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Bill Balog and His B2 Motorsport Team are Smoking Hot Notching 12 Wins to Date

Aug 29, 2013

The B2 Motorsport team have found their way to the front 12 times already this season.

When you're hot you're hot, and Bill Balog and his B2 Motorsport team are flat-out sizzling. In less than a month the K&N sponsored racer notched 5 of his dozen wins with spectacular displays of driving. "We have 12 wins so far this season and everything has been going good, affirmed Balog. "We haven't torn up much equipment and our team works very hard throughout the week to get everything ready for the upcoming race."

Bill Balog and his 17b car currently sit atop the Bumper-to-Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints point standings.

When everything is clicking as they are with Balog and his team nothing seems to get in the way, not the weather, track conditions, or the competition. The Hartland, Wisconsin racer has had 33 starts in 2013 so far, with 12 wins, 17 top-fives, and 18 top-ten finishes. Balog started his hot streak season at Beaver Dam Raceway, winning by .009 of a second. And, last month Balog and his crew ran a double-header, which began with Beaver Dam, at the Horsepower Half-Mile at the Dodge County Fairgrounds with the Interstate Racing Association for the annual Rick Schmidt Memorial.

Balog immediately announced that he was in the house as he took the 17B sprinter out to the track and posted the fastest lap out of the 24 car field. His time in fact broke the single-lap record that has been held by Travis Whitney since 2004.

Balog drew the number 3 pill for the feature invert setting him up with a 6th place starting position in the feature. At the drop of the green Balog weaved his way into the 2nd position in pursuit of leader and for a few laps the two battled back and forth. Balog seemed to be done toying around after a few laps as he grabbed the lead for the last time, taking the checked with over an eight second margin over second place. It was the 8th victory of his 2013 season.

After that event the B2 Motorsport hauler headed north overnight to Northern Wisconsin to the high-banked third mile of the Rice Lake Speedway. The next morning Balog went out to qualify in the middle of the 20 car field and he laid down the 3rd fastest lap on the quickly fading red clay surface. The "Northpole Nightmare" started this feature in 4th, but after a number of caution flags, Balog soon reeled the leader in and slid under him in turns one and two. The two competitors raced side-by-side down the backstretch with Balog now on the high side of the track, and with the momentum on his side, he raced away with the lead. Another caution flew soon afterwards with Balog just getting around a spinning machine near the top of the track. Once the green was out Balog again set a torrid pace, weaving through the traffic onto his 9th victory of the season.

Balog and his team next visited the lightning fast Langlade County Fairgrounds, a venue that the Interstate Racing Association hasn't visited since the 2007 season. Spotty rain showers most of the afternoon put the event in jeopardy, but the track prep crew busted their tails to get the half-mile into shape and the races went on as scheduled.

After 14 laps of highly competitive racing, and after a lap 15 restart, Balog got a good jump, found the lead and pulled away from the field for his 10th win. Win 11 came back at Beaver Dam Raceway. There the K&N racer sailed unchallenged to victory and earned his and 3rd clean sweep of the season. Then it was onto Wilmot Raceway for an IRA 410 winged sprints event. Balog started the feature in 8th, which he continues to prove means nothing, as he went on to earn his 12th win.

"Earlier this season we had a top-5 with the World of Outlaws in La Salle, Illinois and it was awesome," said Balog recounting the season so far. "That would probably be the highlight of the season. We also had a win at Cedar Lake and Rice lake Speedways, and those were special because they're kind of a home track with a lot of family in the pits and in the stands. Also we are leading the Bumper-to-Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints point standings at this time and could possibly secure our sixth consecutive championship. With the help of K&N and all of our sponsors, our motors have been strong and clean."

Related K&N News Articles about Bill Balog and B2 Motorsports: Bill Balog and Team B2 Motorsports Earn A Podium Spot At Beaver Dam; IRA Outlaw 410 Sprint Car Driver Bill Balog and B2 Motorsports; B2 Motorsports' Three Time IRA Champion Bill Balog Wins the Dick Witt Checkered Classic; Bill Balog and B2 Motorsports Notch Sixth IRA Win at Superior Speedway

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Rally Racers Adam Yeoman and Jordan Schulze Focus on Victory for the FY Racing Team

Aug 29, 2013

The FY Racing team opened with a fifth-place finish in the Sno Drift Rally in January and followed with an eighth-place finish in the 100 Acre Wood Rally.

Adam Yeoman and Jordan Schulze have known each other since high school and played in a band together. They toured in England and the United States, traveling from town to town playing their music.

The two didn't miss a beat when they decided to switch from music to rally racing. They share driving duties for the FY Racing team. After starting the rally racing season with a pair of top-10 finishes, the drivers have not finished the past three races, but it hasn't discouraged them from wanting to end the season on a high note.

Adam Yeoman and Jordan Schulze share driving duties for the FY Racing team.

"We've both done a lot of projects together," Schulze said. "We work well together. It's everybody's input going into this thing."

Yeoman said his relationship with Schulze outside of racing has helped build a productive unit on the rally circuit.

"Jordan and I have been friends for years," Yeoman said. "We both played in bands and toured together for years and years. I've known him since I was in high school."

Despite the recent setbacks, Yeoman said he is optimistic that his rally team can put together a podium finish before the end of the season.

"In the end, we're still a pretty young team," Yeoman said. "We've probably only been together 18 months. Every race we're learning stuff. The team is working better together."

One of the reasons Yeoman said his team can put a podium effort together is the result from the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally in Pennsylvania. The rally race team was running in second place, trailing Ken Block, when their car's engine failed. Yeoman and Schulze did not finish the race.

"From there we've been hit by a string of bad luck," Yeoman said. "Mechanical issues, that's kind of happened through the last three rallies."

A gear box failure took the team out of the Oregon Trail Rally in Portland in May. In the team's most recent race, the New England Forest Rally in Maine, the car had engine problems from the start and didn't make it through a third of the race.

"The guys worked all through the night taking the engine out, changing the head gasket, getting the engine back in the car," Yeoman said. "It was not a great result, but it's good for the team to work together like that."

The team is going through a rough patch, but the start of the season was much more promising.

The FY Racing team opened with a fifth-place finish in the Sno Drift Rally in Minnesota in January and followed with an eighth-place finish in the 100 Acre Wood Rally in Missouri. But the past three races put a huge damper on their championship hopes.

"As far as points go, I think we're out luck," Schulze said. "On the surface it's kind of bad. Lots of positives, it doesn't show on the surface."

Using K&N air and oil filters will be a big part of team's plans for a turnaround in the last couple races of the season.

"Like in every race car, every little piece is important," Yeoman said. "They do the job better than any other product can. Especially in the rallies, it's terrible, dusty conditions. They're awesome."

The team is continually making improvements on its rally car. Yeoman said it is part of the reason his crew is so passionate about rally racing.

"We're always upgrading," Yeoman said. "The thing the team really likes is the constant development of the cars. We try to fabricate as much as we can in house. We all enjoy doing it and we got a pretty good machine shop here. I don't think we've ever gone to a race without some sort of upgrade package from the previous race."

Related K&N News Articles about Rally Racing: Mike Ryan and FireForce Racing Finish the Rally Racing Style NORRA Mexican 1000 in a 45-year-old F-100; John Peñano Brings Rally Innovations Modified Ford Focus ST Rally Racing Car to SEMA Ford Booth; Rally Racing's Bryce Menzies Eagerly Accepts Invitation to Compete in 2012 X Games RallyCross; K&N Supported Jos Kuypers Takes Over Dutch Rally Racing Championship Lead

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Sprint Car Racer Alyssa Riker Continues to Add Wins to Her 270 Micro Sprint Class Resume

Aug 29, 2013

Alyssa Riker proved her merit as a racer with a first place finish at Hamlin Speedway for a 270 micro sprint this past season.

A passion for racing was sparked in 8-year-old Alyssa Riker when a friend introduced her to quarter midget racing. Nine years later, 17-year-old, New Jersey native Alyssa Riker has created a lengthy resume of racing triumphs, which spans from quarter midgets to her more current 270 micro sprints.

Alyssa Riker first stamped her name on the competitive racing map in 2007 when she pulled 5 feature wins for quarter midget racing in a month at West End Fairgrounds.

Most recently Alyssa Riker proved her merit as a racer at Hamlin Speedway for a 270 micro sprint this past season. Despite a rough start with engine issues, track unfamiliarity, and low initial placement, Alyssa Riker took advantage of every opportunity and raked in another first place finish.

"This win means a lot to us and shows a lot about us. It shows we have the ability to switch tracks and conditions at any time and still be competitive," said Riker. "We went into this race guessing how the car would handle the change throughout the night, and it ended up working out in our favor."

Alyssa Riker first stamped her name on the competitive racing map in 2007 at 11 years old when she pulled 5 feature wins for quarter midget racing in one month at West End Fairgrounds in Gilbert, Pennsylvania. She holds a record at West End Quarter Midget Racing Association for fastest lap in modified class. Now, in her third season of 270 micro sprints, Alyssa Riker has already claimed 5 feature wins.

Since the start of the K&N sponsorship in 2008, Alyssa Riker and her father, Jamie Riker, have been using K&N products in racecars and everyday vehicles.

"K&N has been a big part of our success as their help has given us the quality products we need to remain competitive week to week," said Riker. "All of our racecars from the quarter midgets to the micro use K&N filters. They allow us to keep our engines clean and reliable."

This September, Alyssa Riker will be a senior in high school and is currently college hunting. With the upcoming turn into adulthood, she wishes to continue racing for as long as possible.

"I hope to stay on the micro path with the 270s. I don't know if I currently have a plan after that; I'm just going to take it as it comes," said Riker. "If I were to ever get the opportunity to get into a different type of racing with good scholarships I would go for it!"

Gary Gee Armstrong is Third in Pacific Northwest Dirt Drag Racing Series Sport Bike Standings

Aug 29, 2013

In 2010, at age 64, Gary Armstrong entered his first pro ATV drag race and won the event.

Gary "Gee" Armstrong has a drag racing championship to defend. Poor weather in the Pacific Northwest has made it challenging to begin that defense. Armstrong, the 2012 Pacific Northwest Dirt Drag Racing Series champion in Sport Bike Division 2, is off to a solid start after rain washed out the first four rounds of the 2013 schedule.

Gary Armstrong races a Yamaha-sponsored YFZ450 and is in third place in the Pacific Northwest Dirt Drag Racing Series sport bike standings.

He was second in the Sport Bike 2 races and fourth in the Pro 2 class races in Round 6 at the Albany Sand Drags in Oregon.

Armstrong, who describes himself as 67 going on 35, doesn't have much ATV drag racing experience, but he has become one of the top riders in his region.

"I haven't been doing it that long," said Armstrong, who lives in Florence, Ore. "When I retired and we moved up here to the dunes, there were a lot of tourists come and we always end up racing up dune faces. It sort of became a thing every Sunday afternoon whoever was out there knew what dunes to go to. We all just raced each other. We didn't even know each other." He didn't enter his first pro ATV drag race until 2010, when he was 64 years old. He won the first pro event he entered.

Gary Armstrong has seven career victories in the Dirt Drag Racing Series since 2010 and 18 podium finishes.

"My engine builder was back there playing," Armstrong said. "He invited me up to a track that he rented to do some engine testing. He said try it with the lights and the computer timing. I did it for a day and I loved it, so that was 2009. I started having him build race engines for me. In 2010, I entered the Oregon Off-Road Racing Association's Pro race and I won it. From there it's all history."

He races a Yamaha-sponsored YFZ450 and is in third place in the Pacific Northwest Dirt Drag Racing Series sport bike standings. He is in fifth place in the Pro 2 class standings. He has seven career victories in the Dirt Drag Racing Series since 2010 and 18 podium finishes. He said podium finishes are the way to a championship.

"I go into my races just wanting podiums," Armstrong said. "Sure, I'm out there to win, but I'm also just looking for podiums. I felt pretty good. I podiumed twice. I'm OK with that." But it took a while for Armstrong to notch those first two podiums. He had to venture away from the Dirt Drag Racing Series to find other ways to keep his racing skills fresh.

In addition to racing ATVs, Gary Armstrong said he surfs and rides mountain bikes to stay in shape and compete against much younger racers.

"We found some races south of us," Armstrong said. "It was just recreational riders and racers. Anybody could enter. We went just to practice. It wasn't about winning races. It was about getting some practice time in. It gives me a chance to have some fun and also shift gears, make sure everything's running right."

Racing recreationally paid off in his last event. He said his ATV needed some maintenance, his head gaskets were worn, and that led to his second-place finish in the sport bike races. Still, podiums are what he is striving for. It is a formula that worked well last year.

"I had a quite a few weekends where I had three podiums," Armstrong said. "Those all count for points in the championship series. That's what works. That's basically my same strategy this year too. This was a good start as far as I'm concerned, a couple of podiums right off the bat."

Using K&N air and oil filters also contributes to his success. "Whenever you're racing out there or on a track, it's nothing but dust, and it's nothing but sand in the air," Armstrong said. "I depend on K&N filters and I always have. Yamaha is one of my sponsors and I know they have their own filters. I still use K&N filters and they don't mind."

In addition to racing ATVs, Armstrong said he surfs and rides mountain bikes to stay in shape and compete against much younger racers. "I haven't really been a racer until I started riding ATVs up here in the dunes," Armstrong said. "In the championship series, most of the racers are in their 20s and 30s." He also helps promote races at tracks throughout the Pacific Northwest. One is at the Orange Dunes Raceway at the end of August.

Related K&N News Articles about Gary Armstrong and Pro ATV racing: Gary Armstrong Wins 2012 Pacific Northwest Sand Drag Series Championship; A Podium Filled Weekend For Pro ATV Sand Drag Racer Gary Armstrong; ATV Pro Class Team H&M Motorsports Takes Victories at Buffalo Bills in Primm, Nevada; K&N Helps Pro ATV racer Josh Frederick and Team Motoworks in Victory at WORCS: Round 6 at Cahuilla

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K&N Co-Founder Norm McDonald is Honored with Induction Into AMA Hall of Fame

Aug 26, 2013

K&N Co-founder Norm McDonald will be officially inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame this October in Las Vegas.

Every self-respecting, old school motorcycle devotee has a short list of idols indelibly etched onto their recollections, two-wheel pioneers that cleared a trail so the rest of us could see where and how to follow. With their injections of pure cool and expertise, these intrepid individuals stared down the shortsighted conventions of their time and forever changed the nature of motorcycling's approval rating. Steve McQueen, Malcolm Smith and Norm McDonald sit atop that cerebral list for many.

Norm McDonald has been an ambassador for motorcycling his entire life, as a racer, promoter, teacher, sponsor and advocate for motorcyclists' rights and safety. Norm is also the "N" in the internationally recognized K&N logo. And, on Friday October 18, during the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legends Weekend, in a star-studded celebration at Las Vegas' Green Valley Resort & Casino - Norm will be a member of the elite Class of 2013 officially being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

"Being inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame was a surprise and a shock and I'm extremely honored," remarked Norm. "I learned of the nomination from a long time friend, John Ulrich of Roadracing World, but I didn't think it would go any further."

What Norm didn't know at the time was that two of his sons, Phil and Pat and Phil's wife, Cindy, had compiled a thick, comprehensive book about Norm and his accomplishments and sent it to the AMA for consideration. "I was numb and speechless when I first got the news," he added.

Were it not for a fortuitous twist of fate K&N would have flourished in an entirely different direction.

The king of air filters and the icon for motorsport legends the world round, K&N Engineering as it's known today, flourished from Norm and his humble roots, aided by a simple twist of fate.

"When we first met I was racing a BSA Gold Star and Kenny was the head mechanic at the shop I rode out of. Kenny started helping me on my bike in the evenings, and at the races, and we became very good friends," recalls Norm. "I worked for a surveyor at the time, and I had designed a carrier for the crews."

Simplicity is the root of all genius, believed Albert Einstein, and Norm was doing his part to validate that assertion. What Norm had invented was a stake and hatchet carrier for the chainman to carry when they were laying out a road or subdivision. "The K&N lath and stake carrier will save up to 45 minutes per day. Per survey crew," read the advertisement.

"Kenny said let's build and market them, so we started building them in my garage every night. The carriers sold well until we went to patent it and the attorney wiped out what little money we had. So we decided to open our own motorcycle shop with about $200 and three used motorcycles. Kenny and I opened K&N Motorcycles in 1957 in Loma Linda, California."

"Kenny ran the shop and I kept my surveyor job for three years, by then we had moved to downtown Riverside. We were Royal Enfield, BSA dealers and took on Yamaha in 1958. Frank Cooper was the distributor. In the 1960's we also made high fenders and brackets for Yamaha street enduros and Honda models, and fork braces, handle bars and fairings for roadracers. Then in the late 1960's and early 1970's we built SouthWind 21 ft. ski boats with 454 GM motors too, because I had started into racing SouthWind boats. Jim Youngblood owned the company and we bought into it after I started racing for him."

Do it right and keep it simple has been Norm McDonald path to success since the beginning.

Ken and Norm moved the shop from Riverside, California to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1971 and after 55 years they're still going gangbusters. K&N Motorcycles is today the world's oldest Yamaha dealership in the country. Norm continued to race motorcycles all through the 1970's, competing in desert Hare and Hounds, endurance events, scrambles, TT and some flat track.

"I raced modified midgets and mini sprint cars from 1985 until 1995, that's when I flipped end-over-end and broke both of my hip replacements. That ended my racing," recounts Norm. "Bob Frazier and I built and sold over 50 race cars during that time, but like I said, all this never seemed like a big deal, it was just my life. But my kids say it is."

Norm and his wife Lucy have been married for 58 years; they have three sons, one daughter and 22 grand and great grand kids.

Norm McDonald was inducted into the Hall of Fame during AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legends Weekend

"I am very happy and proud to have been able to help my three sons, Phil (AMA National Number Flat Track, Roadracing and three-time winner of the AMA Gold Wrench Roadracing award), Pat (cross country and motocross) and Sam (AMA 250 National Champion in 1982, and second place 250 and Superbike finisher in 1984). My grandson Tyler is also a CMRA Roadracing Champion."

Norm's inspiration and influence spread far beyond his family however, over the years he has sponsored hundreds of racers through his shop, with more than 30 of them going on to the national level.

"I'm also very happy and proud to have helped Malcolm Smith, both with racing and getting started in the business. Malcolm came to work for us while he was still in school and when we first bought the shop in 1971. Others were Swede Savage, who rode for us from the time he was 12-years-old, up until Dan Gurney got him in to Indy cars. Mike Kidd rode for us three years and Gary Scott for one year, both went on to become AMA No 1."

Norm's list of protégés reads like a who's who of motorsports stars, he worked with World Champion Barry Briggs for one year on the AMA National short track circuit, and Walker Evans, who went from motorcycle racing to pickups. "Ralph White rode our flat track bikes and roadracers and Freddy Edwards won many races for us throughout the US," Norm adds. "Donnie Castro rode our flat trackers and TT bikes for one year, and then Yamaha signed him the next year. Randy Cleek was Phil's team mate for three years, roadracing and flat track racing. We counted up as many as we could remember and it was over 250. Plus, trials rider, motocross, ATV and some car racers."

"I also worked with other bike builders, back when you had to design and build your equipment, instead of being able to buy everything. Don Vesco, Floyd Emdy, Mel Denison and Red Daily and others. What great times those were."

Norm McDonald continued to race motorcycles all through the 1970's, competing in desert Hare and Hounds, endurance events, scrambles, TT and some flat track.

In 1992 Norm and his son Phil started the Motorcycle Training Safety Center (MTSC) and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) and over 8500 riders have graduated from those programs to date.

"I am still very involved in the CMRA," says Norm. "I have been on the BOD since 1992, president four times, and I'm still the treasurer. We have over 700 roadracers. My son Pat and I have also put on the Oklahoma Gold Rush for 17 years and last year we had over 800 riders." That event happens annually on November 1-3 and K&N Engineering has been a sponsor for the last four years.

The man is indefatigable, he's also the most sincerely genuine and unassuming person imaginable. Legends live in rarefied air, and far too often they become victims of their own myth. Norm is not that guy. Not by a long shot. Which is why when he's asked to speak publicly at schools and clubs, people continue to listen.

"I rode until three years ago and I have to have another hip replacement this year, so I hope I will be able to ride again. I think it is wonderful, and I am very proud K&N Engineering is so very successful," he reflects, "And that I was part of it ,and they continued to carry the name that me and Kenny started with."

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