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FEATURE INTERVIEWS:
Larry Callahan’s 3rd Quarter Pro-Touring Update:
State of the Nations!
It’s once again is the quarterly Pro-Touring Update, Presented by Ron Francis Wiring, and starring Mr. Larry Callahan! Technically this is the 3rd quarter update, but with the schedules of events (and the possibility of something special in the first weekend of Oct) we needed to push it back a couple of weeks. I’m happy to say that the gamble was worth it! The focus of this update – as always – is to stay on the inside scoop of what is going on with Larry and The Pro-Touring community as well as getting the inside scoop on upcoming Pro-Touring (autocross) events for the end of 2023!
The Pro-Touring movement has gone from fringe to mainstream over the past 15 years and the Pro-Touring.com website have been at the forefront of the movement from the beginning. The Pro-Touring style has not only formed a segment in the industry but has changed the automotive world and is affecting new OEM cars from the factory that are now coming with advanced suspension, wider tires, and enhanced body work to make them wider, lower, and faster on an autocross track. Effectively, Pro-Touring is here to stay. One of the initial entrants to Pro-Touring 20 years ago was a guy named Mark Stielow that built an amazing handling 1969 Camaro. That same Mark Stielow today is now the Director of Motorsports Competition Engineering for General Motors!
Pro-Touring Dinner 2023 Update – The large format dinner as you know it is over. Things are changing with SEMA and changes to the schow, schedule, sponsors, and tehnology have moved things in a different direction (as they always do). That said, Larry has the option to book a space at the Mardi Gras for people as one last “informal” dinner gathering and it would be a great 20-event closing bookend from where it all started. There won’t be the usual shirts or door prizes or anyone making grandiose speeches, it will just be a great place to come and hang out with friends and have dinner. The room is available for a minimum of 30 people and a maximum of 140. If 30 people commit to a $40 dinner we will have our 20th SEMA dinner. IT will be low key but fun on Thursday night with food starting at 7:00 pm. If you would like to commit to an evening of hanging out and talking Pro-Touring, let Larry know!
Ron Francis SEMA 2023 Update – Scott Bowers, owner and President of Ron Francis Wiring is usually firmly planted at least one week out of each year in a full blown booth in Hot Rod Alley at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. While the cost of this booth is high, he was always there showing new products and talking to old friends. That said, for Ron Francis’s needs, Scott believes that an every-other-year format would be just as effective and chose to set this year off.
However….that doesn’t mean that he won’t be in Las Vegas at the SEMA show anyway. This year he’ll be there as a competitor in the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational at the wheel of his ’86 SVO Mustang! Scott competed this season in OSUSC and worked his way into the Invitational on points, and that means that instead of standing inside of a nicely air conditioned convention center, he will be piloting a 1984, Coyote powered, Ford Mustang SVO around a race track in the Nevada sun with a smile on his face the whole time. We are looking forward to seeing how well Scott does at this event and plan to do some interviews live from the race track!
Birthday Events:
October 11th- Larry Callahan
October 12th – Bernie MacPartland
Pro-Touring.com Newsletter – The Pro-Touring.com monthly newsletter has finally kicked off and it is at a super low price of FREE just for joining up at the website. Larry said it will contain lots of good information and interesting articles that will tickle your autocross fancy. Head over to www.pro-touring.com and get signed up. You can also get your ideas in on what content you would like to see at https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/140587-The-New-PT-Newsletter-Have-Your-Say-on-What-You-Want?highlight=newsletter.
Upcoming Racing Events:
UMI Motorsports Park events:
Postponed till 2024
JPTTS EAST 2024 Beech Bend Raceway April 12-13
PTTS NORTH 2024 UMI Motorsports Aug 2-3
—————————————————-
November 11 & 12, 2023 – “Fall” Shootout – Pleasanton, CA November 17-19, 2023 Duel in the Desert” Shootout Scottsdale, AZ
—————————————————-
Low Budget 24 Hours of Lemons Events:
Smells Like AMC Spirit 2023 The Ridge Motorsports Park, Shelton WA Oct 14 – Oct 15, 2023 Entry Deadline: Sep 23, 2023
Halloween Hooptiefest 2023 New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon NH Oct 28 – Oct 29, 2023 Entry Deadline: Oct 07, 2023
Yokohama Stuntin’ & Splodin’ Soiree 2023 MSR Houston, Angleton TX Nov 04 – Nov 05, 2023 Entry Deadline: Oct 14, 2023
Yokohama Arse-Freeze-Apalooza 2023 Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma CA Dec 02 – Dec 03, 2023 Entry Deadline: Nov 11, 2023
The Kim Harmon Scrotium 500 2023 Road Atlanta, Braselton GA Dec 09 – Dec 10, 2023 Entry Deadline: Nov 18, 2023
—————————————————-
As always, autocross and Pro-Touring events are featured at Pro-Touring.com Thanks Larry!
This interview sponsored by our pals at National Parts Depot – your premier source for muscle car restoration parts!
======================================================
We’re proud to say that this segment is sponsored by the fantastic muscle car and hot rod wiring supply company, Ron Francis Wiring, and we’re very appreciative that they are our show sponsor! Thanks, Ron Francis!
FEATURE INTERVIEWS:
Larry Callahan’s 3rd Quarter Pro-Touring Update:
State of the Nations!
It’s once again is the quarterly Pro-Touring Update, Presented by Ron Francis Wiring, and starring Mr. Larry Callahan! Technically this is the 3rd quarter update, but with the schedules of events (and the possibility of something special in the first weekend of Oct) we needed to push it back a couple of weeks. I’m happy to say that the gamble was worth it! The focus of this update – as always – is to stay on the inside scoop of what is going on with Larry and The Pro-Touring community as well as getting the inside scoop on upcoming Pro-Touring (autocross) events for the end of 2023!
The Pro-Touring movement has gone from fringe to mainstream over the past 15 years and the Pro-Touring.com website have been at the forefront of the movement from the beginning. The Pro-Touring style has not only formed a segment in the industry but has changed the automotive world and is affecting new OEM cars from the factory that are now coming with advanced suspension, wider tires, and enhanced body work to make them wider, lower, and faster on an autocross track. Effectively, Pro-Touring is here to stay. One of the initial entrants to Pro-Touring 20 years ago was a guy named Mark Stielow that built an amazing handling 1969 Camaro. That same Mark Stielow today is now the Director of Motorsports Competition Engineering for General Motors!
Pro-Touring Dinner 2023 Update – The large format dinner as you know it is over. Things are changing with SEMA and changes to the schow, schedule, sponsors, and tehnology have moved things in a different direction (as they always do). That said, Larry has the option to book a space at the Mardi Gras for people as one last “informal” dinner gathering and it would be a great 20-event closing bookend from where it all started. There won’t be the usual shirts or door prizes or anyone making grandiose speeches, it will just be a great place to come and hang out with friends and have dinner. The room is available for a minimum of 30 people and a maximum of 140. If 30 people commit to a $40 dinner we will have our 20th SEMA dinner. IT will be low key but fun on Thursday night with food starting at 7:00 pm. If you would like to commit to an evening of hanging out and talking Pro-Touring, let Larry know!
Ron Francis SEMA 2023 Update – Scott Bowers, owner and President of Ron Francis Wiring is usually firmly planted at least one week out of each year in a full blown booth in Hot Rod Alley at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. While the cost of this booth is high, he was always there showing new products and talking to old friends. That said, for Ron Francis’s needs, Scott believes that an every-other-year format would be just as effective and chose to set this year off.
However….that doesn’t mean that he won’t be in Las Vegas at the SEMA show anyway. This year he’ll be there as a competitor in the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational at the wheel of his ’86 SVO Mustang! Scott competed this season in OSUSC and worked his way into the Invitational on points, and that means that instead of standing inside of a nicely air conditioned convention center, he will be piloting a 1984, Coyote powered, Ford Mustang SVO around a race track in the Nevada sun with a smile on his face the whole time. We are looking forward to seeing how well Scott does at this event and plan to do some interviews live from the race track!
Birthday Events:
October 11th- Larry Callahan
October 12th – Bernie MacPartland
Pro-Touring.com Newsletter – The Pro-Touring.com monthly newsletter has finally kicked off and it is at a super low price of FREE just for joining up at the website. Larry said it will contain lots of good information and interesting articles that will tickle your autocross fancy. Head over to www.pro-touring.com and get signed up. You can also get your ideas in on what content you would like to see at https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/140587-The-New-PT-Newsletter-Have-Your-Say-on-What-You-Want?highlight=newsletter.
Upcoming Racing Events:
UMI Motorsports Park events:
Postponed till 2024
JPTTS EAST 2024 Beech Bend Raceway April 12-13
PTTS NORTH 2024 UMI Motorsports Aug 2-3
—————————————————-
November 11 & 12, 2023 – “Fall” Shootout – Pleasanton, CA November 17-19, 2023 Duel in the Desert” Shootout Scottsdale, AZ
—————————————————-
Low Budget 24 Hours of Lemons Events:
Smells Like AMC Spirit 2023 The Ridge Motorsports Park, Shelton WA Oct 14 – Oct 15, 2023 Entry Deadline: Sep 23, 2023
Halloween Hooptiefest 2023 New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon NH Oct 28 – Oct 29, 2023 Entry Deadline: Oct 07, 2023
Yokohama Stuntin’ & Splodin’ Soiree 2023 MSR Houston, Angleton TX Nov 04 – Nov 05, 2023 Entry Deadline: Oct 14, 2023
Yokohama Arse-Freeze-Apalooza 2023 Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma CA Dec 02 – Dec 03, 2023 Entry Deadline: Nov 11, 2023
The Kim Harmon Scrotium 500 2023 Road Atlanta, Braselton GA Dec 09 – Dec 10, 2023 Entry Deadline: Nov 18, 2023
—————————————————-
As always, autocross and Pro-Touring events are featured at Pro-Touring.com Thanks Larry!
This interview sponsored by our pals at National Parts Depot – your premier source for muscle car restoration parts!
======================================================
We’re proud to say that this segment is sponsored by the fantastic muscle car and hot rod wiring supply company, Ron Francis Wiring, and we’re very appreciative that they are our show sponsor! Thanks, Ron Francis!
