MINIUSA Press Release. 
Fireballed Racing and MINI USA Selected to Build Custom Project MINI
Torrance, CA – August 8, 2007… MINI USA and FIREBALLED! RACING & PERFORMANCE! have been selected to compete on the hit SPEED Channel series “Street Tuner Challenge” premiering its third season this October, 2007.
FIREBALLED! RACING & PERFORMANCE! representing the European vehicle manufacture entry, will customize a 2007 MINI Cooper S to go head-to-head with two other teams modifying their respective US and Asian vehicle entries. The program, with its 13 planned episodes, airs on SPEED Channel, the fastest growing sports specialty station in the US with a reach of over 75 million homes via cable and satellite across North America.
“Street Tuner Challenge” is comprised of three competitive categories for a winning total score. With 3 months available to each team, the challenge is to improve three main categories:
- Interior – Upholstery, Audio/Video
- Exterior – Graphics, Paint, Body Design
- Horsepower – Dyno – Stopping – Improved Lap – Improved High Speed
After 13 weeks, all three vehicles face-off in an intense and extremely entertaining race format called “Time Attack”, the hottest new Motorsports craze from Japan. Three laps – Two heats – Base model vs. Challenge vehicle – Challenge vehicles vs. the clock. The teams have 30 minutes and as many fast and furious laps as each can take – only the fastest lap counts… as the three ultra-modified Street Tuners compete for the top billing.
FIREBALLED! RACING & PERFORMANCE! is uniquely positioned to successfully compete in the Challenge and has demonstrated via unique development programs that MINI is an excellent platform for motor sports tuning and performance. Such MINI projects include their development of the “World’s Fastest MINI USA M600 Flamethrower”. This MNI import dragster has earned its title on the NHRA tracks over the past two years, winning the NHRA Design Award in Englishtown, NJ. FIREBALLED! RACING & PERFORMANCE! has also developed custom high performance MINIs and Limited Editions sold through select dealerships. Fireball Tim’s special “Hollywood Design Brand” will also bring an exciting and creative element to the competition.
Representing the European vehicle manufacture entry, MINI USA will provide the team with 2007 MINI Cooper S vehicles for modification and competition. With its razor-sharp handling, expressive design and overt brand personality, MINI is an ideal entry for the competition. MINI has an impressive racing heritage and more recently, with its exceptional performance, it has become a success story in competitive grassroots level motorsports. Customization is another desirable MINI brand attribute that fits perfectly with the show’s concept. With factory options, there are 150 Trillion possible unique combinations of MINI that can be built. Add dealer and aftermarket accessories and the number increases.
“We are proud to be selected to compete against the other two skilled teams who will be modifying the US and Asian vehicle manufacture entries.” said Howard Finelt COO of Fireballed! Enterprises, Inc. “We believe strongly in the design and performance abilities of our team featuring Tune Master Hubie Fuh and Hollywood Car Designer Fireball Tim Lawrence. Both are unsurpassed in their skill and creativity and should heighten the level of the competition.”
“This is a great opportunity for MINI USA to showcase – in the extreme – the versatility and unique personalizing strengths of our MINI product.” said Jeff Stracco, Product Manager for MINI USA. “Our collaboration with FIREBALLED! RACING & PERFORMANCE! and our participation in the 2008 “Street Tuner Challenge” will help us reach out to the enthusiast tuner and racing audience to show that MINI is an excellent platform to visually customize, performance tune, and/or compete in motorsports.”
“Everyone at WAS Productions is eager to watch FIREBALLED! RACING & PERFORMANCE! in action as we have seen their work and know they bring elite skills and craftsmanship to our series.” said Dan Woods, Executiver Producer of Street Tuner Challenge. “The design skills of “Fireball Tim” Lawrence combined with the mechanical knowledge of Hubie Fuh is a great combination that few teams can match and we feel MINI USA has chosen well with FIREBALLED! RACING & PERFORMANCE! as their building partners in this year’s “Street Tuner Challenge”.
FIREBALLED! RACING & PERFORMANCE!
FIREBALLED! RACING & PERFORMANCE! 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 & PERFORMANCE! 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.
www.fireballed.com
www.fireballtim.com
www.myride.com
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 of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, 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, 81 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.bmwmotorcycles.com
www.miniusa.com
www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com
I can’t to watch this season’s Street Tuner Challenge. Though I’m not a big fan of frou-frou stuff on tuner cars, I can’t to see what Fireballed Racing does with their entry on the show!
very interested in seeing performance mods they come up with; 10.6 sec quater mile for a mini – that’s insane!
For those who don’t have ‘Speed Channel’ is there another way to see the Mini portion of the shop?
I disagree that the R56 is the ideal car for this competition.
This is not a head-to-head competition in the sense that the Fireballed MINI will compete with the other cars — it is a competition to see how much Fireballed! R&P can improve the base car. In other words, they’re competing against the base R56.
So. . . other teams that start out with a crappy car have much more room for improvement.
The Fireballed! guys can do amazing things — and i know they will surprise us once again — but they have more of a challenge by having to improve on a car that already (according to edmunds) has a faster slalom time than a 2007 Porsche 911 Turbo.
Good luck guys, I’ll be cheering for ya — i just think you would’ve been better off starting out with a Scion.
Im actually suprised they chose the MCS over the MC.
Part of the challange is a measure of the bhp improvement from stock to modified. I would think that starting with a car with a lower bhp would be an advantage as I would assume any of the three teams wouldn’t have any problem adding a turbo (or two) to a non-turbo car.
I assume they just didn’t want to risk fiddliing with new, yet-to be fully cracked ECU… that and mod parts for the R56 aren’t as plentiful as the 5-year-old 1st Gen MINI?
Can’t wait ’till it gets a little closer. I’ll be Tivo-ing it, for sure!
Dr. Fuh always has surprises up his sleeve…
It’s true, the Cooper would make sense, but judging is based on a variety of things. And different from previous seasons. So, there will be some interesting competitive points revealed that weren’t in past shows. We do compete against our base model, but also against the other cars. We’ll do our best for you guys!
Hav eno doubt that you guys will make something unique, cool, and blazingly fast Tim.
Can’t wait to see Dr. Fuh directions he takes with the car.
Lookin forward to the show!
It sure would have been nice to know the other brands MINI will be going up against. I know you just didn’t want to bring it up…or did you?