OPTIMA^® Batteries and the Golden State Foods Foundation officially announced a partnership today to support children through an all-new charitable Build-A-Bike program. This charitable element integrated into the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car franchise will work to leave a lasting, positive impact on the communities where key performance automotive and industry events take place. The Golden State Foods Foundation, a non-profit organization established to help children in need, was the ideal partner for the Build-A-Bike charitable program.

Together the two organizations aim to instill the same passion for customization among children across America by providing them with an opportunity to build and customize their own bicycle next to industry insiders and enthusiasts, while giving them a memorable and positive experience.

“As a kid, the first vehicle I can remember taking pride in and customizing was my bike,” said Cam Douglas, Director of Product Development and Marketing for OPTIMA Batteries. “I think a lot of folks in the automotive enthusiast community feel the same way. And they can remember what it was like to add new chrome cranks or pegs, put on decals or install a new seat. It’s where we first started to discover our passion for the industry.”

A series of four total OPTIMA Build-A-Bike events will occur at OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car events where children will assemble bicycles with the help of industry volunteers. These events include:

o   OPTIMA Faceoff at HOT ROD Power Tour

Friday, June 8, 2012

Location: QuikTrip Park (1600 Lonestar Pkwy, Grand Prairie, TX 75050)

o   OPTIMA Faceoff at Road America

Friday, June 22, 2012

Location: Andrew¹s Chevrolet (1500 W. Silver Spring Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53209)

o   Holley LSFest

Friday, September 7, 2012

Location: Beech Bend Raceway Park (798 Beech Bend Road, Bowling Green, KY 42101)

o   2012 SEMA Show

Friday, November 2, 2012

Location: Las Vegas, NV

In order to raise funds for the bicycles and helmets OPTIMA Batteries and the Golden State Foods Foundation have arranged an online auction on eBay. The auction, which runs from July 5, 2012, at 7 p.m. PDT through July 15 at 7 p.m. PDT, is open to all U.S. and Canadian residents. Items in the auction range from high-end automotive parts packages to exclusive VIP experiences to custom made bicycles. Auction Cause, an online cause marketing agency, will manage the auction. For a full list of auction items and additional information about the OPTIMA Build-A-Bike program visit http://www.optimabuildabike.com.

“We are proud to be partners with OPTIMA Batteries,” said Mark Wetterau, Chairman and CEO of Golden States Food. “Through our partnership young people in four communities across America will have an opportunity to build a bike and at the end of the day, ride off with a new sense of purpose and belief in themselves.”

Several industry celebrities and organizations have stepped up in support of OPTIMA’s Build-A-Bike charity initiative. Troy Ladd, of Hollywood HOT RODS, built a bicycle and custom painted guitar in the traditional Hollywood HOT ROD style. Pete Chapouris and Jimmy Shine, the legends behind So-Cal Speed Shop, also built a custom designed bicycle for the Build-A-Bike auction. The attention to detail and overall look from both shops mirrors the fine work that goes into their vehicles.

Other companies and industry figures that have contributed to the auction include: Monster Jam^®, Wilwood Disc Brakes, K&N Filters, MagnaFlow, Former WCW and WWE Wrestler Bill Goldberg, MSD, Vintage Air, Chris Alston’s Chassiswork, the World Challenge SCCA Pro Racing series, Offshore Powerboat Association and drag racing legends Tom McEwen and Don Prudhomme (on behalf of Beckett Media) among others.

“It’s been amazing to see the industry come together to make a difference in the lives of these kids,” said Douglass. “Based on this year’s success we’re hoping to expand the program to give out even more bicycles and reach more markets in the future.”

To find more information on OPTIMA’s Build-A-Bike program including volunteer opportunities and a full list of auction items, please visit http://www.optimabuildabike.com/

About OPTIMA^® Batteries
OPTIMA^® YellowTop^®, RedTop^® and BlueTop^® batteries are available through leading battery distributors globally. When looking for OPTIMA Batteries consumers should look for the unique, colored-top and SIXPACK™ design which OPTIMA is known throughout the world. In 2012, OPTIMA added to its product line with the innovative OPTIMA^® Chargers Digital 1200 Battery Charger for all automotive and marine batteries. To find out more information or purchase OPTIMA products consumers may visit www.optimabatteries.com. Consumers can also call 1-888-8OPTIMA (1-888-867-8462) for additional information.

OPTIMA Batteries are manufactured by Johnson Controls, Inc. Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI – News) is the global leader that brings ingenuity to the places where people live, work and travel. By integrating technologies, products and services, we create smart environments that redefine the relationships between people and their surroundings. Our team of more than 150,000 employees creates a more comfortable, safe and sustainable world through our products and services for more than 200 million vehicles, 12 million homes and one million commercial buildings. Our commitment to sustainability drives our environmental stewardship, good corporate citizenship in our workplaces and communities, and the products and services we provide to customers. For additional information, please visit http://www.johnsoncontrols.com.

About GSF Foundation and Golden State Foods

The Golden State Foods Foundation (GSF Foundation) is a non-profit organization established to help children and families in need. A natural extension of Golden State Foods’ value-based business, the Foundation is designed to improve the lives of individuals in the areas where GSF’s associates live and work through personal involvement and contributions. More than 80 percent of GSF associates participate in the Foundation, leading its 26 local committees throughout the U.S. A key differentiator for the Foundation is 100 percent of all donated monies go directly to its charitable partners or programs. For more information, please visit www.gsffoundation.org. Golden State Foods is a $5 billion diversified supplier to the quick service industry. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif. the 65-year-old company services more than 20,000 restaurants in more than 50 countries. Its core businesses include: processing and distribution of liquid products, meat, produce, bakery and other services. For more information, visit www.goldenstatefoods.com.

Anyone with a passing interest in cars has probably heard of the legendary Cannonball Run. Thanks to the movies starring Burt Reynolds, even non-gearheads are probably somewhat familiar with the cross-country race. What many may not realize is that the Cannonball Run was actually based on a real race and that the race still continues to this day.

The format has changed over the years, but the spirit and enthusiasm is still as strong as ever.  This year, 75 vehicles entered the Brock Yates One Lap of America, including the OPTIMA-sponsored One Lap Camaro, piloted by James Shipka and Carl Casanova.  For the third year in a row, the One Lap Camaro was the top finisher in the Vintage American class and finished in the top half of the field overall, in 33rd position.

Just completing the nearly 3,300-mile journey is an accomplishment in and of itself.  For James and Carl to hang amongst a field littered with the latest GTRs, Corvettes and BMWs speaks to the great job they did preparing their car and driving it through a wide variety of challenges, including a wet skid pad, an autocross, drag race and several different road courses.  We applaud James and Carl on their outstanding effort!

It is a chorus we hear on a regular basis- “I’d love to get my car into the OUSCI,” but many of those folks seem to be at a loss when it comes to figuring out what it takes to get invited.  Letters arrive on a daily basis from car owners who want in on the action, but writing a letter about what a car could do is a world apart from seeing what a car actually does when it hits the track.

There are simply not enough spaces in the OUSCI for us to hand out invitations to cars that are long on potential, but short on actual time on the road, let alone the track.  That is why we hold qualifying events around the country and encourage folks to get out and show us what their car can do in the real world.

Two such qualifying events are quickly approaching, the Faceoff at the Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour and the Faceoff at Road America.  These are both great events to get your car or truck in front of the decision-makers at OPTIMA, who can not only punch your ticket for the SEMA show, but also extend a special invitation to the Sandhills Open Road Challenge later this summer in Nebraska.  Anyone who has ever participated in a Faceoff event can tell you how much fun and rewarding the experience was for those who were willing to sign on.

“My car just isn’t good enough” and “my car isn’t where I want it to be yet” are also common refrains that we hear from people who have an interest in participating, but don’t think they’d have a chance to get invited to the OUSCI.  We can’t emphasize the “I” in OUSCI enough to these folks.  We certainly want amazing cars in the OUSCI field, but we also want to make sure we invite participants who represent the diversity and grassroots enthusiasm of our industry.

When Telly Violetto showed up at the 2010 Faceoff at Road America in a nearly-stock 1978 Trans Am, he was just looking to have some fun and gain some experience on the track.  He went out and had an absolute blast, tearing around the road course at Road America, plowing through the autocross and sliding sideways in the stop box at the Speed/Stop Challenge. We were so impressed with his enthusiasm, we gave him a Spirit of the Event invitation to the 2010 OUSCI.  Telly’s life and Trans Am both underwent serious changes after that and he had an absolute blast out in Nevada and picked up plenty of exposure along the way.

Will you and your car be the next to receive an invite to the OUSCI?  Probably not, unless we see you at a qualifying event or the SEMA show itself.  Pull the trigger and sign up today.  You’ll be glad you did!

Did you know many of the “bad” batteries returned to retailers are really just deeply-discharged and work fine, when properly-recharged?  Unfortunately, many battery chargers simply will not work on batteries that have been discharged below a minimum voltage level, which can be as high as 10.5 volts!

OPTIMA’s new Digital 1200 12-volt battery charger can recover many deeply-discharged batteries, including batteries discharged all the way down to 1.25 volts!  That’s great news for any battery owner, but what if you don’t own one of these chargers yet?

There are some other methods for recovering deeply-discharged batteries and we decided to create a YouTube video, which explains the options most consumers have in recovering deeply-discharged batteries.  Be sure to check it out, because the few minutes you spend watching that video could end up saving you time and money that might otherwise be spent buying a new battery.

One of the perks of being a contingency sponsor for the NHRA, as well as the primary sponsor on David Grubnic’s Top Fuel dragster, is that it allows us to get out to the dragstrip and interact with many of our customers.  One of those customers came by the OPTIMA rig on Friday to talk to us about problems he was having with the dual RedTops he had mounted in his Sportsman drag car.

As he explained what had happened, he indicated he stored his car last winter with the kill switch activated, which disconnected his batteries from his vehicle.  However, when he went to start his car in the spring, his batteries were discharged to the point that they could not turn his engine over.  He then indicated that after charging them, they eventually discharged again and seem to have trouble maintaining proper voltage.

We then asked him if he remembered the voltage of his batteries either when he parked his car for the winter or when he brought it out in the spring and he had a puzzled look on his face.  He didn’t seem to know specifically, but indicated when he charged them, he got them all the way up to, “12.1 or 12.2 volts.”  Unfortunately, his experience is not unique amongst battery owners and it is commonly believed that a 12-volt battery is fully-charged at 12.0 volts.  However, the truth is, most batteries are more than 50% discharged at 12.o volts.  This racer’s RedTops are not fully-charged until they reach about 12.6-12.8 volts.

We then asked to come over to his rig and take a look at the charger he was using.  As we suspected, he had been using a charger that had a “Gel/AGM” setting, which was probably not fully-charging his batteries, even though it indicated the batteries were fully-charged.  Whenever batteries are discharged below 12.4 volts and allowed to sit in that state, sulfation begins to diminish both capacity and lifespan and in the case of these batteries, it sounds like they had spent almost their entire existence discharged below 12.4 volts.

The solution for this driver was a simple one.  He decided to order our new Digital 1200 battery charger, but in the interim, we suggested he simply charge his batteries using his charger’s “Regular” setting.