In addition to the live racing and debut of the road-going version of the “Fast 9” Dodge Charger, OPTIMA Batteries will have full-motion racing simulators for showgoers to challenge professional drivers in setting the fastest lap time of the week while surrounded by brand ambassador vehicles and the high-performance vehicles competing in the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational the following weekend.
Fast Facts:
- Mike Rowe and Tanner Foust will host the public debut of SpeedKore’s custom carbon-fiber 1968 Dodge Charger from the movie “Fast 9” on Tuesday, November 2, 2021, at 2:30 p.m. PST at the OPTIMA Batteries outdoor booth (located in the Bronze Lot outside of the Las Vegas Convention Center).
- An exhibition track will be set up for off-road racer Chris Polvoorde and two-time Formula Drift Champion Tanner Foust to run multiple demonstration laps and drifting sessions Tuesday and Wednesday of the SEMA Show.
- The PEAK Performance Challenge speed stop will be running on Thursday and Friday of the SEMA Show as part of the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational.
- Two EVOLVE Motion racing simulators will be available for showgoers to try to top lap times set by professional drivers on iconic tracks.
MILWAUKEE (Oct. 27, 2021) – OPTIMA® Batteries, a leading brand of Clarios (NYSE: BBU) (TSX: BBU.UN), has announced its expanded presence at the 2021 SEMA Show featuring two different booths, live racing and a press conference hosted by Mike Rowe highlighting the public debut of SpeedKore’s “Hellacious” mid-engine Dodge Charger. OPTIMA brand ambassadors James Clay and Chris Polvoorde will also be in attendance with their respective vehicles – Clay with the BimmerWorld Bergsteiger E36 Hill Climb Car that raced in the 2021 Pikes Peak Hill Climb and Polvoorde with his Ford Ranger Pro Lite race truck.
In an all-new outdoor space located in the Bronze Lot outside of the Las Vegas Convention Center, OPTIMA Batteries will showcase celebrity and brand ambassador vehicles and host a portion of its OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational (OUSCI) race, the PEAK Performance Challenge, for spectators to enjoy at the show. More than 80 classic and modern sports cars competing in the OUSCI will be on display outside. Following the show, the OUSCI competitors will head to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the culmination of the series on Saturday, November 6 and Sunday, November 7. Additionally, Tanner Foust will be performing exhibition drift laps in his V8-powered Volkswagen Passat drift taxi on Tuesday and Wednesday of the SEMA Show.
“We believe in the value of the SEMA Show and we’re excited to see our industry colleagues for the first time in two-years,” said OPTIMA Batteries Director of Marketing Cameron Douglass. “We were happy to find a way to work with SEMA to bring the excitement of the OUSCI race to the show as this was a series developed in response to the number of impeccable builds that debut at the show every year. Seeing it all come full circle is what makes this event so special to us.”
The SpeedKore 1968 Dodge Charger “Hellacious,” the road-going version of the vehicle featured in “Fast 9,” will make its public debut at a press conference hosted by Mike Rowe and featuring stunt driver Tanner Foust and SpeedKore’s Tom Porter on Tuesday, November 2, 2021, at 2:30 p.m. PST in OPTIMA’s outdoor location. “Hellacious” features a custom carbon fiber widebody and a mid-mounted 6.2-liter Hellcat Hemi V8 mounted to a gated-manual Graziano transaxle from a Lamborghini Gallardo. Attendees will have the opportunity to see and hear the vehicle in action throughout the show.
In partnership with EVOLVE Motion Simulators, showgoers will also have the chance to virtually race on iconic tracks like the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in an immersive, full-motion driving simulator while attempting to beat the lap times set by professional drivers Tanner Foust and James Clay.
OPTIMA’s outdoor presence, previously referred to as “OPTIMA Alley,” is now located in the Bronze Lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center’s outdoor area and its indoor booth is located in the convention center’s Central Hall in Booth #22453.
About OPTIMA® Batteries
OPTIMA high-performance automotive, marine and heavy-duty AGM batteries are manufactured by Clarios, LLC, the world’s largest manufacturer of automotive batteries. OPTIMA REDTOP®, YELLOWTOP® and BLUETOP® batteries feature state-of-the-art SPIRALCELL TECHNOLOGY®. This patented design allows OPTIMA batteries to deliver superior performance in both starting and deep cycling applications. The OPTIMA product family also includes a line of Digital Chargers, with advanced multi-stage charging to charge and maintain a variety of vehicle batteries, maximizing battery life and performance. The newest additions to the OPTIMA YELLOWTOP line are now offered in DIN group sizes H6 and H7. This offering allows a variety of modern vehicles, ranging from late-model domestic performance to European models, to experience the power and performance of OPTIMA Batteries. To learn more or to purchase OPTIMA products, please visit www.optimabatteries.com, call 1-888-8OPTIMA (1-888-867-8462) or find @OPTIMABatteries on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About Clarios
Clarios is a world leader in advanced energy storage solutions. We partner with customers to meet increasing market demand for smarter applications, on a global scale. Our 16,000 employees develop, manufacture and distribute a portfolio of evolving battery technologies for virtually every type of vehicle. These technologies deliver uniquely sustainable, next-generation performance, and bring reliability, safety and comfort to everyday lives. We add value at every link in the supply chain, contributing to the progress of the communities we serve and the planet we all share. As a 2020 signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, Clarios is committed to aligning our strategies and operations with universal principles focused on human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption. Clarios is a subsidiary of Brookfield Business Partners, a business services and industrials company focused on owning and operating high-quality businesses that benefit from barriers to entry and/or low production costs.
