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The FormulaD Round Two event at Road Atlanta marked the fifth time the series has competed on this track, and was the home of the first FormulaD event ever held. True to form, the action was intense and the results indicate that this will likely be the most exciting season in FD history. The Rockstar/AEM team fought hard, with Tanner notching the #1 Qualifier position and Steph qualifying for eliminations at the #10 spot in the unseeded field.

FOXY'S RESULTS

Tanner was third in points going into Atlanta after his finish in Long Beach, and with the level of competition seen at Round One it was evident to the team that every round will be critical to repeat a championship in 2008. The team changed gearing in the Z several times during practice rounds to ensure the car had the best combination of drivability and wheel speed. The work paid off with Tanner securing the #1 Qualifier position with a 94 MPH entry speed.

Tanner advanced past the 32-car round and faced Kenji Yamanaka and his Signal/Maziora S14 Silvia. Kenji put forth a good battle considering the power his car was making, but he was unable to hang with the Rockstar/AEM Z's 500+ ponies when following, giving Tanner the advantage in the first tandem round.

Tanner faced Ryan Tuerck and his Gardella/Mobil 1 Solstice In the Great 8 Round. After leading the first run Tanner had a 9-7 point advantage on Ryan, meaning he didn't need to push too hard when following to advance to the Final 4 Round. Commented Tanner, "I gave him space on the straight knowing that the sticky Toyo tires would allow me to catch up, but I actually underestimated the grip of the Z and ended up door-to-door with Ryan by the end of the first corner." Tanner backed off to avoid hitting him during the transition, but he put the back wheels of the Z onto the un-swept marbles at Road Atlanta and the car continued to float until the rear tires touched the grass. It was only for a moment and Tanner was able to reel Ryan back in, but according to FormulaD rules, if two tires go off the track it equates to a zero-point run. Although Tanner did not advance to the Final Four round, his efforts at Road Atlanta kept him in the third overall position in the series a mere 10 points off the lead.

"It was disappointing that we were unable to advance but we have to honor the rules. We are happy to maintain our position in the overall standings though, and we know we are going to have to work very hard to repeat," noted Tanner.

BIG PAPA'S RESULTS

Steph came out of the gates strong in un-seeded qualifying, notching a #10 qualifier with an 85-point run to advance to eliminations. Although he did not advance to tandem rounds, he finished 22nd overall in the event and his position in the series continues to improve.

"It was a smooth weekend overall," stated Steph. "It's always fun to compete on a racecourse, and we got a break when Chris (Forsberg) and Sam (Hubinette) went out early, which helped keep us atop the standings. It was also really good to see Rhys back out and we congratulate him on the win! We head to Englishtown, New Jersey for the next event and I have raced well there in the past, although it was on the drag strip. Hopefully some of that old E-Town magic will appear for me again this year."

FAST FACTS

Road Atlanta was where the first FormulaD event was held and this is the fifth time the series has competed there...both cars have qualified for eliminations in 2008...the team has three top 5 qualifiers (one seeded 1st & 4th, one unseeded 5th) and a third place finish this season...Tanner is 10 points off the current series leader and both Rockstar/AEM drivers are ranked in the top 30 series competitors...the next event is at the World-famous Englishtown Raceway on June 13-14 and is the first time FD has held an event there...

The Rockstar/AEM drift team is sponsored by Toyo Tires, Motegi Racing Wheels, Tokico Gas Shocks, Advanced Clutch Technology (ACT), Specialty Products Company (SPC), ChargeSpeed and C-West.

With a stellar start to the 2008 Championship Off Road Racing (CORR) season, Carl Renezeder heads to Las Vegas International Off Road Raceway in Primm, Nevada this weekend with a positive outlook. Wins in both Pro-4 rounds in Pomona just three weeks ago put him twenty points ahead of the class, and a runner-up and third place finish in Pro-2 has him just 18 points behind leader, Rob MacCachren, in second place.


"It's a 15-race series, so we know we have to make each one count," commented Renezeder after the opening weekend. "I take my competition very seriously. If we make even a small mistake, there are several guys right there that will capitalize on it."


Renezeder relies on a top-rate crew, led by crew chief, Mike Seat, to build and prep trucks that are not only fast, but durable. Seat has proven his worth over and over, helping lead the team to three championships in the past three years, 15 CORR wins in 2007 alone and, just as importantly, very few DNFs.


"My crew is amazing," continued Renezeder. "I love being able to get into my race trucks knowing that all I have to do is focus on my job of driving. They take all of the other factors out of the equation, and that's comforting."

RICHMOND, CA - April 22, 2008.

The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) is pleased to announce that AEM will offer a generous $12,000 in gift certificate rewards to the top finishers at the 3rd annual NASA Championship event at the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course on September 11-14th, 2008.

"We really can't wait for the NASA Championships this year," said Greg Neuwirth, AEM President. "We will be participating in the Honda Challenge series at the Championship event this year and we wanted to come up with a program that would benefit the largest number of potential customers at the event. I think this program fits the bill and we hope to give away a large amount of gift certificate money in conjunction with this program. We'll see everyone at the championship event!"

The contingency program will award drivers with a gift certificate reward of $100 for first, $100 for fifth, and $100 for tenth. The award program will apply to all classes at the Championship event. Competitors must display the required AEM decals (available from AEM) on each side of their vehicle during competition and they must utilize one of the following items:

+ AEM EMS
+ AEM Intake System
+ AEM Digital Gauges (Must have at least any 2)
+ AEM Fuel / Ignition Controller (F/IC)
+ AEM Water/Methanol Injection System

Competitors are only eligible to collect 1 award for the Championship weekend. Each competitor will be required to complete and submit a contingency claim form to receive their award.

"That was so much fun," smiled Carl Renezeder as he pulled his Lucas Oil Skyjacker Pro-4 into victory lane for the second time in as many races this past weekend at the CORR opener in Pomona, California. Great racing was on display all weekend, but the Pro-2 and Pro-4 races on Sunday had the crowd cheering on their feet, while Renezeder worked his way past some tough competition.

Saturday's events seemed to go by in a blur as the three Pro divisions practiced, qualified and raced within a five hour window. Renezeder grabbed the pole in the Pro-4 division and the outside front row slot in Pro-2. He admittedly missed a bit on the set up in his Lucas Oil Pro-2 for the race, but still managed a third place finish. In Pro-4, the truck was flawless. He led from flag to flag and looked comfortable the entire way. During the live television coverage on SPEED Channel, both Bill Weber and Ken Stout talked about how significant a win it was after an off-season full of several changes to Renezeder's program – a new engine program and the retirement of his 11-year-old Chevy (the winningest truck in CORR history) being the two most drastic changes.

"We always knew this truck would be competitive," explained Renezeder. "We're glad we had most of last season to work all the bugs out, and we're excited to have a Pro Power motor under the hood this year. With the addition of Skyjacker to our program, and the reliability of our BFGoodrich tires, my confidence in this Lucas Oil Pro-4 is at an all-time high." And that confidence shined through on Sunday.

Renezeder's qualifying efforts were respectable on day two with a fifth and third place start in Pro-2 and Pro-4, respectively. But, it was the racing that caught everyone's attention. At the drop of the green, Renezeder spent the few laps before the mandatory caution feeling out the changes they had made on the Pro-2. As he idled around before the restart he simply commented, "I think we've got something for these guys." The green flag few again and he went to work. He held off a hard-charging Jerry Welchel and then made fantastic passes on both Todd LeDuc and Ricky Johnson. Unfortunately, he ran out of laps to battle with race winner Rob MacCachren and had to settle for second.

"I'm thrilled with two podiums in the opening two rounds," commented Renezeder. "Obviously, we want to win them all, but we know we have a great baseline for the season. We should be in the hunt every time."

The Pro-4 race was another display of smart racing and a flawless truck. Great battles throughout the race were just a precursor to the final lap. Rick Huseman had a three second lead on Renezeder as the white flag flew and he heard his spotter say, "this is your last lap...go get him." Renezeder caught Huseman over the table top jump, made a great move in the big bowl turn, drove perfectly through the rhythm section and then made a fantastic pass in the final turn to take the win.

"That's why I love racing," commented Renezeder after the race was over. It seemed to be the sentiment among most racers that day that did battle without ruining equipment. Driving the trucks onto the trailer and adding four more trophies to the case is a great way to start a championship campaign. Renezeder's got his fingers crossed that the next 13 rounds of racing have similar results.

AEM product offerings have spread to more than the automotive market. Recently, we were able to outfit a Trophy Kart belonging to Max Moncure of The Long Beach Racers with a DRYFLOW synthetic air filter and wideband UEGO gauge.

The mechanic for the Long Beach Racers' Trophy Kart had this to say about the Trophy Kart "The Long Beach Racers' Trophy Kart is an awesome little machine - With 16" front and 18" rear wheel travel, coil over shocks, a RobinSubaru 260cc engine, upgraded with an AEM DRYFLOW air filter it cranks out about 13 HP. The AEM UEGO gauge makes tuning the spec carburetor a snap."

Max races his Trophy Kart in the MMR (Mini Motorsports Racing) sanctioned events, which are the Best In The Desert and SXS, and Glen Helen series races. There are both short course and desert races included. Max is 10 years old, and in 4th grade at Grace Christian School in Long Beach when he's not wrenching on his Trophy Kart at the Long Beach Racers shop.