Race fans and racers come together in a new sponsorship match. Tim and Rick Roberts of Pinehurst NC the owners of dsslink.net, the owners PF2 Motorsports (Fred & Pam Bickford), have come together to form a new brand of Internet Service Provider. The RaceApe.com brand will support local racers as well as the professional ranks in premier series. RaceApe.com will provide subscribers accelerated data from Proxyconn Inc. that gives DSL speed to the dial up. The service is included in the price for less money than that of other major ISPs.
Free tech support, two email addresses, exclusive online racing, inside race information, and each month a subscriber is invited to be an honorary pit crewmember on a RaceApe.com team. Exclusive chats with current drivers, owners, and crewmembers give the racing community access to each other. One lucky subscriber will have a chance to drive in a real race, no experience necessary. Tutoring from a current Nextel Cup or Busch Series driver will be provided for the subscriber and the car will be crewed by RaceApe.com race team headed by car owner and crew chief Fred Bickford and car chief Robert Wagoner. Experienced racers will also have a chance to move up a notch and drive a RaceApe.com house car in a professional division.
Rick Roberts a principle partner in dsslink.net and an officer of RaceApe.com along with his son will manage and develop the web presence of the new brand. “This is my first NASCAR experience. It has been exciting and fun meeting drivers, owners and fans. I really am excited about being a part of this venture and look forward to a long-term relationship with my new found friends and partners. Several of our home office employees are also avid fans. This is a great way for us to reward employees as well as our subscribers with a product centered around a sport we love,” said Roberts. “This is a great opportunity for fans and racers to come together and support one another. I can’t wait to get online and race my simulation car. I heard through the grape vine that Dale, Jr met Truex, Jr racing online. Don’t know how true it is but I am looking forward to meeting new racing people,” said Bickford, who is a current team owner in NASCAR’s premier divisions.
“I enjoy going to the race track every week and meeting as many people as I can. I stay at the tracks, so I get the chance to walk around and talk to people; I have met some wonderful fans and racers who I converse with on a regular basis today. RaceApe.com is going to have exclusive chat rooms where everyone can have access to one another and get tech help for their own race cars and share there racing experience with one another. I think it is a great idea because I love to armchair race. To take someone who has never raced before and bring them in with a professional Driver and myself coaching, is going to be such an adventure for someone, plus having subscribers every month being able to come to the race track and work with the crew, what an all around program for everyone.”
Bickford continues. “The racing aspects of the program are in its infancy stages but should progress quickly. With coming together late in the off season we really want to come out of the box running competitive and I just can’t get to that point starting so late. We are going to take some time to develop our team and be prepared when we roll off the trailer. We have a good engine program with T&L Engine Development. We have a few drivers who we talked with. For the most part this is a brand new team with a lot of talented people involved and we want to showcase those talents and we are in no hurry to just get to the race track.”
RaceApe.com team has plans on rolling through the gates as soon as it feels it is ready. The RaceApe.com race team will be in Daytona not to race but to “go to school” and learn the new racing environment this year. There are several rule changes and procedures that the team needs to catch up on. They will also be present at the Daytona Expo Show unveiling the new RaceApe.com Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Jason White will be on hand to sign autographs along with the RaceApe.com Racing Girls.(PF2 Motorsports PR)(2-4-2004)
