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! | ||||
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Ashley was born in Batavia, Illinois, and she was raised in Dekalb, Illinois. In her youth, she loved riding horses, dancing, and cheering at football and basketball games. Of course, she was also involved in modeling. She attended Cornerstone Christian High School. The student population was tiny and close-knit. Ashley shares, “My graduating class only had 8 people!” She went on to attend the Illinois Center for Broadcasting where she majored in Broadcast Journalism. She excelled in this field and was actually voted “most likely to succeed” by her peers.
In the future, Ashley plans to continue modeling and focus on TV hosting. As for her personal life, she was just married, and in her free time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, and volunteering at animal charities. Ashley looks forward to more campaigns and a life in modeling. IG Handle: @ashwilkexo | |||
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The ambitious K&N-sponsored racer, who has proven relentless in his pursuit of major sponsorship as well as the podium in the highly-competitive American Superbike race circuit, is garnering the respect of race fans as well as fellow competitors. K&N caught up with Wyman after he spent time at the SEMA trade show networking with potential backers for his 2018 race season. Here are Wyman's thoughts on the just completed Superbike season and his plans for 2018.
Kyle Wyman: The highlight of my season was our podium result in race two at New Jersey Motorsports Park. It was my first ever podium in the Superbike category, up against the factory teams. As a private team that I manage and run, it was very rewarding to achieve that result. It's been a very long time since a rider/owner has found the podium in that class. K&N: What were your biggest obstacles and challenges?
The other obstacle was my crash at the last round at Barber Motorsports Park, where I had a brake failure. I broke my T6 vertebra and bruised ribs and was banged up pretty good. K&N: How is the crash recovery going? KW: So far so good. My back and wrist are still sore but they will just take time to heal. I've already been doing some riding on the track instructing, and have spent some solid time on the bicycle. I'm fortunate to have the time to recover in the offseason and I am sure to be back to 100% in a couple weeks.
KW: Right now I'm spending some time on the road, meeting with sponsors, and working on my plans for next year. I will definitely be staying in the Superbike class, and with our podium finish toward the end of the season, we have high hopes for even better results in 2018. I can't wait to start things back up in March at the pre-season test. K&N: What else is new in your life? KW: I moved into a new house two weeks ago, after spending the season on the road. I moved out of a house a week before the 2017 season started and spent the year living out of my race trailer. It feels great to finally be back at a home base and I am hoping to keep this place throughout the 2018 season. K&N is proud to be a major sponsor of Kyle Wyman and the KWR team. | ||||
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| There aren’t too many custom car builders at the 2017 SEMA Show who came with the expectation of “flattening everyone’s expectations” but that was exactly the intention of Bobby Martins of Sadistic Iron Werks.
The car is a 2017 Audi R8 with a twin turbo V10 that Sadistic modified for FLO Airride Manufacturing. A stunning custom body from Prior Design North America was fitted, then covered with an APA Wrap in an anodized silver color, what Bobby refers to as “the inside of a Coke can,” though that understates just how striking the car is in person.
Filling out the wheel wells are B-Forged 315TS wheels wrapped in Toyo tires. Bobby created the suspension using utilizing AirLift struts, but as there aren’t many aftermarket components for a 'bagged Audi R8, Bobby had to fabricate many of the pieces that complete the system.
Bobby’s expertise comes from both formal and informal education. He was a certified Toyota Master Tech for 20 years, but his hobby has been to 'bag vehicles, his first a Bug ('69 that is). He opened Sadistic Iron Werks in 2001 and has become a full-service one-stop shop for air suspension conversions and other performance upgrades. Hard to believe that the project started just two months before the SEMA Show, and given that information, it’s not hard to believe that the R8 was completed on the Monday before the show. Maybe that’s how Bobby decided to name his shop “Sadistic.” There's a photo posted here that shows the condition of the car on the Sunday before the show, with a whiteboard in the background that lists all the tasks that need to be completed. Most likely every one is a major undertaking and it's a small wonder that the team completed the car in time for the show. Thankfully Bobby’s shop is located in Hesperia, California, which is less than a 200 miles drive from Las Vegas and the SEMA Show. |
| Upon first viewing Jesse James’ 1964 Dodge Polara the exterior patina make the car looks more like the starting point for a restoration project, not the completion. But that’s all part of the design. The world-renowned Roadster Shop of Mundelin, IL cut the Mopar unibody apart and built an entirely new car underneath. Utilizing their Faro Technologies 3D scanner to accurate measure the Dodge, the RS crew then turned that data into a set of drawings that would serve as the blueprints for the build. As the floor was cut away braces were installed inside the body to keep it from flexing or being distorted. The basis is a custom Roadster Shop’s Fast Track chassis with its own bespoke independent front suspension and a multi-link Strange Engineering rear end. Once the Polara was sitting on the chassis, the sheet metal fabrication began, with new floors (including trunk) firewall, transmission tunnel, and inner fenders were created and installed by the metal artists at RS. Under the hood resides a 426 CID Wegner Motorsport Generation II Hemi “Elephant Motor”, with a custom intake manifold and stainless exhaust manifolds that are connected to twin Honeywell Garrett turbochargers. Intake air is drawn through a pair of K&N Air Filters and through a Honeywell Garrett air-to-water intercooler and a radiator and heat exchanger built by Ron Davis. Backing up the Hemi is a modified Tremec T-56 six-speed manual transmission from Blower Transmission. Check out the video for all the details on this amazing build including the retro AF/X style interior. |
