In December, lubricants specialist Champion Oil announced its sponsorship of the July 2017 Great Race, where the overall winner will receive $50 000 in prize money and an additional $1 000 in racing oil.
The Great Race is the world's premiere old car rally that has been ongoing for 34 years. It is a nine-day journey that covers nearly 4 023 km in vehicles built in 1972 and earlier. This year, it will offer scenic views and historic landmarks along the Dixie Highway. The Great Race route will visit nearly 20 city stops, along the way travelling through Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan.
"Champion Racing Oil is proud to support The Great Race, which combines the accuracy in calculation and rally skills with an appreciation of historic automobiles," says Champion Oil racing and performance products director Karl Dedolph.
He adds that being named the official motor oil is a great tribute to its ‘purpose-built’ lubricant technology formulated for protection and performance.
The Great Race competition, presented by monthly magazine Hemmings Motor News and collector vehicle tyres supplier Coker Tire, is based on precision driving and navigational skills in classic, antique and vintage automotives. The competition, which was founded in 1983, includes numerous timed endurance rally stages. There are 100 entries in the competition this year.
Dedolph points out that it is not only a race but a timed/speed/distance rally on public roads to determine the driver and navigator team that best adhere to the course instructions, while testing the endurance of both the cars and the people on board. Each rally segment must be completed in a set time; arriving early is just as bad as arriving late, and points are deducted.
In addition to the cash payouts, Champion, a long-time corporate sponsor of the race, will be presenting a Championship Belt and $1 000 in racing oil to the overall best team using Champion lubricants.
Champion Racing Oils are built specifically to meet the lubrication demands of hot rod, street rod, classic and muscle car engines, especially those using flat tappet and roller cams operating at high revolutions per minute and requiring high-pressure valve springs. To meet these demands, Champion uses its premium zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate antiwear protection package, which contains a unique balance of chemistry that includes high levels of zinc and phosphorus.
All Champion Racing Motor Oils contain an exclusive Thermal Viscosity Stabiliser technology. This proprietary technology delivers unmatched film strength at high temperature, better piston ring seal for maximum compression, and increases horsepower and torque in most engines.
Meanwhile, Dedolph concludes that Champion brands produce and blend over 350 products, including fuel, oil, engine additives and lubricants for the racing, automotive, heavy truck, agricultural, industrial and speciality markets.