Sweet Sixteen, Engine Ice

SWEET SIXTEEN

Today, April 29th, marks the 16th Anniversary of the start and official launch of Engine Ice Hi-Performance Coolant.

Prior to this date, for months, Engine Ice was under development and being tested by riders across Florida, from riders under the tent of the original WMR/Willie Manning Racing, James Stewart, Jr., Matt Goerke, Jason Fink and others.
But April 28, 2000, was the first day Engine Ice went, "on the road." where I took a few bottles of Engine Ice in my luggage (back when you could do such things) and flew to the one-time only, never to happen again, "Chicago/Joliet Supercross" that was built on the "Route 66 Raceway" drag strip. I remember getting full credentials and walking the track, thinking to myself "How crazy dangerous is this?" as the track was built over walls and barriers, all clearly exposed on the sides of the jumps, but it was at this race, I introduced Engine Ice to the world outside of Florida. I also remember it getting unexpectedly hella cold overnight between Friday's practice and Saturday's race day.

I remember meeting Chad Watts in the parking lot of their hotel, then Ricky Carmichael's mechanic at Kawasaki, working on his bike in the parking lot and explaining the product to him, he was nice, gave me a card and said to send him some to California and they'll test it out. I never really heard back from Chad on it, but occasionally for the next few years I'd tease him saying "I knew" he was using it secretly, but of course I had no idea. I talked to a few others and most were pretty disinterested.

I met Jason "JT$" Thomas and his mechanic/Father, Frank, and this was when JT$ was really "JT pocket change" as they were total privateers out of an old white van, driving to every race. I think Frank was flying home to work at the shop he worked at in Gainesville, but Jason drove on to the next race. Jason's Mom was, and still is to this day, an AMA scorekeeper. I introduced myself to JT and Frank, Jason said he was familiar with both myself and the product, from my time announcing at Pepsi/Air Dania in Ft Lauderdale, and I offered Jason $500 and free product as sponsorship and to run my decals, which he accepted, making Jason Thomas the very first paid professional racer of Engine Ice Hi-Performance Coolant, our first check written to a rider. Also met Georgia fast privateer, Matt Shue, and for a couple hundred dollars, added him to the roster and then also Jason Fink, a fast Florida rider trying to make it in the pros. I'd known Jason and the Fink family for a number of years, and they had tested from early on through Willie Manning Racing/WMR, he was an easy sell.

So on April 29, 2000, Engine Ice, the brand new coolant product, not even for sale to the general public yet, had three pro racers in the program of the Chicago/Joliet Supercross. JT$ would, as usual back then, pull his trick of qualifying for the main event in BOTH the 125cc class and the 250cc class (Remember, this was the mostly two stroke days), a feat that is now disallowed, and Matt Shue would also make the main event in the 250cc Class. Fink would make the night but miss the main. JT$ would skip the 125cc class main, but collect his main event money for last, and race the 250cc class, finishing a very respectable 12th while Shue would finish 17th.

So, Engine Ice was on the map. Our first introduction, our first sponsored pros, and two of the three would make the main event in the premier division, and have respectable results.

That was 16 years ago, on these very days, the 28th and 29th, of April in the year 2000

The following week, I'd go to the finale in Las Vegas, my first one ever, then the week after that, which was Mother's Day that year, was the Glen Helen Outdoor Nationals Opener, where we were able to somehow score a spot in a corner of the tiny pit area, next to Kyle Lewis in the MotoXXX box van, putting our custom printed Engine Ice EZ-Up, now long since retired, in full view of all the spectators on their way in, and throughout the day, myself and Mark Beamer, the man who did all the original art, logo design and a contributing founder, engaged in guerrilla marketing, by plastering Engine Ice decals all over the Glen Helen property, in every port-a-can, every jump tunnel and every pole. You may had never heard of Engine Ice before that day, but afterwards, you knew that logo, because you couldn't miss it.
It was that Monday, the day after that Glen Helen National, that the Engine Ice website went live, and we did make a sale that first day. Imagine that, a sale on the very first day!

A little known bit of internal trivia, one of the very first customers of Engine Ice that week, before I even knew who he was, was Dr. John Bodner, the same Dr. Bodner of the Asterisk Mobile Medical Team today.
Amazing how far we've come in a quick 16 years, and I am proud to say I am still friends with JT$ and have become friends with Dr. Bodner, all these years later.

As an original advertiser of Vital MX and the first advertiser of it's predecessor, Motodrive.com (RIP), I want to thank all of you who have supported us and been our friend. We respect all of our competitors, and don't expect (but would like ) everyone to use our product, but know that isn't possible. But thanks, GuyB, Michael, Scottie, all the OG's and those of you who I don't know or know me, but know our product, it's been a crazy 16 years. Even more crazy is knowing many of us were online together even before Engine Ice was born, that's how OG some of us are are.

Have a great day, Everyone