By the SEMA Washington, D.C., office
Listen in on a recent conversation between SEMA's Karen Bailey-Chapman and SEMA member Tom Zielinski, owner of Z Performance, Detroit4Fest and co-founder of the inaugural West Virginia Hill Fest. They talk about how state and local governments can partner with the motorsports industry and how the industry can position itself as a contributor to tourism and economic development for state and local economies.
Zielinski and his team met with West Virginia Tourism officials and lawmakers at the most recent SEMA Show. It was there that the inaugural West Virginia Hill Fest, a time-trial, hill-climb race, was born. Bailey-Chapman, who is SEMA's senior vice president for public and government affairs, also talks about her experience at the race as a first-time racer. Bailey-Chapman is better known for her Jeeps and spending her time in off-road adventures, but for West Virginia Hill Fest, she takes to the pavement and joins the event as a novice racer. Watch below to learn more about the race, the partnerships and the success of this first-time event in the Mountain State: