Filler for eNews

SEMA manufacturing members are invited to join Ford in Dearborn, Michigan, for the Ford Measuring Session featuring the 2009 Ford Flex, F-150 and Lincoln MKS. This is the event where you can gather the measurements, photos and information needed to get your products ready outfit these vehicles when they hit the streets later this year.

  
Ford F-150  

Ford Flex

The Measuring Session is scheduled for Tuesday–Thursday, April 22–24, at the Ford Conference and Event Center in Dearborn, Michigan. To register, access the writable PDF available by clicking here. The deadline to register is Friday, April 11. Photos of the vehicles are available at www.ford.com and www.fordflex.com.

For more information on this and other upcoming SEMA Measuring Sessions, contact Bill Wolf at billw@sema.org or 909/396-0289, ext. 177.

To help installers prepare for the SEMA Installer Certification exams, the association teamed up with E&G Classics and Webasto Product North America to present an interactive, hands-on ASE A6 Training & Preparation Workshop. The workshop is set for Saturday, April 5, 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., at E&G Classics in Columbia, Maryland. The ASE A6 exam is a key component of the SEMA Installer Certification Program, and this workshop will cover electrical systems, troubleshooting and repair, battery testing, gauges, alternator circuits and alternators, circuits and circuit testing and much more.

The workshop is $25 per person. Space is limited, and pre-registration is required. The registration fee includes Continental breakfast, lunch and training manual, plus a $20 coupon valid for any SEMA Accessory Certification Exam (Z1–Z4) through November 2008.

Registration closes Friday, March 21, 2008. To register, use the registration form located here. For program and hotel information, call 909/396-0289, ext. 158.

Elite sales professionals know the tactics needed to establish credibility and how to deliver on high expectations while maintaining profitable relationships with customers. The pros know how to provide customers with reasons to buy now, one of the biggest challenges in sales.

To learn the tips the pros use, tune in to "Dale Carnegie's How to Sell Like a Pro! Part 1." The webinar session will teach you what the pros know and provide you with techniques that can be put to use immediately.

Dale Carnegie's How to Sell Like a Pro! Part 1

When: Thursday, March 20

Speaker: Richard Bonar, Dale Carnegie

What You'll Learn

How to Participate 

• Click here to attend the live webcast the day of the webinar. NOTE: If you have not yet updated your Microsoft Live Meeting client on your computer, you may be prompted to do so before you can proceed to viewing the webinar through the link above. When prompted, please hit "Accept, Install, and Join" and then "Run". You can view the screenshot here.
  
  
• Download the presentation PDF (will be available several days before the webinar).
  
  
• Connect to the audio portion of the webinar by calling toll-free 866/637-2754, pin 1542.

• For more information, visit www.sema.org/webinar.

SEMA's Webinar Program
The SEMA webinar program brings the world-class business seminars featured during the SEMA Show Education Week right to your desktop. Different business-building sessions are constantly being added to the program, offering members the latest insight and practices from today’s leading speakers. All SEMA webinars are conducted live and are open to all employees of SEMA-member companies free of charge. To participate, all you need is a computer with Internet access and a telephone.

All previously conducted SEMA webinars are available to download anytime by clicking here. To view upcoming presentations that you can attend via the telephone and Internet, click here.

For additional information on the SEMA Webinar program, contact Pat Talaska-Benson at patt@sema.org.

Spy photog commander Brenda Priddy tell us that this is the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, still at least a year away from the showroom floor.

Code-named W212, the new E-Class will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Priddy says, and will copy the S-Class' wheel-arch extensions, rising character line below the door handles, massive bumpers and greenhouse. A more sculpted wide-frame grille, more geometric nasal air intakes and a wedge-shaped profile should give W212 a sportier stance, she adds.

The 2010 E-Class is also expected to include cutting-edge safety technology, including lane-departure warnings, an eye-movement monitor, traffic-sign identification, road-condition sensors, and stability control that accounts for crosswinds, camber changes and tire wear. Engine-wise, expect the usual V6 and V8 options, including a normally aspirated, 500+hp 6.3L V8 in the E63 AMG model.

Filler for eNews

A version of SEMA-model legislation that would create a vehicle registration classification for street rods and replica vehicles was approved by the Iowa House Transportation Committee and will soon be brought to the floor of the House for a vote by all members. The bill defines a street rod as an altered vehicle manufactured before 1949 or a vehicle designed to resemble a vehicle manufactured before 1949.

The bill defines a replica vehicle as a reproduction of an originally manufactured vehicle with the substitution or addition of parts to update the vehicle for purposes of safety, performance or reliability. The measure also allows street rods and replica vehicles to be assigned a registration designation bearing the same model year that the body of the vehicle resembles.

For more information, click here. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

BANKRUPT: Champ Car World Series LLC officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in United States Federal Court, March 5. Champ Car will stage its final event April 20 in Long Beach, California, and it intends to continue in the management and possession of its business and property as a debtor-in-possession until its assets can be sold off to pay creditors. The company’s debt is estimated at less than $10 million and its assets are thought to be between $10–$50 million.

HE’S OUT: Two weeks after showing grand enthusiasm at the prospects of joining the Indy Racing League, former Champ Car team owner Derrick Walker has closed the doors to his shop, the result of his sponsorship from Team Australia and investor Craig Gore electing not to return to the team.

ALL OVER: The International Race of Champions is officially finished. The assets of the organization, which featured 12 all-star drivers in identically prepared race cars were sold off over the weekend at the Tinton Falls, New Jersey, shop of Jay Signore, who has operated IROC for more than 20 years.

F-1 RETURN: Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials are hopeful Formula One will return to the speedway in 2009 as part of the 100th anniversary of the famed race track.

THE FIRST ONE: Toyota got its first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway when Kyle Busch led a one-two Toyota sweep with his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Tony Stewart finishing second.

POWER RANKINGS: Kyle Busch won two out of three NASCAR races last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and his victory in the Sprint Cup race was the first in the series for Toyota. Busch leads the standings in both series and also leads the National Speed Sport News Power Rankings, which are published weekly in the 74-year-old motorsports publication.

SUBSCRIBE: National Speed Sport News has been published weekly since 1934. To subscribe to National Speed Sport News, click on the following link for a special industry rate: www.nationalspeedsportnews.com/subscribe.html?pid=NQ%2BVfhkepT4%3D.

NEWS NUGGETS

NHRA POWERade SERIES MAKES THIRD STOP ON 2008 SCHEDULE; DRIVERS READY FOR GATORNATIONALS: The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series heads to Florida this weekend for the 39th annual ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals, the third race of the regular season in the 2008 Countdown to the Championship. Defending event winners Tony Schumacher, Ron Capps, Greg Anderson and Karen Stoffer will look to repeat at this legendary event. Pro Stock Motorcycle will also kick off the 2008 season and 12-race regular season in the Countdown to the Championship at this event.
    NHRA legend and Florida native “Big Daddy” Don Garlits will serve as the grand marshal for the race. Fans, racers and media alike will be greeted this year to some changes made to Gainesville Raceway, including a brand new tower that houses race control, offices and a state-of-the-art media center.
    The first round of qualifying begins Friday, March 14 at noon (EST), with the Finals starting at 11 a.m. (EST) Sunday. ESPN2 will air all the racing action beginning Sunday, March 16 with two hours of qualifying highlights at 1 a.m. (EST), then the finals at 6 p.m. (EST).
    To find team reports, review the entry lists, or to get more information on the 39th annual ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals, visit www.NHRA.com. 

NHRA DRIVERS RAISE $14,000 FOR CHARITY IN SONOMA: Stepping off of the dragstrip and on to the road course, drivers from the NHRA POWERade series, along with 40 lucky race fans, raised $14,000 at the sixth annual NHRA Tour de Charity held at the Infineon Raceway Karting Center. Top Fuel’s Rod Fuller and Cory McClenathan, as well as Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Matt Guidera, joined up with NHRA fans to race karts and raise money for Speedway Children’s Charities.
    “I’ve been to this event five of the six years, and it gets better each time,” McClenathan said. “Infineon Raceway does such a great job, and I love helping out the charity. It’s a great cause.”

CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY! DRAGWAY @ LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY PREPARES FOR SEPTEMBER EVENT: With grandstands being raised, grading completed on the starting line and excavations underway for the first of two pedestrian tunnels that will allow spectators to move from the Professional pit area to the Sportsman pit area, construction on The Dragway @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway continues in preparation of the inaugural NHRA Carolinas Nationals, September 11–14 in Charlotte. To see the latest construction photos, visit www.NHRA.com. 

COMING ATTRACTIONS

ACDELCO NHRA GATORNATIONALS, GAINESVILLE RACEWAY, MARCH 13–16: The Pro Stock Motorcycle category opens its 2008 season at the Gatornationals, annually one of the most popular stops on the NHRA POWERade Series tour. Defending event winners include: Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel); Ron Capps (Funny Car); Greg Anderson (Pro Stock); and Karen Stoffer (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

O’REILLY NHRA SPRING NATIONALS, HOUSTON RACEWAY PARK, MARCH 28–30: Drivers in all four categories in the POWERade Drag Racing Series will duel it out for a Texas win (at this fourth race in the regular season). Defending event winners include: J.R. Todd (Top Fuel); Ron Capps (Funny Car); Jason Line (Pro Stock); and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

SUMMITRACING.COM NHRA NATIONALS, THE STRIP AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, APRIL 10–13: The NHRA POWERade series travels to Sin City for the fifth event of the 2008 season. Defending event winners include: Brandon Bernstein (Top Fuel); Robert Hight (Funny Car); and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock).

HE SAID, SHE SAID

SHELL SHOCK: With the many changes that have occurred in Pro Stock Motorcycle during the off-season, many riders will be starting the 2008 season with new teams and on new bikes. One of those is 2007 third-place finisher Chip Ellis. Ellis will be competing this season for Don Schumacher racing, climbing aboard his Schumacher Electric Suzuki at this year's ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals. Ellis says that one of the biggest changes for him in 2008 has been getting used to his new surroundings in Indianapolis.
    “The facility here is unreal,” Ellis said, referring to the DSR shop. “We have pretty much unlimited resources as far as parts and the technology aspect of it goes. It’s awesome. The shop is so big; right now we have 13 trucks inside the building. Everybody just works like they were at the track—out of their trucks. It’s a real change for me.”

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

9: The most wins held by a single racer at Gainesville Raceway. Pro Stock’s Warren Johnson will look to add a 10th ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals win and 97th career win in his 526th start. Johnson’s last Gatornationals win came in 2000.

DRIVERS TELL ALL

WELCOMING ONE MORE TO THE TEAM: Top Fuel driver Antron Brown had more than just an exciting break between races as he and wife Billie Jo welcomed their third child, Adler Carson, Saturday, March 8, .
    “It was a beautiful experience to have our third child, Adler,” Brown said. “My wife Billie Jo is recovering well and Adler, our little eagle, is flying strong too. I want to thank everyone for all the well wishes and prayers.”

For more information, visit www.nhra.com.

Parrot Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Paris-based Parrot SA, appointed David Wenning to senior vice president of sales and marketing to further strengthen Parrot’s presence in the United States. Wenning spent the past two years leading U.S. operations for TomTom where he developed a 15-person sales team.  Prior to TomTom, he served as commercial vice president in charge of distribution channels at Palm and spent 12 years with Apple where he was responsible for sales to national retailers, such as Sears, Staples and Circuit City.

With Sebring less than a week away, Tiger Racing’s Paul Brown was brought in to pilot the No. 96 K&N Engineering Porsche 911 GT3 for the season opener. Brown has 44 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT series starts in his career, including 19 top-10s and five top-five finishes. For more information see www.world-challenge.com.

Paul Brown's No. 96 K&N Engineering Porsche 911 GT3
 
Federated Auto Parts expanded its relationship with NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Ken Schrader and Ken Schrader Racing for the 2008 season. Schrader will continue as the spokesperson for Federated Racing and Federated Car Care Centers, and Federated is also the Official Auto Parts Supplier of Ken Schrader Racing. Schrader will drive a Federated-sponsored vehicle in 2008 in selected NASCAR Nationwide Series, ARCA, Truck and Grand National West events designed to support Federated members in all regions of the country.

American dragstrips are dedicated to not only providing competitive racing programs for locals, but a way of showing high school kids the proper and safe place to racer—rather than on the street. Many tracks have successfully created and promoted youth racing programs. Flowmaster Mufflers has decided to help keep those programs going by creating its first-ever Flowmaster High School Safe Streets Drag Racing Program which began in February.
    The Flowmaster High School Drags will involve 30 tracks for 2008 reaching across the United States and provide special rewards to racers who win in weekly competition. Points will be earned by racing in a special Flowmaster-sponsored competition conducted by the track. Among the year-end racer rewards are a $1,000 U.S. Saving Bond, discounts on Flowmaster products, special Flowmaster apparel and trophies noting their accomplishments surrounding the racing season. For more information, visit www.flowmastermufflers.com or call 800/544-4761.

Mitchell 1 announced that it will hold this year’s first Shop Management System Training Workshop in Atlantic City, April 3–5, at the Sheraton Hotel Atlantic City Convention Center. The training workshop, designed for those who have been using Mitchell’s shop management system for six months or more, will guide users through advanced functionality in the OnDemand5 Manager system.
    Instructors will explore advanced setup, inventory, reporting, management and more, as well as integration with aftermarket cataloging and Customer Retention Marketing (CRM). For more information or to register for Mitchell 1’s management system training workshop, visit www.buymitchell1.com/form/m1users.htm. Registration deadline is Friday, March 21.

Design Engineering Inc. (DEI) reported that it acquired a new larger facility. The company expanded its manufacturing and warehouse operations and added a new research and development department and additional office space.

DEI's new facility 

Standard Motor Products Inc. (SMP) launched a new corporate website, www.smpcorp.com, to serve as a valuable resource for customers. The new site was completely redesigned to be user-friendly and easy to navigate. It contains valuable company and career information and industry information with direct links to helpful automotive and marketing group websites. The site also prominently features the new SMP corporate logo, which was redesigned to highlight the company’s global presence and its commitment to delivering automotive solutions.

AMSOIL announced that it partnered with Injen to launch a new line of co-branded AMSOIL/Injen Power-Flow series diesel air intake systems, which feature patent-pending Variable Induction Technology, diesel Power-Box and a dry media Ea nano-fiber technology air filter. More information at www.amsoil.com.