Compiled by SEMA Editors

	Japan’s own Masao Suenaga took the victory at Fuji Speedway for the first Formula DRIFT Japan event for Round 2 of the Formula DRIFT Asia Championship.

Formula DRIFT Japan Results: Masao Suenaga Takes Event Victory
Formula DRIFT entered Fuji Speedway for the first Formula DRIFT Japan event for Round 2 of the Formula DRIFT Asia Championship where Japan’s own Masao Suenaga took the inaugural event victory. The event had 69 entries in which 14 of those were Formula DRIFT Asia regulars. Six of the 14 finished in the Top 16. Participating drivers represented eight countries. Formula DRIFT featured ancillary events, including the Offset Kings car show, World Time Attack exhibition, Mazda Fest, 180 & Silvia Meet, FMX demos and Supermoto racing.

CTEK Continues Miller Racing Sponsorship in 2014 TransAm SSCA Pro Racing Series
CTEK Power Inc. has renewed its sponsorship of the CTEK/Northstar Miller Racing Chevrolet Camaro driven by Cameron Lawrence for the 2014 season. Last year, Lawrence was the TransAm TA2 class overall champion after winning eight out of 10 races. Lawrence, now in his fourth year of racing in Trans Am, has claimed four of the five TA2 races this year.

Landon Simon will run a special “Made in America” paint scheme for USAC’s 2014 Indiana Sprint Week.

Landon Simon to Drive “Made in America” Mt. Baker Vapor Specialty Car for Indiana Sprint Week
Non-wing Sprint Car driver Landon Simon will run a special “Made in America” paint scheme for USAC’s 2014 Indiana Sprint Week. The red, silver and blue body resembles a WWII P51 Mustang plane and acts as a tribute to veterans and the United States. The car is highlighting Landon Simon Racing’s primary sponsor, Mt. Baker Vapor, whose products are all made and distributed in the United States. Indiana Sprint Week consists of seven races in nine days starting with Gas City on July 11, followed by Kokomo, Lawrenceburg, Terre Haute, Putnamville, Bloomington and Haubstadt.

Mt. Baker Vapor came on as primary sponsor of Landon Simon Racing at the start of 2014. Simon will compete in more than 50 race events this season in the Mt. Baker Vapor-backed sprint car. He will run the “Made in America” through Indiana Sprint Week and the month of July.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

	Japan’s own Masao Suenaga took the victory at Fuji Speedway for the first Formula DRIFT Japan event for Round 2 of the Formula DRIFT Asia Championship.

Formula DRIFT Japan Results: Masao Suenaga Takes Event Victory
Formula DRIFT entered Fuji Speedway for the first Formula DRIFT Japan event for Round 2 of the Formula DRIFT Asia Championship where Japan’s own Masao Suenaga took the inaugural event victory. The event had 69 entries in which 14 of those were Formula DRIFT Asia regulars. Six of the 14 finished in the Top 16. Participating drivers represented eight countries. Formula DRIFT featured ancillary events, including the Offset Kings car show, World Time Attack exhibition, Mazda Fest, 180 & Silvia Meet, FMX demos and Supermoto racing.

CTEK Continues Miller Racing Sponsorship in 2014 TransAm SSCA Pro Racing Series
CTEK Power Inc. has renewed its sponsorship of the CTEK/Northstar Miller Racing Chevrolet Camaro driven by Cameron Lawrence for the 2014 season. Last year, Lawrence was the TransAm TA2 class overall champion after winning eight out of 10 races. Lawrence, now in his fourth year of racing in Trans Am, has claimed four of the five TA2 races this year.

Landon Simon will run a special “Made in America” paint scheme for USAC’s 2014 Indiana Sprint Week.

Landon Simon to Drive “Made in America” Mt. Baker Vapor Specialty Car for Indiana Sprint Week
Non-wing Sprint Car driver Landon Simon will run a special “Made in America” paint scheme for USAC’s 2014 Indiana Sprint Week. The red, silver and blue body resembles a WWII P51 Mustang plane and acts as a tribute to veterans and the United States. The car is highlighting Landon Simon Racing’s primary sponsor, Mt. Baker Vapor, whose products are all made and distributed in the United States. Indiana Sprint Week consists of seven races in nine days starting with Gas City on July 11, followed by Kokomo, Lawrenceburg, Terre Haute, Putnamville, Bloomington and Haubstadt.

Mt. Baker Vapor came on as primary sponsor of Landon Simon Racing at the start of 2014. Simon will compete in more than 50 race events this season in the Mt. Baker Vapor-backed sprint car. He will run the “Made in America” through Indiana Sprint Week and the month of July.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Legislation to authorize the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles to issue replica year of manufacture plates for antique vehicles was signed into law by Governor Lincoln Chafee. In Rhode Island, an antique motor car is “any motor vehicle which is more than 25 years old. Unless fully inspected and meeting inspection requirements, the vehicle may be maintained solely for use in exhibitions, club activities, parades and other functions of public interest and may not be used primarily for the transportation of passengers or goods over any public highway.” 

For more information, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Legislation to authorize the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles to issue replica year of manufacture plates for antique vehicles was signed into law by Governor Lincoln Chafee. In Rhode Island, an antique motor car is “any motor vehicle which is more than 25 years old. Unless fully inspected and meeting inspection requirements, the vehicle may be maintained solely for use in exhibitions, club activities, parades and other functions of public interest and may not be used primarily for the transportation of passengers or goods over any public highway.” 

For more information, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Legislation to authorize the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles to issue replica year of manufacture plates for antique vehicles was signed into law by Governor Lincoln Chafee. In Rhode Island, an antique motor car is “any motor vehicle which is more than 25 years old. Unless fully inspected and meeting inspection requirements, the vehicle may be maintained solely for use in exhibitions, club activities, parades and other functions of public interest and may not be used primarily for the transportation of passengers or goods over any public highway.” 

For more information, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff
 
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) does not intend to issue a federal safety standard based on tire age. The agency announced its decision in a report entitled, “Tire Aging: A Summary of NHTSA’s Work.” The agency has been studying the issue for many years.
 
The NHTSA cited several primary factors for not pursuing a tire-aging safety standard. It noted that tires have become more robust in recent years as a result of increased performance mandates required under the Transportation Safety Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act of 2000. Recent crash data verify that these tires are performing better on the road. The NHTSA also credited mandatory tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) installed on newer vehicles as having helped alert motorists when tires are underinflated.
 
The NHTSA did note a continuing concern for tires in hot-weather states and spare tires that may be very old and may potentially be rotated into use. The NHTSA intends to discuss the topic through social media messages, fact sheets, infographics and other web content. 

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff
 
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) does not intend to issue a federal safety standard based on tire age. The agency announced its decision in a report entitled, “Tire Aging: A Summary of NHTSA’s Work.” The agency has been studying the issue for many years.
 
The NHTSA cited several primary factors for not pursuing a tire-aging safety standard. It noted that tires have become more robust in recent years as a result of increased performance mandates required under the Transportation Safety Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act of 2000. Recent crash data verify that these tires are performing better on the road. The NHTSA also credited mandatory tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) installed on newer vehicles as having helped alert motorists when tires are underinflated.
 
The NHTSA did note a continuing concern for tires in hot-weather states and spare tires that may be very old and may potentially be rotated into use. The NHTSA intends to discuss the topic through social media messages, fact sheets, infographics and other web content. 

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff
 
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) does not intend to issue a federal safety standard based on tire age. The agency announced its decision in a report entitled, “Tire Aging: A Summary of NHTSA’s Work.” The agency has been studying the issue for many years.
 
The NHTSA cited several primary factors for not pursuing a tire-aging safety standard. It noted that tires have become more robust in recent years as a result of increased performance mandates required under the Transportation Safety Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act of 2000. Recent crash data verify that these tires are performing better on the road. The NHTSA also credited mandatory tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) installed on newer vehicles as having helped alert motorists when tires are underinflated.
 
The NHTSA did note a continuing concern for tires in hot-weather states and spare tires that may be very old and may potentially be rotated into use. The NHTSA intends to discuss the topic through social media messages, fact sheets, infographics and other web content. 

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

SEMA News—July 2014

HERITAGE

By Drew Hardin
Photo Courtesy Petersen Archives

The Great California Street Rod Civil War

At the 1973 Street Rod Nationals (or so the story goes), rod builders Andy Brizio and Lil’ John Buttera got into a, shall we say, friendly discussion about which end of the Golden State produced the best street rods. Southern Californian Buttera ribbed Brizio, who was from South San Francisco, about how the Bay Area cars were “average” mechanically but were topped by outstanding paint jobs to make them seem more special. Brizio, in turn, said L.A. turned out trick show cars that couldn’t be driven very far. One thing led to another and (so the story goes) the discussion devolved into a “my new car will be better than your new car” challenge.

Whether this exchange really happened, we don’t know. What we do know is that Hot Rod Editor Terry Cook used it—fictitious or not—to set the stage for a four-part tech series called the Great California Street Rod Civil War. The idea was to pit Brizio against Buttera to see who could build the better car, and showcase the build steps and finished products for the magazine’s readers.

Their approaches couldn’t have been more different. Buttera chose to build a ’27 Model T Tudor, using a real steel T body he bought in Arizona for $600. He fabricated a tubular space frame, built an independent front suspension from scratch and adapted Jaguar independent rearend components for the rear suspension. “John wants his new T to ride like his Cadillac when it goes down the road,” wrote Cook.

Brizio, on the other hand, built a fiberglass ’32 Ford roadster, using as his inspiration a concept illustration called the “Street Roadster of the Future” that had appeared in Hot Rod a couple years before. Not just any fiberglass ’32 would do; Brizio commissioned Steve Archer to splash a brand-new replica using “a cherry Deuce roadster body” that Andy’s son Roy had been working on, said Cook.

Early on, it looked like Buttera would easily finish first. The initial two articles in the series showed photos of the Tudor only; no Brizio roadster in sight. Writing in the second installment, Jim McCraw said, “Andy Brizio is gathering the pieces together for his highboy Deuce, assigning tasks to his staff of craftsmen, and getting ready to explode into action to produce yet another complete car in about five weeks’ time start to finish, the traditional way things are done at Andy’s Instant T. Meanwhile, back in Cerritos, Buttera and his troops have a considerable head start over Brizio.”

And then, things changed. Two issues went by without an update on the Civil War. When it did appear, part 3 was all Brizio, with a note that “Lil’ John started off well but pooped out in the backstretch.” This installment showed off Archer’s fiberglass body pieces, the car’s tubular frame and its power source: chromed twin Mazda RX-2 rotary engines.

The Civil War’s conclusion appeared in the June 1974 issue of the magazine. On its cover was a see-through view of Brizio’s Twin Mazda Instant Deuce, and inside was a photo of some of Brizio’s crew, sitting in the yellow roadster, ribbing Buttera for his still unfinished T.

This photo of Brizio’s roadster is an outtake that was not published in the magazine. It was shot by Hot Rod Photo Editor Mike Brenner at Buttera’s shop in Cerritos. As Roy Brizio remembers it, “These were your typical last-minute deadline photos for the article. They were not staged. My dad had to bring the car to L.A. for the shoot. They then took the car back to San Francisco and finished it, and brought it back to L.A. for the final photos.”

Gripping the firewall to lift off the body are Andy Brizio, with his back to the camera on the driver side, and Buttera, facing the camera on the passenger side. Terry Cook is in the dark shirt at the back of the car.

Andy Brizio recently talked to Dave Wallace at Hot Rod Deluxe magazine about the Civil War and the yellow roadster.

“We finished first, and my yellow car made the cover, but I had to truck it to L.A. for the photoshoot,” he said. “We never did get that roadster running right with the dual Mazda rotaries—a real nightmare. I replaced them right away with a small-block Chevy. That car turned up at our Sutter Creek picnic two years ago, looking pretty much the same.”

SEMA News—July 2014

HERITAGE

By Drew Hardin
Photo Courtesy Petersen Archives

The Great California Street Rod Civil War

At the 1973 Street Rod Nationals (or so the story goes), rod builders Andy Brizio and Lil’ John Buttera got into a, shall we say, friendly discussion about which end of the Golden State produced the best street rods. Southern Californian Buttera ribbed Brizio, who was from South San Francisco, about how the Bay Area cars were “average” mechanically but were topped by outstanding paint jobs to make them seem more special. Brizio, in turn, said L.A. turned out trick show cars that couldn’t be driven very far. One thing led to another and (so the story goes) the discussion devolved into a “my new car will be better than your new car” challenge.

Whether this exchange really happened, we don’t know. What we do know is that Hot Rod Editor Terry Cook used it—fictitious or not—to set the stage for a four-part tech series called the Great California Street Rod Civil War. The idea was to pit Brizio against Buttera to see who could build the better car, and showcase the build steps and finished products for the magazine’s readers.

Their approaches couldn’t have been more different. Buttera chose to build a ’27 Model T Tudor, using a real steel T body he bought in Arizona for $600. He fabricated a tubular space frame, built an independent front suspension from scratch and adapted Jaguar independent rearend components for the rear suspension. “John wants his new T to ride like his Cadillac when it goes down the road,” wrote Cook.

Brizio, on the other hand, built a fiberglass ’32 Ford roadster, using as his inspiration a concept illustration called the “Street Roadster of the Future” that had appeared in Hot Rod a couple years before. Not just any fiberglass ’32 would do; Brizio commissioned Steve Archer to splash a brand-new replica using “a cherry Deuce roadster body” that Andy’s son Roy had been working on, said Cook.

Early on, it looked like Buttera would easily finish first. The initial two articles in the series showed photos of the Tudor only; no Brizio roadster in sight. Writing in the second installment, Jim McCraw said, “Andy Brizio is gathering the pieces together for his highboy Deuce, assigning tasks to his staff of craftsmen, and getting ready to explode into action to produce yet another complete car in about five weeks’ time start to finish, the traditional way things are done at Andy’s Instant T. Meanwhile, back in Cerritos, Buttera and his troops have a considerable head start over Brizio.”

And then, things changed. Two issues went by without an update on the Civil War. When it did appear, part 3 was all Brizio, with a note that “Lil’ John started off well but pooped out in the backstretch.” This installment showed off Archer’s fiberglass body pieces, the car’s tubular frame and its power source: chromed twin Mazda RX-2 rotary engines.

The Civil War’s conclusion appeared in the June 1974 issue of the magazine. On its cover was a see-through view of Brizio’s Twin Mazda Instant Deuce, and inside was a photo of some of Brizio’s crew, sitting in the yellow roadster, ribbing Buttera for his still unfinished T.

This photo of Brizio’s roadster is an outtake that was not published in the magazine. It was shot by Hot Rod Photo Editor Mike Brenner at Buttera’s shop in Cerritos. As Roy Brizio remembers it, “These were your typical last-minute deadline photos for the article. They were not staged. My dad had to bring the car to L.A. for the shoot. They then took the car back to San Francisco and finished it, and brought it back to L.A. for the final photos.”

Gripping the firewall to lift off the body are Andy Brizio, with his back to the camera on the driver side, and Buttera, facing the camera on the passenger side. Terry Cook is in the dark shirt at the back of the car.

Andy Brizio recently talked to Dave Wallace at Hot Rod Deluxe magazine about the Civil War and the yellow roadster.

“We finished first, and my yellow car made the cover, but I had to truck it to L.A. for the photoshoot,” he said. “We never did get that roadster running right with the dual Mazda rotaries—a real nightmare. I replaced them right away with a small-block Chevy. That car turned up at our Sutter Creek picnic two years ago, looking pretty much the same.”