FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kevin Macvaugh
Bullish Racing Communications
(201) 342-8374
pr@bullishmotorracing.com
BULLISH RACES TO 6.8/200; FINAL ROUND IN NDRA SEASON OPENER
PHOENIX, Arizona (March 22, 2005) – Bullish Motor Racing team owner and driver Ara Arslanian drove the team’s StreetGlow-sponsored Solara to a final round berth for the seventh time in ten races, dating back to last year’s season opener, at the NOPI Race Wars Phoenix at Firebird Raceway, March 19-20. The action-filled season opener attracted thousands of fans from the south west and was highlighted by two Bullish debuts - the 2005-spec Pro Compact Category Bullish StreetGlow Solara as well as the category first Pro Extreme Compact Bullish Racing AEM Import Dragster. While the competition did not end in a Xbox Cup trophy for the defending Pro Compact Champion, Arslanian was still more than happy for the results.
“It was a great weekend for Bullish and its family of supporters,” said Arslanian. “Between the Solara and the new dragster, the crew had their hands dirty all winter long and itching to get back to the track. It felt good to stretch the legs out on the Solara. We knew that the new HKS 3.4L engine spec and twin Turbonetics turbocharger setup would represent a new learning curve for us and we got a lot of new data from the event..”
Arslanian qualified second on the ladder after stopping the clocks with a 7.04-sec/202-mph lap in the second qualifying session. The Solara earlier ran a 7.31-sec/190-mph pass in the first qualifying session for its maiden voyage with the twin-turbo 3.4 L engine configuration. The Team used the data gathered during the qualifying sessions to make a few tuning adjustments and Arslanian proved their worth by driving to a 6.83-sec/200-mph pass in a first round single pass on Sunday, when track conditions deteriorated noticeably. The pass set up a final round showdown with competitor Matt Hartford. Arslanian, looking for a starting line advantage, let go of the clutch just .078 seconds too soon and triggered a red light foul that automatically gave the win to Hartford, who cruised to the line with a 9.20-sec/108-mph clocking.
“I feel really bad about the red light. I had six guys on my team thrash all weekend to get this new engine combination right and I really feel that I let them down with the red light. The good news is that the HKS 3.4 L / twin Turbonetics turbo combo shows A LOT of potential. We’re only five passes in and we already saw some of the best front half numbers we’ve ever run on my last pass. We didn’t get a full read because of a shifting problem that didn’t let me get into fifth, but we think we’ve got a good read heading into the next race.”
The vast Phoenix crowds also were the lucky first to check out the new Bullish Racing AEM Import Dragster, the first entry in the new NDRA Pro Extreme Compact category. With a twin Turbonetics turbo-powered 3.0 L 2JZ inline-six cylinder engine, the team is hoping to see some truly historic performance numbers by the rail-based dragster.
“A lot of fans were excited and surprised to see the dragster – and its not even running yet. We can’t wait until we can fire her up in front of a crowd. It really is like nothing else our fans have seen before. You really have to see the looks on their faces when the see the giant twin turbos hanging on the side of a fully exposed 2JZ motor and sitting in a rail dragster. We’re glad to have AEM and our other dragster sponsors aboard and have a lot of plans for this baby.”
The NOPI Race Phoenix will be broadcast on a future edition of NOPI Tunervision on SPEED. For more event information about the NDRA XBOX Cup Racing Series and NOPI Race Wars Phoenix, please visit www.nopi.com.
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 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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