In December 2016, Jason Best, Senior Vice President, Aftermarket, Spectra Premium, and Jean-François Dumoulin, in the presence of more than 700 Spectra Premium employees, took to social media to announce a two-year partnership.
A culmination of negotiations that began in September, this partnership will see the #04 Spectra Premium/Bernier Crépeau/Groupe Bellemare/MIA/Trois-Rivières Mitsubishi participate in a minimum of 10 rounds of the 2017 NASCAR Pinty’s Series.
A first meeting in 2014 set the stage for synergies and common goals between Spectra Premium and Jean-François Dumoulin as well as an appearance at the 2015 Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières. During the 2016 season, Spectra Premium partnered with Dumoulin to participate in six NASCAR Pinty’s Series events. For the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the partnership, in conjunction with crew chief Robin McCluskey, will focus on maximizing logistical and mechanical prowess during the series’ 10 races (three road courses and seven oval tracks).
“We are honoured to extend our relationship with Jean-François Dumoulin for the next two NASCAR Pinty’s Series race seasons,” said Jason Best. “While working with Jean-François last season, we saw that he rapidly became an excellent ambassador for our company, which we are very pleased will continue in the future. In addition, we are confident that through the development of a Spectra Premium racing radiator, we will proudly showcase our company’s engineering and manufacturing capabilities as well as the differentiation and quality of our products.”
“A major two-year partnership is a first for me and, from the onset of this relationship, I wear the Spectra Premium colours with great pride,” said Jean-François Dumoulin, driver of the #04 Spectra Premium/Bernier Crépeau/Bellemare Group/MIA/Trois-Rivières Mitsubishi.
“This agreement, in conjunction with our other partners who have supported us for so many years, not only enables us to take part in more events, but it allows us to think differently about our objectives. In 2017, we will be competing in the first three races of the season, at Toronto, in western and eastern Canada and of course, at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières; it will be a great experience for the entire team.”
Development of a Racing Radiator
Throughout the 2016 season, Spectra Premium engineers worked closely with Dumoulin Competition crewmembers to develop a specially-designed racing radiator. Jean-François Dumoulin attended the AutoZone National Sales Meeting in Memphis, Tenn. last September for the unveiling of the first Spectra Premium racing radiator prototype. “Working with an advanced team like Spectra Premium is really motivating and rewarding. Improvements to the prototype are still ongoing and we look forward to performance testing on the track in the near future,” explained Jean-François Dumoulin.
NASCAR Pinty’s Series: New for 2017
The first start of the 2017 season will take place on May 21st at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (Victoria Day Speedfest). At the unveiling of the 2017 calendar on December 8, 2016, the series also announced the following changes:
- The layout of the Circuit ICAR track (July 8, Mirabel, Quebec) will be modified and it will become a one-day event with the race scheduled to take place in the evening.
- The trip to western Canada will include three events instead of two: the oval track at Wyant Group Raceway (Saskatoon, Sask.) will host two separate races of 100 laps each, both scheduled to take place on July 25, 2017.
