FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kevin Macvaugh
Bullish Racing Communications
(201) 342-8374
pr@bullishmotorracing.com
BULLISH SET TO ROCK DRAG HISTORY AT NDRA ROCKINGHAM
ROCKINGHAM, North Carolina (June 22, 2005) – Following a constructive, week-long break in their racing schedule, Bullish Motor Racing and their StreetGlow-sponsored Solara is set to head to the blue hills of North Carolina for NOPI Rocks NC, June 25-26, the fifth race of the 12-race 2005 NDRA XBOX Cup championship. As well, the team is readying the ground-breaking Bullish AEM Import Dragster for a planned on-track debut this weekend.
Team owner and driver Ara Arslanian is chasing an unprecedented third consecutive NDRA championship with a comfortable 80-point lead in the season point’s chase. Arslanian is also planning to take a historic trip down the Rockingham Dragway in the team’s AEM Import Dragster, the first entry in the NDRA’s new Pro Extreme Compact category. The team unloaded both the Solara and dragster at a local track this past week for a day-long private testing session and was able to extract an immense amount of track data.
“We accomplished a lot this past week,” said Arslanian. “We were able to get some on-track testing in and that allowed us to tweak a lot of setup changes that we normally can’t risk during a championship weekend. What we picked up this past week in our Solara program will really show in the next half of the season. We also unleashed the AEM Import Dragster on the track for the first time for some half track testing. But most importantly, I was able to spend a great Father’s Day weekend with my three beautiful daughters and wife. The sacrifice in family time is the one thing you don’t hear enough about in racing. I was really thankful that our schedule allowed us to enjoy some quality family time.”
The StreetGlow-sponsored Solara was refitted with a completely new engine program for 2005. The new source of motivation is still based on the venerable 3.0 L 2JZ Inline-6 (Toyota Supra engine) that the team pioneered, but outfitted with an off-the-shelf HKS stroker kit that increases displacement to 3.4 L. As well, the team went back to trusted partner Turbonetics to source the engine’s turbos, but this time outfitting a twin-turbo system for a revolutionary, highly-potent combination. While the program showed its early potential at the team’s season opener (NHRA Moroso), powering the StreetGlow Solara to a best ever 6.64, limited track time from a dense competition schedule and inclement weather soon presented healthy challenges to the progress of development.
“The 3.4L HKS Stroker is the future of 2JZ drag programs and pioneering the development in an extreme high-performance scenario obviously brings a lot of challenges. The twin-turbo 3.4L engine further proves that Bullish Racing is not a stranger to pioneering. If you look at our history, from the first 9-sec six-speed Supra in 1999 to the AEM Import Dragster that we’re about to unleash this weekend, it’s pretty clear that we’ve always been pioneers; we’re innovators, not imitators. It’s been our method of success from day one.”
Later during the session, the team Arslanian strapped between the rails of the team’s Top Alcohol-based rail dragster that has its sights on running the first 5-second import-powered quarter mile. The Bullish AEM Import Dragster is also motivated by a twin-turbocharged 2JZ Inline-6 – though it retains its factory 3.0 L displacement. Besides dual Turbonetics turbochargers, the engine will also crank out upwards of 1,600 hp with the help of AEM engine electronics. AEM engineers are expected to play an active role in developing the Import Dragster’s potential. Arslanian was able to situate himself in the tight cockpit of the dragster and flawlessly perform several burnouts as well as enough passes to upgrade his NHRA competition license to a dragster license.
“It really does leave you speechless. There’s no comparison to anything else with wheels. I can imagine that it’s comparable to strapping yourself to a rocket. We took three runs, and they weren’t full passes at that, but they’re already three of the most memorable – out of hundreds - in my career. Everything, from the burnout to the sounds and sights of a naked twin-turbo 2JZ, is unbelievable. We’re still really early in our learning and development curve; and the testing showed that we need to upgrade some of the one-off parts for the dragster. We expect to be able to get all the parts this week and be ready for our first public passes this weekend. We really want to get it out there for some big passes for the Rockingham fans.”
The team will update fans on the status of its weekend plans for the dragster on the team website, www.bullishmotorracing.com. For more event information about the NDRA NOPI Rocks NC event, please visit www.nopi.com. The event will be tape-delay broadcast on a future episode of NOPI Tuner Vision on SPEED, Wednesdays at 8PM, 11PM, and 2AM (repeat on Saturday 6PM).
Editor’s Note: Members of the media interested in attending the event are encouraged to contact Kevin Macvaugh, Bullish Motor Racing, (201) 342-8374 or Seth Rubin, Alan Taylor Communications, (212) 714-1280.
About Bullish Motor Racing
Bullish Motor Racing, based in Hackensack, New Jersey, is a premier professional sport compact drag racing team competing in both the NHRA and NDRA sport compact drag racing series. Owner/driver Ara Arslanian competes in a tube-framed Toyota Solara powered by a 1,600 horsepower production-based, turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6 engine. In the past three years, the team has amassed an unprecedented 4 championships with their third consecutive NDRA Championship coming last year. In addition to the national titles, the team also currently holds and has held quarter mile ET and MPH world records in the NHRA and the NDRA, as well as numerous track records. www.bullishmotorracing.com
About Street Glow, Inc.
StreetGlow® defined a new category in the automotive aftermarket with the introduction of Auto-Neon® and has since inspired a new generation of enthusiasts with its extensive line of performance lighting products. Their cutting-edge line of StreetGlow and OPTXR by StreetGlow branded products continues to drive new automotive lighting trends and showcase the popularity of this emergent category. Named to the prestigious Inc. 500 list of America's fastest growing private companies for four consecutive years, StreetGlow, Inc. is the number one choice in Auto-Neon and performance lighting products worldwide. For more information, visit www.streetglow.com or www.optxbystreetglow.com
Bullish Motor Racing 2005 Season Statistics
ABOUT OUR SPONSORS
Through our sponsors, team Bullish Motor Racing has been able to compete at the highest level of performance with the best resources and equipment. Bullish Motor Racing thanks all of our sponsors for their great support in making us a championship team.
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