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FOR RELEASE: October 16, 2002 CONTACT(S):
Professional-Grade GMC Trucks Pass The Ultimate Test
DETROIT, MI - In no other venue is the Professional Grade reputation of GMC trucks put to a tougher test than the 23-event NHRA POWERade championship tour. For over 13 years, GMC and the NHRA Safety Safari have teamed up to provide a secure and exciting motorsports experience for competitors and fans alike. It's an enduring partnership with a common purpose that focuses on safety as its number one priority. "The job performed by the Safety Safari, the selfless dedication of its members and the Professional Grade quality of GMC trucks combine for a high-caliber team that is second to none," said Sam Mancuso, marketing director of Sierra and Yukon. "GMC is proud to be the Official Truck of the NHRA and our affiliation with the Safety Safari." Created in 1954, the NHRA Safety Safari, originally called the 'Drag Safari,' was used as an education tool by the fledgling sanctioning body. The team traveled to small drag strips across the United States to help promote the fast-growing sport and to spread the NHRA safety message. Although NHRA drag racing has gone through many changes in its 50-plus years of existence, the primary mission of its Safety Safari remains the same - to reach a competitor in a moment's notice when things go wrong on the racetrack. Like the drivers who place their trust in this well-trained, close-knit crew in an emergency, the Safety Safari depends on a fleet of Professional Grade GMC trucks to get its job done swiftly, safely and efficiently. "We rely on seven GMC Sierra 3500 HD Extended Cab pickups and three Yukon XLs that we run from race to race," explained Randy Robins, head of NHRA Safety Safari. "Our Sierras come equipped with the new 6.6-liter Duramax Diesel engines and the Alison five-speed automatic transmission. Our GMC trucks are real workhorses. They tow all of our trailers to 23 national events and travel approximately 35,000 miles a year. Three of the trucks serve a dual purpose and are used as safety trucks on the track during the event. "This year is the first year we've had the Duramax Diesel engine and everyone loves it. Its performance is outstanding when driving from race to race, as well as on the track when we have to bolt to a disabled race car. Make no mistake, we drive these GMC trucks hard, as hard as anybody that runs a truck. But they're very reliable and dependable, and in this business they have to be - we don't have a choice. Our GMC trucks are the perfect vehicles for the NHRA Safety Safari and the job we have to do." The Safety Safari trailers pulled by the GMC Sierra 3500 HD trucks contain a number of essential items needed at each national event. One trailer is a registration unit usually parked outside the race facility where competitors and participants obtain credentials and have questions answered about the event. There's also an NHRA tech trailer conveniently placed in the staging lanes where racers, team members and corporate representatives can obtain restricted-area passes, pit access, race schedules and the latest trackside news and information. The tech trailer also contains the templates for the Pro Stock and Funny Car categories. The sponsor's trailer serves as the trackside headquarters for all of the NHRA contingency members and contains telephones, fax machines and data lines that corporate representatives can use while at an event. There are also schedules, qualifying sheets and race-day eliminator ladders as well. Another GMC Sierra pulls a utility trailer that hauls a tractor used during the race to scrape and groom the track. A GMC Yukon XL pulls the jet dryer to each venue and down the race track during a rain delay. A 52-foot semi-trailer is used to carry weather stations, computers, timing equipment, radios, spare parts, batteries, small motorcycles, light bulbs for the Christmas Tree, first-aid medical supplies, plus any other items needed by NHRA officials at a track during the event. Eight full-time crew members travel with the NHRA Safety Safari. They arrive at a venue in their GMC trucks on the Monday prior to the start of a race and immediately begin prepping the track for competition. Local workers are added to perform ancillary functions. "The first thing we do when we arrive is start on track preparation," said Robins. "We begin by cleaning the track and getting the dirt and old rubber off. We also park the trailers in their appropriate position for the weekend. The day before the event, which is usually Wednesday, we spray a compound on the track that helps the cars with traction and then on Thursday we start racing." When racing begins, the primary role of the NHRA Safety Safari is to look after the safety of competitors and the fans that fill the stands. But they also perform other necessary duties including cleaning spilled oil, scraping hot rubber off the racetrack, sweeping up fragmented engine parts, vacuuming water from the dragstrip and other functions that keep the racing surface safe and free from debris. "With a small oildown we have a chemical compound that we use," explained Robins. "On the larger ones, we have an absorbent or powder like substance that we spread out on the track to soak up the oil. We bring in the vacuum truck to pick up the powder and then we scrape the track a little bit to bring back the texture of the asphalt. After that, we apply the traction spray and then it's back to racing. "If a car catches fire we use a suppressant mixed with water in a pressurized tank along with extinguishers that are mounted on two GMC Sierra trucks. Our best day is when we don't have to do anything and we have a safe, clean event." When the race is over, the Safety Safari packs everything away and hits the road once again with its GMC trucks. "I've been doing this for over 16 years and our primary concern has been and will always be driver safety," said Robins. "You don't think about anything else but that." Week after week, race after race, both competitors and fans share in their gratitude for the courageous work performed by the NHRA Safety Safari. Quiet, dependable, Professional Grade: The NHRA Safety Safari and its GMC trucks have much in common.
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