MAHLE Aftermarket Partners With IHRA

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MAHLE Aftermarket Partners With IHRA

Deal will name Clevite the official bearing of IHRA; company also announces Clevite Bonus Program.

Counterman Staff
By Counterman Staff
Published:

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – MAHLE Aftermarket Inc. has announced a three-year, multifaceted partnership with the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) naming Clevite the official bearing of the IHRA. As part of the agreement, Clevite also will present a special award at IHRA Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series events run in conjunction with the Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour presented by AMSOIL. The new Clevite Bonus Program will award the winner of each of the seven major IHRA sportsman classes at those double weekends a $200 bonus and a special presentation in the winner’s circle.
 
“We are very excited to bring an outstanding company like MAHLE Aftermarket into the IHRA family,” said John Donaldson, IHRA senior director of corporate partnerships. “This is a relationship that will only grow over the next few years as MAHLE Aftermarket continues to expand the role of Clevite with the IHRA on a national level.”
 
The Clevite Bonus Program began with the Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series event at Bradenton Motorsports Park, April 11-12. Other events in the series will be at Rockingham Dragway (May 17-18), Maryland International Raceway (June 13-14), Grand Bend Motorplex (June 20-22), Castrol Raceway (July 4-6) and Cordova Dragway Park (July 18-19).
 
“We are so excited to be involved again with the IHRA through this great partnership,” said Bill McKnight, training manager at MAHLE Aftermarket Inc. “We are very excited about this partnership and are committed to making this program even more successful by growing our involvement with IHRA.”
 
McKnight went on to explain that Clevite was looking to broaden its involvement with sportsman racers at the IHRA. “Our first association with the IHRA was strictly with the nitro cars, so this time we decided to get more involved with the grassroots of the sport and recognize the winners of IHRA’s seven premier sportsman classes with a cash award and a special presentation.”
 
Clevite has been in the bearing business since 1919 when it first began operations in Cleveland, Ohio. Over the past 95 years, Clevite has grown into a world leader in providing quality engine bearings and is the No. 1 engine bearing in racing engines, according to MAHLE – every car in every NASCAR and IHRA race is equipped with Clevite bearings. Owned by German automotive parts supplier MAHLE GmbH, Clevite continues to grow with research and operations centers in the United States as well as Rugby, England.
 
 

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Customer service should be your number one priority, and it all starts with the greeting.

Eric Garbe
By Eric Garbe
Eric Garbe is a graduate of Columbus State Community College with a degree in Automotive Maintenance Technology. He has extensive independent and dealership field experience as a technician and shop owner and is an ASE Certified Master Technician and former Adjunct Automotive Professor. He has been professionally writing automotive technical articles and documents for many years and in his free time enjoys restoring old cars and creating custom interiors and upholstery.
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This is always an important topic to discuss, because I consider excellent customer service one of the most important tools you can have to earn trust, respect and repeat business from the customers that come through your door. Whether that customer is do-it-yourselfer from across town or the professional repair shop across the street, your business depends on a solid relationship.It’s a subject that I am passionate about, and it’s one that many people are losing touch with. Whether you are communicating to someone in person, on the phone or using some type of social media, good customer service and bad can both exist. You can’t afford the latter, so this is the first in a series of topics which can and should be shared from the front of the shop to the back. No matter which role you hold, you represent the shop and yourself. Customer service should be your number one priority.First on the list is the greeting. From the second a customer walks in the door, they need to know you appreciate them coming in and how important they are to your business. First impressions are everything and here’s the correct way to do it each and every time: look them directly in the eye, smile and say hello!Of course, you can say “Good morning” or “Welcome to Joe’s Autocare,” but it should be a formal greeting and the most important thing is that you have smiled, looked them in the eye and recognized that they have walked through the door.You should always retain a formal greeting until you are on a first-name basis with a customer. Only once you have established that level of relationship is it OK to use the less formal greeting of “Hi,” followed by the person’s name.This greeting does more than just indicate respect and appreciation for someone walking through the door. Most likely there are customers both new and old who are in earshot of your conversation. For newer customers, this continues to build rapport and reinforce their positive view of your shop; they see that you demonstrate respect and treat everyone in the same manner. For repeat customers, even ones that have been coming for years, the greeting is important because the way you treat them is the reason they continue to come.And when a long-time customer comes in and you greet them with “Hi [First Name],” this indicates your appreciation for them and that you’re glad to see them as a person, more than just a customer. New customers that witness this will see that your repeat customers are comfortable enough to be on a first-name basis, another indication of the trust they have in you.

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