XDL Sportbike Freestyle Championship Merges Urban Culture With Competitive Sport
- 1 Sept 2009
K&N supports stunt riders like Randy Callicoat who finished 13th in XDL round 3
Bill Dixon accepts first place plaque for Individual Freestyle at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California
K&N air and oil filter helps “Krazy” Kyle Rapport finish 8th in Individual Freestyle at XDL round 3
Stunt Rider Bill Dixon wins the Individual Freestyle contest at XDL Round 3
K&N Circle Challenge champion Luke Emmons
Eric Whitcomb said he receives more power when using K&N Air Filters
Grub said “XDL has doubled in size each year.” The number of professional level freestyle athletes is growing and the competition is becoming fierce. Grub would eventually like to see sportbike freestyle competition make it into the X-Games. “I look for strong brand names like K&N; which align with the XDL image,” he said, “Corporate sponsorship is really important to the series.”
XDL competition consists of several events. Most notably is the individual freestyle contest; which decides the national championship. During this event, athletes are given three minutes to piece together a run that covers all the required competitive elements. Other events include the Sickest Trick, Freestyle Burnout, and Circle Challenge competitions. For round three at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, CA K&N was the title sponsor of the Circle Challenge. The K&N Circle Challenge is a head-to-head event in which riders compete to be the first to finish 10 circle wheelie rotations.
K&N caught up with several of its sponsored sportbike freestyle athletes during qualifying. “Krazy” Kyle Rapport, a 24-year old hailing from Santa Ana, California, qualified well and had a strong finish in the Individual Freestyle event. Kyle finished eighth in round three and currently sits 12th overall in XDL Championship FMF Cup Points standings.
Krazy Kyle rides a 2003 Kawasaki ZX6R 636 with stunt modifications; which include: a rear handbrake, cages to protect the engine, and K&N products. Kyle protects his valuable engine with K&N air filter part number KA-6003 and wrench-off oil filter part number KN-204. “My bike runs awesome,” said Rapport “K&N is awesome!”
Also in attendance at XDL round three was K&N sponsored athlete Randy Callicoat. Callicoat drove to Irwindale, California from Arizona. Randy said he picked K&N high-flow air and oil filters for high-performance bikes because they cover the two biggest maintenance products found on his stunt bike. Callicoat had a strong finish in round three, managing 13th place and is 17th overall in points. Randy said “I would like to thank K&N for supporting stunt riders and for helping to make stunting mainstream.”
Eric Whitcomb, a K&N supported Corona, California athlete, made a strong showing in the Aprilia All-Star Challenge. Whitcomb runs K&N products both in his competition bike and the truck that he uses for traveling to events. “With K&N air and oil filters my stunt bike gets more power in the low end," said Whitcomb. "I can also feel the increased horsepower I received when I installed a K&N air intake system on my truck. You can’t go wrong with K&N.”
Follow Rapport, Callicoat, Whitcomb and the whole XDL Freestyle Championship throughout the season at the K&N news site.
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.
