Hope everyone had…
A safe Memorial Day. And to start off a new week, some PR coolness.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts: Howard Finelt COO Fireballed! Inc. 818-968-2627/ 310-921-6000
Andrew Cutler MINI Press Communications Manager MNI USA 201-307-3784 Andrew.cutler@miniusa.com
MINI USA RENEWS LONG TERM DEVELOPMENT DEAL WITH FIREBALLED! RACING & PERFORMANCE WITH AFTERMARKET TUNER MOTORSPORT PROGRAM
Torrance, CA. May 29, 2007  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.â€
“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 MINIâ€
The “World’s Fastest Built™ 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.
www.fireballed.com www.fireballtim.com www.cartv.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, 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
 #Â
What the BLEEP?
Now, this is just plain cool. Check it here… https://wiskmom.com/
Stay focused…
Success. Not a term to be taken lightly. Case in point, we had an extraordinary FOCUS GROUP at the shop over the weekend. Great minds, thinking alike to achieve something cool. And we did. (Special thanks to everyone who came.)
Case in point 2. Woke up Saturday morning early to get my wife Kathie to her first Martial Arts Tournament. Now, having done hundreds of these in the past 30 years, I didn’t consider it a big deal. But, …it was. It was ’cause it was Kathie’s first. And her nerves were dancing like fleas on a newborn shrew.
Lake View Terrace, CA. 7am. And about 150 participants. Now, for those of you who have never done this, it was a small tourney. Big ones are like the one coming in August. The BATTLE OF L.A. Hosted by GrandMaster Ho Sik Pak. But, since this was Kathie’s first, she was very excited.
And her specialty? Kata. Forms. Like a dance, only done to kick someone’s butt. 4 Competitors. All men. The air was like uncooked pea soup.
And after some hardcore visualization and focus, Kathie performed her Kata (Pyng Ahn Cho Dahn) nearly flawlessly and scored 2ND PLACE. A truly awesome achievement.
For some, 2nd place would mean that they didn’t get first. But, knowing my wife the way I do, she overcame that thought with the idea that just getting out there and performing made her a winner. She DIDN’T GIVE UP.
And that, my friends, is the message for all of us. Great things are achieved by those that stick to it and don’t take “no” for an answer. Certainly inspired me…
So, post a congratulations here if you desire. Let her know that you aren’t giving up also. That you’re gonna stick it out and make whatever you want come true. And together we can all achieve something great…
Mach 3 tinkertime Part2… The Culprit.
In search of the dastardly deeder, the nemesis.. sis, the evil doodoer. Ah yes. And after rips and tears, pulls and twists, the culprit has revealed himself. It’s, it’s……
…the bearing. The Mach3 has been taken out by a tiny round, uh, (half round) piece a metal. Not much bigger than a stick of gum, were you to lay it flat. But nevertheless, that one tiny ouncy piece took out a billion horsepower super machine galor!! Ok, I’m stretchn’ it a bit, but kinda sucks, eh?
Whatever…
Spent the day designing a new MINI. Can’t say what it is, cause THAT would be the death of me by my partners in crime. But rest assured, it’s a mean, lean, horsepower machine. Well, …kinda. It IS a machine, though. And it IS a MINI. And it IS a new MINI with MiniUSA.                             …Wups. Ignore that last part. Uh, …gotta go!
Overpromise and Overdeliver…
Okay, a day late. But HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all Moms. You know, Moms are cool, so I hope they got the goods this weekend. Now, …some of you may have Challenged Moms. As in, Moms that kinda stink, so if your Mom isn’t so supportive of your doin’s, then give us a call here at the shop. We’ll put her in the M600 and take her for a spin. By the time she gets out, she’ll concede to our way of thinking. Just a thought…
This week brings more MACH3 tinker time and a variety of Fireballed! shenanagans. So, it will be interesting for sure. Did I mention I’m now training with world famous boxing coach Phil Garcia? He trained ALI. Not sure I understand the concept of paying someone to kick my butt… I mean, I can get that for free at home with Kathie…
Mach 3 tinkertime Part1…
So, there I was. Ripping the Mach3 apart, guided by the genius of Hubie and Brian. Bottom line, the more you know, the more you realize you don’t. Originally, my intention was to mod the Mach3 into the stratosphere, but instead, the major mods will now include… bolts. As in, lotsa missing bolts. As in, bolts, nuts, and several other doodads that seem to be missing and appearing. So far, here’s the tally…
-Transmission Mount Bolt. (Check the cool photo) Seems this bolt didn’t like staying put and decided to do “the shimmie.” If you have an ’02, I’d double check it.
-Axle Couplet has three bolts. Uh, did I say three… I meant to say only one. As in, that’s all there was. Feels like a Coo Day “Bolt” Ta. (I can’t spell French thingies) Although I can spell chocolat!
-One really big phillips screwdriver. Orange handle. Just hanging around near the header. Don’t remember ever owning an orange handled screwdriver…. But cool, now I have one!
-A second Header Gasket, just incase the attached gasket fell off for some reason, I woudn’t have to go to the store for another. This one was jammed between the header and the heat shield. I won’t mention who installed the header so many years ago… but you get the spanky.
-A strange fur type substance, crammed between a round metal thingie and a belt pullied thingie. Not sure what THAT was, but it didn’t smell too good. I’m thinking something in the Gerbil/Mole species. Dee…licious!!
So, we move forward into uncharted 100,000 mile territory. What else will we find in the coming days? It’s a secret to be revealed very soon…
Yea, even THEY have to ship boxes…
So, there I was, minding my own business. Mail Boxes Etc. 4pm. Crowded. I mean 20 cows in a 2 foot pasture crowded. And,… there she was. A vision. A vision of,… well, let’s just say she was a vision of someone trying to send a package, two kids in baseball uniforms, hair tazer zapped…. yes, it was Pamela Anderson. Doing normal stuff that normal people do. Yes, she may be a bombshell, smart as a whip, and one hell of a businesswoman, but she’s… normal. Like all of us.
Okay, she makes bank, that’s true. But she should. She does what she does well, and passionately. Made me think as she handed the Mail Boxes Dood her credit card. “Bet that card’s got bank,” I thought.
Point being? No matter how much dough you have, you still have to wait in line like the rest of us. …And be normal. Unless you’re Paris Hilton. She’s Abnormal. Or an alien….
Put, put, pooped…
A few days ago, my car THE MACH 3, was closing rapidly to 100,000 miles. Man, has that gone fast. And I was so proud that it was still running strong. Even the clutch was still original. Granted, I’ve done a lot of mods to it, but it’s always been the last on the list at FIREBALLED! compared to the M600 or the MEGAmini or WIDOW. On the backburner ’cause I’m always driving. Everywhere!
Now, as a MINI, you can always expect good things. And even with this weekend’s kaput… uh, Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â …Wait a sec. I neglected to mention what happened! I never mentioned that as I was driving through Topanga Canyon, I started to hear something very strange. I never mentioned that as I picked up my Dad to head to the Mini Maniacs Breakfast at Coogies in Malibu, it started to sound even WORSE. I never mentioned that by the time I got there, the clickety clack went to thumpedy thump. Well,… it did. And now, …I have a dead MINI.
So, it is with great excitement that I say that THE MACH 3 is down. …Huh? Excited? …OF COURSE, YOU!! And no matter how long it takes. And no matter much money I’ll have to invest, the MACH 3 will reappear bigger, badder and better than ever before.
Events like this makes me think about my responses. And responses become my outcome, solidifying my experience. But, it is my response that is of utmost importance. Because how I look at things determines my experience. So, that means I have a choice. Life has options, always. So, in any given situation where my tendancy is to focus on the negative, I have to force myself to see what is positive. Because being positive moves me forward. And the only way to move forward is to accept responsibility for EVERYTHING that has happened to me in my life. And, I must admit, I have to take responsibility for not taking better care of my car.
So, …I am grateful for my car breaking down.
Now, time to get my hands dirty…
It’s May. A new month with new stuph…
The boys are back from Hawaii, having just built the Fastest MINI on the Islands. 400+whp! Sick. Just plain sick. As in, if I got in it, went up on a Volcano Run and back down, I’d be spewin’ chunks. And boy, wouldn’t THAT be fun…
May, traditionally is a Spring month. And to welcome it in, I MAY do some cool stuph. I MAY do something outrageous. I MAY be TOTALLY INSANE!!! Or, I may just make myself a cup of Hot Chocolate and watch Car Crazy. Oooo, decisions, decisions… It’s MAY and it’s gonna be a good one.
