By Deborah-WFO, March 2010
Bluebaugh Racing’s Team Magna Fuel is taking a brief reprieve to rethink and prepare for the 2010 racing season yet ahead. Last September Bluebaugh and Crew Chief Deborah Woodard took a late mid-season leap of faith changing a proven combination in the Magna Fuel Monte Carlo with a bigger engine.
Bluebaugh said it’s been quite a challenge to harness the new power. We are taking a step back for a minute to rethink after several events spent with difficulty. We want to come back to the competition prepared. Adding horsepower to the mix is just not as easy at it sounds. It changes everything about the car.
Crew Chief Woodard said we have spent countless hours studying chassis dynamics for this project and days at a time on the garage floor with a tape measure and calculator. Our 1995 model chassis has now undergone a complete transformation with additional bracing, a 180 degree turn in the scaling, and changes in the four link set up.
During the process a crack was also located. Woodard said this is the second time a crack has been discovered just following difficulties with getting the car to respond correctly and may have been contributing to the problem. Crack inspections have become a more frequent part of our routine. Preliminary testing is showing we are headed in the right direction with a rough but encouraging 1.01 60ft. time. We should be ready by May to give the competition a good run. We feel this new set up has the potential to compete in the low 6 second range now needed on the West Coast.
During down time, Woodard who is also the teams Marketing Director has been working on a new project to attract sponsorship support for 2010 and beyond. The project is an online Sponsor Store marketed under the name http://www.1320racer.com Woodard said, I think it makes sense that we take an aggressive role in meeting what sponsorship is supposed to be about, which is promoting a return on investment for those companies that have invested in us. A part of our sponsorship funding will come directly from sales and be proportionate to how well we do with the store project. I hope that companies will start to find that investment in racers more on a sportsman level is very worthwhile as the market continues to be difficult. I think this will be a good deal for all involved.
We have four companies who have immediately joined the project. Magna Fuel, our title sponsor, was the first to agree that the project should be launched. Hughes Performance who has been with us for many years is on board as well. DJ Racing Safety Equipment has joined as a new sponsor and brings with them a full catalog of quality safety products. Arrow Track GPS has also joined as a new sponsor bringing a unique live Internet tracking GPS unit that will locate any vehicle, trailer, or RV anywhere nationally. We are expecting more companies to join shortly and more deals are in the works for the project.
Bluebaugh and Woodard agree that without the support of our sponsors we just would not be racing and we are fortunate to have such an opportunity to do what we love so much. We would like to welcome back all our returning sponsors. JE Pistons will be returning for a second year and have been instrumental to the success our racing program. We also continue to enjoy a great relationship with Speed Scene Racing who has been our live Racing Webcast media sponsor for a few years now. Continuing support will be W.W. Williams, Fast Forward, Highway 69 Racing Products, and SI Valves. We hope to see everyone at the races very soon.
*Post Note- We are having a sale on DJ Safety items in light of recent circumstance
http://www.worldsfastestorganization.com
