Hot off his win in Long Beach, we caught up with Conrad Grunewald on a cross-country tow setting up for another weekend of racing. The Monterey, California-based drift racer and Ferrari Challenge racing coach knows plenty about going fast and what it takes to build a durable powertrain – including MAHLE pistons, rings and Clevite Bearings.
“When I first learned of MAHLE, frankly I was unaware of their products,” stated Grunewald. “But it didn’t take long for me to I realized their overall size and excellent reputation for high quality components. Their support for my team has been terrific. Most recently I had an issue requiring the need for a new set of pistons. They overnighted the new parts to me in a day – what more could I ask for?”
The choice to run a Camaro was a calculated decision by Grunewald who wanted something different from the predominant import drift cars like Nissan 240SXs and Infinity G35s. Having run a Magnuson supercharged LS6 2005 Corvette Z06 for several years, the change to the Camaro came about after applying for one of Chevrolet’s “dollar” cars through a Specialty Equipment Marketing Association program. Throughout the car building process and beyond, Grunewald has worked closely with Bill McKnight at MAHLE to help design and maintain the powertrain. The result of that relationship is a winning car.
Interestingly, many of the Camaro’s parts are custom built, Grunewald forced to create every part to meet the unique demands found with professional drift racing. No cookie cutter import parts work for this winning Formula Drift machine!
“The Camaro platform offers a unique sponsorship opportunity for companies looking to hang their banner with something different from the norm,” continued Grunewald. “Having MAHLE as a sponsor has given us not only the ability to attend the seven race U.S.-based races in 2015 but also the three international races – in China, Canada and Japan.”
Concluded, Grunewald, “It is an honor to be with such a prestigious company. I did not know much about them originally, but once I took a look it was huge opportunity. It is gratifying to be associated with such an amazing company.”
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