CANOGA PARK, CA — Team IMC, a group of cyclists made up of employees from Interamerican Motor Corporation (IMC) and industry partners, has departed Los Angeles for a four-day, 366-mile bicycle ride to Las Vegas. The planned arrival date in Las Vegas is Oct. 28. The team will ride more than 90 miles a day on average, with two of the four stages taking place on historic Route 66. The ride is also serving as a conduit to raise funds and awareness for issues that will impact the automotive aftermarket industry. This years’ issue is the challenge that telematics poses to all areas of the aftermarket. 
“After a year of planning and training for the ride to Las Vegas, it is finally time to hit the road,” said Thomas Beer, president and CEO of IMC. “As excited as we are about riding in the Tour d’ AAPEX, we are equally excited about the response from the industry with regards to sponsoring the ride. Most of our major industry partners as well the installer and jobber communities have contributed or have pledged to contribute funds, to sponsor a study on the impact and opportunities raised by telematics. It is a unique experience for a distributor like IMC to be able to bring the industry together for a common goal.”
Telematics refers to the process where cars communicate wirelessly with the dealership, which allows dealers to run diagnostics remotely. Because the dealer alerts the owner of issues with the car, the dealer typically gets the first opportunity to repair the issues; the closed loop nature of Telematics can keep the customer from calling an independent mechanic for service. Telematics could adversely impact the automotive aftermarket on all levels and consequently have a negative effect on the cost and service quality for the consumer.
The Tour d’ AAPEX is comprised of four stages. Stage1, “The Beginning,” is Santa Clarita, CA, to Victorville, CA, and is highlighted by a ride past the airplane graveyard at the Mojave airport. Stage 2, “Route 66,” is Victorville, CA, to Amboy, CA, and is highlighted by the Amboy Crater. Stage 3, “Leaving California," is Amboy, CA, to the California/Nevada/Arizona border, and is highlighted by a ride through the Mojave Desert. The final stage is Stage 4, “Vegas Baby,” from the California/Nevada/Arizona border to Las Vegas, and is highlighted by the highest elevation of the ride 3,735 feet at Searchlight, NV. The Team’s finish line will be the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas.
If you are interested in learning more about the Tour d’ AAPEX and would like to contribute funds to be used for the study, please contact David Pollack at (818)-678-1233 or log onto http://www.imcparts.net/misc/teamIMC.shtml for more information.
