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SEMA: The Aftermath (exclusive MotoIQ coverage!)
The SEMA show is open Tues-Fri from 9am to 5pm, but many of the business dealings get accomplished late at night. Of course, remembering them the next morning is the true accomplishment! The “real” SEMA 2010 started Tuesday night at the Subaru industry party. The MotoIQ staff kicked off Wednesday night filling up at the Wynn buffet. Afterwards, some of us napped off the buffet coma at the hotel while others went to the Scion party. They would not let Mike in because he didn’t have the correct VIP band and Eddie Lee would not let him in! (Thanks Eddie-MK)Mike gained entry by following some real VIP’s, pretending to be part of the posse and hid in the Formula D booth. A few went to a strip club to exhaust their wallets being teased. According to strict MotoIQ accounting rules, unless the pole dancer has some industry connections (and not just a resume filled with rod-to-stroke experience), the last location was not a reimbursable expense…
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| Who carries a wheel around both the show and at the club? This guy. | Who’s this guy? No idea but he loves himself a rim job… |
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Before (Martin, Jeff, Lesley- our MotoIQ DD, and Sarah) | After (Khiem replacing Martin). Mike took Khiem’s hat because he decided it looked to ghey on him. |
Thursday night was the Falken/ProMotion party, usually one of the craziest parties of the week. We collected our VIP bracelets (that’s how we roll…) which entitled us to the velvet draped private lounges of the exclusive second floor overlooking the dance floor. The days of free open bar disappeared a few years ago but if you’re desperate enough, you can usually find half empty bottles lying around on the tables. We left the club debating how to fit 6 people in a B13 Sentra (Ok, so that’s really how we roll…) without having the look like we were smuggling undocumented workers across the border. You should see Eric Hsu’s no-handed shifting skills! And since Martin disappeared like Casper after we closed the club down, we pondered if we should start checking back seats of taxi cabs or corners of casinos. Turns out, we lost him to strip club amnesia (glitter can erase memory if not applied correctly) and two hours later, the Vegas MotoIQ HQ got a 6am wakeup call to provide our location details. Next time, we’ll write on Martin’s hand “If lost, please return to…” or implant a GPS locator chip in him.
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| Where Khiem’s hat went. Do you like the MotoIQ limited edition Nerd Alliance shirt? Something tells me Verena Mei isn’t interested in Mike’s riceboy act. |
Friday night is usually pretty calm. Most people are trying to find their plane tickets, their suitcase, and maybe whatever dignity they may have lost trying to negotiate a deal. The worst cases might sorta be like the movie The Hangover. We think Martin’s lost Thursday is probably like that. Many of us gravitate towards the more laid back atmosphere of the Circle Bar at Hard Rock Hotel. What is usually some table games, ESPN projected on the ceilings, and (finally!) decent priced drinks had a little extra this year in the form of three stripper poles extending 25 feet into the air. These girls were pros. One scaled that pole like a lumberjack at a tree climbing event. MotoIQ (being the technical magazine we are) debated how to write an article discussing the traction properties of whatever magical fluid the dancers vigorously rubbed into those poles in-between performances. It must be similar to VHT Track Bite, the stuff they spray down at drag strips, because her rubber knee high boots gripped the pole like a set of R compound tires.
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| Jeff and George practicing their “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” floor lifts. | Mike taking Jeff’s cherry. |
I conquered SEMA 2010 and all I got was this lousy hangover and bronchitis- thanks Jeff. And somebody was crop dusting my plane on the way home. I guess what happens in Vegas does NOT always stay in Vegas. ‘Til next year!
Check out the MotoIQ Newbie Guide to SEMA by our new Copy Editor, Colin Holte. You can also view the complete official SEMA photo gallery here: http://www.semadigital.com/
