The 2023 Dakar Rally checkered flag has fallen on Sunday after 5,000 km against the clock with 14 stages across Saudi Arabia, from the Red Sea to the Arabian Gulf via the Empty Quarter desert. Nasser Al-Attiyah wrapped up a fifth car crown and Kevin Benavides finally got the better of Toby Price for his second Dakar Rally bike title as the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team made history with their maiden win thanks to AJ Jones and Gustavo Gugelmin in T3.

Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel of the Toyota Gazoo Racing during the finish podium of the Dakar 2023 in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, January 15.

Selected Final Overall Standings

T1 Car Class

1. Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) TOYOTA 45:03:15

2. Sébastien Loeb (FRA) BRX +01:20:49

3. Lucas Moraes (BRA) TOYOTA +01:38:31

4. Giniel De Villiers (ZAF) TOYOTA +02:31:12

14. Mattias Ekström (SWE) AUDI +06:51:00

18. Kuba Przygoński (POL) MINI +07:28:50

32. Laia Sanz (ESP) ASTARA +19:18:39

Bikes

1. Kevin Benavides (ARG) KTM 44:27:20

2. Toby Price (AUS) KTM +00:43

3. Skyler Howes (USA) HUSQVARNA +05:04

7. Daniel Sanders (AUS) GASGAS +25:57

12. Štefan Svitko (SVK) KTM +01:50:42

35. Mohammed Balooshi (ARE) HUSQVARNA +09:54:18

T3 Lightweight Prototype

1. AJ Jones (USA) CAN-AM 51:55:53

2. Seth Quintero (USA) CAN-AM +52:05

3. Guillaume De Mevius (BEL) OT3 +01:35:42

4. Cristina Gutiérrez (ESP) CAN-AM +02:56:20

5. Chaleco López (CHL) CAN-AM +02:59:48

10. Ignacio Casale (CHL) YAMAHA +06:53:27

23. Mitch Guthrie Jr. (USA) MCE5 +27:58:08

T4 SSV

1. Eryk Goczal (POL) CAN-AM 53:10:14

2. Rokas Baciuška (LTU) CAN-AM +16:44

For more information on the 2023 Dakar Rally, click here.

  By Mike Imlay

The specialty-equipment industry’s record-high sales growth over the past two years has begun to level off and possibly subside, according to the latest SEMA market research. Still, despite ongoing economic uncertainty, supply-chain issues, and rising costs, companies remain optimistic as sales remain solid and above pre-pandemic levels.

“Businesses experienced record-high growth the past two years,” said Gavin Knapp, SEMA director of market research. “We saw growth that was above the industry’s norm, so it makes sense that we’re returning to more normal levels. It’s great to see that most companies are up from 2019 levels.”

Conducted every six months since 2021, the “SEMA State of the Industry” studies are designed to give companies clarity about the overall market during an uncertain time. The disruption from the pandemic made it difficult for SEMA members to understand what the market was going through—and nearly impossible to forecast. Based on data from the automotive specialty-equipment industry, the reports give readers a barometer to gauge how they are currently doing and make predictions about what’s to come.

Available for free download at www.sema.org/research, the fall 2022 version finds that 47% of manufacturers, 48% of distributors, and 44% of retailers expect sales to increase in the coming year. Additional findings include:

• Supply-chain issues continue to be disruptive for the industry. More than 90% of companies say that they are having a moderate or significant impact on operations.
• Inflation and supply-chain issues are resulting in higher costs for businesses. More than 90% of companies reported an increase in supplier or production costs; most (around 80%) are compensating for the high costs by increasing their prices. Despite this, consumer demand and revenue remain strong.
• Ongoing supply-chain issues and high prices are slowing new-vehicle sales. Sales are not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024 or 2025. Sales for 2022 are expected to fall about a million vehicles short of 2021, at 13.9 million total units. The average price of a new vehicle reached $48,301 in August 2022, a record high. The average price of an electric is even higher, at more than $66,000.

Market Gains

“The purpose of this report is to provide specialty equipment businesses with the data they need to make better, more informed business decisions,” said Knapp. “If you think back to the start of the pandemic, you would never have predicted what has happened to our industry over the last two years. Even with all the weirdness affecting retail and in-person sales, and even with the supply-chain issues, our industry has done really well. It has seen incredible sales growth.”

Reporting from specialty-equipment companies indicates that industry sales had begun to normalize in 2022 after the record sales seen in the prior year. Despite ongoing economic uncertainty, companies also were generally optimistic about sales going into 2023.

“But the reality is this sales growth was never sustainable,” he continued. “We can’t expect an industry with a history of 4% or 5% per-year growth to suddenly see a new reality of 10%–20% annual growth.”

According to Knapp, the slowdown in industry sales is indicative of a return to a more normalized growth curve. Barring any major shakeups, the overall aftermarket will continue its upward climb, but along a trendline that’s much less steep.

When asked about pricing increases, manufacturers, distributors and retailer/installers cited increased supplier and production costs as well as ongoing supply-chain issues as the greatest contributing factors.

That’s not to say that there won’t be headwinds. “Our in industry is definitely optimistic, but there are challenges that we are keeping an eye on,” said SEMA Market Research Manager Kyle Cheng. “Auto sales are down from where they usually are, and our industry thrives on the timeframe around an initial sale for adding parts. Also, while we didn’t really talk about gas prices in this report, that’s also something we’re monitoring. And then inflation is not just affecting consumers, it’s affecting our industry’s businesses as well. With a lot of economists projecting a potential recession, that’s a concern.”

However, as of the report’s release, consumers were still in a spending mood, despite rising costs. This was allowing manufacturers and retailers to deal with upward price pressures by passing them on to end purchasers.

“It was a little surprising to see how many companies raised prices, because at the beginning of the pandemic, companies said that things were getting more expensive, but they weren’t going to pass their costs to consumers. They weren’t at that point then, but now they are,” said Cheng. “Yet, even with all this, the companies we surveyed were still feeling pretty confident in terms of maintaining or even growing their business in 2023,” said Cheng.

Retail Rebound

While hit early on by pandemic lockdowns, industry retailers also appear to have weathered the past two years surprisingly well. Although larger retailers reported comparatively stronger sales, most smaller retailers said they managed to maintain or grow their sales too. In fact, similar to the optimism expressed by industry manufacturers, “retailers are feeling in a much better place now in terms of their customer bases and sales,” said Knapp.

“I think back to a time during the pandemic when manufacturers were doing great, and retailers were asking, ‘Wait, what about us? How do we get people back in our stores?,’” recalled Knapp. “Now we’ve gotten to that place where most people are getting back into stores, out in the public and utilizing traditional retail.”

Across the board, retailers increased their prices in 2022, and expect to continue raising them this year as well.

Cheng added that progress in addressing supply-chain issues has helped buoy retailers. At the height of the pandemic, severe shortages drove many consumers away from brick-and-mortar outlets and toward manufacturer-direct sales channels. Now, however, retailers are sensing a return to more traditional shopping and purchasing patterns.

Moreover, although many aftermarket businesses report that they’re still feeling moderate to severe supply-chain disruptions, overall inventories have improved. “Retailers are finding they do have products to sell and are definitely reaping the benefits of that,” Cheng noted.

Large or small, most of the retailers surveyed expected inventories to stay the same or grow in 2023, even as they expected supplier costs to continue to rise. Most also forecasted that their revenues and customer bases would remain stable or increase.

Growth Across Channels

Interestingly, even as retailers regained their footing, manufacturers grew their sales across many channels over the past year. Most manufacturers now sell through a mix of online and in-person channels, with specialty retailer and direct-to-consumer sales making up their biggest sales shares. In terms of online sales, 37% of manufacturers reported an increase in direct-to-consumer sales, compared with 16% saying they increased their online specialty-retailer sales. Just over 20% of manufacturers also said they increased their general online-only retail sales. As for in-store channels, 29% said they grew their sales through independent specialty retailers.

Ongoing supply-chain issues and rising prices are slowing new-vehicle sales. Since vehicle accessorization is often tied to new purchases, this impacts the aftermarket.

This touches upon a hot-button issue of late. Spurred by lockdowns and supply-chain breakdowns, the growth in direct-to-consumer sales has generated some concern among brick-and-mortar retailers who fear a potential loss of business. But SEMA market research indicates that the “threat” to traditional sales channels is likely overstated.

“We consistently find that only around 30% of manufacturers say they sell direct-to-consumer, either through their own website, through some other channel, or in person,” explained Cheng. “Such sales are definitely growing, but the vast majority of sales are still going through other channels, such as distribution networks, wholesalers or straight to the retailers themselves.”

While many companies expressed optimism about their own growth in 2023, their expectations for overall industry growth were more muted given the current economic climate.

Ironically, the bigger a company is, the less likely it is to offer direct-to-consumer sales, added Cheng. Larger manufacturers, with sales of $5 million or more annually, tend to enjoy well-established distribution chains and a healthy presence in retail stores. Only 19% reported utilizing direct-to-consumer channels. By contrast, 39% of companies posting sales under $5 million a year included direct-to-consumer channels in their marketing mix.

“Companies with established brands tend to be our industry’s bigger companies,” explained Knapp. “They have distribution networks and retail knows them, their customers and their brands, and therefore they’ll carry those brands because they know they can sell them.”

“It’s the newer brands or startups and smaller brands fighting to get that name-brand recognition that typically go direct-to-consumer,” Knapp continued. “A lot of times it’s more beneficial for them to try and develop that brand reputation directly with the consumer rather than drive
consumers to general retail where they don’t have the same distribution network set up.”

On the retail side, many businesses saw sales increases over the past year through their company websites (16%), car and truck shows (16%), brick-and-mortar storefronts or shops (18%). Moreover, while online sales may have accelerated during the pandemic, retailers on the whole still report selling more through physical channels (59% of sales) than they do through online channels (41% of sales).

Consumer Sentiment

Of course, the big question now is how much a struggling economy (including a possible recession) might slow future growth. According to Knapp, a lot will ride on the job market and consumer tolerance for inflation.

“For now, the job market is still really good,” he observed. “And if you look at the consumer side, you know there was sort of a feeding frenzy during the pandemic. The attitude seemed to be, ‘We have less things we can do, so let’s focus on the things available to us.’ And even then, consumers saw a lot of price inflation due to long waits and scarcity. So in that regard, I think consumers have gotten used to inflation a lot more than economists have assumed.”

“If you’re a consumer, what the economy means to you is whether you’re taking money in. Are you getting a paycheck every month? So from that standpoint, consumers may not feel a reason to stop buying because they’re not feeling personally in danger. The individual decisions that consumers make are often much different than what economists look at on a global, macro scale.”

For now, there’s every expectation that aftermarket sales will experience some adjustment as they return to pre-pandemic patterns, albeit at higher sales volumes. And even if a recession should take hold, most experts agree it won’t be as deep as the Great Recession just over a decade ago.

“The bottom is not likely to drop out,” concluded Knapp. “The reality is that only about a third of the companies we surveyed said they were slowing down. Two-thirds said they were still maintaining their sales levels or even growing somewhat.”

“That’s really encouraging to see in this time where there are all these headwinds, whether they be related to supply chains, the economy, or even just a sort of backlash after all the tremendous growth we experienced that never could be reasonably sustained for long. In the end, we were always going to have to slow down a little. But with the majority of our companies saying they’re still doing pretty good—and expecting to do well again this year—the industry as a whole is remaining pretty confident.”

Stay Up-to-Date

The complete “State of the Industry—Fall 2022” report is available to download for free at www.sema.org/research. It was also the subject of an in-depth 2022 SEMA Show seminar titled “State of the Specialty-Equipment Industry: Trends and Directions,” now available on demand.

Reporters, journalists and content creators who would like to participate in the 2023 SEMA MPMC Media Trade Conference—taking place in person on January 24–26 at the Embassy Suites Anaheim South in Garden Grove, California—have until January 19 to receive a personalized schedule by clicking here.

Unlike traditional trade shows, where manufacturers are focused on buyers and making sales, MPMC Media Trade Conference exhibitors attend to conduct quality media interviews.

This year’s event is being held in person and features a new format in which participants will manage their own schedules. All media are encouraged to register before January 19. After this date, media may sign up and participate in networking events, but SEMA staff will not be able to assist with schedule requests and meetings are not guaranteed.

Also new at this year’s MPMC Media Trade Conference:

• All participants are invited to a Welcome Reception that includes food, drinks, yard games, and a car show on the day before the event: Monday, January 23.
• Meetings will begin at 8:30 a.m. each day of the event; meetings conclude at 5:00 p.m. on January 24, and at 5:30 p.m. on January 25 and 26.
• Maximum number of meetings for the three days increased to 43.

Unlike traditional trade shows, where manufacturers are focused on buyers and making sales, MPMC Media Trade Conference exhibitors attend to conduct quality media interviews. Media can choose to attend one, two or all three days to meet with company representatives who are prepared to discuss their newest product lines, important updates within their company and the latest industry trends.

For questions or more information, click here or contact Juan Torres at juant@sema.org.

By Ashley Reyes

Members of the SEMA Truck & Off-Road Alliance (TORA), Wheel & Tire Council (WTC), SEMA Businesswomen’s Network (SBN) and Future Leaders Network (FLN) are invited to a cross-council mixer on Thursday, February 9 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at King of the Hammers.

Located inside the VIP tent, the event provides the ideal atmosphere for members to make new contacts and strengthen existing connections. It’s the ideal spot to watch the short-course race taking place that evening, and enjoy complimentary snacks and drinks.

King of the Hammers attendees who are not current TORA, WTC, SBN or FLN members but are interested in getting more involved are invited to attend, as it is a great way to introduce yourself and learn about what SEMA Councils and Networks have to offer.

Registration is requested so that event organizers can plan accordingly. RSVP now.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

During his annual State of the Commonwealth address, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin reaffirmed his campaign pledge to repeal his state’s commitment to follow California in banning the sale of new gas- and diesel-powered cars and trucks starting in 2035.

“It defies common sense that in 2021, lawmakers decided that instead of writing our own electric vehicle laws, Virginia would simply do whatever California decided to do,” said Governor Youngkin. “Because lawmakers outsourced their responsibilities and surrendered our values to California—Virginians face a mandate starting in 2024 that limits and eventually bans the buying of gas-powered cars or trucks. Unless we act, Virginia is hostage to the extreme policies of California. Common sense says that the law of Virginia should be written by elected leaders here—not outsourced to radical bureaucrats in California.”

SEMA supports legislation in Virginia to repeal the law tying the state to California’s motor-vehicle emission standards. SEMA does not believe that the government—Virginia’s or California’s—should be choosing winners and losers in the automotive market. Virginians should decide what vehicles are best for them and their families.

Click here to tell Virginia lawmakers to repeal the internal combustion engine ban.

For more information, please contact Christian Robinson at stateleg@sema.org.

Emerald Acquires Lodestone Events, Producers of the Overland Expo Series

Emerald Holding Inc. has announced that it has acquired all of the assets comprising the business known as Lodestone Events, producers of the Overland Expo series of vehicle-based, adventure-travel consumer shows. The acquisition supports Emerald and Lodestone’s shared mission to power connectivity, builds on Emerald’s decades of experience in outdoor recreation with its outdoor retailer wholesale trade show and represents the company’s strategic expansion into the growing business-to-consumer (B2C) event space.

All Lodestone employees will join the Emerald team, with Lodestone founders Lindsay Hubley and Jessica Kirchner joining Emerald’s management team and continuing to lead the Overland Expo series. The team will also oversee Emerald’s previously announced Outdoor Adventure X show—Emerald’s new consumer lifestyle event for the outdoor recreation enthusiast. Outdoor Adventure X will take place June 17–18 at Snowbasin Resort in Huntsville, Utah, the weekend preceding Outdoor Retailer’s business-to-business (B2B) summer show in Salt Lake City.

The acquisition of Overland Expo event series and daily digital content signifies another important step in Emerald’s portfolio optimization strategy: strengthening the company’s position in high-growth markets and expanding further into consumer events.

“We are passionate about gathering communities of enthusiasts to get trained, outfitted and inspired for their outdoor adventures, and are grateful to be partnering with Emerald, who are so strongly aligned with our business philosophy. We look forward to continuing to enhance the client and attendee event experience and 365-day digital content strategy with the Emerald team,” said Hubley.

Tread Lightly! Announces Memphis Audio, Trailstamp as Newest Official Partners

Tread Lightly! has announced Memphis Audio and Trailstamp as its newest official partners. As an official partner of Tread Lightly!, Memphis Audio and Trailstamp will support Tread Lightly!’s mission to protect off-road trail access and public lands through stewardship projects and responsible recreation education. In addition to the partnership, Trailstamp now offers a Tread Lightly! branded Trailstamp. For every purchase, $5 will be donated to Tread Lightly! To learn more about Tread Lightly!, visit www.treadlightly.org.

ARP Publishes New 2023 Catalog

ARP has just published its updated full-line catalog for 2023. The 180-page, full-color publication, details the 5,000-plus fastener kits manufactured by ARP, plus tech information. Several dozen pages are devoted to the science of fastener manufacturing and their proper use. In addition to the many kits covering engine, driveline and accessory fasteners, the catalog details the specialty products and tools that facilitate efficient engine assembly. The catalog can be view online, dowloaded as a PDF or a printed version requested at www.ARP-bolts.com. Special product guides for Chevy LS/LT, Ford Coyote or Chrysler Gen III Hemi engines are also available for downloading.

Dave Amato Joins Northern Radiator as Sales Manager

Dave Amato was recently named sales manager for Northern Radiator, a distribution-based supplier of cooling system components for heavy-duty truck, high-performance, automotive, industrial and other markets. Amato’s previous experience includes more than 25 years at Baldwin Filters Inc. in various sales and marketing leadership positions, including vice president of sales for the United States and Canada. Prior to joining Northern Radiator, he served as vice president of sales and marketing for Bulldog HD/DMA Sales. Amato brings a wealth of automotive, commercial and heavy-duty truck industry knowledge and sales leadership experience. In his new role, he will be focused on the continued growth of Northern’s overall sales and market share while offering best-in-class aftermarket parts programs and sales support to our customers.

Meguiar’s to Sponsor Barrett-Jackson Future Collector Car Show

Barrett-Jackson has announced that longtime partner Meguiar’s will be the presenting sponsor for the Future Collector Car Show (FCCS) held January 22 during the auction company’s 2023 Scottsdale Auction. For the first time, the Future Collector Car Show presented by Meguiar’s will be held on the Polo Field at WestWorld of Scottsdale as a part of Barrett-Jackson’s nine-day flagship event.

The FCCS presented by Meguiar’s is a one-day, family-friendly, concours-style event featuring vehicles that best represent the future of the collector car hobby, with the goal of celebrating the cars we love today and the future collectibles of tomorrow. At FCCS, spectators will enjoy a variety of vehicles ranging from highly modified custom builds to original and perfectly preserved rides, effectively creating an experience where generations of vehicle owners can find common ground in their love of future collectibles.

Prior to FCCS on January 22, judges will hand-pick the top cars for each category from the applications submitted. The target year range for featured vehicles is ’80 to present-day, with exceptions for vehicles that have seen recent increases in collectibility. The FCCS team will look for quality vehicles, highly modified enthusiast builds, rare or low-production number cars and unique or uncommon vehicles. Every vehicle entered in the show qualifies for the coveted Best of Show trophy, with other award categories that include a People’s Choice award selected by spectators on-site.

Admission to FCCS will provide access to the entire Barrett-Jackson event on Sunday, January 22, including access to auction cars on display, the Exhibitor Marketplace, sponsor displays, and Hot Laps and Thrill Rides on the Barrett-Jackson Performance Track. Visit FCCS.Barrett-Jackson.com for additional information on how to enter your vehicle, award categories, tickets and more.

AWE Launches New Mobile and Desktop Website, AWE-Tuning.com

AWE has launched its newest online experience, a fully mobile (and desktop) friendly website. The new website uses AWE’s newly converted ACES and PIES data to ensure fitment compliance and easy importing for its dealer-partner network.

“The new site is just warming up. Featuring mobile galleries of some of our favorite builds, a fully mobile-friendly browsing experience, and easy access to contacts, support, dealers, FAQs and more. Our goal is to make the simplest experience to get the best-sounding exhausts on the planet (and other leading AWE products),”  stated AWE Director of Software Development Will Stopa.

With the launch, AWE has stated that it is accepting applications for quality online retailers, brick-and-mortar shops and installers to be listed on their dealer map.

Shelby American Centennial Edition Mustangs

Shelby American is honoring the 100th anniversary of its founder’s birth with a small run of Centennial Edition Mustangs. Only 100 of the ’23-model-year supercharged Carroll Shelby Centennial Edition Mustangs will be available through Shelby American in Las Vegas, with a few available through official mod shops around the world. A prototype was unveiled in Gardena, California, last weekend, and the final production-ready version will be introduced at the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, starting this weekend.

“The world is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Carroll Shelby’s birth, recounting his many accomplishments,” said Joe Conway, CEO of Shelby American. “Though he had never flown before, he became one of the most skilled pilot instructors in the U.S. Army Air Force. Carroll never took a single management class, but created a successful team with some of the most talented drivers, development experts, fabricators and production people in the world. From his wins behind the wheel to his business successes and philanthropic initiatives, Carroll earned every victory.”

Based on the ’23 Ford Mustang GT, the new Carroll Shelby Centennial Edition Mustang is different from the Shelby Super Snake. Enthusiasts can choose a fastback or convertible with either a manual or automatic transmission. As a post-title program, any stock Ford Mustang color is accepted. Only 100 of the ’23 Centennial Edition Mustangs will be built by Shelby American in Las Vegas with a handful transformed by international mod shops. Consumers with a qualifying Ford Mustang GT can arrange to have their cars transformed by Shelby American or an official Shelby mod shop.

Each Carroll Shelby Centennial Edition Mustang includes membership in Team Shelby, the worldwide club Carroll Shelby established in 2008, and will be eligible for documentation in the official Shelby Registry. The package MSRP starts at $49,995, not including the base car. Production will begin in Las Vegas during the second quarter of the year and owners of a ’23 model year Ford Mustang can contact Shelby American about transforming their car into a Carroll Shelby Centennial Edition Mustang. Select dealers and Shelby mod shops worldwide also have access to the program.

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

This is the Corvette E-Ray completely undisguised before its official debut.

GM recently teased “stealth mode” for the E-Ray, and a few weeks ago, the online configurator leaked showing every angle of the E-Ray (virtually), but this is our first real look at the actual E-Ray on the road (note that a competitor sent out an overseas Z06 claiming it was the E-Ray undisguised).

Although this E-Ray carries a Z06 badge, it’s just a placeholder for where the E-Ray badge will actually sit. Taking a look at the E-Ray, it will be almost indistinguishable from the Z06, the only true giveaway will be the exhaust setup. In the United States, the E-Ray will be easier to recognize because of Z06’s center-mounted exhaust setup, but in Europe and other overseas markets, you’ll really have to give it a double take or crank up your beltone for that exhaust note.

Looking at the exhaust tips on the E-Ray, you’ll notice that they’re very familiar. That’s because the E-Ray will share an exhaust setup with the Stingray. Both the Stingray and the E-Ray will make use of the LT2 V8, and therefore, share the same Tenneco exhaust system.

As announced by GM, the rest of the details on the E-Ray will be announced shortly.

Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde

 

 By Douglas McColloch

Since its inauguration in 2013, SEMA Launch Pad has been the specialty-equipment industry’s ultimate competition for aspiring and established entrepreneurs to introduce their products to a worldwide audience.

The 2022 Launch Pad finalists (from left) Susan Pieper, DMOS; Frank Terlep, Auto Techcelerators LLC; Jake Hawksworth, Hypercraft; Dustin Golat, Thread Wizard; and Kevin Robinson, TRAC LLC.

For 2022, the tenth annual SEMA Launch Pad competition attracted a record-high number of applications. From these, 15 semifinalists were chosen by a panel of industry experts. After a day of oral presentations and product demonstrations at the SEMA Garage in Diamond Bar, California, five contestants were chosen to advance to the finals, held last November at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. We briefly recapped the event in last month’s issue, but for 2022, we decided to expand our print coverage to include a spotlight on each of the five finalists. What follows, edited for clarity and length, is a profile of each contender and a look at the unique products they’ve brought to life—all in their own words.

Jake Hawksworth

Hometown: Provo, Utah
Job Title, Company: CEO, Hypercraft
Product: Modular vehicle battery systems

SEMA News: What’s your latest project? What’s in your driveway/garage/studio, etc.?

Jake Hawksworth: When I went into this business a year and a half ago, full-time, I sold my ’65 Falcon four-door wagon. It had a 347 stroker in it, and it was my passion project, but I sold it to focus on the business side. So currently, no projects.

SN: Tell us a bit about your background: Where you grew up, how you got into the industry, and how many years you’ve been in it.

JH: Most of my kind of school years were spent in Arizona. I was big into mountain biking. My parents were entrepreneurs and my grandparents owned a manufacturing company in Minnesota. So after high school, I moved to Minnesota and got involved in manufacturing for powersports and eventually that got me into product design and development. That’s how I spent 15 years of my early career, and that’s led me to today, which is just a passion for emerging markets, new technology and developing products that fit within gaps in the industry.

SN: What was the inspiration/motivation for your product?

JH: The original inspiration was developing an electric vehicle. And the problem we had was that there are really no good powertrains for it unless you want to take parts out of an existing vehicle like a Tesla. We wanted more of a ground-up, bespoke powertrain system and we couldn’t find it, so we ended up starting to design it and doing it in-house. And that’s what’s led us to where we are today. Now, we’re 100% focused on powertrains only and we support vehicle builders and manufacturers instead.

SN: How long did it take to develop your product? Were there any difficulties you had to work through?

JH: Well, the product is in a constant state of development because technology is evolving and changing and we will continually develop with it. But on this specific design, we’ve spent the last nine months in R&D and testing it. Now we have it in some vehicle platforms, and we’ll continue to design it even further and we’ll work on scaling the manufacturing of it.

SN: What have you learned from the Launch Pad experience that you hadn’t known before? What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?

JH: We’re an EV company in an industry that’s been really dominated by internal combustion. And instead of people being hostile to us, they’ve been really encouraging. And the judges have been the same way—their positivity has just been amazing for us. They’ve been happy to help us along the way and hear what our problems are and to be a part of the solution.

SN: If you should win the competition, what do you plan to do with the money?

JH: The money is going to be invested right back into the product itself, and that will include some of the sales and marketing and continuing to show up to events like the SEMA Show and to get our product out there.

SN: What advice would you give to folks who are thinking about competing in the future?

JH: There’s no downside to trying. We had no idea if we were a good fit for a program like this, so we decided to enter and we just put our best foot forward, and we’re here in the top five. So I would say my best advice is, don’t think twice. Just enter and go for it.

SN: When you’re not at work, where will we find you, and what will you be doing?

JH: If I’m not working, I’m with my family. I have a wife and two young daughters, and we’re probably going to be up in the mountains in Utah camping or just out with our dogs. So just having family time.

Frank Terlep

Hometown: Poway, California
Job Title & Company: CEO, Auto Techcelerators LLC
Product: Test Drive CoPilot

SN: What’s your latest project? What’s in your driveway/garage/studio, etc.?

Frank Terlep: My latest project is a mobile app where a user can scan a VIN barcode or QR code and they will be presented with every ADAS system, component, component location, required calibration, what triggers the required calibration, and the app delivers OEM repair procedures, OEM position statements, ADAS videos and more.

SN: Tell us a bit about your background: Where you grew up, how you got into the industry, and how many years you’ve been in it.

FT: I grew up on the south side of Chicago and joined the Army out of high school. After my three years in the military, I attended Southern Illinois University, where I first started my auto career in their auto technology and management program. I’ve been actively working in the automotive industry since 1979 where I started as a brake and alignment technician at a Kmart auto center. I started my first company in 1985 when my partner and I raised $100,000 from an angel investor and designed and developed one of the first business management software systems for the auto aftermarket.

SN: What was the inspiration/motivation for your product?

FT: During my time as the CTO of asTech, we performed remote scanning and calibrations and at the bottom of every scan/calibration report we would tell the shop to perform a “proper test drive.” The problem was that the company never told the shops how to properly perform the “test drive,” i.e., what were the OEM validation procedures to ensure the ADAS systems operated as they were supposed to. Today, as far as we know, Test Drive CoPilot is the only platform in the world that helps the automotive aftermarket properly perform and document post-customization, repair and/or calibration of ADAS-equipped vehicles.

SN: How long did it take to develop your product? Were there any difficulties you had to work through?

FT: We started to design and develop Test Drive CoPilot in September 2019. We introduced a prototype to the industry in late February 2020. We all know what happened in March of 2020. COVID set us back almost two years, and almost bankrupted the company!

SN: What have you learned from the Launch Pad experience that you hadn’t known before? What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?

FT: I learned that if you want to win, you need to play the game. I was hesitant to send in the initial video but because of that and being passionate about my invention, here I am—a finalist! The best piece of advice? Be yourself!

SN: If you should win the competition, what do you plan to do with the money?

FT: The first thing I will do is take Sue, my wife of 41 years, to dinner to thank her for her support and patience during the design, creation and launch of Test Drive CoPilot. The remainder of the money will be spent on PR and marketing to make sure all aspects of the auto aftermarket industry know how they can benefit from our test platform.

SN: What advice would you give to folks who are thinking about competing in the future?

FT: Go for it! If you believe in your automotive-related product or service, you need to let the world know about it, and SEMA Launch Pad is one of the best ways to get your product/service the PR and exposure it needs to become successful.

SN: When you’re not at work, where will we find you, and what will you be doing?

FT: I typically work 70–80 hours per week, but I also try to find 90–150 min. per day to exercise, workout and run or ride a bike. I also golf once or twice per week, but my handicap does not reflect all the time I spend trying to figure out the crazy game of golf.

Dustin Golat

Hometown: Fairbanks, Alaska
Job Title & Company: CEO, GolaTTaylor Tools LLC
Product: Thread Wizard Bolt Cleaner

SN: What’s your latest project? What’s in your driveway/garage/studio, etc.?

Dustin Golat: My daily driver is nothing special, a Nissan Rogue I picked up after someone T-boned my Subaru. Working in car sales for my other job, you definitely learn not to fall in love with iron, so things pass through my hands a lot. Just got rid of an SRT-8 6.1 and am currently with a ’17 Roush GT Premium.

SN: Tell us a bit about your background: Where you grew up, how you got into the industry, and how many years you’ve been in it.

DG: I have a background in production, but I feel like this is more a question about Gary Taylor, the tool’s inventor. Gary was from Port Huron, Michigan, where we manufacture our tool. Gary entered the workforce at 13 and started out in a junkyard but quickly moved to the Ford plant that employed his father and grandfather. Gary spent 50 years in the business, right until the time he passed away. He spent more than 45 of those years as a mechanic of one kind or another, working for almost every American car manufacturer at one point.

SN: What was the inspiration/motivation for your product?

DG: Gary’s inspiration came from two incidents. The first was a bolt being taken out of Gary’s hands and fired toward his face by a wire wheel on a bench grinder, narrowly missing him. The second incident involved his son Tony. An individual wire came loose out of the wire wheel as it was spinning and lodged itself into his eye after making it between his face and safety glasses. Between the two, Gary asked himself, “Why are we still cleaning bolts this way?”

SN: How long did it take to develop your product? Were there any difficulties you had to work through?

DG: The design came to Gary pretty much as you see it in the finished product. The development time of about a year to prototype was mostly twofold. Getting the exact placements of the holes, the right steel for the wire wheel and such being part of it. The other was sourcing quality U.S.-made parts and raw materials while also trying to keep costs down.

SN: What have you learned from the Launch Pad experience that you hadn’t known before? What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?

DG: Business is a cold, hard world and you kind of get used to that reality, so it caught me off guard and warmed my heart to meet the judges and experience their desire to help others. I’d met Chip [Foose] before and thought he was a great guy, but this experience only drove that home. Both Myles [Kovacs] and Alex [Parker] gave me invaluable insight about taking marketing in-house despite not coming from that background.

SN: If you should win the competition, what do you plan to do with the money?

DG: Advertising would be one of the biggest things that prize money would help fund. Even with the internet, it can be tough trying to get word out about a brand-new tool. For us, getting it out there so people know it exists is the most crucial hurdle to long-term success.

SN: What advice would you give to folks who are thinking about competing in the future?

DG: Do it! Really, do not hesitate or think twice. I had no idea what a great experience it would be on both a personal and business level. Meeting my fellow competitors was very exciting. Each of them brought something different but top-tier to the table, and it was wonderful getting to spend some time with such innovative and hard-working people.

SN: When you’re not at work, where will we find you, and what will you be doing?

DG: 99% of the time I’ll be doing something family-related with my wife and kids. We like to go out from time to time but are usually at home playing games, making food or watching movies. The winter in Fairbanks is pretty cold, but you’ll find us having cocoa at the Santa Claus House and playing table games over hot coffee drinks.

Susan Pieper

Hometown: Kettering, Ohio
Job Title & Company: Founder and CEO, DMOS Collective Inc. dba DMOS Pro Shovel Tools
Product: The Delta and Stealth Mobility Shovels

SN: What’s your latest project? What’s in your driveway/garage/studio, etc.?

Susan Pieper: My latest project is building out my ’21 2500 4x4 Mercedes Sprinter Van. I want to create YouTube videos documenting the build as I know there are a lot of people who will be interested in seeing how I think through the design decisions and create something that is not like a Class A RV but more like an industrial chic garage, which allows for gear change-up based on seasonality.

SN: Tell us a bit about your background: Where you grew up, how you got into the industry, and how many years you’ve been in it.

SP: As a boat owner, I’ve sailed 10,000 ocean miles and bought everything at West Marine three times (I like to say). I’ve worked in other people’s startups after earning an MBA, but automotive is actually the newest dimension for me. Since starting DMOS, I’ve done the Rebelle Rally four times and built out a ’16 Toyota 4Runner as well as a ’17 Jeep JK. I’ve built out our DMOS Show trailer, a 12-ft. Stealth Titan Trailer that is finished in the inside, and now I’m working on my van.

SN: What was the inspiration/motivation for your product?

SP: My son was the inspiration for our shovels. My son, who’s now a pro snowboarder, was breaking his lawn and garden store shovels. I recognized that he and others needed a pro-quality tool that had purpose-built heads and was virtually indestructible and portable so he could carry it into the backcountry to build the perfect jump. DMOS was born out of this recognition and has since sold over 27,000 shovels.

SN: How long did it take to develop your product? Were there any difficulties you had to work through?

SP: It took me about a year to develop our first shovel. The hardest part was the marketing, where we had to pick a market segment and speak to it. We picked backcountry skiers and snowboarders and even got an endorsement from Travis Rice. It was hard in the following two years to pivot out of that very narrow niche, but our breakthrough moment was in 2018 when we went to our first Overland Expo in Flagstaff, Arizona.

SN: What have you learned from the Launch Pad experience that you hadn’t known before? What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?

SP: The SEMA Launch Pad is an incredible experience. I’m grateful SEMA decided to do it, and I truly admire all of the judges who not only bring their A-game to the competition. The best piece of advice I’ve received was from Myles Kovacs who told me to “Bustle—not just hustle.” What I took by that is that bustle is making something happen whereas hustle is just working hard. He takes a “no prisoners” outlook on achieving results and I do, too.

SN: If you should win the competition, what do you plan to do with the money?

SP: We are very clear that we need to invest in sales. We have great products and, to grow sales, we need to invest in growing our wholesale business with the displays and packaging that they need as well as we need to further invest in expanding our product line into related tools and storage products to make your shovels and other essential recovery gear “always at hand and never in the way.”

SN: What advice would you give to folks who are thinking about competing in the future?

SP: Just enter Launch Pad! It is an awesome competition, program and group of passionate entrepreneurs, and I can think of no better way to grow than to put your hat in the ring next June and enter Launch Pad. Don’t ask yourself ‘if.’ Just say, why not me? And go for it!

SN: When you’re not at work, where will we find you, and what will you be doing?

SP: When not at work, you’ll find me off-roading, overlanding, mountain biking, fly fishing or, in the winter, backcountry snowboarding and ski touring. For me, movement is life and I live the DMOS vibe.

Kevin Robinson

Hometown: Brighton, Colorado
Job Title: President/Owner
Product/Company: TRAC Tire Rotation Assistance Cart

SN: What’s your latest project? What’s in your driveway/garage/studio, etc.?

Kevin Robinson: Currently I am working on my ’06 Jeep LJ. We stretched out the axles to increase the wheelbase and added some aluminum armor and ORI struts. I have had this for a little over five years, and it has come a long way.

SN: Tell us a bit about your background: Where you grew up, how you got into the industry, and how many years you’ve been in it.

KR: I grew up in New Jersey. I’ve always had a passion for unique cars and trucks and have been through a fair share of them through the years. I then moved to Florida to get a pilot’s license. My career paths changed, and I moved to Colorado in 1996 when I started my new career in automotive paintless dent repair. I still repair door dings and hail cars to this day. I also still go boating, motorcycling, Jeeping, and have the passion to be outdoors.

SN: What was the inspiration/motivation for your product?

KR: The motivation for the Tire Jack came from needing a solution in the industry to provide safety in the shop, whether it be at home or in the professional workplace. Now more people can benefit from the use of this tool. I even saw a small female try to pick up a tire at one of our shows. The tire weighed more than her. When she used the tool, she was able to do the task. Her father was impressed and bought the Tire Jack and told her she can now do the tires on the family vehicle.

SN: How long did it take to develop your product? Were there any difficulties you had to work through?

KR: Development is always still in progress. Our team came to us with the idea, and we then made a few changes for more leverage and to this day we are still doing some refinements. Even for such a simple tool, there can always be changes. The most challenging part of this is how to get it out to the masses and to get them to understand its benefits. Once it is seen, people get it and want it.

SN: What have you learned from the Launch Pad experience that you hadn’t known before? What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?

KR: Launch Pad has opened doors to some people in the industry that I would have never thought I would have access to—the judges and their input and expertise. Their advice is real-world and can make a big impact to one’s business. I had one judge mentor me through a licensing agreement with a new distributor. Without the help, I may not have gotten such a good deal in the agreement.

SN: If you should win the competition, what do you plan to do with the money?

KR: If I win for the TRAC Tire Jack, I plan on building my inventory and doing way more advertising. Currently, when we do a show, we sell the product easily and people are learning the brand, but we need to be in front of a much larger audience to make a change in the industry. Advertising will do just that.

SN: What advice would you give to folks who are thinking about competing in the future?

KR: Don’t think you won’t get in. Submit your idea, and go for it! I had a guy stop by my booth last year with an idea. I loved it and told him to enter. He did and he made it to the top 15! He’s Robert Carale, the founder of the Airflex Automatic Tire Inflator.

SN: When you’re not at work, where will we find you, and what will you be doing?

KR: When I am not at work I will most likely be with the family and friends at the lake or doing a 500-mi. day-trip motorcycle ride in the Colorado Rockies. We enjoy going to the Bronco games and visiting with family in the mountains. We are a very busy and active family with twin boys attending their second year of college.

Launch Pad 2023: How to Enter

Launch Pad is open only to legal residents of the United States and the District of Columbia age 18 years or older (residents of Alabama and Nebraska must be 19 or older) and who have a valid email address. Applicants need not be SEMA members. The presenter must be the business’ owner, its leading executive (i.e., president, CEO, CFO, COO) or vice president. The business must offer a product or service that is a functioning prototype, a functioning concept or a production model currently for sale.

For more information, visit www.sema.org/sema_launchpad.

  By Douglas McColloch

The four class winners of this year’s SEMA Battle of the Builders competition will be highlighted along with other featured builders in a new TV special, “SEMA: Battle of the Builders, Presented by Mothers High Performance Car Care” scheduled to debut on A+E Networks’ FYI and History’s Drive block Saturday, January 28, at 9:00 a.m. (EST). Check your local station listings for additional broadcast details.

The Ringbrothers celebrated their win at 2022 Battle of the Builders Presented by Mothers Polishes.

For 2022, the Battle of the Builders competition was fine-tuned to reflect changes in the customization space and to encourage greater diversity in the field of entrants. The Hot Rod category was modified to include street trucks for the first time, and the Truck/Off-Road category was altered to Four-Wheel Drive/Off-Road. The Sport-Compact category was expanded to include Import Performance, Luxury and Exotic vehicles, and the age limit for the The Young Guns competition was bumped up from 27 to 29 years old.

A panel of industry experts assessed all the entrants and narrowed down the field of more than 200 entries to a Top 40 (10 in each category) before selecting the top 12 builds overall.

The top 12 finalists are listed below.

BOTB finalists’ vehicles were on display throughout SEMA Show week inside North Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Top 12 Finalists:

Hot Rod/Hot Rod Truck

• Mike Ring/Ringbrothers–’48 Chevrolet Loadmaster pickup
• Tim Devlin–’34 Chevrolet roadster
• Tyler Nelson–’58 Ford F100

Sport Compact, Import Performance, Luxury and Exotic

• CJ Pullman–’77 Ford Pinto
• Shawn Bassett–’91 Nissan Skyline GT-R
• TJ Russell–’91 Porsche 911 Baja

4-Wheel Drive/Off-Road

• Cody Dabney–’70 Ford F-250
• Greg Ward–’71 Toyota FJ40 Landcruiser
• Jim Ring/Ringbrothers–’72 Chevrolet K5 Blazer

Young Guns

• Austin Phipps–’66 Chevrolet Nova
• Cameron Cocalis–’15 Scion FR-S
• Josh Michels–’66 Chevrolet Corvette

The Top 12 finalists for the 2022 Battle of the Builders prepared to make their presentations on the competition’s concluding day. The competition will be aired on A+E Network’s FYI and History Channel’s Drive block in January 2023.

The 12 finalists themselves then took over judging duties for the competition and named Ringbrothers the overall winner. Besides the Ringbrothers, whose vehicles were both class winners, other notables include TJ Russell, who captured the Sport Compact class with his ’91 Porsche 911 Baja, and 21-year-old Josh Michels, who took the Young Guns category with his ’66 Chevy Corvette.

We’ll have full-length features on each of the Top 12 BOTB finalists in the March issue of SEMA News.

For more information about the 2022 competition or the SEMA Young Guns program, visit www.semashow.com/botb/, www.semayoungguns.com or SEMA’s YouTube channel.

Are you hunting for a new job? The SEMA Career Center has a comprehensive listing of automotive-related job openings around the country. Here are some of the latest jobs posted to the website.

Latest Jobs Added to SEMA Career Center

Fabricator and Damper Technician
KW Automotive North America Inc.

KW Automotive North America Inc. is hiring a fabricator and damper technician responsible for the fabrication of damper components, the production of sub-assemblies, major assemblies, component validation and damper tuning. In addition, they will be responsible for helping the motorsports product team complete daily, weekly and monthly projects that are assigned to them by the damper department manager. These projects will pertain to the fabrication and construction of custom or motorsports related products, as well as low-level department operational tasks. An associate or bachelor’s degree in industrial technology, automotive or manufacturing is preferred.

Customer Service Representative
Fox Factory Inc.

Fox Factory Inc. is hiring a customer service representative to support its sales department with processing distributor and e-commerce orders and daily follow-up of any issues with shortages and tracking related to these orders. This position will also be responsible for managing the sales portion of returns. More than four years’ experience in the automotive field is preferred, coupled with working front line with customers.

Lead Installer Shop Foreman
California Custom Sport Trucks

California Custom Sport Trucks is hiring an experienced lead installer shop foreman responsible for the installation of aftermarket accessories, including performance upgrades, superchargers, lift and lowering kits and performance wheels and tires on domestic, European and exotic vehicles. Candidates must be ASC certified, have a clean driving record and at least 10 years’ mechanical experience on domestic vehicles with some experience in the automotive aftermarket.