MINIUSA Press Release: MINI USA has renewed its motorsport racing development program with Southern California’s extreme tuning house, FIREBALLED! RACING, signing a 5 year deal through 2012. FIREBALLED! will continue the build-out of its MINI race programs through a number of upcoming TV, internet, mobile and multi-media platforms and event venues.
With the launch of the new 2007 MINI Cooper and Cooper S, MINI USA is exploring a variety of areas to expand and strengthen the MINI brand via the sport compact market and race venues. With this agreement FIREBALLED! is uniquely positioned to help build and grow MINI’s visibility in the tuner and motorsport community through FIREBALLED!’s integrated divisions. These divisions involve racing & performance, promotional activities, design, merchandising and entertainment projects and feature Hollywood movie car designer and TV personality Fireball Tim Lawrence, along with tuner extraordinaire Hubie Fuh to assure the continued successes of the past two years.
“We are happy to continue our standing partnership with FIREBALLED! RACING.” said Richard Steinberg head of MINI USA product strategy and aftersales development. “The growth of our relationship between MINI USA and FIREBALLED! allows both partners to reach further out to the enthusiast tuner and racing audience in a way that is unique, creative and very MINI.”
“The new 2007 MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S represent an awesome platform for customizing and creating outrageous cars.” says Fireball Tim, President and CEO of FIREBALLED!, Inc. “We look forward to developing the new platform through our signature racing programs and competing at a variety of racing venues. It’s exciting because all of our cars will be featured in ‘Fireball Tim’s World of Cars’ on CarTV.com and a variety of upcoming entertainment venues including a series of new shows currently in development. It’s the kind of evolution we had hoped for to help solidify the future of our programs with MINI”
The “World’s Fastest Builtâ„¢ MINIs” developed by FIREBALLED! RACING has become a phenomenon through its motorsport racing programs and developing custom street MINIs with FIREPower. Starting with NHRA Drag Racing, FIREBALLED! holds the World Record with its MINI USA M600 Flamethrower. Through this program FIREBALLED! RACING has developed other custom high performance street legal MINIs.
FIREBALLED! RACING
FIREBALLED! RACING, a division of FIREBALLED! INC., is a promotional, racing and product development company in the automotive sport compact industry. In partnership with MINI USA, it helps to promote MINI as a customizable platform in motorsport racing and lifestyle events. FIREBALLED! RACING have built and currently campaign the “World’s Fastest Race MINI,” setting the mark at 10.6 ET @ 132MPH in the quarter mile. They also build FIREBALLED! Custom MINIs in Limited Edition and Signature Performance Series that are sold through select Dealerships. Working with over 50 sponsors, they have developed numerous programs and products that showcase the versatility of the MINI platform and their flexibility as one of the premiere vehicle designers and tuners.
MINI in the US
MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States, MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC which has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all Z4 models and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car centers, 335 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 142 BMW motorcycle retailers, 82 MINI passenger car dealers, and 30 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North, Central and South America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at:
www.bmwgroupna.com
www.bmwusa.com
www.bmwmotorradusa.com
www.miniusa.com
www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com
Great new, a gratz to the Fireball team. Glad to see Mini making this decision, now can’t wait to see what further madness you guys come up with.
How will the new R56 engine affect the FIREBALLED team? Bigger turbocharger?
Bigger is always better, eh?
Unless you have a pimple… Did I just say that out loud?
Lol Tim…
Before I fall into the trap of saying bigger is better I personally will have to sell my Exige. Think the Fireball team has shown one thing, the base Mini has good bones to build a terror around.
Are you guys planning any sweet mutations of the R56 yet Tim? Can’t wait to see what the next five years bring out of the Fireball team.
There’s some really talented people associated with F!R, but on a whole it comes off like a circus sideshow. Hot Import Night at the local dragstrip barely qualifies as “motorsport racing development”-I’d rather see MINI USA toss cash & spares to the road racers.
FIREBALLED! (just in case you missed it)
I disagree tsukiji, drag racing is a motorsport, although in conjunction with the support to the Fireball crew I would love to see the JCW cup races supported here in the states much better. Finally if we ever see a AWD I would love to see them help support somebody in a rally championship races too.
That in my opionon is motorsport support.
My .02 cents on this one:
1) I agree drag racing is a motorsport, no question about that!
2) I also feel strongly that MINI USA would be targeting a MUCH more appropriate audience by supporting the SCCA and GrandAm MINI race teams, even tho I admire and respect the FTR efforts greatly and love their staff and their products!
ok, .03 cents : 3) I predict that we will see JCW Challenge in the USA.
Wholly shinola, I am putting my reputation on the line with this comment. No personal offense, please, to anyone involved with FTR. You guys are breaking new ground in r&d, maxing out the current MINI and splattering the world with some outstanding publicity!
Just a purely personal point of view to share.