Tuesday, March 01, 2005

I get press releases, Volume 5

Amazingly, this news release didn't get snared by my spam filter, despite the fact that the return address was "BP Lubricants USA". This one takes a while to get going, but stick with it, since it may represent the first time anyone's ever compared "The French Connection" to "Ride With Funkmaster Flex":

CASTROL® SYNTEC® OUTPERFORMERS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM INSPIRES AND RECOGNIZES AMERICA'S PASSIONATE YOUNG CAR LOVERS


2005 Program Expands to Award Participants Chance
to Flex Their Skills and Earn Apprenticeship with Radio and
TV Personality Funkmaster Flex



Wayne, N.J. – March 1, 2005 – Americans have a lasting love affair with the automobile—from 1950s hot rodding and James Dean to the “French Connection” chase scene, “Bullitt” and Steve McQueen. And who could forget “Herbie the Love Bug,” “Dukes of Hazzard” or “Knight Rider?” Today, the obsession continues with popular reality car shows such as “Pimp My Ride” and “Ride with Funkmaster Flex,” yet there remains a growing need for qualified men and women to service the vehicles we love.

Responding to this need, Castrol ® SYNTEC ® today announced the launch of the 2005 Castrol SYNTEC Outperformers Scholarship Program, a nationwide search that encourages young car enthusiasts to take interest and pursue careers in the automotive service and repair industry, while rewarding them for their passion, hard work and ambition. Now in its fourth year, the program is dedicated to attracting young men and women already thinking about automotive service as a career choice, as well as vehicle lovers who haven’t yet considered the opportunities and rewards.

This year, Castrol has partnered with Funkmaster Flex, the most-listened-to DJ in the New York area and host of “Ride with Funkmaster Flex” and “Funkmaster Flex Super Series,” both auto-performance-inspiring shows airing on Spike TV. [Mitch's comment: The real trick is getting your auto to sit still long enough to be inspired by these shows.] The selected national Castrol SYNTEC Outperformer will earn a career-igniting apprenticeship at Flex’s Team Baurtwell Body Shop. Baurtwell team members include expert technicians and die-hard enthusiasts devoted to vehicle customization and performance.

“High-performing cars, trucks and motorcycles make my eyes widen and jaw drop. They’re the reason I get so excited about work every day,” said Funkmaster Flex. [Mitch's comment: Yeah, speaking as a fellow radio personality, nothing gets me quite as excited about going to work as high-performing cars, trucks, and motorcycles. If it weren't for my '87 Volkswagen, I can't imagine spending a day editing stories, reading weather forecasts, and writing news copy.] “I’m eager to share my love for vehicles with the next generation of ‘Outperformers’ because making vehicles look good, sound sweet and perform better only happens through knowledge and dedication to the trade. That’s why we’re offering the one winning Castrol SYNTEC Outperformer an apprenticeship with Team Baurtwell, an experience they can use now to help build a career for the future.”


The release goes on to lay out the rules of the competition, and the prizes:

-->Two Tickets to the Automobile Club of southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona
-->$1,000 worth of new Mac Tools
-->A year’s supply (four cases) of Castrol SYNTEC motor oil
-->Castrol SYNTEC Outperformers hat, t-shirt and other items
-->Subscriptions to Primedia publications
-->A framed certificate recognizing successful completion of the curriculum in synthetic motor oils
-->Membership into the Castrol SYNTEC Outperformers Club

The one regional winner who “outperforms” the others will receive the apprenticeship with Funkmaster Flex, as well as a $7,500 scholarship to attend a racing, high-performance or automotive education program to build upon their passion for vehicle performance and automotive service knowledge.


Now, I'd assume that -- in order to receive the framed certificate recognizing successful completion of the curriculum in synthetic motor oils -- the regional winners would probably learn that oil changes can be far-less-frequent with synthetic motor oil. Even working with a conservative estimate of, say, 7000 miles between oil changes, that would mean their "year's supply" of oil -- four cases -- would assume that you're going to drive 42,000 miles this year.

I'm thinking I might enter this competition, since -- at that rate -- the four cases of oil would last my '87 VW approximately 17 more years.

Meanwhile, with quotes like: “I’m eager to share my love for vehicles with the next generation of ‘Outperformers’ because making vehicles look good, sound sweet and perform better only happens through knowledge and dedication to the trade. That’s why we’re offering the one winning Castrol SYNTEC Outperformer an apprenticeship with Team Baurtwell, an experience they can use now to help build a career for the future,” it's easy to see why Funkmaster Flex is one of the top DJs in the New York area. It's also easy to see why he'd be encouraging more young people to enter the auto repair field.

1 comment:

Carol Davidson said...

If only they'd thought of filling an Olympic size swimming pool with Castrol motor oil and inviting Lynne Cox to swim through it, followed by a public display of moisturizing with Funkmaster Flex.