Team Orange had an excellent start of the 2007 D1 Grand Prix USA series last weekend at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey. Team driver Nobushige Kumakubo won the first place and team driver Kazuhiro Tanaka qualified to the best 16. Both drivers fascinated the east coast crowd with their notoriously acrobatic and entertaining drifting style, which has already been attracting thousands of fans all over the world.
Team Orange, based in Fukushima, Japan, consists of three drivers, Kumakubo, Tanaka and Naoto Suenaga. Of those, Kumakubo, the 2006 D1 GP series grand champion, and Tanaka, ranked the 6th place in the 2006 series, compete in the 2007 D1 GP USA series with their SUBARU WRX. The world renowned racing vehicle has been intensely modified and Team Orange introduced the never-seen-before rear wheel drive SUBARU WRX drifting machine.
Prior to the US series opener in Englishtown, Team Orange welcomed ENEOS, the high performance motor oil by Nippon Oil Corp., as the official oil sponsor for the 2007 US series. As it is the most trusted lubricant in the premiere racing events all over the world such as Formura-1, Team Orange has chosen ENEOS 0W-50 motor oil and ENEOS 75W-90 gear oil for their SUBARU EJ engine. The combination has been carefully tested and ENEOS oil consistently enhanced the performance of delicate yet powerful EJ engine.
Equipped with the ultimate drifting machine, and now powered with ENEOS, Team Orange is sure to outperform the competition in the US, and the team leader Kumakubo proved just that by winning the series opener in Englishtown. During the demonstration run, Kumakubo and Tanaka frenzied the crowd, many of whom witnessed the outrageous D1 live performances for the first time.
“They seemed to like our performances a lot,” commented Kumakubo. “It was a tough competition especially when we had to run rounds after rounds, but the oil temperature was stable and the engine didn’t heat up, so I could push my machine to keep doing my thing. And the crowd loved that” Team Orange will hit the rest of the country with their exceptionally entertaining drifting style for the rest of the season. The next round of D1 USA series is scheduled for June 23/24 at Altamont Motorsport Park in Tracy, California.
For more information on the Team Orange and D1GP, please visit: www.TeamOrange.jp and www.D1GP.com
SPONSOR PROFILE
Founded in 1888, Nippon Oil Corporation has grown to become Japan’s largest oil company, commanding seven refineries and over 11,000 service stations nationwide. Among the company’s most notable technological innovations is its elite line of fully synthetic ENEOS motor oils, which in 2000 became the first Japanese-produced oils used in Formula One racing, debuting with the Honda Racing F1 Team. Since then Nippon Oil has put its proprietary motor oil technologies to work in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship, one of the most fiercely competitive racing series in the world, as well as in the Sport Compact Series of the NHRA, the most popular drag racing organization in the U.S.
ENEOS MOTOR OIL 0W-50 is a100% fully synthetic oil researched and developed by Nippon Oil with technology proven on the Formula One circuit. Targeted toward drivers who demand high power from their engines and the ultimate in driving performance, this oil boasts an ultra-wide 0W-50 viscosity range, so it provides outstanding performance from the very lowest to the very highest temperatures. ENEOS 0W-50 is especially well-suited for sports cars with high output large engine displacements and turbo-charged engines.
ADVANCED FEATURES
100% Synthetic Gasoline Motor Oil
When high-output cars with large engine displacements are driven for long periods at high temperatures and heavy loads, they demand the outstanding heat resistance and oxidation stability that only fully synthetic motor oils can provide. Because ENEOS is made from 100% synthetic oil, it has an ultra-wide 0W-50 viscosity range that ensures superb starting performance even at the coldest winter temperatures as well as excellent oil film retention in the hottest summer conditions.
Outstanding High-Temperature Oxidation Stability and Coking Resistance
Made from a carefully engineered blend of 100% synthetic base oils and optimized additives, ENEOS 0W-50 provides high-temperature oxidation stability vastly superior to motor oils made from mineral base oils. ENEOS 0W-50 also has outstanding coking resistance, an essential property for protecting turbo rotors operated at high temperatures and speeds.
Superior Drive-Train Wear Resistance and Excellent Cleanliness
The synthetic base featured in ENEOS 0W-50 allows it to maintain a strong oil film even at high temperatures, speeds and loads. This anti-wear protection is particularly effective in the drive trains of overhead cam systems, where lubrication conditions are especially challenging. In addition, ENEOS 0W-50 delivers superb thermal and oxidation stability, so it maintains excellent engine cleanliness by suppressing sludge formation, which can cause engine seizures and pump clogging.
Meets Latest API Standard
The outstanding performance of ENEOS 0W-50 is evidenced by its certification for the SM specification, the latest motor oil standard issued by the American Petroleum Institute.
For more information, contact Nippon Oil (U.S.A.) Ltd. at 3625 Del Amo Blvd, Suite 385, Torrance, CA 90503, call 310/214-2050 or visit our website at www.eneos.us
