SEMA-supported legislation (HR 1459) has been introduced in the U.S. Congress to require the president to complete an environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) before designating more than 5,000 acres as a national monument. The bill would ensure public involvement in the process and discussion of multiple factors, including economic impact. Current law provides the president with authority to declare land of “historic or scientific interest” to be a national monument, which can lead to road closures for motorized recreation, among other activities. While this authority has only been used 137 times in 100 years, vast amounts of land have been set aside in the process. SEMA supports a collaborative approach to land-use decisions, including input from local citizens, elected leaders and other stakeholders.

In 1996, President Clinton set aside 1.9 million acres of land in Southern Utah as the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument. President Obama is now under pressure to establish a 1.4 million-acre “Greater Canyonlands National Monument,” closing 1,050 miles of off-road vehicle trails and monitoring another 1,450 miles for future closure. The legislation would ensure public participation in this debate.  

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For details, contact Dan Sadowski at dans@sema.org.

SEMA-supported legislation (HR 1459) has been introduced in the U.S. Congress to require the president to complete an environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) before designating more than 5,000 acres as a national monument. The bill would ensure public involvement in the process and discussion of multiple factors, including economic impact. Current law provides the president with authority to declare land of “historic or scientific interest” to be a national monument, which can lead to road closures for motorized recreation, among other activities. While this authority has only been used 137 times in 100 years, vast amounts of land have been set aside in the process. SEMA supports a collaborative approach to land-use decisions, including input from local citizens, elected leaders and other stakeholders.

In 1996, President Clinton set aside 1.9 million acres of land in Southern Utah as the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument. President Obama is now under pressure to establish a 1.4 million-acre “Greater Canyonlands National Monument,” closing 1,050 miles of off-road vehicle trails and monitoring another 1,450 miles for future closure. The legislation would ensure public participation in this debate.  

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For details, contact Dan Sadowski at dans@sema.org.

SEMA-supported legislation (HR 1459) has been introduced in the U.S. Congress to require the president to complete an environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) before designating more than 5,000 acres as a national monument. The bill would ensure public involvement in the process and discussion of multiple factors, including economic impact. Current law provides the president with authority to declare land of “historic or scientific interest” to be a national monument, which can lead to road closures for motorized recreation, among other activities. While this authority has only been used 137 times in 100 years, vast amounts of land have been set aside in the process. SEMA supports a collaborative approach to land-use decisions, including input from local citizens, elected leaders and other stakeholders.

In 1996, President Clinton set aside 1.9 million acres of land in Southern Utah as the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument. President Obama is now under pressure to establish a 1.4 million-acre “Greater Canyonlands National Monument,” closing 1,050 miles of off-road vehicle trails and monitoring another 1,450 miles for future closure. The legislation would ensure public participation in this debate.  

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For details, contact Dan Sadowski at dans@sema.org.

For one week each year, the SEMA Show gathers the largest collection of outfitted, upgraded dirt shredders, people haulers and street machines that exist with the specialty-equipment industry. With the intent of turning heads, sparking ideas and igniting the imagination, these vehicles serve as mobile canvases for technicians and product engineers to realize their creative visions and provide a visual representation of what the industry and its companies are all about.

A new photo collection of the vehicles that helped make the 2012 SEMA Show a visual extravaganza are included each week in SEMA eNews. This week's collection features a collection of Hyundais.

By SEMA Staff

	SEMA and UPS have joined forces to offer a reliable solution designed to save SEMA members a minimum of 72% on UPS Freight less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping for shipments above 150 lbs.

SEMA and UPS have joined forces to offer a reliable solution designed to save SEMA members a minimum of 72% on UPS Freight less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping for shipments above 150 lbs.

LTL is backed by a day-definite, on-time guarantee. The service guarantees all shipments moving within the continental United States and Canada are rated on the current 560 or 525 UPS tariffs at no additional charge.

UPS technology solutions, such as Worldship, make it easy to process LTL shipments, schedule pickups, rate shipments and print out bills of lading. Quantum View, a web-based service, provides shipment information, status updates and event alerts for inbound and outbound freight shipments.

To take advantage of all that UPS offers SEMA members, visit www.SEMA.org/UPS, log-in with your SEMA-member credentials and then click the “Sign Up and Save Today” button to access the UPS program enrollment web site. To speak with a UPS customer representative regarding LTL Freight shipping, call 866-443-9303.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

Driving the Discount Tire/Falken Tire Nissan 240SX, Dai Yoshihara qualified first among 61 competitors last weekend at the 2013 Formula Drift championship in Long Beach, California.

Team Falken's Dai Yoshihara Wins Round 1 of the 2013 Formula Drift Championship in Long Beach
Falken Tire has defended its Long Beach Formula Drift title for the fourth consecutive year when team veteran Daijiro “Dai” Yoshihara took the win over former teammate Vaughn Gittin Jr.

Driving the Discount Tire/Falken Tire Nissan 240SX, Yoshihara qualified first among 61 competitors. His teammate Darren McNamara, who debuted his own Falken Tire Nissan 240SX, qualified second. Yoshihara’s second teammate Justin Pawlak, driving his ’13 Ford Mustang, was 23rd. All three drivers won in the Top 32 Round, but only Yoshihara, the 2011 Formula D champion, went further, scoring the first win of what fans and competitors are calling the most competitive season in Formula D.

Next up for Team Falken is a return to the streets of Long Beach this coming weekend for the American Le Mans Series, where Falken will field its Porsche 911 RSR GT3 in the GT class with drivers Wolf Henzler and Bryan Sellers. The team finished third in the first ALMS race of the season last month at Sebring. Round 2 of the 2013 Formula Drift Championship will take place May 10–11 on the Road Atlanta circuit in Braselton, Georgia.

View this year's racing schedule.

Fun Ford Weekend was rained out at Royal Purple Raceway. It will return with the May 4–5 event at the Auto Club Famoso Raceway outside of Bakersfield, California.

Fun Ford Weekend From Royal Purple Raceway Rained Out
The Roush Yates Performance Products season kick-off of the Fun Ford Weekend Series at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas, was suspended due to rain before eliminations could begin. After waiting to see what the afternoon weather had in store, racers were given rain checks and invited back to future events at Royal Purple Raceway. However, the All FoMoCo Car Show did not get rained out. View the results.

The Fun Ford Weekend makes its return to the Golden State with a May 4–5 event at the Auto Club Famoso Raceway outside of Bakersfield, California. The event will also feature the WCOPMA Outlaw Pro Mods on Saturday and a special "Ford vs. The World" showdown on Sunday. Visit the Fun Ford Weekend website for complete details, including all race class and car show classes.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

Driving the Discount Tire/Falken Tire Nissan 240SX, Dai Yoshihara qualified first among 61 competitors last weekend at the 2013 Formula Drift championship in Long Beach, California.

Team Falken's Dai Yoshihara Wins Round 1 of the 2013 Formula Drift Championship in Long Beach
Falken Tire has defended its Long Beach Formula Drift title for the fourth consecutive year when team veteran Daijiro “Dai” Yoshihara took the win over former teammate Vaughn Gittin Jr.

Driving the Discount Tire/Falken Tire Nissan 240SX, Yoshihara qualified first among 61 competitors. His teammate Darren McNamara, who debuted his own Falken Tire Nissan 240SX, qualified second. Yoshihara’s second teammate Justin Pawlak, driving his ’13 Ford Mustang, was 23rd. All three drivers won in the Top 32 Round, but only Yoshihara, the 2011 Formula D champion, went further, scoring the first win of what fans and competitors are calling the most competitive season in Formula D.

Next up for Team Falken is a return to the streets of Long Beach this coming weekend for the American Le Mans Series, where Falken will field its Porsche 911 RSR GT3 in the GT class with drivers Wolf Henzler and Bryan Sellers. The team finished third in the first ALMS race of the season last month at Sebring. Round 2 of the 2013 Formula Drift Championship will take place May 10–11 on the Road Atlanta circuit in Braselton, Georgia.

View this year's racing schedule.

Fun Ford Weekend was rained out at Royal Purple Raceway. It will return with the May 4–5 event at the Auto Club Famoso Raceway outside of Bakersfield, California.

Fun Ford Weekend From Royal Purple Raceway Rained Out
The Roush Yates Performance Products season kick-off of the Fun Ford Weekend Series at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas, was suspended due to rain before eliminations could begin. After waiting to see what the afternoon weather had in store, racers were given rain checks and invited back to future events at Royal Purple Raceway. However, the All FoMoCo Car Show did not get rained out. View the results.

The Fun Ford Weekend makes its return to the Golden State with a May 4–5 event at the Auto Club Famoso Raceway outside of Bakersfield, California. The event will also feature the WCOPMA Outlaw Pro Mods on Saturday and a special "Ford vs. The World" showdown on Sunday. Visit the Fun Ford Weekend website for complete details, including all race class and car show classes.

The shooters at KGP Photography received a covered-up look at the next Ford Mustang from a very unlikely source (their old spy photo nemesis Jim Dunne).

Yes, they're a little grainy and a bit murky, but the grizzled old veteran of the Detroit spy game has snapped what appears to be the first visual evidence that the Ford Mustang is now tip-toeing past the mule stage. It looks like the Mustang's production-spec body panels are beginning to flow in, and more complete prototypes are now being assembled. The day when full-fledged Mustang prototypes are running the streets of Detroit now seems near, instead of feeling like nothing more than a hopeful pipe dream. The new Mustang is nearly a reality.

So what can be learned from these photos? The car cover hides nearly all of the details, and this prototype appears to be missing its bumpers, but you can still get a look at the Mustang's classic musclecar profile. The prototype looks undisguised under all that canvas, yielding a look at a prominent lower side sill that helps ground the design (but the lack of bumpers hampers the ability to comment on its overall stance or its overhangs. The car cover—which is specially designed for driving the prototype while covered—has what appears to be mesh panels to allow the headlights and taillights to show through, at least a little bit. The spaces for the taillights look to be mounted very high toward the lip of the rear deck, for what that's worth. There also appears to be some sort of fender vent just aft of the front wheel.

When the fully-assembled, fully production-spec prototypes finally leave the confines of wherever these photos were taken, more information will become available about how the Mustang is shaping up. For now, after the long tease of cobbled-up mules running the roads, the next 'Stang is truly taking shape.

Photo credit: KGP Photography

The shooters at KGP Photography received a covered-up look at the next Ford Mustang from a very unlikely source (their old spy photo nemesis Jim Dunne).

Yes, they're a little grainy and a bit murky, but the grizzled old veteran of the Detroit spy game has snapped what appears to be the first visual evidence that the Ford Mustang is now tip-toeing past the mule stage. It looks like the Mustang's production-spec body panels are beginning to flow in, and more complete prototypes are now being assembled. The day when full-fledged Mustang prototypes are running the streets of Detroit now seems near, instead of feeling like nothing more than a hopeful pipe dream. The new Mustang is nearly a reality.

So what can be learned from these photos? The car cover hides nearly all of the details, and this prototype appears to be missing its bumpers, but you can still get a look at the Mustang's classic musclecar profile. The prototype looks undisguised under all that canvas, yielding a look at a prominent lower side sill that helps ground the design (but the lack of bumpers hampers the ability to comment on its overall stance or its overhangs. The car cover—which is specially designed for driving the prototype while covered—has what appears to be mesh panels to allow the headlights and taillights to show through, at least a little bit. The spaces for the taillights look to be mounted very high toward the lip of the rear deck, for what that's worth. There also appears to be some sort of fender vent just aft of the front wheel.

When the fully-assembled, fully production-spec prototypes finally leave the confines of wherever these photos were taken, more information will become available about how the Mustang is shaping up. For now, after the long tease of cobbled-up mules running the roads, the next 'Stang is truly taking shape.

Photo credit: KGP Photography

The shooters at KGP Photography received a covered-up look at the next Ford Mustang from a very unlikely source (their old spy photo nemesis Jim Dunne).

Yes, they're a little grainy and a bit murky, but the grizzled old veteran of the Detroit spy game has snapped what appears to be the first visual evidence that the Ford Mustang is now tip-toeing past the mule stage. It looks like the Mustang's production-spec body panels are beginning to flow in, and more complete prototypes are now being assembled. The day when full-fledged Mustang prototypes are running the streets of Detroit now seems near, instead of feeling like nothing more than a hopeful pipe dream. The new Mustang is nearly a reality.

So what can be learned from these photos? The car cover hides nearly all of the details, and this prototype appears to be missing its bumpers, but you can still get a look at the Mustang's classic musclecar profile. The prototype looks undisguised under all that canvas, yielding a look at a prominent lower side sill that helps ground the design (but the lack of bumpers hampers the ability to comment on its overall stance or its overhangs. The car cover—which is specially designed for driving the prototype while covered—has what appears to be mesh panels to allow the headlights and taillights to show through, at least a little bit. The spaces for the taillights look to be mounted very high toward the lip of the rear deck, for what that's worth. There also appears to be some sort of fender vent just aft of the front wheel.

When the fully-assembled, fully production-spec prototypes finally leave the confines of wherever these photos were taken, more information will become available about how the Mustang is shaping up. For now, after the long tease of cobbled-up mules running the roads, the next 'Stang is truly taking shape.

Photo credit: KGP Photography