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Speculation surrounding John Force sponsor peaks

3 November, 2014

Speculation and anticipation surrounding the sponsorship of one of the world’s most well-known drag racers, John Force, has now been put to rest. John Force Racing (JFR) and Peak have announced a new agreement that sees Peak Antifreeze and Coolant and BlueDEF brands coming on board as primary sponsor for John Force during the 2015 NHRA season and beyond. This follows reports earlier this year that Force’s existing primary sponsors, Ford and Castrol would both be cutting back at the end of the 2014 NHRA season.

John Force Racing will be sponsored by Peak Antifreeze and Coolant for the 2015 NHRA season

The new agreement sees the brands as the primary sponsor of John Force’s Funny Car for the majority of the 2015 season, as well as continuing as a major associate sponsor on team members Robert Hight, Courtney Force, and Brittany Force’s cars.

“I’m committed to continuing to lead a championship team and Peak has proven a similar commitment to the NHRA. Thanks to Peak Antifreeze and Coolant, I won’t be hanging up my hat from this sport anytime soon,” said 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force.

The crowd checks out the new-look Peak Antifreeze and Coolant–sponsored Funny Car

Old World Industries includes the Peak Antifreeze and Coolant and BlueDEF brands, and its chief marketing officer, Bryan Emrich, says the company is honoured to be behind John Force and JFR for the 2015 season and into the future.

“Peak chooses partners that exude the same passion and personal character of hard work that our company upholds. After working with John over the past year, it was clear that he and his family are a great fit for our company, allowing us to make the decision to step up and ensure John keeps racing for many more years to come. He is an icon in this sport and a fan favourite, and we are lucky to be tied with such a great championship-winning organization.”

ROTARY CHIC

Kerry Bowman readily describes himself as a dyed-in-the-wool Citroën fan and a keen Citroën Car Club member. His Auckland home holds some of the chic French cars and many parts. He has also owned a number of examples of the marque as daily drivers, but he now drives a Birotor GS. They are rare, even in France, and this is a car which was not supposed to see the light of day outside France’s borders, yet somehow this one escaped the buyback to be one of the few survivors out in the world.
It’s a special car Kerry first saw while overseas in the ’70s, indulging an interest sparked early on by his father’s keenness for Citroëns back home in Tauranga. He was keen to see one ‘in the flesh’.
“I got interested in this Birotor when I bought a GS in Paris in 1972. I got in contact with Citroën Cars in Slough, and they got me an invitation to the Earls Court Motor Show where they had the first Birotor prototype on display. I said to a guy on the stand, ‘I’d like one of these,’ and he said I wouldn’t be allowed to get one. Citroën were building them for their own market to test them, and they were only left-hand drive.”

Tradie’s Choice

Clint Wheeler purchased this 1962 Holden FJ Panelvan as an unfinished project, or as he says “a complete basket case”. Collected as nothing more than a bare shell, the rotisserie-mounted and primed shell travelled the length of the country from the Rangiora garage where it had sat dormant for six years to Clint’s Ruakaka workshop. “Mike, the previous owner, was awesome. He stacked the van and parts nicely. I was pretty excited to get the van up north. We cut the locks and got her out to enjoy the northland sun,” says Clint. “The panelvan also came with boxes of assorted parts, some good, some not so good, but they all helped.”