Future Of Transportation As Articulated By Frank Stephenson Captured By 2025AD

The world where art and science intersect, is where Designer Frank Stephenson feels alive and is most comfortable. Image Credit: 2025AD Screengrab (2020)

Future Of Transportation As Articulated By Frank Stephenson Captured By 2025AD

Speaking to 2025AD - The Autonomous Driving Community powered by Continental, Art Center College of Design trained and world renowned designer Frank Stephenson highlights his ideal way of getting from A to B, the future of vehicle interiors and of course, our move towards autonomous vehicles.

One of the world’s most successful and prolific automotive designers, Frank Stephenson has created some of the most instantly recognisable cars out there, ranging from the ubiquitous (Fiat 500, BMW X5, New Mini) to the unique (McLaren P1, Lilium flying taxi.)

For many, creating something iconic is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, based on hard work, good timing, and the right conditions. For Frank Stephenson, whose work creating icons has come seemingly naturally, is now turning his attention away from the car design world and towards the future of transportation.

"Chasing Perfect" is a bio-documentary that gives one insight into the complex world of designing for the masses while maintaining the integrity found in the definition of perfect. Find out more of what influences drive and inspires the designer behind what gets us around and surrounds us with space that speaks to our mobility & stylistic needs.

"Chasing Perfect" can be acquired via digital download order, streaming, and DVD purchase through the following resources.

Amazon
iTunes
Google Play
REDBOX
VUDU

... or, just Search for your favorite portal of choice.

... notes from The EDJE

Featured Posting On Electric Vehicles & Hybrid News




TAGS: Frank Stephenson, 2025AD, Autonomy, Continental, Chasing Perfect, Salon Pictures, Lionsgate UK, Head Gear Films, Ford, Escort, McLaren, Ferrari, Maserati, BMW X5, Mini, Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Art Center College Of Design, The EDJE

CES 2020 - THE GLOBAL STAGE FOR INNOVATION

CES 2020 - Image Credit: Edmund Jenks - EVHNews.com (2020)

CES 2020 - THE GLOBAL STAGE FOR INNOVATION

- CES 2020 Photo Album -

Photo overview gathered and presented by Electric Vehicles & Hybrid News managing editor Edmund Jenks (2020).

Hyundai Vertical Lift Aircraft - Image Credit: Edmund Jenks - EVHNews.com (2020)

CES is the world's gathering place for all those who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 years — the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace.

Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®, it attracts the world's business leaders and pioneering thinkers.

Future-Focused Automakers Turning to Startups

CES 2020 cemented its role as the most important show for automotive technology, with a handful of new car introductions (and re-introductions) plus lots of standalone technologies this week. Most US auto shows other than perhaps LA don’t generate a critical mass of tech-oriented auto company people, analysts, and journalists. CES certainly did.

Automakers are preparing for the future of mobility by investing in and partnering with all sorts of technology and mobility-focused startups, which allows them to expand their knowledge, capability and expertise to remain relevant in an industry on the verge of massive transformation.

Some might snicker when Byton CEO Daniel Kircher called the M-Byte EV “the first smart device on wheels,” but not the people attending this show. Of the vehicle introductions and concept cars, all were electrified – EVs or plug-in hybrids – with no gas-engine-only vehicles introduced.

Enjoy this visual overview gathered on an overnight boomerang run from Los Angeles to Las Vegas Wednesday January 7th and Thursday January 8th, 2020. What a way to begin a year of exciting possibilities.

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: Sony, Vision-S, Ford, Fisker, Nissan, Ariya, Mercedes Benz, Vision Avatar, Hyundai, Aisin, Toyota, EVBOX, Futurus, Renovo, Woven City, Fiat, Bell, Mobility Solutions, The EDJE

Lessons Learned In The Needs-Satisfaction World Of "Chasing Perfect"

Lessons Learned In The Needs-Satisfaction World Of "Chasing Perfect"
The first half in a life lived as a motorcycle competitor, artist, pursuer of nature, perfectionist and ... mobility solutions designer, Frank Stephenson.

"Chasing Perfect" is a documentary style film production by Salon Pictures and Lionsgate UK that is a biographical look behind the curtain of the creative and commercially productive life of Casablanca born, Frank Stephenson.

So, just who is this man who was placed into our everyday mobility consciousness?

Listing of the documentary that Salon Pictures, with a distribution partnership through Lionsgate, found as the working title of an active project on the Salon Pictures website. Image Credit: Salon Pictures (2018)

Many people are not aware, but they are met with Stephenson designed solutions when outside of their homes through the traveling designs of the Ford Escort, the BMW X5, the re-birth of the MINI, the modern version of the Fiat 500, as well as the establishment of McLaren in the world of (can this be said?) everyday drive and affordable supercar - a calculation most supercar creators and purveyors do not consider when they create a near 200mph, or better, transportation solution that is meant to be reliably driven (as opposed to being tinkered with in the tune-up shop) everyday.

To label Frank as an artist minimises the totality of what evolves through the many influences and points of information designer Stephenson has to consider and digest before he is given a target assignment objective and places a drawing instrument to a sheet of paper.

Caught in the act of enjoying pursuits of perfection in the McLaren presentation space along the 18th Fairway at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance - Frank and his wife, partner, best friend, co-pilot of "Riverbreeze", and co-lover of Bernese Shepherds, Linda Stephenson. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2016)

This documentary evolves into an enticing study in the life of an eternally young man who understands that perfection is elusive but for one convergent moment, achievable, given that ultimately, what's produced has to deliver its desired effect, one customer at a time.

This is the very reason why anyone who engages in pursuits that are designed to hit their target, be it a grocer, a lawyer, a boat builder, a healthcare specialist, a government services employee, a salesman, a teacher, a small business owner, or even a CEO would benefit from sitting down and investing an hour and thirty-one minutes experiencing "Chasing Perfect" with one who is never satisfied ... even when the project is over.

These viewing minutes will deliver many lessons when one wishes to become competent at chasing the concept of perfection throughout one's life.

"Chasing Perfect" can be acquired in North America as of July 9th, 2019 via digital download order, streaming, and DVD purchase through the following resources.

Amazon
iTunes
Google Play
REDBOX
VUDU

... or, just Search for your favorite portal of choice.

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: Frank Stephenson, Chasing Perfect, Salon Pictures, Lionsgate UK, Head Gear Films, Metrol Technology, 1091, Ford, Escort, McLaren, Ferrari, Maserati, BMW X5, Mini, Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, ArtCenter College Of Design, Stewart Reed, The EDJE

Formula Drift Championships Begin 2014 Season In Long Beach

Formula Drift Championships begin 2014 season in Long Beach 

Formula Drift 2014 Pro Championship begins its seven round national schedule by tearing up the streets of Long Beach for the 11th time. The course is set to use a portion of the back straightaway leading into the turns 9, 10, and Turn 11 hairpin of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach track.

Formula Drift cars line up to accept members of the gathered motorsports and celebrity media during the Toyota Pro/Celebrity track orientation and media day. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2014)

This excerpted and edited from Formula Drift website -

As the first official series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme, attracting fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life and establishes itself as the worldwide leader for the Sport. This high-skilled, high-powered motor sport where drivers intentionally maneuver their cars into well executed, controlled sideways slides at high speeds through a marked course, has professional drivers & teams competing in seven championship competitions in 2014.

Judged on execution and style, rather than who finishes the course in the fastest time, Drifting is a guaranteed crowd pleaser, and is often compared to the freestyle nature of skateboarding and motocross.

Formula DRIFT Fast Facts

•     Created first ever drifting world championship; brought together 32 drivers, 17 past and present championship, from 12 nations, representing 12 series
•     Created Formula Drift Asia Championship; first Pan-Asia professional championship
•     Created Formula Drift Pro Am Affiliate Network; bridge together various regional level series, the "minor league" for Formula Drift
•     7-stop Championship Series travels across the United States
•     87% of Formula Drift Fans are between 18-34 years old
•     Formula Drift is one of only a few sports to see a growth in attendance during the economic downturn in 2009 and 2010.
•     FIRST drifting championship in the world to be sponsored by non-endemic companies such as EA Games
•     FIRST drifting championship to have factory backed teams
•     FIRST drifting championship in the world to have an official, sanctioned competition on city streets
•     FIRST drifting championship to be aired on national cable & syndicated globally with a dedicated series of shows
•     FIRST drifting championship to be filmed and featured in high definition
•     FIRST drifting championship to be filmed and featured in 3D
•     Formula Drift has the MOST diverse driver field (nationality, age and gender) of any drifting series in the world and field of competition cars (year, make and model) of any drifting series in the world
•     Responsible for holding the MOST professional drifting events than anyone in North America
•     Held the HIGHEST attended drifting event ever

[Reference Here]

This excerpted and edited from RACER -

PREVIEW: Formula DRIFT Long Beach
Jen Horsey, RACER - Wednesday, 02 April 2014

The action has already begun. A media demonstration day Tuesday saw drivers Dean Kearney and Ryan Tuerck both hit the wall hard in a pair of unrelated crashes.

"It's an unforgiving track. It's really slippy and once you get into the marbles, there's no recovery from that," says driver Fredric Aasbo, who kept his Hankook Tire Scion Racing tC (pictured, ABOVE) out of trouble Tuesday. "It's a balancing act. You want to be able to find the limit, but that track bites your a** – if it goes wrong it's like a game of pinball, bouncing off the walls."

The motorsport calls for full commitment from competitors. Judges award points to drivers for smoky, sideways drifts based on criteria of speed, angle and style. While it is relegated to alternative status by racing purists, there is no arguing the high degree of car control required to deliberately hurl a sideways car into a corner and keep it pinned at 90mph, inches from an opponent's door.

"It is a race. It's not timed, per se, but leaving the other guy in the dust – or in the smoke – is still what matters most," says Aasbo.

And while both Kearney and Tuerck are expected to return to competition this weekend, it can be tough to bounce back from a tangle with the Long Beach course – especially given the power the cars are producing this year. This season is seeing a continuation of the incremental trend toward ever-increasing horsepower, facilitated by the series' open rulebook, which encourages development and innovation.
----
Perhaps more controversial [in this year's competition] is Formula Drift's decision to eliminate the third-place knockout round. Typically one of the most exciting battles of the weekend, drivers held nothing back in their attempts to earn the final spot on the podium.

Although the action was exciting, Sage said organizers made the decision for the fans. Too often, the third-place round often ran long as judges determined the competition too close to call and repeatedly called the drivers back to try again. Television schedules suffered and fans wore out. Third place will now go to the highest-qualifying driver who achieves the bracket.

"Our closest cousin, NHRA, doesn't run (a third-place round) either," said Sage. "We thought we would do away with it for one year and evaluate."

In a championship round, drivers qualify for one of 32 spots on the grid, then work their way through a series of head-to-head knock-out elimination tandem runs to the winner-take-all first-place battle. Qualifying for this weekend's main event takes place on Friday (gates open at 11 a.m.), with gates opening for the main event on Saturday at 10 a.m. The top rounds of competition get started with the official opening ceremonies Saturday at 3 p.m.

The following weekend, during the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the drifting action returns to the streets of Long Beach with the Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge (pictured, ABOVE). The demonstration event is open to all weekend ticket-holders and takes place under the lights Friday and Saturday nights (April 11 and 12), with the action starting at 7 p.m.
[Reference Here]

Actually, for those who do not mind a little pre-season, pre-race party, on which one might meet some drivers and team owners, head over to The Federal Bar at 102 Pine Ave. just up from Ocean Ave. in downtown Long Beach. The action is set to begin at 6:00pm PT with drink specials offered all night and as an added treat, Formula DRIFT cars will be on display.

... notes from The EDJE

Valentine's Day IndyCar & NHRA Style

Racecar drivers in appreciation and ... love. IndyCar DW12 / TUSCC sports car driver Graham Rahal and NHRA Funny Car driver Courtney Force publicly share via social media a moment during a Valentine's Day sunset near Malibu, CA. Image Credit: Rahal/Force Selfie via Twitter

Valentine's Day IndyCar & NHRA Style

Graham Rahal @GrahamRahal

Feeling very lucky and proud to be spending Vday with my lovely lady @courtneyforce. Can't believe how lucky I am to have her in my life, been a crazy and fun last 5 months and I can't wait for many more. ️ #cheeseball #dontcare #happiness #love #gforce #malibusunset

Courtney Force @courtneyforce
Happy valentines!“@JFR_Racing: Enjoy a sweet &funny Valentine's Day message

Happy Valentine's Day From Courtney Force 

In honor of Valentine's Day, NHRA Funny Car driver Courtney Force answers trivia questions with her valentine, IndyCar driver Graham Rahal!

... notes from The EDJE

2012 Dean Batchelor Award Is Snagged By "Porsche - Origin of the Species"

Book category finalists for the Motor Press Guild's Dean Batchelor Award. The annual award banquet singles out individuals demonstrating outstanding achievement in the profession of automotive journalism. Each year MPG presents the Dean Batchelor Award to the journalist judged to have produced the single piece of work which best represents the professional standards and excellence demanded by Dean Batchelor during his life as an editor, writer, and chronicler of the automotive industry. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012)

2012 Dean Batchelor Award Is Snagged By "Porsche - Origin of the Species"

Every year since 1995, when the Motor Press Guild decided to bestow it's true highest honor by naming the prestigious process of recognition on the efforts of its community of communications professionals after Dean Batchelor, the Dean Batchelor Award has set the standard of  automotive journalistic recognition.

Dean Batchelor's career spanned many disciplines, from aircraft builder, B-17 flyer, to race car driver and automotive journalist and through it all he proved to be the consummate historian, editor, racer, designer, and hot rodder.

The award builds from a series of awards honoring three publishing categories defined as Best Article, Best Book, and Best Audio/Visual.

Dean Batchelor Awards Images Slideshow (20 images) >>

The three finalists in each category are culled from potentially tens of nominations submitted by Motor Press Guild members who have seen an outstanding published effort and thought it worthy of recognition with in the year of the honor.

Best Article Dean Batchelor Award 2012 presentation. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012)

This year, the following finalists for Best Article were "Tambay: The Phoenix" By Thomas Stahler (Vintage Motorsport, May/June 2012) | "The Dillinger Trail" By Peter Egan (Road & Track, March 2012) | "The World's Fastest Hot Rod" By Greg Sharp (The Rodder's Journal, Spring 2012) with the Article of the Year Award going to "The World's Fastest Hot Rod" By Greg Sharp.

Best Book Dean Batchelor Award 2012 presentation. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012)

The following finalists for Best Book were "In The Red" By Jade Gurss (Octane Press) | "Porsche - Origin of the Species" by Karl Ludvigsen (Bentley Publishers) | "The Stainless Steel Carrot: An Auto Racing Odessey - Revisited" By Sylvia Wilkinson (Brown Fox Books) with the Book of the Year Award going to "Porsche - Origin of the Species" by Karl Ludvigsen.

Best Audio/Visual Dean Batchelor Award 2012 presentation. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012)

The following finalists for Best Audio/Visual were "Corvette ZR1 Review - Exotic Driver" By Todd Deeken and Paul Schmucker (EverydayDriver.com, September 27, 2012) | "A Look At London's BMW Art Drive" By Alistair Weaver (InsideLine.com, August 6, 2012) | "KBB Races A Mazda Miata" By Micah Muzio and Michael Delano - Kelley Blue Book (KBB.com, February 22, 2012) with the Audio/Visual of the Year Award going to "KBB Races A Mazda Miata" By Micah Muzio and Michael Delano - Kelley Blue Book.

The 2012 Dean Batchelor Award is bestowed upon a choice from one of these three category award honorees Article of the Year Award going to "The World's Fastest Hot Rod" By Greg Sharp | Book of the Year Award going to "Porsche - Origin of the Species" by Karl Ludvigsen | Audio/Visual of the Year Award going to "KBB Races A Mazda Miata" By Micah Muzio and Michael Delano - Kelley Blue Book with the 2012 Dean Batchelor Award going to Book of the Year Award going to "Porsche - Origin of the Species" by Karl Ludvigsen.

Book of the Month at Bentley Publishers becomes Book of the Year for Motor Press GuildImage Credit: Bentley Publishers (2012)

This edited and excerpted from Bentley Publishers (and was included in the presentation from the podium during the award presentation) -

Classic and Sports Car - December 2012 
BOOK OF THE MONTH

Porsche - Origin of the Species 
by Karl Ludvigsen

It's hard to imagine that there's a Porsche stone unturned for respected marque historian Karl Ludvigsen. But, inspired by an early 356 - comedian Jerry Seinfeld's treasured Gmünd coupe 2-040 - the American historian set out to reveal the story of the landmark 1950s sports model. And top studio photographer Michael Furman provides a superb set of the historic survivor.

Ludvigsen's journey of fastidious research took him from factory archives to owners and specialists while unravelling this fascinating tale. This hefty, 344-page title covers the evolution of pre-war streamliners through to the early operations in the wooden sawmill in Gmünd, Austria. Putting Porsche's development in context, the book also covers VW Beetle-based specials and coach built variants.

Ludvigsen's writing style is a captivating joy to read, plus the main text is accompanied by fascinating panels including Robert Cumberford on styling, Miles Collier on preservation and Alex Finigan on ownership. The final pages are devoted to a complete reproduction of Porsche's trial reports on '040', and an early 1949 356 Betriebsanleitung (operating manual).
[Reference Here]

A wonderful time spent with like-minded folks and meeting new friends. The Petersen Automotive Museum provided the backdrop for the evening's presentations and all of the finalists from all categories were equally honored to be mentioned along side of the eventual 2012 Dean Batchelor Award honoree.

Sponsors for the evening included Hyundai, Mothers, Jaguar, Land Rover, Honda, Ford, Audi, General Motors, Infiniti, Mazda, Porsche, Subaru, and Toyota - Thanks.

... notes from The EDJE


** Article first published as 2012 Dean Batchelor Award Is Snagged By "Porsche - Origin of the Species" on Technorati **

Real Automotive Journalists, Past and Present

The Motor Press Guild board of directors in a moment of recognition during the presentation of the Dean Batchelor Best of the Year Award. The award was bestowed upon a book titled "Porsche - Origin of the Species" By Karl Ludvigsen CIMechE MSAE. The 2012 Dean Batchelor Awards banquet was held on Tuesday evening Dec. 11, 2012 at the Petersen Automotive Museum. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012)

Real Automotive Journalists, Past and Present
Why do we read what they have to say, and trust them?

I would say that a Journalism degree is helpful, but knowledge of Automobiles, some sort of real experience in the Automotive Industry, as a Driver, Mechanic, Engineer, Designer, Crew Person, or maybe as a Race Official would surely be an important requirement. There are far too many people these days that get jobs as PR people, Writers, or Reporters doing stories about Automobiles now that have no real understanding of the automotive industry, and automobile design. We had a Ranking Officer in the largest Automotive Media Group in the USA that did not know who Brock Yates was.

Now I never met William Shakespeare or Ernest Hemingway, but I knew who they were. We have lost Chris Economaki, David E Davis, Dick Dixon, John Fitch, and Jon Knapp. Some we all knew, some a few of us knew well. But what made them readable and credible was we knew, they knew what they were talking about. Brock Yates, Csaba Csere, Rich Ceppos, Pat Bedard, Aaron Robinson, John Reite, Wes Raynal, Mark Vaughn, John Dinkel, Tom Cotter and Aaron Robinson are real Automotive Journalists that have a real Automotive knowledge most based on years of designing, building, fixing, racing, testing real automobiles. Where will the next Brock Yates or Csaba Csere come from?

Honda has a TV commercial that states, anyone can have a Blog. Sadly this is true. Time magazine will stop being a printed publication at the end of this year. The Media World is changing daily. New Media (as my colleague Edmund Jenks calls it) is the future. Internet based publications, newsletters, updates are all used by AutoWeek, Car and Driver, Road & Track, Motor Trend, etc. And all use the Internet to get the latest news out to it's subscribers.

Time Magazine becomes an Internet Publication next year. Soon other Paper and Ink Publications will transition to the Internet. One day new publications will start online and have their entire presence Internet based. Some of the best Karting Publications once paper and  ink, mailed to subscribers and members of Race Series have been converted to e-publications only. Automotive Publications change often, and in some cases it for the better. But if all good Automotive Publications go from paper and print to online publications, what will we read at the Doctors offices, Discount Tire stores, and on Southwest Airline flights?

So while the world of Automotive Media has changed, will continue to change over the years, the changes will come more often and sooner than in the past. But the one thing that should not change, is where we get our Automotive Journalists. They should come from MIT, Chrysler, NASCAR, USAC, Service Departments, Race Teams, and years of love for the cool cars. Hot Rods, Muscle Cars, Sports Cars, Exotics, 4X4 Trucks and all the rest.

Larry Reynolds, Brian Till, Chris Neville, Tommy Kendall are the guys who know what's real, they know all the players, drivers, crews, series, sponsors and the fans. These are the guys we want to tell us the stories, take the pictures, keep the history alive. I'm not sure if the all have Degrees in Journalism, but these are the guys we need to tell us what's real and good.

Maybe a good automotive journalist is a person that can talk to the newsmakers, watch the crews and drivers, take the pictures, listen to their stories and write it all down. But then again if you don't know what it takes to drive, what it takes to build them, fix them and race them, how will you ever know if what they tell you is the truth?
(The above re-posted from a question seen on FB)

Dicken Wear 12/12/2012

Traxxas and JFR Scale R/C Funny Cars

(Cut & paste URL below to see about these cool new Race Cars)http://traxxas.com/products/models/electric/6907funnycar

First Grand-Am Races of 2012 in the record books.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (January 29, 2012) - Roush Yates Engines powered Ford Daytona Prototype series entries to a 1-2-3 "podium finish" in Sunday's 50th Running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The 761-lap endurance race was green flagged yesterday afternoon.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star AJ Allmendinger drove the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Ford / Riley Daytona Prototype entry to the win. It was an epic battle over the final two hours between three Ford DP entries in one of the most competitive Rolex 24 events in recent memory.
Allmendinger traded the lead with Michael Shank Racing teammate Felipe Nasr (No. 6) and pole sitter Ryan Dalziel (No. 8) in the Starworks Motorsport Ford / Riley over the final hours - even in the light of being placed in the car for a stout 3-hour stint to anchor the No. 60's driving chores to the checkered flag finish.

Dalziel finished second while Nasr took third in clearly the greatest day of sports car/road racing performance history at Roush Yates. Allmendinger's margin of victory was 5.198 seconds over Dalziel. 

When the media seemingly and rightfully tagged the BMWs and Corvettes as the teams to beat in the 14-car DP division, Ford /Riley and a team of engineers, technicians, and assemblers at Roush Yates Engines were able to shed Ford's "underdog" moniker as soon as all six Ford DP entries touched the Daytona pavement early last week. They were fast and it proved no fluke once the top starting spot was earned by Dalziel.

"It just doesn't get any better in road racing than winning the 50th Running of the Rolex 24 - such a prestigious event," said Doug Yates, Roush Yates CEO. "This was just an amazing accomplishment from everyone at Roush Yates, who had a hand in making these engines perform flawlessly, to the teams and drivers who put their talent on the line and trusted our technology. This is the 10th year that we have had engines in the Rolex 24, and Roush Yates has stayed committed to making this program better each year. This was truly our year."

In addition to Allmendinger, the winning No. 60 driver roster consisted of IndyCar driver Justin Wilson, John Pew, and Ozz Negri as the team took home the coveted Rolex watches and trophy.

A tired and sweating Allmendinger in victory lane said: "I want to thank everyone at Roush Yates and (DP program manager John) Maddox. Wow, I am so worn out right now ... but this Roush Yates motor was a rocket ship. Michael puts together great race cars and we owe this to him. Ford 1-2-3 on the podium ... wow that is absolutely amazing."

John Maddox, Roush Yates Engines' Daytona Prototype/Road Racing program manager commented: "This was our 10th attempt to win this thing overall. Finally! In these past 10 years we have been really good down here ... and had tragedy strike (our engines). Now it all came together. We had a few practice and qualifying struggles, and even an early race concern. But the professionalism of every person down here connected to these Ford teams enabled this great outcome. We are definitely connected with the right partners in Michael Shank Racing and Starworks."
BMW Performance 200 (Friday)

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (January 27, 2012) - A Roush Yates-built Ford Boss 302R engine sat on the pole with driver Shelby Blackstock for Friday's BMW Performance 200 Grand Am Continental Tire Series race here; and it a Roush Yates-built Boss 302R that won - but with a different driver / car than the polesitter.

Jack Roush Jr. and co-driver Billy Johnson, who started from the outside pole, won Friday's season-opening Grand Am Continental Tire Series event in their No. 61 Ford Mustang.
Prior to Friday's win at Daytona, and over the past two seasons (since Miller Motorsports Park in 2009), Johnson and Roush Jr. have earned 6 wins, 14 podiums, and 17 top five finishes.
Johnson led the final 18 laps to win Friday's Grand Sport division race.

His victory with teammate Roush Jr., in the No. 61 Roush Performance Products/Gary Yeomans Ford Mustang powered by the Roush Yates-tuned Boss 302R, gave Roush's father, team owner Jack Roush, a first Grand Am victory at the Daytona International Speedway.

The margin of victory over second-place Charles Espenlaub in the No. 48 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3 was 1.061 seconds. Espenlaub's teammate Bryan Sellers was third in the No. 46 BMW.
Polesitter Blackstock and co-driver Jade Buford finished a respectable 10th in the No. 51 Roush-Yates-powered Mustang. Twenty-five of the race's 58 laps were run under a total of six caution flags.

"I think pretty much the first hour and a half was a close moment," Roush Jr. said of the racing. "There're opportunities to have incidents at any moment in time, especially at the beginning of the race, it was really sketchy." The race began on a wet surface, which dried as proceedings progressed. And in the end, things played in the Roush team's favor.

"It's great to finish this race first, especially after not being able to finish in the last two years," Johnson said. "To come back and have a strong finish and start off the season on a good note rather than a hole with zero points is huge."

(Portions of this article were courtesy of Grand Am media)

Special Note of Congratulations to all our friends who raced at Daytona this weekend. Scott Pruett, A.J. Allmendinger, Michael McDowell, Andy Lally, Anthony Lazzaro, John Edwards, Darren Law, Patrick Dempsey, Memo Gidley, Joe Foster, Jonathan Bomarito, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Joey Hand, Randy Pobst, James Sofronas, David Donohue, Dario Franchitti, Owen Trinkler, Terry Borcheller, Eric Curren, Boris Said, Charles Espenlaub, Bill Auberlen, Jeff Westphal, James Clay, Patrick Long, Mark and Mathew Pombo. See you all at the races this year. Cheers, Dicken