MPMC at PRI Features Hall of Fame Inductions

SEMA Member News—March/April 2015 

MPMC at PRI Features Hall of Fame Inductions

	Jim McFarland of McFarland Consulting.

The Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council (MPMC) pursued a wide-ranging agenda at the 2014 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show held December 11–13 in Indianapolis. The first-ever MPMC open meeting was held on the Wednesday before the show and featured SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) Membership Director Jim Graven, who shared how manufacturers can benefit from organizing their product data through the SDC.

Later in the day, the second annual Education Day offered free seminars that focused on new products with presenters from Comp Cams, Driven Racing Oil, Edelbrock, Holley, Lunati, Mahle, MSD, Ron Francis Wiring and Turbosmart. On opening day, ESPN commentator Alan Reinhart, the voice of NHRA, moderated an additional seminar entitled “Over the Road,” which centered on length regulations for trucks and trailers and how state laws affect members and their customers, the race teams.

MPMC broke with tradition on Friday by hosting an evening reception rather than a breakfast to announce its Hall of Fame inductees for 2014. Held jointly with SEMA’s membership department, the evening event was intended to better reflect the stature of the Hall of Fame. Honored this year were Joe Moriarty of Total Seal, Jim McFarland of McFarland Consulting and Steve Lewis, founder of the Performance Racing Industry magazine and trade show.

Joe Moriarty started Total Seal Piston Rings around 1977, producing his innovative, gapless ring packages on a small lathe for local racers. His passion, dedication and hard work helped the company grow over the next 30 years, and Total Seal is now a dominant force in piston-ring manufacturing, boasting technological advancements in design and manufacturing.

	Joe Moriarty of Total Seal.

Moriarty has always been an active participant. He’s built late-model and sprint-car engines for racers in the Phoenix area and built engines and helped with his son’s race cars for more than 25 years. He has also restored a number of vintage airplanes and, at age 86, still works every day and is currently building a 300-mph Glasair 3 airplane.

MPMC counts Total Seal as one of its founding members, and Moriarty has worked hard not only for his family and company but to further the industry itself. It’s the dedication and passion of men like Joe Moriarty that helped build the industry into what it is today.

Jim McFarland began his career as a participating enthusiast, building and racing his own cars, mainly in NHRA stock eliminator. Unlike many seat-of-the-pants racers of the early days, McFarland was also a graduate automotive engineer, which helped him pioneer many early innovations. While vice president of engineering and R&D at Edelbrock, McFarland was the innovator of the single-plane intake manifold, a concept that continues to serve as a cornerstone of many racing and performance engine programs. He is also a renowned automotive journalist, served three terms on the SEMA Board of Directors, was named SEMA Person of the Year and is a member of the SEMA Hall of Fame and the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame.

Steve Lewis, founder of Performance Racing Industry magazine and trade show.

Today, McFarland serves as a technical consultant for SEMA, working primarily in the area of state and federal environmental and regulatory issues. With his engineering background and 25 years of experience working directly with both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board certification staffs, he contributes a vital technical perspective to the SEMA government affairs office.

Steve Lewis has had a passion for racing since growing up in Southern California. After earning an MBA from San Jose State University, Lewis began developing trade shows and magazines for the surf lifestyle, backpack and camping industries in Action Sports Retailer and Outdoor Retailer. However, his true love was the development of Performance Racing Industry magazine and its associated trade show.

Lewis started the first Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in 1988 in Louisville, Kentucky. The show changed locations several times, but from its inception, Lewis opened the doors of PRI to SEMA and MPMC manufacturers and encouraged networking and interaction among all motorsports parts manufacturers. Even before it was purchased by SEMA in 2012, PRI had become “the home” for MPMC industry events such as the annual induction of its Hall of Fame and various education seminars for members.

A racer at heart, Lewis has been a formidable competitor as a team owner in the USAC National Midget Series. Most recently, he has been assisting in the racing career of his son Michael, who won Rookie of the Year honors in 2014 in the IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama series.