TrailReady Motorsports and their Ford F-150 Trophy Truck.
There were big changes at TrailReady Motorsports this year, by teaming up with Tracy Rubio and the TNC Machine, they successfully moved up from the Mini-Unlimited Truck class to a state-of-the-art Trophy Truck. Even though the team is still in the gel-process, they have already experienced some very noteworthy successes, which they are constantly building on.
TrailReady Motorsports teamed up with Tracy Rubio and TNC Machine and moved up from the Mini-Unlimited Truck class to a state-of-the-art Trophy Truck
In their first race, the 1000 mile Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno, they qualified 14th out of 30 in the TT class, and worked their way into fourth place at the 700 mile mark, before a broken valve took them out of the running. For the second event, the 320-mile Silver State 300, they had just installed their brand new Ford Racing motor and still managed to complete the event in 8th position, even after being slowed by a couple of minor issues. In a sport with a 50 percent DNF rate, they have every reason to be pleased to get their first finish, in only their second event.
This weekend the team finishes the year with the BITD Henderson Desert Classic. The entire team is determined to end the season on a high, and they claim they will leave it all on the course in an all out podium effort. Time trials are Thursday; Tech/Contingency is Friday in downtown Henderson, and Racing starts Saturday Morning in Jean, Nevada.
TrailReady Motorsports has even more changes in store for next season.
"While we've been using K&N Filter products for as long as I can remember, quality intake filter products have never been so critical as they are in this power plant. At $30,000 plus, this represents the biggest motor investments I've ever made. Suddenly the choice of filters has become as important as our choice in tires. Desert racing, with its fine airborne silt, is harder on racing motors than any other form of racing," explains Larry Trim, president of TrailReady Products, LLC.
BITD Henderson Desert Classic Racing starts Saturday Morning in Jean, Nevada.
Trim and TrailReady are located in Lynnwood, Washington. Trim is also a very accomplished off-road racer with 13 years of total driving experience - three years in the NW Rally Series, seven years in the Pro-National Rock Crawling series, and three in the desert. He enjoys a 27 percent winning percentage in Class 6/7200 series since the middle of '06. He is also TrailReady Motorsports' alternate driver.
"As a truck builder, Tracy Rubio may be one of the very best in the sport. With over 20 years experience in desert truck construction, he quietly goes about his business building championship winning trucks for customers in the Kingman/Havasu/Parker area, for drivers including Curt Leduc, Randy Merritt, and off-road legend, Manny Esquerra. Having driven countless off-road racing vehicles, from rally cars, to rock racers, to desert trucks, I can say this truck fits me like nothing I've ever experienced. With the right drivers, support and just a little luck (I think we have the first two, and we're working on the last), it's only a matter of a few events before we see a TNC Machine trophy truck on the top of the podium regularly," says Trim.
Tracy Rubio is also a very proficient off-road racer and the diver of record with the TrailReady MotorSports team. Rubio has over 20 years desert racing experience and is a multiple championship winner in Class-7 and Class-8100.
"We simply could not be more pleased with the K&N products we use (E-3978XD, E-3770PR, 25-3770). We've always used K&N Products in our off-road racing applications. We begin a direct relationship with K&N when they helped us complete our 2005 SEMA "20 day Pre-Runner" Project truck. But, becoming a part of the K&N racing family with this Trophy Truck effort is hugely important, both in product support and with the quality of the product. We look forward to many years of working with K&N and to the confidence of knowing we have the best filters available for our race engines," continues Trim.
Ever building and growing as a team, TrailReady has even more changes in store for next season. "We have been asked to put together a LOORS Unlimited-Lite program for one of our partners who has pledged 70 percent of the required budget, and we are actively looking for the rest of the support to complete the program. The beauty of this opportunity is that it includes a provision that any excess funds will be poured into the Trophy Truck program, insuring that we can compete in the entire BITD series for 2010. With this program in place we will be competing in 21 televised races for next year. The Unlimited-Lite Ford Ranger and the F150 Trophy Truck will sport similar paint schemes and will be highly visible on the track, TV and the Show circuit," concludes Trim.
The Number 18 TNC Machine stats:
'03 F-150 Ford Trick Truck
Builder - Tracy Rubio, Kingman, Arizona
All aluminum Ford Racing V8 (800hp)
C6 Transmission (10" R&P)
Suspension - 4" King Shocks
Travel - 36" (rear), 30" (front)
The most important race of the year for Ford Focus Teams and drivers is the season-ending annual Turkey Night Grand Prix at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California. Drivers from across the country ate turkey at the track before they competed on the 1/3 mile paved oval. Two of those racers were Michael Lewis and his teammate Cody Gerhardt.
Turkey Night Grand Prix Third Place finish for Western Speed Racer Michael Lewis
The Western Speed Team Racers went to the final 2009 USAC Ford Focus event with five feature wins between them. Both drivers recorded strong lap times during the five practice sessions and anticipated a strong qualifying effort.
Final USAC California Pavement Ford Focus Car Series Event podium win for Michael Lewis during 69th Lucas Oil Turkey Night Grand Prix at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California
Lewis qualified in 5th place and was placed on the front row for the start of the 40-lap feature. “Kevin Gerhardt worked really hard for both Cody and I and gave us great cars,” said Lewis. “I felt like I had a chance to get a win for the Western Speed Team.”
Western Speed Racing is owned by Rick Lew and Kevin Gerhardt. Western Speed cars are equipped with K&N filters. “Our K&N products give us extra power and excellent filtration,” said Gerhardt. “The K&N air filters are also washable and reusable and protect our engines from track debris.”
When the green flag waved Lewis tucked in behind the leader and the chase began. The top four cars ran nose to tail. Lewis lost a position during lapped traffic and worked hard to get it back. Lewis finished third when the checkered flag waved.
Lewis had a very successful season in the No. 60 Western Speed Ford Focus midget. He recorded three feature wins, earned four fast time qualifying awards and numerous heat race wins. Even though Lewis competed part time this season, he earned 4th position in driver points and the No. 60 Ford Focus midget earned the car owner’s championship for Western Speed Racing.
“The motor has to last, the tires have to last and the drivers have to last,” said Bryan Clauson after his rubber hit the road the Toyota Speedway in Irwindale for the 69th running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix Mopar National Midget race.
Bryan Clauson holds up The Aggie in celebration of his dominating victory Thanksgiving Night in the 69th Annual Lucas Oil Turkey Night Grand Prix
The Noblesville, Indiana racer won the Thanksgiving night Midget Race and was never seriously challenged during the 98 lap contest. “We battled some mechanical issues early,” said Clauson. “But the crew was able to get the car fast for the main event.”
Clauson drove the Marc DeBeaumont owned Beast/Ford-Esslinger No 11 and led all 57 laps of the event. “It was a pretty cool night,” he said. “But the crown jewel was getting my name on the Aggie Trophy.”
Clauson raced more than 200 events at 82 different tracks in 24 states during the racing season. His victories have also earned him a 51 point lead for the 2009 National Midget Driver of the Year Championship.
“Our K&N filters give us additional performance on the track,” he said. “They protect our engines from track debris and are part of our winning package that helps us make it to the Winner’s Circle.”
Clauson’s next event will be the Bull Ring Midget Nationals in December at Kansas City’s Kemper Arena. In 2010 he’ll kick off his season at the Annual Chili Bowl Nationals.
Papas and Beer racer Rodrigo Ampudia will next race in the Lucas Oil Challenge Cup at the Lake Elsinore Motorsports Complex in California
Papas and Beer Ford F-150 drove his Ford F-150 at the starting line of the Baja 1000
The best desert racers in the world came together on the Baja California Peninsula for the 42nd Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. Competitors from fourteen countries and 39 U.S. states took part in 29 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs in the finale of the five-race 2009 SCORE Desert Series.
Papas and Beer Racer Rodrigo Ampudia took second place in the Baja 1000 in his Ford F-150 Class 8 truck with K&N air and oil filters
The 672.85 mile race started and finished in Ensenada, Mexico. Rodrigo Ampudia of Papas and Beer Racing drove his Ford F-150 Class 8 truck with Greg Adler. "Greg drove the first part of the race," said Ampudia. "I took over at mile 200 and took the Ford to the end for a second place win."
Nine racers started in Class 8, but only 5 finished. The rugged course travels from Ensenada to Ojos Negros, to Laguna Salada then San Felipe. It continues through the infamous Matomi Wash, around Mike's Sky Ranch and goes down the La Rumarosa Grade. The La Rumarosa Grade is a 3400 vertical foot drop to the floor of the lower Mexican desert. Drivers also take their vehicles back to the Pacific Coast below San Vincente and up through Santo Tomas. The teams cover a good portion of the Baja California peninsula to and from Ensenada.
Ampudia won the Baja 500 in 2009 and was hoping to close out the Baja 1000 with a win. "I really wanted a first place win," he said. "But we got stuck in a tough silt bed. We had a winch but we had to rock ourselves back and forth to get out. The first place winner beat us by two hours and we beat the third place racer by two hours. Our K&N air and oil filters provided our truck with the power and protection it needed. The bottom line is, K&N worked after being stuck in the silt for hours and throughout the demanding race."
Ampudia will next race in the Lucas Oil Challenge Cup, December 11-12 at Lake Elsinore Motorsports Complex in Lake Elsinore, California. In 2010 he plans to compete in the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series and the SCORE Baja Desert Series.
After six full seasons most fans and aficionados have come to recognize that the Formula DRIFT series puts the X-factor in extreme motorsport racing. Maneuvering through a designated course at high speeds while executing controlled sideways slides requires mad skills. This season just over 60 professional drivers participated in all seven competitions. Michael Essa, from Los Angles, California, is systemically working himself towards the top of that group of racers.
Formula DRIFT Rookie Michael Essa
In this his rookie year, Essa finished the season in second place out of eleven total rookie drivers. Due to budget issues he was unable to attend the New Jersey event. With the momentum he was carrying, the potential points he would have earned there could very likely have put him in the Rookie of the Year spot. "I had a good season, finishing sixth overall in Las Vegas and in the top sixteen at the last event at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California," says Essa.
Essa first got behind the wheel of a racecar at age 17 – he says he knew instantly that this was where he wanted to be. From that point on he has remained focused on the machinery and the track, in his ongoing efforts to build on a solid foundation to create a legacy in global motorsports.
Drifter Michael Essa in action.
He has held positions as Crew Chief and Lead Tech Inspector, building and developing his talent from the ground up. In the spring of 2001 Essa opened Tech Trix Motorsports in Anaheim, California. It's there that he builds, maintains, and provides track support for Porsche racecars. Essa not only worships racing, but he also supports the community by offering driving instruction for both Porsche racers and drift drivers.
Essa races a 1987 Mazda RX-7, powered by a 2003 Z06 LS6 Corvette engine. "The car is basically the same as how it started the season. For the last event though we added a new cam and ported the heads, to up the power to 430whp and 390wtq," says Essa.
1987 Mazda RX-7 with 2003 Z06 LS6 Corvette engine
"I'm happy to represent K&N. I would buy and use their products even without their support, and I have in the past. K&N makes only high quality items, I truly believe them to be the best available. I always use K&N air filters/kits and oil filters."
"For the 2010 Formula Drift season I've teamed up with GSR Autosport to build, campaign and drive a 2008 BMW 335i. Were excited to bring a new European car to the FD series," adds Essa.
The rear-engine BMW 335i is a sports coupe with a rock-solid chassis and plenty of room for aftermarket development. The new platform will easily handle the 550-hp turbocharged 3.2-liter M3 powerplant which Essa has almost finished.
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