“LaunchPoint,” a new series on Cox7, spotlights the technology of manufacturing and the people who make manufacturing work. The show continues to impress viewers with another fascinating individual, Sean Bellemeur, and how he merged his passion and career with manufacturing.
Sean Bellemeur was born with racing in his blood. His father, Greg Bellemeur, is one of the top veteran drag racers of the National Hot Rod Association and now owns his own company and racing team, Bellemeur Motor Sports.
Sean, like his father, spent most of his childhood weekends at the nearby drag strip and got behind the wheel when he was 12. From then on, he was hooked. Racing became a lifestyle for him and his family, as they all worked together to turn his dreams into a reality. They bought a used race car and fixed it up in their garage, and when Sean starting racing with it, even though it was not professionally built, his natural talent and promise was clearly visible to all.
When Sean won the division championship, the exposure and recognition he received was overwhelming. His name became synonymous with speed, and soon he caught the attention of Tom Shelar, the owner of a top fuel dragster. With an offer to be on Tom’s team, along with sponsorships and a new car with a top fuel engine instead of the alcohol engine that he was using at the time, Sean had a tough decision to make: He could seize the opportunity of a lifetime and the possibility to race professionally, or leave behind years of blood, sweat, and tears his parents dedicated to him as his family team, to ultimately compete against them. With the support of his parents, Sean accepted the offer to join Tom’s team, where he would race in the National Hot Rod Association like his father did.
Although Sean had officially launched his professional drag racing career, his new demanding schedule and constant travel put his day job in jeopardy. Recognizing this, Tom offered Sean a second life-changing opportunity—a job at his company, CAD/CAM Consulting Services, one that would be flexible with his racing schedule. Sean had no experience with the technology of the company, but Tom recognized his potential. After starting Sean in customer service, and realizing that was not fulfilling enough for him, Tom suggested that he attend the training classes the company offered, where he could learn the mechanics of the products as well as the designing software used by the company. Sean was skeptical at first, but through his introduction to the possibilities and applications of manufacturing, his eyes were opened to a whole new world.
“You can’t even use the term the sky is the limit,” Sean says, “because we have customers that are sending rockets into space. So the sky isn’t the limit.”
With this new interest and background in the manufacturing combined with a natural talent for teaching, he became the “training guru” for the CAD/CAS systems, encouraging people to use their natural talents to explore all that manufacturing can offer.
Sean has since rejoined his father at Bellemeur Motor Sports. Armed with his knowledge of mechanics and manufacturing and with Master CAM as his primary sponsor, he is ready to compete in the Top Alcohol Funny Car class, known as the most challenging class in all of drag racing.
To catch the next episode, be sure to tune in to Cox 7 at 6:30 and 8:30 Sunday, June 15th or online at http://www.cox7.com/launchpoint.
