New Season, New Sponsors
- myanspaccarelli
- Mar 18, 2014
- 3 min read
Friday can’t come quick enough for Myan Spaccarelli. That’s when the drivers and teams that compete in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series will roll into Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler, Arizona, to open the new season.
The E3 Spark Plugs Arizona Off Road Nationals March 22-23 will be the first of eight events on the series schedule and Spaccarelli is looking forward to unveiling the new, improved Tonka Pro 2 truck.
The Simi Valley, California, resident and his TeamUp Racing crew have spent the past three seasons competing on a part-time basis and learning by trial and error. Now Spaccarelli hopes the team can apply all it has learned and make the big move upward in the point standings that he feels the team’s impressive group of sponsors deserve.
“This is such a great group of companies,” Spaccarelli said. “I’d be thrilled to have just one or two of them with us. Having them all in our corner is incredible.”
Tonka, which has been one of the world’s leading toy makers for almost 70 years, joined Spaccarelli and the series midway through the 2013 season and quickly became one of the spectators’ favorites with its familiar black and yellow colors and user-friendly display.
“It’s absolutely unbelievable and a little surreal to be connected with a brand as iconic as Tonka,” Spaccarelli said. “We couldn’t think of a better partner. They’ve been standing Tonka Tough since 1947.
“The toys are great and you really can’t ask for better people to have on your side. They are always hands on and what they are doing at the races with the Tonka Fun Zone for the kids is amazing. The kids have such a blast playing with the trucks and other toys.”
The team’s other sponsors – Mickey Thompson Tires, Ultra Wheel, Rigid Lights, Amsoil and iON Cameras – are just as impressive.
“Mickey Thompson was one of my early heros,” Spaccarelli said of the racer and founder of SCORE International and the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group, two of the forerunners of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series.
“He set more endurance and speed records than any man in automotive history, he was the first American to break the 400 miles per hour barrier and he knew how to build a tire. The company has maintained the standard of excellence that Mickey insisted on.
“Mounting Mickey Thompson Tires on Ultra Wheels really is a win-win deal. Ultra Wheel’s motto is “Championship-Caliber Quality” and they demonstrate that with their product and their service. We run low tire pressures and really smash these wheels into the ground and we haven’t bent one yet.”
Spaccarelli said visibility is crucial, particularly with most of this year’s races scheduled at night, and “Rigid Lights make the all-around best light on the market and they’re vibration-tested to military standards, so we know they can meet our needs.”
A couple of the other areas of concern during a race weekend are engine temperatures and the effect of friction on engine and suspension parts. Spaccarelli said Amsoil has eased those concerns.
“Amsoil knows racing and they’re first in synthetics. We’ve been able to see a difference in our temperatures since we’ve been running Amsoil. They make pro grade products that work in the worst environment and that’s what we need.”
Finally, Spaccarelli said, the team plans to shoot videos in high definition and share them in real time. That’s where iON comes in.
“iON Cameras are going to make this season a lot more exciting for all of us and definitely for the fans since we’ll have the ability to shoot in high definition and share in real time. It’s important for us to have a camera that can take a beating. iON has got the complete package and can take the abuse.”
