K&N Filters Talks With Honda East Program Manager/Racer/Employee Brandon Jones
- 18 Dec 2012
“Ever since I was 15 years old, I had lived and breathed racing,” Brandon explained. “I made huge sacrifices over the years to put racing as my main priority. During my senior year of high school, while most of my friends were applying to colleges, I was mapping out my race schedule. Every weekend I would be at a different track perfecting my riding game. After the 2008 AMA ATV Motocross season, a sponsor picked me up for a full ride. All I had to do was show up and race, it was good gig.” But things didn’t play out. Brandon explained, “Before round 1 in 2009 of the AMA ATV Nationals, I was in Florida training as a full time AMA Pro-Am racer for several weeks. I became sick with the flu at round 1 and was unable to race the event. After round 2 of the nationals and finishing solid, I broke my hand in accident that ended my 2009 season. “By that time, I realized that I couldn’t risk racing anymore with my son getting older. In the Spring 2010, I came to Honda East after racing for 10 years. Here, it only seemed natural to put together a rider support program since its what I have done and known so well. In late 2011, I put together a little program that had some great discounts to racers, as well as re-energized my need for racing.”
Besides forming and managing the Honda East racer support program, Brandon raced the first 3 events of the AMA nationals and claimed all top 5 finishes earning 8th overall in National point standings in its first year in 2011. “Continuing on in 2012,” Brandon continued, “I wanted to take our program to the next level and get some top caliber racers and sponsors for the Honda East team. I personally went through and reviewed every racer application from every amateur and pro to validate their resume credentials as I wanted to make sure we had loyal and honest racers representing Honda East and our sponsors involved.” His efforts paid off, and saw more championships in one year than anyone at Honda East could’ve imagined, including both the Pro and Pro-Am Championships in 2012 AMA Extreme Dirt Track, three 2012 AMA Motocross Nationals championships in Super Mini, 90 Modified and Girls (6-11), and four podium finishes for Girls (6-11), Junior 25 Plus, Veteran 30+A and 70 SS (6-11) 2012 AMA Motocross Nationals classes.
When it came time to source manufacturers to help keep the Honda East team in the lead, approaching K&N Filters was a “no-brainer.” He explains, “We broke down what a machine needs to win by part and listed the best company next to it to seek sponsorship interest. We knew there was not another filter company out there to sift dirt out with maximum performance and reliability in mind, the rest is history. You just can’t beat the reliability, performance, quality and peace of mind that you are using the best products. Those are the greatest benefits for our program.” 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. |
