Bustling Activity for 2024 PRI Show Opening Day

"Steve and Ed left an incredible mark on the racing industry through their courage to take risks and relentless drive to push the industry forward," said Good. "Their accomplishments, integrity, and passion for helping others have inspired countless people and we are proud to present them with this accolade that celebrates their boldness and innovation."

The morning was also highlighted by Travis Pastrana--American racer and stunt performer with gold medals in several disciplines, including supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, rally racing and offshore powerboat racing--who stole the show riding his dirt bike straight onto the stage.

Among the wisdom shared by Pastrana during his sit-down with host Ralph Sheheen of SPEED SPORT was the fact that if you're working or spending money in the motorsports industry, you're doing life correctly. "Every new invention brings with it a new opportunity for someone trying to push forward," Pastrana said. "It takes family, a lot of good friends and sponsors to get to the top of the sport. It's not one person; it takes the whole community to raise a champion."

Immediately following the conclusion of the breakfast, the doors opened to the Show floor, overflowing with more than 1,000 exhibitors across Indiana Convention Center's Yellow Hall and Green Hall and Lucas Oil Stadium.

Among the aisles of innovations were some vehicle unveilings, including a concept race car revealed at the Howe Racing Enterprises Booth #5049 on Thursday morning. The 2025 HR6 race car features the Howe original "Kato" reinforced fiberglass body and a Turn Key Motorsports port-injected 4.3L V6 GM engine delivering 400 hp and 365 ft/lbs. of torque. The car was introduced by Chas Howe and car designer Charlie Howe, who was able to share, "We felt like there was a little bit of a void in the market of what TA2 was when it originally started, so this is trying to get back some of those guys that are now staying home because they can't [afford it anymore]," Charlie Howe said.

Starting at $115,000, this concept vehicle is around $60,000 cheaper than a new TA2 car. Interested buyers can join a waitlist for the car by contacting Howe Racing Enterprises. "Over the course of the next year, we hope to get it on its feet somewhere. We have some testing to do this winter, and then we plan on building a short run of them and getting some feedback from our customers, [see] what we want to change and then hopefully homologate it and get it adopted in the series somewhere," Howe concluded. 

Another unveiling took place Thursday morning in the Supertech Performance Booth #4141, a '94 "USDM Celica GT4" that will be driven by American drift racer Ryan Tuerck, who was on hand for the reveal.

"The reason we did [USDM] is because it's already on the left-hand drive. We didn't want to cut up a JDM car and convert it to left-hand, so this build is not a 'true' GT4 in that respect, but it's completely redone and rebuilt. It's my take on a restoration build on an older chassis but with a modern-day drivetrain and modern-day parts, electronics and everything," said Trueck. "It has some absolutely phenomenal fabrication and the quality of build work done to it. So, the biggest reason to come by [the Supertech booth] is to check out how well this car is actually built."

Forgeline, the Dayton, Ohio-based exhibitor and wheel manufacturer, introduced four new wheels for the racing and performance market at the 2024 PRI Show, and also announced upgrades to its carbon-fiber barrel programs, made possible by its new corporate partner, Lacks Enterprises.

In addition to the new products, Forgeline partnered with Chevrolet and Pratt Miller Motorsports to bring the Corvette GT3.R "Chassis 001" as an anchor for the booth (#535 in Green Hall) and demonstrate one of Forgeline's many application-specific offerings. The car rides on the forged monoblock SS1R-GT wheels developed specifically for the Corvette GT3.R, Chevrolet's latest GT3-spec racing platform that competes in a variety of sports car series worldwide on Forgeline's wheels, including the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, SRO GT World Challenge, the FIA WEC and more.

"It was a dream for us to get the wheels on the Corvette and I think [Pratt Miller Motorsport] knows how excited we are to work with them," said Steve Schardt, vice president of Forgeline. "They went above and beyond to talk to Chevrolet and get it here. It's an incredible car to have in our booth and we're just so honored."

But the car isn't the only thing drawing the interest of Showgoers, according to Dave Schardt, president of Forgeline. Plenty of attendees are stopping by the Forgeline booth to get business done. "We have customers here. We get deals done," he said. "Beginnings of contracts happen at PRI, so that's why we really like the PRI Show and introducing new products here. The people that come here are serious about what they're going to do for next year."

Newer to the PRI Show this year is The Mental Agility Coaching Center, which is based out of Park Ridge, Illinois. It matches licensed professional counselors with athletes and racers for neurocognitive training as a means to improve performance. Their clients are race teams and individuals looking to improve their reaction time and decrease distractibility, among other skills training in racing. "Really, it's just psychology to boost performance. One of our teams was able to shed a second off their tire changes," said Dave Marks, referring to a pit team that took the course. And, of course, in racing, one second can mean the difference between a win and a second-place finish.

The growing presence of sim racing in the motorsports industry was apparent across the entire PRI Show floor, but no more obvious than in the PRI SIM Racing Arena Presented by SRO Motorsports Group and U.S. Army.

Expanded from years prior to 43,000 sq. ft. of floor space in Lucas Oil Stadium, the growth of the SIM Racing Arena footprint represents the increase in focus, influence and acceptance of virtual racing across the wider industry, according to Marc-André Ladouceur, co-owner of Advanced Sim Racing.

"This has been a business where we see new manufacturers, new players, 10 times more clients every year, and I think PRI has been a perfect reflection of the industry status," Ladouceur said. "For us being a niche of motorsport, it's all about credibility, legitimacy, and being here in the heart of motorsports at PRI is a big statement. The acceptance level from the crowd has also been growing exponentially. We have people that are actively coming here looking for simulators."

Although just one day into the 2024 PRI Show, Ladouceur was already hailing the PRI Show as a success for Advance Sim Racing and the sim racing industry as a whole. "This is the Mecca of motorsports, so we get to meet drivers, team owners, track owners, club owners, shop owners," he said. "We're mainly motorsports focused here at Advanced Sim Racing. You can make sims for entertainment, you can build sims for showcasing, but our core business is the pure driver and enthusiast. This is the best possible collection of potential clients and partners for us."

Attendees were also taking turns on a high-tech karting simulator on the main PRI Show Floor in the Briggs & Stratton Racing Engines Booth #4344, which featured the KartSim Pro Simulator which was equipped with seat vibration and motion systems and allows users to virtually race 15 real US-based karting tracks, including New Castle Motorsports Park, Sonoma Karting Track, Charlotte Karting Track, Road America, Trackhouse Motorplex, with more tracks expected to be added in March 2025, according to a booth rep.

Another returning feature, T.O.P.S. HQ, kicked off its PRI Show programming on Thursday, opening its doors to track operators, promoters and sanction officials, management and staff. This exclusive area offers a three-day lineup of seminars, roundtables and forums catering to its specific audience with track- and sanction-centric topics.

Thursday's lineup included a presentation from SCCA President Mike Cobb and IMSA President John Doonan on attracting the next generation of motorsports participants, whether it's behind the wheel, as a corner worker or in scrutineering. 

According to Cobb, the SCCA has had success in training volunteers with a new, online learning module system, which helps prepare future corner workers for when they show up at the track. The organization has also ramped up its recruiting efforts centered on direct engagement with potential volunteers.

"If you don't invite them, they won't be engaged," he said. "Personal invitation is still the best way to get them involved."

It was a sentiment Doonan echoed, stressing the importance of engaging with students aspiring toward careers in motorsports, and pointing to IMSA's STEM education program and recent race invites for college-level engineering programs as proof. The sanctioning body recently hosted groups of eager students from Indianapolis' Butler University at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and University of Georgia students at Petit Le Mans, which Doonan said is one way to introduce young people to racing careers.

"Young talent wants to be a part of it. They want the opportunity, the experience," he said. "Draw a circle around your track, find the schools in the market and get them out to the track."

One seminar attendee, Mike Gritter, left the presentation encouraged by what he heard. "I was glad to hear how we're really growing that younger generation," he said. "I think [the next generation] is there and it's just exciting to hear what they're doing."

The presentation--and T.O.P.S. HQ--is just one way Gritter, the director of track operations and race director at Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois, finds value in attending the PRI Show, as well as the Race Track Business Conference.  

"[T.O.P.S. HQ] is one of the reasons we come here," he said. "The relationships with the track operators, the lifelong friends I've made from this gathering--and the information you get out of it--[are] invaluable."

After a full day of discovering the latest motorsports innovations, attendees had the chance to unwind and network over complimentary drinks and appetizers at the popular PRI Happy Hour in Lucas Oil Stadium. For the first time this year, the event also featured complimentary tequila tastings by El Bandido Yankee Tequila.

Later, support for our industry's federal advocacy was on full display Thursday night, as supporters of the motorsport industry's most impactful political action committee gathered for networking and celebration of important legislative wins over the past year.

SEMA and PRI PAC helps build and sustain relationships with federal lawmakers who champion the grassroots racing community and the automotive aftermarket industry. Those who contribute to the PAC are "members" whose voluntary contributions support politicians or laws that understand and champion the interests of our industry. SEMA and PRI PAC membership includes exclusive benefits at industry-specific events such as private dining and meeting space, invitation-only receptions, and VIP motorsports experiences. For more information, contact Alicia Steger at alicias@sema.org and visit semapac.com.