Allied Steel Buildings Inc is taking a next step in their NASCAR involvement by joining Bill Davis Racing Teams during this year’s events.

As a Proud Sponsor and Exclusive Steel Building provider for both Nextel Cup and Craftsman Truck Series Racing teams, Allied is expanding its NASCAR involvement after serving as a part-time associate and primary sponsor of the No. 50 Arnold Motorsports car during the 2005 season.

“Allied Steel is still fairly new to this sport, so it is an honor the company has chosen to come on board with us. It’s also an honor to get to carry the Allied Steel banner. It is a great company with great standards,” said Bill Davis, team owner and president.

For Allied Steel, this will be the first full NASCAR season and the company is looking forward to the ride ahead.

“We are really thrilled to be a part of NASCAR as a full-time sponsor for the new 2006 season,” said Allied’s President, Michael Lassner. “We really enjoyed working with Arnold Motorsports last year and wanted to get involved even more this season. We have planned some great things and are expecting amazing success from all the members of Bill Davis’s racing teams.”

As one of world’s leading, most trusted brands of Pre-Engineered Steel Buildings, Allied Steel offers building solutions for a wide variety of industries, including Agriculture, Churches, Automotive, Lumber, Airline, Office, and many more. Allied Steel Buildings currently delivers commercial, industrial and residential buildings from its six primary factories throughout the United States, and delivers them not only nationally but also all around Canada, the Caribbean, Africa and Latin America. [PRWEB]

“It’s such an honor to be affiliated with Bill Davis and his racing teams. They plan to be one of the best on the race track this year and we will do everything that we can to help them make that happen,” said Lassner.

tagTRAX: steel building | pre engineered steel | steel | allied | bill davis

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Since its inception, The Snow Tire FAQ has helped thousands of people learn about snow tires and has helped them make the right choice for their needs. “There are many people making many claims about tires. We try to help the consumer see through the confusion and make clear choices,” says editor John Werner.

To that end, the Real World Snow Tire Tests were started in 2001. The Tests provide both quantitative and qualitative evaluations of snow tires in Real World conditions. “While testing tires for ice traction on a hockey rink has the definite benefit of being very reproducible, it doesn’t necessarily correlate with the conditions that are likely to be found in the real world. Very seldom have I seen bare, flat, glare ice on the roads. Usually I see snow with a mix of ice and pavement, and none of it is flat.”

The 2006 edition of the Real World Snow Tire Tests marks the 4th time the tests have been run. For this year, three manufacturers agreed to provide a total of four sets of tires to be tested and reviewed:

• Green Diamond Icelander
• Nokian Hakkapeliitta 4 (studded)
• Nokian RSI
• Vredestein SnowTrac 2

The snow tires are fitted on nearly identical cars that are driven on real roads throughout the winter weather that Rochester, NY has to offer. The weather provides a good mix of snow, dry, ice, and mixed conditions road conditions. It is the driving the cars in the real world that forms the base of the qualitative reviews.

The quantitative evaluations come at the Shoot-out. In the Shoot-out, the fore/aft and lateral acceleration of the tires is tested. The testing includes braking and acceleration tests along with a series of timed runs through a closed course.

According to John Werner, “the Shoot-out provides us with hard numbers to back up the opinions of the drivers. It also provides the testers with the chance to make further qualitative evaluations under identical conditions.” [PRWEB]

tagTRAX: snow tires | acceleration tests | real world | john werner | snow tire

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The redesigned 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder convertible, which goes on sale in March, has a base price of $25,984, including shipping. The base GS model has a 2.4-liter inline-four engine that can produce 162 hp. It is mated to a five-speed manual transmission.

The 3.8-liter V-6 engine in the GT model makes 260 hp and is mated to a six-speed manual. Its price starts at $28,864, including shipping. Mitsubishi Motors North America expects sales to be evenly split between the two models.

Designed to appeal to convertible and sports car enthusiasts of all ages, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GT echoes the concept-car design of its coupe sibling with sleek, taut, muscular lines and engaging details such as bright finish LED tail lamps and monocle-lens head lamps.

“The new Eclipse Spyder GT captures the essence of Mitsubishi by offering customers a stand-out design and performance at an affordable price,” said Rich Gilligan, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors North America. “Its high-quality automatic top makes Eclipse Spyder GT a convertible for all seasons and is more like a top you would expect to see on a $40,000 car than one that starts at under $26,000.”

The Eclipse Spyder GT challenges more expensive sports models with its 260-horsepower, 3.8-liter V6 engine mated to either a standard six-speed manual transmission or an optional five-speed automatic. The GT’s 258 lb-ft of peak torque gives this model “right now” off-the-line response. With the standard six-speed manual transmission, the Spyder GT can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in about seven seconds.

The 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GT arrives in Mitsubishi dealerships in April.

For the best deals on Mitsubishi models, contact your favorite Mitsubishi Car Dealer, Manly Mitsubishi in Santa Rosa, CA. [PRWEB]

tagTRAX: mitsubishi eclipse spyder | mitsubishi motors | mitsubishi | inline four | seven seconds

• Racing technology helps reduce neck injuries
• Ferrari Formula One Team faces other challenges
• Lemon Law site devoted to protecting consumer
• Ford making right move
• Cameras trap speeding motorists
• Consumers are paying less for insurance
• EBay Auction to Benefit Sick Kids Foundation

A one of a kind, 2005 Panoz GTLM experience and sports car will be available for worldwide auction with to benefit SickKids Foundation, commencing on January 27, 2006 on eBay Motors.

The 2005 Panoz GTLM experience consists of a two-night stay at the Château Élan Resort, in Atlanta, Georgia, a world-renowned five-star Hotel featuring spa treatments, winery tours and finest golf courses in Georgia. Shortly after arriving, you are whisked away for a tour of the Panoz Auto Development Company where you will meet the Panoz family and auto development team. But when the trip is over, you drive home in car on the cutting edge of automotive design.

The 2005 Panoz Esperante GTLM is an enhanced expression of the Esperante GT, featuring state-of-the art performance abilities coupled with a style and automotive design that remains unparalleled on the roads today. The new Esperante GT design offers standard features such as the new Recaro style seating, sport handling package and a distinctive Blaupunkt sound system. The powertrain is a handcrafted 4.6 litre DOHC supercharged engine integrated with a 6-speed manual transmission, making for an undeniably unique driving experience.

Bidding is open to all international bidders. Bidders are required to pre-register prior to the auction. For additional information or assistance please visit http://www.sickkidsauctions.com.

About SickKids Foundation: SickKids Foundation is the largest non-governmental granting agency in child healthcare in Canada today. Founded in 1972, SickKids Foundation has raised well over CDN$300 million to The Hospital for Sick Children and over CDN$60 million to researchers across the nation. Striving to inspire and encourage generosity within concerned Canadians, the SickKids Foundation’s fundraising mission is to provide significant financial assistance in order to improve the lives of children and their families in Canada and worldwide.

With an international reputation for excellence in health care, research and teaching, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) remains one of the largest paediatric academic health science centres in the world. [PRWEB]

tagTRAX: panoz auto development | panoz esperante | ebay motors | sickkids | international bidders

It’s no secret to anyone that Formula One is an expensive sport to participate in and the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro Team is keeping up with the pace year after year on and off the race track. The question that everyone asks is simply “Where does this money come from?” For the Ferrari Formula One Team, since the year 2000 to where the team secured its first driver’s title in over 20 years, the total in depth listing of their sponsors is made up on the chart listed below up until the year 2005.

This chart provides each and every sponsor that provided Ferrari with both direct and/or trade support with their respective totals for the last six years. Obtaining sponsors, catering and bringing them satisfaction with the knowledge of having them obtain a return on their investment is not an easy task. The currency fluctuations of the US dollar declines with the Euro Dollar increasing spelled only trouble for the team, since, their costs are in Euro Dollars and their sponsorship revenue is in US dollars, with this, Ferrari have been faced with various new challenges outside the racing track to maintain and keep up against the competition in this new decade.

Ferrari’s President, Luca Di Montezemolo is always proactive, with suggestions of a Ferrari stock floatation that has yet to take off, but, meanwhile, found new solutions to keep the Ferrari team operating on a budget of more than 300 usd million a year season after season while obtaining nothing less than success on and off the track even when faced with various obstacles on his driving path.

Starting with the year 2000, Ferrari operated on a total budget of 239.60 usd million to where they received 65 usd million from the Phillip Morris company (Marlboro) playing a significant role in covering the driver’s salaries of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello. During this year, Ferrari was 90% owned by Fiat and 10% by Pierro Ferrari. 55 usd million came from Ferrari SPA consisting of their merchandise sales to which was part of the high wave of Ferrari merchandise sales era. Fiat and Shell provided a total of 20 usd million each.

This was also the year to where the Ferrari sponsors were able to advertise with triumph status and obtain excellent returns for their association with the Scuderia and companies such as Fiat, Tic Tac, and, Federal Express did not hesitate to link their connection and increase their advertising budgets. [PRWEB]

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tagTRAX: ferrari formula | ferrari team | ferrari spa | scuderia ferrari marlboro | rubens barrichello

(NC)-Consumers in Ontario are paying less overall for their private passenger auto insurance than they were a year ago. Thanks to cost-saving measures arising from recent reforms to the auto insurance system, most insurance companies are passing on the savings to consumers in the form of lower premiums.

The combined decline in approved auto insurance rates for 2004 and the first three quarters of 2005 was 12.42 per cent.

The impact of a rate change on an individual consumer varies, depending on where the consumer lives, the type of vehicle he or she drives, and other risk characteristics such as collision record.

The Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO), an arm’s length agency of the provincial Ministry of Finance, regulates the auto insurance industry. FSCO ensures that the changes insurance companies make to their rates are reasonable, justified, and balanced with each company’s ability to meet its future claims costs.

tagTRAX: auto insurance rates | private passenger auto insurance | fsco | insurance companies | private passenger auto

The first day out, cameras caught thousands of unaware speeding motorists. While this month they will receive a warning, starting in February, they will get a hefty fine for traveling more than 77 MPH.

On the other side of the “pond,” the UK is notorious for implementing speeding cameras. Unlike in the US, they have mobile cameras to set up speed zones on any road, highway or farm. Apparently, the Mid and South Wales Safety camera snapped a picture of a John Deere 6910 tractor traveling at 87.

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In the wake of the announcement Ford Motor company will cut 25,000 to 30,000 jobs and idle 14 plants in North America, Stephen H. Martin, publisher of The Oaklea Press said, “This is definitely a move in the right direction. American automobile manufacturers have tried unsuccessfully too long to compete with the Japanese using the old mass manufacturing model. It cannot be done. They need to fight fire with fire and this means adopting the lean manufacturing model.”

Martin is the editor of two books that tell how to successfully compete in the global marketplace: “Lean Transformation: How to Change Your Business into a Lean Enterprise,” and “Billion Dollar Turnaround: The 3M Spin-off that Became Imation.” The former explains how manufacturers can transform from mass manufacturers to lean manufacturers such as Toyota.

The second tells how a U.S. company, Imation, was able to beat the Japanese at their own game and become world leader in digital storage media, now with twice the market share of either Fuji or Maxell––its closest competitors––which are both Japanese companies.

Martin said that for a variety of reasons, a lean operation typically turns out higher-quality products than a mass manufacturing cousin. It almost always requires 25% to 40% less direct labor. It uses about half the floor space because no room is required for work-in-progress. Warehousing costs are cut to the bone because finished-goods and parts inventories are normally reduced from several months’ to only a few days’ supply.

Many American manufacturers caught onto this in the early to mid 1990s and have now adapted to the new way. These companies are able to compete in the global marketplace no matter in what country or location their products are assembled. Dell Computer, for example, builds products all over the world, including the United States, as does Toyota. [PRWEB]

tagTRAX: american automobile manufacturers | global marketplace | ford motor company | compete | martin

The American Lemon Law Centerâ„¢ (ALLC) announced today the launch of their new consumer educational website, AmericanLemonLawCenter.com – dedicated to providing people with simple facts about their rights pertaining to defective cars, trucks, RV’s, boats and more – under State and Federal Lemon Laws.

The ALLC website answers these difficult consumer questions related to Lemon Law:

• What are my rights under State Lemon Laws and the Federal Lemon Law?
• Do I have a case?
• Should I go it alone or seek Lemon Law Legal Counsel?
• Which vehicles should I avoid in the future?
• Where can I find information about my car manufacturer, – including contact information, recall information, warranties and breaking news?
• Is my used vehicle covered under any Lemon Laws?

“The American Lemon Law Center is a resource dedicated to providing consumers with up to date Lemon Law legal information; thus, enabling them to make educated decisions regarding their defective vehicles,” says Scott Hallman, Marketing Manager of ALLC.

With free Lemon Law Case Reviews by experienced Lemon Law attorneys, consumers can determine if they qualify for a replacement vehicle, expense reimbursement or straight cash settlements, even if their vehicle has been repaired.

American Lemon Law Center is dedicated to protecting consumers from inaccurate and/or misleading information provided by dealers, manufacturers, arbitrators and even inexperienced law firms or attorneys. [PRWEB]

tagTRAX: lemon law attorneys | contact | state lemon laws | breaking news | consumers

LFT Technologies, Inc., a privately-held corporation in Mooresville, NC, has released a new technologically-enhanced head and neck restraint system for the racing industry.

After years of research and hundreds of sled tests, in both the professional racing industry as well as the automotive industry, LFT Technologies Inc.’s President Trevor Ashline was able to develop a visionary safety product like the R3 Pro (rated SFI 38.1 and tested at 70 G’s). The automotive industry performance sled tests were performed with impacts on automobile safety devices at 30 G’s.

“The R3 Pro is the latest racing technology in head and neck restraint systems,” stated Ashline. “We were able to apply what we had learned from thousands of racers and develop a comfortable device that will protect the professional race driver without standing in the way of the racer’s ability to race.”

In the highly competitive sport of racing, the drivers need to protect themselves more today than ever before. LFT Technologies, Inc.’s mission is to provide superior technologically-enhanced safety solutions to keep the driver safe.

As new racing technology pushes the edge of the envelope and the audience for racing grows, drivers need to take every precaution to stay as safe as possible without loosing any competitive edge. “Racers who take advantage of the latest technologies will greatly reduce their risk of injury,” Ashline remarked. “Racers need to dress for the crash, not the ride.”

“The difference between the old technology and new technology is that the R3 works independently of the seat belt and out performs in side impacts,” stated LFT Technologies, Inc.’s President.

“The R3 Pro is a patented carbon fiber system that is easy to use and comfortable for the driver. The challenge was: how do we provide maximum comfort and ease of use without taking away from the safety integrity of the system? [PRWEB]

Safety Solutions, Inc. in Mooresville, NC, has a competing Head and Neck restraining system for the Racing Industry. Both systems are built to protect the driver from serious and often fatal neck injuries.

tagTRAX: sled tests | lft | drivers need | racing technology | automotive industry