Download
1 / 53
540 likes | 705 Views
This PowerPoint presentation of the Jeff Bird Sprint Car and team #55 is for information and sponsorship purposes. Welcome!. #55 JeffBirdRacing. DRIVER: JEFF BIRD. SPRINT CAR HISTORY.
E N D
This PowerPoint presentation of the Jeff Bird Sprint Car and team #55 is for information and sponsorship purposes. Welcome!
#55 JeffBirdRacing DRIVER: JEFF BIRD
SPRINT CAR HISTORY Even though the term “Sprint Car" did not exist in the 1920’s and 1930’s, that is what these machines were. They were simply called race cars, or sometimes dirt track cars. When Midgets came along in 1933, the dirt track cars became big cars. The present name of “Sprint Car" was not used until the 1950’s.
Modern Era Using lightweight components and state of the art equipment, today’s Sprint Car is a 700hp methanol-injected, 1400 lb rocket ship. Today’s Sprint Car has a large overhead device, a wing, which can create down-force in excess of 3000 lbs. This effect helps keep all that horsepower on the ground.
Jeff Bird at Wenatchee in the midnight blue Sprint # 55~ 2002 season ~
Chassis The basic chassis (frame) is constructed from welded chromoly steel. The front axle is a solid beam axle with wheels attached on each end, and radius rods attaching it to the chassis. A “panhard bar” (sway bar) connects the axle laterally to the chassis so when the car is turned left, the axle doesn’t shoot out the right side of the chassis.
Steering A long rod called a “drag link” runs from the side of the cockpit to a lever attached to the right front wheel. The drag link pushes or pulls the wheel, and the connecting tie rod ensures the other wheel turns the same way. The non-wheel end of the drag link is connected to the “pitman arm”, a short bar connecting the steering box to the drag link.
Dirt vs. Pavement - Steering • Dirt cars typically slide in the turns and are steered right to correct the slide; pavement cars (#55) are not supposed to slide, and are steered left. • The drag link on a dirt car is on the left; the drag link on a pavement car is usually on the right. However, many pavement cars were originally dirt cars, so some Sprints (including #55) still have the drag link on the left side due to high costs associated with changing the steering. The idea with the variation between the two sides for the drag link placement is to be pulling the steering rods in the more frequently used direction.
Tires & Stagger A Sprint car’s rear tires are bigger than the fronts, and rights are bigger than lefts. Since Sprint cars only turn left around the track, the tires are smaller on the left side to allow the car to turn more easily. This difference in size is called “stagger”. A small track requires a big stagger difference; a big track requires a small stagger difference. Too much stagger causes the car to turn a tighter circle, causing spin-outs on bigger tracks.
Biography – Jeff Bird • Jeff started racing with Capital City Kart Club in Victoria BC in 1992. In his second year of Karting, he won the local championship. • In 1994, Jeff won the IKF Regional Championship which consisted of kart racers from WA, OR, ID, BC and AB. • In 1995, Jeff got the opportunity to drive a USAC Midget in the WMRA, where he won “Rookie of the Year”! • Jeff has raced for many different car owners in the WMRA club and has had great success with every car he has driven.
Jeff Bird, driver of Midget #45 Car owner Dick Voss, Auburn Washington USA.
Jeff Bird, driving his dad Bobby Bird’s USAC-WMRA Fontana-powered Beast Midget
Biography continued • 1998 – Jeff received his very first opportunity to drive a pavement Sprint Car, and won the Trophy Dash at Western Speedway! On that same night, 24 cars were entered, and Jeff finished 3rd in the Main Event. • 2001 – Jeff started his Sprint Car team by purchasing the first Sprint Car he had ever driven. Still racing WMRA Midgets, he ran both series, consisting of many races…. always putting on an exciting show!
From the beginning: originally #35, Jeff purchased the car and changed the number and the look:
ACHIEVEMENTS: • Jeff Bird has been racing open wheel cars on the West Coast for 14 years • Numerous wins throughout each season in many different series • Malahat Auto Parts 2002 Season Champion (Victoria BC) • 2003 Season – selected races; Jeff always ran up front • 2004 Season – Strawberry Cup Champion; winner of the Denny Rand Memorial Race; numerous wins in Heat Races & Trophy Dashes; 3rd overall in WilRoc Super Sprint points • Each Season - “Refuse to lose” is the team’s motto!
RACING LOCATIONS • Canada ~ British Columbia ~ ( Victoria , Campbell River, Williams Lake, Penticton, Prince George) • USA ~ Washington ~ (Port Angeles, Tacoma, Olympia, Wenatchee, Monroe, Ephreta, Tri –Cities) Oregon ~ Idaho ~ Montana ~ Arizona ~ California
Western Speedway 2002 Champion!Jeff was presented with the Malahat Auto Parts Trophy.
Jeff getting the car readyfor a Main Event (2003).Strawberry Cup 2003, Victoria BC – finishing 3rd in the main event, Jeff won this prestiged race the following year
OUR PROFESSIONAL ATTITUDE • Uniforms for team members & pit crew • Professional and respectful acknowledgement of our sponsors • Trader cards & CD’s with photos of the Sprint Car & driver, featuring our sponsors • TV & radio clips thanking our sponsors and educating fans about Sprint cars • Regular newspaper articles announcing race results and acknowledging sponsors
SPRINT CAR #55 ~ DRIVER JEFF BIRD Western Speedway, Victoria BC ~ 2002 Just imagine how many fans could see your company name on the car!
The transformation between seasons • Each year the car must come apart and be completely re-assembled. Every part is either cleaned or replaced. • In 2004 Jeff had to replace the engine ($10,000), because this is what happened the year before!
The easiest way to work on the car - this photo made headlines on several racing sites, and drew quite a crowd at the track! Done for the day…better luck next time.
Painting the car, piece by piece.Paint sponsors are needed every year.
In 2004 Jeff designed a front nose piece hand-made from sheet metal, to channel the air through to the radiator to keep the car cool during the race.
The nose piece painted and finished, with the addition of new shocks and springs. March 13, 2004… 3 weeks before the first race in Monroe WA.
2009 SPONSORS • Kustom Pro Management Ltd. “Say NO to drugs” • Advantage Racewear • Island Moving • SpruceBugs Web Design (formerly Kaboom) • Rob Cardin Automotive • Pennzoil and B&J Automotive • Leakits • CASH sponsors needed! It costs approximately $20,000 per season to race competitively.
Always Getting a Second Look Just ask the driver, crew, and sponsors how much attention the car gets - no matter where it is! Even when the car is off the track it draws a crowd of people asking lots of questions. Driver Jeff Bird takes every opportunity to explain the type of racing, and hand out trader cards with sponsor names on them.
The 2009 CREW Jeremy ~ Rob ~ Bob ~ Joanne JUNIOR CREW Adam & Kendra Kendra helping load the car onto the trailer!
“Iceman” Jeff Bird & dad “Border Bandit” Bobby Bird Racing is in the family!
Jeff always takes time to sign autographs in the pit area after each race. He often gives his trophies to the young fans too!
“Girls Day Out” – Claire and Erin from Victoria’s JACK FM radio station (sponsor), and crew member Joanne, tested out their driving skills at Western Speedway!~ May 2004 ~
Cowichan Valley Newsleader-Pictorial story, June 5/04:Shawnigan Lake racer Jeff Bird sits with his prized sprint car, complete with custom built engine, and Strawberry Cup trophy after a weekend win at Western Speedway.
Excerpt from Newsleader-Pictorial article, June 5/04 A Shawnigan Lake sprint car driver roared to victory last Sunday at Western Speedway bringing home the coveted Strawberry Cup championship. The “Iceman” Jeff Bird set fire to the track reaching speeds of 210 kilometres per hour, out manoeuvring 22 other drivers in Victoria for the Northwest Sprintcar Racing Association event. “I don’t know any point to racing anymore,” Bird laughed. “I would have been really happy getting in the top seven. This is the greatest achievement in my career.”
Excerpt from Newsleader-Pictorial article, June 5/04 “This is a race Vancouver Island holds sacred because of the history of the trophy,” he said. “It is important to not let the American drivers take it home.” With the win Bird’s name has been etched into racing history. He is now alongside such Canadian racing luminaries as Billy Foster, the first Canadian to qualify for the Indy 500 in 1965, and Roy Smith, a Daytona 500 racer and Canadian Motor Sports Hall of Fame inductee. “Getting my name on the trophy with these guys is very cool. It’s like getting your name on the Stanley Cup.”
Excerpt from Newsleader-Pictorial article, June 5/04 Bird took the championship with a budget engine he built himself, unlike many of his NSRA competitors. He races in the Vancouver Island WilRoc series that limits technical engine modifications to keep racing grounded and affordable. “This keeps the cars economical as possible but still creates power and excitement,” he said. “In terms of power-to-weight ratio, these are the same as Indy cars.” But the NSRA series run mainly in Washington, Idaho and Oregon allows unlimited engine spending with state-of-the-art components to squeeze out more horsepower.
Excerpt from Newsleader-Pictorial article, June 5/04 “Some tricked-out motors have aluminum heads and titanium valves and are like Indy car engines,” he said. “Mine is closer to a stock Chevy block.” Bird’s 700 horsepower engine cost about $10,000, while some NSRA drivers will spend upwards of $70,000. “People think more money is better, but my engine beat the ‘better’ engines,” the Iceman said. “Ten-thousand dollars beat out everyone, and that is where driver skill comes in”. Bird’s is the very first limited motor to win an NSRA event.
