Friday, October 16, 2009

“Updated: Westby Racing/Kneedraggers.com Fastest In Qualifying For AMA ... - RoadracingWorld.com” plus 4 more

“Updated: Westby Racing/Kneedraggers.com Fastest In Qualifying For AMA ... - RoadracingWorld.com” plus 4 more


Updated: Westby Racing/Kneedraggers.com Fastest In Qualifying For AMA ... - RoadracingWorld.com

Posted: 16 Oct 2009 06:20 PM PDT

Oct 16, 2009, By David Swarts, ©Copyright 2009, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Westby Racing/Kneedraggers.com turned the fastest time during Friday's rain-shortened practice/qualifying session for the AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT 8 Hours At Daytona, at Daytona International Speedway.

The team of Dane Westby, Dustin Meador, Jeff Wood and 2009 AMA American Superbike Championship runner-up Josh Hayes recorded a 1:53.367 on their Yamaha YZF-R6, shortly before a cloud burst just past the halfway point brought the two-hour session to a premature end.

"It went alright," said Hayes, who turned the team's fast lap while riding on a rear tire that had 20 laps on it. "Chuck [Giacchetto] did a great job building the bike. It's easy to ride. Everything's working well. I'm enjoying myself. I just want to do my job for the team."

The second-best time (1:53.990) was recorded by two-time and defending 8 Hours At Daytona Champions, Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki (Chris Ulrich/Martin Cardenas/Jason DiSalvo).

"Everything is good," said Cardenas, who did the team's quickest lap after both of his teammates had ridden stints on the same set of Dunlop control tires. "I think the gearing can maybe be a little better, but everything is pretty good."

Cardenas said his right hand, which he broke while practicing for a race at Virginia International Raceway in August and which kept him from racing in the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike finale, was not giving him any problems at all.

James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing's Shawn Higbee, Paul James and Jeff Johnson were third-fastest overall and in the Moto-GT1 class with a 1:54.141 on their Buell 1125R.

Crozier Motorsports' Mark Crozier, Scott Jensen, David Estok and Michael Barnes made it four different brands of motorcycles in the top four by turning a 1:55.007 on their Ducati 848.

The top team in the Moto-GT2 category was KRM Racing by Motocrose. The team of Chris Boy, Barrett Long and Fernando Ferrer did a 2:01.881 on their Ducati PS1000LE. Long said he did that lap even though he has a total of 10 laps of practice on the bike, which was specially built for the event.

The second-fastest team in Moto-GT2 was Ducati PS1000LE-equipped Touring Sport Ducshop Ducati 38 (Brian Stokes/Dario Marchetti/Frank Shockley), which lapped the 3.51-mile infield road course in 2:03.464.

Touring Sport Ducshop Ducati 77 (Pete Friedland/Corey Rech/Brad Phillips/Brian Stokes), contenders for the GT2 class Championship, qualified third in GT2 with a 2:04.092.

The other GT2 Championship hopefuls, Pair-A-Nines' Jay Springsteen, Scotty Ryan and new addition Taylor Knapp, were fourth in practice/qualifying with a 2:04.337 on their Kawasaki Ninja 650R.

Pair-A-Nines trails Touring Sport Ducshop Ducati 77 by 14 points. A maximum of 31 points can be earned during Saturday's race, which starts at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time.


UPDATE: KRM Racing by Motocorse's Ducati PS1000LE was found to be two horsepower over the class' maximum limit during post-qualifying checks. The team will now have to start the race from the back of the Moto-GT2 grid.


AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT 8 Hours At Daytona
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Florida
October 16, 2009
Provisional Practice/Qualifying Results (all on Dunlop tires):

1. Westby Racing/Kneedraggers.com (Dane Westby/Dustin Meador/Jeff Wood/Josh Hayes), Yam YZF-R6, GT1, 1:53.367

2. Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki (Chris Ulrich/Martin Cardenas/Jason DiSalvo), Suz GSX-R600, GT1, 1:53.990

3. James Gang/Hoban Bros. Racing (Shawn Higbee/Paul James/Jeff Johnson), Buell 1125R, GT1, 1:54.141

4. Crozier Motorsports (Mark Crozier/Scott Jensen/David Estok/Michael Barnes), Duc 848, GT1, 1:55.007

5. Touring Sport Ducshop Ducati 49 (Ryan Elleby/Matt Lynn/Hawk Mazzotta), Duc 848, GT1, 1:55.759

6. Team Hurtbyaccident.com 69 (Santiago Villa/Russ Wikle), Suz GSX-R600, GT1, 1:56.421

7. Riderschoice.ca (Matt McBride/Andrew Nelson/Larry Orde/Pat Barnes), Suz GSX-R600, GT1, 1:57.731

8. McNology Racing (David McPherson/Mark McCormick/William Luke), Yam YZF-R6, GT1, 1:57.957

9. Liberty Waves Racing (Eric Pinson/Eric Haugo/David Sadowski), Buell 1125R, GT1, 1:58.574

10. Old Pros Racing (Paul Schwemmer/Dave Aldana/J.P. Tache), Tri Daytona 675, GT1, 2:01.702

11. KRM Racing by Motocorse (Chris Boy/Barrett Long/Fernando Ferrer), Duc PS1000LE, GT2, 2:01.881 *

12. R&B Motorsports (Michael Barnes/Phil Caudill/Mark Crozier/Skip Salenius), Duc 848, GT1, 2:03.055

13. Touring Sport Ducshop Ducati 38 (Brian Stokes/Dario Marchetti/Frank Shockley), Duc PS1000LE, GT2, 2:03.464

14. Touring Sport Ducshop Ducati 77 (Pete Friedland/Corey Rech/Brad Phillips/Brian Stokes), Duc PS1000LE, GT2, 2:04.092

15. Pair-A-Nines (Jay Springsteen/Taylor Knapp/Scott Ryan), Kaw EX650, GT2, 2:04.337

16. Team Hurtbyaccident.com 59 (Rodolfo Ramirez/Tomas Puerta/Eric Wood), Duc PS1000LE, GT2, 2:05.614

17. El Rey Beer for Kings 20 (Dave Ebben/Dennis Espinosa/Calvin Martinez), Duc 848, GT1, 2:05.703

18. Team Hurtbyaccident.com 64 (Robert Fisher/John Linder/Justin Filice), Duc PS1000LE, GT2, 2:06.116

19. East Coast Powersports (Kenny Rodriguez/Trey Yonce/Ryan Patterson), Suz SV650, GT2, 2:06.428

20. Team MIM/Repsol 26 (Jeff Purk/Mitch Stein), Suz SV650, GT2, 2:11.113

21. Team MIM/Repsol 17 (Paul Onley/Chris Onwiler), Suz SV650, GT2, 3:23.014

* time disallowed for exceeding horsepower limit in post-qualifying checks


More, from a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

Josh Hayes Puts Westby Racing on Pole for AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT 8 Hours At Daytona
Barrett Long Wins GT2 Pole for KRM Racing by Motocorse in Team Debut

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 16, 2009) - Josh Hayes was a late addition to the No. 13 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 team for this weekend's AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT 8 Hours At Daytona but that didn't stop the top AMA Pro American Superbike rider from winning the overall and GT1 class pole Friday for tomorrow's eight-hour endurance race.Hayes, who will co-ride the No. 13 with Jeff Wood and regular team riders Dane Westby and Dustin Meador, turned a top qualifying lap time of 1:53.367 (112.731 mph) just minutes before a heavy rain shower forced an early end to the scheduled two hour session just past the one hour mark.

"I am glad I was kind of able to do my job for the Westby Racing team," said Hayes, who won seven AMA Pro American Superbike races this year riding a Yamaha R1 for Yamaha Motor Corp. USA. "Whenever they ask me to come ride, I want to do a good job for them. If I can put down a good time and get a top position on the grid, that's one step and one part of my job."

Hayes was added to the Westby team just this week but he had been planning on being in Daytona for the Fall Cycle Scene to support his wife and fellow racer Melissa Paris. Paris is racing for the first time this weekend in Championship Cup Series (CCS) competition since sustaining a fractured right tibia/fibula injury in the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike race at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in mid August.

"It was kind of a last minute deal," Hayes said. "The guys called me up and they knew I would be here with Melissa anyway, and they know how much I enjoy riding. Melissa is riding well too considering she is only about eight weeks out of a broken leg. She finished fifth in today's GTU race and is riding pretty well around this track, so it is good to finish on a high note."

Hayes and the No. 13 team will share the two-bike front row with the No. 18 Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki GSX-R600 of Chris Ulrich, Martin Cardenas and Jason DiSalvo. Team Roadracingworld.com has won the last two 8 Hours At Daytona and finished second in the inaugural race in 2006. Cardenas, who joined Ulrich on last year's winning rider line up, was on the bike for the No. 18's top lap of 1:53.990 (112.115 mph).

"Everything is good with the bike and we did the fast lap on the same set of tires we started with, so that is good," said Cardenas, who is recovering from a broken right hand from an accident of his own in Friday practice at VIR. "The hand is good, feeling as good as it has, and it will be no problem to race."

The No. 70 James Gang/Hoban Bros. Racing Buell 1125R of Paul James, Jeff Johnson and Shawn Higbee qualified third. Higbee was on the Buell for the No. 70's quick lap of 1:54.141 (111.966 mph).

"I went out first on it and the bike felt really good," Higbee said. "We figured we were going to get some weather here so that is why we went out first and tried to put down a good lap, but unfortunately it didn't stick for us. We are looking good for the race, the bike is coming along and we made a few changes. We have three riders this weekend and we are just trying to get everybody comfortable."

GT2 Late Addition Too

Hayes wasn't the only late-addition rider to post a pole-winning run on Friday. Daytona 200 sixth-place finisher Barrett Long was asked to ride the No. 23 KRM Racing by Motocorse Ducati PS1000LE just this morning and promptly went out and won the GT2 class pole.

"The team asked me this morning if I wanted to ride, because they had a rider out," said Long, who will team with Fernando Ferrer and Chris Boy. "Everything is going smoothly so far, the bike feels good, the team is great. This is my first time on this bike. I think I did about 10 laps and it was on the last lap that I did the good time. I was just learning the bike, I wasn't even trying to do a fast lap."
Touring Sport Ducshop's pair of Ducati PS1000LE bikes rounded out the top three. The No. 38 Ducati of Frank Shockley, Dario Marchetti and Brian Stokes was second fastest with Shockley turning a top lap time of 2:03.464 (103.512 mph). The championship leading No. 77 of Pete Friedland, Brad Phillips and Corey Rech was third with a lap of 2:04.092 (102.988 mph).

The season-ending 8-hour race is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. on the 3.55-mile Daytona International Speedway road course.

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. From its Daytona Beach headquarters, the organization operates and manages AMA Pro Road Racing, which includes AMA Pro American Superbike, AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, AMA Pro SuperSport and AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT. AMA Pro Racing also manages and works closely with the day-to-day operational organizations of the AMA Pro Flat Track Championship and the AMA Pro Supermoto Championship Series in addition to other two-wheel and ATV series. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.




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Car lovers compete on the cheap - Orlando Sentinel

Posted: 16 Oct 2009 06:56 PM PDT

GAINESVILLE — Tim Suddard didn't need the recession to teach him how to do more with less. That has been his philosophy for 25 years, going back to the time when he founded a car magazine called Grassroots Motorsports near Daytona Beach.

Suddard, his staff and his readers tend to fall into two categories: Auto enthusiasts who like nice, fast cars but can't afford new ones, and auto enthusiasts who can afford new cars, but would rather build one themselves.

Plenty of Suddard's readers — and Suddard himself, for that matter — used to fall into the first category, but as they got older and wealthier, they migrated into the second category. Old habits are hard to break. Shake hands with Suddard and you can tell that this publishing executive still spends more than his share of time in his workshop.

Ten years ago, Suddard thought it would be fun to challenge his readers to a friendly competition: See what kind of vehicle you can build on the cheap. The competition would be held in Florida once a year, and competitors would have to build a vehicle that could compete in three areas: Drag racing, autocross (racing around a course laid out with orange pylons), and a concours, which is a beauty contest that would be judged by four mildly qualified enthusiasts, one of them being me.

The total budget for each team to build a car: Whatever year it is. For the 2009 Kuhmo Tires Grassroots Motorsports Challenge, held last weekend at the Gainesville Raceway drag strip, the budget was $2,009. There is a little fine print: Labor costs don't count, and you are allowed to make up some of the expense by selling parts — say you bought a wrecked car for $1,000 just to get the engine, and you sold off $500 worth of parts, then your expense was $500 toward your $2,009 budget.

Each year, we're surprised by the quality and creativity. Well, mostly: Some competitors show up just to have a good time, like the Colonel Sanders look-alike who arrived in a Saturn disguised as a chicken.

And each year, there is a separate award for the worst bribes for the judges. Nothing this year rivaled the authentic homemade prison tattoo machine from a couple of years ago — all the judges declined the offer to get tattooed then and there — but we did get lots of beer, including fresh from a keg mounted in the rear of the car; a dozen roses; autographed photos of professional wrestlers we never heard of (the "Hardy Boys"?), fresh grilled bratwursts from a rolling grill that accompanied the car, a complete set of "Hello Kitty" stickers, but my favorite: A quart of authentic moonshine, in a Ball canning jar. Anyone know how to get the enamel back on my teeth?

Invariably, one of the entries we look forward to most comes from Andy Nelson and his family, from York, Pa. This year, Nelson showed up with a pristine V-8-powered yellow hot rod, with a narrowed Volkswagen Beetle body sitting on a homemade frame. How does he do it for less than $2,009? Well, the floor, for instance, used to be a Maytag dryer. The accelerator pedal was made from an old file. Nelson even dismantles the trophies he wins to see what usable parts might be inside.

This year's overall winner, though — second in the concours, third on the autocross and third on the drag strip (11.84 seconds at 120 mph) — was Team Gutty's 1988 Honda Civic CRX, built by a group of friends from Grand Rapids, Mich. Astounding attention to detail and beautiful paint complemented the fact that it was screaming fast — the little four-cylinder engine was turbocharged with a turbo from a Ford Thunderbird found in a junkyard. The exhaust header came from a trash bin at a race track.

Team Gutty managed to drop the weight of the already-light car from 1,812 pounds to 1,698 pounds by shedding parts and, for example, swapping the bigger car battery for a small, used motorcycle battery.

Too bad there isn't room to tell you about the hybrid Pontiac Fiero from Oregon — regular V-6 engine in the rear, electric powertrain from a wrecked Chevrolet S-10 up front, powered by Toyota Prius batteries found in a junkyard. Or the 1959 Zamboni ice scraper that sat on a Mazda Miata platform, with a Ford V-8 engine. Or the 1958 Fiat, the Mazda Miata with the Lexus V-8 engine, or the 1974 Ford Maverick that blew up in dramatic fashion.

For more information on those cars, and details on next year's event, log on to GrassrootsMotorsports.com. If you enter, leave the moonshine at home.

Sentinel Automotive Editor Steven Cole Smith can be reached at scsmith@orlandosentinel.com, at 407-420-5699, or through his blog at Enginehead.com.

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Family at center of balloon saga faces scrutiny - The Sun News

Posted: 16 Oct 2009 06:20 PM PDT

The sheriff's office said it does not believe at this point that the balloon episode was a stunt, but investigators planned to question the family again Saturday. Richard Heene denies that the events were a hoax, dismissing such allegations as "extremely pathetic."

Doubts surfaced after a series of bizarre TV interviews, including one on CNN in which Falcon Heene told his parents "you said we did this for a show" when asked why he did not come down from the garage rafters during the search.

The family made the rounds on the morning talk shows Friday, and little Falcon threw up during two separate interviews when asked why he hid.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden acknowledged that Falcon's comments on CNN had clearly "raised everybody's level of skepticism." But, he said, investigators had no reason to believe the whole thing was a hoax.

Alderden said the family seemed genuine during the panic, and he believed events could have unfolded just as they described: Falcon got frightened when his father scolded him for playing inside the balloon, and hid in the garage out of fear.

The sheriff said his office has been flooded with calls and e-mails about the matter. He added that officials "have to operate on what we can prove as a fact and not what people want to be done."

The sheriff was also asked about the sequence of events when the Heenes reported their child's disappearance to authorities. The Heenes called the FAA first, followed by a local TV station with a news helicopter, and then dialed 911. The sheriff said the TV station call made sense because the helicopter could have provided immediate assistance.

In the 911 call, the boy's mother, Mayumi Heene, told a dispatcher in a panicked voice that her child was in "a flying saucer." She sobbed and said, "We've got to get my son."

It was not the first time someone from the Heenes' home has dialed 911. A Colorado sheriff's deputy responded to a 911 hang-up in February at the home, hearing a man yelling and noticing Mayumi Heene had a mark on her cheek and broken blood vessels in her left eye. She said it was because of a problem with her contacts.

Richard Heene said he had been yelling because his children stayed up past their bedtime. The husband and wife said nothing had happened, and the deputy concluded he did not have probable cause to make an arrest.

If the balloon ordeal was a hoax, the parents could be charged with making a false report to authorities, a low-level misdemeanor, Alderden said.

He said authorities would need to bring a criminal case before attempting to recoup restitution costs for the thousands of dollars spent to search for the boy, an effort that involved military helicopters, a ground rescue and even a mounted posse. Officials also rerouted planes around the balloon's flight path and briefly shut down Denver International Airport.

Deputies searched the family's home and considered going into the attic, but they "just didn't think it was possible that 6-year-old boy would be able to get up to that space, so they didn't look there," Alderden said.

While the balloon was in the air, the sheriff's department reached out to a university professor who determined that a balloon of that size would support a child the size of Falcon, Alderden said. The balloon could probably handle a payload of about 80 pounds. The child weighed 37 pounds.

A video of the balloon launch shows the family counting down in unison, "3,2,1," before Richard Heene pulls a cord, setting the silvery craft into the air.

"Whoa!" one of the boys exclaims. Then his father says in disbelief, "Oh, my God!" He then says to someone, "You didn't put the (expletive) tether down!" And he kicks the wood frame that had held the balloon.

Richard Heene's actions have drawn scrutiny and puzzlement on many occasions in recent years. He has worked as a storm chaser, a handyman and a contractor, and an aspiring reality-TV star.

He and his family appeared on the ABC reality show "Wife Swap," receiving no more than a few thousand dollars for each show, according to a person familiar with the production. The person requested anonymity because the source was not authorized to speak publicly.

In addition, the producer of "Wife Swap" said that it had a show in development with the Heenes but that the deal is now off. The producer did not provide specifics. TLC also said Heene had pitched a reality show to the network months ago, but it passed on the offer.

Barb Slusser Adams, who along with Heene and another man worked on a proposed show called "The Science Detectives," said she became used to his relentless attempts to get media attention for the program, which never aired. Heene described the show on his MySpace page as a documentary series "to investigate the mysteries of science."

Slusser said one of Heene's publicity ideas involved going at dawn to the top of a mountain with her and an associate from the show. They would be clad in black attire similar to that worn by characters in the "Matrix" movies, "and the helicopter would come by and strafe us or whatever," Slusser said. She and the associate said "absolutely not."

Slusser said Heene approached ABC to be on "Wife Swap" in an attempt to promote "The Science Detectives." She said Heene included her in his pitch to be on "Wife Swap" without her knowledge, describing her as a family friend who could be on the show.

Actor-comedian Perry Caravello said he met Heene back in the early 1990s, when Heene was struggling in Hollywood. Caravello said Heene rented out a room at the Comedy Store, and he and a handful of comedians performed, but that the event was a "total bomb."

The two worked on a couple of construction jobs before Heene approached Caravello about storm chasing. "He wanted to ride a motorcycle into the middle of a tornado. It was stupid, out-of-the-world stuff."

The sheriff said that because of the "magnitude" of the balloon event, his office contacted social workers, but investigators asked them not to speak to the Heenes until the family has talked to authorities again.

Maj. Justin Smith of the sheriff's office said social workers were asked to get involved because of concerns about the family's storm-chasing. He said authorities want to make sure the children are in a healthy environment.

On Friday, dozens of journalists were parked in front of the family home. At times, two of the boys could be seen playing in the backyard and peeking through windows at the scene on the street. One of the boys, Ryo, would occasionally crack open the door and tell journalists that the family was not talking today.

"My dad said he's tired of this show," the boy said.

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Female bomber continues surge of Pakistan terror attacks - Washington Times

Posted: 16 Oct 2009 06:27 PM PDT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan | Three suicide bombers, including a woman, attacked a police station in northwestern Pakistan, killing 13 people Friday while army air strikes killed a dozen suspected militants in a Taliban stronghold ahead of an expected ground offensive.

The bombing in Peshawar city was the latest in a surge of terrorist attacks over the past 12 days that has killed more than 150 people and underscored the power of Taliban militants, who have warned the army against launching any operation against their base close to the Afghan border.

In the capital, Islamabad, the army chief met with the prime minister and other political leaders for talks that included plans for an offensive in South Waziristan. After the meeting, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira vowed that the country's leaders would "take all steps to eradicate terrorism and extremism from the country," but he refused to discuss military plans.

With the first snows of winter less than two months away, the army has limited time to mount a major ground attack. The U.S. is racing to send in night-vision goggles and other equipment. The Pakistani military insists it's sealing off supply and escape routes, forcing the militants to rely on goat paths.

On Friday, jets struck six militant positions in South Waziristan, killing 12 militants and wounding eight, a government and an intelligence official said on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.

Friday's twin bombings targeted a heavily fortified police station in Peshawar, the main city in the northwest.

One attacker drove a car filled with explosives to the main gate of the police station, as a motorcycle carrying a man and a woman pulled up behind it, Peshawar police chief Liaquat Ali Khan said.

The woman jumped off and ran toward a nearby housing complex where army officers live, while the man smashed the motorcycle into the car, which exploded into a huge fireball, the police chief said. Police shot at the woman, who detonated explosives she was wearing.

The blast destroyed part of the police station and a mosque next to it.

The blast killed 13 people, including three police officers, two women and two children, said Gul Khan, a local police official. Another 15 people were wounded.

Insurgents have sent attackers wearing military uniforms to bypass security to carry out some of their recent raids. But the use of a female suicide bomber is extremely rare here and could signal a new tactic by the extremists.

In December 2007, what was thought to be the country's first female bomber blew herself up near a Christian school while apparently aiming for a military post in Peshawar. There were no other casualties.

Friday's attack came a day after militants launched coordinated attacks on three law-enforcement compounds in the country's second-largest city of Lahore, killing 19 people as well as the nine attackers. Also Thursday, a car bomb in Peshawar killed a small child at a housing complex for government employees.

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2 Suspected Fresno Chop Shops Busted - KFSN

Posted: 16 Oct 2009 06:27 PM PDT

29-year-old Jorge Lujano got a surprise visit from probation officers Friday morning. Inside his Central Fresno home CHP investigators assigned to an auto theft task force stumbled upon dozens of random motorcycle parts. They call it "A motorcycle chop shop." Investigators also found an assault rifle and two motorcycles, still intact. Sgt. Leonard Sherman calls the bust a major breakthrough. "It's significant to us because its our first break in the sports bike theft in Fresno because we've been getting hammered with sport bikes and we have three of them connected to this person right here. In last few months we've had over 40 stolen and none recovered here locally until today."

A few days ago, Sgt. Sherman's team raided an auto shop on North Maple near Olive. Johnny Moua, a customer says he was terrified, "They came armed like a SWAT team, they just pointed guns at everybody told them to freeze and get on the ground."

Sgt. Sherman said, "The vehicles that had stolen engines in them were equipped for street racing and many of those there that night were involved in street racing clubs."

Investigators call the auto shop a chop shop too and impounded six cars and 17 Honda and Acura engines and transmissions they say are stolen. Moua said, "This shop is nowhere close to being a chop shop." Investigators arrested the owner, San Saelee who didn't want to talk on camera. He denied doing anything illegal, including racing on the street. Moua said, "They build cars but how can they automatically assume we race them on the streets. They have no evidence. When there's time they take them to legal race tracks."

The CHP arrested three people so far, and said more may follow. The auto shop owner is out on bail but his employee is still in jail. Both plan to fight the charges. Lujano was booked Friday afternoon and along with the two others, faces a series of charges including running a chop shop and possession of stolen property.

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