August 21, 2008
Team Mopar®’s Samuel Hübinette Primed to Wow Fans South of the Border at Formula Drift Mexico Exhibition
• Hübinette will take the wheel of his Mopar® Dodge Charger SRT8® at Monterrey
• Hübinette excited at opportunity to bring drifting to a new audience
• Formula Drift Mexico
Center Line, Mich. — Team Mopar® driver and two-time Formula Drift (FD) champion Samuel Hübinette will be among the 16 FD stars to bring the extreme motorsport of drifting to eager fans in Mexico. The inaugural FD Mexico exhibition is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 23 at the Monterrey Autodrome.
Hübinette will unleash a special “blast from the past” surprise for the throngs expected to fill the Autodrome. The “Crazy Swede” will break out the Mopar Dodge Charger SRT8® he campaigned to one win and a top five points finish in the 2007 Formula Drift season for the exhibition.
“It will be fun to get behind the wheel of the Charger again,” said Hübinette. “We surprised a lot of people with our win last year. I know there are a lot of fans out there who loved the Charger. We had a lot of positive feedback. We’re holding our Mopar Dodge Viper SRT10®s back at the NuFormz Racing shop to keep them in tip-top condition for the upcoming final two 2008 Formula Drift points events, so this gives us a chance to pull the Charger out of hibernation for the Mexico exhibition.”
Hübinette added, “I don’t think we’ll have any problems shaking off the cobwebs with a Mopar HEMI® engine and 650-plus horsepower under the Charger’s hood. It’ll be just like old times.”
Hübinette excited at opportunity to bring drifting to a new audience
Hübinette, a recent immigrant to the U.S. from his native Sweden (he became a U.S. citizen in 2006), is no stranger to the role of ambassador for the sport of drifting and Mopar.
“I’m always trying to spread the word about drifting when I go back to Sweden,” said Hübinette. “This is what I do for a living and I want the whole world to be excited about it. I’m really looking forward to showing the fans of Mexico what drifting and Mopar power is all about—the ultimate in car control. Plus, I’m sure I’ll unleash some smoke shows and 180 and 360 tricks on the crowd. It’s an exhibition, so it’s all about fun.”
Hübinette and the Mopar NuFormz Racing Dodge Viper SRT10 crew [led by team owner Shaun Carlson], enter the Mexico exhibition following an outstanding outing in the FD Round Five event at Washington’s Monroe Speedway on Aug. 9. Hübinette claimed the pole, a runner-up finish and the points lead at the stop near Seattle. Two events remain in the Formula Drift season, with Hübinette locked in an agonizingly close points battle.
“We’ll have a little fun this weekend, but then it’s on to Sonoma [Calif.] for Round Six, and we’re back to business,” said Hübinette. “I’m hungry for my third Formula Drift title.”
Formula Drift Mexico
The Formula Drift Mexico exhibition is scheduled for Aug. 23 at the Monterrey Autodrome. Gates open to the public at 11 a.m. Qualifying is set for 1 p.m. Hübinette and his fellow drifters will take part in an autograph signing at 2 p.m. The main competition will begin at 5 p.m. For ticket information, visit http://www.arema.com.mx.
70 Years of Mopar
When Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, the need for a dedicated parts manufacturer, supplier and distribution system to support the growing enterprise led to the formation of the Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation (CMPC) in 1929.
Originally used in the 1920s, Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for a line of antifreeze products in 1937. It was also widely used as a moniker for the CMPC. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s – the muscle car era. The Chrysler Corporation built race-ready Dodge and Plymouth “package cars” equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar carried a line of “Special Parts” for super stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use.
Today, Chrysler LLC’s Global Service & Parts division is responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of nearly 250,000 authentic Mopar replacement parts, components and accessories for Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles sold around the world. To assure quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar parts and accessories are designed in strict adherence to Chrysler engineering standards.