| News Archives |
| December 2007 News Our first Road Course outing was a great success for us!! Two separate races were held on Dec 8th and 9th at the road course located inside the Las Vegas Motor Speedway NASCAR Facility. We moved into the NASCAR garage and felt like a big dog! Kyle drove with confidence and desire as he finished 5th in both days heat races. Saturdays main event netted a 6th place finish with 12 cars competing on the 1 1/4 mile track. Kyle finished 7th in Sundays main with 13 entries. We were getting outrun in the straightways, but we have since found the cause and will return in January with considerably more power. |
| November 2007 News November started out with a Bando race in Havasu on the 2nd in Havasu. We ended the month with a Bando race in Blythe. Kyle is begenning to get the feel for the Bandolero. He is getting more confident and quicker with each outing.......might have something to do with Dad's boot in his......! We ventured to Phoenix for a go-kart and missed the set up this time. We hate it when we do that!!! Looking forward to trying on the road course in Vegas in December! |
| October 2007 News October started with our 2nd Bando race.........still figuring things out there. Hang in there with us we will be on our game soon. On the 13th, it was off to Havasu Kart Club Speedway for a night of adjustments and a feature win. The Blythe Speedway is quite different than Havasu 95, not to mention very fast! Another night of figuring things out..........keep hangin. On the 26, 27 and 28th it was kart racing. We practiced Friday night at Speedworld in Phoenix for Saturday's race. This place is a little different as there is a 1/4 and a 1/5 mile track together. Turn 1 & 2 is common for both tracks but 3&4 are in different places. Sounds crazy but it works pretty well. Saturdays race was not good to us as we netted an 8th place finish. We pulled into AKA in Phoenix 6th place in points. Kyle wanted that top 5! AKA is probably Kyle's favorite track. The first heat race was nothing special but in the second heat Kyle found another gear and was off to the races....so to speak. In the main Kyle started 8th and drove aggressive when he could and smart when he needed to. This was probably the best race I've ever seen him drive. After some spins, some controversy, and a lot of hard racing, Kyle found himself running with the lead pack finishing 5th. His finish resulted in a 5th place finish in the state series! But the day wasn't over yet..... he won a set of tires at the awards banquet! |
| September 2007 News We raced the Kart in Phoenix on August 24th bringing home a 4th place finish. This is a huge improvement as those Phoenix guys are tough! We were hoping to test and practice on the 23rd, but the track was flooded and closed. We spent the evening exploring the water park instead. We Practiced with the Bandoleo on Sept. 1st and Sept 21. We had good days as nothing fell off, or came home broken and bent! Sept. 22nd brought the first Bando race. Brake problems limited our performance and ended our night early. The good news is everything remained in one piece! All is ready for the Kart race in Havasu on the 29th and the Bando race on Oct 6th. We have all available fingers and toes crossed for safe racing and good finishes! |
| August 2007 News Our season kicks off soon with a Speedway Kart race in Phoenix. We are anxious to hit the dirt at AKA with our new Kart and Engine we debuted in Tucson in June. We felt like we took a knife to a gun fight last time we were at AKA so we stepped up our karting program with some new equipment. We are not sure where the Kart program is going as the Bando is our first priority, but for now we will run the kart when we can . We are putting the finishing touches on the Bandolero. John Pugh came in from Denver to apply some awesome paint and graphics. Sept 2 will be the first official Bando outing at the Havasu 95 Speedway Test & Tune. The first Bando race at Havasu 95 Speedway will be Sept 22. We will be thrashing and testing until then! Our tentative schedule is complete. Looks like a busy winter season for us! We are planning to run the Test and Tunes at Havasu 95 on Sept. 1 and Sept 7th. The Bandoleros are not running at the Havasu 95 season opener on Sept 8th. We are planning to be there on display in the spectator area. Be sure to stop by and check out the car. Many thanks to our fine sponsors who have come on board to help us out! Please help us support them. |
| January 2008 It was off to Vegas again on January 5th and 6th for another pair of road course races. This time it was the longer course, 1.86 miles long and a looong straightaway. Speeds on this straightaway top 80 mph. Saturday was rainy, windy and cold, but there was good racing. After battling brakes and setup we netted a disappointing 12th place finish in the heat race. After regrouping, we took our 12th starting position among 15 cars to finish 8th in the Main Event. Sunday was windy and cold but things were looking up with a 4th starting spot for the heat race. After several setup adjustments, we finished 6th in the heat race. The car and driver performed well in Sundays Main. Easily staying on the lead lap finishing 7th among 17 entries. Kyle drove smart, doing the best he could with what he had and bringing it home in one piece! |
| February 2008 February is showing great strides for Kyle and the Bando. We started the month in Blythe. Kyle's lap times showed great improvements as he settles in and gets comfortable with the Bandolero. On the 9th of February we raced in Havasu at 95 Speedway, again with great improvements. Kyle and the K52 Bando are showing some muscle. Friday brought a great practice/testing session..Saturday night's race attracted 15 cars. It was a good night for us with Kyle qualifying 5th and finishing the feature in 4th place. Kyle continues to drive smart, consistent , and now he is becoming fast as well! We are looking forward to the race in Havasu on February 23rd. Kyle is holding the 6th spot in Havasu Points and tied for 5th in Blythe. We are looking to improve on those positions with some good finishes down the stretch. March will packed with activity as we will be running the Vegas 1/4 mile immediately following the NASCAR Cup Race. Then it's Havasu on Saturday night the 8th and off to the Vegas road course on the 9th. Blythe will host races on the 15th and 29th to finish out a very busy month. |
| k52 Racing 2007-2008 Results August 24 AZ Karting/Phoenix Jr1 Race 4th PlaceFinish Sept 15 Havasu Kart Club JR1 Kart Race 1st PlaceFinish Sept 22 Havasu 95/Havasu Bando Race 7th PlaceFinish Sept 29 Havasu Kart Club JR1 Kart Race 1st PlaceFinish Oct 6 Havasu 95/Havasu Bando Race 7th PlaceFinish Oct 13 Havasu Kart Club JR1 Kart Race 1st PlaceFinish Oct 20 I-10 Speedway/Blythe Bando Race 9th PlaceFinish Oct 27 Speedworkd/Phoenix JR1 Kart Race State Championship Race 8th PlaceFinish Oct 28 AKA/Phoenix JR1 Kart Race State Championship Race 5th PlaceFinish ARIZONA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Top 5 Finish Nov 2 Havasu 95/Havasu Bando Race 6th PlaceFinish Nov 18 AKA/Phoenix JR1 Kart Race 8th PlaceFinish Nov 24 I-10 Speedway/Blythe Bando Race 7th PlaceFinish Dec 1 Havasu Kart Club JR1 Kart Race 1st PlaceFinish Dec 8 Vegas Road Course Bando Race 6th PlaceFinish/12 cars Dec 9 Vegas Road Course Bando Race 7th PlaceFinish/13 cars Jan 5 Vegas Road Course Bando Race 8th PlaceFinish/15 cars Jan 6 Vegas Road Course Bando Race 7th PlaceFinish/17 cars Feb 2 I-10 Speedway/Blythe Bando Race 7th PlaceFinish/8 cars Feb 9 Havasu 95/Havasu Bando Race 4th PlaceFinish/15 cars Feb 23 Havasu 95/ Havasu Bando Race 7th PlaceFinish/10 cars March 2 LVMS 1/4 M ile Bando Race 4th PlaceFinish/15 cars March 8 Havasu 95/Havasu Bando Race 5th PlaceFinish/9 cars March 9th Vegas Road Course Bando Race 3rd PlaceFinish/14 cars March 15 I-10 Speedway/Blythe Bando Race 5th PlaceFinish/14 cars March 29 I-10 Speedway/Blythe Bando Race 6th PlaceFinish April 5 Havasu 95/Havasu Bando Race 5th PlaceFinish/11 cars April 19 Havasu 95/Havasu Bando Race Havasu 95 Bandolero Championship 4th PlaceFinish/11 cars Havasu Season Championship Series-5th Place May 31 Orange Show Speedway Bando Race 2nd PlaceFinish/3 cars June 14 Orange Show Speedway Bando Race 2ndh PlaceFinish/7 cars June 28 Montana Raceway Park Bando Race 8th PlaceFinish/11 cars July 5 Montana Raceway Park Bando Race 5th PlaceFinish/8 cars Aug 9 Orange Show Speedway Bando Race |
| July-August 2008 News The new season is right around the corner....pardon the pun! We have been doing some racing in San Bernadino and Montana to learn as much as we can. We welcome a new sponsor, Marketing Partnerships/Mike Philpot. We will be finalizing our sponsor lineup soon. Our tentative schedule is posted at right. There will be some events added as the dates become available. A new LaJoie seat has been ordered for our second car. We will have two cars race ready at all times soon! This will not only allow for a backup car, but for a car dedicated to race on the oval and on the road course when the schedules are tight. Check back here often for updates, news and results. |
| August 2008 I know it sounds a little strange but at our last race at Orange Show Aug 9th, we crashed out, but had a good night. Kyle qualified 4th andfinished 2nd in the dash. In the main he started 2nd and fell to 5th. Kyle suddenly found some speed and while moving up, the leader spun collecting our right front suspension in the tangle. We were done for the night but Kyle continues to improve on lap times and racing aggressiveness. Our next stop is Las Vegas for the 1/4 mile race following the truck race on September 20. |
| October 2008 October 4th brought a field of 14 Bandoleros to the Havasu 95 Speedway. Three new drivers were entered in their first Bando race ever. First and second place were never in doubt as Tommy Kelly started on the pole and led all the way with Alex Morgan in hot pursuit. The battle for third was another story. This was a real dogfight in the desert. Trent Kassic held the position for much of the race with Kyle running on the inside for many laps until Trent slipped allowing Kyle to take the spot. Breanna Nelson kept the pressure on Trent for the remainder of the Main Event but was unable to make the pass finishing fifth. October 11 was the season opener in Blythe. We struggled a bit in qualifying resulting in 6th. Kyle started 6th in the Main Event. Kyle worked on the 08 car of Christopher Warren and once he made the pass he was unable to advance further. |
| November 2008 November 29, Blythe I-10 Speedway. Things are contuning to improve. Kyle qualified 4th and finished 2nd in the Trophy Dash. Kyle rolled off 4th to start the main and finished 3rd. Lap times are continuing to improve as well as finishing positions. November 15, Havasu 95 Speedway. It was a great turnout in Havasu with 18 Bandos shined up and ready to go! We missed the Trophy Dash by only .02 seconds. The good news is that we started on the pole for the heat race and drove away for the win. We started 5th in the main and avoided the pile up created by the spin of Tommy Kelley on lap 3. Kyle had a spin of his own while trying to pass Shelby Orosco on the bottom. Kyle restarted in the back and drove up to 4th. He got his nose under Shelby again but was unable to safely make it stick resulting in a 4th place finish. |
| December 2008 We entered the road Course race in Las Vegas on December 6th along with 12 other Bandos. The field was divided into 2 heat races. Kyle started his heat mid-pack and finished 3rd. The Main featured great racing for the top 5 positions. As usual on a road course, there were a few off-road excursions, including one by Kyle. Kyle battled his way up to 3rd and then missed his mark in tricky turn 4. He made a nice recovery and held on for a fourth place finish. |
| January 2009 January is a busy month here. We have the race at Havasu 95 in the books. It's now off to 4 road course races and a race in Blythe will round out the month. Alyssa Niquette is set to start racing a Bando next month which will keep us buys prepping a car for her. Kyle will be busy sharing what he has learned. Kyle had some rough times in the Jan 3rd race at Havasu. After a spin in qualifying Kyle was taken out in the heat race, unable to finish. The good news is that repairs were made and Kyle was able to net a 3rd place finish in the main. Many thanks to Chuck Morgan for making the repairs and acting as crew chief for Kyle in the absence of Kyle's dad. Road Course Win!!!! It was a good weekend for K52! Saturday saw Kyle start the heat race mid-pack to finish 3rd. Starting the main in the 3rd spot Kyle drove to the front and never looked back. On Sunday Kyle drew the pole for the heat and led every lap. In the main he was passed on the second lap and pushed a little to hard to regain the lead. In the resulting spin he lost several spots but appeared to still be in good shape. While marching back up to the front there was contact with another car spinning them both. Kyle again made a quick recovery and pressed on from the 8th position. When the white flag waved he was 4th. He mastered a 3 wide pass on a long sweeping turn to finish 2nd. We drove home with the points lead in the Silver State Championship Series! |
| February 21 2009-Havasu 95 Speedway Kyle posted his best qualifying effort to date. He timed in below the track record, but Shelby Orozco bested his time by .04 to claim the new track record. Kyle started the main on the front row but was unable to capture the win. Kyle held on for a strong 2nd place finish. |
| k52 Racing 2008-2009 Results Sept 20 Las Vegas 1/4 Mile Feature Win! - 13 Cars Oct 4 Havasu 95/Havasu 3rd Place Finish - 14 Cars Oct 11 I-10 Speedway/Blythe 4th Place Finish - 9 Cars Nov 15 Havasu 95/Havasu 4th Place Finish - 18 Cars Nov 29 I-10 Speedway/Blythe 3rd Place Finish - 9 Cars Dec 6 Las Vegas Outside Road Course 4th Place Finish - 12 Cars Jan 3 Havasu 95/Havasu 3rd Place Finish - 14 Cars Jan 17 Las Vegas Outside Road Course Feature Win! - 12 Cars Jan 18 Las Vegas Outside Road Course 2nd Place Finish - 12 Cars Jan 24 Las Vegas Inside Road Course 10th place-Crash Victum Jan 25 Las Vegas Inside Road Course Feature Win! - 12 Cars Jan 31 I-10 Speedway/Blythe 2nd Place Finish 9 cars Feb 7 Havasu 95/Havasu 3nd Place Finish - 12 Cars Feb 14 Las Vegas Outside Road Course 2nd Place Finish - 13 Cars Feb 15 Las Vegas Outside Road Course 3rd Place Finish - 13 Cars Feb 21 Havasu 95/Havasu 2nd Place Finish - 11 Cars Mar 1 Las Vegas 1/4 Mile Feature Win! - 11 Cars Mar 14 Havasu 95/Havasu 13th place-Crash Victum Mar 15 Havasu 95/Havasu 4th Place Finish - 12 Cars Mar 21 I-10 Speedway/Blythe 3rd Place Finish - 12 Cars Mar 22 I-10 Speedway/Blythe 6th Place Finish - 13 Cars Mar 28 Havasu 95/Havasu Feature Win! - 9 Cars Apr 4 I-10 Speedway/Blythe 2nd Place Finish - 7 Cars Apr 25 Havasu 95/Havasu Feature Win! - 9 Cars |
| April 25, 2009-Havasu 95 - Feature Win! The main event was a dogfight for the first few laps! The initial start began with a turf war between Shelby Orozco and Kyle Niquette on the front row. Shelby wanted to keep Kyle up high on the track, while Kyle was determined to hold his ground. They were banging on each other before the pace car even left the track. On the initial start Alex dove under Shelby and Kyle, while Tommy was swinging to the high side resulting in 4 wide down the front stretch. Just as things were starting to sort out Tommy spun bringing out the caution and a complete re-start. The re-start saw more contact between Shelby and Kyle on the front row. It was an exciting run to the first turn with Kyle emerging out front in the first turn, while Tommy, Shelby and Tommy ran three wide for several laps! Kyle checked out while the pecking order was established. It was amazing that there was no accidents or cautions throughout the start, as well as the entire Main Event. |
| April 4th 2009-Blythe I-10 Speedway Another good run! Kyle won the trophy dash. Another fast car but a second place finish. A little luck kept Kyle from t-boning Alex Morgan when he spun on the third lap. The good news is Kyle and Alex spun with no contact but Breanna Nelson collected the wall attempting to miss them. With Kyle and Alex re-starting in the back, Tommy Kelley was gone by the time Kyle moved to second, where he finished. |
| March 28 2009-Havasu 95 - Feature Win! This was a good night! Qualifying 2nd and starting on the front row allowed Kyle to take the lead on the first lap and lead wire-to-wire in a caution free Feature. Kyle's car was fast in the dash and the main being the only car to dip into the 16 second zone! |
| March 20-21 2009-Blythe I-10 Speedway Two nights of racing in Blythe netted a 4th place finish and a season low non-crash finish of 6th. After "licking our wounds" and some re-grouping It's off to finish the season. |
| March 14-15 2009-Havasu 95 Speedway Kyle's luck ran out on Friday night when Aaron Anderson spun in front of him. With nowhere to go Kyle and Aaron were sidelined for the main. With a 13th. Place finish (DNF) that all but wiped out our chances in the Havasu and River Cup points races. The crash necessitated repairs that were completed with the rising or the sun on Saturday. Kyle rebounded nicely posting a 4th place finish and in Saturdays main. |
| March 1 2009 - Feature Win! Kyle won on the LVMS 1/4 mile for the second straight race there. He started 4th and watched a real dogfight develop between Jackson Smith and Alex Morgan. They traded the lead several times until Jackson Spun, handing the lead to Alex. On the third restart Kyle got under Alex for the pass and never looked back. |
| February 14-15 2009 The last two road course races made for an interesting weekend filled with drama! On Saturday Kyle started up front in the heat and spun while leading. The result was a mid pack start in the main. He drove hard and finished second while Mike Hiliker, his competition for the title, also spun and finished further back. After the dust settled, no pun intended, Kyle held a 2 point lead for the Championship. On Sunday the three top cars started the heat toward the rear. Kyle Started the main from the fourth spot. After an awesome start Kyle took the lead on lap 2, just in time to spin on lap 3 with Smith and Hiliker in hot pursuit. A full course caution put Kyle to the back of the field while Hiliker was running second behind Jackson Smith. Kyle restarted 13th, if the front runners stayed the same Kyle had to reach 3rd with 7 laps left to win the title. With one lap left Kyle pulled into the third spot to capture the Championship! Jackson Smith overcame his troubles from earlier in the series for the race win, with Mike Hiliker second. It was a great series with lots of good clean racing! |
| More January 2009 We told you January was busy! Another trip to the road course bagged another feature win on Sunday the 18th. Saturday was a heart breake.r After winning the pole we were taken out from behind on the first turn. After repairs were made we finished 5 laps down. We blew into Vegas with the Silver State Championship points lead and then...... the crash. We are still very much in contention for the series crown and looking forward to the final races of the series in February. January 31st in Blythe was a good points night for us as it was double,e points in the Blythe and River Cup Series. Kyle netted a 2nd place finish moving him up to a share of the lead in the Blythe Championship. He holds down the 3rd spot in the River Cup Series only 3 finishing positions from the top with 7 races left. |
| Kyle Wins Las Vegas 1/4 Mile Feature! Kyle led all 20 laps at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway 1/4 Mile Track to score his first feature win. The field of 13 Bandos was divided into two heats. Kyle's heat consisted of 8 cars, 7 cars in the other heat. Starting position for the heat was determined by draw. Finishing position in the heat determined starting position in the main. Kyle started in the 6th position. On the second lap he was passing on the inside for the lead when the other car forced him down. When his left wheels touched the grass, around he went sending him to the back of the field. He drove his way back to the lead winning the heat race. Starting on the pole Kyle jumped out to an early lead. After the midway point the #98 car of Jackson Smith challenged on several occasions and passed Kyle at one time, but it was short lived as Jackson spun after completing the pass, bringing out the yellow flag. The final two laps were exciting as the 01 car of Nicholas Thigpen dover under Kyle entering turn 1 and cleared him. Kyle had a run out of turn 2 and passing Nicholas underneath. They drove the entire next lap side by side as the white flag waved. Nicholas got loose out of turn 2 and Kyle was able to stretch a 2 car length lead and hold on for the win. |