuned for more observable history making from Wilke-Pak Motorsports.
Jon Henry is an up-and-coming third-generation racer; driving his family owned UMP Dirtcar Modified vehicle, he has already tasted success and it eager for more. The team is based out of Ada, Ohio and travels all around the Ohio Valley states competing in 60 plus races a year.
"Racing has been in my family before I was even born. My dad and Grandpa grew up racing Modified Midgets together. My dad also raced three wheelers, and UMP modifieds while my grandpa raced stock cars, sprint cars, and the old Modifieds back in the day," says Jon.
Jon Henry Racing has been able to knock off 12 wins, 24 Top-Five finishes and 26 Top-Ten finishes in 30 races.
Henry started racing go-carts when he was 12, then, at age 14, he jumped into a Modified Midget and competed at Waynefield Raceway in Waynesfield, OH. That time in the driver's seat was short lived. By the time Jon turned 15, his dad started racing UMP Modifieds at tracks around Ohio, mainly Limaland and Eldora. Sill not old enough to jump in the seat, Jon already had the itch to drive so he did the next best thing and became a "wrench" for the team.
Finally, in 2002 at age 16, Jon got his opportunity for his debut in the seat. He recalls, "We went to Montpelier, IN. I had no practice what so ever so I had to just jump in and go race. I remember hot laps were awful. I got through the heat race in one piece and had to start on the front row of the B-main. The front row is definitely not a good place for a rookie. I went into turn one and spun out in front of the entire field. I had some damage but I was able to continue but unable to transfer to the A-main." After that harrowing start, he returned to the track a couple more times that year and continued to improve. In 2003, after only his fourth time in a UMP modified, Jon was able to win his first race at Waynesfield Raceway on an exciting last-lap pass coming out of turn four! Then finally, in 2004, Jon Henry was able to put his first full season in modified racing under his belt. "It took a lot of ups and downs to find success," admits Henry. "In 2007, I won my first track championship at Waynesfield. I followed that season up with 17 wins and a championship at Limaland in 2008 and also got in opportunity to race a UMP Late Model for Halcomb Racing out of Bluffton, OH."
In 2009 Halcomb racing and Jon Henry raced full time and were able to win 10 races and the American Late Model Series Championship and Rookie of the Year, which made history for the first champion to be a rookie! Henry Racing was back, after Halcomb and Jon split ways in 2009 and Jon purchased his own late model. "We struggled a lot in 2010, as I still split time from the late model and the modified. Our late model program was in the new stages and we really had a lot of learning ahead of us. After an up and down season I was still able to grab my fourth straight championship in a modified at the one and only Eldora Speedway. That championship got away from me in 2008 as I finished 2nd but two years later I finally got it" Henry speaks of his proud moment.
Jon Henry Racing Ltd. was established in the beginning of 2011 when the family realized they needed to start treating their racing endeavors more like a business instead of a hobby. Since then JHR has been able to knock off 12 wins, 24 Top-Five finishes and 26 Top-Ten finishes in 30 races. Jon is also on track to win his fifth straight championship as the team is currently leading the American Late Model Series, a championship he also won in 2009. Jon also adds "I have also started a program called "Share the Experience" which shares the ups and downs of racing in order to bring those experiences to fans, affiliates and young drivers for development. I have three cameras on my car ever night I race and I put a lot of hours editing these videos so all my fans can continue to follow our success even if they couldn't be at the track. Check it out at jonhenryracing.com"
Jon's success has not come easy. It's taken a lot of hard work and great people & products behind him. K&N Filters has been involved with JHR since 2008. "I introduced myself to the K&N team in 2008 at the PRI show in Orlando Florida. Since then we have built a great relationship and have continue to produce winning results together. The most important part of making our engines last longer is by keeping dirt out, and that's what K&N is able to do for us." Jon gets much needed support from his Father and Mentor, Jim Henry, adding, "my dad puts his heart and soul into our program and is the main reason I'm on the track." Jon also relies on childhood friend John McClain, "he's been good friend since we were kids and has always been around for a helping hand."
Replacement Air Filter for 2010, 2011, 2012 to 2013 Suzuki SX4 with 2.0L
Engine
Sport compact vehicles have become a popular means of transportation for
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Restriction Chart for 33-2463 Air Filter
Suzuki has found a way to create a vehicle that does not sacrifice space and performs well in its very competitive category. 2010, 2011, 2012 to 2013 Suzuki SX4
models are powered by a 2.0L 150 horsepower engine and backed by a 6-speed manual transmission or a CVT automatic transmission, both of which are designed to maximize fuel economy.
K&N recognized this respectable vehicle as a candidate for a high flow air filter and manufactured part number 33-2463 specifically for the 2010, 2011, 2012 to 2013 SX4
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Installation of the K&N 33-2463
air filter in a Suzuki SX4 is simple as the filter simply drops in the air
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over and over but there's no need for this with an air filter. Invest in a K&N high flow air filter and enjoy the fact you will never buy another replacement air filter for that vehicle again.
K&N air filters offer excellent protection from dirt and debris for up to 50,000 miles
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K&N air filters are also designed to increase horsepower and throttle response. Running K&N's 33-2463
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Dylan Kwasniewski wins second K&N Pro Series West race in a row at Montana Raceway Park
Dylan Kwasniewski made history by becoming the youngest driver to win a NASCAR K&N Pro Series race last week in Colorado. He made it look easy winning his second K&N Pro Series West race in a row at Montana Raceway Park on Saturday night.
The 16-year-old driver from Las Vegas became the youngest driver to win a K&N Pro Series race at Colorado National Speedway. He followed his historic win with another one at Montana Raceway Park in a field that included two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip. Kwasniewski led a race-high 99 laps and won the eighth race of the season for Gene Price Motorsports.
NASCAR K&N Pro Series Racer Dylan Kwasniewski
"It was a fantastic race. I knew we had the car to beat right off the bat," Kwasniewski said. "Once we passed Greg we got a comfortable lead. We came out with another win which was awesome."
Kwasniewski's Gene Price Motorsports teammate Greg Pursley has won six K&N Pro Series West races this year, giving the team eight wins in 11 races.
Pursley set fast time and started on the pole. He led the first 51 laps of the Toyota/TTC 150 at Montana Raceway Park. Kwasniewski started the race in third and passed Pursley for the lead on lap 52.
"He made a little bit of a mistake and we were able to get our nose in there and make a clean pass," Kwasniewski said. "Once we were ahead of everyone, we knew we were going to pull out a little bit and get a comfortable lead. And that's what we did."
Once out front, Kwasniewski pulled away from the rest of the field and stayed out front over a caution free run to the checkered flag. There were only two cautions in the race, the last coming when Daryl Harr spun out on lap 41.
Dylan Kwasniewski began the race in third and passed Greg Pursley for the lead on lap 52.
"I was definitely trying to push the limit at the beginning," Kwasniewski said. "I like having a comfortable lead, knowing that everyone else is far behind. Once we got out there and I knew that we had a straightaway lead, I kind of backed off a little bit."
Cameron Hayley, in his K&N Pro Series West debut, was second. The 15-year-old from Calgary, Alberta, is the youngest driver to compete in a K&N Pro Series West race.
"We just came out here with an open mind," said Hayley, who was driving one of four cars in the race for Bill McAnally Racing. "Rob (Dixon), my crew chief, had it dialed in ever since practice. We went out there and qualified seventh. We rolled around there for a bit at the beginning, just to save my tires. I experimented with different grooves to see what was going to be best at the end. We had something for Dylan, but we were just a little too far back."
Eric Holmes was third and posted his sixth top-five finish of the season.
"It was a tough race," Holmes said. "We had a decent car at the very, very beginning of the race and then Dylan got by us. Figured I'd just ride and save something for the end. Hoping for a late-race caution. We didn't get it."
Pursley extended his lead in the K&N Pro Series West standings with a fourth-place finish. He has a 284-point lead over Moses Smith. Waltrip, driving for Bill McAnally Racing, was seventh.
The Toyota/TTC 150 from Montana Raceway Park will be broadcast on Speed on Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. ET.
The next K&N Pro Series West race is at Spokane County Raceway in Washington on Sept. 3.
