DSM Event History

DSM Events (DSM ) has been involved in motorsports events for fifteen years. The company was formed in 1990 to work with the Nissan factory to develop and promote its unlimited off-road race truck. DSM’s own 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, 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 show—the Havasu Happening—in the spring of 1994. Inspired by a local street rod show, this show differed in that it was open to all types of vehicles including trucks, boat , motorcycles and more, as well as street rods. Now, in its’ eleventh year 800 vehicles are expected to enter the 2005 show.

The early success of that first event inspired a second, the River Happening in Parker, Arizona. 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. The Mountain Happening car show was added in Flagstaff, Arizona. The California show was replaced with the Gambler Happening at the Ramada Express Hotel-Casino in Laughlin, Nevada. A lot was “Happening”.

As the company’s event business increased, it be ca me necessary to build an infrastructure to continue growth. DSM added trucks, trailers, golf cars, radios, audio systems, computer systems, vending trailers, generators and more. The rolling stock now includes eighteen wheel tractor-trailers, a real monster truck, and a jet powered Budweiser delivery van Currently the company make s it s equipment available for rent by others, and they serve more than twenty such events annually. 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 of shows and take it to motorsports racing. After creating an annual series of three, nationally televised powerboat races, DSM retired from endurance powerboat race production. In 2000 DSM staged its first off-road race with a stadium-style event in Lake Havasu, “Baja in Havasu”. It includes a Monster Truck Show & Jet Meltdown. DSM has produced as many as nine annual events projected to impact more than 25,00 0 participants and spectators on site, and 60 million fans via national television. During the recent years DSM has co-produced, and maintained editorial control, of up to four hours annually of national television programming on both Speed Channel and The Outdoor Channel on their events, and has sold the commercial time for those shows.

Each of these 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 displayed on unique frames built into strategically placed fences and towers. It is the intention of DSM to provide participants and spectators with a favorable experience combining an event with sponsors’ identities.

DSM now publishes Tristate Motor News, a bimonthly 48 page automotive magazine with a circulation of 20,000 throughout the Arizona, Nevada and California desert. It has become the authority for motorsports events and activities in the are a. Addition ally, company president Jim Russell co-hosts a talk show on regional broadcast radio, affording further promotional opportunities.

To facilitate and support these diverse operations Monica Jackson joined the DSM team in the role of marketing manager in 1999, along with nationally recognized rescue diver Jim Connolly who came on-board as Safety Director.

New in 2001 was the production of Laughlin’s Weekend of Wheels. More than a car show, it was an automotive festival involving all nine hotel-casinos in this famous desert gaming town. It included a collect or car auction , burnout contest, jet melt down, mini-monster truck show an d seven concurrent car shows.

DSM is very proud to partner with regional charities, and had been able to develop many thousands of dollars of income for them via its events. The work continues to increase that amount each year via the efforts of John Walker, DSM Vice President and Civic Affairs Director.

DSM formed and ran an international sanctioning body, Xtreme International, to facilitate the series of stadium off-road races they produced in Baja, Mexico, and the United States.

Proudly, DSM partnered with the IJSBA and produced the 22nd “World Finals” in Lake Havasu City, and served in the role of major contractor to industry giant IMG for the production of the 2004 World Finals. This massive event is the “Indy” of PWC racing, and featured 30,000 spectator days with 1,360 competitors from 40 states and 38 nations competing for eight continuous days. In 2005 we re-partnered with the IJSBA to again produce the event.

Today, with a full-time staff of five and a much larger part-time event crew, DSM continually examines prospective new projects to tackle. In its second decade, after the production of sixty two events of their own, and having contracted to over 200 other events for goods and services, the company stands poised for growth thanks to a solid core of sponsors, participants, spectators, viewers and vendors.

For additional information, call 928/764-2210, or visit the web site at www.DSMevents.com.