Fireball Run Rally
When we first heard about the inaugural Fireball Run Transcontinental Rally, we thought it sounded like a lot of fun. After all, how many lenders do you know who have participated in a cross-country road rally? The event also supported the Child Rescue Network in its efforts to locate missing children throughout the U.S.
Since the entire MCC Staff wouldn"t fit in a BMW 3 Series, we had to figure out who would actually drive our competition vehicle and get all of the subsequent glory. After much deliberation (and a Royal-Rumble-style mini brawl), it was decided that Sean Filley and Tony Zara would be our drivers for the Fireball Run. Sean and Tony, the collective backbone of our Finance Department, began the process of getting everything squared away for their nine day journey to Los Angeles. In addition to the cross-country portion of the race, there were also track race events to compete in along the way. Both drivers had to complete a certified driving course to prepare them for what they might face in these track races. They had to don flame retardant racing suits and helmets–you can never be too safe, you know. Sean was actually thrilled about this. He finally got to fulfill his dream of living the life of a NASCAR driver (sort of).
Tony and Sean, successfully completed the required driving course and rounded up all the necessary gear: racing suits, approved helmets, approved fire extinguisher and a road safety kit (which we"re relieved they didn"t have to use). They also began mental preparations. Not only did they have to tackle various challenges at each stop along the way, but they had to figure out how to survive ALL that time together, cooped up in the car. Just before the race, the pair drove to a Florida Gators football game together and, according to Tony, they "had absolutely nothing to talk about."
That didn"t bode well for a duo that was destined to spend the better part of 9 days no more than 12 inches apart. Not to worry, though. Tony and Sean buckled down and each started a list of topics to talk about and polished up on their communication skills. Be sure to check out some of the video clips from the race to see how the trip actually went.
In order to capture the in-car video feeds, we had our competition vehicle outfitted with all sorts of technological wonders. Our friends at KeyThing Marketing Technology figured out a way for us to broadcast a 24-hour, live video feed from the car so we could keep an eye on what Tony and Sean were up to along the way.
You can see from the photos of our car on display in the Fields BMW showroom just before the race, quite a few folks took us up on the Sponsorship opportunities we made available. We were able to give our racecar a nice coat of rally-car-style Sponsor decals, each representing a donation in support of the Central Florida Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). A 501c3 organization working with minors, FCA"s goal is to help students succeed in life through the platform of sports.
Our “road warriors" were also excited about the opportunity to help those in need through this event. The Fireball Run event coordinators teamed up with the Child Rescue Network and dubbed this event the “Race to Recover America"s Missing Children." Our team was assigned a missing child and Sean and Tony distributed as many posters as possible along the 3,500 mile adventure in an effort to help locate her. “Our excitement is amplified by an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction in knowing that we were able to help people that have missing loved ones in their search for a long-awaited reunion," said Tony. Sean echoed his feeling: “I hope that every mile of the race lead the missing children closer to home."
Despite the fact that out of 99 teams we finished 36th overall and 7th in our division (luxury), we were thrilled to be part of such a unique event. We're happy to report that a total of 11 missing children were located and returned to their families and one of them was our assigned child! Amanda Fuenes, age 7, had been missing since July 15th of 2007 and she is now safe with people who love her. This was absolutly a success in our book.
