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Jim McConville has reason for optimism as he prepares for 2018

A Return to Form

After very promising racing results in 2013 and 2014, McConville’s ascent in the sportbike racing world was derailed in the middle of the 2015 season when a chain thrown from a competitor’s bike chipped a bone in his leg.

McConville has become adept at racing on wet tracks

With that setback in the rear-view mirror, McConville's return to form was realized in 2017. His season included an impressive 11 podiums in 14 rain races. McConville excels in adverse racing conditions which is a testament to the racer’s mental toughness. He was only a second or two behind the professional expert racers on wet tracks.

However, it was not just about the rain in 2017. McConville had newfound success in the competitive Championship Cup Series.

Topping the podium at Daytona was a season highlight for McConville

Winning on an iconic course is special, and McConville got to taste that sweet fruit in 2017. “Winning a race in Daytona was a big highlight this year,” McConville said.

McConville finished second in both national series in 2017.

Looking Toward 2018

K&N has been a part of McConville’s racing efforts since 2010, and that support will continue as he strives toward his competitive goals.

Jim McConville leads the pack in a 2017 sportbike race

Spending more time on the track is something McConville knows will further his development. “I also want work more as a control rider for a local track day company,” he said.

On the technical side, McConville is excited to switch from Dunlop to Michelin tires. He also has a long-term goal of piloting a new race bike - a goal which may have to wait until 2019.

One thing is clear, 2018 looks to be a break-out season for Jim McConville, and K&N is excited to be a part of the effort.

Ronnie Bassett Jr celebrating his first career win at New Syrma Speedway

This season and the last were almost in doubts for Bassett, whose family owned race shop burned down last season. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the family lost their racing materials.

Bassett races for his father, Ronnie Bassett Sr., along with his brother Dillon, who are both in the NASCAR Next class of drivers. Both of their careers were in doubt after the fire, but they both decided to continue on.

This was Bassett’s fifth year racing in the K&N Pro East Series. From the age of 17, Bassett has been driving with some of the best up-and-coming drivers in NASCAR, but he never reached the results he had until this year.

Bassett finished in third place with 518 points in the K&N Pro East Series standings this season, finishing behind East Series champion Harrison Burton and Todd Gilliand. In 14 starts this season, he tallied one win, eight top-five finishes, and 11 top-10 finishes.

Bassett won the first race of the season, at New Smyrna, but was never able to cross the checkered line in first place again. He came in second place at Greenville Pickens in the second race of the season.

“I feel like I had some good experience from previous years at both racetracks,” Bassett said. “I have run well at new Smyrna the last two years and to come back and be able to test again with a new group of guys and new race car we got off to a good start.”

Recording 11 top-10 finishes and finishing in third place in the K&N Pro Series East standings, Bassett’s goals were not reached entirely.

Ronnie Bassett Jr preparing to take place in a race

Bassett has been racing in the division for a long time but does not foresee moving up to another division soon.

“I would love to move up into a bigger series but at this time in racing it’s all about how much money you can bring to the table and as I stated we’re an underfunded team and don’t have the money move up to a higher division,” Bassett Jr. said.

Bassett realizes how important it is to have K&N as a sponsor and a supporter of the East Series

“It’s big to have them as a sponsor if it wasn’t for them wouldn’t none of us be able to do the things we love to do,” Bassett Jr. said. “They have been able to help me by allowing us to go to the tracks we go to and the people we get to get in front of.”

K&N has has long supported desert racing, here at the UTV World Championship in Laughin

The rugged and varied path that the beautiful Colorado River has traced through the desert Southwest has proven irresistible for racers, event organizers, and fans. A number of the communities that hug the banks of the Colorado have embraced the racing with open arms, and are working hard to balance environmental concerns with responsible race organization. Here is a look at the three river communities that play host to the range of events that the area has to offer annually.

Parker, Arizona

Parker, Arizona has one of the longest and richest legacies in desert racing. For over four decades, Parker has hosted a number of marquee off-road competitions. In fact, racing in the area dates back to at least 1911, when a local businessman hosted a promotional cross country competition. Parker sits on banks of the Colorado at a point where the river has carved some of the most spectacular red rock cliffs in the Southwest. That vibrant skyline is the backdrop for both water and land-based racing.

The BlueWater Resort plays host to several of the Parker race events

BlueWater Parker 425: This is the granddaddy of the Colorado River race events. The late winter BITD race boasts some of the most exciting and brutal racing on the desert schedule. This is a fan-friendly race with a number of entertaining satellite events throughout the race weekend.

Where to Stay: This is a no-brainer. The BlueWater Resort and Casino is the driving force of much of the area’s racing action. The resort, which serves as a title sponsor for the BlueWater Parker 425, rests on the banks of the Colorado. The BlueWater has its own marina, a beautiful beach, and an indoor water park.

Lake Havasu City, Arizona

Desert terrain along the Colorado River is challenging, treacherous, and thoroughly entertaining

WORCS Racing - Crazy Horse: Lake Havasu’s Crazy Horse Campground is the site of two separate rounds of the World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS). Both rounds are held in the early spring. One round is typically staged for UTV and ATV competition and the other features motorcycles.

Havasu 95 Speedway: Okay, so this is not a desert racing facility. However, it is pretty cool that the Colorado River region has a race track that features both road and dirt oval racing. The speedway hosts sprints, midgets, outlaws, vintage, and late model races.

Where to Stay: There are a number of hotels within walking distance of the famed London Bridge. For the WORCS racing fans, there is good camping at Crazy Horse and the area’s state parks.

The WORCS course in Lake Havasu City often features entertaining water jumps

Sitting 90 miles south of Las Vegas, Laughin, Nevada is a small, friendly casino and resort center. Laughlin is located on the Nevada side of the Colorado River across from Bullhead City, Arizona, and a mere handful of miles from California. It has become a gaming and recreation center for thousands of visitors each year. The bustling town swells even more when the several annual race events are staged.

Polaris RZR UTV World Championship: Each spring, UTVs, motorcycles, and ATVs take over the Laughlin strip. The casino parking lots become vendor villages, and the desert west of Laughlin roars with fantastic BITD desert racing.

Laughlin Desert Classic: This BITD race is a newcomer to the schedule but seems destined to become a centerpiece of the fall racing season. The Laughlin Desert Classic features car, truck, and UTV classes running on a technical and challenging 16-mile course.

K&N-sponsored WORCS champion Davi Haagsma flying high in Lake Havasu

K&N’s Desert Racing Connection

K&N sponsors many of the top racers and teams that compete in every segment of desert racing including WORCS and BITD. You can also find the K&N semi truck and knowledgeable representatives at many of the major desert race events.

Originally intended to showcase fuel efficiency it was decide to build the Mustang as a race car

For starters, the Mustang was not initially intended to be a race car at all. The original plan was to install an EcoBoost engine tuned to run on E85, keep the car as light as possible, and have a celebrity drive the car from K&N HQ in Riverside, California to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. But the challenges were insurmountable, according to K&N R&D Manager Dave Martis.

After a year gathering dust, Martis convinced senior management to allow him and his team to build the Mustang into a road racer. Martis spent the next few months collecting all the needed parts, some donated, some purchased. All fabrication and installation work was accomplished by the R&D team. The only work done outside the building was the paint.

Delivered in a digusting-looking color of undercoat, the Mustang was truly just a bare shell

Power runs through a Tremec Magnum XL six-speed gearbox and a custom Curry rear housing hung with Cortex linkages. At the front, the stock strut setup was replaced by a Cortex double A-arm set-up. Shocks are from JRi wrapped by Eibach springs. Brakes are Baer monoblocks with Hawk pads. Other K&N components include a K&N HP-1018 oil filter and K&N 81-1001 and 81-1003 fuel filters.

In the 2014 season, Walton nearly won the Western States American Iron title in the K&N Mustang, save for a single missed shift that dropped him to second. Walton earned the ride earlier in the season after he’d blown the engine in his own car and was asked by Martis to sub for him on Sunday. When Walton was fastest in Sunday morning practice, Martis, nursing a bad back, decided K&N would be better off with the experienced American Iron racer driving the company’s Mustang.

With 15 years of road racing experience Ryan Walton brought K&N the American Iron title

If you believe in omens, consider that problems started before Walton even arrived at the track, blowing a trailer tire on the tow to Thunderhill. In practice earlier the week prior to the Championships, the car wasn’t working the way that Walton wanted and his results reflected that. Methodically, the K&N team worked to adjust the car to improve its handling through the sections of the course that were causing Walton to lose the most time.

Still, while Walton felt the Mustang had been greatly improved, he wasn’t sure it had what it would take to win. “We struggled the whole week,” Walton said about the qualifying races. “I tore a splitter off twice, went off the track a bunch of times. I finished second to Corey Weber in both qualifying races. I thought we had a second-place car and driver after that.”

Wrapped like a NASA satellite this unique K&N intake helps power a NASA rocketship

Then finally fortune smiled on Walton. “Before our race, a car went off track and caught the grass on fire. It delayed our race three hours” he said. A long delay can sometimes unsettle a driver, but not Walton. “In the race, I got into the lead and got through traffic really well and held on to the lead till the end. There were competitors quicker than us but at the end, we got it together when it counted,” Walton said proudly. “I won my first national championship after racing for 15 years,” he added excitedly.

Congratulations to Ryan Walton, Dave Martis, and the entire K&N Engineering racing team for your 2017 NASA win.

Chelsea Denofa joined the Ford Mustang RTR Drift Team for the 2017 Formula D Season

Chelsea Denofa finished the Formula D season in 13th overall, including earning #1 qualifier twice

Vaughn Gittin Jr. finished in 4th place overall, which marks the eighth time he's finished in top 5

Matt Coffman finished the Formula Drift season in a career-best 10th place overall

Overall, K&N filters is proud of the trio of Formula Drift drivers we worked with over the course of the 2017 season, and congratulate them on their accomplishments. We look forward to continuing to work with them in 2018 and beyond!