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Movers & Shakers: Hot Rodders of Tomorrow 10th Season Ready to Kick Off at the Race & Performance Expo; WELD Racing Adds Vic Wood

Compiled by SEMA Editors

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At this weekend’s Race & Performance Expo, teams will compete against the clock to disassemble and reassemble a small-block Chevy in 33 minutes or faster.

Hot Rodders of Tomorrow 10th Season Ready to Kick Off at the Race & Performance Expo

The Hot Rodders of Tomorrow (HROT) Engine Challenge is ready to kick off its 10th season at the Race & Performance Expo, February 25–26, in Schaumburg, Illinois. Thirty teams will compete for their chance to qualify for the Dual National Championships held later this year at the SEMA Show and PRI Trade Show. Each team will compete against the clock to disassemble and reassemble a small-block Chevy in 33 minutes or faster. The Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge was born at the Race & Performance Expo in 2008. Now the new owners of the Race & Performance Expo, HROT will use proceeds to help fund scholarships to HROT students. For a complete schedule of this week’s competition, visit www.hotroddersoftomorrow.com. The next competition will be hosted at the Summit I-X Piston Powered Auto-Rama in Cleveland, March 17–19.

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Vic Wood

WELD Racing Adds Vic Wood as Senior Director of Sales

WELD Racing has appointed Vic Wood to senior director of sales, where he will assume the role of managing WELD Racing’s top accounts and providing leadership over many of its strategic sales initiatives. Wood has established a record of developing and growing distribution relationships and sales strategies in the performance aftermarket domestically and abroad. These accomplishments began in his native Australia and continued with business development across the Pacific Rim, including Japan, China, New Zealand and South East Asia. Prior to joining WELD Racing, Wood held numerous leadership positions in the performance aftermarket, and is the current immediate past chairman of the SEMA Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council (MPMC). He also serves on numerous industry committees and task forces.

AM General Selects Brighton Cromwell as Sole Authorized Distributor of Certified HMMWV Parts

AM General has announced it has selected global supply chain integrator Brighton Cromwell to be its sole authorized aftermarket reseller of certified HMMWV parts. There are approximately 230,000 HMMWVs currently in military vehicle fleets around the world performing front-line missions demonstrating that the HMMWV remains a critical operational asset. Brighton Cromwell will provide support for all HMMWV configurations built over the last 30 years. Additionally, as AM General’s sole aftermarket parts provider, the company will help AM General manage lead times, expedite parts shipments and provide customer service to AM General’s customers.

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Jeff White

Westin Hires Jeff White as Product Manager

Westin Automotive has announced the addition of Jeff White as product manager. He officially joined the company in mid-December 2016. White will be responsible for managing product lifecycles. He comes to Westin with many years of experience, having served in a variety of capacities and job functions within the industry, ranging from selling foreign car parts with Geon Automotive to most recently serving for more than 30 years with Banks Power.

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Kerri Petersen

Marx Group Promotes Kerri Petersen to Executive Vice President, Marketing and Creative Services

Marx Group has promoted Kerri Petersen to executive vice president, marketing and creative services. The announcement coincides with the 12th anniversary of Petersen joining the agency. With a deep knowledge of the automotive and heavy-duty aftermarket and expertise in marketing and media buying, Petersen is responsible for supporting strategic marketing plans, managing the creative services team and developing creative campaigns for clients. She also directs all media planning and helps guide public relations and editorial opportunities for clients. Before joining Marx Group, Petersen led marketing efforts for Apogee Sound and Jandy Pool and Spa Products, a division of Waterpik. Her career in marketing began more than 20 years ago in the record industry where she worked for Global Pacific Records and later at Access Music.

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Chip Foose earlier this week released new images of his latest creation—the ’39 Cadillac custom known as Madam X. Photo credit: Eric Geisert

New Studio Images Released for Chip Foose’s Madam X Cadillac

Custom car designer Chip Foose earlier this week released new images of his latest creation—the ’39 Cadillac custom known as Madam X. The car was first unveiled to the public at a packed event November 1 at the 2016 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, and after Madam X returned back to Foose Design headquarters in Huntington Beach, California, a studio photographer began documenting the one-of-a-kind Cadillac for posterity. The photoset includes detailed views of the interior, exterior and engine bay from multiple angles. Built for auto dealership magnate Wes Rydell and his wife Vivian, the bespoke Madam X was based on a four-door ’39 Cadillac 60 Special, but can trace its design back to an original ’35 concept sketch by GM designer Art Ross. The classical design is executed with chrome trim, a custom-made leather interior, one-off cloth Carson top, custom mixed BASF Glasurit paint, a hand-painted blonde wood dash and MHT billet aluminum wheels designed after period Cadillac hubcaps. Contrasting the old-school coachbuilt exterior are wholly modern drivetrain components, including a Corvette Gen V LT-1 engine, eight-speed 8L90 automatic transmission sourced from a Cadillac Escalade coupled to a Camaro Z01 third member, C6 Corvette front and rear suspension and Pirelli performance tires.

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