Racing Thrills Both Racers And Fans Alike

High flyin' with Brad Lovell

According to historians the Olympic Games began in Olympia, Greece around 776 B.C. Competition was at the heart of the games, as it is today. Who can run the fastest, jump the furthest, lift the heaviest weights... all for the glory of the moment.

Modern Olympics, both winter and summer, continue this tradition on a global scale as athletes push the boundaries of what's possible and break new ground in unbelievable ways. Swimming, skiing, speed skating, ski jumping, discus and more. Today, though, the scale of the Games themselves is itself a phenomenon as the stadiums get ever larger and the media coverage broader.

But what's at the heart of it is something very simple and elementary: competition. Children make boats out of sticks and race them in a stream. Friends gather to watch, rooting for the red stick or the blue stick or the balsa wood cork.

Short track off road racing is a thrill a minute.

This basic principle of competition quite naturally evolved in new directions during the machine age. Tractor pulls prove who's got the most diesel muscle. Snowmobile racing prove whose got the best machine, or which riders have the most skill and courage. And across the continent nearly every day of the week you can find cars, bikes, motorcycles or ATVs going head to head in circles or through the trees. It's in our blood.

One reason companies like AMSOIL support racing is because racing puts equipment to the test like nothing else. Lab testing is useful, but the real world environments that racers explore offer a new degree of testing.

At amsoilracing.com we like to share what our race teams are doing. Stay current with the events we sponsor. Check out the cool videos. Read the racer interviews. And bookmark us.

Racing can be fun, but it's also serious business. It's one of the ways we improve our products. We apply what we learn from the teams we partner with because we're in competition, too. We want our lubricants to be the best they can be. We were first in synthetics, but we can't -- and don't -- rest on our laurels.

Race to the Top at SEMA

With fall just around the corner, those planning to attend the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in November are busy laying the groundwork for the year’s biggest event. Each year, the SEMA show attracts tens of thousands of attendees: manufacturers, distributors, car builders, aftermarket companies, and every industry leader in between with an interest in the car, truck and SUV market. AMSOIL is always on hand to witness the latest developments in the performance automotive world, maintaining its position ahead of the curve.

This year AMSOIL will be installed in more high profile cars than ever. One of these will be a ’33 Roadster kit that is being assembled live during this year’s show by Race Safro, a 16 year old car builder whose love for the automobile world took shape at the age of 4 while watching his father wrench on cars. Race, who took on his first independent design and build of a 1929 Five-Window Model A at the age of 14, has fueled his passion ever since by taking control of RT Rods shortly after graduation from middle school. Also involved in Modified Class racing, Race built his own custom race car and was awarded ‘Rookie of the Year’ after his first season.

No better leader in the Take a Kid to a Car Show movement, Race (who is in the completion stages of a '77 Bronco build) will be at SEMA this year to assemble the Roadster from start to finish in an amazingly tight time frame within the Factory Five booth. That's the plan anyways. At the end of the show, the car will be given to its proud new owner to drive off with, the end result of a labor of love. Race is a rising star in the automotive world. Be sure to watch for future updates on Race’s take on ingenuity, drive, and a true passion for cars when the final outcome is unveiled at SEMA in November. He gives a lot of thought to every detail, including the lubricants he chooses. This is why these build cars carry AMSOIL synthetic motor oils and fluids.

Jay Safro, Race’s dad, has had three vehicles at SEMA over the years for his upholstery work. Race, at 16, will have two vehicles at SEMA this year, and a future as bright as his dreams.

Photos above show Race's Model A restoration, courtesy RT Rods.

The Special Equipment Manufacturers Association is one of the largest associations in the world. Its annual convention is one of the largest events in Vegas. This auto aftermarket industry is actually comprised of numerous smaller niche markets, each centered on various vehicle types.

It is exciting to see that AMSOIL has developed visibility within each niche through high profile sponsorships. The June issue of SEMA News includes an article that offers an overview of the eight categories that comprise the industry. This is a brief summary of those niches and at least one way AMSOIL is involved with each.

Light Truck

The light truck market refers to street use vehicles from SUVs to pickups. AMSOIL has been strong in this market for many years. 2008 is our second year as sponsor of the Diesel Power Challenge. Despite the drop in new truck sales due to gas prices, we see continued opportunity because of the millions of trucks on the road today and the fuel economy benefits of AMSOIL synthetic lubricants and filters.

Racing
Racing is a major segment of the industry as well. Many products are tested on the track and service motorists on the street. But racing is also a market in itself. Racers have been using AMSOIL for decades, but since the nineties the company has stepped up, sponsoring numerous drivers and series, from grass roots on up. Check out the AMSOIL Racing Blog if you’re a race fan and stay current with AMSOIL racing.

Off-Road

The off-road market includes everything from appearance to performance. The Four Wheeler Top Truck Challenge (which took place this week in Hollister, CA) is one way AMSOIL is present to this hard core group.

Street Performance

The street performance niche includes products used to change the appearance, performance, and/or handling of light vehicles (other than light trucks) for street use. Mopar Muscle Challenge and dedicated advertising in enthusiast magazines has given AMSOIL increased visibility here.

Compact Performance

According to the article, “When SEMA first started studying the compact-performance market it 1996, it was all about four-cylinder-powered Japanese-made cars. Back then, the dominant vehicle was the Honda Civic. Enthusiasts involved with this niche were typically 18 to 25 years old.” Also known as the tuner market, these kinds are wired and hooked up. They’re also prepared to spend money to do whatever it takes to get their machine in gear.

Street Rod & Custom

The street-rod & custom market include all products used in the construction, maintenance and operation of hot rods and customs. Last year AMSOIL sponsored legendary builder Boyd Coddington, and began a relationship with this scene through the NSRA. In 2008 the company has become a sponsor of the Street Rodder Road Tour, which will soon make a stop here at our headquarters in Superior, WI.

Restyling

Restyling is a big part of the industry also. Turning the common car into eye candy is a full time pre-occupation for many enthusiasts. AMSOIL partnered with Mothers car care products to help motorists transform ordinary vehicles into cherries.

Restoration Market

The restoration scene involves the products and services used in returning vehicles, particularly classics, to their original manufactured condition. Some of these products are refurbished original parts; others are salvaged parts; some are reproductions. The end result is a vehicle with moving parts that need lubrication... That’s the AMSOIL contribution.

The “Other” Market

Products that do not neatly fit into one of the other seven niches are lumped into “Other”. The products found in this niche are typically electronics or high tech in nature-things such as radar detectors, custom sound systems, multimedia systems and intelligent transportation systems. Much more could be said, but we’ll leave that for another day.

PRI Show Has It All

Canopies, trailers, racing suits, merchandise, licensing, associations, pistons, cams, gears, engine components, dynos, shocks, engines, wheels, transmissions, bodies, frames, graphics, filters, intakes, cylinder heads, gaskets, brakes, fuels – if it has to do with racing, it’s here in Orlando at the PRI Show, including many of the racers themselves.

The show not only covers every component for racers, it covers every kind and style of racing from go-karts to NASCAR and everything in between.

Boyd and Jo Coddington were impressed by the scope of the racing industry, having their first racing adventures at Bonneville this summer. Yesterday afternoon they presented their story of the Salt Fever Bonneville build and in the evening were the featured speakers at a special AMSOIL Dealer meeting. For all who attended it was a memorable evening with two really influential and generous people. Much like A.J. Amatuzio and AMSOIL re-defined the standards for quality in the oil industry, so Boyd Coddington re-defined the hot rod scene with his creative, passionate approach and love of cars.

If you’re a racing enthusiast, be sure to follow the AMSOIL racing teams on our racing blog or visit the racing section of our site, which is jam packed with racing news, photo galleries, video racing footage, and more. If you are a racer using AMSOIL lubricants and filters, send us your photos and tell us your story. Perhaps we’ll be able to add you to the testimonials section of our site.

Boyd and Jo at entrance of the sunlit Orlando Convention.

PRI Celebrates 20th In Sunny Orlando

Beginning with a warm Exhibitor Reception in the main lobby last night, the 20th Performance Racing Industry Show got underway. Press conferences, seminars, and a convention center filled with anything and everything to do with racing, it’s all here. Exhibitors from every corner of the racing scene can be found putting their best grill forward.

Any number of AMSOIL sponsored racers are in town wearing their AMSOIL colors. In addition, Boyd & Jo Coddington flew in from the West Coast to present a seminar entitled, “Boyd Coddington Builds a Bonneville Hot Rod.” The famed hot rod stylist broke new ground this year with the “Salt Fever” AMSOIL/Coddington Bonneville Roadster. Later today Boyd and crew will re-tell their story at an AMSOIL Dealer meeting in the Convention Center.

Mopar Muscle magazine announced the winners of their 2007 AMSOIL Mopar Muscle Engine Challenge at one o’clock in the press room. After thanking all the sponsors who make it possible, the magazine presented first prize to Ken Lazerri and Russ Flagle of Indy Cylinder Heads who won the competition by three hundredths of a point. Publisher Jim Foos and Editor Randy Bolig also extended an invitation to Mopar engine builders to participate in the 2008 AMSOIL Mopar Muscle Engine Challenge which will feature a 440-based spec engine.


Coddington fans from Oklahoma come over to greet Boyd and express their enthusiasm for his TV show and his work.

Jo shares how cars have been in her blood from her earliest days of go-kart racing at age six. Her father had to put a restrictor plate in the kart because she never took her foot off the accelerator.

Rising Temps Put Stress On Engine Oils

When you think about it, we demand a lot from our motor oil. For example, we all want better fuel economy, so we’re using lighter oils. However, we also want engines to produce more power per cubic inch. To add power, we’re putting in turbochargers which raise the engine temperatures and put higher stress on our oil.

That’s not the only stress. We value cleaner air, so new devices that reduce exhaust emissions place more contamination in the oil and increase engine temperatures. We’ve also cut aerodynamic drag, a plus for vehicle owners, but brutal on oil. By minimizing the air flow over the engine and drivetrain, temperatures also rise.

In fact, the average under-the-hood temperature has increased from 175 degrees Fahrenheit in 1975 to 225 degrees in 2000. Our vehicles are increasingly complex and powerful machines. To keep them running smoothly, we’re demanding that our lubricants do more and last longer.

That is why synthetic motor oils and drivetrain fluids have been increasing in market receptivity over the past two decades. For more information about AMSOIL synthetic motor oils, visit the AMSOIL website at http://www.amsoil.com

If you like racing and have an interest in following our corporate racing activities, be sure to visit and bookmark http://www.amsoil.com/blog/index.aspx

Off-road racing, record chasing on the Bonneville Salt Flats and events like the Diesel Power Challenge can teach a lot about the performance limits of lubricants.