By Juan Torres
 Mike and Jim Ring of the Ringbrothers took the top prize at the sixth-annual SEMA Battle of the Builders competition. |
Mike and Jim Ring of Ringbrothers took the top prize at the sixth-annual SEMA Battle of the Builders competition. The Ringbrothers were crowned the 2019 winner during SEMA Ignited, the official SEMA Show after-party designed to celebrate the Show's builders and exhibitors, and to highlight the latest products and technology the specialty-equipment industry has to offer.
For the second year in a row, a ’69 Chevrolet Camaro beat more than 300 entrants in the internationally recognized competition that unfolds during SEMA Show. The Top 4 finalists for 2019 came down to Jim and Mike Ring with their ’69 Chevrolet Camaro (Hot Rods), Randy Borcherding with a ’55 Chevrolet Truck (Truck/Off-Road), Louie Shefchik and his ’68 Iso Rivolta (Sport Compact), and Young Guns winner Brad Swaney with his ’71 Chevrolet C-10. Each and every builder brought their A game this year and was recognized with trophies in their respective classes.
The four finalists of this year's competition will be highlighted along with other featured builders in a new TV special “SEMA: Battle of the Builders,” scheduled to debut on A+E Networks’ FYI and HISTORY’s DRIVE block in January. (Time and date to be announced.)
The 2019 SEMA Battle of the Builders competition included submissions from seasoned builders as well as new customizers representing an elite group of individuals who demonstrated extreme talent, creativity and craftsmanship in modifying cars, trucks and SUVs. The Young Guns (builders 27 years and younger) category continues to evolve and expand, providing the next generation of builders with an opportunity to get their vehicles into the Battle of the Builders competition.
Industry experts RJ DeVera (Meguiar’s), Cam Miller (HS Customs), and Jeremiah Proffitt (Proffitt’s Resurrection Land Cruisers) were the competition’s judges and narrowed down the field of nearly 300 entries to the Top 10 in the remaining categories before selecting the Top 12 builds overall. The 12 finalists then took over judging duties and named Ringbrothers the overall winner.
For more information about the 2019 Battle of the Builders competition or the SEMA Young Guns program, visit www.sema.org/botb, www.semayoungguns.com or SEMA’s YouTube channel.