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Posts Tagged ‘NHRA’
October 6th, 2010 in Race Report by Ian Lewis Moore
The first night in October proved to be a fast one as tons of fans flooded Milan Dragway. Fresh off of a new Martin Technology car setup, Brian Olatunji continued the momentum brought on by several days of testing in preparation for the night’s festivities. “It is always great to end the season on a high note. It really speaks to the hard work the crew has put in all season,” said Olatunji. Last race season Brian O’s fastest pass in his Pepsi Hot Rod was a 10.60, and during the final race of the 2010 season he improved to a 9.82 second elapsed time in a losing effort during All Motor class eliminations.
All of Brian’s runs would have been good enough to compete for the win in the Open Comp category, which Brian O was participating in at the beginning of the night. Unfortunately Brian O and his Pepsi Hot Rod are too fast off the starting line for the Open Comp class. The christmas tree runs at a slower pace in the category, and Brian O being the fastest leaver on the grounds was tripping the red light during Open Comp qualifying before eventually switching back to All Motor. Before the night was done the Leadfoot driver was thinking about next year, “We are already in preparation for next season and look to have an even more sizable impact. The championship is all we’re focused on over the winter.”
Brian O and the team continued Leadfoot’s tradition of going above and beyond for it’s marketing partners. As Brian O explained, “The hot rod ran well and we accomplished our marketing objectives. What more can I say!” As always, Pepsi and U.S. Army prizes were tossed into the packed grandstands and Brian addressed the crowd over the dragway’s PA system. To listen to Brian O’s short discussion for the fans click here!
Tags: Brian O, Brian Olatunji, Detroit, Heads Up, Lucas Oil, Michigan, Milan Dragway, MP3, NHRA, Open Comp, Pepsi, Qualifying, Race, Rodger's Chevrolet, Testing, U.S. Army
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September 10th, 2010 in Race Report by Ian Lewis Moore
The Leadfoot Motorsports team was poised and ready for a race win as Brian O took the Pepsi Hot Rod out in front of the near sellout crowd on August 6th. The team had made several test laps in anticipation for the race, which placed it among the fastest cars in the field. Excitement turned to disappointment as the motor suffered a major malfunction on the last qualifying lap. The team later learned that a bearing had failed due to foreign contaminants in the engine.
The team’s new partnership with Martin Technology was well timed as work began on the engine immediately after the event. The repairs and modifications were completed just in time for the next race on September 3rd, but due to the time crunch no testing dates could be worked in before the race kicked off. The car made a strong instillation lap on the first qualifying pass. Brian O lifted off the gas before the finish line to insure that the car was safely prepared. All nuts and bolts were checked on the new look engine. On the second qualifying lap the Hot Rod’s transmission began to leak some fluid and in the interest of safety Brian O decided to park the car. Due to the limitations of the racing environment repairs would have to wait until the Pepsi Hot Rod was back at the Martin Technology shop.
The transmission was quickly repaired at the Martin Technology center and testing began immediately after. Due to the new engine combination the car’s setup has changed completely from the season’s starting point in June. It is being dialed in with each pass. The Pepsi Hot Rod was tested on three different dates and the car is picking up speed as the new combination is being dialed in. Brian O and the entire Leadfoot organization expects to win for the last race of the season in October.
At both events the team did not let a parked car slow them down. Marketing Partner Initiatives were all cranked up to the max. The team made a group effort to entertain the record attendance at the August and the September Milan Dragway Heads Up Series races. T-Shirts and other prizes were tossed in front of the grandstands by Brian O, U.S. Army Soldiers and the Leadfoot Models. During the September race, Brian O hyped the crowd on the PA system. Click here to listen to the MP3!
Tags: Brian O, Brian Olatunji, Detroit, Heads Up, Ian Lewis Moore, Leadfoot Media, Martin Technology, Michigan, Milan Dragway, Models, MP3, NHRA, Pepsi, Prize Toss, Qualifying, Race, Testing, U.S. Army
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July 18th, 2010 in Race Report by Ian Lewis Moore
On the Friday of July 4th weekend, a standing room only crowd piled into Milan Dragway. All were witnesses to gorgeous weather, hot racing action and fireworks. Brian Olatunji and the entire Leadfoot Motorsports crew showed off American pride with the red, white and blue of Pepsi. As Brian O signed autographs, the U.S. Army hosted race fans in the Leadfoot pits with a Hummer featuring the video game Rockband.
Improving from June’s performance Brian Olatunji qualified in the 10th position, after clearing up the mechanical troubles from the last race and repairing the minimal damage to the quarter panel next to the Rodgers Chevrolet decal. The team has begun fine tuning the hot rod to get a leg up on the competition. As qualifying unfolded the Pepsi Hot Rod’s Toyo Tires spun faster with each lap down the race track. During eliminations Brian O was eventually edged out by fellow Lucas Oil driver Ben Mens. Thanks to the on track improvements, Olatunji is now 7th in the championship point standings for the All Motor class.
The Milan Dragway track announcers again welcomed Brian O into the booth for another live interview in front of the capacity crowd. Click here take a listen!
In an effort to improve the on track performance the Leadfoot team installed a new ignition box onto the Pepsi Hot Rod. The crew is now able to fine tune the car with the assistance of a lap top using the sophisticated Racepak program. This also enables the team to record telemetry from major components on the car, allow for detailed analysis after laps have been made. This and other new parts and pieces were tested at Milan Dragway on July 14th and 16th. A total of 15 laps were made. Brian O is looking forward to taking this new speed to the competition at the next race on August 6th.
In addition to racing and testing, Brian Olatunji made a personal appearance at the Knight’s NAPA Auto Parts 1st Annual Car Show in Commerce, MI on July 17th. The Pepsi / U.S. Army Hot Rod was the first car on display. It was parked next to the NAPA Nitro Funny Car and was seen by customers and passersby for over 5 hours. Brian O signed hero cards and had fun chatting with the locals during this appearance.
Tags: All Motor, Ben Mens, Brian O, Brian Olatunji, Commerce, Detroit, Funny Car, Heads Up, Hummer, Knight's NAPA Auto Parts Annual Car Show, Leadfoot Media, Lucas Oil, Michigan, Milan Dragway, MP3, NAPA, NHRA, Pepsi, Qualifying, Race, Racepak, Rockband, Rodger's Chevrolet, Ron Capps, Testing, Toyo Tires, U.S. Army
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June 7th, 2010 in Race Report by Ian Lewis Moore
New was the theme when Brian Olatunji and the entire Leadfoot Motorsports team arrived for their first race of the 2010 season. Brian O and the entire Pepsi Racing team arrived with much to be excited about. The spectators on hand felt the energy with the new look hot rod. U.S. Army Soldiers provided extra excitement and pride as they set up camp in the party that is the Leadfoot Motorsports pit area. Dark clouds, rain and strong 70 mph winds in close proximity to the track threatened to cancel plans, but much to everybody’s delight the racing action kicked off without interruption on June 4th at Milan Dragway, just outside of Detroit.
Staff Sergeant Rojas and other U.S. Army personnel joined Brian Olatunji and the Leadfoot Models in front of the grandstands for the traditional Leadfoot prize toss. Brian O worked up the crowd and handed out Pepsi swag including T-Shirts & Pepsi cans. The enthusiastic crowd loudly cheered on O and the Soldiers for prizes to be tossed their way.
Picking up from where he left off last year, Brian O headed to Milan Dragway’s control tower for a few words to the thousands of enthusiastic spectators on the public address system. Due to a break in the on track action the interview was expanded to a staggering 15 minutes. Brian O and the track’s announcer entertained the masses with discussion of the intense competition surrounding the new racing season. The announcer commented about the professional look of the race team and Brian O took the opportunity to plug all Marketing Partners. Olatunji got to discuss in detail the return of Pepsi and the addition of U.S. Army, Rodgers Chevrolet and Dirget.com. Fans were invited to come over to the Leadfoot pit area and thank the Soldiers in person for the protection they provide our nation. Brian gave an enthusiastic outlook to the rest of the year leaving fans hungry for more.
Brian O’s first qualifying run of the night was a shakedown pass that showed much potential and locked the Pepsi Racing team into the 11th qualifying position. The entire Leadfoot Motorsports team had worked many man hours throughout the offseason to increase performance, particularly on starting line take off. In Round 2 of qualifying the hard worked proved itself as the hot rod got off to its fastest start ever. Unfortunately the car simultaneously suffered a minor mechanical part failure with serious potential consequences. Due to the breakage, Lucas Oil spilled oil under the rear tires, but Olatunji was able to gather the car back into his control and avoid major damage to the race car. “After I put it into second gear the rear tires began to move and I quickly corrected it to avoid problems. I talked to the car all the way to a stop,” said a reflective Olatunji. Fans who witnessed the pass told the Leadfoot team that they thought for sure there was going to be a crash. Brian O made a great save, but unfortunately nicked the right rear Toyo Tires slick. Leadfoot always has safety at the forefront and the decision was made to not make another run until the tire could be accessed properly.
Throughout the event the Leadfoot Models informed fans of the new Pepsi Swagpak™ presented by Leadfoot Media. Spectators were told that there were prizes being given away in the Brian Olatunji pit area. When they arrived they discovered that raffle ticket stubs were attached to Brian Olatunji hero cards. Last season there was only one Swagpak™ winner per event at Milan Dragway. This year the Leadfoot team has upped it to one winner every hour, giving more fans a chance at winning and also drawing more fans to the Leadfoot pit area. Each winner receive a Pepsi grab bag full of goodies.
Tags: Brian O, Brian Olatunji, Detroit, Heads Up, Ian Lewis Moore, Leadfoot Media, Lucas Oil, Marketing, Michigan, Milan Dragway, NHRA, Pepsi, Pepsi Swagpak™ presented by Leadfoot Media, Prize Toss, Qualifying, Race, Rodger's Chevrolet, Staff Sergeant Rojas, Toyo Tires, U.S. Army
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February 10th, 2010 in News by Leadfoot Media Public Relations
Detroit, MI – Aspiring NHRA Fuel Funny Car driver and 2005 Kettering University (formally GMI) graduate in Mechanical Engineering; Brian Olatunji and the Leadfoot Motorsports team are proud to announce PepsiCo and the Pepsi brand will continue their marketing partnership for the upcoming 2010 NHRA All Motor and Chaos heads-up divisions. 2010 marks the second consecutive year Brian O and team will represent Pepsi in hopes of capturing both the NHRA All Motor and Chaos titles.
Olatunji and team have already began preparations for the impending 2010 campaign and are pleased a world class corporation such as Pepsi recognized the value of their partnership which began in 2009.
“We are pleased, excited and humbled to represent Pepsi and look to meet our objectives in hopes that our relationship will continue to provide value and yield results,” said Olatunji team owner and driver. Olatunji continued, “Our goals at Leadfoot Motorsports, LLC have always been to align with world class corporations and we are elated to see our marketing partners recognize the value of our partnership. We look to demonstrate that value through collective actions centered on brand identity and ultimately driving sales. We’re building a world class organization at Leadfoot Motorsports.”
Brian O and team are meticulously preparing the teams, Chevrolet Monte Carlo for competition with the season to begin May 7th at Milan Dragway located in Milan, MI. “We thank Mr. William Langford and the entire PepsiCo Corporation for continuing to believe in our program and offering the opportunity to increase ne-another’s value. To our many fans look for a dynamic marketing campaign filled with opportunities to interact with the Leadfoot Motorsports team as well as a sleek new paint scheme on the hot rod,” said a jubilant Olatunji.
For more details, please visit Olatunji’s website at www.brianolatunji.com and download the 2010 press packet.
Download a PDF of this news article here.
Tags: Brian O, Brian Olatunji, Detroit, Heads Up, Leadfoot Media, Michigan, Milan Dragway, NHRA, Partnership, Pepsi
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February 10th, 2010 in News by Leadfoot Media Public Relations
Detroit, MI – Aspiring NHRA Fuel Funny Car driver and 2005 Kettering University (formally GMI) graduate in Mechanical Engineering; Brian Olatunji and the Leadfoot Motorsports team will continue as part of the Lucas Oil family and their marketing partnership for the upcoming 2010 NHRA All Motor and Chaos heads-up divisions.
Lucas Oil has aligned with Brian O and the Leadfoot Motorsports team for a fifth consecutive year of their partnership which began in 2006. Lucas Oil will continue as a major associate partner in the Leadfoot Motorsports program.
Brian O and team will continue to represent Lucas Oil with the intent of capturing both the NHRA All Motor and Chaos titles. Olatunji and team have already began preparations for the impending 2010 campaign and are pleased a world class corporation such as Lucas Oil continues to recognized the value of their partnership. “Lucas Oil makes superior products and we stand by their moniker… IT WORKS,” said Olatunji team owner and driver. Olatunji continued, “Just as Mr. Lucas built his company from a dream and achieved monumental results the same is true for my team and I. We could not do what we’ve done without the support we receive through our partners. We look at creating value for each of our partners based on their objectives and having Lucas Oil on board for a fifth consecutive year shows the value of our program and strength of our partnership!”
Brian O and team are meticulously preparing the teams, Chevrolet Monte Carlo for competition with the season to begin May 7th at Milan Dragway located in Milan, MI. “We thank Mr. Lucas, Mr. Bogner and the entire Lucas Oil family for continuing to believe in our program and offering the opportunity to increase one-another’s value. To our many fans look for a dynamic marketing campaign filled with opportunities to interact with the Leadfoot Motorsports team as well as a sleek new paint scheme on the hot rod,” said a jubilant Olatunji.
For more details, please visit Olatunji’s website at www.brianolatunji.com and download the 2010 press packet.
Download a PDF of this news article here.
Tags: Brian O, Brian Olatunji, Detroit, Heads Up, Leadfoot Media, Michigan, Milan Dragway, NHRA, Partnership, Pepsi
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