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Dirt Bike, ATV and Off-Road Truck Racer Marty Hart

Feb 1, 2011

Dirt bike, ATV and Off-road truck racer Marty Hart

Dirt is in Marty Hart's blood. For 20 years, the veteran dirt bike, ATV and off-road truck racer has been spinning the tires with some of the best off-road racers alive. So it should come as no surprise to anyone that Hart dominated the 2010 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series' Pro Lite division. Hart captured 11 podiums in the 15 round season, his first with the Lucas Oil series.

Marty Hart dominated the Pro Lite division at the 2010 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series

"Winning Championships never gets old," Hart stated. "Each one just keeps getting sweeter. Our team did a phenomenal job all season, and it paid off with another championship."

Hart has built quite a resume in his two-decade long career. In 1984, he broke records in the SCORE Baja 1000 by becoming the first three-wheel team to defeat all other vehicles. Hart would go on to ride a factory ATV for American Honda, capturing three championships in six seasons. Hart continued to succeed in the dirt racing ranks when he was crowned the 1990 SCORE Class 5 Champion.

"I started in motocross, and went to ATV racing because I loved the dirt. If it throws dirt, I'll drive or ride it!" Hart added.

2010 Pro Lite Champion Marty Hart

In 2005 Hart won an ESPN Outdoor Games Gold Medal. In 2007, he burst onto the short-course truck scene with a Rookie of the Year season in the WSORP. He then captured the CORR Pro-Lite Championship in 2008. This season, Hart battled with off-road superstars like fellow K&N racer Chris Brandt and freestyle motocross legend Brian Deegan.

"Racing with Chris was great, he is a solid racer. Deegan, well lets just say we had our differences," Hart said.

Hart is already hard at work gearing up for the 2011 season, and K&N Filters is right there helping to ensure that 2011 is just as successful as 2010. "We have a huge desire to win, and so does K&N. Their filters help maintain engine life in a class that is brutal on engines. I've used K&N my entire life, and there is no better competition filter. K&N helps me race at my best."

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

K&N Typhoon Intake System Breathes New Life into Honda Element

Jan 28, 2011

The C.A.R.B. exemption sticker must be visible under the hood so that emissions inspectors can see it during an inspection.

My wife and I waited for a year after Honda introduced the Element before opting to buy one. The quirkiness of its design, which immediately drew us to it, was also the thing we figured we might grow weary of after the novelty wore off. Although today the roads are jammed packed with square cars, in 2002 when the Element came out, its cubist philosophy was so far out box that it became the box.

The Typhoon Intake System is highly effective and straightforward to install, and really opens the engine compartment. It adds to the cool factor too.

We live at the beach, have dogs, ride bikes and move stuff, and our Element, with the "clamshell" rear doors that pivot backward a full 90 degrees, has been up to every task we've asked of it. A fun fact is that in 2007, the Honda Element won the Dogcars.com's "Dog Car of the Year." How many cars can make that claim?

Our Element only recently hit 70k on the odometer, which is pretty much the break-in period for Honda's, so there's no reason to replace it anytime soon. And in fact, 2011 is the last year that Honda will be producing the Element, and with that comes the possibility that it may endure with the same enthusiasm as the ‘60's VW, becoming the love wagon of the 21st century in essence. Who knows, maybe someday we'll even stick some of those flower decals all over it, and hang curtains on the windows?

The K&N intakes replaces this mass of OEM plastic and rubber.

Over the years there has basically only been one model generation of the Element, and the only significant change, other than switching for plastic to metal body panels, has been a slight increase in horsepower. Enter the K&N Intake System.

Having written hundreds of stories for K&N, about race teams and regular consumers around the globe that wouldn't even consider using anything but K&N products on their vehicles, you'd think I would have caught a clue earlier. Honesty, it's almost like I believed guaranteed horsepower gains only happened to other people. It wasn't until I was recently doing an oil change and screwing on my K&N oil filter that I had a huge "duh" moment. Yes, I too was worthy of more horsepower.

K&N can confidently declare guaranteed horsepower in every intake kit they sell because they actually test it first. Every intake kit is tested on a dynamometer. K&N measures actual real-world horsepower, not what's on the window sticker when you purchase your car. In order to make horsepower measurements appear more impressive they are often recorded at the engine. However, there's generally a loss of horsepower through the drive train, so what you read on the sticker is not what your wheels are putting on the road.

On one of K&N's Dynojet dynamometers, running at 4800 rpm, my new intake showed a nifty added increase of just under seven horsepower. I'll take that any day. That puts our slightly long-in-the-tooth Element right back with its younger siblings.

Replacing the Element's unnecessarily bulky air cleaner assembly, inlet tubes and resonator box, is a piece of cake for the moderately handy do-it-yourselfer. The step-by-step instructions provided with the intake come with pictures making then easy to follow. And you won't believe how much the new K&N Typhoon Intake System opens up your engine compartment.

The OEM (original equipment manufacturer) air cleaner assembly was designed with aesthetics as a priority, not functionality. That's not smack-talk about Honda, or any other manufacturer, when you open the hood of a new car you'd much rather see it beefy-full from stern to bow. Yet, it's that very design consideration that's cuts into its true special purpose - delivering oxygen into the combustion cycle. Short of an oxygen tank injection, nothing sucks more air into your engine than the Typhoon.

If you're a little iffy about your mechanical skills, or simply don't have time, your auto care provider should require no more than 90 minutes for the install, so don't let them tell you it was an all day job.

My wife and I have been running casual gas mileage tests on the Element since installing the intake, it appears we may actually be getting a mile or two more mpgs too, but it's tough to tell. The thing is we don't lollygag around town like we used to. It is after all tough to resist the sound of the Typhoon breathing heaping-helpings of air when we press down on the accelerator. - Olaf Wolff

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

Mario Buendia's 2010 Scion xB SEMA Showcar is Real World Commuter

Jan 27, 2011

The 2010 Scion xB isn't just another pretty face, it's also loyal and reliable daily driver.

The 2010 SEMA show was custom car builder Mario Buendia first time at the Las Vegas car extravaganza and his reaction was "WOW. A lot of people and nice cars."

doors on Buendia's SEMA Scion are care of Vertical Doors, Inc.

As in so many other automotive endeavors, skills such building custom cars, are often handed down from one family member and generation to the next. "My family has been building cars for a long time - it runs in my blood," said Buendia. "I started building cars the moment I bought a car which was my Honda."

Before building the 2010 Scion xB that Buendia displayed at SEMA, he built a 1998 Honda Accord with 20 inch wheel, including a complete custom autosound system. And before that he had a 2007 Scion tC with a custom built fiberglass sub-woofer enclosure, suede interior, TRD suspension and exhaust, 18 inch HP Lighting wheels, a K&N intake, and a very custom Supermario hood. Buendia's inspiration for the cars he builds is the people around him. We have to suspect that's because the people around him are into custom cars.

What makes Buendia's Scion xB showcar unique is that it's not only eye-candy, it's a real world commuter.

"When not at shows it's my daily driver. I Drive 61 miles to work every day so, I drive my car 122 miles daily." Buendia works at Vertical Doors, Inc. in Corona, California, which is where he did the work on the Scion's vertical doors.

Buendia explains that the process for his getting the Scion to the SEMA show was extremely long and stress laden. "First we got the K&N intake installed, next was the Air-Ride, next the upholstery, and finally it was the fiberglass custom (sound) enclosure."

Buendia's explains that he uses K&N air and oil filters and went with the K&N high-flow intake system simply because "I wanted the best performance for my car." He's been using K&N products exclusively since 2007. His tip for up-and-coming car builders is just as straightforward, "Be open to negative feedback."

It was Buendia's deep appreciation for Scions that brought him to the car club, Revoluscion CC. "Revoluscion CC is a family with the same goal in mind," remarks Buendia. "We have been meeting in downtown Los Angeles since ‘07. Our main goal is to build nice looking cars while still having fun."

Buendia says his goal for next year is to return to SEMA and to place in all the major shows. "The sky is the limit," adds Buendia.

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

2010 Was Vaters Monster Motorsports Grandest Season Yet - But Beware 2011

Jan 27, 2011

The Monster Truck Racing Association voted Vaters' Monster Motorsports the 2010 Promoter of the Year.

"We were concerned going into the 2010 season, about ticket sales, and shows, because of the downturn in the economy, but 2010 was our busiest year ever," commented Michael Vaters. "We competed at 50 different venues, in 77 events, and our trucks were on display 43 times."

Vaters Monster Motorsports competed at 50 different venues in 2010 and out those they were on display 43 times.

The team's impressively consistent success last year wasn't overlooked by Monster Truck Racing Association either. "The MTRA voted our small production company, Vaters' Monster Motorsports, 2010 Promoter of the Year," added Vaters.

"These numbers indicate just how popular monster trucks are and the loyalty of the fan base," continues Vaters. "In comparison, I think monster truck tickets are more affordable than other motorsports events. If it wasn't for the fans spending there hard earned money on tickets, and our sponsors support such as K&N, we wouldn't be out here doing what we love."

The Vaters' team reinvested their 2010 success into purchasing a third truck.

It's Vaters' pragmatic approach to his sport that will continue to keep him at the very upper levels, and perhaps to redefine even greater levels of the sport. By all measures, Vaters had an exceptional year, with great competition results and minimal property damage to his trucks. "We have so much faith in this motorsport that we reinvested in the team and are bringing out a third truck this year," said Vaters.

The driver of the new Black Stallion 2 truck, James Tracy, has been a fixture with the team since he was a teenager.

"At this time we are running the third truck as a second Black Stallion in the first quarter racing season."

The driver of the second Black Stallion is long time friend James Tracey. Tracey has been helping the team out with the trucks since he was a teenager.

"He is a great mechanic and has racing experience in the form of drag racing at the local tracks," detailed Vaters. "We have some great ideas for a more permanent identity for the truck. In preparation for bringing a third truck into competition we had to completely over-haul one of our toter-homes, which took a great deal of time, along with getting the new truck race ready."

The 2011 is the first year that Vaters Monster Motorsports team will be going in different directions, to different venues, and it is a challenge that the team eagerly accepts. Ever vigilant to the promoters view Vaters adds "This is great for our sponsors, as it increases the number of spectators that will see their logo."

Talking about the start of the 2011 season Vaters says "The first weekend out was really hard on us, we had expensive mechanical problems on all three trucks. This is not uncommon, as the trucks are completely torn down, and all the parts are gone through and replaced as needed in the down season of November and December. It often takes a show, or two, to break everything in, and work out the bugs of the new parts."

"The whole team deserves credit, they all worked day and night to get the trucks ready to go out, and then the first weekend out we broke stuff up, and they all pitched in again to get everything back together again."

The Black Stallion team that works at the shop, and on the road as pit crew, are all great guys, and put in the extra effort, with little or no pay, just for the love of the sport, according to Vaters. That team consists of: Michael Thompson, Matt Cody, Jimmy Tracey, Jeff Dickinson, David Rhinecker, Mikey Vaters II, Andrew Moats, Cory Newcomer, Rich Wright, Jimmy Tracey JR and Ronnie Schildtknecht.

The Black Stallion 2 team was able to return to the home shop and make the needed repairs. "Trey and I, in Black Stallion and Iron Warrior, geographically couldn't make it back to the shop," said Vaters

"The great thing about monster truck racing is the good relationship between the competitors. We were able to stay out and borrow another drivers shop to make the needed repairs. The team really pulled together and we were able to get all the repairs completed and back out for the next weekends show."

For Black Stallion and Iron Warrior that next show is this weekend, January 29, in Indianapolis, Indiana. And James Tracey in the second Black Stallion will be in Salisbury, Maryland, this Friday January 28.

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series Debut for Travis Pastrana

Jan 25, 2011

Pastrana-Waltrip Racing's Travis Pastrana

Before Travis Pastrana makes his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut, he will put his limited stock car racing skills to the test against the top drivers from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series.

Michael Waltrip, Boost Mobile and Red Bull Sponsored No. 99 Toyota

Pastrana, the X Games, rally car and freestyle motocross champion, will race in the NASCAR Toyota All Star Showdown at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale Jan. 28-29. Race winners from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and East earned automatic starting spots in the race. In addition to the K&N Pro Series regulars, NASCAR Nationwide Series regular Steve Wallace, former Champ Car driver Andrew Ranger and NASCAR Mexico Series champion German Quiroga are entered in the Showdown.

Pastrana said he has a simple strategy for his first venture into NASCAR.

"Hopefully qualify and keep it out of the wall. I think would be a great plan for the first round," said Pastrana, who will be driving the No. 99 Toyota for Pastrana-Waltrip Racing.

Unveiling of Pastrana-Waltrip Racing's No. 99 Toyota

He won't be making his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut until July in Indianapolis. Until then, Pastrana said he will be performing in his Nitro Circus show in Australia and New Zealand and preparing for X Games in Los Angeles. Coincidently, the X Games in L.A. are on the same weekend as the Indianapolis Nationwide Series race. He added that he wants to squeeze in some stock car seat time between now and the Nationwide Series race in Indianapolis.

"I'd definitely love to, but it's just a matter of trying to figure out how much time we have to do whatever," said Pastrana, the 27-year-old driver from Annapolis, Maryland. "It's going to be a big learning process. I'm going to drive as many places as possible." Pastrana is teaming with two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip in his NASCAR efforts. Waltrip will also be the grand marshal of the Toyota All Star Showdown. Pastrana said working with Waltrip has been a unique experience.

"Michael Waltrip is the most low-key, but funny guy you'd ever meet," Pastrana said. "He's probably the best - I wouldn't say coach - but the best mentor that I could ever really have. I'm just really excited to be able to work with him. He thinks outside the box and likes to have fun. But at the same time, it's all about performance."

Pastrana has been able to pick Waltrip's brain about stock car racing. Waltrip has been able to instill one important piece of wisdom in Pastrana.

"I think the biggest piece of advice, right after my first test, had some pretty good times," Pastrana said. "I was like man, I feel pretty good. He goes, 'Yep, you can drive, but so can all the other 40 drivers on that track. Good luck to ya. Have fun, be patient.' He says it's going to take time."

Making the switch from freestyle motocross and rally cars is going to be an adjustment. He's not only learning new equipment and cars, but drivers and driving styles. He admits his knowledge of the K&N Pro Series drivers is limited, but he is learning as much as he can by watching races.

"I don't know too much about the K&N Series," Pastrana said. "I've been kind of following it this past year, trying to do a little research on who's who and how the races finished. I definitely watched the Irwindale race from last year a countless number of times now. I definitely expect them to be quite a bit better, more experienced than I am. Just got to get out there and try to qualify, hopefully not qualify dead last, and go from there."

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.