While it is a mouthful, the event is easily digestible.  9 sketchers, 2 rounds of 30 minutes each. One winner, $2,500 Grand Prize.  At the Inn at Spanish Bay as an official part of the Pebble Beach Concours d’elegance.  Presented by HRE Wheels.  What more do you need to know? 

HRE designs, engineers and manufactures 3-piece and 1-piece forged aluminum alloy wheels for Racing, Performance & Luxury cars and SUVs in their San Diego, California-based, TÜV-approved facility. HRE’s built-to-order wheel sets offer a customized choice of offsets, widths and finishes, resulting in a uniquely personal style and performance solution for each customer’s application. HRE wheels are sold through select high-end car dealerships, specialty retailers and performance companies worldwide.

In addition to HRE, long time partners Brazen Sports and Mobsteel are on board.  Per usual the Winner receives a title belt constructed by hand by Mobsteel and a fantastic watch will be awarded to one of the contestants courtesy of our official timekeeper Brazen Sports. PS If you want a Brazen watch of your own, Sketchbattle and Jalopnik fans qualify for a special 20% discount by clicking this link and using code MSBEXP20.

The 9 sketchers will battle live in front of the audience in two rounds of competition.  In the first round the sketchers will redesign the Bugatti Type 57SC Corsica Roadster for the year 2025 in 30 minutes. After the judges pick the winners the remaining sketchers will have another 30 minutes to redesign the Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti Coupe for the year 2025.

The judges who will make these decisions are experts in their own right.

Ed Loh is the senior vice president of content at MotorTrend Group and serves as editor-in-chief for MotorTrend. Loh has more than 18 years of experience in automotive journalism and has held leadership positions at Import Racer!, Road & Track’s Speed magazine, and Sport Compact Car. Loh moved to MotorTrend in the spring of 2007 and became its executive editor in 2010 and then editor-in-chief in 2011. In his time with MotorTrend, the brand has become the leading automotive authority across print, online, social media, and video. In February 2016, Loh was promoted to senior vice president, in-market content for Motor Trend Group, overseeing the editorial direction of MotorTrend and Automobile magazines. In April 2018, this role was expanded to include all automotive content for the MotorTrend Group.

Chief Judge Jay Ward is the Creative Director, Cars Franchise at Pixar Animation Studios.  Ward consults on all CARS-related projects around the world, providing automotive and franchise expertise to both Disney and its partners in matters pertaining to Consumer Products, Interactive, Marketing, Publishing, and Theme Parks. He also serves as a liaison with automotive manufacturers and museums working on Pixar-related projects. Jay was the automotive and later franchise creative consultant on all three ‘CARS’ films, the Cars Toons, and Cars Land at Disney’s California Adventure Park in Anaheim, California. In addition to his work on Cars projects, Jay worked in the art departments of Monsters Inc., Ratatouille, and Brave, and served as the associate producer of the 2008 Pixar short film “Presto.” Ward also runs the campus classic car show, the “Pixar Motorama” hosting vehicles from Jay Leno, Chip Foose, and many others.

Sketchbattle Founder Brook Banham with Sketchbattle partner Frank Schwartz

The Middlecott Sketchbattle Experiment™ is presented by

            AACS and Middlecott Design.

AACS (Advanced Automotive Consulting Services, LLC) is a business development consultancy working in all aspects of the automotive industry.  AACS specializes in helping automotive suppliers with their difficult objectives like introducing new technologies, expanding business onto new continents or breaking down walls to bring in new customers. We are experts in customer engagement!

MIDDLECOTT Design is an international design organization based in Detroit, Michigan. As Detroit’s premier design consultancy, MIDDLECOTT will supercharge your brand through its award-winning formula of high-octane design.