By Della Domingo

SEMA exhibitors are busy preparing for the SEMA Show and planning to reconnect with the industry in person for the first time since 2019. Attendees will be able to touch, feel and experience all the new products manufacturers have been developing. Make sure you don’t miss seeing the exciting new products at the Show; get a sneak peek at what they will show by regularly checking the Online Media Center.

Below are some of the latest announcements you will find in the Online Media Center:

• All-Inclusive Serpentine System With Carbon-Fiber Finish
• Livernois Motorsports Releases Mycalibrator Tuner For ’21 Ford Bronco Sport 2.0l
• Mam Software Gets Rebranded Kerridge Commercial Systems
• New and Improved Original Bolt Buster Bb2x High Power Heat Induction Tool 1800 Watts Twice the Power
• Store, Elevate, and Conceal Every Jeep Needs These Accessories
• Hunter’s New 35,000-lb. Four-Post Is Everything You Need for Fast and Efficient Heavy-Duty Alignment and Service
• Bolt “Breakthrough One-Key Locks” for ’21 Ford Models
• New Technology Buffer Saves Time and Improves Profits With Superior Finishes

Exhibitor Press releases can be found at www.semashow.com/press. Find all SEMA Show News at www.semashow.com/news.

All SEMA Show exhibitors are welcome to upload releases free of charge.  Upload releases using this link.

The 2021 SEMA Show will take place November 2–5 in Las Vegas.

By Juan Torres

As the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) targets and increases enforcement against automotive aftermarket companies through its National Compliance Initiative, the federal agency is harming legitimate businesses in the motorsports industry. Despite the EPA’s nonbinding, informational claims that it is not targeting aftermarket companies that produce parts for dedicated race cars, the EPA continues to pursue cases based on supposition, impose inordinate monetary fines and pursue legal actions to the contrary.

Recently, the EPA issued a fine against PFI Speed, a small speed shop in Colorado, for selling just 37 Hondata S300s over a two-year span. The fine was issued after company owner Brent Leivestad complied with an EPA inquiry for details about the company’s sales. Without any other contact from the EPA, Leivestad was shocked to receive a letter accusing the shop of selling illegal products. The letter included an $18,000 fine that, if not paid within 30 days, could increase to as much as $180,000.

“I was dumbfounded. I couldn’t even believe it,” said Leivestad. “I am a speed shop and sell race parts—I didn’t know that was wrong. I didn’t understand the basis of the EPA’s claim, I didn’t go in front of any trial or talk to anybody from the EPA, and the threat of ‘settle and pay within 30 days or else’ felt like a real shakedown intended to deny my rights.”

To protect the motorsports industry against further EPA overreach, PRI is calling on the racing industry and enthusiasts to unite and urge Congress to pass the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act. The bipartisan bill will clarify that it is legal to convert street vehicles into dedicated race cars, and that businesses can legally produce, market and install racing products.

“There are thousands of legitimate motorsports businesses that are at risk of EPA overreach,” said Dr. Jamie Meyer, Performance Racing Industry (PRI) President. “The EPA is putting these businesses—which are typically small, homegrown, less sophisticated shops—in situations where they have to take on the full might of the federal government. The EPA is doing nothing to validate its enforcement efforts, and these small businesses are left with little choice but to comply.”

The EPA, which is responsible for enforcing the Clean Air Act (CAA), a 1970 law that regulates motor vehicles on streets and highways throughout the United States, has been fining businesses such as PFI Speed for producing, selling and installing race use-only products. The products are often used on vehicles that began as street cars and were subsequently converted into dedicated race cars that are trailered to and from the track, and never driven on streets or highways again.

The CAA only applies to vehicles driven on streets and highways, and the EPA contends that it is not targeting race-only vehicles. However, the EPA has pre-classified many motorsports products as illegal and is issuing fines without investigating the circumstances. Companies selling these products are presumed guilty by the EPA, regardless of the product’s use.

“The RPM Act must be passed into law to provide the racing community with certainty and confidence in the face of EPA threats,” said Meyer. “Without the RPM Act, businesses will shut down and the entire motorsports community will be severely impacted. It’s time for the motorsports community to push back and protect our racing rights.”

Leivestad agreed: “I’ve been doing this for 20-plus years, and it sounds like the EPA is trying to put us out of business. We need to get behind the RPM Act and get it pushed through now, more than ever.” Leivestad shared his full story with Meyer in a 30-minute interview available here.

Additional information about the RPM Act, which was recently introduced in the House of Representatives and is expected to be introduced in the Senate soon, can be found at SaveOurRaceCars.com. Motorsports businesses and enthusiasts are encouraged to contact their legislators and urge them to pass the RPM Act to clarify that it is legal to convert street vehicles into dedicated race cars used solely on the track.

Racing businesses and enthusiasts can also join the fight to protect motorsports at PerformanceRacing.com/Membership.

By SEMA Editors

SEMA Show exhibitors planning to host a special appearance in their booth may submit their Celebrity Appearance Notification form up until Show time. Whether it’s a driver, industry icon, TV personality or famous vehicle, featuring a familiar face or iconic vehicle in your booth provides buyers with an identifiable, visual connection of the company’s target market.

Exhibitors can learn how to get the most out of their 2021 SEMA Show, as well as additional options to reach buyers, by contacting an account rep at sales@sema.org or 909-396-0289.

Information about the 2021 SEMA Show is available on www.SEMAShow.com.

Click here for a complete listing of 2021 SEMA Show deadlines.

By SEMA Editors

It’s been two years since the sights of the parade of custom vehicles from behind the walls of the trade-only SEMA Show; Formula DRIFT competitors narrowly missing the cement drift box barriers; flames shooting from the chrome headers of vintage dragsters; the smells of nitrous and burning rubber; and the sounds of squealing tires, high-revving engines, the cheering crowd and rocking bands.

SEMA Ignited, the official SEMA Show afterparty, is back in-person and in Las Vegas. This year the event will take place at the new LVCC West Hall parking lot.

Credentialed 2021 SEMA Show attendees can access the event for free with their badge. Enthusiasts can access the event by purchasing one of two ticket types—a previously offered SEMA General Admission Ticket or the all-new SEMA Friday Experience that gives the ticket holder Friday access to the SEMA Show and to SEMA Ignited.

SEMA Ignited General Admission Ticket

View hundreds of cars and trucks as they parade out of the Las Vegas Convention Center, drifting by Formula DRIFT, food, music and much more.

What You Get: Includes entry to SEMA Ignited, Friday, November 5, from 3:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.

Price: $20 if purchased online or at the SEMA Ignited Ticket Office on Friday, November 5.

SEMA Friday Experience Ticket

For the first time ever, SEMA is offering a limited number of enthusiasts entry into the trade-only SEMA Show through the purchase of the SEMA Friday Experience ticket. The SEMA Show offers an attendee experience like no other trade show on the planet. It’s the best place to see the newest automotive performance products and to discover the latest product and vehicle trends.   

What You Get: Includes Friday entry into the SEMA Show from 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. and entry into SEMA Ignited from 3:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m. on Friday, November 5.

Important Restrictions: Each person must pick up their own ticket. You may not send anyone else in your place. NO EXCEPTIONS. Please be prepared to show a valid government-issued photo ID when picking up your ticket. The name on your photo ID must match the name on this confirmation. No one under the age of 16, including infants, is allowed access to the exhibits. No exceptions. Show management does not provide childcare services on-site. Use of a school-issued ID to prove age is not acceptable unless it provides a date of birth. Tickets CANNOT be reproduced, transferred or resold. No day of purchases will be permitted.

Price: $60 if purchased by October 8, or $90 if purchased between October 9–November 4. No on-site ticket purchases will be permitted.

Purchase tickets now!

For more information, visit www.semaignited.com.

  By SEMA Editors

As industry experts, SEMA Show exhibitors are encouraged to vote for the vehicles that best showcase their products.

In addition, a new category has been added to the 2021 SEMA Award Program. To recognize a fast-growing segment of the light-truck market, SEMA is adding “Mid-Size Truck of The Year” to the category list, which includes:

• Car of The Year
• Full-Size Truck of the Year
• Mid-Size Truck of The Year
• 4x4/SUV of The Year
• Sport Compact of The Year

Through the SEMA Award, SEMA exhibitors that make the products and accessories for today’s popular models identify the vehicle platforms they believe are best for accessorizing.

The program creates awareness for aftermarket products, and is an example of the ongoing collaboration SEMA has with automakers and aftermarket manufacturers to bring quality products to market. SEMA also helps aftermarket manufacturers with product development through the SEMA Garage, measuring sessions and technology transfer.

Votes must be submitted by the September 30 deadline. The winners will be announced at the 2021 SEMA Show, November 2–5, in Las Vegas.

By SEMA Editors

Showgoers booking through onPeak—the SEMA Show housing partner—receive guaranteed low rates on a wide range of hotel properties at locations on and off the Las Vegas Strip.

Booking through the SEMA Show block not only offers discounted nightly rates for SEMA Show participants, but also offers reduced resort fees so you can save even more on your stay.

See below for the list of hotels offering discounted nightly resort fees.

Note: Rates listed on the onPeak website do not include the resort fee.

When making your hotel reservations through the SEMA Show Travel & Lodging page, you are receiving the most affordable and convenient hotel options through our partnership with onPeak—the only official hotel provider for the 2021 SEMA Show. All negotiated rates provided by onPeak include resort fees and will allow you to change or cancel your reservation without any financial penalties.

More information about the SEMA Show, Tuesday–Friday, November 2–5, is available on www.SEMAShow.com.

 By SEMA Editors

The New Product Showcase is the No. 1 reason buyers attend the SEMA Show. In fact, nearly 60% of SEMA Show buyers head to the Show with a list (plan) of the exhibitors they need to connect with. The first stop for most of these buyers will be the SEMA Show New Products Showcase, a modern museum of New Products that are available to customers now, or making their market debut at the Show.  

Exhibitors are encouraged to take advantage of the this opportunity to enter at least one product in the Showcase. Not only does the Showcase provide exhibitors with an additional avenue to reach new buyers away from their booth displays, products that meet the new product criteria may qualify to receive additional benefits, including eligibility for a SEMA Show New Product Award.

The best part: the first product you enter is free!

Enter your new products now!

In addition to the inherent benefits of entering the Showcase, each product will be photographed by SEMA's team of professional photographers, and the images will be featured in SEMA News and at www.SEMAphotos.com. They will also be promoted to the media and available to buyers at the Show.

Entry Fees:

• The first product entered in one category in the New Products Showcase is FREE!
• Additional $75 per product category before October 8.
• After October 8, the cost is $150 per entry.
• No refunds provided after October 8.
• Entries submitted on-site will be accepted on a space availability basis.

For more information on New Products Showcase display guidelines, visit www.semashow.com/esm.

By Ashley Reyes

UnderCover has been named the SEMA Truck & Off-Road Alliance’s (TORA) newest member spotlight company. In SEMA’s Q&A with the company’s Vice President of Sales Cory Kraft, he shares UnderCover’s breakthrough moment and what projects the company is working on in 2021.  

SEMA: Tell us the story of your company. How did your company start?

Cory Kraft: UnderCover was born from a drawing on a napkin at a Christmas party in the late ’90s, and the proceeding tonneau cover, the UnderCover Classic, was the first-of-its-kind for its design in the one-piece cover market.

SEMA: What was your company’s breakthrough moment?

CK: Our company’s breakthrough moment occurred with the release of the UnderCover Flex folding cover. Traditionally, Undercover only offered one-piece products. This new cover allowed the expansion and reach to provide truck bed covers for customers across every spectrum of the tonneau cover market.

SEMA: Tell us about your business now in 2021 and what are some projects you are working on?

CK: We have been very fortunate in 2021. Demand has increased 40% compared to pre-pandemic levels, and we have expanded our production lines to meet demand. The unique challenges of 2021 are still present. To adapt, the UnderCover team is always working on new projects across platforms. For instance, we have expanded our bed cover lineup with the UnderCover Triad. Additionally, we are continuously looking for ways to improve existing offerings, launch new products and improve our reach.

SEMA: Tell us about a product that you are proud of.

CK: We are most proud of our UnderCover SwingCase. The automotive industry was previously filled with toolboxes primarily aimed at professional use. No product in the market was tailored to the enthusiast that also had a truck bed cover and needed a storage solution for the bed of their truck. The UnderCover SwingCase has been able to enter this market to meet every consumer’s needs.

SEMA: What advice do you have for young professionals contemplating a career in the automotive aftermarket?

CK: Don’t limit yourself to a category. To a degree, performance, accessories and overland fields are all interconnected. Become involved in the industry, learn as much as possible and work to find and achieve your passion.

Fill out an TORA-member spotlight form to highlight how your company is contributing to the truck and off-road specialty-equipment industry. Selected candidates are eligible to be featured on TORA’s social media, SEMA eNews and future TORA member updates.

By Juan Torres

Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Jon Tester (D-MT) have reintroduced the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act (S. 2736) in the U.S. Senate. The pro-motorsports, pro-business bill, which was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in May 2021, is critical to ensuring that racers can continue to modify street vehicles into race cars used exclusively in competition, and that businesses can continue to produce, market, and install racing equipment. The bipartisan Senate bill includes six original sponsors, including Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Thom Tillis (R-NC).

The racing community has been vocal in supporting the RPM Act since 2016, after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) first declared that the 50-year-old Clean Air Act does not allow street vehicles to be converted into racing vehicles, even if the vehicles are trailered to the track and are used exclusively for motorsports competition. The RPM Act enjoys unprecedented energy in 2021, as racers and motorsports parts businesses have sent more than 1.5 million letters to federal lawmakers urging passage of the bill this year.

“The racing industry has made clear that the RPM Act is critical to protecting an American pastime and the small businesses involved,” said Dr. Jamie Meyer, President of Performance Racing Industry (PRI). “We thank Senators Burr and Tester for introducing the RPM Act in the U.S. Senate and for bringing the bill one step closer to becoming law.”

The RPM Act is now being considered by both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. The bill is well positioned for passage in the current Congress as a result of the strong grassroots support for the legislation. Members of Congress are familiar with the RPM Act, which has already been the subject of hearings in previous years by the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which have jurisdiction over the bill.

“Amateur motorsports is a unique American pastime,” said Senator Burr. “This bipartisan legislation provides certainty for folks who enjoy America’s long-held racing tradition, in the spirit Congress intended when it passed the Clean Air Act more than 50 years ago. I’m proud to work with my colleagues on this common-sense legislation to protect the legacy of American motorsports for years to come.”

Motorsports competition involves tens of thousands of participants and vehicle owners each year, both amateur and professional. Retail sales of racing products make up a nearly $2 billion market annually. A majority of the estimated 1,300 racetracks operating across the United States, including oval, road, dirt and off-road, feature converted race vehicles that the EPA now considers illegal.

“Folks in the motorsport community have always relied on the freedom to modify their vehicles to race and compete,” said Senator Tester. “This legislation will codify that freedom into law by preventing unnecessary regulations on motorsport hobbyists, allowing amateurs and professionals alike to uphold tradition while still following the intent of the Clean Air Act.”

As advocates for the worldwide motorsports industry, PRI is urging the racing community to unite and contact lawmakers to pass the RPM Act.

“It is critical that members of Congress continue to hear from the racing and automotive enthusiast communities about the importance of passing the RPM Act into law during this session of Congress,” said Meyer. “We’ve witnessed the impact that our actions have had in getting the RPM Act to where it is today, but we must continue the momentum and continue to tell Congress to pass the RPM Act immediately.”

Supporters can contact their legislators about the RPM Act by visiting www.saveourracecars.com.

By Juan Torres

Jim Liaw has joined Performance Racing Industry (PRI) as the general manager leading the staff and operations out of the Aliso Viejo, California, office. Having co-founded Formula DRFIT in 2003, Liaw introduced the sport of drifting to America and built what is now the top drifting series in the world. Reporting to PRI President Dr. Jamie Meyer and working with the PRI management team, Liaw will direct and oversee activities related to the PRI Trade Show, PRI Membership, PRI Magazine, online content and promotion for all segments in the motorsports industry.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jim to the PRI team,” said Meyer. “He has a proven track record of success, and he knows and understands the motorsports industry. He has vision, leadership and passion—and he shares PRI’s goal to protect and grow the racing industry.”

Like many in the automotive industry, Liaw was an auto enthusiast before he was able to drive. After graduating from UCLA, he joined McMullen Argus Publishing (now Motor Trend) as a sales associate for Sport Compact Car magazine, and later served as sales manager for one of the first-ever sport-compact drag-racing series, Import Drag Racing Circuit (IDRC). As a pioneer and entrepreneur, Liaw finds trends, builds brands and cultivates new enthusiasts.

“I’m not afraid to innovate and push boundaries,” said Liaw. “I know there are challenges facing today’s motorsports industry—such as attracting younger fans, combating government restrictions, supporting race tracks and in-person events and protecting racers’ rights—and I am excited that I can be a part of the PRI team advocating for the racing industry.”

One of Liaw’s priority initiatives as PRI general manager will be successfully executing the 2021 PRI Trade Show in Indianapolis, December 9–11. With about 1,000 companies already committed to exhibit at the event, the PRI Trade Show is the racing industry’s No. 1 source for new technology, ideas and business opportunities. The in-person event includes more than 45 conferences, seminars and social gatherings, making the PRI Show the best place to learn and build valuable business connections.

Liaw will also assist Meyer in building PRI’s new membership program. PRI Membership is a ground-breaking program that, for the first time ever, advocates for the motorsports market by uniting the worldwide racing community. Businesses and individuals are able to become PRI Members, thereby building, promoting and protecting motorsports. As an organization dedicated solely to racing, PRI represents all segments of motorsports, including drifting, stock car, drag, sprint car, midget, modified, formula, dirt late model, sport compact, karting, vintage and more.

Liaw can be reached at jiml@perfomanceracing.com.