K&N Filters' SportBike Racer Huntley Nash Bounces Back
- 30 Aug 2012
So far, Nash has been on-point, particularly at June's Road America Daytona SportBike (DSB) race in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Rebounding from a pair of dog-eat-dog battles at Infineon Raceway and in Utah, Nash came to Wisconsin swinging, clinching two Top 10 finishes over the weekend. The 20-year old started the race after qualifying eighth and quickly moved up to fifth. Charging into third place by the first turn, Nash was forced wide in turn five and lost a few positions. Despite the setback, Nash - currently in his second season in DSB-fought for seventh place but ultimately took tenth on Saturday. The former Road America SuperSport race winner glowed in the neck-and-neck competition, beaming, "It's the best SportBike race so far, over two and a half seconds faster than I've ever been here before and really close to the front." The Marietta, Georgia native continued, "I think I can do even better tomorrow. I got a good start and got by a few people on the brakes. I got on the outside…instead of the inside, got pushed out wide and onto the rumble strip and nearly crashed. I made up some ground and was passing a lot of those guys on the outside in the Carousel. I'd rather have finished seventh rather than tenth but I'll take it." For Nash, racing runs deep. "My dad and brother got a couple street bikes when I was younger, and I would go out and watch them ride at track days. I did some schools and a couple track days when I was old enough to ride. I then tried out for the Red Bull Rookies Cup, went through their selection process, and ended up making it. It was a really good opportunity." From there on, it was in the blood. Commenting on his K&N-equipped motorcycle, Nash commented, "Since the last laps in Utah, I had a breakthrough and I'm starting to really figure out the trick to ride this bike and this suspension. I know the bike can run up front, I just have to ride it," continuing that his bike's performance was tied directly to the use of K&N's products. "It was a good weekend though, because we made a lot of good progress on the bike." Sunday's Final showed Nash's talents, running as high as third making it the closest he's finished to the front since joining the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike class last year. Nash was seventh in an exciting race that, at one stage, featured nine riders fighting for the victory. "It was a lot of fun," Nash smiled. "I learned a lot running with the lead pack for pretty much the whole race for the first time. I've never actually been in the lead pack for that long. If we had another day, I think I could have raced with those dudes a bit more." 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. |
