[caption id="attachment_8647" align="alignright" width="150" caption="60 drivers, one track, and one need for speed"][/caption]
The aftermarket had a huge amount of fun at the second CAT karting event last night.
Sixty of the finest aftermarket drivers descended on Daytona in Milton Keynes to do battle on the outdoor track.
Great news to hear that the service, maintenance and repair industry has increased in value to nearly £9 billion in 2011.
That figure excludes the value of MOTs, too, so the pickings are even more rich than this total suggests.
Good news for motorsport fans, BEN is back raising money with its Twilight Challenge, a two hour endurance karting race.
Now we know how competitive the aftermarket can be, and it's all for a good cause, so contact BEN to register your team now!
Harry Adams is a budding engineering genius. He's exactly the sort of person the motor trade needs - passionate, talented and dedicated to his work.
At just 16 Harry is already well on the road to success, winning several prestigious industry awards (the latest being the Painter Stainer award) and being the lucky recipient of an Arkright engineering scholarship.
That's quite a reaction to the news that Andrew Page has bought Camberley Auto Factors.
The key member of the Parts Alliance was 'snapped up' today in a move which instantly gives Andrew Page a significant presence in the south.
One factor said: "They're coming, are they? Oh God, it's going to be a hell of a fight! It's a call to action I suppose, we'd better get ready."
I put 'snapped up' in inverted commas since deals like this aren't done on a whim, of course. It's tempting to think that the groundwork might have taken almost a year since Duncan Wilkes has also today been announced as Andrew Page's new non-executive Chairman. Wilkes' departure as the boss of the Halfords Nationwide Autocentre chain was signalled last August.
We've given away all of the 20 free tickets to September's Automechanika show now, but we can still help in getting you to the trade's biggest event. We've teamed up with show organisers Messe Frankfurt to bring you an exclusive travel package which can get you to the show in style. Read on to find out more.
Goodwood is filled with lots of vehicle manufacturer/race team noise and nostalgia, but what sort of aftermarket flavour does it have? This year's show gave aftermarket suppliers a chance to mingle with the great British consumers at one of the UK's best motoring events.
CAT still has two pairs of Automechanika tickets to give away! Get in touch by emailing darren.moss@haymarket.com now to claim your free tickets. We'll be sending ticket vouchers out to the lucky recipients in the next few weeks. We'll also be arranging to meet up with all of our lucky ticket holders to get their thoughts on what promises to be an incredible show.
A rumour is a powerful tool, and rumours were already circulating that it was Tetrosyl who had stumped up for the MotorMania chain when I went to see the company last week. We now know of course that those rumours were true, and not for the first time I find myself wondering if the aftermarket grapevine - given its success and accuracy scores in recent months - shouldn't turn its attention to predicting Euro 2012 scores as well as business moves.
I love a good factory visit, and yesterday’s visit to the Federal Mogul facility in Nuremberg was very good.
The factory opened in 1924 and now produces 12 million pistons a year for the likes of Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche.