The SEMA/OUSCI Trip 2015: Day 5

I'm writing this on Day 6 since I got sick on Day 5 and couldn't function like a coherent adult. I'm feeling a little better now, so let's dive into the events of Day 5. First, my bag is way too damn heavy to be carrying around the Las Vegas convention center for 4+ hours- time to invest in another camera bag for events like this.

On Day 4, Churchill and I spent the better part of the afternoon interviewing vendors and sponsors for a series I'm calling "Vendor Spotlights: SEMA 2015." We spoke with Seibon Carbon, Borg Warner, Race Ramps, Exedy and Whiteline. Mishimoto was also on the list for Day 6, but that fell through. Hopefully we can make it happen on Day 7, but I don't think we'll be too distraught if we can't make it happen.

On Day 5, I walked to SEMA to shoot B-Roll for the Vendor Spotlights. My camera bag killed my shoulders, back and legs. You wouldn't think 30ish pounds would hurt that much, but hang it from your spine for a few hours and you'll feel like an old man. Someone should buy me a wheelie bag or a small shoulder bag to limit what I'm allowed to carry.

As I finished shooting Whiteline, the last vendor booth, and looked at my watch, I decided to spend a couple hours shooting things at SEMA that caught my eye. So many amazing builds to see at SEMA. Sensory overload. Even cars that I don't like were so well done I had to stop and stare (and take pictures).

My list of must-see vendors was really short, so I posted on Facebook on the Illinois Car Enthusiasts group asking what other vendors I need to check out. Someone posted about HSD, so I went. In all honesty, the booth was pretty disappointing and there really wasn't anyone there. There weren't even HSD employees there. It was a widebody GT-R and some coilover samples setup behind the Sprint Booster booth. Now, Sprint Booster blew my entire mind wide open. I spoke with one of the guys there for half an hour and he showed me how it works and how easy it was to install. I asked him if I could buy one then and there but they didn't have them for all makes and models, so I'll have to order it from their site when I get home.

For those that don't know what a Sprint Booster is, it increases the response time of drive by wire throttle bodies to near cable driven throttle speed. It's quite amazing. The WOT lag is almost entirely eliminated.

As I walked through the main hall, about 2 hours into my wander and shoot session, my throat started hurting, my chest got tight and my body temperature dropped. I walked back to the hotel, turned the heat up to 90 (as high as it would go) and shivered in the room under the blankets until I fell asleep. At some point I ordered chicken wings, but that's a blur.

I thought for sure I had gotten strep throat, but as I woke up today it seemed more like a bad sinus infection. It sucks, but hey it's better than strep. Ole' gambling man Rhys should be back in action before OUSCI on Saturday.

Here's some of the cool stuff that caught my eye. (Yes, I think airbags are cool, no, I wouldn't put them on my car...at least not on my Z):