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January 29, 2010
Benicia, California

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July 22, 2009
Benicia, California

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July 17, 2008
Benicia, CA

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May 17, 2008
Benicia, CA

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May 3, 2008
Benicia, CA

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March 31, 2008
Benicia, CA

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Molecule Formula Mazda Challenge & Star Mazda West Coast Series Opens at Infineon Raceway Almost 50 cars race green to checker at first event March 31, 2008 Sonoma, CA The Molecule Formula Mazda Challenge and Star Mazda West Coast Series opened up this weekend at Infineon raceway. The event which was a part of the SCCA Regional weekend saw almost 50 entries. "We chose this particular event as our opening race as it would allow our drivers who have not run with the local SCCA to get used to the club, and would also allow them to see first hand how the club operates," stated Eric McCombs the series administrator. "Michael Smith and Peter Nosler who are both board members of the San Francisco Region SCCA arranged for a group meeting and they were kind enough to allow the participants to share their thoughts on how the program could be improved moving forward." The series has two more weekends planned with the SCCA for 2008. In Sunday's race, Patrick O'Neill, who had qualified on pole, took off to a commanding lead and never relinquished it. O'Neill drove his red #64 O'Neill Construction Racing Pro Formula Mazda to the overall and PFM win followed by Phenom Racing's Molecule sponsored driver Mike Guasch. World Speed Motorsports driver Jim Mashburn rounded out the PFM podium in his Magma Grills sponsored entry. In the Formula Mazda class Bill Weaver was on pole and took the win followed by Derry O'Donovan, and Stew Tabak. The FE class finishing order was Brandon Aleckson on the top of the podium followed by James Davenport, and Archie Snider. The Thursday and Friday prior to the weekend saw a contingent of Standing Start coaches out on the corners working with various participants in the series. Eric Freiberg, who is competing in the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear with World Speed Motorsports, came out to test on Thursday and spent the balance of the weekend coaching his sister Ashley who was competing in a WSM Standard Formula Mazda. "Ashley is fairly new to racing cars," stated World Speed Motorsports Operations Manager Mark Milazzo, "but she is really doing a great job. In most sessions she was within a second of multi-year champion and local Formula Mazda legend Bill Weaver. Due to a sound violation she had to start at the back of the pack in Sunday's race and she passed more than 20 cars on her way to finishing 4th in the FM class." Eric Freiberg also spent Sunday morning showing the local Boy Scout troop around his Pro Formula Mazda, and explaining to them the commitment needed to be a competitive driver. Other notable runs during the race were by Kevin Woods a new driver to the series who was running as good as 4th overall before a sound violation required him to pit and lose a lap late in the race. Sean Prewett who is also new to the series had a great start but hit some oil early on and went off track. He recovered and went on to pass 30 cars before the end of the race. Vince Gaddini, who has a Pro Formula Mazda being delivered to World Speed Motorsports this week, was racing most of the event with Paul Lahaye and Larry Schnur. Gaddini went on to win in the DSR class. The Molecule Formula Mazda Challenge Series and Star Mazda West Coast Series heads to Thunderhill Raceway next for an exclusive double header with NASA on May 3rd-4th. For more information visit: http://formulamazdachallenge.com   MOLECULE Nomex Care System >> The MOLECULE Formula Mazda Challenge Website >>

 

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Feb 25th, 2008

MOLECULE Partners with Formula Mazda Challenge for 2008 Series to be called The MOLECULE Formula Mazda Challenge 02.25.2008 BENICIA, CA With the growth and popularity of MOLECULE's line of Nomex® fire suit care products, the next step in the promotion of the brand has emerged with a partnership with the Formula Mazda Challenge Series. The series will be referred to as The MOLECULE Formula Mazda Challenge, and a new look for the series marketing materials is in the works. MOLECULE will provide sample products to drivers entered in the series, and will be on hand at the events to discuss the products with the end users themselves. "The products are amazing," stated World Speed Motorsports Operations Manager Mark Milazzo. "The MOLECULE guys cleaned a fellow competitor's suit that I would have thrown in the garbage it was so dirty and covered with grease. When they brought it back it was like new, smelled good, and they showed us how well it repelled fluids. I was sold on the spot." MOLECULE will also be hosting the series year end party during the November race weekend at Infineon Raceway. MOLECULE is used to clean and service fire suits for half of the F1 drivers and pit crews, the Champ Car World Series, the American Le Mans series, the British Touring Car Championship, the FIA GT series, Off-Road racing, and everywhere in between. By partnering with the Formula Mazda Challenge, MOLECULE will reach out to another important segment of the industry; the club racer. The series has race events with the SCCA and NASA, the two largest club racing organizations in North America. More information about the partnership is expected to be released in an upcoming press release. The opening race weekend for the MOLECULE Formula Mazda Challenge Northern Pacific Division is Mar 29th at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. About MOLECULE: MOLECULE Labs, Inc. provides solutions for the safety, care, and maintenance of numerous technical fabric applications. Specially formulated for Nomex®, tested by the SFI Foundation and proven in diverse racing conditions for over two years, MOLECULE is designed for racers by racers. Formulated to be used on any brand of Nomex® fire suit, the lineup of MOLECULE WASH, MOLECULE REFRESHER , MOLECULE PROTECTOR, and MOLECULE SPOT CLEANER can be found in use on driver and crew suits around the world. For more information and complete info on the products, with videos, technical info, testimonials and more visit www.moleculelabs.com   MOLECULE Labs Incorporated >> The MOLECULE Formula Mazda Challenge >> Bob Varsha Video Discussing MOLECULE products >> Race Tech Magazine MOLECULE article>> email: eric@formulamazdachallenge.com web: http://www.formulamazdachallenge.com With top locations, available driver coaching from Standing Start, and dealer support, the various Mazda West Coast Series are perfect for drivers that are preparing for a career in motorsports or just looking for an opportunity to race at some of the best tracks in the western United States.

Molecule Labs Partners with Matt Varsha and MPME to Tackle the 25 Hours of Thunderhill

Molecule Labs, makers of the premier technical fabric care system, have partnered with racing team Marshall Pruett Motorsports Engineering (MPME) and rising racing star Matt Varsha, son of SPEED’s F1 host Bob Varsha, to race in the upcoming NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill endurance event.

The ‘25HR,’ the worlds’ longest endurance race, is the perfect environment to put the power of Molecule’s products to the extreme test that only a 25 hour race can provide. Varsha joins co-drivers Tanner Foust, Gary Sheehan, Mark Hotchkis, and Dave Pratte behind the wheel of the SPEED Touring Car-spec turbocharged Scion tC.

Michael Guasch, owner and founder of Molecule Labs, found the challenge of the ‘25HR’ irresistible. “The conditions drivers and crews withstand in a race like the ‘25HR’ are unlike anything else in motor racing. Their Nomex^® fire suits are subjected to more than a days worth of dirt, oil, grease, water, sweat, and every other contaminant imaginable. All the crew suits and driver suits will be treated with our Molecule WASH™ and Molecule PROTECTOR™ to keep the MPME team as clean and safe as possible.”

It’s Guasch’s support of the 20yr old Matt Varsha that brings the two former Star Mazda competitors back together for the December 1st-2^nd race in Northern California. “Matt proved himself to be fast and mature beyond his age when we shared the track together in 2006. I’m only too happy to help support his career in 2007 as it’s obvious he has the talent and pedigree to continue into 2008 with a full head of steam behind him.”

Varsha, a student at the University of Colorado at Boulder, can’t wait for his second endurance race of the year, coming off of a successful run at the GrandAm 24 hours of Daytona in January. “Running in a Rolex GT class Porsche was an amazing experience. I can’t wait to round out my year with an even longer endurance race—going back to Daytona in 2008 and doing more Rolex or Koni challenge races is my ultimate goal. I really want to thank Molecule Labs for their support, and appreciate Mr. Guasch’s belief in my abilities as a spokesman for his company.”

In addition to Matt’s representation of the Molecule brand, Guasch has also enlisted the elder Varsha to lend his famous voice to Molecule’s advertising campaign. It’s a powerful tandem that’s hard to ignore. “While Matt is working hard in college, to win on the race track, and to develop his presence as representative for his sponsors, I’m working hard to support him however I can. It takes a strong network of partners to get an emerging driver like Matt on the track, and its companies like Molecule Labs that endear themselves to their customers by giving back to the sport by keeping young drivers like Matt progressing forward.”

While Bob’s voice will be featured on Molecule’s promotional videos, the Molecule logo will be featured on all four sides of the MPME Scion tC being campaigned by Matt Varsha, on the driver and crew suits, and other team equipment. “I’m excited to be a part of this event, and can’t wait for my son to race with Molecule and MPME!”

Follow the teams’ progress in the 25HR at www.moleculelabs.com, www.speedtv.com, and www.modified.com.

About Molecule: Molecule Labs, Inc. provides solutions for the safety, care, and maintenance of numerous technical fabric applications. Specially formulated for Nomex®, tested by the SFI Foundation, Inc, and proven in diverse racing conditions for over two years, MOLECULE™ is designed for racers by racers. Formulated to be used on any brand of Nomex® fire suit, the lineup of MOLECULE™ WASH, MOLECULE™ REFRESHER , MOLECULE™ PROTECTOR , and MOLECULE™ SPOT CLEANER can be found in use on driver and crew suits around the world, from Off Road Racing, Le Mans, Champ Car to Formula One. For more information, visit www.moleculelabs.com

Molecule Repels The Canadian ChampCar Rain In Mont-Tremblant and Toronto
As Pacific Coast Motorsport drivers and crew deliver their best-ever performance at Toronto, Molecule Labs keeps the team dry and performing at their peak in a downpour
 

Coming off a two week stretch of rain-soaked events in Eastern Canada, the Pacific Coast Motorsports/Molecule Labs team of Alex Figge and Ryan Dalziel had more to overcome than just their fellow ChampCar competitors in the battle for success; unrelenting skies at Mont-Tremblant and then Toronto challenged the PCM pit crew and drivers to deliver top performances in the wet.

With all of their fireproof Nomex® fire suits laundered and treated with the full range of technical fabric care products from their team partner, Molecule Labs, the PCM team had an advantage the rest of the ChampCar field would have loved to have had: Molecule’s liquid repellency traits that kept their suits dry while their own suits were soaked to the core.

“The weather was so unpredictable in both races,” commented PCM Team Manager, Tyler Tadevic, “all the teams and drivers were scrambling to remain dry as the rain fell throughout both races. Alex, Ryan, and our entire pit crew had it easy as the water would just bead up, and roll off our backs.”

Armed with MOLECULE™ WASH and MOLECULE™ PROTECTOR fire suit treatments, the cleaning agents within WASH and liquid repelling agents within PROTECTOR allowed Dalziel and Figge to give their full attention to the treacherous racing tracks while the competition sat in soggy fire suits as the falling rain was absorbed by their untreated suits.

“I’ve been in a lot of rain races, and there’s nothing worse than trying to battle for position while wearing a water-logged suit,” noted Molecule’s owner and founder, Michael Guasch. “MOLECULE™ PROTECTOR does an incredible job of repelling flammable liquids when they contact Nomex® material, but in this case, it locked out the water and kept the PCM team and drivers focused and dry. Their suits were refreshingly clean and even smelled great after the race because of MOLECULE™ WASH.”

PCM’s Ryan Dalziel led the team’s first race at Toronto, and was on target for a podium finish but for some over-aggressive driving by a competitor in the final stages of the race. Despite this, the realization of PCM’s potential and that of Molecule’s product line were seen both on and off the track. “We’re incredibly proud of what Ryan, Alex, Tyler, and the entire Pacific Coast team achieved last weekend at Toronto, said Guasch. “I have no doubt that in the coming races, the momentum of the PCM/Molecule ChampCar team will continue to grow.

Molecule Proves its Point in ChampCar with Pacific Coast Motorsports

Leading Nomex® and technical fabric care, safety, and maintenance company is tasked with providing fire suit solutions and advantages for Pacific Coast Motorsports.

With the growth and popularity of Molecule’s line of Nomex® fire suit products, the next step in the usage and promotion of the brand has emerged with a partnership between the popular Pacific Coast Motorsports ChampCar team, and Molecule Labs, Inc.

Set to debut the #29 Molecule Labs PCM ChampCar driven by Alex Figge at the Portland race, June 8th-10th, Molecule’s founder and inventor Michael Guasch will be on hand to launch the partnership and to serve as a technical consultant to the team.

“I started Molecule to help clean and protect the vital fire suits that drivers and teams use during a race; joining with Pacific Coast Motorsports to demonstrate our products on the ChampCar pit lane and on the track at 200mph only makes sense,” noted Guasch.

“I’ve always admired the ChampCar series and drivers. In a championship where identical cars are used and the slightest advantage is the difference between winning and losing, Molecule’s commitment to keeping the PCM drivers and pit crew cleaner, fresher, and safer than their rivals is the core of our partnership.”

Figge’s black #29 ChampCar will carry the full Molecule livery for the Portland event in an effort to draw awareness to the company and its products—products that Guasch says any racing driver or team would benefit from using. After Portland, Molecule will move to an associate’s role on the branding of the car. “I want everyone in the ChampCar series and all the support series to see how serious and committed we are; I drive in those ChampCar support series and what I’ve created with Molecule was done to help my fellow racer look better for their sponsors and to be more protected in the event of a fire.”

With Molecule™ Wash serving as the premium Nomex® cleaning product, and the Molecule™ Protector spray treatment delivering unparalleled flammable liquid repellency, the importance of having Molecule Labs on board with Pacific Coast Motorsports isn’t lost on the team.

“The real power of Molecule became obvious after I sent them our newly dry cleaned fire suits,” said PCM team manager Tyler Tadevic. “You assume that dry cleaning will return items that are perfectly cleansed, but after seeing the vials of dirty water that came out of the washer when the dry cleaned suits were processed using Molecule Wash; it’s obvious we’ve been wasting good money on dry cleaning dozens of suits after each race.”

“Molecule Wash is designed to work with any fire suit using a traditional washer and dryer. Dry cleaning does a good job at removing dirt and contaminants, but not a great job. The vials of dirty water we collected from the washer Tyler is referring to are so brown and murky, you can barely see through them,” said Guasch.

Beyond the deficiencies in thoroughness and high costs of dry cleaning a fire suit, Molecule™ Wash is an ecologically-friendly product – something dry cleaning can’t claim. “The carcinogenic and ozone depleting solvents used in dry cleaning are some of the more hazardous chemicals used in the industry; spending a lot of money for that harmful process only to get dirty suits in return is no longer necessary.”

While the announcement of the Molecule and PCM partnership in the ChampCar series is new, Guasch has seen all of Molecule’s products, MOLECULE™ WASH, MOLECULE™ REFRESHER, MOLECULE™ PROTECTOR , and MOLECULE™ SPOT CLEANER quickly become a popular solution in other professional racing series.

“Molecule is used to clean and service fire suits for half of the F1 drivers and pit crews, the Champ Car World Series, the American Le Mans series, the British Touring Car Championship, the FIA GT series, in Off-Road racing, club racing, and everywhere in between. As serious as we are about the quality of our products, we’re impressed with how highly major racing teams regard the benefits of Molecule’s fire suit cleaning and safety solutions.”

Broadcast of Alex Figge’s #29 PCM/Molecule entry from the Portland ChampCar race can be seen on ABC, Sunday June 10th, at 1pm PST.

Molecule Labs, Inc. provides solutions for the safety, care, and maintenance of numerous technical fabric applications. Specially formulated for Nomex®, tested by the SFI Foundation, Inc., and proven in diverse racing conditions for over two years, MOLECULE™ is designed for racers by racers.

Formulated to be used on any brand of Nomex® fire suit, the lineup of MOLECULE™ WASH, MOLECULE™ REFRESHER , MOLECULE™ PROTECTOR , and MOLECULE™ SPOT CLEANER can be found in use on driver and crew suits around the world, from Off Road Racing, to Le Mans, ChampCar to Formula One. For more information, visit www.MoleculeLabs.com.

About Molecule: Molecule Labs, Inc. provides solutions for the safety, care, and maintenance of numerous technical fabric applications. Specially formulated for Nomex®, tested by the SFI Foundation, Inc, and proven in diverse racing conditions for over two years, MOLECULE™ is designed for racers by racers. Formulated to be used on any brand of Nomex® fire suit, the lineup of MOLECULE™ WASH, MOLECULE™ REFRESHER , MOLECULE™ PROTECTOR , and MOLECULE™ SPOT CLEANER can be found in use on driver and crew suits around the world, from Off Road Racing, Le Mans, Champ Car to Formula One. For more information, visit www.moleculelabs.com

About Pacific Coast Motorsports: Formed in 2002 and based in Oxnard, California, Pacific Coast Motorsports are champions on the track and in the marketplace. The 2004 Toyota Atlantic Champions have competed in a diverse array of motorsports challenges, from open wheel to sports car racing and succeeded in every discipline.  In 2007 the challenge comes full circle as PCM makes their debut with a two-car effort in the highest level of open wheel motorsports in the United States, The Champ Car World Series. Off the track, PCM has represented some of the countries most recognizable names, from Menards to Playboy, Vonage to Uniden establishing successful, high-profile marketing platforms that deliver meaningful exposure and a quantifiable return on investment. PCM is dedicated to success in the Champ Car World Series and committed to go beyond the traditional means to deliver value and exceed the expectations of our partners.  Follow our Champ Car debut at www.PCMracing.com .  

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RELATED LINKS:
Comments from PCM:

- Driver Alex x Figge and Pit Crew

  - Tyler Tadevic and others

Formula 1 Drivers’ Suits … Care and Safety Testing with Molecule Labs

Caretaker of half the Nomex suits used in F1 looks to Molecule Labs for advanced cleaning and
fire protection solution

HondaF1’s fire suits are one of many teams that entrust the care and maintenance to the David Charles Group. The DCG organization is currently testing the full range of products from Molecule Labs. (Photo: Molecule)

Michael Guasch, president of Molecule Labs recently visited The David Charles Group, the company responsible for servicing and maintaining the Nomex fire suits for approximately half of the Formula One teams and drivers. With each F1 team comprised of dozens of fire suit wearing pit crew, team principals, support staff, and the race drivers themselves, The David Charles Group is charged with using the finest chemicals to treat the 100+ F1 suits in their care. “From the drivers’ suits to the pit crew members, we clean them all,” noted David Charles.

“We’d previously dry cleaned the crew suits because they get so dirty with grease, oil, and fuel, but we wanted to find a better solution to deliver them to our customers looking and smelling fresher.

Yes, it's true! Say good bye to the high costs, limited effectiveness, and environmentally damaging process of dry cleaning your fire suit. (Photo: Molecule)

“When we found out about Molecule we immediately contacted and invited them to our plant to review our cleaning procedures and cleaning chemicals; using the very best products is our commitment and dedication. We’re also trying to become more environmentally correct by reducing the use of the carcinogenic, ozone depleting solvents used in dry cleaning.”.”

“Our technology cleans Nomex much better than dry cleaning,” said Molecule’s Guasch. “Dry cleaning does well in removing the motor oils and other racing contaminants, but does a poor job of eliminating the sweat, body oils, and dirt as well as our new chemistry that utilizes traditional washing machines.”

“We’re also very interested in Molecule Protector™; we’ve been testing it and have seen great results,” said Charles. With the chemically-engineered Molecule Protector™ formula, a spray-on application of the product reduces the ability for flammable liquids to penetrate a Nomex suit by a staggering 75% to 85%. Without Molecule Protector™, suits can become the source of their own fuel soaked fires. This safety precaution isn’t lost on Charles.

“We hope to get all the F1 suits treated soon. We currently have it on a few BTCC and GT3 European Championship drivers’ suits and they really like the peace of mind it provides.”

The storefront for the David Charles Group's British base. (Photo: Molecule)	RenaultF1 driver Heikki Kovalainen's driver's suit after treatment. (Photo: Molecule)	Freshly treated fire suit of Red Bull Racing's Technical Director, Adrian Newey. (Photo: Molecule)	The Aston Martin sportscar team's Sabelt suits shine after being washed with Molecule Wash. (Photo: Molecule)	After the washer, the HondaF1 fire suits are finished in DCG's industrial dryer. . (Photo: Molecule)

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Mazda Looks to Molecule Labs for Pit Crew Safety

Written by: Marshall Pruett Salt Lake City, UT – 4/28/2007

I prefer crispy chicken, not crispy firesuits. Results of a 1 minute burn comparison of Molecule Protector-treated Nomex® vs. untreated Nomex®. (Photo: Molecule)

Mazda has a reputation as innovators in motor racing—winning Le Mans with a rotary engine, helping to flood the amateur circles with Spec Miata’s, establishing a one-make formula car championship, now the Star Mazda Pro Series, that dates back to 1984, and support of series today ranging from SPEED Touring Car, GrandAm Cup and the GrandAm Rolex Series, Mazda Atlantics, the MX-5 Cup….

It shouldn’t be a surprise to learn that Mazda has now looked outside of the race track to incorporate their latest innovation—use of a brand new Nomex® fire safety solution to better protect their ALMS pit crew.



The B-K Motorsports ALMS LMP2 factory Mazda team stumbled upon a new product made by Molecule Labs, owned by Pro Formula Mazda entrant, Michael Guasch. Guasch, a racer in the Formula Mazda series and a chemist by trade, was inspired to develop a spray chemical treatment for Nomex® suits after watching Dale Earnhardt Jr. suffer burns when his firesuit was doused by fuel in his famous ALMS accident at Sears Point in 2004.

“I saw Dale Jr. burning at Infineon Raceway and it really disturbed me. If it was a normal fire, one where he wasn’t doused in flammable liquids, he’d have been OK, but that’s not what happened. If you spill burning fuel on a Nomex® suit, the suit itself becomes the source of the fire. That’s what happened to Jr. Eventually, the Nomex suit starts to burn, and you’re in deep trouble at that point.”

That’s when the light bulb went off for me: if Nomex® can’t stop a fuel or oil fire once it penetrates a suit, why not try to develop a liquid application that stops flammable liquids from being absorbed into the Nomex fabric.”

Brilliant. A fire preventing ‘Scotch Guard’ for firesuits. We'll have to see how long it takes for the rest of Mazda's ALMS and GrandAm competitors, and the rest of the firesuit-wearing racing series to follow in their footsteps. Let Mazda Motorsport’s John Doonan tell the story on why he picked Molecule’s Fire Protector for his ALMS team: “Safety is of the utmost concern for all teams and the Mazda/B-K team is no exception. We saw Molecule as an additional way to help insure the safety of the crew, drivers, and guests in the pits.

“Our team studied a number of new products during the winter and they determined Fire Protector was something they wanted to add to the mix. Again, any safety enhancement that is reasonably priced and is a proven success is certainly worth trying. Every B-K team member is using Molecule; we’ll be hosting a number of corporate guests the rest of the season in the pits at races and we’ll be treating those suits as well.”

Safety innovations in auto racing have slowed a bit in the past few years—especially the ones that are affordable or accessible for everyone; the HANS device is now found around the neck of almost every driver that takes to a track, but beyond this innovation haling from the mid-‘90’s, we’ve been waiting for some new breakthroughs. In this case, it has taken a chemical engineer that’s new to racing to bring a fresh perspective to an age-old fear.
 

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