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Marco Belli Wins Opening Round of the Newly Formed Italian Flat Track Championship

21 Jun 2012

Marco Belli ignited his season by winning the first round of the 2012 Italian Flat Track Championship.

Depending on the time of year and what side of the world he's on, Marco Belli is either a renowned Italian Flat Track specialist, or that guy that assaults the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in summer on a bike he built himself. Last year was Belli's third run up the peak and so far his Zaeta DT 530 has earned him one 2nd place finish and two 3rds. In a few weeks Belli will be back in Colorado Springs for the 2012 challenge and the 90th running of the legendary Pikes Peak event.

However, first things first, Belli has a flat track championship to win, and towards that goal he started in grand fashion, by winning the inaugural round of the newly formed Italian Flat Track Championship.

Belli says he loves the battle of flat track racing, including the elbowing in the turns and the fighting.

"For sure it's the best way to start!" remarked Belli about his season opening win. "It means a full collection of points and the lead in the championship, which is going to be really tough this year. So I'm really satisfied about the result. A win it's always a big push, mostly for the right mental attitude to face the season."

Belli knows a few things about championships and winning them. So far he's collected three English National Championships (2005, 2007, 2008), three Italian national titles (2001, 2002, 2010), and two European Mefo Cup (2008, 2010). Belli has also raced flat-track in the US. Belli enjoys racing in the United States a lot, for him it's like a triple-A ballplayer making it to the show.

Belli's Zaeta project continues to catch worldwide attention, being that in his hands the motorcycle is nearly unbeatable.

The open round of Italian Flat Track Championship was contested in the Ippodromo (a hippodrome or stadium used for horse racing) at San Giovanni Teatino, Chieti, in the south of Italy.

"The hippodrome is superfast," said Belli. "It is 1000 meters around and 20 meters wide. I tell you the truth when I say that there is nothing like entering the turns wide open, a bit scared and wondering what you're doing at speeds over a 150 kph (94mph). We all want to catch the best line - wow - that's really the essence of flat track! The elbowing contact and fights are all a normal part of the battle. Competition means earning respect from your rivals, so there are some good fights. I enjoy them."

The Zaeta that Belli uses for flat track racing and at Pikes Peak is basically the same machine, it's a 530cc four-stroke specially designed and built in Italy. The creation and continuing evolution of the Zaeta is Belli's project exclusively. He tests and races them and what he learns on the track or on the peak, he applies to his motorcycle's development.

"I'm looking forward to Pikes Peak (July 8th) but first I'm racing in Prague for the first round of the International FIM Flat Track Championship," adds Belli. "We'll have also two rounds in the USA by the beginning of September, in Auburn and Lodi. For us Europeans, racing in America means a lot, it's the growing of the sport. Italy will be present with a seven rider team, including myself, and we are really focused on these races. Let's see how it goes, but there will be a lot of fun for sure!"

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.

Michael Lewis Talks about the F3 Euro Series Championship and Skateboarding

21 Jun 2012

At the Red Bull Ring Spielberg Lewis and the Prema Powerteam finished second despite a series of pre-race challenges.

One of the coolest things about being a racer has to be getting to say I drive race cars for a living when someone asks. Well, that and living in one of the more bucolic parts of Italy half the year and racing a tailored-fit racecar throughout Europe. Southern California's Michael Lewis is living that dream, but make no mistake about it; it's a dream that wasn't simply granted by a wand-wielding, sparkly winged, helmet donning, race fairy. Lewis pays his dues daily, working harder than the majority of 21-year-olds, and by making personal sacrifices that most wouldn't be prepared to put together. Of course anything less wouldn't be honoring his huge gift for racing, and that's clearly not how he rolls.

In our last update with Lewis (Michael Lewis stays with Prema Powerteam to compete in F3 Euro Series Championship), we looked into some of the major changes after his highly successful 2011 ACI Sport Formula 3 Italia Championship season. This time Lewis talks to us from his part-time home in Italy, about his sweet new ride, making adjustments in order to dial it up a few notches, and on remaining focused by staying centered.

Tell us about the new ride, what's it like having Dallara and Mercedes-Benz custom build a racecar for you?

"The new car is quite nice to drive. Initially, the F3-12 Dallara chassis had more front end grip (both mechanically and aero) so we had to adjust the balance a bit. After the first few pre-season tests, Prema and Mercedes-Benz developed a solid balance, so that by the first race in Hockenheim the cars were really fast."

Lewis charges through the field at the Red Bull Ring during Round 9 of the F3 Euro Series.

"Basically, the car chassis is built in the Dallara factory in Parma, Italy. Then, Mercedes-Benz supplies the engines, and it all is pieced together at the Prema Powerteam headquarters in Vicenza, Italy. At the moment, in the F3 Euro Series/FIA F3 European Championship/F3 British Championship the biggest competition to the Mercedes-Benz cars is Volkswagen. So, right now, and throughout the season, Mercedes-Benz is working on perfecting the car (whether that is aero balance stuff, or engine related things) they are pushing really hard. Even for F3, Mercedes puts the car into the wind-tunnel, so there is quite a big development going on. As an official Mercedes-Benz race car driver, it's really nice to know that you have so much support in both the engine department and the chassis department."

I suspect there was another sizable period of adjustment to the Euro Series Championship, but you seem to be getting the hang of it. What are some of the more notable differences from Italia Championship?

"Yes, unfortunately that's true. I started out really well by qualifying on the second row of the first race weekend. Then, in the races of that first weekend, I didn't drive how I normally drive. I was trying to rush things and I was thinking I had to be first, to the point that if any little mistake happened, it threw my rhythm off massively. Since then, I've reacquainted myself with all that I know, and I'm back to the calm and aggressive style that I know so well. Enjoying driving is really important as well, because too much pressure sometimes kills your performance."

After his second place finish at the Red Bull Ring Lewis is either signaling his results or requesting a second bottle.

"The biggest difference from Italian F3 championship to the Euro Series is that the Euro Series is at a higher level. There are many more drivers and they are all fast. You also get far less testing time, so the Euro Series really demands a lot from its drivers. Spec wise, the cars are the same. Italian F3 is using the F3-08 chassis (the one I drove last year) and the Euro Series is using the new car. Just the engines are different."

After your two podiums at Brands Hatch in England, and coming off your second place finish at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, how are you feeling now and what all is staring to go right for you?

"The second step on the podium was definitely nice. The weekend before, we scored two P3s and a P4 in that three race weekend. So it's been going quite well. Interestingly enough, the Red Bull Ring weekend started off terrible in qualifying, as I never set a proper lap. So basically, my time recorded was just warming tires (the reason is quite complicated, but I had to start from the back of the grid in the three races). So the weekend from the start was looking pretty intense. Then, I kept my cool and drove really hard to finish P6 from P12 in Race 1."

"I was really happy about that and so was my team (we were really fast in the race which confirmed our overall speed). Then in Race 2 I made it inside the Top-8 invert from Race 1, so I started P3. I got a really good start and I nearly passed for P1 on the outside of Turn 1, then I fell back in line and in the end finished P2 after a pretty complicated race. For Race 3 I drove all the way from P13 to P6 again, and this time I was right in tow with P2, from where I was in P6. So basically I managed something pretty crazy."

After a period of adjustment Michael Lewis has his mojo back and the results prove it.

Where do you currently live and when do you get to go home to Laguna Beach to visit? Also, what do you do with any spare time you have?

"Right now I am living in a small lakeside community and the town is called Baveno, Italy. The town is on Lago Maggiore (Lake Maggiore is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps and separates Italy from Switzerland) and it is a very outdoors and nature related community. I stayed here since last year and I travel back to the California for the winter time."

"Basically, since I am enrolled in the University at California State University Fullerton in online classes (Lewis recently finished a calculus class earning an 'A', with an official proctor, and no open textbook tests) I am always quite busy. I train physically every day, twice a day, and rest on Sundays. Once I have my work done, and if I'm not too tired, I'll go out skateboarding for a bit. The life of a race car driver is by no means stagnant. You've got to manage all aspects, all the time."

How are you feeling heading into your next race in Nuremberg, Germany in a couple of weeks?

"At the moment I am stoked to get back in the car, because driving is what I love doing the most. But, it's going to be a weekend of unknowns, because it's on a street circuit (Norisring), so there are a lot more variables than at a normal permanent circuit. For example, the track is extremely dirty in FP1 and FP2 and there are no margins for mistakes because it's a street circuit; yet you still must push as though you know the track like the back of your hand. So the biggest thing is to try and get over the feeling of being at a new circuit as fast as possible. That's when you can really drive fast."

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.

Terry Sullivan in the Midst of a Super Gas Winning Streak with Back-to-Back NHRA Wins

21 Jun 2012

When Sullivan began his time runs or qualifying sessions for the Topeka national event, his 598 BBC as well as his converter were all brand new.

Should you be competing in Super Gas anywhere in NHRA Div 4 territory or at a NHRA National event where Richardson, Texas based Terry Sullivan has also entered, you just may get a chill should he pull up next to you for eliminations. The K&N racer has knocked out all who have challenged him over his last two NHRA events, by winning back-to-back Super Gas finals with the 1967 Camaro Roadster he has been driving. His first win coming during the 24th annual Dollar General Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka and his latest during a NHRA Div 4 event at No Problem Raceway, in Belle Rose, Louisiana.

When Sullivan began his time runs or qualifying sessions for the Topeka national event, his 598 BBC as well as his converter were all brand new. "Our first pass out we ran a 10.10 and 168," explained Sullivan. "The mile-per-hour was real impressive. The second run we took about fifty numbers out of the timer [throttle stop] and it went a 9.95, but we were getting it closer to where we wanted it to be. Over the course of the race at Topeka, it was really windy," he continued. "We had over twenty mile-per-hour head wind."

Sullivan got a lucky round right off the bat when his first round opponent turned it red and allowed Sullivan to make a full pass down the track and double check his throttle stop ratio. "We were happy with the run and we ended up having it dialed right where we wanted it to be for that first round," he said of his under the index 9.878. "Then in second round I had a .009 light to his [Billy Graham] .022 and that allowed me to push him under."

Third round would be a very similar time slip for Sullivan. He would once again have the starting line advantage with his .007 to Tom Carlson's .019. Sullivan ran his 1967 K&N Camaro Roadster up on Carlson's 1984 Omni, and as the phase is drag racing goes, "let him go" or decided to not take the stripe but force Carlson under the class 9.90 index.

To wrap up the class eliminations for Saturday, Sullivan got quite a gift in round four. "Once I got up to the lanes to be paired, I found out I had Mike Wiblishouser, who is a tough racer," he explained. "One of the NHRA officials told me that I had already beat him and I kept trying to explain to him that I hadn't run him yet. Finally, I found out that Mike had pulled out because he had dropped a valve in the shutdown area, after winning his last round and locked the motor up."

"I didn't know it right at that time, but found out right before making the fourth round that because Mike broke, I would also have the scheduled bye the next morning," he continued. "I told the NHRA official, 'now that's the kind of news I like to hear.'"

Two NHRA events and two Super Gas wins, that's quite a way to start of the season.

It's always huge to get a bye at any time, but especially so late in the rounds during a NHRA national event. Sullivan would get a rare opportunity to make a competition time run during the fifth round on Sunday morning. "With now having a fourteen mile-per-hour tail wind instead of the twenty we had as a head wind, yeah we were like .012 difference between the days, is what we figured because of the wind difference," he pointed out. "So after being .004 red and 9.87 during that bye, I added a hundredth to the delay and decided to let the track and the weather come to the E.T."

"I ran a good customer of mine, Tony Gray in the semi-finals," he said. "Knowing that Tony likes to be hot [set up fast] and likes to dump, I think I was like .024 on the tree and he was .038, I pushed him out and fed him a little bit of stripe."

Sullivan's safe 9.911 to Gray's 9.885 would set him up for a final round match-up with 2012 Houston Super Gas "bridesmaid", Jeff Lopez. "I took six of that hundredth back out of the delay and with my .011 light, I knew by the sixty foot clocks that he was in trouble," Sullivan said of Lopez's late .061 light. "Jeff and his whole family are good racers. But on that run at three hundred feet, he should have been out on me and he wasn't. At that point, it just seemed like the whole race just slowed down and I could really see what was going on. I probably ended up taking a little too much stripe, but I was trying to make sure I didn't mess up again."

The K&N racer has now been in ten NHRA National event finals with a sixty percent closing ratio, the latest win at Topeka made three for the Super Gas category. With a little IHRA racing in-between for the event at San Antonio Raceway, Sullivan's very next NHRA event would be just as successful for him.

During the most recent NHRA Div 4 event at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, Louisiana, Sullivan wheeled the K&N 1967 Camaro Roadster through two tough rounds, taking down Allen, Saucier, before meeting up with Jeff Lopez again in round three. Lopez went for the throat with a nice .005 light only to be outdriven and sent under the 9.90 index by Sullivan and his .029 and 9.908, after knocking off nearly fourteen mile-per-hour.

Next Sullivan would have an interesting round with Allen Temple. Temple would completely miss the tree and give Sullivan a full two tenths of a second to play with down track, where he skillfully backed in Temple without losing too much momentum and very easily took a two foot stripe for a safe 10.17 on the 9.90 index. The round earned Sullivan a bye into his second NHRA Super Gas final in as many races.

After first watching to see who he would meet up with in the next round, and not one to fluff on a single, Sullivan used his bye as a tune-up for the final, running his K&N Roadster out the back door and getting his throttle stop dialed for his match up with Scott Wood.

Sullivan saved one of his best reaction times of eliminations for the final. His .009 to Wood's sleepy .048 would give him all the opening he needed, although with all the top end games that were going on, it would almost seem as no one really wanted the stripe, with both drivers way down on mile-per-hour and E.T. By the nearest of margins, Sullivan backed into Wood and turned on the win light for the Super Gas Div 4 win by just five inches or .002 and take the Wally at his very first NHRA Div event of the season.

Two NHRA events and two Super Gas wins, that's quite a way to start of the season.

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.

Shane Stewart Picks Up Third Win with 3G Motorsports

21 Jun 2012

I'd also say that when we came from fifteenth (starting spot) to win at Freemont in April was pretty cool.

Sprint Car driver Shane Stewart's incredible run in 2012 continued last week when he captured the win in the first ever 410ci race at Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Oregon, defeating World of Outlaws veteran Tim Kaeding. Stewart finished 4th in the dash, took the lead on lap 12 and lead the remaining 18 laps on his way to victory lane, helping him to makeup for a rough weekend until that point.

"We had a bizarre week, and it's just nice to finally win one," Stewart said. "It was awesome to finally get a win in the 57."

Stewart is running five different cars in 2012, and so far, he has found victory lane in all three he has driven, the 57, 21 and 3G. The aggressive schedule has also led to a pair of season-defining moments for Stewart, who has been fast everywhere he has raced this season.

"We won the first two nights of the Ronald Laney Memorial, 'The King of the 360s' in Florida to start the season. That was pretty special because I had literally just got back from Australia the day before, and I jumped in the 3G and had an awesome car.

Over the last few years we have been close to winning the Knoxville Nationals, and it's the biggest race of the year.

"I'd also say that when we came from fifteenth (starting spot) to win at Freemont in April was pretty cool," Stewart added. "Anytime you can come from that far back and win is awesome."

Ironically, a week that produced the best memories of 2012 also produced the most disappointing one for Stewart. "The finale of the Ronald Laney Memorial was tough. We had a great car all week long, and after winning the two prelim races, had a commanding lead on Saturday night, but blew a tire in the feature as the track started taking rubber. I know the Laney family and it would have been special to cap off that event with a win."

While Stewart is excited about his early season success and has some impressive finishes and memories, his eyes are already looking forward to the end of summer and the world famous Knoxville Nationals in Knoxville, Iowa. Stewart finished in the runner-up position at last years "Granddaddy of Them All."

"It's still a little over a month away, but I'm already looking forward to the Nationals," Stewart said. "Over the last few years we have been close to winning it, and it's the biggest race of the year. I've had that race on my mind since we crossed the finish line second last season."

Stewart should be considered an early favorite to win the biggest dirt race in the world, given his fast start and strong record at Knoxville in the past. And if he finds victory lane at this years Knoxville Nationals, it will be with K&N Filters on board.

"We use K&N Air and Oil Filters to help maintain our engine and other mechanical components. Races can be won and lost simply with your maintenance program, and K&N gives us the best advantage possible."

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.

Brian Garrahan Off-Road Training Race Report- Shasta National 2012

21 Jun 2012

When I jumped into racing, it was way to early and I couldn't hold onto the bike, but I've gotten stronger and now I feel better and am back to my winning ways.

Competitive riding can be extremely physical, especially when mixing moto racing with trail racing. Mixing this type of dirt bike riding with a shoulder injury can be disastrous, but K&N-sponsored rider Brian Garrahan has found a way to stay competitive even after missing the start of the season.

"When I jumped into racing, it was way to early and I couldn't hold onto the bike," Garrahan told K&N News. "But as the season has progressed, I've gotten stronger and now I feel better and am back to my winning ways."

Garrahan made a switch in the off-season from Yamaha back to a familiar color, the Orange glow of KTM. Garrahan had ridden KTMs for nine years prior to moving to Yamahas, so the switch back was a seamless one, and one that is paying huge dividends already.

The new Dungey bike and my 350XCF are great machines. I ride lots of moto and off-road, and they work great on all different types of terrain.

"I love the new Dungey KTM," Garrahan said. "I couldn't come to terms with the Yamaha, so it was easy to jump back on the orange. The new Dungey bike and my 350XCF are great machines. I ride lots of moto and off-road, and they work great on all different types of terrain. The boys at KTM did their homework. The bike is super stable, the brakes work better than ever, and I have FOX Shox doing my suspension and those things are just amazing. When I get on the bike, I always know how it is going to react to each obstacle."

Garrahan said the recovery from his injury was more difficult then most assume as well, given the fact that he is older then most of his competitors. "It's hard to come back form an injury being so old; people don't understand how mentally challenging it can be too."

Garrahan found a way to put a smile on his face and beat the mental challenge when he took the checkered flag in the National event at Shasta Dam. "That was definitely the best moment of the year for me. I had won that event four times already, so to get number five was a great moment."

Garrahan still has a shot at a championship if he can win the last two National events, a remarkable fact given that he missed a few races. He has also stayed busy with his Northern California-based riding school, one of the most popular in the country.

Garrahan said he wouldn't be in the position he is in without help from K&N Filters. "With my races being three to four hours long, it gives you confidence to know that you have the best oil filter available in your bike. If that oil is not clean and circulating right, you can have some serious problems. Knowing I have K&N Filters in my bike keeps me from worrying because I know I have the best product out 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.

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