Show Daily - Sema

The Future of Racing and
Performance Explored
From left: Jamie Allison, director of Ford Racing; Jim Campbell, General Motors U.S. vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports;
Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR senior vice president of Competition; John Waraniak, SEMA vice president of vehicle technology; and
Ralph Gilles head of Chrysler Design and the SRT Group were among the featured speakers during the Racing and Performance Forum
panel discussion at the 2012 SEMA Show’s Vehicle Technology Center.
The Racing and Performance Forum
panel session, held on the opening day
of the SEMA Show in the Vehicle
Technology Center, included speakers
from NASCAR and three major
OEM motorsports organizations. Professional
racing driver, stunt driver
and television host Tanner Foust
was also on hand, as well as Brian
Gale, co-founder of Global Rallycross.
The entertaining forum attracted a
packed house and focused on today’s
challenges and the future of racing
and performance.
The group addressed a number of
issues facing racing today, including
the impact of advanced technologies
and tighter federal emissions and fuel-
4 SEMA Show Daily
efficiency standards on the racing and
performance market, and discussed
how these standards might affect racing
in the near future. Another issue
regarding Gen Y’s lack of interest in
cars affecting racing and performance
was taken up by the group. Each
spokesperson showed video designed
to interest youthful enthusiasts in racing
and talked about how their organization
is working to stay relevant to
younger racing fans.
Finally, “Does winning on Sunday
still translate to selling on Monday?”
The highly placed leaders on
hand talked about their organization’s
strategies to make good things happen
in showrooms based on the motor-
sports programs they head. The panel
discussion also turned to how best
to support existing series, such as
NASCAR, and new series, such as
Global Rallycross (GRC).
GRC connects with the urban,
metropolitan and youth-orientated
approach of ESPN’s X Games. The
fusing of GRC and X Games has been
a catalyst for many action sports athletes
migrating from other sports to
motorsports and provides an excellent
platform for making small cars cool.
NASCAR Green is growing stronger
and faster than ever and has made
significant environmental improvements
and technological advancements
in sustainability.
Rampage Products,
Innovative Marketing
Services Work
Together to Expand
Territory
Rampage Products headquarters in
Corona, California.
Rampage Products has announced
a territory expansion with Innovative
Marketing Services (IMS) into Western
Canada and the U.S. Mountain
States region. Innovative Marketing
Services previously just covered the
western coastal region of the United
States for Rampage. “Being that both
of our firms are mutually dynamic,
and Innovative Marketing services has
worked very hard in continuing to
expand its sales force and market area
coverage at the same time that Rampage
Products has done the same, it
was a natural fit for our respective
companies to work together on this
enhanced opportunity,” stated Dave
Williams, vice president of sales for
Rampage Products. “We look forward
to managing and growing our business
with IMS in this expanded territory.”
Check out
Rampage Products
Located in Upper South Hall
Booth #33161
Pick Up Your
Banquet Tickets!
The SEMA Industry Awards Banquet will be held Thursday, November 1,
and is open to all SEMA Showgoers. The evening starts with a cocktail hour at
6:00 p.m., followed by the dinner and awards ceremony at 7:30 p.m. The
program will end at 10:00 p.m. Tickets for the event are $50.
Highlights include a rare performance by renowned comedian and fellow
gearhead Christopher Titus. Michael Grimm, 2010 winner of “Americas
Got Talent,” will perform during the banquet’s cocktail reception—which
will be extended from 6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m. and take place outside on the
Las Vegas Hotel’s garden patio—and After-Party—which will feature live
music from 10:00 p.m.–11:30 p.m. inside the Banquet Hall.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Banquet ticket vouchers have been mailed
to Show attendees who have ordered tickets. The voucher is
not a ticket. Banquet tickets MUST be picked up in person at
the Association Center in the Grand Lobby of the SEMA Show.
Ticket vouchers can be redeemed today until 12:00 p.m. Call
909-978-6682 for instructions.