In 2012, the Eibach Group realized a longtime vision when the Eibach Asia Center, (EAC) situated in Eibach Springs Taicang Ltd., was established.

This now completes a circle, with the Eibach group having production on three continents and distribution on all five.

To celebrate this achievement, Eibach is inviting interested parties and guests to its inaugural Pacific Rim Conference in China, to be held September 13-16, 2013.

The program currently consists of:

September 13: Eibach Motorsports Forum at the China Auto Salon
September 14: China Auto Salon
September 15: China Auto Salon | Free Day
September 16: Eibach Pacific Rim Conference at Eibach Springs Taicang

In attendance will be, from Eibach Industries GmbH: Wilfried Eibach—Chairman, Julian Gill—CEO; Eibach China: Fong Yuen Wai—Managing Director, Benjamin Keogh—Director of Sales and Marketing, Conrado Avila—Technical Director Suspension + Motorsports, Frank Folgner—Plant Manager; Eibach Germany: Christof Schulte—International Sales Director Suspension; Eibach USA: Greg Cooley—President; Eibach Australia: Robert van Os—Managing Director; Eibach Japan: Dai Takewaki—Managing Director.

Topics for the Motorsports Forum include:

1. Wilfried Eibach, Chairman Eibach Group alongside Fong Yuen Wai, President of Eibach Asia Center:
Greeting and Opening Speech
2. John Waraniak, SEMA Vice President Vehicle Technology, Chief Moderator, assisted by Summer Xia Zi:
Race on Sunday Sell on Monday - from Racing to Performance Automotive Aftermarket
3. Xia Qing, CEO and Owner of 333 Shanghai Sai Sai Racing Club, Shanghai Volkswagen CTCC Racing,
Skoda China Rallye Championship, Promoter of CTCC:
Motorsports in China - today and future Perspectives
4. Vincent Wang, General Manager, STC: How to Become a Race Driver in China
5. Conrado Avila, Eibach China, Taicang, China - Director Engineering, Motorsports and Operations:
Suspension Fundamentals - from Racing to Street Performance
6. Julian Gill, CEO Eibach Group and Robert van Os, Managing Director of Eibach Australia:
The Automotive Performance Aftermarket worldwide and the Perspectives for China
7. Open discussion: Q&A with John Waraniak and Benjamin Keogh, General Manager Eibach Asia Center, assisted by Summer Xia Zi and Martin Xie
8. Summer Xia Zi and Benjamin Keogh: Close and Thank you

For additional information, visit www.eibach.com.

MSD Performance and the American Motor Racing Association (AMRA) recently announced a three-year alliance naming MSD as the Official Ignition of the race series.

This partnership has led to the creation of the AMRA/MSD Ironman Award: There will be two Ironman Awards given in the Modified Division and two in the Late Model Division, each earning a prize of $500.

“The AMRA racing series provides competitive, exciting racing, and MSD is looking forward to being the ignition of choice for the series,” said Phil Chacon of MSD Performance. “We are looking forward to the next three years working closely with the racers and supporting the Ironman awards for the Modifieds and Late Model classes.”

For more information on the complete line of MSD Performance ignitions and components, visit www.msdperformance.com. For more on the AMRA race series, go to www.amramodifieds.com.

Oliver Racing Parts, manufacturers of high-performance connecting rods, has teamed with Lucas Oil to provide Lucas Oil's Extreme Pressure Synthetic Grease with every set of Oliver's line of high-performance connecting rods.
 
Like Oliver's connecting rods, Lucas Oil Extreme Pressure Synthetic Grease is specifically suited for racing applications. Extreme Pressure Synthetic Grease features special bonding agents that create a lubricant film between moving metal surfaces, greatly reducing friction, according to the company. This lubricant film is formulated to withstand extreme heat and mechanical pressure to keep metal parts separated, protecting them from scoring and seizing, the company states.
 
"Our testing showed Lucas Oil Extreme Pressure Grease delivered more consistent torque specs than other lubricants," said Joseph Moch, president and CEO of Oliver Racing Parts, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2013. "Dependable results are critical to engine builders who are striving to reach the highest levels of engine performance."
 
"For years, Lucas Oil has been making terrific oils and greases for race teams, and now a lot of equipment manufacturers are realizing what the racers have known for a long time: that our products are the best on the market," said Forrest Lucas, founder of Lucas Oil Products Inc. "We're very happy to have Oliver Racing Parts supplying our Lucas Oil Extreme Pressure Synthetic Grease, a powerful lubricant that will perform perfectly with their I-Beam Connecting Rods."
 
In addition to including Extreme Pressure Synthetic Grease with every set of Oliver connecting rods, Lucas Oil lubricants will be used exclusively in the Oliver Racing Parts factory during assembly of every Oliver connecting rod.
 
Oliver's I-Beam connecting rods, manufactured in the United States from American mill-certified aircraft-quality steel, feature the company's exclusive "Parabolic Beam" design that delivers the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any connecting rod in the industry, according to Oliver.
 
Oliver connecting rods are used in a wide variety of racing applications, including the Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League, late models on dirt and asphalt, 410 sprints, 360 sprints, modifieds, drag racing, offshore, tractor pulling, monster trucks, Baja off-road racing, land speed racing at the Bonneville Salt Flats and more.

Made In The USA: While in Charlotte, North Carolina, for PRI's Annual Industry Reception, we had the opportunity to visit several area speed shops, engine builders and fabricators, as well as a handful of racing product/equipment manufacturers. Our travels brought us first to Racing Electronics, where President and CEO Bruce Silver and Director of Motorsports Communication Services Kevin Hughes gave us a personalized tour of their stunning 18,000-square-foot Concord facility.

Perhaps most impressive, however, was the fact that Racing Electronics in the last three years has brought nearly all of its operations, including R&D, customer service and production—plastic injection, stamping, over-molding, etc.—back under one roof.

"A decade ago you couldn't afford to do these things stateside," said Silver, "but now we're doing almost everything in-house. We've created six to eight new jobs in North Carolina, and that's something we're very proud of. My thinking was, 'If we can do it here, let's do it here.' So yes, economically it's worked out better, and you can't beat the quality control and turnaround times. But it's also a real point of pride for us."

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Spirit Of Racing: Speaking of North Carolina, if there's one asphalt short track in the country that every race fan should put on his/her bucket list, it's Bowman Gray Stadium. In fact, PRI Senior Art Director Scott Crawford and I were fortunate enough to experience the historic Winston-Salem venue one recent evening.

The place is steeped in racing lore, with names like Junior Johnson, Richard Petty and Bobby Allison among its alumni. And on this night—a day before the Coca-Cola 600 in nearby Charlotte—none other than NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip and Fox Sports announcer Mike Joy brought added star power to the pre- and post-race ceremonies. Meantime, the program itself ran like clockwork (races on schedule, little to no downtime in between), which speaks directly to President Gray Garrison and his outstanding staff.

We were equally struck by the tremendous dedication of Bowman Gray's drivers, crew and fans. As one team member of the No. 75 and No. 77 modifieds explained when the conversation turned to cost: "It's simple, really. We'd sell our blood to do this—that's how important racing is to us."

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Award Season At PRI: We're extremely proud to report that one of our longtime contributors, Bill Sessa, was recently recognized by the American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) for a feature article that appeared in the November 2012 issue of Performance Racing Industry magazine.

Sessa's outstanding profile of Kear's Speed Shop in Tiffin, Ohio, earned him a spot on the podium (3rd place) in the Magazine Feature Writing category of the annual AARWBA contest. He was formally honored at the association's awards breakfast in Indianapolis, Indiana, in late May.

Said Sessa of the distinction: "I've met so many people all over the country who are passionate about racing. Even though the PRI Retailer Profiles are about business, they also allow that passion to shine through to the readers. I've known Shirley Kear for years, and I don't think anyone is more dedicated or passionate about sprint cars. That made the story a personal pleasure to write, and made me appreciate the award all the more."

Congratulations, from all of us, on this well-deserved honor.

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Passages: A pair of industry pioneers who left us in recent weeks will be remembered for their lasting contributions to motorsports. Harvey Crane Jr. Founded Crane Engineering (Crane Cams) in 1953. By the mid 1960s, Crane Cams had become the largest manufacturer of aftermarket camshafts in the US. Harvey Crane was 81.

Among drag racing innovators, few had a more profound impact than Walt Arfons, who is credited with building the first jet-engine dragster, as well as adapting parachutes as braking mechanisms. Walt Arfons was 96.

Known for more than 50 years as the “Dean of American Motorsports,” the late journalist and broadcaster Chris Economaki was recently named the third recipient of the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence.

Economaki will be honored during NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony festivities on Jan. 29, 2014 and featured in an exhibit in the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C.
 
Economaki, who died last year at age 91, was the editor, publisher and columnist for National Speed Sport News for more than 60 years, a weekly racing publication he began selling at race tracks at the age of 14. He began his television broadcast career with ABC in 1961 and with CBS Sports helped make the Daytona 500 one of racing’s marquee events.
 
Economaki was among eight nominees voted upon by a panel comprised of NASCAR and NASCAR Hall of Fame executives, journalists, public relations representatives and former drivers. The Squier-Hall Award was created in 2012 to honor the contributions of media to the success of the sport.  Legendary broadcasters Ken Squier and Barney Hall, for whom the award is named, were its initial recipients.
 
The son of a Greek immigrant who was born in Brooklyn but spent most of his life in Connecticut, Economaki participated in the growth of automobile racing from its pre-World War II small-town and county fair circuits. He worked at the sport’s grassroots, alongside many historic promoters – including NASCAR founder Bill France – and went on to cover most of the 20th and 21st centuries’ greatest figures.
 
Economaki’s National Speed Sport News “three-dot” column was a weekly must-read throughout the motorsports industry. He eschewed technology for decades, hammering out his copy on an old, manual typewriter while others in the media centers tapped on computer keyboards. Few, however, matched Economaki’s insights – or his many reliable sources.
 
He appeared in several racing-themed motion pictures and was part of the CBS broadcast team that won a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Special (the 1987 Daytona 500). He was awarded the 1990 NASCAR Award of Excellence and NASCAR Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998.

Economaki is a member of several halls of fame including the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, the American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) Hall of Honor, Eastern Motorsports Press Association (EMPA) Hall of Fame and the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Hall of Fame.

G-Force Racing Gear and Charlotte Motor Speedway recently signed a multi-year Marketing Agreement to continue recognition of G-Force Racing Gear as the “Official Safety Apparel of Charlotte Motor Speedway.”

The agreement, originated in 2008, will extend the partnership an additional five years, into 2018. It includes increased signage at the facilities and a business office on the premises for G-Force, and continuation of the safety equipment program for the CMS track crews.

G-Force has a permanent office on the third floor of the iconic Charlotte Motor Speedway Smith Tower main office building. The office was established in 2008 to research and develop new opportunities with local, area and national competitors and regional businesses. Don Stodola will continue working directly from the Charlotte Motor Speedway business office.

“The Concord location is important for our business as it offers visibility and accessibility in the hub of motorsports activity,” said Stodola. The Charlotte Motor Speedway office is convenient to many area motorsports activities and is vital to the support of current programs with the SMI family. G-Force Racing Gear is the “Official Safety Apparel of Charlotte Motor Speedway,” ZMAX Dragway and “The Official Safety Equipment of US Legends Cars International.”

According to Stodola, “With the office in the Charlotte Market we are able to work more closely with many of our marketing partners and follow through with programs first hand. We have been able to participate and provide support during the NASCAR events, the US Legends Summer Shootout series and various events at ZMAX Dragway. It’s amazing how much industry activity revolves around these venues.”

G-Force Racing Gear is a manufacturer of motorsports safety equipment with corporate headquarters in Roswell, GA. The business was founded in 1997 to provide product fulfillment to safety equipment dealers and distributors. G-Force Racing Gear products are available through nationally recognized mail order businesses and performance product dealers. Products are also distributed through numerous domestic Warehouse Distributors and other worldwide locations.

"First thing, and right off the bat, City of Hope is our neighbor, only a mile or so north of our facility and its mission is known around the world. We really want to be able to help further that work in every way that we can here at IEC," said Irwindale Event Center CEO, Jim Cohan commenting on the new promotional partnership that his company and City of Hope have embarked upon.
 
Irwindale Event Center is the home of both Irwindale Speedway and Irwindale Dragstrip where NASCAR oval track racing and NHRA street legal drag racing takes place on a weekly basis.
 
The facility also is the home of the LA Racing Experience stock car driving school and Advanced Driving Dynamics, which teaches young drivers driving safety and car control. There's even a rental karting track at IEC for fans to have a miniaturized (but every bit as exciting) experience while they're at the Irwindale facility.
 
All of the above "working parts" will be utilized in various ways to help raise both funds for and awareness of City of Hope and that organization's ongoing research and treatment for cancer, diabetes, and other life-threatening diseases.
 
"In future weeks we'll be rolling out a wide range of programs that will attempt to leverage Irwindale Event Center's public reach in favor of City of Hope," said Cohan. "We'll offer discounts, special event nights, direct on-site advocacy, driving school experiences, and use of the track's Skybox suites.
 
"We're even going to try to get blood donations revved up by offering everyone who gives a pint of blood two tickets to either a NASCAR stock car race or an NHRA drag race at one of our tracks. We're a fun place, if what we do here can help to advance what City of Hope does, we'll be very pleased."
 
 More details of this promotional partnership will follow.
 

As the country prepares for its first Formula One race 16 months from now in Sochi, Ria Novosti Sport reported Wednesday that that the Russian government will begin construction next year on a permanent F1 race track near Moscow.

“On this track, it will be possible to hold a round of Formula One racing. The rest of the time it could be used by car fans and for motorsport competitions,” said Moscow development official Vladimir Zhidkin.

The track is to be located near Vnukovo Airport, south of the Russian capital. Construction is slated to begin sometime next year, with completion due in 2016.

Sochi, located along the Black Sea, will play host to the upcoming Winter Olympics early in 2014. Then, nearly nine months later in either late October or early November, Sochi will host the first Russian Grand Prix on a street course that will be constructed around some of the key Olympic venues.

Moscow already has one major racetrack, Moscow Raceway, which opened last year. While that track is certified to hold F1 testing, according to Ria Novosti Sport, it would need upgrades to both access and accommodations.

Moscow Raceway hosts a number of events, including rounds of the World Series by Renault, the World Superbike Championship and the DTM German Touring Car Championship.

MAHLE recently named Jon Douglas as general manager of MAHLE Clevite Inc., effective immediately. Douglas, who transitioned into the role upon the retirement of Dan Moody, will report to Arnd Franz, director and general manager for MAHLE Aftermarket.
 
During his 20-year career with the MAHLE Group, Douglas has held a variety of roles, including production/quality engineer, team coordinator and production manager–automotive. His most recent position involved guiding the MAHLE Motorsports Division in North America to the top of the performance engine parts aftermarket.
 
In his new role, Douglas will assume management responsibilities for all North American aftermarket activities, which include MAHLE Clevite, Inc., MAHLE Clevite Canada, ULC and the MAHLE Aftermarket S. de R.L. de C.V., S. de R.L. de C.V. in Mexico.
 
“Jon’s diverse background within MAHLE will prove an immediate strength to MAHLE Clevite,” said Dan Moody, outgoing general manager, MAHLE Clevite. “He brings a unique blend of engineering, operations, sales and marketing experience to the role, which will help continue MAHLE Clevite’s leadership position in the industry.”

General Motors Company and its Chevrolet Performance brand has signed a multi-year deal to become title-rights sponsor of the largest and most prestigious event on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series circuit, the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.

The event is traditionally held on Labor Day weekend with the 2013 Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals scheduled for August 28-September 2. The event features 11 hours of coverage on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD, including six hours on race day, Monday, September 2, from noon to 6 p.m. ET.

General Motors and its brands are not unfamiliar to NHRA, having been involved in the sport since the beginning and winning its first NHRA Manufacturers Cup with Chevrolet in 1966. Between Chevrolet and other GM divisions, General Motors has won the NHRA Manufacturers Cup a record 43 times, the last in 2010.

The U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis is also the final event in the 18-race NHRA regular season, and the top 10 fields in each of the four Pro categories will be finalized there for the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six-race playoffs.

On the team side, General Motors has a long and storied history in the sport with countless driver championships and NHRA event wins in both the Professional and Sportsman ranks. Currently, the Chevrolet Camaro is competing in the Pro Stock ranks, led by the flagship team of Ken Black Racing and drivers Greg Anderson and Jason Line.

And Chevrolet’s involvement is not limited to the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. In 2012, Chevrolet Performance introduced the COPO Camaro, built specifically for the dragstrip and to compete in the Stock and Super Stock classes in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.

For more information, visit www.nhra.com.