About Micki LeCronier

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So far Micki LeCronier has created 88 blog entries.

Join us at the Tenth Annual Cantina for the Con – August 30 and 31, 2014

Make Labor Day extra special - escape to Cantina for the Con at the Loon Lake Spillway! (Photos of 2013 Cantina for the Con by Bower Motorsports Media) Plan a weekend getaway by car, make it a trail destination by 4 x 4 or camp out in your RV. Find directions at http://www.rubicontrail.org/rtf-cantina.htm Any way you get there, this family friendly event is your chance to meet great people (including the Amanda Products crew), eat the best tacos on the Rubicon and tour the Vendor Manufacturer Show. This event is FREE Don't miss the drive-in movie Saturday night. Participate in contests! Bring your RC car and compete in the Recon G6 event. See how fast you can saw in the log-cutting competition. Receive a Cantina Coupon Book worth thousands in discounts; they'll be available near the raffle tickets. BUY RAFFLE TICKETS for your chance to win thousands in prizes. Wait and buy them in person, or call 888-6-RUBICON to purchase now; $1 buys 1 ticket, $10 buys 15, $20 buys 32, $60 buys 100 and $100 buys 200. You need not be present to win. The list of raffle items for 2014 continues to grow; check it out at www.CantinaForTheCon.com Bring the kids; there are plenty of activities for them too! Stop by to say "hi" and hydrate. We'll be passing out free water at the Amanda Products Spectator Recovery Station. (Introducing SpeedHook™ at Jeep Beach 2014) This is your chance to check out our new SpeedHook™. See why attendees at Jeep Beach said it was "freaking ingenious." Jeep Beach was a good time; check it out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3xPgNjuylk Amanda Products is proud to participate in worthy events. The proceeds from Jeep Beach went [...]

2021-03-03T06:24:03-05:00August 19, 2014|
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From Dirt Riot SW #3 to Ultra4 American Rock Sports Challenge

Racing has been back to back this month, from John Brock driving Dirt Riot Southwest #3 on August 16 to Mike Klensin driving the Ultra4 American Rock Sports Challenge on August 23. Dirt Riot Southwest #3 - Cortez, CO - August 14 Photo by Brian O'Day, HigherGround4x4.com The W.E. Rock site announced "37 Teams Pre-Registered for Dirt Riot Double Header at Cortez Putting a Very Competitive Group of Racers on the Track." They wrote "This weekends Olympus Offroad Dirt Riot 4×4 Endurance race will conclude both the Mountain and Southwest Series and leaves only one race to determine the 2014 National Points for all 7 classes of racers.  The gloves will be off." Photo by Brian O'Day, HigherGround4x4.com John Brock finished 9th of 16. "It went ok. It was extremely dusty." Photo by Brian O'Day, HigherGround4x4.com John continued, "Cortez is the last of the western series; we still have a nationals event in Bridgeport, Texas. It's the big race of the year – and the last. Dirt riot racers from all over the country will be there." Dirt Riot National Rampage will take place September 27 in Bridgeport, Texas. Find details at http://www.werocklive.com/events/dirt-riot-national-rampage-2/ A slight delay between races Mike said John would be heading straight to Tooele after the race, so I was surprised when he called in from Cortez. "The car ran good, but the transmission is still giving us problems. We've been going through a transmission every race, so we brought an extra knowing we'd need to change it." Photo by Brian O'Day, HigherGround4x4.com This will be their 14th or 15th transmission. John's having it changed in a local 4 x 4 shop; then it's on to Tooele, Utah to meet Mike at Miller [...]

2021-03-03T06:24:03-05:00August 19, 2014|
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John Brock to Race Dirt Riot #3

John Brock will be racing his #777 Saturday, August 16 at Dirt Riot Southwest #3 in Cortez, CO; Mike Klensin will be co-driver. John left early, so Mike called during the nine hour drive from Tucson to Colorado. He sounded enthusiastic. "It's a double points race, includes the mountain series as well." Mike hasn't raced this course in a while. He expects some jumps, a small rock section and a desert loop.  "The weather should be OK – upper 80s and lower 90s." This photo is from 2013 Dirt Riot Southwest & Mountain #3. Photo by Moranton Media / Joel Moranton. 2013 Dirt Riot Southwest & Mountain #3 - Battle Rock Offroad Cortez, CO Fixing everything that broke during the LAST race When John was ready to quit Glen Helen, Mike joked that "Whatever's broke is already broke." His determination would pay off in the end. During qualifying they had problems with the pickup tube inside the fuel tank; and the horn broke. During the heat race they lost third gear and reverse … "then we broke the front sway bar." During the main race the rear ring and pinion "let go and broke." Despite being forced to drive the course in one wheel drive, they finished 16th to earn a KOH qualifying spot. Glen Helen was an exciting race; check it out at http://amandaproducts.com/klensin-and-brock-glen-helen-the-hard-way/ Since then, "It's all been fixed. We got the whole list – the car should be in good shape." Mike and John are in good shape too. Mike says "We're feeling good, looking forward to finishing out the dirt riot series this weekend." Back to back races; from Dirt Riot in Cortez, CO to Ultra4 in Tooele, Utah After the [...]

2021-03-03T06:24:04-05:00August 15, 2014|
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Klensin and Brock: Glen Helen the Hard Way

The 4 Wheel Parts Glen Helen Grand Prix – organized by Ultra4 Racing – took place at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California Friday, July 11 and Saturday, July 12, 2014. Photo by ShutterRev Mike Klensin and John Brock were looking forward to it. They know the course; they've done well there in the past. Before the race Mike explained "The goal for us is to finish top 10 of non-qualified KOH drivers; that gives us a guaranteed driver’s seat at King of the Hammers.” He added “Our chances are good. As long as we don’t break the car in the morning session, we should be in the afternoon session.” Like he said ... "As long as we don't break the car" "We went out to qualify and started having fuel issues. Turns out the pickup tube inside the tank was deteriorating; it was closing up when we tried to accelerate. We couldn't get enough practice laps in because we kept having to mess with the car. We spent most of that time putting in a makeshift pickup tube. The disadvantage to that was we could only use three quarters of the tank. For only getting a couple practice laps in, we qualified pretty good; 18 out of about 70 drivers." They also broke their horn during qualifying. "Not having a horn was a big issue; trying to pass people in the heat race and main race was going to be hard because they wouldn't know I was there." The Heat Race "They split the heat races into two groups and we started 9th off the line. The heat race went pretty good except we lost third gear and reverse due to the heat; [...]

2021-03-03T06:24:04-05:00July 18, 2014|
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Klensin and Brock: The Return to Glen Helen Raceway

Interviews with Mike Klensin, Driver of #4431; and John Brock, Co-driver/Owner The 4 Wheel Parts Glen Helen Grand Prix – organized by Ultra4 Racing – will take place at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California Friday, July 11 and Saturday, July 12, 2014. Check the ULTRA4 schedule here: http://ultra4racing.com/event/4-wheel-parts-glen-helen-grand-prix-2/ From King of the Hammers, 2012; photo by Patty Pinnell "I look forward to that track. Last year we did really well – finished seventh - so we're hoping to finish single digits again." Mike Klensin Mike and John had problems during qualifying laps at Metalcloak Stampede last month. Mike explained, "We were just about to try and make a fast lap when the rear drive shaft U joint broke, causing the drive shaft to bind up against the chassis; it resulted in a major shock load that threw the drive train and broke the trail housing on the transmission, ending our run." Since that time, "We got a new transmission housing. We went out again this past weekend, put another 50 miles on it, everything seems to be running good. We should be good to go." About Glen Helen Raceway For Mike, the place is full of memories. "For a dirt bike guy, it's a very well-known track that's been around forever. It's kind of neat to race there as well. I used to race dirt bikes so it's kind of cool. The track is really nice - partially short course and partially a short desert loop. There are a lot of jumps and turns. Most of the track is real smooth flowing so you don't have a bunch of abrupt stops; a lot of flow makes it fun to drive." John continues to [...]

2021-03-03T06:24:04-05:00July 9, 2014|
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JEEP BEACH 2014: The Lasting Benefits

Everyone who attended, sponsored or in any way participated in Jeep Beach 2014 has reason to be proud; but the Mid Florida Jeep Club? They're heroes. Before the event, club president Jason Martin told us most people don't realize Jeep Beach is "a total nonprofit; 100% of what we bring in goes back out to local charity." Imagine how much work is involved. He said "The biggest challenge is pulling it together. We have about 100 members and – as big as the event has gotten – it takes more and more manpower every year." Most members work full-time jobs and dedicate precious free time to planning and managing the event. Their hard work has been paying off. In the past few years, results have gone from good to great. In 2012 they donated $30,000 in proceeds to local charities. In 2013, they nearly tripled that amount, donating over $85,000 to the Volusia/Flagler Boys and Girls Clubs and the BlueRibbon Coalition, which champions responsible use of public lands for recreationists. But how would they do this year? Charity proceeds nearly doubled! On May 1, 2014, the Jeep Beach Facebook page declared the event a "smashing success" with record numbers of spectators, participants and vendors. This year the Mid Florida Jeep Club will be donating over $150,000 to charities, including "The Boys and Girls Club of Volusia/Flagler Counties, Blue Ribbon Coalition, Hope Reins, Volusia County Sheriff’s Youth Ranch, Ronald McDonald House, Pawsabilities and some additional local charities." The club wanted to thank their vendor partners; but this vendor wants to thank them. Vendor Benefits Vendors had the benefit of outstanding exposure. On Friday and Saturday there were about 8,825 people in the speedway. Amanda Products was [...]

2021-03-03T06:24:04-05:00July 8, 2014|
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Metalcloak Stampede: Getting there was half the adventure.

Post-race interview with Mike Klensin, Driver of #4431 Metalcloak Stampede took place Friday, June 6 and Saturday, June 7 at Prairie City SVRA in Rancho Cordova, California. Photo by Acacia Pinnell Hopes were high despite long-standing transmission issues. Before the race, Mike told us "We did some testing last weekend, put about 40 miles on the car and it worked real good. We made sure it's shifting properly and didn't overheat. So we're definitely excited." If you were following Mike and John Brock on Facebook the day they drove up, you were among the first to suspect things wouldn't go well. Our first clue was this photo on John's Facebook page. John wrote "We got a whole 40 miles out of Tucson before blowing the first tire on the trailer. Then a second tire around 200 miles out! Anyone want to guess how many tires we will go through on this trip?" Then a third tire blew. John posted "The last tire that blew may have had a slow leak even though it was brand new two days before, they put in new metal stems when the tires were changed." The weather was unusually hot for California. "Every time we stopped to check the tires all 4 tire temps felt the same." One Facebook fan suggested they talk to the tires because "Tires having feelings too." It took a day and a half to get to Prairie City SVRA. "We left Wednesday morning, got there on schedule Thursday afternoon and set up our Amanda Products pit tent. Then we took time to look the car over again. Friday morning we went out and ran laps for practice as well as a qualifying time. To get a [...]

2021-03-03T06:24:06-05:00June 11, 2014|
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Klensin and Brock heading north for fan-friendly Metalcloak Stampede

Interview with Mike Klensin, Driver of #4431 Metalcloak Stampede will take place Friday, June 6 and Saturday, June 7 at Prairie City SVRA in Rancho Cordova, California. (Gates open at noon Thursday for folks who'd like to camp.) Check the schedule here: http://ultra4racing.com/featured/schedule-of-events-ultra4-metal-cloak-nor-cal-stampede/ (Mike calls this Facebook photo "Selfie Seat-time Sunday") "We're definitely getting excited, this is our first race of the west coast series." Mike Klensin, driver, and John Brock, owner of the car, will be driving from Tucson, Arizona to Rancho Cordova, California; it's about 1800 miles round trip. Mike's daughter Alyssa won't be able to join her dad this time – but Bailey their Boxer might. There's sure to be a lot of reminiscing along the way. Mike's especially proud of his experience at the 2012 King of the Hammers. "We finished 9th and barrel rolled off the finish. The car was about 1 season old. We had just worked all the bugs out of it, spent a lot of frustrating finishes through that year getting the bugs worked out. We finished real well and showed people we could do it." TailgunnerMedia posted the "Spectacular Crash/Finish" to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5YxT-ouBDU 2013 didn't go so well. John put it this way. "What we had happen at King of the Hammers last year was a fluke. We raced about ten races and had a lot of problems; had 8 transmissions we went through, along with other stuff." That "other stuff" is a reference to an ordeal that lasted nearly twelve hours. Mike told us about it a few months back. "We got 29 miles into the race and one of the rear axle spindles sheared off the axle housing and we were done. We watched [...]

2021-03-03T06:24:06-05:00June 2, 2014|
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Amanda Products Introduces SpeedHook™ at JEEP BEACH 2014

On Friday, April 25, 2014, the Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL wrote there were so many Jeeps on the roads it was starting to "look like a remake of 'M.A.S.H.'" The Amanda Products brand crew was at Jeep Beach to support the off-road community and gauge response to the ease and simplicity of the Amanda SpeedHook™; it's compatible with Jeeps, F150s, buggies, and any vehicle with a 2” receiver hitch. We arrived early, in a cool morning fog as the Mid Florida Jeep Club directed vendors and participants at the gate. A few weeks back I interviewed Jason Martin, President of the club, so we appreciated how much effort goes into this - their most important annual event. (Read the whole interview at http://amandaproducts.com/jeep-beach-brought-to-you-by-the-mid-florida-jeep-club/  ) Most members work a regular 40 hour week. One volunteer told me his wife – a nurse – was helping out after a ten day shift. Like Jason said, "We have a great club that really bonds together during this time of the year." Why? For charity. Last year they raised $85,000 for the Volusia/Flagler Boys and Girls Clubs  and the BlueRibbon Coalition. The Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL reported that "This year, the club added two additional charities, the Hope Reins therapeutic horse riding center in New Smyrna Beach and Pawsibilities, a national no-kill animal rescue organization with operations in Central Florida." Read the whole article at http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20140425/NEWS/140429557/0/search?tc=ar At the entrance to Daytona International Speedway Saturday morning started out cool and foggy, but temps were expected to climb to the 80s. Soon Daytona International Speedway was abuzz from all angles. The Richard Petty Drive experience had thrill-seekers hitting the 2.5 mile tri-oval (with 31 degree banking) in 600 HP NASCAR race cars. That [...]

2021-03-03T06:24:06-05:00April 29, 2014|
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Jeep Beach: Brought to you by the Mid Florida Jeep Club

Interview with Jason Martin President of the Mid Florida Jeep Club It wasn't easy reaching Jason Martin the week prior to Jeep Beach 2014; this is the club's main event. "It's amazing, when you think it's so far from where it needs to be. We have a great club that really bonds together during this time of the year." Who joins the club? "We have everybody from families of 5 or 6 all the way to single adults. We do monthly events – trail rides, dine outs, putt-putt golf, or beach days. We ride out near Ocala national forest. It's mostly sand, mud and hard-packed dirt. We also do some out of town trips and support a lot of other nonprofit events for other Jeep clubs." How did the club first get involved? "When Jeep Beach first started out it was run by the city on a piece of property they had called 'City Island.' The city asked the club to take it over and we've been running it since about 2006." What's the most difficult part of organizing Jeep Beach? "The biggest challenge is pulling it together. We have about 100 members and – as big as the event has gotten – it takes more and more manpower every year. Fortunately, we have a committee of about 15 people that make most of our important decisions for Jeep Beach. It's a great committee that's dedicated to the success of Jeep Beach." What do people not know about the group? "This is a total nonprofit; we don't make any money off of it. The club has always been a nonprofit. 100% of what we bring in goes back out to local charity." The Jeep Beach [...]

2021-03-03T06:24:07-05:00April 17, 2014|
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Amanda Products is part of Deshler Group. Based in the Detroit area, Deshler offers global solutions, from IT, supply chain management, manufacture and assembly to storage, packaging, distribution and transport.
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