History

Desert Steel Motorsports (DSM) & DSM Events has been involved in motorsports events for nearly a decade. The company was formed in 1990 to work with the Nissan factory to develop and promote its unlimited off-road race truck. DSM=s event production efforts began in 1994.

Jim Russell, company president and automotive hobbyist, is one of the lucky few that has been able to turn his passion into his vocation. Russell has combined his experiences as an auto parts manufacturer, race car and boat driver, automobile factory race team owner, motorsports event contractor and car collector with his love of the Colorado River area, people and fun. This formula gave birth to a successful car showCthe Havasu HappeningCin the spring of 1995. Although inspired by a local street rod show, the Run to the Sun, this show differed in that it was open to all types of vehicles including trucks, boats, motorcycles and more, as well as street rods. The Happening kept many of the features of the street-rod, run-style of event: a downtown cruise night, vehicles displayed on the golf course grass for two days, and added a few unique twists such as its popular burnout contest and model-car competition.

The early success of that first event inspired a second, the River Happening in Parker, Ariz. This show was a transformation of a locally produced show previously known as the River Run. With the pieces in place, the company launched its first out of state event, the Country Happening car show in northern San Diego County in California. With three shows in production and more on the horizon, Russell hired hospitality industry veteran Tom Frank as general manager. The Mountain Happening car show was added in Flagstaff, Arizona. The California show was replaced with the Gambler Happening in Laughlin, Nevada. A lot was happening.

As the company=s event business increased, it became necessary to build an infrastructure to continue growth. DSM added trucks, trailers, golf cars, radios, audio systems, computer systems, vending trailers, uniforms, a forty foot tractor trailer to haul it all in and more. The plan was to be as self-sufficient as possible, thereby reducing outside costs and increasing control. It was this internal stability that made it viable to capitalize on the experience of event production on the street and take it to the water.

Each of their events is sponsor driven. The company=s goal is to deliver outstanding advertising and promotional benefit to a valuable family of sponsors in a variety of ways and multitude of media. Show and race venues feature scores of sponsor banners and graphics (produced in house at lower cost) displayed on unique frames and cleverly placed fences. The official company web site offers banner ads and links to sponsors.

In 1999 the company began the publication of Tristate Motor News, the area=s only exclusively motorsports magazine. As Russell says, Aif Tristate Motor News had existed, we would have advertised in it. It didn=t, so we created it@. Now with circulation of 13,000 issues, it is distributed in Western Arizona, Southern Nevada and California. It features free classified ads for individuals, reports on the myriad of motorsports events in the Tristate area, and free subscriptions.

In 2001 Desert Steel Motorsports/ DSM Events produced eight events including five multi-day car/street rod shows, one stadium style off road race, a monster truck show and jet melt-down, a and a powerboat endurance race. These events enjoyed three hours of coverage on two national television networks (Speedvision and the Outdoor Channel), showcasing their sponsors, participants and venues in the process.

When the folks at DSM aren=t producing events of their own, they are serving the more than twenty other events to whom they contract annually to provide event related goods and services. They work regularly all over the southwest, from Baja California, Mexico to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. In the process they provide everything from aircraft and pilots and ground support to computer/radio data transmission systems and music and audio.

Today, with a full time staff of five and a much larger part-time event crew, Desert Steel Motorsports and DSM Events, continually examines prospective new projects to tackle. In its second decade of event production the company stands poised for growth thanks to a solid core of sponsors, participants, spectators, viewers and vendors. Anyone interested in joining one (or more) of these categories or for additional information, can call 928/764-2210.