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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.”

Almost mythical pony

The Shelby came to our shores in 2003. It went from the original New Zealand owner to an owner in Auckland. Malcolm just happened to be in the right place with the right amount of money in 2018 and a deal was done. Since then, plenty of people have tried to buy it off him. The odometer reads 92,300 miles. From the condition of the car that seems to be correct and only the first time around.
Malcolm’s car is an automatic. It has the 1966 dashboard, the back seat, the rear quarter windows and the scoops funnelling air to the rear brakes.
He even has the original bill of sale from October 1965 in California.

Becoming fond of Fords part two – happy times with Escorts

In part one of this Ford-flavoured trip down memory lane I recalled a sad and instructive episode when I learned my shortcomings as a car tuner, something that tainted my appreciation of Mk2 Ford Escort vans in particular. Prior to that I had a couple of other Ford entanglements of slightly more redeeming merit. There were two Mk1 Escorts I had got my hands on: a 1972 1300 XL belonging to my father and a later, end-of-line, English-assembled 1974 1100, which my partner and I bought from Panmure Motors Ford in Auckland in 1980. Both those cars were the high water mark of my relationship with the Ford Motor Co. I liked the Mk1 Escorts. They were nice, nippy, small cars, particularly the 1300, which handled really well, and had a very precise gearbox for the time.
Images of Jim Richards in the Carney Racing Williment-built Twin Cam Escort and Paul Fahey in the Alan Mann–built Escort FVA often loomed in my imagination when I was driving these Mk1 Escorts — not that I was under any illusion of comparable driving skills, but they had to be having just as much fun as I was steering the basic versions of these projectiles.