News | Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA)

SEMA Hall of Fame Member Eric Grant Passes Away

Fri, 12/27/2013 - 10:39

	Eric Grant (right), SEMA's first executive director and a key contributor to the early growth of the specialty-equipment industry and SEMA, passed away on December 23.

Eric Grant, SEMA's first executive director and member of the SEMA Hall of Fame, passed away on December 23. Grant's contributions to and impact on the specialty-equipment industry are not based on producing performance parts or increasing vehicle speed, but his importance to the growth of the automotive aftermarket and SEMA's early years cannot be disputed.

In the ’50s and ’60s, local, state and federal governments were increasingly regulating emissions and vehicle performance parts to address air quality and safety concerns. The aftermarket felt threatened, and yet the industry surprisingly tapped one of the most ardent regulators to lead SEMA. That was Grant. He turned out to be the right man for the job at exactly the right time, ushering in a period of tremendous association growth.

As executive director, he was instrumental in changing the name of what was then known as the Speed Equipment Manufacturers Association to the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association. A bylaws change also opened SEMA to the entire range of aftermarket businesses, from manufacturers to distributors and from retailers to service providers. (That inclusiveness would eventually lead to the organization’s Specialty Equipment Market Association moniker, which is still in use today.)

Read more about Eric Grant and his impact on the industry and association on the SEMA Hall of Fame website.

Details on services for Eric Grant were not known at press time. Stay tuned to SEMA eNews for more information.

Movers & Shakers: MSD Performance Group Acquired by Hot Rod Brands; Toyo's Jim Hawk Named Rubber Industry Executive of the Year

Thu, 12/19/2013 - 14:21

MSD Performance Group Acquired by Hot Rod Brands LLC
MSD Performance Group (MSDP)—seller of products under the MSD, Racepak, Powerteq, Edge and Superchips brands—announced that the company was acquired by Hot Rod Brands LLC, an affiliate of Z Capital Partners LLC. Z Capital is a private equity firm with approximately $1.2 billion of regulatory assets and committed capital with offices in Lake Forest, Illinois and New York, New York. The firm specializes in investing in companies with a strong product line and top tier brand recognition. The group leverages its operational expertise in actively working with the management teams of their portfolio companies to enhance enterprise value.

"We are excited to add MSDP to the Z Capital portfolio of companies and believe it to be a terrific growth platform. We will work with the management team to continue to be a market leader and deliver cutting-edge products to our loyal customer base. MSDP represents substantial brands within the performance segment, and we look forward to further solidifying and growing that brand recognition," said James J. Zenni, president and Chief Executive Officer of Z Capital.

MSD Performance looks forward to the future as the combination of a stronger balance sheet and focused ownership will allow for an even greater ability to serve consumers with exciting new products and technology. In recent years MSD Performance has expanded its portfolio of products and technology, including the award-winning Atomic brand Fuel Injection systems, Flashcal brand Jeep hand-held programmer, Vigilante brand Harley tuning products and this year's SEMA Show introduction of Brainwave, the new Vehicle Management Network that allows aftermarket components to utilize a common technology platform for complete vehicle communication.

	Team Moroso from Eastern Oklahoma County Technology Center in Choctaw, Oklahoma, won the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow National Championship at the PRI Trade Show in Indianapolis.

Hot Rodders of Tomorrow National Champions: Team Moroso, Eastern Oklahoma County Technology Center
Team Moroso, from Eastern Oklahoma County Technology Center in Choctaw, Oklahoma, defeated 22 other schools from across the nation to win the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow National Championship at the PRI Trade Show in Indianapolis.

School instructor Jim LaFevers tutored a six-student group that broke the event’s national record in breaking down and then re-assembling a V8 engine in 18 minutes, 43 seconds. The team was composed of Callie Hunter, Ryan Campbell, Alexander Versteeg, Connor Hixenbaugh, Connor Carrizales and Nicholas Brown. In total, 23 schools from around the nation qualified for the event at regional competitions. This year’s Hot Rodders of Tomorrow National Championships saw schools qualify from California to Virginia.

“We had a really exciting time. PRI was a perfect host, and we absolutely loved being here,” said Rodney Bingham of Hot Rodders of Tomorrow. “The kids did an amazing job and our program offers more than $2 million in scholarships. No student here will get less than $15,000 worth of scholarships and some will receive more than $30,000 per student.”

Axalta Coating Systems Selected for Beijing Subway Restoration Project
Axalta Coating Systems announced that the company was selected in November for a project to coat the recently refurbished trains of the Beijing subway. The refurbished trains—300 rail cars in total—is nicknamed ‘Blue Cat’ for its distinctive blue color coating provided by Axalta’s product and striking similarity to a cat. “Axalta prides itself on producing coatings designed to retain brilliant color and gloss while withstanding the forces of nature and frequent users. Our Rail coatings will help Beijing’s subway systems retain its colorful finish for many years to come,” commented Weiguo Lu, director of Industrial Coatings Business, Axalta Greater China.

	Jim Hawk, chairman of Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas Inc. (TTHA) and president of Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing Inc. (TNA), was named Rubber Industry Executive of the Year by Rubber & Plastics News.

Jim Hawk Named Rubber Industry Executive of the Year
Jim Hawk, chairman of Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas Inc. (TTHA) and president of Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing Inc. (TNA), was named Rubber Industry Executive of the Year by Rubber & Plastics News. The award is presented to an executive in the North American rubber product industry who has led his or her company to success and helped further the industry. Hawk was selected for the award by the editorial staff of Rubber & Plastics News, considering nominations from both the editorial staff and from those in the industry. A veteran of the tire industry, Hawk joined TNA as vice president of operations in 2004 and oversaw the construction and opening of the company’s state-of-the-art factory in Bartow County, Georgia. In 2008, Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. of Osaka, Japan, appointed Hawk to serve as a corporate officer of the company. Hawk became the first non-Japanese corporate officer to serve since the company was founded in 1945. In addition to the appointment, Hawk was promoted to president and plant manager of TNA.

Under Hawk’s guidance, TNA was named Georgia Manufacturer of the Year by the state of Georgia in 2009. The facility has also undergone three expansions and is currently 2,000,000 sq. ft. in size while employing 1,000 people. A recent groundbreaking ceremony paves the way for yet another expansion and hiring project.

In 2012, Hawk was appointed Chairman of TTHA, headquartered in Cypress, California. Hawk and TTHA president, Tomoshige Mizutani, oversee Toyo Tires’ North America Business Unit (NABU) which includes: TTHA, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp., Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc., Toyo Tire Canada Inc., Nitto Tire Canada Inc., Toyo Tire North America OE Sales LLC and TNA.

Spy Shots—2015 Chrysler 200 Undisguised at Night

Thu, 12/19/2013 - 11:29

The shooters at KGP Photography caught the ’15 Chrysler 200 completely undisguised during a night-time photo shoot, providing their best look yet at the sleek new Fusion-fighter.

The jet-black car was tricky to photograph under whatever street light existed, as the photographer tried to dodge the security team that was on hand, but in the end, the new upscale flavor of the next Chrysler 200 shows through. Seeing the final shape, it's now clear why Chrysler had been caught more than one year ago benchmarking mules for the new 200 against the Volkswagen CC, as the new 200 has a similarly flowing, "four-door-coupe" body style.

The Chrysler 200's interior gets a fresh take on its center-stack arrangement, with a separate, angled collection of buttons and switches sitting below the LCD infotainment screen. The 200 does away with the usual gear-shift, in favor of a rotary dial transmission selector similar to the one used in the new Ram pickup. The visual design and the passenger interface appears to be a fresh take on the automotive center stack, and the result is clean and uncluttered. It will be interesting to see if the tactile experience is equally clean and unencumbered. The photographer also noticed a hint of LED lighting effects in use throughout the interior as seen on the Dart.

Photo credit: KGP Photography

Spy Shots—2015 Chrysler 200 Undisguised at Night

Thu, 12/19/2013 - 11:29

The shooters at KGP Photography caught the ’15 Chrysler 200 completely undisguised during a night-time photo shoot, providing their best look yet at the sleek new Fusion-fighter.

The jet-black car was tricky to photograph under whatever street light existed, as the photographer tried to dodge the security team that was on hand, but in the end, the new upscale flavor of the next Chrysler 200 shows through. Seeing the final shape, it's now clear why Chrysler had been caught more than one year ago benchmarking mules for the new 200 against the Volkswagen CC, as the new 200 has a similarly flowing, "four-door-coupe" body style.

The Chrysler 200's interior gets a fresh take on its center-stack arrangement, with a separate, angled collection of buttons and switches sitting below the LCD infotainment screen. The 200 does away with the usual gear-shift, in favor of a rotary dial transmission selector similar to the one used in the new Ram pickup. The visual design and the passenger interface appears to be a fresh take on the automotive center stack, and the result is clean and uncluttered. It will be interesting to see if the tactile experience is equally clean and unencumbered. The photographer also noticed a hint of LED lighting effects in use throughout the interior as seen on the Dart.

Photo credit: KGP Photography

Spy Shots—2015 Chrysler 200 Undisguised at Night

Thu, 12/19/2013 - 11:29

The shooters at KGP Photography caught the ’15 Chrysler 200 completely undisguised during a night-time photo shoot, providing their best look yet at the sleek new Fusion-fighter.

The jet-black car was tricky to photograph under whatever street light existed, as the photographer tried to dodge the security team that was on hand, but in the end, the new upscale flavor of the next Chrysler 200 shows through. Seeing the final shape, it's now clear why Chrysler had been caught more than one year ago benchmarking mules for the new 200 against the Volkswagen CC, as the new 200 has a similarly flowing, "four-door-coupe" body style.

The Chrysler 200's interior gets a fresh take on its center-stack arrangement, with a separate, angled collection of buttons and switches sitting below the LCD infotainment screen. The 200 does away with the usual gear-shift, in favor of a rotary dial transmission selector similar to the one used in the new Ram pickup. The visual design and the passenger interface appears to be a fresh take on the automotive center stack, and the result is clean and uncluttered. It will be interesting to see if the tactile experience is equally clean and unencumbered. The photographer also noticed a hint of LED lighting effects in use throughout the interior as seen on the Dart.

Photo credit: KGP Photography

SEMA Hall of Famer Stuart Hilborn Passes Away

Thu, 12/19/2013 - 11:08

By SEMA Editors

	In 1948 at the dry lakes, Hilborn's Chevrolet V8-powered streamliner became the first hot rod to break 150 mph.

Legendary hot rodder, high-performance fuel-injection systems pioneer and SEMA Hall of Famer Stuart Hilborn passed away Monday morning, December 16, at the age of 96.

Born in October 1917 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Hilborn moved to Southern California as a child with his father. He was introduced to hot rodding in 1938, when he joined some friends on a trip to the Southern California dry lakes to watch the speed trials there.

Over the next three years, he and former Indianapolis 500 driver Eddie Miller built a hot rod capable of reaching 123 mph on the dry lakes, but Hilborn wanted to go faster. He served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II as an aircraft gunnery instructor. After the war, Hilborn developed his first mechanical fuel-injection system to adress issues with running methanol in hot-rod engines.

Seeking an alternative to the old carburetors the hot rodders were then using, in 1948, he built and tuned his first fuel-injection setup when his Chevrolet V8-powered streamliner ran 150 mph at the dry lakes, becoming the first hot rod to break that mark.

A crash ended his racing career, but his fuel-injection setups were embraced by hot rodders, lakes racers, midgets, drag racers and Indy cars. For his innovations, he was inducted into SEMA’s Hall of Fame in 1996.

Hilborn’s business, Hilborn Fuel Injection, remains today. Hilborn is survived by his wife Ginny of 60 years, along with his daughter Edris and his son Duane, four grandchildren and two great grandchildren. No funeral or memorial plans have been announced.

Racing News: Flowmaster Named the Exclusive Performance Exhaust of NASCAR

Thu, 12/19/2013 - 10:59

Compiled by SEMA Editors

As the Exclusive Performance Exhaust of NASCAR, Flowmaster will reward loyal fans by launching the "Show Us Your Flows" contest.

Flowmaster Named the Exclusive Performance Exhaust of NASCAR
Flowmaster has been named the Exclusive Performance Exhaust of NASCAR. To reward loyal fans, Flowmaster is launching the "Show Us Your Flows" contest, a video based social media competition that will send one grand prize winner with a friend on a trip to the Daytona 500.

As part of the new relationship, Flowmaster will offer exclusive NASCAR content to its fans and dealers, as well as on-track promotions, interactive fan experiences and more. The first big promotion will be the "Show Us Your Flows" video contest, which will give away a variety of prizes, including a trip to the 2014 Daytona 500. To participate in "Show Us Your Flows," participants must submit a video showing their Flowmaster-equipped vehicle and telling their “Flowmaster story”—why they love the brand and deserve to go to Daytona, along with filling out a short entry form. Submissions will be accepted through the Flowmaster Facebook page through December 28, 2013. The applications will be narrowed down to 10 video finalists and fans will vote for their favorites on the Flowmaster Facebook page December 30–January 3. The video that receives the most combined likes, shares and comments by January 17, 2014, will be named the grand-prize winner. Winners will be announced January 20.

All 10 finalists will win a prize. The grand prize winner (and a guest) will win a trip to the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, including tickets to the Daytona 500 race, a garage tour, apparel and fully paid hotel and airfare from the continental United States. The first prize winner will receive any complete Flowmaster exhaust system from the current catalog. Second- through eighth-place winners will win a pair of Flowmaster mufflers and a Flowmaster apparel pack. Ninth- and 10-place winners will win a prize pack that includes a T-shirt, jacket, hat and stickers.

Cameron and Heidi Steele's 800-hp Geiser Brothers Trophy Truck.

Yokohama Tire Corp.’s Off-Road Racers Reflect on 2013 Season
From Nevada to Mexico, Yokohama Tire Corp. (YTC) and the Desert Assassins off-road racing team covered a lot of rugged ground during the 2013 season, producing several highlights. The Desert Assassins were led by husband-and-wife duo Cameron and Heidi Steele and their 800hp Geiser Brothers Trophy Trucks. The duo kicked off the year in January, winning the HDRA South Point Vegas 250 in Jean, Nevada. The race was the season opener for High Desert Racing Association (HDRA).

Heidi, a four-time Southern California Off Road Enthusiasts (SCORE) Class champion, who spent the season exclusively in the Trophy Truck division, made history by partnering with co-driver Jessica McMillin—also a SCORE champion—to form the first all-woman Trophy Truck driver tandem in SCORE racing. They also became the first female Trophy Truck team to tackle the Baja 1000 in November in Ensenada, Mexico.

Heidi and Cameron each earned SCORE Toyota Milestone awards for completing all 1,638.1 miles in the SCORE Desert Series. They became the first married couple to win the award.

Street Machine & Muscle Car Nationals to Make Donation to Alex Xydias Center for Automotive Arts
The Inaugural O’Reilly Auto Parts Street Machine & Muscle Car Nationals presented by Lucas Oil will donate half of the net proceeds generated by the event, to the Alex Xydias Center for Automotive Arts (AXC)—an automotive learning center for high school students. AXC is part of the Career and Technical Education Center at Fairplex in Pomona, California—a non-profit organization dedicated to providing high school students and community members with vocational training, including a two-year automotive industry certification program. For the first time ever, the Street Machine and Muscle Car Nationals will take place March 22–23, at Fairplex in Pomona.

For an entire weekend, the O'Reilly Auto Parts Street Machine & Muscle Car Nationals will showcase a collection of high-performance musclecars, pro-touring cars and street machines. Car fans from across the country will descend on the Fairplex to take a spin in their own musclecars on the Autocross-timed obstacle course, cruise their classics on the cruise lanes, smoke some tires in the Mickey Thompson Tires Burnout Contests and more. Showgoers will also enjoy a Miss Street Machine Nationals Contest, pro car builders and their custom creations on display, live music as well as games, products, demos and displays in the Performance Midway.

To make a donation to AXC, visit www.TLCfairplex.com, click “Donate Now” and choose “CTEC Auto/AXC.” For additional information, call 317-236-6515 or visit www.StreetMachineAndMuscleCarNationals.com.

Rob Vargo (right) learns the finer points of timing and scoring from SCCA Pro Racing Chief of Timing and Scoring Rich Langford during the Mazda MX-5 Cup race at Sebring International Raceway. Credit: Doug Morrisey/SCCA

Vargo Receives SCCA Pro Racing Field Staff Member of the Year Award
Rob Vargo was named the inaugural SCCA Pro Racing Field Staff Member of the Year presented by BFGoodrich Tires. The award will be given to Vargo during the SCCA National Convention, March 7–9, 2014, in Charlotte, North Carolina. As part of the prize, he will receive a new set of four BFGoodrich Tires of his choosing for a passenger car or light truck. Vargo started working with SCCA Pro Racing in 2006, attending a handful of Pirelli World Challenge and Mazda MX-5 Cup races. In his first few seasons as an SCCA Pro Racing official, Vargo was part of the tech/ops team responsible for helping with the setup and teardown of the series hospitality and tech area, in addition to pit lane officiating responsibilities during a race. Before the beginning of the 2013 race season, Vargo had volunteered to become the chief of timing and scoring for the Mazda MX-5 Cup series. BFGoodrich Tires has signed on to sponsor this new award to accompany its long-standing partnership with SCCA, which includes the BFGoodrich Tires SCCA Club Racing Worker of the Year for the past three years.