Compiled by SEMA Editors
 Ken Block |
Toyo Tires Partners With Ken Block and Hoonigan Racing Division
Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. has announced a multi-year partnership with rally driver Ken Block and the Hoonigan Racing Division. Block debuts his all-new Ford Fiesta ST RX43 equipped with Toyo Proxes R1R extreme performance tires in Gymkhana EIGHT. Part of the Gymkhana series of videos, Gymkhana EIGHT debuts on the Ford YouTube channel February 29. To help introduce the new relationship to the automotive world, as well as debut Block’s all-new Ford Fiesta ST RX43 Gymkhana EIGHT livery, Toyo Tires has partnered with Hoonigan to produce and present Block’s livery reveal video. For Gymkhana EIGHT, Block and his team have created a directionally reflective, black-on-black livery that changes looks depending on the angle at which it’s viewed and how the light is hitting it. The video serves to give fans their first official glimpse of Block’s Fiesta in Gymkhana EIGHT trim and how it changes looks in the light, but also their first official look of Block’s car equipped with Toyo tires.
VP Racing Fuels Named Official Fuel of Ultimate Battle of the Bluegrass Series
Series officials have announced VP Racing Fuels will be the Official Fuel of the ULTIMATE Battle of the Bluegrass (BoB) Series beginning in 2016. As part of a multi-year agreement, VP will be the preferred fuel for Ultimate BoB racers and will benefit from substantial brand exposure at race venues and on the series’ digital and social media platforms.
Formula DRIFT Renews Relationship With Evergreen Speedway
Formula DRIFT presented by Blackvue has renewed their relationship with Evergreen Speedway for three years extending into 2018. Since 2005, the venue has hosted the series in the Pacific Northwest. In 2005, Formula DRIFT began the relationship with Evergreen Speedway. This year marks the 11th consecutive season for the series to return to the venue, which is the third-longest-running relationship for the series with a track only followed by Irwindale Speedway and Road Atlanta. Formula DRIFT returns to Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington, August 5–6, 2016, for Round 6, Throwdown. The 2016 Formula DRIFT Championship begins April 9–10 in Long Beach, California.
Vision Wheel, Off-Road Racing Legend Rob MacCachren Announce Partnership
Vision Wheel has announced a partnership with American off-road racing legend Rob MacCachren that will make Vision’s bead-lock race wheels a component of MacCachren’s desert and short-course racing trucks. In early 2015, Vision Wheel expanded its presence in the off-road racing market by announcing a partnership with SCORE International. With nearly 300 victories, MacCachren is the winningest driver in off-road racing history. He has raced and won in SCORE, BITD and SNORE—the three premier desert racing series—and The Off Road Championship (TORC) and Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS) short-course racing series. He has been selected four times to the American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) Auto Racing All-America team and has been inducted into the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame.
MSI Finalizes Ownership of TORC
 Mountain Sports International Inc. (MSI) has acquired full ownership of TORC: The Off Road Racing Championship presented by Amsoil. |
Mountain Sports International Inc. (MSI) has acquired full ownership of TORC: The Off Road Racing Championship presented by Amsoil. Along with the ownership announcement, an updated schedule for the 2016 TORC series has also been released featuring seven stops. TORC will function as an independent business unit known as MSI-TORC. Primarily during the 2016 season, MSI will focus on meeting the needs of drivers, fans, tracks and sponsors to create better relationships with each stakeholder. In conjunction with MSI Live, MSI will also focus on improving media broadcast exposure through quality storytelling and live content distribution.
TORC 2016 Season Schedule:
May 27–28: Dallas/Fort Worth
June 10–11: Chicago
June 25–26: Crandon, Wisconsin (Crandon International Off-Road Raceway)
July 16–17: Elk River, Minnesota (ERX Motor Park)
July 30–31: Bark River, Michigan (Bark River International Raceway)
August 19–20: Charlotte, North Carolina
September 2–4: Crandon, Wisconsin (Crandon International Off-Road Raceway)
 The NMRA is kicking off the 2016 NMRA Keystone Automotive All-Ford Drag Racing Series season at Bradenton Motorsports Park, March 3–6. |
NMRA to Kick Off 2016 Season in Bradenton
The NMRA is kicking off the 2016 NMRA Keystone Automotive All-Ford Drag Racing Series season at Bradenton Motorsports Park, March 3–6. The 22nd Annual NMRA Nitto Tire Spring Break Shootout presented by Muscle Mustangs & Fast Ford magazine will feature the World’s Fastest Fords. Joining the NMRA regulars is an assortment of special events, including the Watson Racing Cobra Jet Shootout, VMP Performance Terminator/GT500 Shootout, Fluid Turbo Concepts Turbo Coyote Shootout, TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout and the Livernois Motorsports EcoBoost Battle. Saturday will feature a meet and greet with Chris “Boosted GT” Hamilton from Discovery Channel’s hit show “Street Outlaws,” and Mike Murillo, 14-time NMRA champion and host of MavTV’s “House of Grudge.” The action all comes to a close Sunday afternoon as winners celebrate in the Aerospace Components Winners Circle.
QA1 to Sponsor Autocross at Street Machine Nationals
QA1 will sponsor the Autocross feature event of the 2016 O’Reilly Auto Parts Street Machine Nationals. The annual horsepower holiday returns to the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, July 15–17, 2016, attracting more than 7,000 high-performance musclecars, pro-touring cars and street machines from across the country and more than 50,000 spectators. QA1 also will host its fifth-annual Open House and Cruise leading up to the kickoff of the Street Machine Nationals, Friday, July 15, from 7:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m.