The I-CAR RTS Portal is offered as a complimentary benefit to SEMA
Tech Transfer members providing immediate access to on-board
ADAS options by year, make and model.
The I-CAR RTS Portal is a new SEMA Tech Transfer member resource to assist with awareness of the different onboard vehicle safety systems when designing new aftermarket products. This is important to any vehicle accessory manufacturer because the systems, functions, nomenclature and locations differ by vehicle/OEM.
The I-CAR RTS Portal is offered as a complimentary benefit to SEMA Tech Transfer members providing immediate access to:
Onboard ADAS options by year, make and model.
System locations and types (camera or sensor).
Calibration requirements.
OEM and I-CAR standardized feature nomenclature.
If you’re already a SEMA Tech Transfer member, log into the Tech Transfer Portal and then click the “I-CAR” button to get immediate access to the I-CAR RTS Portal. If you aren’t a Tech Transfer member, contact techtransfer@sema.org or call 909-978-6732 to join.
About I-CAR:
I-CAR, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair, is an international non-profit organization dedicated to providing information, knowledge, and skills required to perform safe, complete and quality repairs.
About I-CAR RTS Portal:
The SEMA Garage and I-CAR have collaborated to offer SEMA Tech Transfer member companies access to the Repairability Technical Support (RTS) portal so that SEMA Tech Transfer members can access information on the latest vehicle technology trends, OEM information and calibration requirements.
The SEMA Businesswomen’s Network (SBN) named Rachel Higgins as this week’s #SheIsSEMA Spotlight Member. Higgins is the marketing manager at Oracle Lighting—manufacturers of designer lighting products and technologies for the automotive powersports, motorcycle and marine markets.
Nominated for #SheIsSEMA by a colleague, Higgins is admired for her bigger-picture mindset, constant conceptual thinking and willingness to always help.
Find out why Higgins was nominated, below:
How has Rachel contributed to Oracle Lighting?
In the past two years since her hire date, she has grown Oracle Lighting’s e-commerce more than 50%, and contributed to the growth of our social-media campaigns and overall positive direction of the company.
How has Rachel shown leadership in the industry or business?
Rachel has shown leadership by continuing to express new ideas and projects to improve the company. Even if it is through another department, her ideas bring unity and positivity.
Tell us a success story that you can share about Rachel.
Rachel, along with her colleague in the sales and marketing department, recently launched a program for positive reviews online. Year-to-date of 20 days, the company has 15+ positive reviews online, directly affecting customer retention.
Why do you think Rachel is a role model in this industry?
Rachel is a positive thinker, with great potential in our industry, and provides branded marketing and growth within our business.
Do you know, or are you, a woman with a career in the automotive industry? Fill out a #SheIsSEMA spotlight form to submit a self-nomination, or nominate a colleague.
Selected candidates are automatically eligible to be considered for SBN’s #SheIsSEMA Woman of the Year award, featured on SBN’s social media, SEMA eNews and recognized on the www.sema.org/she-is-sema website.
The Australian market is the second-largest export
market for U.S. specialty-equipment companies,
according to a 2018 SEMA survey.
SEMA-member companies seeking to sell their products globally most often do so through the establishment of a network of distributors in overseas markets.
While there are multiple additional methods to getting your products to international buyers—including selling online through e-commerce or do-it-for-me (indirect) methods to market, such as working with export management companies, manufacturers reps or U.S.-based warehouse distributors—this SEMA News article focuses on the distributor route.
John Urist and his turbocharged S550 Mustang cruised to the
win in VP Racing Madditives Street Outlaw on a 4.261 at 171.97
mph.
Official Race Results From BMR Suspension NMRA Spring Break Shootout
The start of the 2021 Holley NMRA Ford Nationals began with the 27th Annual BMR Suspension NMRA Spring Break Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Bradenton, Florida, March 5-7.
VP Racing Madditives Street Outlaw: The turbocharged ’02 Mustang belonging to Steve Halprin met John Urist of Hellion Turbo in the finals, as Urist cruised to the win on a 4.261 at 171.97 mph with his turbocharged S550 Mustang.
Edelbrock Renegade: Bill Gregan and his ProCharged Fox Mustang met Charles Bartholme and his ’90 Mustang in the finals, where Bartholme captured the win with a 4.557 at 154.21mph time slip.
JDM Engineering Limited Street: Samantha Moore and her supercharged ’14 Mustang California Special took down Kent Nine with a 8.194 at 162.68 mph.
G-Force Racing Transmissions Coyote Stock: Nathan Stymiest in his ’92 Mustang defeated Frank Paultanis and his ’04 Mustang in the finals, 9.706 at 138.78 mph to 9.869 at 136.98 mph.
Richmond Gear Factory Stock: Mike Bowen and his ’71 Maverick advanced to the finals, meeting Justin Fogelsonger and his ’88 Mustang. Fogelsonger was the first to leave the start, and maintained the advantage through to the finish line where his 10.153 at 131.48 mph cemented him as the overall winner for the weekend.
Exedy Racing Clutch Modular Muscle: Jason Steamer and Jason Henson met in the finals, where Steamer’s ’08 Mustang GT went up against Henson’s ’03 Mach 1. When the men crossed the stripe together, it was Steamer who was the winner.
Fastest Street Car Super Stang: Chris Parisi and his ’20 Mustang defeated Lloyd Mikeska in the finals when he ran 12.089 on his 11.95 dial to Mikeska’s opposing 12.167 on his 11.97 dial-in.
ARP Open Comp: Woody Pack and his ’66 Mustang defeated Steve Cannizzo and his ’67 Mustang in the finals.
Detroit Locker Truck & Lightning: In the finals, Mike Roup and his ’70 Ranchero bested Fred Wade and his ’04 Lightning when he went 11.362 at 118.72 mph and captured the win.
RacePagesDigital.com Ford Muscle: Alan Hill and his ’87 Mustang met Bill Lee Jr. and his ’79 Fairmont in the finals, where Hill was defaulted the win, although he ran under his 11.00 dial-in with a 10.945 at 122.05 mph pass.
QA1 True Street: Donato Sierchio was determined to be the quickest of all as his ’86 Mustang ran the 1,320 in an average time of 8.305 seconds. Larry Albright took second place honors with his ’91 Mustang and an 8.409-second average, while Don Walsh and his ’20 GT500 took the win in the 9-second category. The quickest of the 10-second cars was Scott Boda’s ’18 Mustang, Cary Shotwell and his ’17 Mustang were winners in the 11-second section, while Maci Belcher and her ’16 Mustang were victorious in the 12-second group. Additional winners included Ray Eugenio in the 13-second bunch, Rick Doern in the 14-second segment, and Stephen Priske in the 15-second section.
ACE Racing Spring Break Shootout: Donato Sierchio and his ’86 Mustang met Larry Albright and his ’91 Mustang. Both men were well into the 7-second zone, but Sierchio’s 7.367-second hit was no match for Albright’s 7.534-second run.
TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout: The overall heads-up eliminator was won by David Leshay, piloting his classic ’63 Galaxie to an 11.974 at 115.36 mph win over Tyler Thornburg and his ’88 Mustang.
Mickey Thompson Street Car Challenge presented by Whipple Superchargers: Donato Sierchio’s ’86 Mustang proved unbeatable once again all throughout eliminations, as he clinched his third victory of the weekend on a 7.403 at 189.42mph final run while Randy Thomas, who had qualified second with his ’10 Shelby, took home the runner-up honors with his 8.379 at 167.95 mph hit.
Watson Racing Cobra Jet Showdown presented by Ford Performance: Steve Trombley and his ’13 Cobra Jet earned the top position in qualifying, and Trombley trumped the competition all through eliminations. For the last run of the weekend, Tony Jarvis, who had qualified second, pulled into the beams alongside him. Both men had 8-second dial-ins, but Trombley crossed the traps with more accuracy and earned the overall honors.
The Bracket Open: Jerry Norton took on J.C. Cole for all the marbles in an unusual final. Cole red-lit with a -0.009-second reaction time, and when Norton tried to leave the line he faced mechanical trouble. Although Norton wasn’t able to complete a pass, he still broke the beams to make his unconventional win official.
Racing resumes April 9–11, at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia, with the 13th Annual NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals.
Krista Baldwin with her grandfather Chris “The Greek” Karamesines.
Krista Baldwin to Make Top Fuel Dragster Debut at the NHRA Gator Nationals
Krista Baldwin will make her first professional start in the NHRA Camping World series in a Top Fuel Dragster at the Gator Nationals. She will pilot her grandfather’s NHRA legend Chris “the Greek” Karamesines, Don Schumacher Racing canopy dragster backed by McLeod Racing, Lucas Oil, Strange Engineering, Composite Specialties and Eat Sleep Race. As the newest NHRA Top Fuel pilot, Baldwin is the only third-generation Top Fuel driver in the class. Baldwin began racing at 18 years old in a front-engine dragster in the Nostalgia Eliminator 1 class. In 2015 she upgraded her license to a nitro injected A/Fuel dragster. For the last five years, Baldwin has campaigned her McLeod Racing dragster in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing series with Anthony Dicero. This year she will drive for her grandfather, Karamesines, under the black-and-gold canopy dragster. Baldwin draws inspiration from her late father Bobby Baldwin, who raced Top Fuel from the late ’80s to ’01. To honor her father, Baldwin has attained his old Top Fuel competition number, T/F 725. The Karamesines/Baldwin entry will be tuned by long-time family friends Bobby and Dom Lagana. Catch the excitement this weekend on Fox Sports 1 and Fox.
The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) has announced the 2021 schedule for the IHRA Sportsman Spectacular presented by Hagerty and Moser Engineering. The Sportsman Spectacular series will feature an expanded 15-race schedule with new venues this season. Top (Box), Mod (No Box/Footbrake), and Junior Dragster competitors who are members of IHRA will have the opportunity to compete for the IHRA Ironman at each event, as well as the oversized championship checks. IHRA members will also be running for the limited-edition Sportsman Spectacular commemorative medals and round prizes from IHRA sponsors Sunoco Race Fuels, Moser Engineering, and Summit Racing Equipment, in addition to their winnings. The IHRA Sportsman Spectacular presented by Hagerty and Moser Engineering will kick off March 20, at Edinburg Motorsports Park, Edinburg, Texas.
2021 IHRA Sportsman Spectacular Schedule presented by Hagerty and Moser Engineering:
March 22: Edinburg Motorsports Park, Edinburg, Texas
March 27-28: Farmington Dragway, Mocksville, North Carolina
June 12-13: Onawa Dragway, Onawa, Iowa
June 19-20: Empire Dragway, Leicester, New York
June 26-27: Mo-Kan Dragway, Asbury, Missouri
July 10: Music City Raceway, Goodlettsville, Tennessee
July 31-August 1: Beacon Dragway, Paducah, Kentucky
July 31-August 2: Grand Bend Motorplex, Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada
August 20-22, Maryland International Raceway, Mechanicsville, Maryland
Additional dates will be added to the schedule in the coming weeks.
Classic Instruments Sponsors the Great Lakes Stock SS Association Series for 2021
Classic Instruments is the official series sponsor for the Great Lakes Stock SS Association Series (GLSSA) for the fourth consecutive year. The GLSSA’s 2021 race schedule is as follows:
May 1: Mid-Michigan Motorplex, Stanton, Michigan
May 2: Mid-Michigan Motorplex, Stanton, Michigan
May 15: US 131 Motorsports Park, Martin, Michigan
June 12: Mid-Michigan Motorplex, Stanton, Michigan
June 13: Mid-Michigan Motorplex, Stanton, Michigan
September 19: Milan Dragway, Milan, Michigan
Revchem Composites Extends Partnership With Kalitta Motorsports
Revchem Composites is extending its relationship with Kalitta Motorsports into the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season starting at the 52nd annual NHRA Gatornationals. The multi-time world championship drag-racing team will once again work with Revchem Composites throughout the course of the season on technical opportunities as well as strategic partnerships with their many corporate partners. Additionally, Revchem will be featured on all three Kalitta Motorsports race cars in 2021. Last season, Kalitta Motorsports used a variety of products distributed by Revchem Composites in its Michigan-based shop, and Revchem was branded on Doug Kalitta’s Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster’s rear wing throughout the season. This season the company will have a presence on Kalitta’s dragster as well as the DHL/Kalitta Air Top Fuel dragster driven by Shawn Langdon and J.R. Todd’s DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car. Revchem Composites will also participate in the business-to-business pit-side hospitality program Kalitta Motorsports hosts at each NHRA national event.
IMSA has announced date changes for the Michelin GT
Challengeat Virginia International Raceway (VIR) and the
season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road
Atlanta following the recent announcement that the 24 Hours of
Le Mans has been moved from June 12–13 to August 21–22.
IMSA Shifts Dates For 2021 Michelin GT Challenge, Motul Petit Le Mans
IMSA has announced date changes for the Michelin GT Challenge at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) and the season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta following the recent announcement that the 24 Hours of Le Mans has been moved from June 12–13 to August 21–22. The new Le Mans date falls on the originally scheduled IMSA weekend at VIR, slated to have a live, NBC network television window for the two-hour, 40-minute IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race featuring the GT Le Mans (GTLM) and GT Daytona (GTD) classes. As a result, the WeatherTech Championship race will now be run Saturday, October 9, airing live on NBC. It also will become the WeatherTech Sprint Cup season finale for the GTD class. The new VIR event weekend will be October 8–10.
The new date for the 24th Motul Petit Le Mans will be Saturday, November 13, and will include a live, three-hour NBC network television window. The race will include five WeatherTech Championship classes–Daytona Prototype international (DPi), LMP2, LMP3, GTLM, and GTD–and close both the 2021 WeatherTech Championship and IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup seasons. The event weekend will run from November 10-13. In addition to the WeatherTech Championship events, the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and IMSA Prototype Challenge races scheduled for VIR and Michelin Raceway will also move to the new event weekends. Three IMSA-sanctioned single-make series–Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires, Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America, and Porsche Carrera Cup North America–also will be affected by these changes. Officials will provide updates at a later date. For more information, visit www.imsa.com.
Knights of Thunder 360 Sprints to Debut in Canada
A new, touring 360 sprint car series is set to debut in Eastern Canada this season. Dubbed the Knights of Thunder (KoT) 360 Sprint Car Series, the new competition will feature 27 races across seven tracks on the 2021 calendar, with several live streaming broadcasts planned on GForceTV. Competitors will take part in 19 full-points events, set to take place at five Ontario, Canadian-based venues, including six at Brighton Speedway, five at Humberstone Speedway, four at Merrittville Speedway, two at Ohsweken Speedway, and two at the remodeled and renamed Southern Ontario Motor Speedway (formerly South Buxton Raceway).
Show-up points will be awarded in four additional events at Ohsweken—two surrounding the NASCAR Pinty's 100 in August and two on the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals weekend in September. The schedule is rounded out with co-sanctioned non-points events with the Empire Super Sprints and Patriot Sprint Tour at Brockville Ontario Speedway and Cornwall Motor Speedway. The season kicks off on April 17 at Merritville’s Spring Sizzler, and concludes at Southern Ontario Motor Speedway on October 9. For more information, visit www.knightsofthunder.com.
IMS Hall Of Fame Adds Michael Schumacher, Paul Page
Seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher and longtime Indianapolis 500 broadcaster Paul Page comprise the 2021 class of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) Hall of Fame. They were elected to the IMS Hall of Fame by the distinguished voting panel of 150 motorsports journalists, officials and living Hall of Fame members, chosen from a total of 14 nominees representing the Speedway’s diverse history as host to the Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400 and, from 2000–2007, F1’s United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis. The pair will be honored and officially inducted at the 2021 IMS Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Indianapolis 500 Oldtimers Dinner presented by Firestone, Thursday, May 27, at the Downtown Indianapolis Marriott. Due to the cancellation of the 2020 induction ceremony, the 2020 IMS Hall of Fame inductees—legendary drivers Janet Guthrie and Dale Earnhardt—will be honored at the 2021 event. For more information, visit indyracingmuseum.org.
The ARMO display at Spring Carlisle will be centrally positioned
on grounds near the stage.
Before many products debut at the SEMA Show and end up on a retailer’s shelf, they make an East Coast appearance at Spring Carlisle as part of the Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO) Hot Products Showcase.
Spring Carlisle, April 21–25, at the Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Fairgrounds, is open to the public, and has been an annual destination for car lovers since 1977. One of the marquee features of the spring show is ARMO's display. ARMO directs its efforts toward preserving and promoting the automotive restoration industry and annually, at Spring Carlisle, offers its showcase for the nearly 100,000 guests and thousands of vendors who converge on fairgrounds for the days-long automotive spectacular.
With the showcase at Spring Carlisle, visitors will see the latest and greatest products in the restoration market. Product experts are available at the ARMO display to talk about each item. New for 2021, products will also appear in an online showcase display, and guests will vote for Best New Product Awards electronically. In addition to the New Product awards, a special “People’s Choice” award is reserved for the products on-site in the ARMO Hot Products Showcase tent, and will be chosen only by guests on-site.
“ARMO members look forward to participating in Spring Carlisle each year,” said SEMA’s ARMO Council Director Jim Skelly. “As the largest restoration event of the year, it’s the perfect way to kick off the car show season and showcase products. We’re especially excited for our members to show off their hot new products and connect with the industry at this year’s event.”
A detailed health/safety measures summary is available on www.carlisleevents.com. While there, be sure to learn more about Spring Carlisle, register to become a vendor, sell in the car corral, purchase discounted spectator tickets in advance, or call 717-243-7855 to learn more.
“Carr Parts” is dedicated to builders. It's about quick tips and tricks and the newest must-have products. It's about visiting with a fellow builder, walking around their project and getting an up-close look at their handy work. It's also about our industry sharing their passion for turning a wrench and taking time to give advice to fellow gearheads. Episode five features the return of award-winning Young Gun Kyle Kuhnhausen, adding a little aviation strength to his build with XRP crimp-style plumbing.
SEMA’s video team is currently in production on future episodes of ”Carr Parts“ and we’d love to hear from you. Do you have a tip, trick or advice you can share with our audience? Drop us a note at marketing@semaignited.com and we'll connect with you.
We can't wait to find the next guest for “Carr Parts.” And finally...keep building.
This is an interesting prototype of the upcoming Bronco Warthog. Unlike the prototype spied last year, the one seen here has a set of orange cables on the undercarriage. The cables appear to be high-voltage cables typically used in carrying currents in hybrid-electric configurations.
Additionally, the model seen here features a single-tip exhaust outlet (possibly for EPA testing). By comparison, the prototype spied last year without the orange cable features a dual-tip, single exhaust outlet.
Both of these are tell-tales that this prototype could be a Bronco Warthog Hybrid. Whereas the regular Warthog should be powered by the twin-turbo 3.0L EcoBoost V6 (400 hp/415 lb.-ft.), the hybrid could feature an electric variant of the same engine. In the Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring, this configuration is rated at 494 hp and 630 lb.-ft.
Jeep recently debuted the 470-hp Wrangler Rubicon 392 and also the new plug-in Wrangler 4xe (good for 0-60 in 6 seconds) with power that exceeds the V6-powered Bronco. Will this be Ford’s response? We’ll soon find out.
This is an interesting prototype of the upcoming Bronco Warthog. Unlike the prototype spied last year, the one seen here has a set of orange cables on the undercarriage. The cables appear to be high-voltage cables typically used in carrying currents in hybrid-electric configurations.
Additionally, the model seen here features a single-tip exhaust outlet (possibly for EPA testing). By comparison, the prototype spied last year without the orange cable features a dual-tip, single exhaust outlet.
Both of these are tell-tales that this prototype could be a Bronco Warthog Hybrid. Whereas the regular Warthog should be powered by the twin-turbo 3.0L EcoBoost V6 (400 hp/415 lb.-ft.), the hybrid could feature an electric variant of the same engine. In the Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring, this configuration is rated at 494 hp and 630 lb.-ft.
Jeep recently debuted the 470-hp Wrangler Rubicon 392 and also the new plug-in Wrangler 4xe (good for 0-60 in 6 seconds) with power that exceeds the V6-powered Bronco. Will this be Ford’s response? We’ll soon find out.
The September 2021 issue of SEMA News will highlight rising stars in the automotive aftermarket industry who are age 35 and younger. If you know a leader in that age range as of September 1, 2021—whether they are in manufacturing and design, marketing, retail, events and media, or distribution—we would like to hear from you.
Many SEMA members are currently working with creative young professionals who are already industry trailblazers. They may have played key roles in leveraging new and emerging technologies with a traditional automotive aftermarket business to expand company reach, improve product development, energize marketing efforts or upgrade customer interaction.
They could be budding talents at an established company, entrepreneurs building their own brands or innovators who have launched companies that might become big names in the future. What they all will have in common are fresh ideas, enthusiasm, charisma and the drive to succeed.
SEMA News looks for candidates drawn from diverse industry segments who are already making a significant impact through their leadership within their organizations or businesses. Entrepreneurship, commitment, insight, innovation, integrity, responsibility, demonstrated skill, involvement and success within the marketplace weigh heavily in the decision-making process. We’ll honor the winners in the September issue of SEMA News and on www.sema.org.
The ’21 Aston Martin DBX will be available for measuring, March
22–26, at the SEMA Garage in Diamond Bar, California.
In partnership with Aston Martin, the SEMA Garage has announced a Measuring Session for the ’21 Aston Martin DBX.
This event will allow SEMA members to test-fit prototypes, 3-D scan, measure and have a close-up experience with the ’21 Aston Martin DBX, featuring:
A 4.0L twin-turbo V8 engine.
Nine-speed automatic transmission.
Adaptive air suspension.
Electric anti-roll control system (eARC).
Aston Martin’s first fullsize five-seat model.
Please note that this will be an in-person event at the SEMA Garage in Diamond Bar, California. In order to comply with state and local health guidelines, this event will take place over one week with scheduled appointments. Due to high demand, your appointment will be time limited.
Week 1: March 22, 2021–March 26, 2021
*All registered attendees will be required to take an initial temperature check, wear face coverings and gloves, as well as practice social distancing during their appointment. The vehicle will be sanitized in between each appointment.
The 
Knights of Thunder 360 Sprints to Debut in Canada
The September 2021 issue of SEMA News will highlight rising stars in the automotive aftermarket industry who are age 35 and younger. If you know a leader in that age range as of September 1, 2021—whether they are in manufacturing and design, marketing, retail, events and media, or distribution—we would like to hear from you.