BIO
NAME: Eric Baron
NICKNAME: E
DOB: June 13, 1973
HOME TOWN: Native, SD
RESIDENCE: Ramona, CA
RACE VEHICLE: Pro-4 (short course off-road stadium racing) 850hp 4×4 full size.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: 2 State Championships in BMX at 15/16 yrs, 125 cc Super Spec Championship at 19, Unlimited Buggy Sand Drag Championship Barona At 26, Raced Pro Buggy and Pro-Lite a few times then got into Pro-4, 10th in points in first year Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series in Pro-4 2010 season
SEASONAL GOAL: Be up front and contend for points and podium, also have an awesome team organization.
HOBBIES: Flying, motocross, karting, anything fast.
POSITION: Driver / Owner
YEARS RACING: Variety of racing from off-road, karting, motocross, circle track dirt. I’ve always been in some kind of race car but never for a full season until now. I just want to focus on kicking butt in one series !
TRAINING REGIMENT: Racing and biking.

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We are both well and now on our way north up the west coast of Africa after being able
to obtain our Angola, DRC and Congo visa’s.
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Victor is doing well after having a all over service from a friend of Conrads and Schantell ( our Hosts here in Windhoek)
at Ultimate Performance they did a great job and supplied all the parts and labour free which was a great help.
So with all new filters, CV boots, diesel pump check new oil and grease Victor is up and ready to go once again……but not so fast Conrad and Schantell our hosts had another plan in store for us?

Conrad had endless contacts around Windhoek and was not going to let us go so easy arranging numerous appointments for Victor and Crew enjoying fabulous showbiz welcome to Windhoek ( Namibia ) our first appointment was with Jarrid and Christine at 96.7 Radiowave the top Radio station in Windhoek and ……a fun time was had by all although a little nervous but we had to blame Conrad for that surprise appointment …..but only to find out that he also arranged a 20min slot on Namibian TV NBC the following day, a morning show which also put our nerves to the test,but all went well as the show host Anna was very interested in Victors accomplishments and Elayne’s culinary skills on the road.
The final celebrity gig was at Ultimate Performance Frkkie Engels the owner had opened up his workshop for the entire day with several mechanics beavering away Victor enjoying a full make-over. Automania the Namibian version of TOP GEAR had also arranged to visit the Ultimate performance garage and once again we were on TV…..all puffed out Victor and crew now Windhoek celebrities finally appearing in the ”The Reublikein” an Afrikaans news paper so not sure what was said about us!!!!

So it will be sad to leave our wonderful hosts Conrad and Schantell in Windhoek who have looked after us so well a great young couple who we shall surly miss.
Angola is 900klms to the north so in the next week we should arrive at Ruacana just in time to enjoy Easter at the border????
Love to everybody
stay in touch when you can …..we also like to know whats going on around the world.

Chris Elayne and Victor.

Our Web Site is : www.ouradventurebug.com

LAR RACING OILS is proud to be the lubricant of choice for “Victor” the Adventure Bug as it’s traverses the globe

Johnson used a pass of 6.648-seconds at 207.30 mph with a reaction time of 0.033 to track down Nobile, who got off the line first in the final, with a reaction time of 0.008 coupled with a 6.738/207.53 number. Both drivers compete with Mopar HEMI® engines built by Roy Johnson, Allen’s father, out of the family’s J&J Racing shop. A season-high five drivers qualified for Pro Stock eliminations in Mopar-powered Dodge Avengers.

“Congratulations to Allen Johnson on winning today for Mopar in Las Vegas,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “Allen has had one of the fastest cars so far this season, and having an all-Mopar final is a true testament to the power and performance of the Mopar HEMI engines that his team builds. Allen has been a valued member of Team Mopar for many years and we couldn’t be more proud of him. Congratulations as well to Vincent Nobile for reaching the final in his Mopar-powered Dodge Avenger.”

Johnson, who was the No. 3 qualifier in his Mopar Dodge Avenger, began his march to the final with an opening round victory over Shane Gray, using a pass of 6.637/207.15 and a reaction time of 0.032 to his opponent’s 6.689/205.19. The second-generation driver was victorious over four-time Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson in the quarterfinals, before facing off with Erica Enders in the semifinals. Johnson used a 6.659/206.89 run to advance to final over Ender’s who recorded a 6.735/206.01 pass.

“We took advantage of all that we have been given,” said Johnson. “We have a fast race car and great Mopar HEMI engines. I’ve said again and again, our team motto is ‘Be Consistent,’ and that is what we were today. I knew we had a race car that had a chance to go all the way today.

“It was a testament to our entire team. Mark Ingersoll (Johnson’s crew chief), Jim Yates (team engineer), dad, all the crew and the guys in the engine shop, we’re just focused on being consistent, and it’s paying dividends. We’ve gotten so much from the folks at Mopar, all the great parts and the moral support from those at Chrysler Group headquarters. It’s great feeling to give them a win.”

Jeg Coughlin Jr., who qualified in the No. 9 position in his Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Avenger, was paired with Nobile in the opening frame. Coughlin ran a slightly faster 6.674/206.13, with Nobile using a nearly perfect reaction time of 0.002 to pick up the win with a 6.676/206.86 number. Nobile defeated Jason Line in the quarterfinals and Greg Stanfield in the semifinals to set up the all-Mopar final. Fellow Mopar-powered Pro Stock drivers V. Gaines and Chris McGaha both fell in the opening round.

Matt Hagan reached the quarterfinals in Funny Car in his Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/T for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR). The native of Christiansburg, Va. downed Mike Neff in the opening round, before falling to Bob Tasca III in the second round. Hagan’s DSR teammates Jack Beckman and Johnny Gray also bowed out in the quarterfinals, while Ron Capps, the fourth Mopar-powered DSR Funny Car driver, failed to qualify for the event.

Johnson is currently fourth in the Pro Stock point standings, with Nobile fifth and Coughlin 12th. In Funny Car, Beckman is currently third, with Gray fourth, Capps eighth and Hagan 11th. Next up for the Mopar-powered NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series drivers is the Third Annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, scheduled for April 13–15 at zMax Dragway in Charlotte, N.C.

LAT is proud to have been chosen once again as the lubricant of choice for So. Cal. based Speedway Sidecar Team 25. Running the only professional Harley-Davidson powered rig in the world Team 25 driver Rod Roquejo “T-Rod” and monkey Gene Stone run the immaculate all American rig out of Rusty Coones’ and Rod’s world famous custom bike shop, Illusion Cycles in Westminster, California. www.illusionmotorcycles.com.

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The energy level was revved up high all three days of the 24th Annual Performance Racing Industry Trade Show as attending buyers packed the exhibits of over 1,000 racing industry suppliers to make their all-important inventory decisions regarding new racing products for 2012. The exhibiting companies went all out in bringing ingenious new racing technology to Orlando, and displaying it so creatively. There’s nothing like it!

“It was a very strong show,” said Steve Lewis, PRI Trade Show producer. “We had three big exhibit days with substantial buying in all categories and exhibitors writing orders well into the afternoon. More important than it being a good week for PRI, it was a really good week for the racing industry. What was going on in that building for the those three days will affect people at race tracks and racing businesses around the world.”

Exhibit option renewal forms began pouring into the Show office on the final two days of the PRI Trade Show, and a steady stream are being received daily at the PRI offices in Laguna Beach, California. The PRI Trade Show is the world’s largest gathering of racing professionals, who come to view the exhibits of over 1,000 racing industry suppliers. It took place December 1-3, 2011, at the Orange County Convention Center, in Orlando. The number of exhibitors, at 1037, was up over 2010. There were 170 new and returning companies exhibiting at the PRI Trade Show that were not on the Show floor plan the previous year.

Quality Buyers
“PRI is a great show,” said Mark Kostrzewa, Motor State Distributing. “Our customers vary from drag racing to circle track, not just domestically but worldwide, and the PRI Trade Show really gives us exposure to an international clientele. We see a fair amount of our international customers here every year and that gives us the opportunity to have a face-to-face with them. That exposure is just immense.”

“We’ve been very, very busy since the show opened,” said Dale Aldo, Motorsports Marketing Manager for Mopar, on Friday at the Show. Mopar highlighted its high-performance engine programs with its Gen-2 Hemi and Gen-3 Hemis, as well as the Mopar Drag-Pak, in its exhibit. “We haven’t even had an opportunity to walk the show because we’ve been too busy.”

Ron Sutton, who owns the racing retail operation, Star Racing Supply, in Sacramento, California, said he arrived in Orlando with specific suppliers with whom he wished to meet. “We take this opportunity to meet them face to face and learn more about their products to bring them into our store so we can sell it to our customers and bring something new to the western part of the United States that may be just on the eastern part. It helps them expand their business and helps us expand our business at the same time.”

Race car builder Swift Engineering, based in San Clemente, California, is expanding and using PRI to shop for equipment. “It’s great to be at PRI,” said Clayton Triggs, of Swift Engineering Inc. “We’re expanding our equipment base and we have 60,000 square feet to fill. We’re looking to add autoclaves and lathes, as well as some additional machinery and we’re very happy with what we’ve found. The only downside is that my feet hurt because there’s so much to see here.”

“We’re here at the PRI Trade Show because most every company we do business with is here, and we’re here to check out the new technology,” said legendary engine builder Ed Pink, of Ed Pink Racing Engines. “There’s a lot of people here and we’ve seen a lot of new vendors here. It’s an excellent show.”

The popular trailer section of the PRI Trade Show had excellent buyer traffic, too, as exhibitors reported strong sales. “This may have been one of the most successful PRI Trade Shows I have ever been a part of, and I’ve been coming to this show for over 10 years,” said Rich Schnippel, of inTech Trailers. “Our booth had extremely steady traffic the entire show. We booked more sales at the Show than any previous year.”

The Show attracted approximately 38,000 buyers from throughout the US, and over 70 countries. There was a higher percentage of first-time visitors to the PRI Trade Show than in 2010. Attendees must be part of a racing busines or professional race team to enter.
International

The PRI Trade Show has evolved into a key business event globally for the worldwide racing marketplace. “This is the fourth time in the last five years we’ve been here,” Ben Barlett, of the Australian AAAA. “We have 21 Australian companies exhibiting here and it has surpassed our expectations. We do shows all around the world, but no other motorsports shows here in the U.S. – just PRI.”
Ashley Garrett, of U.S. Legends Cars International, added, “The Show has been great for us. We love this show because it has a good international flair to it. Our growth overseas has been phenomenal for us and we can attribute most of that to the PRI Show. The international buyers don’t buy four cars, they might buy 40 cars. In fact, we have a buyer here from Australia looking to buy 10 Bandoleros today.”

Another PRI exhibitor may be bringing more to the U.S. in 2013 than racing products as the Brazilian Formula Truck Series was exhibiting one of the series’ truck tractors on-site in preparation for its debut.

A record number of countries –70– were represented in the attendance at the 2011 PRI Trade Show.

Race Industry Week

No fewer than six major events ran in conjunction with the show beginning on Monday the week of the Show:
•Advanced Engineering Technology Conference (AETC)
•Claude Roelle’s Optimum G Advanced Vehicle Dynamics Seminar
•Professional Motorsports Circuit Owners and Operators Convention
•International Council of Motorsport Sciences (ICMS) Annual Congress
•PRI Industry Roundtable
•EFI University Training Course on EFI in Racing Applications

All were well attended. Altogether, the week of the PRI Trade Show features over 35 conferences, seminars, social gathering and other events.

“It’s been extremely positive,” said Brian Reese, of the AETC. “Every year continues to get stronger with the promotion of PRI. Our attendance is up from last year. Engine technology is universal. We have attendees from the professional engine builder to the grass-oots builders to racers and speed shops and manufacturer engineers. All types of racing, circle track to drag racers to marine and motorcycles. It’s a great interaction with the PRI Show. It adds value for everyone involved. The PRI Show is on the radar for everybody and it helps us promote the event.”

Gill Campbell, CEO of Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca, attended the Circuit Owners Convention. “I see the Promoters Convention as a huge tool. I find it very useful. Getting together with your peers in the industry, there’s no other training ground you have as a promoter. You only learn from what other people do, so this is a tremendous showcase for new ideas,” she said.

“The good thing about the Roundtable is the people you’re talking to get it,” said SPEED’s Miller. “They’re all racers. They all understand the history of racing and they have a lot of good questions. You get all of these people from different walks of racing and it’s amazing how similar their thoughts are on a lot of issues that the industry faces today.”

Jon Potter, executive director of the ICMS, said the event scored very high marks with attending motorsports safety professionals, including surgeons, race sanction safety executives, race track emergency personnel and more. “The 2011 Congress was extremely successful. After tabulation, we rated 3.78 out of 4 in meeting our objectives. That will keep you on the dean’s list!” he exclaimed. “The ICMS-PRI marriage is a huge success. Our people really enjoyed the show and being able to attend both.”

Grand Opening Breakfast
Over 3,000 members of the racing industry attended the Grand Opening Breakfast, with Dave Despain creating a live presentation of his popular Wind Tunnel TV show. His special guests included race journalist Robin Miller, NASCAR star Ken Schrader, NASCAR Camping World Truck series star Cole Whitt, IndyCar star Alex Tagliani, Formula 3 Italia Rookie of the Year Michael Lewis and a special appearance by legendary drag racer Don “Big Daddy” Garlits.

PRI-Budweiser Happy Hour
Budweiser sponsored the Happy Hour reception that starts immediately upon closing of the first day of the PRI Trade Show on Thursday. Thousands of members of the racing industry gathered in the lobby of the Orange County Convention Center to mix and mingle with their industry friends.

Red Bull Kart Fight at PRI Powered By Rotax
In an outstanding night of action-packed racing under the lights before a standing-room-only crowd of 3,500 members of the racing industry, Jan Heylen won the 2011 All-Star division race at the Red Bull Kart Fight at PRI Powered by Rotax. He drove a CRG kart for the CRG USA team.

Jay Howard drove an Arrow chassis for the KartSport-Arrow team to a second-place finish, while the UK’s Ben Cooper, fresh off his Senior Division win in Dubai at the 2011 Rotax Max Challenge Finals, charged from P16 to claim the final spot on the podium. He drove a Praga kart, made by Intrepid, for the Praga North America team.

The Red Bull Kart Fight featured famed drivers from diverse series such as NASCAR Cup, X Games, IndyCar, ALMS, Grand-Am and the NASCAR Camping World Truck series. “I got a little lucky with the lapped traffic,” said a modest Heylen, who won the last big kart race held at the PRI Trade Show. “I’ll be back next year,” added Heylen.

“This is a fantastic event,” said Howard. “I’m looking forward to coming back next year.”

PRI Management Seminars
On Friday and Saturday mornings, the PRI Trade Show offers its slate of three management seminars per day, before the opening of the exhibit hall. Topics covered this year included Tips For Race Engine Builders in a Tough Economy; Managing the Race Business Website, Marketing & Business Strategies For Up-And-Coming Racers; Social Media Marketing; Opportunities in the Legends Market and Inside The Heat Treating Process.

2012
Preparation for the 2012 PRI Trade Show, which will take place Nov. 29-Dec. 1 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando officially began at 4:01 p.m. Saturday, right after the close of a very successful 2011 event.

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