By SEMA Editors

Team B&M of Franklin County Career & Technology Center—the fourth-place team from the SEMA Show—qualified for the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge Championship next month at the PRI Show in Indianapolis.

“I think one of the biggest things as a coach that you have to try to take care of is to compensate for any surprises that may come along,” said Bobby Bard, coach of Team B&M’s Franklin County Career & Technology Center—the fourth-place team from the SEMA Show that qualified for the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge Championship next month at the PRI Show in Indianapolis.

“One of the biggest challenges that we had to overcome was, like everybody else, the time barrier,” Bard continued. “As far as recorded times, at Carlisle in April we were at 26:09. We went to another qualifier at the Route 66 Dragway in July and we shaved 3 minutes off our time. Then at SEMA, with penalties, we were at 24:09. We had two runs where we had an intake manifold bolt that was loose, which was a four-minute penalty. Our time should have been right around 21 minutes. If we would have had clean runs, we would have come in second place.”

Although Team B&M ran into a few issues on two of their runs at the SEMA Show Dual Championship, Bard had already prepared his students for such surprises. By cross-training his team, they were able to overcome the setbacks and still qualify for the Finals. “When we came back from Illinois, I switched up everybody’s jobs,” explained Bard. “We practiced like that for a while. It was very interesting because we could still run 25-minute times. I wanted everybody to understand what everybody else was doing, so that they understand that each job is equally important, and so that when we do get out of sync, they know how to do other jobs, and they know how to do them well enough that it’s not going to hurt our time. And that did happen actually at SEMA. We had an issue with some lifters. By color, they were in the right place, but as far as the cylinder marking on the lifters, they were off. So that put one of my students behind. Another student jumped in and helped finish up his job and that actually helped us a lot.”

The students, whose school resides in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, are now eligible for part of the $3.8 million in scholarships to be awarded through this program. They will compete against the other three teams that qualified at the SEMA Show, and four teams still yet to qualify at the PRI Show, in the Engine Challenge Finals.

Although the scholarship rewards are an incentive and help toward student careers in the field, Bard, who’s been part of the Engine Challenge program for the past six years, says that one of the greatest gains for his students is learning how to communicate and work together as a team. Such skills will carry over into all areas of the students’ lives, both professionally and personally.

“Some personalities will shine out under pressure,” explained Bard. “It does take having a leader on the team—someone who is willing to step out and say what needs to be done and if something gets out of sync. It’s not always just me seeing things, but someone on the engine that’s constantly communicating and making sure things are flowing.”

Attending and competing at the SEMA Show affords a host of benefits to these high-school students, not the least of which is an opportunity to interact with their sponsors. Meeting the next generation of automotive enthusiasts and professionals is something the sponsors welcome, according to Alex Ortega, vice president of sales for Driven Brands—the parent company of B&M, Hurst and Flowmaster.

“Having the kids come to our booth is a big reward for us,” stated Ortega. “We love talking to the kids and getting to know them, shaking their hands and saying thank you for their time and energy. “First and foremost, Hot Rodders of Tomorrow is doing this for the kids in a very positive manner. The students are doing something that’s creative, and it’s giving them a reason to do good in school, plus it’s an investment back in them that will benefit them long term. So that's priority number one. Number two is the team efforts. I’m really impressed with how big this has gotten over the last four or five years and how many companies, like Flowmaster, B&M and Hurst, have stepped up and said, ‘Yes I want to be a part of that.’ It’s not because we want to see our logos on the students’ t-shirts. It’s not because we want a reward out of it. What we like to see out of it is the investment in our youth.”

Ortega continued, “Overall, what I respect the most about the program is that it’s affecting the youth. You can clearly see that. I think for the most part, kids in America want to be associated with cars, because cars are such a big portion of our culture. As a kid growing up, I did not have the opportunity to be a part of a team and be a part of something big like Hot Rodders of Tomorrow. The volunteers, the team effort, everyone coming together and making it happen says a lot. You don’t get volunteers to step up for many projects, so what Rodney Bingham [president of Hot Rodders of Tomorrow] has accomplished in organizing and motivating the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow team is just pretty phenomenal. This initiative gives us a warmer feeling that our industry will still be thriving 20, 30, 40 years down the road.”

Ortega was correct in pointing out that it takes a massive team of volunteers and supporters to make the program, and each individual team, a success. Team B&M has great support not only from their school, but also from the greater Franklin County community. Parents of one of the students organized a car show fundraiser. The event, held in September of this year, helped provide the funds needed to travel and compete on a national level. More than 200 cars attended, and the team raised $2,800.

The community support behind the individual teams rivals the community atmosphere within the program itself. “I know my students and myself we really, really enjoy and appreciate the family atmosphere that Hot Rodders has,” Bard said. “The teams and other instructors are always willing to help out other teams. We’re all just a big family here and we want to see everybody be successful.”

Team B&M’s success has come in large part because of the support around them, but one can’t discount the hours they put into practicing each week. Bard says the students practice for 3–4 hours per night, twice per week after school. This level of commitment takes students who are not only interested in the performance industry, but who are also dedicated to working hard and making the necessary sacrifices. The time and energy required by the coaches is no small matter, either.

“I do this because I like the performance industry and I enjoy what my students get to do and seeing them succeed,” Bard said. “That’s what makes me feel that I’ve succeeded. We set clear goals. It’s important to them now and in their future to be able to set a goal, work hard and achieve it. One of our goals was the be top four at [the] SEMA [Show]. We achieved it. Our strategy going into the PRI Show is clean engines, no penalties. Our two penalties we received were recurring. We have come up with a way to ensure that doesn’t happen again. We know what we are capable of running, time-wise. If we run our game, our strategy and have a clean engine with no penalties, I think we’re going to fare out well in the Dual Championship.”

By SEMA Editors

Team B&M of Franklin County Career & Technology Center—the fourth-place team from the SEMA Show—qualified for the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge Championship next month at the PRI Show in Indianapolis.

“I think one of the biggest things as a coach that you have to try to take care of is to compensate for any surprises that may come along,” said Bobby Bard, coach of Team B&M’s Franklin County Career & Technology Center—the fourth-place team from the SEMA Show that qualified for the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge Championship next month at the PRI Show in Indianapolis.

“One of the biggest challenges that we had to overcome was, like everybody else, the time barrier,” Bard continued. “As far as recorded times, at Carlisle in April we were at 26:09. We went to another qualifier at the Route 66 Dragway in July and we shaved 3 minutes off our time. Then at SEMA, with penalties, we were at 24:09. We had two runs where we had an intake manifold bolt that was loose, which was a four-minute penalty. Our time should have been right around 21 minutes. If we would have had clean runs, we would have come in second place.”

Although Team B&M ran into a few issues on two of their runs at the SEMA Show Dual Championship, Bard had already prepared his students for such surprises. By cross-training his team, they were able to overcome the setbacks and still qualify for the Finals. “When we came back from Illinois, I switched up everybody’s jobs,” explained Bard. “We practiced like that for a while. It was very interesting because we could still run 25-minute times. I wanted everybody to understand what everybody else was doing, so that they understand that each job is equally important, and so that when we do get out of sync, they know how to do other jobs, and they know how to do them well enough that it’s not going to hurt our time. And that did happen actually at SEMA. We had an issue with some lifters. By color, they were in the right place, but as far as the cylinder marking on the lifters, they were off. So that put one of my students behind. Another student jumped in and helped finish up his job and that actually helped us a lot.”

The students, whose school resides in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, are now eligible for part of the $3.8 million in scholarships to be awarded through this program. They will compete against the other three teams that qualified at the SEMA Show, and four teams still yet to qualify at the PRI Show, in the Engine Challenge Finals.

Although the scholarship rewards are an incentive and help toward student careers in the field, Bard, who’s been part of the Engine Challenge program for the past six years, says that one of the greatest gains for his students is learning how to communicate and work together as a team. Such skills will carry over into all areas of the students’ lives, both professionally and personally.

“Some personalities will shine out under pressure,” explained Bard. “It does take having a leader on the team—someone who is willing to step out and say what needs to be done and if something gets out of sync. It’s not always just me seeing things, but someone on the engine that’s constantly communicating and making sure things are flowing.”

Attending and competing at the SEMA Show affords a host of benefits to these high-school students, not the least of which is an opportunity to interact with their sponsors. Meeting the next generation of automotive enthusiasts and professionals is something the sponsors welcome, according to Alex Ortega, vice president of sales for Driven Brands—the parent company of B&M, Hurst and Flowmaster.

“Having the kids come to our booth is a big reward for us,” stated Ortega. “We love talking to the kids and getting to know them, shaking their hands and saying thank you for their time and energy. “First and foremost, Hot Rodders of Tomorrow is doing this for the kids in a very positive manner. The students are doing something that’s creative, and it’s giving them a reason to do good in school, plus it’s an investment back in them that will benefit them long term. So that's priority number one. Number two is the team efforts. I’m really impressed with how big this has gotten over the last four or five years and how many companies, like Flowmaster, B&M and Hurst, have stepped up and said, ‘Yes I want to be a part of that.’ It’s not because we want to see our logos on the students’ t-shirts. It’s not because we want a reward out of it. What we like to see out of it is the investment in our youth.”

Ortega continued, “Overall, what I respect the most about the program is that it’s affecting the youth. You can clearly see that. I think for the most part, kids in America want to be associated with cars, because cars are such a big portion of our culture. As a kid growing up, I did not have the opportunity to be a part of a team and be a part of something big like Hot Rodders of Tomorrow. The volunteers, the team effort, everyone coming together and making it happen says a lot. You don’t get volunteers to step up for many projects, so what Rodney Bingham [president of Hot Rodders of Tomorrow] has accomplished in organizing and motivating the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow team is just pretty phenomenal. This initiative gives us a warmer feeling that our industry will still be thriving 20, 30, 40 years down the road.”

Ortega was correct in pointing out that it takes a massive team of volunteers and supporters to make the program, and each individual team, a success. Team B&M has great support not only from their school, but also from the greater Franklin County community. Parents of one of the students organized a car show fundraiser. The event, held in September of this year, helped provide the funds needed to travel and compete on a national level. More than 200 cars attended, and the team raised $2,800.

The community support behind the individual teams rivals the community atmosphere within the program itself. “I know my students and myself we really, really enjoy and appreciate the family atmosphere that Hot Rodders has,” Bard said. “The teams and other instructors are always willing to help out other teams. We’re all just a big family here and we want to see everybody be successful.”

Team B&M’s success has come in large part because of the support around them, but one can’t discount the hours they put into practicing each week. Bard says the students practice for 3–4 hours per night, twice per week after school. This level of commitment takes students who are not only interested in the performance industry, but who are also dedicated to working hard and making the necessary sacrifices. The time and energy required by the coaches is no small matter, either.

“I do this because I like the performance industry and I enjoy what my students get to do and seeing them succeed,” Bard said. “That’s what makes me feel that I’ve succeeded. We set clear goals. It’s important to them now and in their future to be able to set a goal, work hard and achieve it. One of our goals was the be top four at [the] SEMA [Show]. We achieved it. Our strategy going into the PRI Show is clean engines, no penalties. Our two penalties we received were recurring. We have come up with a way to ensure that doesn’t happen again. We know what we are capable of running, time-wise. If we run our game, our strategy and have a clean engine with no penalties, I think we’re going to fare out well in the Dual Championship.”

By SEMA Editors

Team B&M of Franklin County Career & Technology Center—the fourth-place team from the SEMA Show—qualified for the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge Championship next month at the PRI Show in Indianapolis.

“I think one of the biggest things as a coach that you have to try to take care of is to compensate for any surprises that may come along,” said Bobby Bard, coach of Team B&M’s Franklin County Career & Technology Center—the fourth-place team from the SEMA Show that qualified for the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge Championship next month at the PRI Show in Indianapolis.

“One of the biggest challenges that we had to overcome was, like everybody else, the time barrier,” Bard continued. “As far as recorded times, at Carlisle in April we were at 26:09. We went to another qualifier at the Route 66 Dragway in July and we shaved 3 minutes off our time. Then at SEMA, with penalties, we were at 24:09. We had two runs where we had an intake manifold bolt that was loose, which was a four-minute penalty. Our time should have been right around 21 minutes. If we would have had clean runs, we would have come in second place.”

Although Team B&M ran into a few issues on two of their runs at the SEMA Show Dual Championship, Bard had already prepared his students for such surprises. By cross-training his team, they were able to overcome the setbacks and still qualify for the Finals. “When we came back from Illinois, I switched up everybody’s jobs,” explained Bard. “We practiced like that for a while. It was very interesting because we could still run 25-minute times. I wanted everybody to understand what everybody else was doing, so that they understand that each job is equally important, and so that when we do get out of sync, they know how to do other jobs, and they know how to do them well enough that it’s not going to hurt our time. And that did happen actually at SEMA. We had an issue with some lifters. By color, they were in the right place, but as far as the cylinder marking on the lifters, they were off. So that put one of my students behind. Another student jumped in and helped finish up his job and that actually helped us a lot.”

The students, whose school resides in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, are now eligible for part of the $3.8 million in scholarships to be awarded through this program. They will compete against the other three teams that qualified at the SEMA Show, and four teams still yet to qualify at the PRI Show, in the Engine Challenge Finals.

Although the scholarship rewards are an incentive and help toward student careers in the field, Bard, who’s been part of the Engine Challenge program for the past six years, says that one of the greatest gains for his students is learning how to communicate and work together as a team. Such skills will carry over into all areas of the students’ lives, both professionally and personally.

“Some personalities will shine out under pressure,” explained Bard. “It does take having a leader on the team—someone who is willing to step out and say what needs to be done and if something gets out of sync. It’s not always just me seeing things, but someone on the engine that’s constantly communicating and making sure things are flowing.”

Attending and competing at the SEMA Show affords a host of benefits to these high-school students, not the least of which is an opportunity to interact with their sponsors. Meeting the next generation of automotive enthusiasts and professionals is something the sponsors welcome, according to Alex Ortega, vice president of sales for Driven Brands—the parent company of B&M, Hurst and Flowmaster.

“Having the kids come to our booth is a big reward for us,” stated Ortega. “We love talking to the kids and getting to know them, shaking their hands and saying thank you for their time and energy. “First and foremost, Hot Rodders of Tomorrow is doing this for the kids in a very positive manner. The students are doing something that’s creative, and it’s giving them a reason to do good in school, plus it’s an investment back in them that will benefit them long term. So that's priority number one. Number two is the team efforts. I’m really impressed with how big this has gotten over the last four or five years and how many companies, like Flowmaster, B&M and Hurst, have stepped up and said, ‘Yes I want to be a part of that.’ It’s not because we want to see our logos on the students’ t-shirts. It’s not because we want a reward out of it. What we like to see out of it is the investment in our youth.”

Ortega continued, “Overall, what I respect the most about the program is that it’s affecting the youth. You can clearly see that. I think for the most part, kids in America want to be associated with cars, because cars are such a big portion of our culture. As a kid growing up, I did not have the opportunity to be a part of a team and be a part of something big like Hot Rodders of Tomorrow. The volunteers, the team effort, everyone coming together and making it happen says a lot. You don’t get volunteers to step up for many projects, so what Rodney Bingham [president of Hot Rodders of Tomorrow] has accomplished in organizing and motivating the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow team is just pretty phenomenal. This initiative gives us a warmer feeling that our industry will still be thriving 20, 30, 40 years down the road.”

Ortega was correct in pointing out that it takes a massive team of volunteers and supporters to make the program, and each individual team, a success. Team B&M has great support not only from their school, but also from the greater Franklin County community. Parents of one of the students organized a car show fundraiser. The event, held in September of this year, helped provide the funds needed to travel and compete on a national level. More than 200 cars attended, and the team raised $2,800.

The community support behind the individual teams rivals the community atmosphere within the program itself. “I know my students and myself we really, really enjoy and appreciate the family atmosphere that Hot Rodders has,” Bard said. “The teams and other instructors are always willing to help out other teams. We’re all just a big family here and we want to see everybody be successful.”

Team B&M’s success has come in large part because of the support around them, but one can’t discount the hours they put into practicing each week. Bard says the students practice for 3–4 hours per night, twice per week after school. This level of commitment takes students who are not only interested in the performance industry, but who are also dedicated to working hard and making the necessary sacrifices. The time and energy required by the coaches is no small matter, either.

“I do this because I like the performance industry and I enjoy what my students get to do and seeing them succeed,” Bard said. “That’s what makes me feel that I’ve succeeded. We set clear goals. It’s important to them now and in their future to be able to set a goal, work hard and achieve it. One of our goals was the be top four at [the] SEMA [Show]. We achieved it. Our strategy going into the PRI Show is clean engines, no penalties. Our two penalties we received were recurring. We have come up with a way to ensure that doesn’t happen again. We know what we are capable of running, time-wise. If we run our game, our strategy and have a clean engine with no penalties, I think we’re going to fare out well in the Dual Championship.”

By SEMA Editors

Team B&M of Franklin County Career & Technology Center—the fourth-place team from the SEMA Show—qualified for the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge Championship next month at the PRI Show in Indianapolis.

“I think one of the biggest things as a coach that you have to try to take care of is to compensate for any surprises that may come along,” said Bobby Bard, coach of Team B&M’s Franklin County Career & Technology Center—the fourth-place team from the SEMA Show that qualified for the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge Championship next month at the PRI Show in Indianapolis.

“One of the biggest challenges that we had to overcome was, like everybody else, the time barrier,” Bard continued. “As far as recorded times, at Carlisle in April we were at 26:09. We went to another qualifier at the Route 66 Dragway in July and we shaved 3 minutes off our time. Then at SEMA, with penalties, we were at 24:09. We had two runs where we had an intake manifold bolt that was loose, which was a four-minute penalty. Our time should have been right around 21 minutes. If we would have had clean runs, we would have come in second place.”

Although Team B&M ran into a few issues on two of their runs at the SEMA Show Dual Championship, Bard had already prepared his students for such surprises. By cross-training his team, they were able to overcome the setbacks and still qualify for the Finals. “When we came back from Illinois, I switched up everybody’s jobs,” explained Bard. “We practiced like that for a while. It was very interesting because we could still run 25-minute times. I wanted everybody to understand what everybody else was doing, so that they understand that each job is equally important, and so that when we do get out of sync, they know how to do other jobs, and they know how to do them well enough that it’s not going to hurt our time. And that did happen actually at SEMA. We had an issue with some lifters. By color, they were in the right place, but as far as the cylinder marking on the lifters, they were off. So that put one of my students behind. Another student jumped in and helped finish up his job and that actually helped us a lot.”

The students, whose school resides in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, are now eligible for part of the $3.8 million in scholarships to be awarded through this program. They will compete against the other three teams that qualified at the SEMA Show, and four teams still yet to qualify at the PRI Show, in the Engine Challenge Finals.

Although the scholarship rewards are an incentive and help toward student careers in the field, Bard, who’s been part of the Engine Challenge program for the past six years, says that one of the greatest gains for his students is learning how to communicate and work together as a team. Such skills will carry over into all areas of the students’ lives, both professionally and personally.

“Some personalities will shine out under pressure,” explained Bard. “It does take having a leader on the team—someone who is willing to step out and say what needs to be done and if something gets out of sync. It’s not always just me seeing things, but someone on the engine that’s constantly communicating and making sure things are flowing.”

Attending and competing at the SEMA Show affords a host of benefits to these high-school students, not the least of which is an opportunity to interact with their sponsors. Meeting the next generation of automotive enthusiasts and professionals is something the sponsors welcome, according to Alex Ortega, vice president of sales for Driven Brands—the parent company of B&M, Hurst and Flowmaster.

“Having the kids come to our booth is a big reward for us,” stated Ortega. “We love talking to the kids and getting to know them, shaking their hands and saying thank you for their time and energy. “First and foremost, Hot Rodders of Tomorrow is doing this for the kids in a very positive manner. The students are doing something that’s creative, and it’s giving them a reason to do good in school, plus it’s an investment back in them that will benefit them long term. So that's priority number one. Number two is the team efforts. I’m really impressed with how big this has gotten over the last four or five years and how many companies, like Flowmaster, B&M and Hurst, have stepped up and said, ‘Yes I want to be a part of that.’ It’s not because we want to see our logos on the students’ t-shirts. It’s not because we want a reward out of it. What we like to see out of it is the investment in our youth.”

Ortega continued, “Overall, what I respect the most about the program is that it’s affecting the youth. You can clearly see that. I think for the most part, kids in America want to be associated with cars, because cars are such a big portion of our culture. As a kid growing up, I did not have the opportunity to be a part of a team and be a part of something big like Hot Rodders of Tomorrow. The volunteers, the team effort, everyone coming together and making it happen says a lot. You don’t get volunteers to step up for many projects, so what Rodney Bingham [president of Hot Rodders of Tomorrow] has accomplished in organizing and motivating the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow team is just pretty phenomenal. This initiative gives us a warmer feeling that our industry will still be thriving 20, 30, 40 years down the road.”

Ortega was correct in pointing out that it takes a massive team of volunteers and supporters to make the program, and each individual team, a success. Team B&M has great support not only from their school, but also from the greater Franklin County community. Parents of one of the students organized a car show fundraiser. The event, held in September of this year, helped provide the funds needed to travel and compete on a national level. More than 200 cars attended, and the team raised $2,800.

The community support behind the individual teams rivals the community atmosphere within the program itself. “I know my students and myself we really, really enjoy and appreciate the family atmosphere that Hot Rodders has,” Bard said. “The teams and other instructors are always willing to help out other teams. We’re all just a big family here and we want to see everybody be successful.”

Team B&M’s success has come in large part because of the support around them, but one can’t discount the hours they put into practicing each week. Bard says the students practice for 3–4 hours per night, twice per week after school. This level of commitment takes students who are not only interested in the performance industry, but who are also dedicated to working hard and making the necessary sacrifices. The time and energy required by the coaches is no small matter, either.

“I do this because I like the performance industry and I enjoy what my students get to do and seeing them succeed,” Bard said. “That’s what makes me feel that I’ve succeeded. We set clear goals. It’s important to them now and in their future to be able to set a goal, work hard and achieve it. One of our goals was the be top four at [the] SEMA [Show]. We achieved it. Our strategy going into the PRI Show is clean engines, no penalties. Our two penalties we received were recurring. We have come up with a way to ensure that doesn’t happen again. We know what we are capable of running, time-wise. If we run our game, our strategy and have a clean engine with no penalties, I think we’re going to fare out well in the Dual Championship.”

By Della Domingo

A one-hour special focused on the SEMA Battle of the Builders competition, hosted by Chris Jacobs (right) and Adrienne Janic (second from right), will premiere on Velocity in February.

While thousands of industry professionals gathered at the 2015 SEMA Show during the first week of November, millions of consumers and enthusiasts throughout the United States tuned in to Velocity for daily updates of the exclusive trade show taking place in Las Vegas. Dubbed “Premiere Week from SEMA,” Velocity showcased all-new episodes of its top-rated programs, along with daily reports from the SEMA Show floor.

Beginning Monday, November 2, and continuing through Friday, November 6, Velocity’s week-long primetime event reached an audience of 4.7 million people—the network’s second best week of 2015 in both primetime delivery and in ratings across key target demographics.

Velocity’s SEMA Show coverage was hosted by “Overhaulin’s” Chris Jacobs and Cristy Lee from “All Girls Garage.”

Stars from programs that included “Chasing Classic Cars,” “Bitchin’ Rides,” “Overhaulin’,” “FantomWorks” and “Wheeler Dealers,” shared additional coverage from the SEMA Show via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

A one-hour special focused on the SEMA Battle of the Builders competition also will premiere on Velocity in February. Filmed throughout the week of the SEMA Show and culminating at SEMA Ignited, SEMA Battle of the Builders is the ultimate competition for vehicle builders. The television special, hosted by Jacobs and Adrienne Janic, features behind-the-scenes footage of the competition, and never-before-seen coverage of the judges who narrowed the field down from more than 200 entries.

For details on the SEMA Battle of the Builders, visit www.semaignited.com.

By Della Domingo

A one-hour special focused on the SEMA Battle of the Builders competition, hosted by Chris Jacobs (right) and Adrienne Janic (second from right), will premiere on Velocity in February.

While thousands of industry professionals gathered at the 2015 SEMA Show during the first week of November, millions of consumers and enthusiasts throughout the United States tuned in to Velocity for daily updates of the exclusive trade show taking place in Las Vegas. Dubbed “Premiere Week from SEMA,” Velocity showcased all-new episodes of its top-rated programs, along with daily reports from the SEMA Show floor.

Beginning Monday, November 2, and continuing through Friday, November 6, Velocity’s week-long primetime event reached an audience of 4.7 million people—the network’s second best week of 2015 in both primetime delivery and in ratings across key target demographics.

Velocity’s SEMA Show coverage was hosted by “Overhaulin’s” Chris Jacobs and Cristy Lee from “All Girls Garage.”

Stars from programs that included “Chasing Classic Cars,” “Bitchin’ Rides,” “Overhaulin’,” “FantomWorks” and “Wheeler Dealers,” shared additional coverage from the SEMA Show via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

A one-hour special focused on the SEMA Battle of the Builders competition also will premiere on Velocity in February. Filmed throughout the week of the SEMA Show and culminating at SEMA Ignited, SEMA Battle of the Builders is the ultimate competition for vehicle builders. The television special, hosted by Jacobs and Adrienne Janic, features behind-the-scenes footage of the competition, and never-before-seen coverage of the judges who narrowed the field down from more than 200 entries.

For details on the SEMA Battle of the Builders, visit www.semaignited.com.

By Della Domingo

A one-hour special focused on the SEMA Battle of the Builders competition, hosted by Chris Jacobs (right) and Adrienne Janic (second from right), will premiere on Velocity in February.

While thousands of industry professionals gathered at the 2015 SEMA Show during the first week of November, millions of consumers and enthusiasts throughout the United States tuned in to Velocity for daily updates of the exclusive trade show taking place in Las Vegas. Dubbed “Premiere Week from SEMA,” Velocity showcased all-new episodes of its top-rated programs, along with daily reports from the SEMA Show floor.

Beginning Monday, November 2, and continuing through Friday, November 6, Velocity’s week-long primetime event reached an audience of 4.7 million people—the network’s second best week of 2015 in both primetime delivery and in ratings across key target demographics.

Velocity’s SEMA Show coverage was hosted by “Overhaulin’s” Chris Jacobs and Cristy Lee from “All Girls Garage.”

Stars from programs that included “Chasing Classic Cars,” “Bitchin’ Rides,” “Overhaulin’,” “FantomWorks” and “Wheeler Dealers,” shared additional coverage from the SEMA Show via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

A one-hour special focused on the SEMA Battle of the Builders competition also will premiere on Velocity in February. Filmed throughout the week of the SEMA Show and culminating at SEMA Ignited, SEMA Battle of the Builders is the ultimate competition for vehicle builders. The television special, hosted by Jacobs and Adrienne Janic, features behind-the-scenes footage of the competition, and never-before-seen coverage of the judges who narrowed the field down from more than 200 entries.

For details on the SEMA Battle of the Builders, visit www.semaignited.com.

By Della Domingo

A one-hour special focused on the SEMA Battle of the Builders competition, hosted by Chris Jacobs (right) and Adrienne Janic (second from right), will premiere on Velocity in February.

While thousands of industry professionals gathered at the 2015 SEMA Show during the first week of November, millions of consumers and enthusiasts throughout the United States tuned in to Velocity for daily updates of the exclusive trade show taking place in Las Vegas. Dubbed “Premiere Week from SEMA,” Velocity showcased all-new episodes of its top-rated programs, along with daily reports from the SEMA Show floor.

Beginning Monday, November 2, and continuing through Friday, November 6, Velocity’s week-long primetime event reached an audience of 4.7 million people—the network’s second best week of 2015 in both primetime delivery and in ratings across key target demographics.

Velocity’s SEMA Show coverage was hosted by “Overhaulin’s” Chris Jacobs and Cristy Lee from “All Girls Garage.”

Stars from programs that included “Chasing Classic Cars,” “Bitchin’ Rides,” “Overhaulin’,” “FantomWorks” and “Wheeler Dealers,” shared additional coverage from the SEMA Show via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

A one-hour special focused on the SEMA Battle of the Builders competition also will premiere on Velocity in February. Filmed throughout the week of the SEMA Show and culminating at SEMA Ignited, SEMA Battle of the Builders is the ultimate competition for vehicle builders. The television special, hosted by Jacobs and Adrienne Janic, features behind-the-scenes footage of the competition, and never-before-seen coverage of the judges who narrowed the field down from more than 200 entries.

For details on the SEMA Battle of the Builders, visit www.semaignited.com.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

Bodie Stroud and his crew will be featured in each of the 13 episodes of “American Restoration’s” new season, alongside four other shops from across the country.

Bodie Stroud Returns to TV on the New Season of “American Restoration”

Bodie Stroud and his Los Angeles-based shop were picked to star on the rebooted HISTORY series “American Restoration.” Stroud and his crew will be featured in each of the 13 episodes of the new season, alongside four other shops from across the country. Stroud has been fabricating and building vehicles for more than 20 years. He gained name recognition and turned heads in 2009 when he was awarded the Ford Design Award for his ’60 Ford Starliner dubbed “The Scarliner.” Since then, he has been building custom cars and has essentially become the go-to car builder in Los Angeles. His clientele ranges from the “average Joe” to celebrities, including Tim Allen, Johnny Depp, Drea de Matteo and Johnny Knoxville. In addition to building custom vehicles, Stroud also restores vehicles. He is currently restoring a vintage Lamborghini for comedian Adam Carolla.

Each hour-long episode will feature a restoration project worked on by the Bodie Stroud Industries shop. Notable car projects this season include the Petersen Automotive Museum’s Davis Divan three-wheeler restoration, an antique fire truck restoration for the Los Angeles Fire Department Museum and a restoration of a numbers-matching ’70 Pontiac GTO Judge for SEMA Chairman-Elect and Coker Tire President and COO Wade Kawasaki.

Lund International was presented with a 2015 Accessory Performance Award from American Honda Motor Co. Inc. for its outstanding dedication to accessories operations during the 2015 SEMA Show.

Lund International Receives Award From American Honda Motor Co.

Lund International was presented with a 2015 Accessory Performance Award from American Honda Motor Co. Inc. for its outstanding dedication to accessories operations, November 4, during the 2015 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Lund International supplies American Honda Motor Co. with a variety of accessories for its vehicles, including moonroof visors and hood deflectors. These accessories are manufactured in the United States at the Lund International facility in Buford, Georgia.

2016 Tacoma and 2016 Mirai Take Home Hispanic Motor Press Awards

The Hispanic Motor Press Awards has named the ’16 Toyota Mirai and ’16 Toyota Tacoma among its Best Cars of 2016. The Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle was honored with the Innovation Award, while the Tacoma midsize pickup was selected best Pickup L-Duty truck. Jack Hollis, group vice president of marketing, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., accepted the awards on behalf of the company at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show last week. Ricardo Rodriguez-Long, the jury director for the 6th annual awards, presented Hollis with these honors. The jury was made up of 15 Hispanic journalists who frequently cover the automotive industry. The vehicles are assessed for how well they match the needs of the Hispanic consumer, with a vetting process than includes test drives, market availability and affordability. They also factored in the design, comfort, safety, performance, functionality, accessory content, driver satisfaction, consumer final cost and overall value.

The Toyota Mirai is a midsize sedan that uses no gasoline and emits nothing but water vapor. The fuel-cell vehicle is powered by hydrogen. The Mirai offers an EPA-estimated 67 MPGE and an EPA-estimated driving range of 312 miles on a single fill of hydrogen. The Toyota Tacoma was redesigned for 2016, taking into account ruggedness, design and performance in horsepower and fuel efficiency. The truck boasts a new powertrain and off-road technology. It also has premium interior features, such as wireless charging and a GoPro camera mount.

CARtoonsmagazine editor and publisher Marc Methot signing autographs at Booth #1455, December 10–12, at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Indianapolis.

Publisher of CARtoons Magazine to Sign Autographs at PRI Show

Champion Racing Oil will have CARtoons magazine editor and publisher Marc Methot signing autographs at Booth #1455, December 10–12, at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Indianapolis. CARtoons was published from 1959 to 1991. Almost 25 years later, Marc Methot, Canadian artist and car builder, acquired the CARtoons trademark, became the new owner and brought the publication back to print with most of the famed artists of the past. The next issue of CARtoons is scheduled to be released this coming January in newsstands and major retail stores across Canada, the United States and England. Expect to see new top artists from around the world, such as Ben “Drag Daddy” Mitchell, Scott Fisk, Mike Yapps, Tony Squindo, Jeff Allison, Hadi Madworx, Larry Williams, plus 35 other talented artists.

TI Automotive Joins Performance Warehouse Association

TI Automotive, a global supplier of fluid storage, carrying and delivery technology, has become a manufacturer member of the Performance Warehouse Association (PWA)—an automotive industry association devoted to performance and truck distributors. PWA is a nonprofit organization of specialty automotive parts distributors joined together to deal with management, financial and legislative matters.

Kennard Thole

Kennard “Ken” Thole Joins Global Parts Network as Director of Business Development

Global Parts Network has named Kennard “Ken” Thole as director of business development for the western half of the United States and Canada. Thole brings more than 30 years of heavy-duty aftermarket experience to the position and will report to Jim Pennig, vice president of business development for VIPAR Heavy Duty. Most recently, Thole was the western regional sales manager for Fras-le North America. He also has experience as the western regional manager for Carlisle Motion Control and as a partner with Robert Thole and Company—a heavy-duty sales agency covering five western states. Jay Pagano continues to serve as senior director of business development for Global Parts Network in the eastern half of the United States and Canada.

CURT Manufacturing received an award of recognition by JC Whitney to thank CURT for being the official Towing Sponsor of JC Whitney’s Centennial vehicle build project.

CURT Manufacturing Recognized as Official Towing Sponsor of JC Whitney

CURT Manufacturing received an award of recognition by JC Whitney to thank CURT for being the official Towing Sponsor of JC Whitney’s Centennial vehicle build project. To celebrate 100 years of business, JC Whitney gave away two customized vehicles: a ’15 Ford F150 XLT SuperCrew 4x4 3.5L EcoBoost and a ’15 Jeep Unlimited Rubicon. The vehicles were decked out with products from CURT and other JC Whitney suppliers. CURT donated parts, including a receiver hitch extender and bike rack combination. Nearly 20 auto accessory suppliers sponsored the Centennial vehicle builds. Both vehicles were on display all week at the 2015 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. More than 68,000 people entered to win one of the customized vehicles, and on the closing day, at the SEMA Ignited event, the winner selected the F-150. The Jeep Rubicon was auctioned off November 14, with the proceeds benefiting the United Way Veterans Programs and the Alex Xydias Center for Automotive Arts.

Nicknamed “Ignition,” Webasto’s ’15 Ford Edge Sport received a Ford Outstanding Achievement in Design Award.

Webasto Ford Edge Sport Debuts at 2015 SEMA Show; Drives Away with Ford Outstanding Achievement in Design Award

Webasto took the Ford Edge Sport and enhanced the performance, handling and driver experience. The vehicle, nicknamed “Ignition,” once again redefined the crossover utility vehicle segment. Webasto teamed up with some of the industry’s best to raise the bar on the SEMA project vehicle with its material quality, technology and style.

The exterior of the Webasto Ford Edge was customized with carbon-fiber side rockers, front chin spoiler, rear diffuser, engine cover and radiator cover all by Sankuer Composites Technologies. AG Luxury Forged 22-in. monoblock wheels, Toyo Tires, a one-of-a-kind paint job applied by MRT Performance, and a Webasto Hollandia 740 Inbuilt sunroof completed the sophisticated look.

New-product development played a large role in the build. Webasto installed a Thermo Top Evo engine pre-heater that brings the engine’s fluids up to optimum operating temperature before the engine is even started, reducing engine wear and tear and exhaust emissions to prolong the turbocharger life and provide a warm interior. The engine pre-heater can be controlled by any smartphone with Webasto’s all-new ThermoCall technology. Alea Leather provided a custom leather kit, MRT installed an Axle Back Exhaust, H&R Springs designed custom lowering springs, Rotora 6-Piston 15-in. front brakes and 4-Piston 13.8-in. rear brakes stood out in a race red finish, and JMS PedalMax and BoostMax tested the boundaries of what the Webasto Ford Edge could do.

Webasto enlisted partner and NASCAR Champion Brad Keselowski to see what the Webasto Ford Edge Sport was capable of. Keselowski got behind the wheel at Michigan International Speedway during “Stage I” of the build. Known for his aggressive racing style and elite talent, Keselowski tested the boundaries of the vehicle’s prototype suspension, exhaust and powertrain modifications, allowing Webasto to make some adjustments and put the finishing touches on the car in preparation for the SEMA Show.

Patrick Infantino

Covercraft Selects Regional Sales Manager

Covercraft has selected Patrick Infantino as the company’s Northeast-Midwest regional sales manager. He joins Covercraft with 25 years of experience in the automotive aftermarket industry, most recently as district sales manager for Exide Technologies and national sales manager for Stainless Steel Brakes. He will oversee product sales and distributor relationships in the Northeast territory, including Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and New York, as well as the Midwest territory east of the Mississippi River, including Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri.      

Have some company news you would like to share? Let us know and the news may appear in an upcoming issue of SEMA eNews. Send your items for consideration to editors@sema.org.

This year the SEMA Board of Directors election has two seats open in the manufacturer category and one seat open in the manufacturer's representative category.

The following is a message from SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting:

As a member of the association, we need your recommendation of industry leaders to serve on the SEMA Board of Directors. Our industry has many individuals who would be an asset to the SEMA Board, but oftentimes those individuals aren’t immediately apparent to the Nominating Committee when selecting the final candidates.

Please take a moment to tell us whom you would recommend as a potential nominee for a board position. We also ask that you include information to help the Nominating Committee know more about the nominee’s qualifications, such as background, experience and achievements from a leadership standpoint.

For this year’s election, the following seats are open:

• Two seats in the Manufacturer category
• One seat in the Manufacturer's Representative category

Nominations for the 2016 SEMA Board of Directors are due Tuesday, January 5, 2016. Please complete and submit the nomination form, and be sure to include the qualification information noted above.

A strong board means wise leadership and an association that serves its members well. We urge you to take part in the nominations process.

Thank you for your attention to this important request.

Chris Kersting, CAE
SEMA President and CEO