SEMA To Launch Off-Road Show
An all-new off-road exclusive event will land in Indianapolis on February 4. The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) will offer SEMA Offroad as a companion event to the SEMA Spring Expo, also held in Indianapolis, and as an extension of the SEMA Show 2004 in Las Vegas. The event is designed to target companies involved in the recreational and performance off-road segments and aims to create new opportunities for this growing market. Manufacturers participating in the first SEMA Offroad show will display the latest products representing rockcrawling, sand sports, mud bogging, desert racing, and recreational 4x4 use. An indoor exhibition course will be constructed in the Indianapolis Convention Center using hundreds of tons of dirt and boulders. Attendees will get a chance to observe and participate in live driving presentations with professional drivers and test the latest off-road vehicles fitted with SEMA-member equipment. Peter MacGillivray, SEMA vice president of marketing and communications, stated, "This booming niche within the accessories industry represents new opportunities for established companies. It also represents fertile ground for new companies to build and grow business."
SCORE Baja 1000 To Air On NBC
In a new agreement between SCORE and AURA360, the world's most famous desert race will air as a one-hour special on NBC in December. November's 37th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race will be televised on the new Jeep World of Adventure Sports show on the NBC Sports network. This legendary event, being held November 17-20 in Baja California, Mexico, will start in the northern portion of the Baja peninsula in Ensenada, along the Pacific Ocean, and finish in the south in La Paz, nestled among the Sea of Cortez. Nearly 300 entries from more than 30 U.S. states and seven countries, competing in 27 Pro and five Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles, and ATVs, will take part in the event. Sal Fish, CEO and president of Los Angeles-based SCORE International, which annually sanctions the Baja 1000 as part of its five-race SCORE Desert series, stated, "The motorsports world has never seen an event like this. We have always said the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 is more than a race. It's an adventure. And NBC Sports and Aura360 have the resources and creativity to present the grueling odyssey in a way that will capture the imagination of future adventurers." Jeep World of Adventure Sports on NBC will air December 4, 11, and 19. The 2004 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 is scheduled for one of the December programs, so check your local listings to find out when. For more information, check out www.worldofadventuresports.com or www.score-international.com.
New ARB Application For Mitsubishi 4x4s
Adding to its line of Mitsubishi 4x4 accessories, which includes ARB bull bars and OME suspension components, ARB now offers the same traction-on-demand ability that's been available to Jeep and other 4x4 owners for years. ARB recently introduced its latest Air Locker model to suit the vast majority of Mitsubishi Montero and Montero Sport vehicles. The new RD110 Air Locker features a new patented timed locking mechanism for increased strength and an impregnated sintered bushing to reduce axleshaft wear and minimize the shock transferred through the CV joints in off-road use. For more information, contact: (206) 264-1669, www.arbusa.com.
Tread Lightly! PSA Campaign
Created to educate and inspire recreationists to minimize their impact on the outdoors while still having fun, the nonprofit organization Tread Lightly! recently introduced its newest print public-service-announcement campaign, Play Nice. According to the American Recreation Coalition, 9 out of 10 Americans participate in some type of outdoor recreational activity each year. Tread Lightly! created the campaign to help instill an ethic into those millions of Americans who participate. "These PSAs tell recreationists exactly how they should be behaving in the environment," stated Patti Klein, national ethics coordinator for the Bureau of Land Management. "But it gets the point across in a tactful, inspirational way."
Play Nice features 11 PSAs focusing on some of the most popular outdoor activities, including four-wheeling, ATV riding, snowmobiling, personal-watercraft use, mountain biking, horseback riding, trail biking, boating, fishing, camping/hiking, and hunting.