Latest News

Cody and his father have been developing their Polaris RZR into an off-road contender

Cody, along with dad Doug, made the decision to break out and take on off-road racing. They’d continue their relationship with Polaris and race the RZR, but in doing so stepped into one of the most highly-subscribed and competitive classes in off-road racing.

For example: for the recent Baja 500, 26 side-by-sides were entered in the Pro UTV Forced Induction class, that’s more than 10 percent of all entries. And remarkably, the top finishing Pro UTV FI came in with a lower time than the winners in Class 1/2, Class 5, Class 7, Class 7SX, Class 11, and Class 12. And would have kicked the last place finisher in Trophy Trucks back one position. That’s competitive. Further, of the 26 only two UTVs didn’t finish, so you have to earn your wins and not simply drive around waiting for other competitors to crash out.

Cody, Doug, co-drivers James Hill and Kevin Sullivan, and team were in much better shape for this year’s Baja 500 that last’s. They rolled into Ensenada without the electrical problems that plagued them the previous year and were confident they could achieve a strong finish. Cody ran in fifth through most of the event, broke 40 miles from the finish, made the repair and drove in for a seventh-place finish.

We had a chance to grill Cody about the Baja 500 and whatever else is going on in his life. Here’s what he had to say:

To say that Cody was exited about entering the Baja 500 was a but of an understatement

Cody Rahders: The course is always rough but temps were cooler plus we were better organized and better prepared.

K&N: Did you feel better prepared? Was the team and the UTV better prepared?

CR: The car only went 160 miles at last year’s Baja 1000 before we folded an A-arm and DNF'd so it had relatively low miles on it which made prep easy and after 5 starts in Baja, my dad began to have an understanding of who and what we needed for spares and where they needed to be on course.

K&N: Last year "UTV Driver" wrote "that the desert's not been kind to you." You laughed when you read it, sort of agreeing. Are things better for you out there?

CR: Their "odds" chart is always funny but in my case it’s been accurate. The biggest thing that helped is slowing down, not a lot but just enough to help the car live and get it to the finish. We need to invest in some better parts in key areas that should allow me to pick up the pace.

K&N: The course ran more on the west side of the peninsula than last year, where it was run mainly on the east side. Did that have any impact on you or your UTV?

Cody and his two co-drivers James Hill and Kevin Sullivan enjoy the spoils of their Top 10 finish

K&N: The winner set a blistering pace. His time would have placed him second to last in Trophy Trucks. You came in about two hours later. Did you have trouble in the desert? In the pits? Or had you decided on a pace you thought would bring you home to a good finish?

CR: We don't have the budget (yet) to run at the leaders pace, simple as that. My plan was top 5, to run conservative the first 400 and maintain a top 10 pace then push the last 100 miles and demonstrate we can finish strong. I ran as high as I think it was 3rd or 4th coming into our second pit at race mile 160 but broke an axle coming through a wash and had to have it changed. I lost a few spots there, gained some back and by race mile 240 was in 5th through 440 then had the threaded end of the right outer CV joint break off which ruined a wheel bearing. By the time we got the car out and fixed I lost an hour and a few spots. I got a couple positions back but everyone was so spread out it was just get to the end and finished 7th.

K&N: On top of your racing you’re also a full-time college student. How's school going?

Perhaps Cody's mind wasn't completely on his college course work as he prepared for the 500

K&N: If that weren’t enough, you are working at Fox Shox, tuning UTV shocks. Are you still working at Fox?

CR: Yes. When I'm not in school I work in the engineering department at Fox. It’s awesome to be on the design side and can’t thank Fox enough for the opportunity.

K&N: Did you tune some shocks specifically to your liking?

CR: Yep, mine! Shocks are personal, it’s not a one size fits all. If someone doesn't know what they like we have base settings to get them started then take them testing to develop their skills and learn how the shock works in different conditions. Then we can tune it to their style of driving.

Congratulations on your finish at the Baja 500 and thank you for your time Cody. Good luck with the rest of the season.

Ryan Blaney celebrating his win at the Pocono 400

“Yeah, so we did a great job,” Blaney said. “Jeremy Bullins and everybody did a great job of positioning ourselves to start towards the front on tires. When the 18 stayed out, he looked to be the best car all day, and it's almost a curse when you're that good. Everyone just kind of does the opposite of what you do in that situation. We've been on the bad side of that before.”

Blaney only led once, the last 10 laps of the race, but led the most important lap of all, the last. Blaney finished with 40 points, 5 playoff points, and currently sits in 12th place with 360 points and 8 playoff points.

Blaney became the 19th different driver to win for the Wood Brothers Racing team and the first since Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500 in 2011.

"I think it exceeds the dream a little bit," Blaney said. "I grew up watching my dad (Dave Blaney) race on this race track, and it’s so cool to get the Wood Brothers in Victory Lane, number one, and to do it here at a racetrack that is really close to Ohio – a home to me – is pretty awesome."

Ryan Blaney and Darrell "Bubba' Wallace Jr. before the Pocono 400

Kevin Harvick came in second place, just losing out on the win by .139 seconds. Harvick did not lead once during the race.

"The 21 (Blaney) could charge the corner a little bit harder than I could, and my best bet, the way I passed people all day was waiting for him to slip up off the bottom, and he never slipped up off the bottom,” said Harvick. “So I just didn't have enough laps to finish that last pass off, and Ryan did a good job of not slipping a wheel with the amount of laps that he had left and was able to hold on."

Erik Jones finished in third place, the Sunoco Rookie of the year. This was Jones’s career best finish, and led twice for 20 laps.

“It's kind of -- it's great to run there and it feels really good to get a top 5, but man, when you're that close and you're seeing them battle for the win and you're right there trying to pounce and make a move, it definitely makes you eager to go up there and try to get it,” Jones said. “Hopefully this is a sign of things to come, and hopefully we can keep running well and keep getting in contention for more.”

Ryan Blaney racing during the Pocono 400

Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. made his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut Sunday and finished 26th with three pit road speeding penalties.

Martin Truex Jr. continues to lead the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings, with 584 points and 18 playoff points. Kyle Larson is in second place with 583 points and 8 playoff points. Kevin Harvick is in third place with 480 points and 3 playoff points.

The next race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will be the Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 18th.

Josh Toth will join the 2017 US Junior Trophy Team

“We recently received the good news that Josh Toth will be joining the 2017 US Junior Trophy Team and representing this great country in France aboard his factory Yamaha YZ250FX,” reported AmPro Marketing Coordinator Brian Elliott.

AmPro is looking to build on the foundation of success that Toth started last year in the International Six Days Enduro (ISDE).

“In 2016, Josh finished the ISDE as the number one club team rider in the world,” said Elliot. “We are excited to see what he can do this year!”

Toth crosses a water feature at the Cherokee National Enduro in Greensboro, Georgia

“I rode pretty good in the beginning, but I couldn’t stay off the ground,” said Toth. “I like the mud, so when it started raining I think I got stronger. I’m getting better at this tight stuff and I definitely had a lot of fun.”

The podium finish is the Connecticut rider’s best result to date. Toth’s success at the Cherokee National Enduro bodes well for his continued development in the sport.

To get more performance from your 2014-2017 Yamaha YZ250, install the K&N YA-4514XD replacement air filter. Check K&N’s online application tool to confirm the correct filter for your motorcycle.

2017 AMA Cherokee National Enduro Results

1. Thad DuVall (Hus)

2. Steward Baylor Jr. (KTM)

3. Josh Toth (Yam)

4. Grant Baylor (Hus)

Toth handles the mud at the Cherokee National Enduro in Greensboro, Georgia

6. Cory Buttrick (KTM)

7. Jesse Groemm (KTM)

8. Thorn Devlin (Hus)

9. Evan Smith (KTM)

10. Zach Hayes (KTM)

The Ford Focus RS is a popular option for automotive enthusiasts and K&N can help add power

Chassis dynamometer testing verified an estimated increase from 224.46 horsepower to 258.47 horsepower, as measured at the drive wheels, on the same Ford Focus RS on the same day, with the only change being the installation of a K&N 69-3539TB.

The Focus RS features a 2.3L DOHC turbocharged EcoBoost engine delivering an astonishing 350 horsepower stock that can launch it from 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds, which is just a tick slower than the Ford GT 40 Mk II that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The 2.3L EcoBoost is an all-aluminum four-cylinder engine, with DOHC and four valves per cylinder with Twin Independent Variable Cam Timing (Ti-VCT). Stroke is unusually long for a performance engine at 94 mm versus a bore of 87.6 mm. Intake air is compressed by a Honeywell twin-scroll fixed geometry turbocharger, with engine management by a Bosch MEDG17-I4. Full power comes on a relatively low 6000 rpm, with peak torque at 3200 rpm.

The K&N Typhoon air intake kit can add more than 33 HP to 2016 and 2017 Ford Focus RS

As is the case with virtually all turbocharged engines and virtually all direct injection engines, the more intake air you can feed into the system, the more power the engine will make. In the example of the Ford Focus RS, an additional mass of air fed into the turbocharger is supplementary to what it normally draws, so its output is increased proportionally to the increase in input.

With this increase of air entering the combustion chamber, the electronic engine management of the Focus RS increases the amount of fuel to maintain the proper ratio of combustion. With more air and more fuel, more power is made. And that’s the basics of the K&N 69-3539TB Typhoon air intake system.

The 69-3539TB Typhoon air intake system is designed to fit 2016 and 2017 Ford Focus RS models. The power increase is achieved by replacing the OEM factory air filter, intake tube, and air filter housing with a aerodynamically-verified K&N Typhoon mandrel-bent aluminum tube air intake system, which is designed to dramatically reduce air flow restriction as it smooths and straightens air flow.

The intake pipe is aerodynamically-engineered for maximum flow and powdercoated blue

Included in the 69-3539TB Typhoon air intake kit is a K&N high-flow RU-5163 air filter and a heat shield that installs in the original factory mounting location. Much of the horsepower gain can be attributed to the oversized conical air filter manufactured from multiple layers of oiled cotton filter media -- which offers less resistance than traditional paper filters. The multi-layered red cotton material also filters out microparticles that could damage your engine. Each filter design is verified through K&N’s in-house testing lab, which adheres to ISO 5011 standards, ensuring that your K&N filter provides high airflow without putting engine protection at risk.

The pleated K&N RU-5163 conical air filter provides additional surface area for increased airflow

This Typhoon air intake is relatively easy to install, typically in 90 minutes of less using common hand tools. All tools required are listed in the clear, step-by-step photo-illustrated instructions specific to your Ford Focus RS that comes included in the shipping carton.

The K&N air filter you purchase is designed to last for the lifetime of your vehicle, which K&N guarantees with a 10-Year/Million Mile Limited Warranty.

The K&N 69-3539TB fits the following vehicles:

2017 FORD FOCUS 2.3L L4 Fuel Injection - All Models
2016 FORD FOCUS 2.3L L4 Fuel Injection - All Models

Jimmie Johnson celebrating his win at the AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover International Speedway

"To be here and tie him at 83 wins is amazing," Johnson said. "We just got the tribute helmet. I wasn’t sure how quickly we’d be there (at 83 wins), or if we’d be able to go there and get it done. But, Cale, you’re the man. Thank you for all you’ve done for our sport."

Johnson led twice for a total of 7 laps. Johnson, who was not leading coming down to the 400th lap, was given new life when David Ragan crashed into the wall, causing a restart. Johnson saw his chance, and took it all the way to overtime and crossing the overtime finish line for the win.

"I never thought I would end up here in NASCAR as a kid racing in the dirt out in Southern California," Johnson said. "I was a big Cale Yarborough fan and I remember going to a race in Oklahoma with my parents and my brother.”

Kyle Larson finished in second place, leading for a race-high 6 times and 241 laps. Larson was passed by Johnson on the overtime lap, and lost the chance to pick up his second win of the season. This was Larson’s fifth second place finish of the season.

"It was a good race for us," said Larson. "Obviously, I didn't need that last caution. Yeah, I mean, Jimmie is the best of our time, probably the best of all time.

Jimmie Johnson racing during the AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover International Speedway

“Definitely proud of our finish today” Truex said. “I thought we definitely had a shot at the win until that happened, and after that it was just -- we were kind of playing catch-up. At a place that's really difficult to pass, we had to come from about 15th to get to third. Definitely proud of the run, proud of the effort and the car the guys brought here today.”

Martin Truex Jr. continues to lead the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings with 545 points and 18 playoff points. Kyle Larson is in second place with 536 points and 7 playoff points. Kevin Harvick is in third place with 429 points and 3 playoff points.

The next race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will be the Pocono 400 presented by Axalta at Pocono Raceway.