Next Wednesday at Oakley Headquarters in California
Send-Off Celebration for Rafael Navarro IV, Patrick Long, Vic Bruckmann and Rafael Navarro III and the Inaugural CTF/R4R Pete’s Camp Racing SCORE Lites Jimco-VW Buggy Baja 1000 Effort
The inaugural Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF) Racing4Research (R4R) Baja 1000 campaign, with co-drivers Rafael Navarro IV, Patrick Long, Vic Bruckmann and Rafael Navarro III, will be officially launched next Wednesday at a special Kick-Off Party hosted by Oakley at its company headquarters in Foothill Ranch, California.
The Baja 1000 Children’s Tumor Foundation Kick-Off Party Hosted by Oakley begins at 6 p.m. PST and will feature all four drivers, the CTF/R4R Pete’s Camp Racing SCORE Lites Jimco-VW Buggy, and Oakley’s very own and genuine Russian BMP-1 Tank. Rides will be available in both unique off-road vehicles during the celebration that will serve as the final stateside event before the CTF/R4R Team heads South of the Border first thing the next day for its first run in the 46th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, November 14 – 17.
The impressive Oakley Headquarters facility is located at 1 Icon, Foothill Ranch, California, 92610, and all welcome attendees must RSVP through JBeck@CTF.org by this Veteran’s Day Monday, November 11.
The Baja effort is being organized by the CTF/R4R motorsports fundraising program that is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of individuals and families affected by Neurofibromatosis – known simply as NF – which is a common yet under-recognized genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body. Found in one of every 3,000 children born, NF is a more common disorder than many more widely known illnesses, including cystic fibrosis and Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and can lead to blindness, bone abnormalities, cancer and excruciating and disabling pain. Donations to CTF/R4R can be made directly at www.Racing4Research.org.Donations to CTF/R4R can be made directly at www.Racing4Research.org.
The Navarros and Bruckmann are former Baja 500 winners and will be joined by top American sports car road racer Long in the CTF/R4R Pete’s Camp Racing SCORE Lites Jimco-VW buggy. Long, America’s only factory Porsche driver, raced for CTF/R4R for the first time this year in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series and joins the organization in making their off-road racing debuts in the Baja 1000.
Navarro IV – the 2011 SCORE Lites Champion who is better known in racing circles as “Cuatro” or simply “R4” – and Bruckmann won the Score Lites class in the Baja 500 earlier this year for the second time after earning their first Baja win in the 2011 running of the race, co-driving with Navarro III. Like Long, 20-year-old Cuatro is an official CTF/R4R driver after first racing for the organization last year in Traxxas TORC Series Pro Lights.
Oakley is further supporting the CTF/R4R Baja 1000 campaign by offering top donors customized Oakley Jupiter Squared™ Sunglasses. The limited edition Oakleys are finished in matte black with the CTF logo engraved on the left of the CTF-blue tinted lenses. Each side arm of the glasses also features a custom Oakley icon in CTF blue. Only 50 pairs of the sunglasses have been made and donated by Oakley, and CTF/R4R supporters committing $1,000 or more through the Baja 1000 campaign will automatically receive a pair. Additionally, every donation made in honor of the Baja 1000 race will be entered in a drawing to win one of the limited edition CTF Oakleys. No donation is too small in the fight against NF and every donation counts as an entry to win. Make a donation now to get a pair of CTF/R4R Oakley Jupiter Squared™ Sunglasses at http://ctf.kintera.org/r4r2014/baja1000.
Additional CTF/R4R programs in 2013 included the full-season GRAND-AM Rolex Series GT effort of Long and teammate Patrick Lindsey, a championship runner-up Pirelli World Challenge GT effort with GMG Racing and James Sofronas and the ST-class series runner-up Compass 360 Honda team with Ryan Eversley in GRAND-AM’s Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series. The CTF/R4R program was also active in regional NASCAR K&N Pro Series stock car competition for the second season with Daniel Graeff. TELMEX/Chip Ganassi Racing also carried the CTF logo on its team title winning Daytona Prototype as did the Rolex 24 GX-class winning Napleton Racing Porsche Cayman S.
About Children's Tumor Foundation/Racing4Research: Developed by the Children’s Tumor Foundation, the Racing4Research (R4R) program utilizes competitive, professional auto racing as a vehicle to increase awareness of neurofibromatosis and raise funds for research through corporate sponsorship, personal donations, and individual fundraising by NF Heroes: children and adults from around the country who live with neurofibromatosis. NF affects one in every 3,000 children, more than cystic fibrosis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Huntington’s disease combined, and can lead to a wide variety of complications, including blindness, bone abnormalities, cancer, deafness, disfigurement, learning disabilities and excruciating and disabling pain. The Racing4Research program offers children and families living with the disorder a uniquely empowering weekend, and has raised over $2 million dollars since its inception six years ago. Donations can be made at www.racing4research.org.
About CTF/R4R Oakley Jupiter Squared™ Sunglasses: Oakley Jupiter Squared™ is attitude with refinement. Its stress-resistant O Matter® frame ensures all-day comfort, and with a Three-Point Fit, avoids those irritating little pressure points that come with the curved earstems of ordinary frames. Unobtainium® is also featured, so this frame actually grips better when you sweat. All Oakley lenses are engineered with Plutonite® that filters out 100% of UVA, UVB, UVC and harmful blue light up to 400nm.
