The SEMA Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser will feature the formal induction of the 2012 SEMA Hall of Fame class and the introduction of the newest SEMA Board of Directors.

Nick Arias Jr. will be honored and officially inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame during the SEMA Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser, Friday, July 27, at the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel & Convention Center in Pomona, California.

Beginning in the late ’40s and through the mid-’50s, Arias learned about engines, pistons, cylinder heads and more working at Wayne Manufacturing.

Arias was also involved with the Rusetta Timing Association dry lake meets and The Screwdrivers Car Club, where he experimented with different engines and configurations while setting records and testing the limits of his share of vehicles and parts.

He started Arias Pistons in 1969 to manufacture forged pistons and components and kept refining engine configurations. In 1972, Arias introduced what was then considered a state-of-the-art Hemi-head conversion for big-block Chevys known as the "Hemi-Chevy."

His creations did not end there and included the 10L block and Hemi-head that dominated tractor pulls and drag boat races; an 8.3L powerplant for Top Fuel and Alcohol drag racing; the Howard 12-Port GMC; and many more.

Nick Arias Jr. (pictured), Bill France Sr., Mark Heffington and Bob Larivee Sr. will be formally inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame at the SEMA Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser on July 27, in Pomona, California.

Arias will take the stage at the SEMA Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser with the rest of the 2012 SEMA Hall of Fame Class: Bill France Sr., Mark Heffington and Bob Larivee Sr. SEMA's Hall of Fame designation is the most prestigious honor that the Association can bestow on an individual. In addition to the induction of the 2012 SEMA Hall of Fame class, the gala celebration will also feature the introduction of the newest SEMA Board of Directors, and the outgoing Board members will be officially recognized and thanked for their volunteerism and service.

The SEMA Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser is part of the Association's Leadership Days—a three-day gathering of industry leaders, volunteers and SEMA staff working together to identify and address industry and business challenges, while celebrating the specialty-equipment industry and the spirit of volunteerism. Leadership Days also includes the SEMA Pinewood Drag Races, where mini pinewood drag racers built by SEMA members, staff and children from Victory Junction Camp and Childhelp race against the clock for bragging rights. A worthwhile cause, proceeds from the SEMA Pinewood Drag Races benefit both Victory Junction Camp and Childhelp.

All industry professionals are invited to attend the SEMA Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser. The event begins with cocktails at 6:00 p.m., where attendees are able to mix and mingle with industry icons and celebrities. Proceeds from ticket sales will also benefit Childhelp and Victory Junction Camp.

For tickets and more information, visit www.sema.org/galatix or contact Michelle Harris at michelleh@sema.org or 909/978-6684.

Malcolm Johnson (left), CEO of Pennsylvania-based BrynDana International—a participant in the 2011 SEMA China Business Development program—shows buyers his company’s spray-on coating products.

Simon Atik (far right), president of Evosport, based in Huntington Beach, California, participated in the SEMA China Business Development program to assess the market for the firm’s aftermarket accessories for BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari.

Participants will visit off-road and street-performance shops in Beijing and Shanghai.

Get in on the ground level at what is likely to be one of the largest consumer specialty product markets. The SEMA tour, from September 2–7, 2012, to two of the most important cities in regards to customization—Shanghai and Beijing—allows participants to gain insight into the growing specialty market for the 1.3 billion Chinese consumers. Participants will learn what products sell, what products are in demand, and for which applications, through networking opportunities with retailers and wholesalers.

Benefits for participating SEMA members include:

• A first-hand look at the developing specialty-equipment market. The delegation will visit off-road and street-performance shops in Beijing and Shanghai.
• Meetings with pre-vetted distributors and retailers from throughout China during the stops in Shanghai and in Beijing.
• Qualified exhibitors will receive a U.S. grant of up to $1,500 to defray the costs of participation.
• Promote your brand to Chinese buyers now through China eNews—a periodic Chinese-language electronic newsletter sent to buyers throughout China.
• Program costs include hotel, meals, interpreters, access to buyers from throughout China and flight from Shanghai to Beijing (flights to and from the United States are not included).

Here's what past participants have said about the Chinese specialty-equipment market and the SEMA overseas one-on-one programs:

“The SEMA China program has been fantastic for us. At the 2011 event, we met many Chinese companies and, before even leaving the country, we had very firm plans to open accounts with two or three of these companies.”
–Ed Rossi, vice president of sales, Injen Technology

“We believe the market in China is largely untapped and, for those who are willing to invest the time and resources, there is significant growth potential. Through consistent participation in the SEMA program, as well as our own efforts, which grew out of the contacts we met through SEMA, we have had the unique opportunity to work closely with our Chinese customers through the very early stages of development of their performance market.”
–Rick Trudo, president and CEO, SCT Performance

“The notion that U.S. manufacturers cannot export to China has been debunked. The Chinese buyers with whom I met in Beijing are young entrepreneurs, and they are asking for high-quality U.S.-manufactured automotive products.”
–Malcolm Johnson, CEO, BrynDana International

“While the emergence of the aftermarket industry is still in its infancy stages, the obvious potentials are astonishing.”
–Simon Atik, president, Evosport

“Chinese consumers rave over Western-style products and trends, which are increasingly being reflected in their cars. Trips, such as the SEMA China Business Development Program, are a critical component in our company’s activities to develop a growing range of products to fit vehicles found on Chinese roads.”
–Scooter Brothers, CEO, COMP Performance Group

Register for the 2012 China Business Development Tour, or visit sema.org/china.

Questions? Contact Linda Spencer at lindas@sema.org.

Malcolm Johnson (left), CEO of Pennsylvania-based BrynDana International—a participant in the 2011 SEMA China Business Development program—shows buyers his company’s spray-on coating products.

Simon Atik (far right), president of Evosport, based in Huntington Beach, California, participated in the SEMA China Business Development program to assess the market for the firm’s aftermarket accessories for BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari.

Participants will visit off-road and street-performance shops in Beijing and Shanghai.

Get in on the ground level at what is likely to be one of the largest consumer specialty product markets. The SEMA tour, from September 2–7, 2012, to two of the most important cities in regards to customization—Shanghai and Beijing—allows participants to gain insight into the growing specialty market for the 1.3 billion Chinese consumers. Participants will learn what products sell, what products are in demand, and for which applications, through networking opportunities with retailers and wholesalers.

Benefits for participating SEMA members include:

• A first-hand look at the developing specialty-equipment market. The delegation will visit off-road and street-performance shops in Beijing and Shanghai.
• Meetings with pre-vetted distributors and retailers from throughout China during the stops in Shanghai and in Beijing.
• Qualified exhibitors will receive a U.S. grant of up to $1,500 to defray the costs of participation.
• Promote your brand to Chinese buyers now through China eNews—a periodic Chinese-language electronic newsletter sent to buyers throughout China.
• Program costs include hotel, meals, interpreters, access to buyers from throughout China and flight from Shanghai to Beijing (flights to and from the United States are not included).

Here's what past participants have said about the Chinese specialty-equipment market and the SEMA overseas one-on-one programs:

“The SEMA China program has been fantastic for us. At the 2011 event, we met many Chinese companies and, before even leaving the country, we had very firm plans to open accounts with two or three of these companies.”
–Ed Rossi, vice president of sales, Injen Technology

“We believe the market in China is largely untapped and, for those who are willing to invest the time and resources, there is significant growth potential. Through consistent participation in the SEMA program, as well as our own efforts, which grew out of the contacts we met through SEMA, we have had the unique opportunity to work closely with our Chinese customers through the very early stages of development of their performance market.”
–Rick Trudo, president and CEO, SCT Performance

“The notion that U.S. manufacturers cannot export to China has been debunked. The Chinese buyers with whom I met in Beijing are young entrepreneurs, and they are asking for high-quality U.S.-manufactured automotive products.”
–Malcolm Johnson, CEO, BrynDana International

“While the emergence of the aftermarket industry is still in its infancy stages, the obvious potentials are astonishing.”
–Simon Atik, president, Evosport

“Chinese consumers rave over Western-style products and trends, which are increasingly being reflected in their cars. Trips, such as the SEMA China Business Development Program, are a critical component in our company’s activities to develop a growing range of products to fit vehicles found on Chinese roads.”
–Scooter Brothers, CEO, COMP Performance Group

Register for the 2012 China Business Development Tour, or visit sema.org/china.

Questions? Contact Linda Spencer at lindas@sema.org.

Malcolm Johnson (left), CEO of Pennsylvania-based BrynDana International—a participant in the 2011 SEMA China Business Development program—shows buyers his company’s spray-on coating products.

Simon Atik (far right), president of Evosport, based in Huntington Beach, California, participated in the SEMA China Business Development program to assess the market for the firm’s aftermarket accessories for BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari.

Participants will visit off-road and street-performance shops in Beijing and Shanghai.

Get in on the ground level at what is likely to be one of the largest consumer specialty product markets. The SEMA tour, from September 2–7, 2012, to two of the most important cities in regards to customization—Shanghai and Beijing—allows participants to gain insight into the growing specialty market for the 1.3 billion Chinese consumers. Participants will learn what products sell, what products are in demand, and for which applications, through networking opportunities with retailers and wholesalers.

Benefits for participating SEMA members include:

• A first-hand look at the developing specialty-equipment market. The delegation will visit off-road and street-performance shops in Beijing and Shanghai.
• Meetings with pre-vetted distributors and retailers from throughout China during the stops in Shanghai and in Beijing.
• Qualified exhibitors will receive a U.S. grant of up to $1,500 to defray the costs of participation.
• Promote your brand to Chinese buyers now through China eNews—a periodic Chinese-language electronic newsletter sent to buyers throughout China.
• Program costs include hotel, meals, interpreters, access to buyers from throughout China and flight from Shanghai to Beijing (flights to and from the United States are not included).

Here's what past participants have said about the Chinese specialty-equipment market and the SEMA overseas one-on-one programs:

“The SEMA China program has been fantastic for us. At the 2011 event, we met many Chinese companies and, before even leaving the country, we had very firm plans to open accounts with two or three of these companies.”
–Ed Rossi, vice president of sales, Injen Technology

“We believe the market in China is largely untapped and, for those who are willing to invest the time and resources, there is significant growth potential. Through consistent participation in the SEMA program, as well as our own efforts, which grew out of the contacts we met through SEMA, we have had the unique opportunity to work closely with our Chinese customers through the very early stages of development of their performance market.”
–Rick Trudo, president and CEO, SCT Performance

“The notion that U.S. manufacturers cannot export to China has been debunked. The Chinese buyers with whom I met in Beijing are young entrepreneurs, and they are asking for high-quality U.S.-manufactured automotive products.”
–Malcolm Johnson, CEO, BrynDana International

“While the emergence of the aftermarket industry is still in its infancy stages, the obvious potentials are astonishing.”
–Simon Atik, president, Evosport

“Chinese consumers rave over Western-style products and trends, which are increasingly being reflected in their cars. Trips, such as the SEMA China Business Development Program, are a critical component in our company’s activities to develop a growing range of products to fit vehicles found on Chinese roads.”
–Scooter Brothers, CEO, COMP Performance Group

Register for the 2012 China Business Development Tour, or visit sema.org/china.

Questions? Contact Linda Spencer at lindas@sema.org.

The PAACE Automechanika Show will be held July 18–20, 2012, in Mexico City.

Explore opportunities to develop business in Mexico and Central America by exhibiting at or attending the upcoming PAACE Automechanika Show taking place July 18–20, 2012, in Mexico City. The 14th edition of PAACE Automechanika will once again be held at the Centro Banamex in Mexico City.

For more information, contact Carrie.Dunton@usa.messefrankfurt.com.

The PAACE Automechanika Show will be held July 18–20, 2012, in Mexico City.

Explore opportunities to develop business in Mexico and Central America by exhibiting at or attending the upcoming PAACE Automechanika Show taking place July 18–20, 2012, in Mexico City. The 14th edition of PAACE Automechanika will once again be held at the Centro Banamex in Mexico City.

For more information, contact Carrie.Dunton@usa.messefrankfurt.com.

	Cobra’s 50th anniversary is celebrated in Speed Merchants of Venice, a new book from Racing Division Los Angeles.

Cobra’s 50th anniversary is celebrated in Speed Merchants of Venice, a new book from Racing Division Los Angeles. Printed and bound in California, where the Cobra was born, the book was produced to accompany a new exhibit at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum and commemorate Carroll Shelby’s passing.

“We were extremely honored to be a part of this important exhibit,” said Michael Holmes, managing director of Racing Division. “Using selected images from the Shelby Foundation archives, many previously unpublished, we briefly tell the Cobra story from the first car assembled in Dean Moon’s hot-rod shop to the GT40s of Le Mans fame. Also included are chapters on the Dragonsnakes, Daytona Coupe, King Cobra and, of course, the 427.”

The cost of the book is $27.50 and a portion of its sales will go to the Carroll Shelby Foundation.

To purchase, visit www.speedmerchantsofvenice.com. For more information, review copies and wholesale inquiries, e-mail holmes@racingdivision.com.

	Don't miss the next SEMA webinar, "Industry Trends: Who's Your Target Consumer," Thursday, June 7, at 10:00 a.m. (PDT).

Who is your target consumer? What motivates them to buy aftermarket parts? SEMA-member companies have asked for more information on specialty-equipment consumers. This year, we kicked off the first in a series of projects designed to uncover and profile sub-groups of consumers within the SEMA market.

The SEMA Consumer Segmentation Study surveyed 3,000 consumers who purchased accessories to explore their motivation for modifying. New “consumer segments” will be presented to help companies target potential customers by knowing what they are looking for from the industry (not just by the car they drive).

Join the SEMA Education Institute (SEI) and Gavin Knapp, senior manager of SEMA’s Market Research Department, Thursday, June 7, at 10:00 a.m. (PDT) for a webinar powered by the SEMA Businesswomen's Network (SBN) that will highlight the results of this recent study.

During this session you will learn about:

• New SEMA consumer segments
• Motivations for accessorization
• How vehicle targets match consumer segments
• Accessories and modifications desired by consumer segments
• Consumer segment profiles

In today’s competitive marketplace, you can’t afford to get it wrong. Join Knapp, Thursday, June 7, at 10:00 a.m. (PDT) to learn more about the consumers who buy accessories.

Participate live or download the webinar when it’s convenient. And remember: SEMA webinars are free to SEMA members and only $29 for non-members.

Register today!

For more on this subject, join the discussion on LinkedIn. You must be part of the SEMA Members group on LinkedIn to comment.

	Don't miss the next SEMA webinar, "Industry Trends: Who's Your Target Consumer," Thursday, June 7, at 10:00 a.m. (PDT).

Who is your target consumer? What motivates them to buy aftermarket parts? SEMA-member companies have asked for more information on specialty-equipment consumers. This year, we kicked off the first in a series of projects designed to uncover and profile sub-groups of consumers within the SEMA market.

The SEMA Consumer Segmentation Study surveyed 3,000 consumers who purchased accessories to explore their motivation for modifying. New “consumer segments” will be presented to help companies target potential customers by knowing what they are looking for from the industry (not just by the car they drive).

Join the SEMA Education Institute (SEI) and Gavin Knapp, senior manager of SEMA’s Market Research Department, Thursday, June 7, at 10:00 a.m. (PDT) for a webinar powered by the SEMA Businesswomen's Network (SBN) that will highlight the results of this recent study.

During this session you will learn about:

• New SEMA consumer segments
• Motivations for accessorization
• How vehicle targets match consumer segments
• Accessories and modifications desired by consumer segments
• Consumer segment profiles

In today’s competitive marketplace, you can’t afford to get it wrong. Join Knapp, Thursday, June 7, at 10:00 a.m. (PDT) to learn more about the consumers who buy accessories.

Participate live or download the webinar when it’s convenient. And remember: SEMA webinars are free to SEMA members and only $29 for non-members.

Register today!

For more on this subject, join the discussion on LinkedIn. You must be part of the SEMA Members group on LinkedIn to comment.

	Don't miss the next SEMA webinar, "Industry Trends: Who's Your Target Consumer," Thursday, June 7, at 10:00 a.m. (PDT).

Who is your target consumer? What motivates them to buy aftermarket parts? SEMA-member companies have asked for more information on specialty-equipment consumers. This year, we kicked off the first in a series of projects designed to uncover and profile sub-groups of consumers within the SEMA market.

The SEMA Consumer Segmentation Study surveyed 3,000 consumers who purchased accessories to explore their motivation for modifying. New “consumer segments” will be presented to help companies target potential customers by knowing what they are looking for from the industry (not just by the car they drive).

Join the SEMA Education Institute (SEI) and Gavin Knapp, senior manager of SEMA’s Market Research Department, Thursday, June 7, at 10:00 a.m. (PDT) for a webinar powered by the SEMA Businesswomen's Network (SBN) that will highlight the results of this recent study.

During this session you will learn about:

• New SEMA consumer segments
• Motivations for accessorization
• How vehicle targets match consumer segments
• Accessories and modifications desired by consumer segments
• Consumer segment profiles

In today’s competitive marketplace, you can’t afford to get it wrong. Join Knapp, Thursday, June 7, at 10:00 a.m. (PDT) to learn more about the consumers who buy accessories.

Participate live or download the webinar when it’s convenient. And remember: SEMA webinars are free to SEMA members and only $29 for non-members.

Register today!

For more on this subject, join the discussion on LinkedIn. You must be part of the SEMA Members group on LinkedIn to comment.