Page 7 – Amanda Products [USA]

Change of Plans; Racing the Legendary Mint 400 in Las Vegas!

They promised more races in 2015 - and they meant it! The ColeCar Motorsports team made a last-minute decision to participate in ‘the greatest off-road race in America!’ Mike Klensin called Thursday to say “We’re off on our way to the Mint 400; it’s not on the schedule. Mat [Carpentier] decided we should run this, so we pulled the trigger and we’re going." Plan was "We have tech contingency on Fremont Street Friday; and then the race is Saturday.” 'Timmy' heading to tech early Friday morning; photo by Jerome Curtis A race series with history Mike explains "It’s a really old desert race - definitely the premier desert race in the U.S." In the 60s it began as a promotion for the Mint Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Promoters sent matching dune buggies across 600 miles of desert from the Mint to the Sahara Hotel in Tahoe. It was an instant hit that remained popular for two decades. Celebrity drivers included Mel Larson and Parnelli Jones; movie stars included James Garner and Steve McQueen. When the Mint was sold in 1988, the series became a memory. In 2008 it was resurrected by SNORE Off Road Racing with help from General Tire. Enjoy a video history of the Mint from the Red Bull Signature Series: http://www.redbullsignatureseries.com/event/mint-400-2015/mint-400-history-race Mike Klensin, Mat Carpentier and 'Timmy' on Fremont Street 'The Superbowl of off-road racing' Mint 400 CEO Matt Martelli says “We’re building the Superbowl of off-road racing one year at a time.” One of this year’s improvements is a longer race course. According to race-dezert.com, “The new 126-mile Mint 400 race loop is designed to allow all twenty classes of race vehicles to race a full three laps of [...]

Micki LeCronier2021-03-03T06:24:00-05:00March 13, 2015|

Race Recap: Dirt Riot Southwest, Round 1, Congress, AZ

Sunday, March 8, 2015; Congress was the race that opened the Dirt Riot season. Mike Klensin was pleased because “We had a whole crew there; it was really neat.” The group included Mike Klensin, his daughter Alyssa and their boxer Bailey. Mikey Florian was there with his parents; Mat Carpentier was accompanied by his dad and his sister Taylor Brown. John Brock entered his car and co-drove with Beau Matthews as driver. Family and friends were part of the action at the diverse venue. Mike explains, “The Dirt Riot series has all different classes, the razor class, the stock class, the trail class and the 4400 class." Mike Klensin, Driver; Mat Carpentier, Co-Driver "We drove the 4400 class. We did good in qualifying, were the fastest qualifier; we got to start up front, but then we had a front end issue - a CV axle break; I didn’t know it at the time and that contributed to me rolling over on the fourth lap.” It was Mat Carpentier’s first experience as co-driver. “The part where we rolled was pretty fun, I could count the seconds ‘til we hit the ground. I had to get out of the car to help Mike get off a rock and almost got hit by the car behind us. John Brock helped us out. We used the Amanda Products SpeedHook™ to get us back over. Those things make it quick and easy to hook the line up and get the car back over in no time.” SpeedHook™ captured the attention of Josh England, Dirt Riot’s rescue specialist – so Klensin gave him one. Mike says “So now SpeedHook will be at all Dirt Riot races across the country.” Mat enjoyed [...]

Micki LeCronier2021-03-03T06:24:01-05:00March 12, 2015|

Preparing for Dirt Riot Southwest, Round 1, in Congress, AZ

Pre-race interview with Mike Klensin This weekend Mike Klensin and the ColeCar Motorsports team will be heading out to Congress, Arizona for Dirt Riot Southwest Round 1. It’s a four hour drive from Tucson to Thompson’s Ranch. Most of the team will arrive Friday; qualifying begins Sunday, March 8 at 9 a.m. ‘Timmy’ at King of the Hammers 2015; photo by Patty Pinnel Pre-Race Prep “After every race we have to tear the car down and look for broken or worn parts - and more so after KOH, due to how long the race was. We also knew that we had an overheating issue and fuel pressure issue that we needed to fix. We’re doing shock tuning on Wednesday and we think we got the overheating issue figured out." "We’re race prepping the car right now, have our RCV CV joints rebuilt and we’re putting those back in the car. Checking bolts and fluid levels and replacing worn parts from KOH so that we’re ready for the Congress race. Compared to Dirt Riot, KOH is totally separate animal, a lot longer. For these shorter races the car doesn’t have to carry as much junk and gets prepped differently. We’re making some other adjustments, tire pressure and adjusting the suspension. Pretty standard pre-race stuff.” (Read our blog from KOH2015; it was Klensin's first race in the new Ultra4 IFS car.) The Spectator Experience Mike expects it Congress will be a lot of fun. “It’s a lapped race, you do as many laps as you can in a certain amount of time. It is fun for spectators and there’s a few areas to watch. There are bathrooms and probably a food vendor. And then there’s dry camping [...]

Micki LeCronier2021-03-03T06:24:01-05:00March 2, 2015|

KOH 2015: Klensin’s first race in the new Ultra4 car

What’s it like taking an all-new, untested Ultra4 IFS vehicle to ‘the ultimate desert race?’ Mike Klensin needed a minute to think about it. “Challenging, demanding, stressful and fulfilling at the same time." Mike and Mat Carpentier endured many sleepless nights getting 'Timmy' ready in time. "Mat and I finished the car Saturday night about 1 a.m., got a one hour power nap and headed off to Johnson Valley so we could make tech inspection on Sunday. The trip up went good – it’s an 8 hour drive. We got there about an hour before tech inspection and we hadn’t driven the car at all. Went through tech, there were no issues, it was pretty simple. The car looked good and everybody was happy with it. Monday we went out to do some tuning. That afternoon we had a little problem with one of our front CV joints. Tuesday we were able to get RCV Performance to come over and help us get the CVs figured out; unfortunately, we missed our qualifying run on Tuesday because of that. So we had to do qualifying on Wednesday. It went OK except that there were more new car issues; floored it and it was choking, starving for gas. We didn’t have enough fuel pressure. So that cost us a slower time, we could have been considerably faster. But overall we were somewhat satisfied with how the car was working. It went pretty good for having zero miles in the dirt. On Thursday Mat and Mikey took the car through a contingency. Meanwhile Justin Reece and I raced the Every Man Challenge. Justin Reece was the driver, I was co-driver of 4619 of Rusty Nail Racing. I built [...]

Micki LeCronier2021-03-03T06:24:01-05:00February 14, 2015|

A New Team and a NEW ULTRA 4 RACE CAR for King of the Hammers!

Last year you knew us as ‘a’ sponsor of Mike Klensin and Team Crossed Up Off-Road. This year Amanda Products is TITLE sponsor of ColeCar Motorsports LLC – including a new IFS Ultra4 race car and two UTVs. The new IFS Ultra4 race car at Crossed Up Customs in Tucson. (Mike's dog Bailey in foreground.) The team's 2015 race schedule includes the Ultra 4 West Coast Series and other opportunities, including Lucas Oil regional short course off road racing and other local and regional desert races. All three vehicles will race the Dirt Riot series. Select events will feature Amanda Products’ SEMA 2014 Jeep Wrangler with its innovative new bumper and door prototypes. The race and prototype vehicles will be transported via 38′ trailer. Custom wraps for the race vehicles and trailer are in the design phase. About the new team Last year Mat Carpentier of ColeCar Motorsports offered to help Mike build a new state of the art Ultra4 race car; today Mike and Mat are partners in a new car. Mike explains, “We’ve been kicking around ideas and brainstorming since August, came up with the idea of what we want to do and created an outline. We actually started putting tubes together and building the chassis this past December.” Naming the car Mike says “We were just thinking of different names, wanted a fun name, not too serious and kept thinking about Timmy from South Park. Yeah, we’ll call it that. A lot of people name their cars aggressive and medieval things, we wanted something fun. We all agreed on Timmy pretty quick.” Will Timmy be ready in time for KOH? “We’re wiring the car and doing final assembly as we speak. Hopefully [...]

Micki LeCronier2021-03-03T06:24:01-05:00January 17, 2015|

Amanda Products to be 2015 Title Sponsor for Cole Car Motorsports
Gallery
Amanda Products to be 2015 Title Sponsor for Cole Car Motorsports

Press Release

Amanda Products to be 2015 Title Sponsor for Cole Car Motorsports

As of January 1, 2015, Amanda Products will be title sponsor of ColeCar Motorsports LLC, a new IFS Ultra4 race car, two UTVs and a full race schedule.

Micki LeCronier2021-03-03T06:24:02-05:00December 29, 2014|

Our First Featured SpeedHook(TM) Testimonial

This unsolicited testimonial came to us from central Florida last month. "Just wanted to say your Speedhook is exactly what I have been looking for. Design concept and execution is perfect! The quality is absolutely amazing. Thanks again for an excellent product." Jimbo T. We contacted him for pictures and he readily complied. He told us "My Jeep's name is Copper; I'm building it up for rock crawling at Moab. Hopefully we - me, my wife & son - can go out to Moab next Easter. When I saw your ad in Crawl magazine, I was immediately struck by the design of the SpeedHook. After reading about Amanda Products history and experience in the automotive parts industry, I decided to pull the trigger and buy one." "Installing the SpeedHook into the trailer hitch receiver is as easy as pie! Very clean, easy to attach my Red Eye Bubba rope; I haven't had a chance to use it yet." (Yeah, there's a good chance he'll be needing SpeedHook(TM) at Moab.) "When I received the SpeedHook I was really taken by the quality of construction. Amanda Products, had a great concept, design, and executed the product with quality in mind. Amanda Products has a real winner with the SpeedHook design!" This is our favorite shot; nice work Jimbo. Find YOUR SpeedHook(TM) at Amandaproducts.com A PROUD MEMBER OF THE ORLANDO JEEP CLUB Jimbo takes great pride in his club. He said "They are a very active and an amazing group of people who are always watching out for each other on & off the trails. They have Wednesday rides & 1-2 weekend trail rides during the month. They love to get together and talk about anything Jeep! They [...]

Micki LeCronier2021-03-03T06:24:02-05:00December 18, 2014|

Meet the Crossed Up Customs Media Crew

It's a family thing. The Pinnells have been following their favorite drivers – Mike Klensin and John Brock – for almost eight years. The relationship began when Rob Pinnell started wiring Mike's race car. Rob's daughter Acacia has been taking photos of off-road racing and posting to social media for two years. What makes that impressive? The fact that she's only 16 years old. Klensin says "She's been hanging out at the races since she was little." She got hooked on photography when Mike first started racing. "He was jumping a big gap. I got a photo in mid-air. It was the coolest thing ever." Her mother Patty is "a major inspiration." Photo by Patty Pinnell - Ultra4 American Rock Sports Challenge at Miller Motorsports Park Acacia says "She has always taken pictures for Mike; she got a nice camera and started taking really awesome photos. I wanted to do the same. I love the racing atmosphere and wanted to capture the moments and share them to the world." Patty shoots a Canon EOS 700D/Rebel T5i. She sends her photos directly to Mike or Acacia; "She's been my right arm." Patty is serious about her craft. She works full time while pursuing an Associate's Degree in Graphic Design and Photography. Photo by Patty Pinnell - Ultra4 American Rock Sports Challenge at Miller Motorsports Park As busy as they are, the Pinnells manage to attend all the races - Ultra 4, Dirt Riot and King of the Hammers. The furthest (last month) was Cortez, Colorado. Patty says "When it's fun like that, we make it happen; we squeeze it in." Acacia takes photos with her iPhone. One of her friends described her selfie as "beyond gorgeous." [...]

Micki LeCronier2021-03-03T06:24:02-05:00September 5, 2014|

Ultra4 American Rock Sports Challenge, August 2014

The Ultra4 American Rock Sports Challenge took place at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah Friday, August 22 and Saturday, August 23, 2014. Post-race interview with Mike Klensin "The last time I raced there we had 4th in the main; we were right on track to do the same this time around." Miller Motorsports Park's website says it's as if the seven acre rock crawling course adjacent to the off-road short course "was custom-designed for Ultra4 racing." The Ultra4 American Rock Sports Challenge requires that drivers do "six laps of the Off Road Short Course as well as two circuits of the Rock-Crawling Course. After the first lap is completed on the Off Road Short Course, the drivers can choose when to switch over to the Rock-Crawling Course. To combine the high-speed, big-air action of the Off-Road Short Course with the low-speed, high-torque, very technical driving required on the big rocks places a premium on both driving talent and mechanical engineering." Photo by Acacia Pinnell Mike says "I usually race faster than I qualify; that was the case here – mid pack in the qualifying lap." Mat Carpentier was co-driver; he's a UTV racer exploring new styles of racing – like Ultra 4. Mat posted to Facebook "Glad I get the privilege to co-drive this race." Mike says "It rained real hard Friday night; a torrential downpour made it super muddy." In order to see the course, Mat had to spend part of the race with his visor up. Photo by Patty Pinnell You've got to see this. The Discount Tire American Rocksports Challenge Highlight Video shows the effect the thick, slick mud had on the rocks. Heavy and slippery equals the potential for dramatic [...]

Micki LeCronier2021-03-03T06:24:03-05:00September 2, 2014|

Mark A. Smith: Celebration of Life

The Father of Modern Four-Wheeling passed June 9, 2014 at the age of 87. The public is welcome to a Celebration of Life service Sunday, August 31 at 10:00 a.m. at Henningson Lotus Park, 950 Lotus Road, Lotus, CA 95651. If you can't make it to Lotus, we invite you to celebrate his life here by learning more about his adventures and accomplishments. (You'll find a short list of our favorite articles and remembrances at the end of this blog.) A Dog Named Jeep Smith was born in Globe, Arizona and grew up in Kimberly, Nevada – an old mining town. As a boy he enjoyed waking early to explore the outdoors with his dog named "Jeep" – named after Eugene the Jeep, a popular character on Popeye the Sailor cartoons. (This one's from 1938 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aWLJd99TIg ) Mark's father was a mining engineer and his mother - a buyer for Macy's – was a history buff; Mark shared that passion from childhood. He studied ancient history in school and – as an adult – wanted to know the history of the places he visited. In the U.S. Marines In 1944 he joined the United States Marines and was accepted for Sea School training. Fate was kind; he was part of an invasion force headed for the Panama Canal and South Pacific when the Japanese surrendered. His platoon was reassigned to a Goodwill Tour that took them to Europe, Africa and every major port in South America. The Goodwill Tour fueled his passion for travel and the Marines gave him the skills he'd need to organize and lead future expeditions. The Father of Jeeping drove his first Jeep in the Marine Corps. After WWII After [...]

Micki LeCronier2021-03-03T06:24:03-05:00August 30, 2014|

About Micki LeCronier

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