2011 SEMA Show Shines Spotlight on Centric

Besides our Centric Parts President winning Person of theYear from the AIA, a number of vehicles wearing Centric, Power Slot and StopTech brake components took home honors at SEMA 2011, held in Las Vegas the first week of November. Although we are still a relatively young company, it was interesting to note the number of high profile projects that featured our products.

Take the yellow and blue Turner Motorsport Grand-Am GS Champion BMW M3, for instance. It was the vehicle we chose to display in our booth as it really represents what StopTech is all about. Building brake systems for high performance street use and production-based racing applications is our forte. Whether it was a street-driven sportscar or one that consistently wins races, we were the top choice for many show cars this year.

 

Very high profile vehicles wearing our brakes included the 1,004-hp Bisimoto Honda Civic Si that was best in class, the Mishimoto 370Z live art car project that had tons of celebrities and regular folks alike coloring on it with sharpies in one of the most visited interactive displays at the show and Mark Stielow's "Red Devil" Optima Ultimate Street Car Camaro.

 

The major manufacturers at the show also spotlighted some of our products. Mazda used our brakes on its 20th anniversary MX-5 Super20 concept, the best-in-class Scion iQ was the one done by Jon Sibal and it prominently featured our BBK, Toyota is using our brakes on its Daytona 500 Pace Car Camry, and Lexus showed off its new F-Sport GS, plus a Five Axis version of that all-new GS as well as a slick CT200h Hybrid - all wearing brakes done by StopTech.

Just up the steps from our own booth was the Ford display, which this year celebrated 100 years of Ford Racing. Amidst the legendary Ford powered race cars on display was a large selection of Ford Focus tuner cars and concepts. While every one of them had some great details, the two that got singled out by Ford in its design awards presentation were the two wearing StopTechs - the COBB Tuning race car and the Roush street car.

 

There was a huge selection of Mustangs at SEMA again this year, but a few that stood out were the new Petty Mustang, the design award-winning CorteX '66 Mustang Optima Ultimate Street Car in the massive Spectre booth, a Magnuson Supercharger Mustang, Paul Brown's World Challenge GTS championship winning car and the Trufiber Shelby GT500 Mustang - all wearing StopTech components.

 

Besides the awesome Turner BMW in our booth, we also had StopTech components on plenty of other notable show vehicles, including a grassroots NASA ST-2 E46 BMW M3 driven by Ron Ballard  plus a Formula Drift Nissan 350Z driven by up-and-comer Patrick Mordaunt, an old-school Bisimoto Porsche 911 Turbo, Hasport Motorsports Eibach CR-Z, a wicked looking AMS SR750 Porsche 997 Turbo, a slick Platte Forme E92 M3 street car, the old/new ICON Bronco and a Nissan Armada that drew eyes straight to its StopTech BBK due to its clean design and massive open wheels that spotlighted the brakes nicely.

2011 was another great year for StopTech, Power Slot and Centric Parts at SEMA. Besides all of the great show cars wearing our products, we also introduced our new line of high performance and racing brake fluid, our all-new StopTechwebsite, Centric high carbon rotors, and announced that our patented AeroRotorsare now 100 percent Made in the USA. Thanks to all of you who stopped by to say hello, and to all of you customers who made the choice to use Centric products on your street, track and show cars.

Getting packed for Vegas...

Centric Parts is heading out to Las Vegas next week for Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week 2010. The company will be exhibiting Centric, StopTech and Power Slot innovations at both SEMA in the Las Vegas Convention Center (booth #22761) and AAPEX at the Sands Convention Center (booth #9220)

There will be three big announcements next week from Centric and its divisions - one a day starting Tuesday when the exhibit floors open.

For those who can't make it, there will be plenty of coverage, and some fun extras too, across all of the Centric Parts and StopTech social media channels including The StopTech Blog, The Brake Room, StopTech's Twitter and Facebook pages, plus the Centric Parts YouTube channel.

Facebook and Twitter in particular will play host to a special SEMA edition of Identify This Car. For those who have not been following along, players are tasked with being the first to name the make and model of a car based on an extreme close up picture of a single vehicle feature.

All week long the game will be played featuring cars from the trade show floor, and their will even be a special gift for the winner at the end. So hop on board now by "liking" or "following" StopTech.

For those who are feeling nostalgic for prior SEMA's, here are a StopTech's recap videos from the last two years. Last year featured StopTech's own Howard Hsia as a host, who has since moved his talents behind the camera as the producer of StopTech's popular Brake Decisions videos.

Tuner Motorsport Celebrates Fantastic 2010 Race Season on StopTech Brakes

As the 2010 racing season draws to a close, we find ourselves with a long line of StopTech-equipped race teams to congratulate. Earlier in the week we threw a shout out to Compass360 Racing but today we focus on Turner Motorsport.

Turner Motorsport has once again had a record-setting year. This month the team competed in the final race of 2010 at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah. Turner Motorsport drivers Joey Hand and Michael Marsal drove the #97 Turner BMW M3 to yet another podium finish.

The new V8 powered Turner Motorsport M3 running on StopTech brakes has proven itself in Grand Am Racing with two First place wins, one Second place, and four Third place finishes, making for a stellar 2010 season. The team's 7 podium finishes, including a 5-race podium streak spanning Homestead to Watkins Glen, also handed BMW the 2010 manufacturers championship.

The impressive season results earned the TMS team in Second Place in Team championship out of over 30 teams and drivers Joey Hand and Michael Marsal finished Second in the GS Driver's Championship, piloting the #97 Turner BMW M3.

The 2011 Grand Am Racing season starts January 27-28, with the GRAND-AM 200 at Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Compass360 Takes the Grand-Am Season Championships with Honda Civic Si on StopTech and Power Slot brakes

Congrats are in order once again for Compass360 Racing. After a great run all season long as part of Team StopTech, Compass360 Racing secured their second straight Grand-Am Championship in one of the most dramatic season finales in Grand-Am series' history.

Lawson Aschenbach and David Thilenius, co-drivers of the Compass360 Racing #74 Honda Civic Si, started the race at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah 19 points behind in the championship, but ended up standing atop the standings two-and-a-half hours later, capping off an exciting season of racing for Compass360. The Compass360 Racing competition Honda Civic Si racecars made a switch over to rear StopTech Street Performance Brake Pads at the top of this stellar season and also run on Power Slot Power Alloy brake rotors.

As the checkered flag flew, with #74 on the podium in third, the championship battle was a tie: two teams had 274 points. With two wins and two second-place finishes each, it came down to third-place finishes. That made the team's just completed third place finish the final boost to the top of the championship.

This is Compass360 Racing's second Driver and Team championship in a row. For the third time in the last four seasons, C360R delivered Honda (or Acura) the Manufacturer's Championship.

 

StopTech's New Professional Off-Road Racing Brakes: A Legacy of Dirt

This week StopTech took the cover off of their latest braking endeavor:  off-road racing!  The official press release about the built-for-dirt kits based on StopTech Trophy technology mentions the victory in the desert for Centric Parts CEO Dino Crescentini at a prior Baja 1000.  It's worth noting that dirt runs in the veins of other members of the Centric Parts family too.

Hats off to Chris Kemp for his achievement in the desert. Kemp, a partner and founder of Centric Parts whose team oversees Southern California, finished first in Class 1500, second overall, at the 2010 "Best In The Desert" Vegas to Reno race.

His ride was a 1500 class car from Speed Technologies that ran a solid race from start to finish, which happens to be 500 miles away across brutal and unforgiving terrain. What you call a big pothole on your drive to work wouldn't even make Kemp's radar compared to the pounding craters that assault car and driver on these races.

It took him 9 hours and 20 minutes to claw his way through the desert from his 20th position start to his one-two finish. Here's an interview from the finish line...

Way to go Chris!


Photo Credit: Art Eugenio

Team StopTech Goes Canadian with Fastco Motorsports Hyundai Tiburon racecars

Team StopTech has a division north of the border now that Fastco Motorsports is running with StopTech in the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship.  The series has a pair of classes, and the Super Touring class allows for brake upgrades. 

Fastco Motorsports has fielded a trio of 2008 Hyundai Tiburon V6 racers for two drivers in the 2010 season.  That would be father and son racers Glenn and Lee Chaplin. They go toe to toe with a field chock full of BMWs.  The brakes of choice this season for Fastco are StopTech Big Brake Kits featuring 328x28 patented AeroRotors with Aerohats and clamped by patented ST-40 for piston calipers.

The season has made it through Round Five already with the next round later this month.  The feedback from Lee in the drivers seat is that they could pretty much outbrake everybody at 125mph down to 40 mph.

You catch a taste of the series with this snazzy video recap of Round Three featuring Glenn and Lee Chaplin...

StopTech Make a Splash with Lexus on the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

Once each year, on the third Sunday in August, 175 of the most prized collector cars and motorcycles in the world roll onto what is often called the best finishing hole in golf — the famed eighteenth fairway at Pebble Beach. Tire meets turf and transformation occurs: the stage is set for one of the most competitive events in the automotive world. The occasion is the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

The Concours is not a contest of speed, but of excellence. Automobiles and motorcycles are judged for their historical accuracy, their technical merit and their style. And the best garner reward and recognition.

Thousands of enthusiasts are on hand to celebrate these vehicles and enjoy the company of others who share their passion. The 2010 event marked the 60th anniversary of the first Concours, which was held in 1950.. From less than 30 cars on display in 1950, the event's grown to an estimated 255 cars and motorcycles this year.

One such car at the Lexus pavilion was this beauty sporting F Sport brakes engineered and manufactured for Lexus by StopTech.

New Free Video Series from StopTech Answers Common Brake Upgrade Questions

A new free video series from StopTech answers common brake upgrade questions.  You can read about them here, jump on over to the YouTube Channel where they live, or catch the first three right here...

StopTech Celebrates Launch of Facebook Page with Exclusive Long Beach Grand Prix video

StopTech now has a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/StopTech.

The celebrate the launch of the site, visitors will be the first see the latest StopTech video, which is a behind the scenes look at a great accomplishment on the track in Long Beach last weekend.

This is the first of three planned videos from the behind the scenes footage gathered during the Long Beach Grand Prix weekend.

Shhhh. The Brake Room has a Secret...

Back when 2008 was drawing to a close, StopTech, the ultra performance division of Centric Parts, had only one series of Big Brake Kits. The StopTech Big Brake Kit is a great example of car stopping engineering. Several patents come together to provide shorter stopping distances and more bite from the brake pedal either on the road or track.

Then SEMA 2008 rolled along and the company announced a second series of BBKs; The StopTech Trophy Big Brake Kit. These top-of-the-line offerings were designed to operate on the track only and featured ultra-lightweight calipers with an eye catching machined finish. They made their debut a few months later when StopTech CEO Dino Crescentini took them out for a qualifying run during the SCCA season opener at Sebring and landed a pole position start. What followed was a season full of victories and successes for the StopTech Trophy BBK.

When SEMA 2009 hit, the company announced a third series of BBKs. The StopTech Trophy Sport Big Brake Kits bridged the gap between the two other BBKs by bringing additions to the track-only kit such as silicone dust boots for the ultra-lightweight caliper and adjustments to the patented AeroRotors that provided a street-friendly ride for those who take their serious track vehicle on the road.

Well, as a reader of The Brake Room, you are now among the first to get a heads up that StopTech is about to do it again. The ultra-performance division of Centric Parts is about to announce its fourth series of Big Brake Kits. No need to wait until SEMA this year but you will have to hold on a little longer for the details, unless you can wrestle them out of your StopTech representative. Let's just say the new BBKs will bring StopTech performance, innovation and quality to larger number of drivers.

Check back here soon for the details!

Video Recap of SEMA and AAPEX

With Christmas around the corner and parts of the country buried under snow, perhaps this video look back at the week in the hot Las Vegas desert that was SEMA and AAPEX 2009...

Team StopTech: Euro Edition

We just got word that StopTech’s Trophy Brake System scored its first race victory across the pond, at least that we know of. Euro-tuners Raeder Motorsport is reporting a very successful weekend with their StopTech Trophy-equipped Audi A3. Where? Nurburgring of course. More specifically, on the long VLN Nurburgring track which is the Nordschleife plus the GP circuit.

The first success came on Friday when the A3 set the VLN lap record for a front-wheel drive car. During the training session, Christoph Breuer piloted the A3 through the 24.43 km track with a StopTech STR kit installed in only 8:56.487.

At the next day’s VLN race, the StopTech-equipped A3 took the turns to victory in its class. For those of you looking for a quick German or racing history lesson, VLN stands for Veranstaltergemeinschaft Langstreckenpokal Nurburgring and this Wikipedia link should help.

StopTech and Power Slot Make a Move at SEMA 2009

Those of you heading to SEMA in Las Vegas this year are, as always, encouraged to stop by the StopTech and Power Slot booth at the show. This year you’ll need to look in a different spot.

The hard-to-get-a-bead-on location of last year has been abandoned for booth #22387 closer to the front of the Hot Rod / Racing / Restoration Hall. Instead of concession stands and communal dining tables, StopTech will be setting up shop in the shadow of Ford Motor Company. That’s a literal statement considering that the 400’ X 55’ Ford Booth is right above where the hall level splits, with StopTech will be right below it.

The meetings, and racing season, are not over yet but it looks like Dino Crescentini’s SCCA SPEED World Challenge car will be parked in the booth. This beautiful GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 was rebuilt from the ground up after a crash at Long Beach yet took first place during its next race at Watkins Glen piloted by the StopTech CEO .

If you miss SEMA this year, there will be another video recap posted on the Centric Parts website by the following week. If you are feeling nostalgic for SEMA 2008 and have 5 minutes to kill, check out last year’s video recap…



The news that will be announced at SEMA by StopTech and Power Slot, plus some big news from Centric Parts to be revealed at AAPEX booth #9232 across town, has been ironed out and internally the level of excitement has never been higher for the annual trip to the desert.

StopTech Television Commercial

As teased over at The StopTech Blog before the weekend, StopTech's first national commercial has been posted to their website through the Centric Parts YouTube channel.

Here it is...



The footage for the commercial was shot at Watkins Glen while, coincedentally, Dino Crescentini was winning the race. Does having a camera on you make you a better driver?

Rumor: Modified Mag to Break Big StopTech News

We got an early heads up on the down-low from a writer over at Modified Magazine that StopTech has a big announcement coming up. Apparently the publication got an accidental early peek at something new from the high-performance brake manufacturer.

Rather than try to cover it up, the word is StopTech copped to the timing snafu and is instead supporting an exclusive first look in Modified Magazine. We also spoke with an editor over at the magazine who was willing to confirm this story. We know they were just closing the issue with an August cover date, which hits newsstands in July. So that's the most likely time we'll find out what's up.

A good guess would be that it has something to do with StopTech’s Trophy Brake Systems (press release / video). Those track-only BBKs premiered with a top qualifying time earlier this year at the first SCCA SPEED World Challenge stop at Sebring.

There has been murmur about a sister program to Trophy but we know that a recent strategy meeting about November’s SEMA show did not include a discussion of Trophy or a sister program. That could mean nothing, or be taken as an indication that it would have already been announced by then. So a mid-summer announcement would make sense, especially with the race season in, um, full gear.

Best bet is to just pick up the magazine. It’s a good rag worth reading if you’re into cars that are cooler after they leave the showroom, which you must be if you are reading this blog.

StopTech brings Stars to a Stop at the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race

posted by The Brake Room staff

All of the identical race-ready Scion tCs in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race as part of the 35th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach this weekend will feature brakes from StopTech. The race on April 18, 2009, entails a wide range of celebrity drivers raising funds for charity including Keanu Reeves, Adrien Brody, Alex Trebek, Carlos Mencia and more.

It’s the world’s longest-running and most prestigious celebrity racing event. The Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race pits popular personalities against professional racers for a 10-lap sprint around the 1.97-mile downtown Long Beach street circuit.

The Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race is just one of six races that are part of the 35th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, which runs from April 16-19. Centric Parts CEO Dino Crescentini, which includes the StopTech brand, also drives for GMG Racing and will participate in the SCCA SPEED World Challenge Series race. That race is the final event of the weekend on the 19th. The weekend also includes two free concerts, lifestyle events and is open to the public. Visit http://www.lbgp.com/ for race weekend information.

Each Scion tC in the 2009 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race will benefit from StopTech’s patented caliper bridge design along with two-piece rotors that make use of StopTech’s patented AeroHat and AeroRotor technologies. The rock solid calipers and dramatically increased cooling airflow provide shorter stopping distances, better brake modulation, and virtually eliminate brake fade.

This year’s field is comprised of 18 drivers including Hollywood superstar Keanu Reeves, Academy Award winner Adrien Brody, Raven-Symoné from “That’s So Raven” five-time Emmy award winning “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, Mary Lynn Rajskub from the FOX television series “24,” Tim Daly from ABC’s “Private Practice,” Eric Close from “Without a Trace” on CBS, comedian Carlos Mencia, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser, Jr., and more.

This year’s event will benefit Miller Children's Hospital at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, California’s largest full-service children's hospital, and Children's Hospital of Orange County, which was the county’s first children’s hospital.

Race Report: StopTech CEO earns SCCA Pole Position

posted by The Brake Room Staff

Dino Crescentini, CEO of Centric Parts, which includes the StopTech ultra-performance division, earned pole position in Florida over for the 2009 season opener of the SCCA SPEED World Challenge Series before the weekend to be televised nationally later this month on SPEED Channel. The performance on the track was also the debut of the company's Trophy Big Brake Kits, designed exclusively for track use.

Crescentini races a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup for Global MotorSports Group (GMG) Racing in the SCCA Speed World Challenge Series, and has also brought the company’s Director of Engineering, Steve Ruiz, on as the team’s Head Engineer to enhance StopTech’s racing and development programs.

Crescentini pulled the fastest lap during the qualifying sessions at Sebring International Speedway on Thursday, March 19, to earn a pole position start for the race the next day. Crescentini held his pole position through the start of the race and remained a podium contender through the 15th lap of the 20 lap race. Contact with another vehicle after a yellow flag restart forced his vehicle into the pits on lap 16.

“Winning the qualifying round yesterday and earning pole position like we did validates the technical efforts GMG Racing and StopTech have put into the vehicle,” said Crescentini after the race “The fun part as a driver is facing all of the moment-to-moment challenges on a crowded track on race day shoulder to shoulder with racing professionals.”

Trophy BBKs, first announced late last year at the Performance Racing Industry show (watch video / see news item), feature ultra-lightweight racing calipers in four- or six-piston configurations providing a 20-percent weight reduction without sacrificing stiffness or performance. Full floating versions of StopTech’s patented AeroRotor/AeroHat two-piece rotors eliminate pad knock-back and increase cooling airflow by 15% for consistent performance and pedal feedback under the unique combination of hard cornering and braking found on the track. These BBKs sport a “natural” finish for an attractive in-wheel presentation and also include billet aluminum mounting brackets with stainless steel caliper studs and DOT-compliant stainless steel braided brake lines. Trophy BBKs make no compromises found on hybrid systems designed for both street and track.

The next race up for Crescentinti will be in Long Beach on April 19th as part of the weekend long Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix. The Brake Room will be there with with exclusive behind the scenes coverage. Also keep an eye out in the next week or so for some in-car footage of his pole position earning performance.

Centric Muscles Past 40,000 Parts

Posted by The Brake Room staff

As first reported in Aftermarket News, Centric Parts has cruised to the 40,000 parts milestone with the release of big brake kits for the SRT-8 and R/T versions of the 2009 Dodge Challenger. This is a fitting product to cross the line with, considering the company's recent focus on muscle cars including kits for the Charger and projects with Roush and SMS.

Many notable product releases from Centric Parts throughout 2008 fueled the company’s march to the 40,000 parts achievement. These included StopTech’s track-only Trophy BBKs for serious racing performance (click here for video preview of Trophy BBK) as well as Power Slot’s award-winning Power Alloy rotors which feature superior performance and durability in an entry-level, single-piece design.

Centric Parts’ expansive catalog now boasts over 40,000 braking system parts supporting nearly every make and model from passenger cars to medium duty trucks manufactured since 1937.

View the original story.