DIAMOND BAR, Calif. – As part of Motorsports Awareness Month, the Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council (MPMC) is urging all race fans to share the thrill and excitement of the sport with non-enthusiasts during the month of August.

MPMC is a SEMA council made up for more than 200 companies, most of which are owned and operated by avid enthusiasts. To increase awareness and interest in motorsports, the council celebrates Motorsports Awareness Month each August, and in 2008 launched its “Take a Friend to a Race” program in hopes of introducing the sport to a new audience.

“The MPMC is dedicated to the Take a Friend to a Race program as a way to get the next generation of race fans involved in our industry,” said Bill Floyd, chairman of the MPMC.

Through the program, the council is asking all performance parts manufacturers, distributors, retailers and race tracks to join them and promote the “Take a Friend to a Race” program to their local communities. The council offers several resources to make it simple and easy for companies to help, including:

1. Adding the “Take a Friend to a Race” logo to Web sites, fliers, catalogs and other promotional items. The logo can easily be downloaded from www.sema.org/mpmc.
2. Placing a “Take a Friend to a Race” ad in race track programs or fliers. Several pre-designed ads can be found as downloads at www.sema.org/mpmc.
3. Viewing the video about the “Take a Friend to a Race” program and sending it to customers, friends, family members, local schools, etc. The video can be found at www.sema.org/mpmc.
4. Contacting local schools about bringing students to a race.

Those interested in learning more about the program or other ways to support the “Take a Friend to a Race” program should contact Jim Skelly at SEMA at 909/396-0289, ext. 103, or jimsk@sema.org.