First Gear: 2009 Will Be As Good As We Want It To Be

by Dean Washington

Collectively, we control the future of our hobby.

I recently attend the annual MPMC Media Trade Conference in Los Angeles that offers a chance for people in the media to have 30-minute face-to-face meetings over a three-day period with aftermarket manufacturers to talk about their new product offerings for the coming year.

The MPMC (Motorsports Part Manufacturers Council) is made up of companies that supply us with all the great parts we use for building and maintaining our race, muscle and classic cars. All the players are there, such as Holley, Wilwood, ProCharger, Bilstein, GM Performance...well, you get the picture.

As this was my first time attending, I wasn’t sure what to expect, especially in these “troubled times” we apparently live in. My goal for the trip was to get companies to participate in our first-ever project car we’re planning for this year (more on this next issue). But I must say I wasn’t very optimistic based on the doom and gloom we constantly hear in the media. Boy was I wrong...and surprised!

Every person I met with was eager to hear about the magazine and project, as well as tell me about their new offerings for 2009. And there were many. The theme was the same as I made my way from meeting-to-meeting (52 in all over three days), that although things could be better, sales were still strong in many areas of both of our countries. As one fellow pointed out to me, “the unemployment rate in the U.S. is currently seven percent, which means 93 percent are still working!” The other common theme was that once the people still working stop spending, as my mom loves to say...“we’re all for the high jump.”

Many have heard me and read about this in my writings in the past, but it is so key to keep the hobby vibrant. We here in Western Canada haven’t felt the full effects that many parts of our country have, which means it’s no time to pull back the reigns as all that will do is guarantee that many of these wonderful parts and accessories that these companies have to offer will be just memories, as they won’t be able to survive.

So as we all prepare for the upcoming race, show and cruising seasons, keep this in mind as we all control the future of the hobby.

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