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Lewis is looking forward to building his relationship with the K&N family in 2014.
It's been a decade and change since southern California's Michael Lewis began his competitive career in Quarter Midgets driving for his dad's team. A couple of championships between 2003 and 2005, in the Senior Honda and Light 160 Honda classes, instantly confirmed his obvious talent. The term "prodigy" got wildly tossed into the equation, yet Lewis' race savvy dad managed to keep that sort of thinking under control, until further down the road at least, when all the numbers can be properly added together.
Michael Lewis was honored for the second year by being invited to the Formula 3 Masters at Zandvoort.
Now 22-years-old, Lewis has continued to gather experience and wisdom at triple-digit speeds, often teetering on the brink of bedlam. This year, as perhaps none before, Lewis has been tested on the track as well as in his personal life, yet he never wavers when it comes to conducting himself as a champion.
The extreme highs and lows of 2013 will no doubt make more sense in time as they unscramble in his rearview. From competing against some of the best drivers in his second RTL GP Masters of Formula 3, to his hard crash earlier this year during the Formula 3 European Championship qualifying at Brands Hatch, the young Laguna Beach native has had an eventful year, and there are plenty of headlines still to be made.
Let's begin with your health and state of mind, any lingering scars from the crash, and how are things stacking up this year with your new team?
Lewis dons a sticker on his racing helmet in memory of his friend Jason Leffler.
"The crash was pretty bad and I'm glad I was totally okay. The impact was recorded at 21G's. I weigh around 144 pounds, so multiply that by 21, and roughly 3,024 pounds of force was exerted to my head and body. I must say a big thank you to Bell Helmets and Puma for making great racing gear. And there are no lingering effects from the crash physically nor mentally. I really just confronted the situation, analyzed what I could have possibly done different, and really just hope next time for a bit of luck to not crash or hit the wall."
The Mücke Motorsport team is flat-out awesome says Lewis.
"As far as my awesome Mücke Motorsport guys, they couldn't be any better! I am so happy to be with this team and everyone from the owner Peter Mücke himself, to my engineer, my awesome mechanics, and the entire team. Mücke Motorsport is a truly superb racing team. I enjoy driving their cars every time I get into the race car."
Congratulations are in order regarding for being invited to the Masters at Zandvoort, what did you take away last year that you applied this time around?
"This is truly an awesome event because of all the history it has. I mean we race at Zandvoort during the season in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, so the track is sort of a ‘usual' track for us to visit. But, because the Masters is a one-off race with so much history like the Macau Grand Prix, it's cool to be a part of that and possibly get into the record books for a win."
"Although I didn't get the finish I wanted (12th), I prepared for it taking some things from the 2012 race. Mainly managing the tires was the biggest thing. The Kumho, which we use at the Masters is a very ‘peaky' tire, whilst the Hankook that we usually run, tends to get better and better over a run of 8 to 10 laps."
This year you've faced down a number of usually tough personal challenges, including the passing of your friend Jason Leffler, how are you dealing, and how's it affecting your focus?
"You brought up a cool thing in referencing Jason Leffler. I mean, it was pretty difficult to hear what happened, and honestly it was a total shock. Jason was such a big influence in my life. I can remember him when I was at the race track watching my dad's No.9 Midget team, and he was always really cool to me and it was awesome to see him race."
"As I grew up and started to race cars myself, Jason was always around and interested in what I was doing. I now run a sticker on my racing helmet in memory of Jason and I will donate the proceeds from my merchandise (arriving soon) to The Charlie Dean Leffler Discretionary Trust to help Jason's son. I'll always miss you my friend - RIP."
On a more upbeat note, have you started thinking about next season?
"I'm totally excited about possibilities. I'd like to keep building with the K&N family, as we've been partners since 2010. It's so cool that K&N has been a major driving force behind my career and I must thank Steve Williams and Tony Yorkman for all that they do. It was really cool to see K&N stick behind me after the unknowns of this past winter, so I'm totally pumped to get some great results before we finish out this a year with Formula 3."
And along those lines, what are your thoughts about returning to Norisring in Nuremberg next week?
"It's the first street course we will run on this year, so it's cool to be on a different style circuit. It's super fast and everyone runs LDF settings so the draft or tow is really important. You've just got to keep driving and know that the track is going to get better and better. So any set up changes made early on might have to be re-analyzed once the track has been used a bit more. It'll be fun."
Related K&N News Articles about Michael Lewis and the Formula 3 Euro Series:Michael Lewis is Back to Full Speed in the 2013 FIA Formula 3 Euro Series Championship; K&N's Michael Lewis Earns His First Formula 3 Euro Series Victory in Valencia, Spain; Michael Lewis Finishes 6th in Formula 3 Euro Series at Nürburgring in Germany; Michael Lewis Talks about the Formula 3 Euro Series Championship and Skateboarding
As with everywhere he goes, there was much interest in Belli's Zaeta motorcycle.
Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the second oldest auto race in the United States, weighing in at 12.42 miles through 156 turns from the start gate at 9,390 feet, to the summit finish at 14,110 feet. Each year would-be conquerors converge from around the world in hopes of etching their names on the infamous mountains history. Italy's Marco Belli has been here five times and on three of those occasions he landed on the podium. Impressive indeed, yet what marks Belli's efforts as extraordinary is that he isn't a part of a big-money, brand-name endeavor, he in fact competes on a motorcycle of his own creation.
Marco Belli and his handmade Zaeta have made it to the podium 3 of the 5 times he's competed at Pikes Peak.
Depending on the season, Marco Belli is either a well-known Italian Flat Track specialist, or another highly motivated vanquisher of the Peak. And, the enormously dedicated K&N sponsored racer gets it done on a 530cc four-stroke Zaeta, which he exclusively designs and engineers himself in Italy. His races essentially are one continuous high-speed test lab. The personalized feedback that Belli collects on the peak or track, he immediately applies to the ongoing evolution of the Zaeta. This year, for the 91st running of Pikes Peak, Belli and his two-wheeled creation were challenged as they hadn't been in the past. Belli and his diminutive Zaeta had to compete against the big dogs in the Heavyweight Supermoto class.
Despite having to run with the big dogs this year, Belli still managed to finish 5th in his class and 43rd overall.
"Racing at Pikes Peak is always a big emotion," says Belli. "This was my fifth time on the mountain with already 3 podium finishes in the past, so I'm always a bit optimistic about the result, even if the competitors are really tough and the race itself is always more for street bikes. During the entire week of practice we found a good set up for the bike, running with new 17 inch wheels and slick tire, which I'm not use to, but they did give a good grip and good corner speed. So by the end of practice we would gain the 5th place on the starting line, hoping to gain a little bit more during race day."
The K&N sponsored racers vows to make some adjustments to his Zaeta motorcycle before returning to Pikes Peak next year.
On race day Sunday morning Belli and his crew woke up at 3:30 am, which gave them enough time to prepare and make the drive up to the pit area by 5:00. Keeping in mind at all times that the weather is always a key contender here at high altitude, where the conditions can change dramatically from sun to ice every five minutes.
"On the mountain before us were the 1200cc superbikes and then the Heavyweight Supermoto bikes, which are a bit more competitive then my bike. But that's the new rule and we have to make adjustments for that next year," remarks the forward thinking Belli. So fill the gas tank, put your head down, and go."
"By the end I had a good run, cutting my previous record, so I can be satisfied, even if a 5th pace is not what I really expected as a racer. As a guy from Italy, riding his own handmade bike, it's a big result, but we want to write our name in the story of this race, so the new challenge is already on. In 2014 we are coming back to Pikes Peak, see you there!"
Related K&N News Articles about Marco Belli and Pikes Peak:Marco Belli Wins Opening Round of the Newly Formed Italian Flat Track Championship; K&N Backed Marco Belli's 750 Zaeta Earns Third Place at 2011 Pikes Peak Hill Climb; Italy's Marco Belli on Leading the Italian Championship and Riding with Fast Freddie; Rhys Millen Racing Returns to Pikes Peak Hill Climb to Defend Hyundai Record
Workout programs like Insanity and a healthy diet keep Gifford in top physical condition, and he believes that gives him an advantage over his competition.
Cody Gifford knows the odds aren't in his favor, but that's not stopping him from trying. The 17-year-old from Eustis, Florida, is trying to make racing quads a career, and it's not easy.
"ATV racing doesn't have the following that dirt bikes do, so (ATV racers) have to work twice as hard for less money," Gifford said. "But I wouldn't give it up for the world."
Cody Gifford's 8th place ProAm finish in Round 5 at Sunset Ridge MX proved that all of his training was paying off.
Cody Gifford started riding before he could walk, he says. "My parents bought me a battery powered four wheeler," Gifford said, when asked about his first bike. But despite all of the family trips to the trails and all of the hours on the quad, Gifford never showed interest in racing, until 2010.
"A friend of our invited us to a local race. My first race I grabbed both hole shots and both moto wins, and from there on out I've been hooked."
This year Gifford brought his talents to the national stage for the first time. Running in the AMA ATV National Championship ProAm and College classes, Gifford has been strong when mechanical incidents haven't plagued the team.
Cody Gifford brought his talents to the national stage in the AMA ATV National Championship ProAm and College classes
Cody Gifford currently sits fourth in College points, where he has a pair of podiums. In the ProAm class, Gifford isn't racing so much for a championship, but rather for experience.
"If I can finish in the top three in College and continue putting together top tens in ProAm, it will be a successful season," Gifford said.
Round 5 at Sunset Ridge MX in Walnut, Illinois, proved to be the most important race for Gifford so far. His 8th place finish in ProAm proved that all of his training was paying off. Cody Gifford trains as much as he can, and not just on the bike. Workout programs like Insanity and a healthy diet keep Gifford in top physical condition, and he believes that gives him an advantage over his competition.
Cody Gifford is looking forward to the upcoming race at RedBud MX in Buchanan, Michigan
"Fitness is very important in this sport because you want to be able to go as fast as you can for as long as possible, but as rough as these tracks get, your body needs to be abe to take a beating and not get tired.
"That's why I like running the ProAm class. They run 15-minute races, plus one lap. This really caters to me because even though I'm not always the fastest, I'm consistent. I make most of my passes in the second half of the moto's."
By comparison, the Amateur divisions only run four lap races, and while Gifford might be faster in that class, it also doesn't play into his strengths.
Cody Gifford is looking forward to the upcoming race at RedBud MX in Buchanan, Michigan, which reminds the youngster of many of his home tracks.
"RedBud has huge jumps and gets really rough, so it shows who has been putting in the hard work. It's a sand track, so it's really similar to a lot of the tracks down in Florida that I'm used to."
Gifford thinks he's closing in on that first Nationals win, and he credits a lot of that to K&N Filters.
"K&N is by far the best filter I've ever used," Gifford said. "Not only do they increase horsepower, but they are so easy to clean. The K&N filter is reusable and they hold up to anything I put them through, from rain to mud and sand to clay. K&N has never let me down. They really pay for themselves."
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P.J. Groenke completes the newly expanded three-driver team.
Ardent competitor, articulate and respected spokesperson for women in motorsports, and tireless charity champion - Shea Holbrook's plate is jam-packed. Yet, she still manages room for more. Shea Racing Team, with its newly expanded three-car squad, kicked-off their 2013 season with very promising results in the Pirelli World Challenge tripleheader weekend at Circuit of the Americas (COTA). The newly expanded team left the highly technical 2.3 mile short course with cars in fourth, seventh and eleventh in the Championship point standings.
New Shea Racing driver Jon Miller.
"I absolutely cherish this opportunity to operate our own racing team. It feels like it's been a long time coming!" Holbrook remarked. "It had always been an aspiration of mine to expand Shea Racing into a team effort with additional cars and drivers and this year that became a reality. We have two great drivers, Jon Miller and P.J. Groenke. It's definitely a lot being a driver and co-owner, but the reward is double when we're going well. It's an amazing feeling knowing we have so much support from our friends in the paddock and fans on our new undertaking. I look forward to further growing the team and moving up throughout the ranks."
The Circuit of the Americas is without question a top notch facility on which to introduce a new team and start a new season, and from Shea Holbrook's perspective "the track looked like a flowing ribbon of red, white and blue with a lot of technicality!" Shea Holbrook came into the tripleheader weekend confident she could deliver a strong performance, in large part, because the team worked relentlessly to prepare the cars in the weeks leading up to the event. Still, the first woman to ever win a Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car race, winning the 2011 Long Beach Grand Prix, wasn't wholly content.
The Pirelli World Challenge with 20-plus cars going bumper-to-bumper brings a smile to Holbrook.
"It was a bit of a frustrating weekend because I performed well, but the results didn't show that. The Touring Car B class is what you would call a showroom stock spec class. After sharing and reviewing data with one of the stronger competitors (he also was experiencing challenging power ratio issues) we found we both drove the cars to their potentials. I love good competition, but all drivers and cars should have a fair shot at competing equally. Pirelli World Challenge and Honda Racing HPD are working together on getting the parity the class needs, and I can't wait to get back out there to compete because I must say, 20 plus TBC cars bumper-to-bumper, door-to-door is a ton of fun!"
This Bell Helmet with Kocher Custom Paint is being raffled off to benefit Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research.
As a realist aware of the shortcoming, Shea Holbrook is also an absolute professional, focused on the many positives the team took away from COTA. "Going from one car to three cars definitely hit us on pit lane," said the dynamic young K&N sponsored driver. "The crew also did a solid job on accommodating all three cars. It's awesome having a teammate to work with on track, especially someone you can trust and strategize with. The cars were prepped well which made our (the drivers) jobs easier. We'll all get to the front of the pack sooner rather than later. It will take a combination of parity amongst the class and us diligently working on how to be faster in the car."
Next up on the Pirelli World Challenge schedule is the July 4th weekend at Lime Rock. "I'm very excited for Lime Rock being that it will be a new track for me. It's unique in that it's a fairly rough track and from what I've observed, and heard, it's tough to be fast there. The fast guys are going to check out quickly. The TCB class is all about drafting and utilizing cars on track to gain an advantage. It should be a very interesting weekend."
"I also would like to send a special thank you out to Bell Helmets and Kocher Custom Paint. I'll be raffling off a signed helmet this season in benefit of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which is near to my heart as it affects my family. To enter to win buy a raffle ticket go to our website." http://community.parentprojectmd.org/events/shea-holbrook
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The record setting drag racer and Team Pro-Motion combined skills in an effort to teach riders how to be more complete racers.
Ten years ago, resurfacing after a nine-day coma, Ashon "Capo" Dickerson experienced an epiphany leading him to restack the building blocks of his life in a new configuration. The motorcycle crash that nearly ended things couldn't shake his childhood fervor for two-wheels, but it did redirected his approach (K&N Filters Supports Dragbike Racer and World Record-Holder Ashon Dickerson).
K&N sponsored Ashon Dickerson is the first person to put a Pirelli road race tire in the 7-second zone on dragstrip.
Ashon Dickerson continues to evolve and his path to motorcycle enlightenment has taken him to a new endeavor, as he joins forces with Team Pro-Motion, the largest road racing school on the East Coast.
"Back in 2011 I was approached by a guy who asked me if I wanted to be involved in some research and development with using the Pirelli road race tire on the dragstrip," details Ashon Dickerson. "I am always looking for a performance advantage so I jumped at the opportunity. At that point I really started to pay attention to the road racers. Also, at that time I was just getting involved with SportBikesInc Magazine, which covers a lot of road racing material."
Ashon "Capo" Dickerson says he has a great deal of respect for what road racers do as professional riders, but during all the footage he reviewed there was one consistent common denonator, there weren't any real launch techniques. "It's a drag race until you reach the first turn," he says. "So, I figured that having worked to become the first person in history to put the Pirelli tire in the 7-second zone on dragstrip was all a part of a bigger plan to bridge the gap. I wanted to provide my knowledge and my years of experience on how to properly launch a motorcycle effectively."
Ashon Dickerson's overall concept for "bridging the gap" includes getting all the wanna-be racers off the street and into a controlled environment so they can be taught properly. "Mental preparations, take away the fear of the wheelie, build confidence, work on body position, throttle and clutch control, and after the time with me, these guys are more complete riders. That's why we teamed up with Team Pro-Motion to cross promote our sports and hopefully to get some drag racers out to bend corners, and get some road racers out at the dragstrip. More fans in the stands, more complete racers, makes for great competition and it's a great way to grow both our sports."
"Now I get the attention of the road racers too, because we have something in common," Dickerson adds. "Also, with me cross promoting in the magazine with my column Capo's Cut every month, these guys are familiar with what I do and they take me serious."
"As for K&N, I have always used the best products for my machines. So I've always used and have been successful with K&N Filters, even before the sponsorship. This includes all our tow vehicles. I tell all the guys, why run no air filter and risk your motor, when you can make the same power with a K&N air filter and be safe. And why run expensive oil with a cheap filter when you can run the best oil filter!"
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