SEMA will be holding its next Town Hall meeting at Griot's Garage in Tacoma, Washington, on Friday, August 12.

SEMA understands the value of getting out and meeting face-to-face with our members. So, starting in 2011, staff and key industry leaders have been working hand-in-hand to bring a series of Town Hall meetings to you. Throughout the first six months of this year, SEMA has visited Scottsdale, Arizona; Fort Worth, Texas; and Charlotte, North Carolina, hosting successful small gatherings of members in those regions. As we continue our tour to Tacoma, Washington, Friday August 12, we look forward to meeting you.

SEMA will round up our local and prospective members for an evening at Griot’s Garage. Don't miss the exclusive opportunity to network with local industry leaders, members and SEMA staff to share the challenges and opportunities facing your business.

The agenda for the Town Hall meeting at Griot’s Garage in Tacoma is as follows:

• Tours of Griot’s Garage facility and popular retail shop
• Networking with SEMA leadership over a bite to eat and a drink
• State of the industry discussion
• Hear feedback from our members and SEMA executive staff

Remember, you only need to bring yourself, a few business cards and a willingness to share your feedback with SEMA and its volunteers. Please know that this will be a business-casual event; no suits and ties at this one! Also, be sure to cruise up to Griot’s Garage in your favorite ride. RSVP to this event by e-mailing your first and last name, company name, e-mail address, company category (e.g. service, media, etc.) and preferred tour time to Monica Terlouw, or call 909/978-6695 for further details.

Here is a photo collection of classic Pontiac Firebirds from the 2010 SEMA Show.

The downloadable photos are part of a larger photo gallery at www.enjoythedrive.com. Featuring more than 2,000 photos of the vehicles on display at the 2010 SEMA Show, the database is searchable by vehicle, make, vehicle year, exhibitor name and more.

Here is a photo collection of classic Pontiac Firebirds from the 2010 SEMA Show.

The downloadable photos are part of a larger photo gallery at www.enjoythedrive.com. Featuring more than 2,000 photos of the vehicles on display at the 2010 SEMA Show, the database is searchable by vehicle, make, vehicle year, exhibitor name and more.

With Honda doing a good job of hiding its next-generation CR-V, the shooters at Brenda Priddy & Co. were pleasantly surprised to grab shots of this lightly disguised prototype.

The biggest changes appear to be at the rear, where Honda almost looks to be taking a page from the Volvo design book. It's possible that the extra space in the back is making room for a third row, according to Priddy.

The 2.4L four-cylinder VTEC motor should continue to be the only engine choice, reports the Priddy team. They do expect a modest bump over the current 180 hp and some slight gains in fuel economy.

Priddy also reports that while the earthquake in Japan has delayed the start of production by about a month, she expects the new CR-V to start rolling down the assembly line in Ohio, as well as Alliston, Ontario, in late fall of this year.

Photo Credit: Brian Williams and Brenda Priddy/Brenda Priddy & Co.

With Honda doing a good job of hiding its next-generation CR-V, the shooters at Brenda Priddy & Co. were pleasantly surprised to grab shots of this lightly disguised prototype.

The biggest changes appear to be at the rear, where Honda almost looks to be taking a page from the Volvo design book. It's possible that the extra space in the back is making room for a third row, according to Priddy.

The 2.4L four-cylinder VTEC motor should continue to be the only engine choice, reports the Priddy team. They do expect a modest bump over the current 180 hp and some slight gains in fuel economy.

Priddy also reports that while the earthquake in Japan has delayed the start of production by about a month, she expects the new CR-V to start rolling down the assembly line in Ohio, as well as Alliston, Ontario, in late fall of this year.

Photo Credit: Brian Williams and Brenda Priddy/Brenda Priddy & Co.

 

Team Falken’s Daijiro “Dai” Yoshihara took first at Evergreen Speedway’s Formula Drift “Throwdown.”

Team Falken's Dai Yoshihara Takes First at Formula Drift's Round 5 at Evergreen Speedway
Team Falken’s Daijiro “Dai” Yoshihara took first at Evergreen Speedway’s Formula Drift “Throwdown” and took the lead in the 2011 Championship. It was the first win for Falken at Evergreen and the second win for Dai this season.
 
Driving the Discount Tire/Falken Tire Nissan S13 (240SX), Dai qualified fourth, while teammates Tyler McQuarrie and Justin Pawlak were first and second, respectively, after Friday’s qualifying session. Defending Formula Drift champion and teammate Vaughn Gittin Jr., qualified 12th, Darren McNamara in 19th and Falken privateer Ross Petty 25th.
 
Four of the five Team Falken drivers made it through the Top 32 round. Justin Pawlak, who has been leading the Formula D standings virtually all season long, failed to move forward due to a mechanical failure; however, he remains second in the 2011 Championship, just 15 points behind Dai.

McQuarrie, Yoshihara and Gittin Jr., advanced in the Top 16 round, but only Dai moved on to the Top 4, as the other team members succumbed to tough competition, with Dai defeating Gittin Jr., in the Top 8 round. Dai beat Fredric Aasbo in the Top 4 and went on to defeat the 2009 Formula D champ Chris Forsberg in the final.

Also present at Evergreen were Falken’s display, hospitality rig and the company’s factory support personnel. Falken was host to representatives from Monster and Ford Racing as 84 dealer guests participated in its hospitality.
 
It was a busy weekend for Team Falken, as its American LeMans Series team and its Porsche 911 GT3 RSR finished fifth in the GT class on Sunday, July 24, at the Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport at Canada’s Mosport International Raceway.
 
The Formula Drift Championship continues for Round 6: After Dark at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, August 26–27.

Wilwood Disc Brakes Announces Sponsorship of the 2011 OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational
The 2011 OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational gears up for its fourth year in Pahrump, Nevada, Saturday, November 5. This internationally publicized event, presented by Wilwood Disc Brakes and K&N Filters, will feature some of the finest street machines in the world battling it out on the track in celebration of the quality, performance and talent of the country's top builders, performance parts manufacturers and car owners.

During the 2011 SEMA Show, the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational will have an outdoor feature vehicle, car corral, large indoor booth space, judging to determine the final vehicle selections and behind-the-scenes video filming. Wilwood and other sponsors will also participate in a press conference at the OPTIMA Batteries booth. Wilwood's 2011 OPTIMA Invitational entry, Brian Hobaugh's ’73 Camaro will be on display at the 2011 SEMA Show.

The one-hour OPTIMA Invitational TV special will premiere on national cable in early 2012. Visit www.optimainvitational.com later in the year for show times. Repeat airings continue throughout the year.

Matt McCabe

McCabe Earns Gumout Super Challenge at Record Breaking Rocky Mountain SCCA ProSolo
A Colorado-area record 191 drivers participated in the Tire Rack SCCA Rocky Mountain ProSolo on the grounds of Pikes Peak International Raceway, with Matt McCabe, from Omaha, Nebraska, earning the Gumout Super Challenge victory. The Continental Divide Region SCCA, with administrative assistance from the Colorado Region, hosted the event on the grounds of the facility, where participation topped the previous mark of 183 drivers from a 2006 event held just outside of Denver and the built-in population base.

On the course, McCabe’s C Street Prepared ’94 949 Racing/ProEFI/Meyers Auto Mazda Miata was moved to Bump Class 2 for preliminary rounds. After a runner-up finish, McCabe topped D Street Prepared winner Doug Rowse (’03 BMW 330), Fred Zust (X Prepared ’05 Blackwatch Racing Lotus Elise), and F Street Prepared winner Ron Williams (’93 Hoosier/Honda/A+ Collision Honda Civic) to reach the semifinals.

In the round of four, McCabe squared off against James Yom, from Los Angeles, who finished second in a ’08 Honda S2000 in Street Touring R to teammate Robert Thorne. In the opposite bracket, Christopher May advanced from his third-place finish in a ’00 SCR Performance Honda S2000 to defeat Paul Brown in a ’00 Plastic PP Racing Chevrolet Corvette. Yom won the consolation run over Brown, giving the STR class a second- and third-place Gumout Super Challenge finish behind McCabe.

Beth McClure-Strelnieks, from Cedar Park, Texas, drove a ’99 Hoosier/Jungle Cat Racing Porsche Boxster to the Ladies Challenge win over Barbara Leroy-Boehm (’05 Dodge SRT-4).

The closest class competition from the weekend came in the Street Touring Sport class, where David Whitener topped teammate Andrew Hahn by just 0.012-second, with the pair sharing a ’88 Texas Time Trials Honda CRX for class competition.

Kia Racing enters the ninth race of the 2011 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season at New Jersey Motorsports Park atop the Team and Driver Standings in the Street Tuner Class and is focused on securing valuable championship points.

Kia Racing Enters Ninth Round of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Atop the Street Tuner Driver and Team Standings
Kia Motors has earned two race victories, three trips to the podium and eight Top 10 finishes in the first eight events of the year during the 2011 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) season. Kia is now positioned on top of the Street Tuner (ST) class' Team (No. 10 Infinity Audio Forte Koup) and Driver (Nic Jonsson) standings and looking to capture as many points as possible in pursuit of the brand's first-ever full-season auto racing championship in the United States.

After back-to-back strong performances at Road America and Laguna Seca with the No. 10 Forte Koup finishing first and fourth, respectively—and the No. 12 car's sixth place finish at Road America—the B+ Foundation Heroes 200 at New Jersey Motorsports Park will be broadcast on Saturday, July 30 at 3:00 p.m. (EDT) on the SPEED Channel. Race fans can follow Kia's motorsports program and receive live updates at www.facebook.com/kiaracing.

S&W Race Cars Announces Bonus Bucks Rewards Program
S&W Race Cars is bringing back its "Bonus Bucks" Rewards Program to celebrate 52 "crazy, fast, fun and successful" years in the racing industry. Every customer purchase made between August 1, 2011 and September 30, 2011, will earn $5 Bonus Bucks for every $100 spent. Bonus Bucks can be redeemed during the months of October and November and can be applied toward the purchase of S&W Race Cars, race parts, merchandise or freight charges. As an added bonus, they can be redeemed for race entry at select tracks (to be determined) from October until the end of the 2011 race season. Visit www.swracecars.com for full program details.

 

Team Falken’s Daijiro “Dai” Yoshihara took first at Evergreen Speedway’s Formula Drift “Throwdown.”

Team Falken's Dai Yoshihara Takes First at Formula Drift's Round 5 at Evergreen Speedway
Team Falken’s Daijiro “Dai” Yoshihara took first at Evergreen Speedway’s Formula Drift “Throwdown” and took the lead in the 2011 Championship. It was the first win for Falken at Evergreen and the second win for Dai this season.
 
Driving the Discount Tire/Falken Tire Nissan S13 (240SX), Dai qualified fourth, while teammates Tyler McQuarrie and Justin Pawlak were first and second, respectively, after Friday’s qualifying session. Defending Formula Drift champion and teammate Vaughn Gittin Jr., qualified 12th, Darren McNamara in 19th and Falken privateer Ross Petty 25th.
 
Four of the five Team Falken drivers made it through the Top 32 round. Justin Pawlak, who has been leading the Formula D standings virtually all season long, failed to move forward due to a mechanical failure; however, he remains second in the 2011 Championship, just 15 points behind Dai.

McQuarrie, Yoshihara and Gittin Jr., advanced in the Top 16 round, but only Dai moved on to the Top 4, as the other team members succumbed to tough competition, with Dai defeating Gittin Jr., in the Top 8 round. Dai beat Fredric Aasbo in the Top 4 and went on to defeat the 2009 Formula D champ Chris Forsberg in the final.

Also present at Evergreen were Falken’s display, hospitality rig and the company’s factory support personnel. Falken was host to representatives from Monster and Ford Racing as 84 dealer guests participated in its hospitality.
 
It was a busy weekend for Team Falken, as its American LeMans Series team and its Porsche 911 GT3 RSR finished fifth in the GT class on Sunday, July 24, at the Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport at Canada’s Mosport International Raceway.
 
The Formula Drift Championship continues for Round 6: After Dark at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, August 26–27.

Wilwood Disc Brakes Announces Sponsorship of the 2011 OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational
The 2011 OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational gears up for its fourth year in Pahrump, Nevada, Saturday, November 5. This internationally publicized event, presented by Wilwood Disc Brakes and K&N Filters, will feature some of the finest street machines in the world battling it out on the track in celebration of the quality, performance and talent of the country's top builders, performance parts manufacturers and car owners.

During the 2011 SEMA Show, the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational will have an outdoor feature vehicle, car corral, large indoor booth space, judging to determine the final vehicle selections and behind-the-scenes video filming. Wilwood and other sponsors will also participate in a press conference at the OPTIMA Batteries booth. Wilwood's 2011 OPTIMA Invitational entry, Brian Hobaugh's ’73 Camaro will be on display at the 2011 SEMA Show.

The one-hour OPTIMA Invitational TV special will premiere on national cable in early 2012. Visit www.optimainvitational.com later in the year for show times. Repeat airings continue throughout the year.

Matt McCabe

McCabe Earns Gumout Super Challenge at Record Breaking Rocky Mountain SCCA ProSolo
A Colorado-area record 191 drivers participated in the Tire Rack SCCA Rocky Mountain ProSolo on the grounds of Pikes Peak International Raceway, with Matt McCabe, from Omaha, Nebraska, earning the Gumout Super Challenge victory. The Continental Divide Region SCCA, with administrative assistance from the Colorado Region, hosted the event on the grounds of the facility, where participation topped the previous mark of 183 drivers from a 2006 event held just outside of Denver and the built-in population base.

On the course, McCabe’s C Street Prepared ’94 949 Racing/ProEFI/Meyers Auto Mazda Miata was moved to Bump Class 2 for preliminary rounds. After a runner-up finish, McCabe topped D Street Prepared winner Doug Rowse (’03 BMW 330), Fred Zust (X Prepared ’05 Blackwatch Racing Lotus Elise), and F Street Prepared winner Ron Williams (’93 Hoosier/Honda/A+ Collision Honda Civic) to reach the semifinals.

In the round of four, McCabe squared off against James Yom, from Los Angeles, who finished second in a ’08 Honda S2000 in Street Touring R to teammate Robert Thorne. In the opposite bracket, Christopher May advanced from his third-place finish in a ’00 SCR Performance Honda S2000 to defeat Paul Brown in a ’00 Plastic PP Racing Chevrolet Corvette. Yom won the consolation run over Brown, giving the STR class a second- and third-place Gumout Super Challenge finish behind McCabe.

Beth McClure-Strelnieks, from Cedar Park, Texas, drove a ’99 Hoosier/Jungle Cat Racing Porsche Boxster to the Ladies Challenge win over Barbara Leroy-Boehm (’05 Dodge SRT-4).

The closest class competition from the weekend came in the Street Touring Sport class, where David Whitener topped teammate Andrew Hahn by just 0.012-second, with the pair sharing a ’88 Texas Time Trials Honda CRX for class competition.

Kia Racing enters the ninth race of the 2011 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season at New Jersey Motorsports Park atop the Team and Driver Standings in the Street Tuner Class and is focused on securing valuable championship points.

Kia Racing Enters Ninth Round of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Atop the Street Tuner Driver and Team Standings
Kia Motors has earned two race victories, three trips to the podium and eight Top 10 finishes in the first eight events of the year during the 2011 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) season. Kia is now positioned on top of the Street Tuner (ST) class' Team (No. 10 Infinity Audio Forte Koup) and Driver (Nic Jonsson) standings and looking to capture as many points as possible in pursuit of the brand's first-ever full-season auto racing championship in the United States.

After back-to-back strong performances at Road America and Laguna Seca with the No. 10 Forte Koup finishing first and fourth, respectively—and the No. 12 car's sixth place finish at Road America—the B+ Foundation Heroes 200 at New Jersey Motorsports Park will be broadcast on Saturday, July 30 at 3:00 p.m. (EDT) on the SPEED Channel. Race fans can follow Kia's motorsports program and receive live updates at www.facebook.com/kiaracing.

S&W Race Cars Announces Bonus Bucks Rewards Program
S&W Race Cars is bringing back its "Bonus Bucks" Rewards Program to celebrate 52 "crazy, fast, fun and successful" years in the racing industry. Every customer purchase made between August 1, 2011 and September 30, 2011, will earn $5 Bonus Bucks for every $100 spent. Bonus Bucks can be redeemed during the months of October and November and can be applied toward the purchase of S&W Race Cars, race parts, merchandise or freight charges. As an added bonus, they can be redeemed for race entry at select tracks (to be determined) from October until the end of the 2011 race season. Visit www.swracecars.com for full program details.

 

	Courtney Khademi

You’re investing a lot of time and resources into your online marketing efforts. You’ve got landing pages, keywords, videos, social networking and online ads. But at the end of the day, are you hitting your goals? How much of your efforts are translating into conversions and ultimately sales? Are you using the best possible data?

Join Google staffer Courtney Khademi for a SEMA Education Institute (SEI) webinar Thursday, August 4, at 10:00 a.m. (PDT), as she does a walk-through of Google Analytics—a powerful and free tool that can give you insight into your web traffic and evaluate your marketing effectiveness. During this session, Khademi will explain the key features of Google Analytics and how to use them to write better-targeted ads, strengthen your marketing initiatives and create higher-converting websites.

Since joining Google, Khademi’s work has focused on partnering with Google’s clients on the strategic development of their online advertising. She specializes in Google Analytics and its application to search engine optimization and display marketing.

Metrics are essential to the success of your company’s online efforts. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to learn directly from Google about the effective use of their free analytics tool. Join SEI and Google, Thursday, August 4, at 10:00 a.m. (PDT) for this informative webinar.

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

Members: Click here for more information and to register.

Non-Members: Click here for more information and to register.

 

	Courtney Khademi

You’re investing a lot of time and resources into your online marketing efforts. You’ve got landing pages, keywords, videos, social networking and online ads. But at the end of the day, are you hitting your goals? How much of your efforts are translating into conversions and ultimately sales? Are you using the best possible data?

Join Google staffer Courtney Khademi for a SEMA Education Institute (SEI) webinar Thursday, August 4, at 10:00 a.m. (PDT), as she does a walk-through of Google Analytics—a powerful and free tool that can give you insight into your web traffic and evaluate your marketing effectiveness. During this session, Khademi will explain the key features of Google Analytics and how to use them to write better-targeted ads, strengthen your marketing initiatives and create higher-converting websites.

Since joining Google, Khademi’s work has focused on partnering with Google’s clients on the strategic development of their online advertising. She specializes in Google Analytics and its application to search engine optimization and display marketing.

Metrics are essential to the success of your company’s online efforts. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to learn directly from Google about the effective use of their free analytics tool. Join SEI and Google, Thursday, August 4, at 10:00 a.m. (PDT) for this informative webinar.

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

Members: Click here for more information and to register.

Non-Members: Click here for more information and to register.

The MPMC Media Trade Conference, held at the Embassy Suites LAX South in El Segundo, California, brings motorsports parts manufacturers together with automotive journalists in private, one-on-one meetings.

The 15th annual SEMA Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council (MPMC) Media Trade Conference is set for January 24–26, 2012, at the Embassy Suites LAX South in El Segundo, California. The event brings motorsports parts manufacturers together with automotive journalists in private, one-on-one meetings where quality interviews can take place.

During the three-day event, editors move from room to room every half hour, where they sit down and talk with a different company in what has been compared to “speed dating” for manufacturers and media.

The event is limited to 100 manufacturing companies and each must be an MPMC member. Details about the MPMC and how to participate in the Media Trade Conference are available from Jim Skelly at 909/978-6690 or jimsk@sema.org.

Media will be able to sign up and select the companies with whom they want to meet when registration opens in October. Media members with questions can contact Della Domingo at dellad@sema.org or visit www.sema.org/media.