Roger Gorringe Reporting

The name of veteran drag racing photo-journalist Roger Gorringe will be known to most readers. Roger makes frequent trips to the USA taking in as many of the major meetings as he can. It is filthy work standing trackside with endless Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars thundering past you but someone has to do it. Fortunately Roger has very kindly offered to share his experiences with us in his illustrated meeting reports.

Come the autumn or fall it is time for the SEMA Show, the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world. It draws the industry’s brightest minds and hottest products to the Las Vegas Convention Center. The SEMA and APPEX Shows attract more than 100,000 industry leaders from more than 100 countries for the ultimate exposure in the automotive, aftermarket, truck, SUV, powersports, tools, components and RV markets, and draws more than 60,000 international buyers, providing attendees with educational seminars, product demonstrations, special events, networking opportunities and so much more. It demands stamina and a good set of shoes as the mileage clocked up during the events of SEMA and APPEX (at The Sands Expo Center) is an endurance feat in no uncertain terms. The shows seem to increase in size each year demanding more time and effort to do each justice.

This year’s SEMA Awards for the top-trending vehicle models in four categories were announced on the opening day of the 2014 SEMA Show. The Ford Mustang was named Hottest Car, the Honda Fit took the Hottest Sport-Compact honours, the Chevrolet Silverado won Hottest Truck and the Jeep Wrangler received the Hottest 4x4-SUV award.

There were far too many stunning cars and celebrity stars to include on any gallery or written account but highlights included the many attractive girls on exhibit stands signing posters. The NHRA breakfast featuring Top Fuel pilots Antron Brown, Tony Schumacher, Funny Car outgoing Champion, John Force and former racer Gary Scelzi all hosted by retired announcer, Bob Frey went down a storm and had the large audience almost in stitches for much of the time, as Force and Scelzi almost took over with their entertaining banter leaving Frey to wrestle back control whenever he could interrupt – it was undoubtedly the best live show of the event. The culmination of the SEMA Show was the Cruise, as virtually every exhibition vehicle in the show drove out of the complex to the delight of the assembled audience as they passed.