The International Motor Sports Ass’n (IMSA) announced that Eric Albrecht has been named the company’s director of business development.

In his new position, Albrecht will be responsible for prospecting, researching, closing and contracting sponsorships with new partners.

“I am pleased that Eric has joined the IMSA family,” said IMSA Vice President, Marketing David Pettit. “Eric brings vast experience and knowledge of the sports marketing landscape to this position. Our series is moving forward with a great deal of energy and his addition will enable us to take advantage of the many unique opportunities that are sure to present themselves to us.”

Albrecht comes to IMSA from the National Kidney Foundation where he served as the Vice President of Events Development and Sports Marketing for the last seven years. He was responsible for the oversight of the foundation’s Konica Minolta Golf Classic series which included 10 national sponsors, 30 events across the United States, their staff, committees and Pebble Beach partnership.

Before that, he served for 12 years at the Ladies Professional Golf Association as their Vice President of Marketing where he held progressive responsibility for many facets of the strategic marketing, corporate partnerships, tournament marketing and key client relationships—touching nearly every aspect of its business.

During his time at the LPGA, Albrecht and his team developed sponsor-specific integrated marketing platforms for corporate partners—implemented in conjunction with sponsor’s agencies, LPGA tournaments, players/agents, television and new media partners, and other LPGA business units.

This article originally appeared in THE SHOP magazine eNewsletter under the byline of Digital Content Editor Anthony Bowe. 

Chris Kersting, SEMA president and CEO, testified in support of the RPM Act on Tuesday in front of a Senate subcommittee. Kersting delivered prepared remarks before taking questions from the senators.

Kersting was invited to testify on the RPM Act—joining panel testimony covering several bills—by the Senate Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety. He said the RPM Act was tailored to protect motorsports from regulations after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in July 2015 issued a proposed regulation declaring the Clean Air Act prohibits converting a street vehicle into a race car.

“Under the EPA interpretation, manufacturing, selling and installing racing parts to accomplish such a conversion would also be a violation of the Clean Air Act,” Kersting testified. “Although the EPA did not finalize the proposed rule, it maintains that the Clean Air Act prohibits race car conversions, along with the sale and use of racing products that can be installed on these vehicles. SEMA contends the EPA interpretation contradicts 47 years of previous EPA policy and practice.”

John Walke, clean air director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, testified in opposition to the RPM Act during the hearing. He said the bill loosens current regulations to allow unfettered sales of aftermarket defeat devices for vehicles other than race cars. Walke also referenced a recent Volkswagen (VW) scandal involving an unregulated device.  

Kersting, in response to questioning from Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), sought to explain how the Volkswagen defeat device scandal differs from conversion products installed in race cars.

“What VW did was an intentional program to hide a defeat device in the system for vehicles that are being sold new where no one would see or know that that defeat device is there,” he said. “In the case of the racing industry and converting a vehicle, those products are marketed and known…the EPA has access to see those products, and that’s why enforcement action does take place under the act in the case of street tampering.”

Kersting also cited several examples of how the RPM Act would protect the small-business industry that supports motorsports.   

“At the local level, the Sonoma County Economic Development Board estimates that Sonoma Raceway in California generated nearly $2 million in regional economic impact for a single vintage race weekend,” he said. “The (Sonoma) Raceway demonstrates the nexus between racing and the economy. About 75 small businesses are in the adjoining industrial park where many of these vehicles are converted, modified, stored, prepared for events and fixed when they break.”

The Senate version of the RPM Act was introduced Jan. 24 by Sen. Richard Burr (R-North Carolina). The bill is sponsored by 29 Republicans and 9 Democrats from 27 different states.

The House version of RPM Act on Wednesday is set to undergo a markup session during a hearing by the Subcommittee on Environment, chaired by Rep. John Shimkus (R-Illinois). A markup session typically features debate and the possibility of amendments being placed onto the bill.

The House bill currently has 140 sponsors (124 Republicans and 16 Democrats) from 36 different states. The bill, introduced by Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-North Carolina), would amend the Clean Air Act to allow the modification of a vehicle's air emission controls if the vehicle is used solely for competition.

Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. and the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) have announced the creation of the Toyo Tires GT Challenge, a new class that features equally prepared Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport and GT4 Clubsport MR race cars competing on 18-inch Toyo Proxes RR DOT competition tires.

The inaugural race will take place during the 2017 NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance.

The new GT Challenge class is the first spec tire program in the 15-year history of the 25 Hours, the longest endurance race in North America. The class is supported by a lucrative contingency program where the winning team in this class will receive a $5,000 cash reward from Toyo Tires. https://www.nasaproracing.com/contingencies

The 2017 race will set the stage for the 2018 NASA 25 Hours when NASA plans to expand the class to include many other manufacturers.

Twenty individuals reflecting a varied history of the motor racing industry have been nominated for induction into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame.

The organization’s ballot, from which five inductees ultimately will be chosen, contains a NASCAR speedway president, 15 drivers, a pair of car owners and two crew chiefs. The list spans historic (pre-1970) and modern eras of the sport. Eleven individuals are nominated for the first time.

First-time nominees are Dave Byrd, Austin Cameron, Ernie Cope, George Follmer, Joe Garone, J.D. Gibbs, Lance Hooper, Eric Norris, Greg Pursley, Boris Said and Bryan R. Sperber.

Nominated on previous ballots are Ron Esau, Tom Gloy, the late Rick Henderson, Tommy Kendall, Doug McCoun, Greg Pickett, Oren Prosser, the late Marshall Sargent and Dick Woodland.

The West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame annually nominates for induction worthy individuals who competed in traditional stock car racing as well as other full-bodied racing vehicles primarily on road courses under international and national sanction by the FIA, International Motor Sports Ass’n (IMSA), Grand-Am and the Sports Car Club of America.

The Board of Directors’ first round of balloting, from which 10 semi-finalists are to be chosen, begins later this month and ends Jan. 8, 2018. Final voting begins Jan. 11, 2018 and ends Jan. 31, 2018 with the five inductees to be named Sunday, March 11, 2018, during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series weekend at Phoenix Raceway.

The Class of 2018 will be enshrined June 21 at the Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa, Calif.

Steve Kinser and Dave Darland will be the featured guests during 23rd annual Evening for Race Fans, slated for Dec. 2 at Romer’s Catering in St. Henry, Ohio.

Kinser, known as the “King of the Outlaws,” won 20 World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series, 14 Knoxville Nationals titles and seven Kings Royal titles. He amassed more than 850 victories during his career, finished 14th in the 1997 Indianapolis 500 and earned a victory with the International Race of Champions series at Talladega Superspeedway.

“The People's Champ” Darland’s USAC career includes 53 sprint car wins as well as championships in the sprint car, midget and Silver Crown classes. He has victories in the Hut Hundred, Belleville Nationals, Kokomo Smackdown and several other wins, including at Eldora Speedway.

The event, which serves as a fundraiser for the Chamber, State of the Heart Hospice and Community Health Professionals Hospice, includes an autograph session with Steve Kinser and Dave Darland, a buffet dinner, driver interviews conducted by Mike King and a race memorabilia auction.

Tickets must be purchased prior to the event by calling the Celina-Mercer County Chamber of Commerce at 419/586-2219.

Mike Braun, president and CEO of Meyer Distributing, accepted the 2017 SEMA Warehouse Distributor of the Year award at the recently held SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the entire Meyer team for all their hard work and dedication this year,” Braun said. “It’s been a very exciting and rewarding 2017 and the best years are ahead of us.”

Braun was joined on stage by fellow employees Jeff Braun, Kristen Braun, Kristy Neukam, Wayne Abel, Nick Gramelspacher, Natalie Tempel, Shawn O'Connor and Cody Ziegler.

Turn 14 Distribution won the SEMA Warehouse Distributor of the Year award last year.

Turn 14 Distribution, one of the industry leaders in performance parts distribution, is now the exclusive distributor of the collaborative line of headers from Kooks Headers and Exhaust and Jet-Hot High Performance Coatings.

“Jet-Hot Headers by Kooks combines Kooks’ top quality headers and Jet-Hot’s renowned classic polish coating for select late model V8 applications. We are happy to partner with both brands on this exclusive collaboration in order to provide our customers with continued product variety at a great opening price point,” said Kyle Shelley, Turn 14 Distribution's Director of Sales.

By combining Jet-Hot’s legendary coatings—which are able to provide cooler under-hood temperatures—with Kooks’ top-notch manufacturing and design, they can offer an affordable header that outperforms all others, according to Turn 14.

Jet-Hot has been a trusted name in exhaust coatings for over 35 years.  

Founded in 2007, Turn 14 Distribution is the recipient of the SEMA WD of the Year award in 2016.

McLaren has underlined its commitment to the esports platform with the appointment of Ben Payne as the company’s new director of esports.

Payne joins the company from Microsoft, where he held roles in third-party marketing, partnerships and events for Xbox EMEA, as well as working on global campaigns for Windows. Prior to Microsoft, Payne held positions at SEGA, 2K Games and Future.

Payne joins McLaren on November 13, arriving just as the company’s prestigious esports racing contest, World’s Fastest Gamer, enters its final week of competition. After months of qualifying rounds, 12 finalists will converge on McLaren’s Woking headquarters to battle for the opportunity to become one of the team’s 2018 simulator drivers.

McLaren was the first Formula 1 team to announce its own esports property in April this year. Payne’s appointment means that McLaren also becomes the first team in the sport to create a dedicated position for an eSports director.

In this new role, Payne will oversee the growth and development of McLaren’s esports strategy, including all aspects of the World’s Fastest Gamer program. Additionally, he will lead the development of the WFG partner community, activating gaming partnerships across retail, media partnerships and key industry events.
 
“Gaming and esports are two huge and exciting markets, and we believe that they’re essential elements of McLaren’s new marketing platform. The growth and appeal of gaming, and its close relationship to motorsport and Formula 1, makes this a natural area of expansion for us,” Executive Director, McLaren Technology Group Zak Brown said.

Long-time Sonoma Raceway Drag Racing Manager Georgia Seipel will turn over the reins to her son and fellow drag-racer Kyle Seipel in 2018, as he takes over management of the raceway’s quarter-mile drag strip and drag racing operations in Southern California.
 
The Seipels—including Georgia, husband Ted and son Kyle—are considered the First Family of drag racing in Northern California, and are known nationally for their contributions to the sport, according to Sonoma officials.
 
Georgia has been involved in the sport for more than 60 years, including 10 years as a drag racer (1976-1987) behind the wheel of a hot pink 1956 Austin-Healey, and 10 years managing Baylands Raceway in Fremont. Since joining then-Sears Point Raceway in 1988, she has been instrumental in the growth of Sonoma Raceway’s drag racing programs, including Wednesday Night Drags and Top the Cops, as well as Summit ET Bracket Drag Racing.

Kyle is also an accomplished drag racer, earning 22 Division 7 titles in NHRA’s Pacific Division. Seipel boasts 10 NHRA Lucas Oil Series Division 7 championships and 12 Division 7 E.T. Finals titles, and has claimed national event victories in five different Sportsman categories.
 
In his new role with Sonoma Raceway, Kyle will oversee day-to-day operations of the drag strip, including the weekly Wednesday Night Drags program and twelve-race Summit ET Bracket Drag Racing series. Kyle will also serve as liaison with NHRA for the facility’s NHRA Division 7 Drag Races, presented by Korbel (July 20-22), and Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals (July 27-29).

Wilwood Disc Brakes has announced the addition of Bob Roese back to the Wilwood Business Development team. Roese spent three years with Wilwood in multiple capacities—both within the sales and tech departments—before “semi-retiring” as the manager of the sales department in 2015.

In his new role, Roese will focus on generating new business and strengthening Wilwood’s relationships with its current customer base, as well as focus on dealer education and training. Roese officially returned to Wilwood on November 1, 2017.

“Bob spent many years developing relationships with Wilwood’s extensive customer-base,” Wilwood Director of Sales and Marketing Steve Cornelius said. “We are excited to have him back to work with Wilwood dealers and generate new business for the company.”