PRI TRADE SHOW – ALL THAT GLITTERS

The crowd at the PRI trade show in Indianapolis

While his first trip to Indianapolis didn’t include the sights and sounds of the iconic Indianapolis 500, Auto Action’s publisher BRUCE WILLIAMS instead took in the world’s biggest motorsport industry event, the 31st annual Performance Racing Industry Show which was held in December 2018.

Indianapolis is in the mid-west state of Indiana and is known as a motorsport mecca. While the biggest crowds visit the city to attend the Indy 500, it’s the annual PRI Trade Show that really gets the world’s motorsport industry people together.

Indianapolis is a nice city to visit and it’s usually warm and sunny in the month of May when the annual 500-mile classic is run. Along with the Le Mans 24 Hour sports car race and the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Indy 500 is arguably the world’s most famous car race. The Indy 500 is also one of the biggest single-day sporting events in the world, with hundreds of thousands of fans travelling from all over the world to attend.

And while the city also has the annual Brickyard 400 NASCAR race and other major events to bring in the fans, it’s the PRI Show held in early December that draws the global motorsport industry to Indianapolis. Many race teams are also based in the city, so it makes sense to run the event in a location which is roughly in the middle of America.

The PRI Show is a massive event. Exclusive to the motorsports industry and with nearly 1200 exhibitors, PRI is, without doubt, the biggest trade-only show whose single focus is motorsport and the industries that support it.

Crankshafts and just about every other engine component possible is on display at the PRI Show … which brings together the industry, teams and suppliers from around the world. Australian products and industry identities have increased participation in the event every year.

It’s a major event on the international motorsport calendar and its timing in early December coincides with the conclusion of most of the big motorsport series held around the world. So that makes it easy for motorsports industry buyers, racing professionals and manufacturers from across the U.S. and around the world to gather in the one location to conduct business for the upcoming racing season and to discover the latest innovations and technology in motorsports.

The show is spread over the massive Indiana Convention Centre site, located in downtown Indianapolis. The centre has three main halls as well as some smaller spaces, all jam-packed with exhibitors including a huge hall full of motorsport trailers and transporters and another separate hall which is dominated by the latest in machining and fabrication equipment.

If you’ve never been to the PRI Show then a simple way to describe it is that it’s the motorsport equivalent to a kid being locked in a candy store (lolly shop to Aussies) and after three days of walking (about 20 km in total) and talking, I still only saw about 75 per cent of what I wanted to see.

It all kicked off early on Thursday morning with motorsports legends Al Unser Sr. and Al Unser Jr. joining veteran motorsports journalist and broadcaster Dave Despain on stage for the PRI Trade Show’s 2018 opening breakfast. It was an interesting and entertaining conversation between Despain and the Unser’s about their motorsport lives and was a great way to kick off the show. It was a BIG room and I have never shared breakfast with so many people.

The opening breakfast shows the enormous scale of the PRI Show

The show has just about any piece of equipment you might need to go racing in whatever style of racing you want to do it in.

Given it’s a trade-only show and not open to the general public it’s amazing how many people attend, and you could see that there were many deals being done by serious people.

There were massive displays from manufacturers and suppliers of speedway parts and components, with everything from mud scrapers to full chassis cars of various categories, all ready to go.

Every major racing driveline and braking system and shock absorber manufacturers had a display, with engineers and salespeople on hand to discuss needs and technical information.

All the big names in race apparel and helmet manufacturers were showcasing their products, so it was the place to sit down and do a deal.

If you’re a serious engine builder the PRI show is a must. All the hard-core engine components suppliers were on hand as well as demonstrations of the very latest in CNC engine machining centres. Also on display were the latest in engine and chassis dyno systems including the Australian-made Mainline high horse power hub dynos, which were getting lots of interest.

I didn’t realise just how many cylinder block, CNC heads, crankshaft, piston, conrod and valve train suppliers could be in the one place at the one time. So, if you had questions about engine parts and you needed the latest in go fast bits, it is a place you can save a lot of time and get straight to the people you want to talk to.

Having said that, many of these manufacturers have fantastic suppliers and distributors based here in Australia, and they are the ones to deal with and put a lot of effort into getting the best deals for Australian distribution.

It’s significant when you consider the number of Australian companies that go to the PRI show each year. It’s a big trip for them all, but it obviously makes a big difference to be able to talk face to face and do business directly with the major component manufacturers. And of course, most of the big brands we see distributed locally have impressive displays all showcasing new and innovative products.

The PRI Show is a meeting place for the global motorsport industry.

It was strange to be so far from Australia and yet bump into so many familiar faces, many of these people representing companies that are regular Auto Action advertisers.

Some of these people included Bill Mann from Performance Wholesale, Bill Nitschke and Matthew Clarke from Precision International, Adam Bressington of Fabre, and Racer Industries MD, Ryan McLeod. These guys are serious Australian engine and motorsport component distributors and do many long-term deals when they visit the PRI show each year.

Ryan McLeod, apart from owning Racer Industries which is one of the significant motorsport apparel and accessory retailers in Australia, also manufactures the MARC Car race cars that are sold and raced around the world. He told me that for him the PRI Show is a must do trip each year.

“For example, we are building five new MARC Cars now. We need brake systems, driveline components, engine parts and I want to be able to use the latest components available. I want to use the latest innovations in race car technology and the best products available, so it’s important to be able to discuss directly with a component manufacturer my needs, as well as any issues I might have. It’s amazing how much you can sort out in an hour of direct conversation with the component engineer who is sitting right in front of you,” McLeod said.

As one Australian performance and race parts distributor told me; “While it’s a pretty hectic few days, I can see more people and do more deals in these three days than I would spending weeks travelling the USA. Trying to coordinate meetings with suppliers across the USA can be a nightmare. But here I can have a coffee or a dinner and get some serious business done. It’s always better doing deals face to face, so it’s well worth the trip.”

As another Australian distributor said; “I can stay on top of what new products are coming up rather than finding out about it after it has happened. And because I’m here talking face to face, people take you much more seriously than by trying to negotiate sending emails or trying to get the timing right with late night phone calls.”

And of course, it wasn’t just Aussies on the lookout for new products and deals to be done, there were a significant number of Australian manufactures of performance and motorsport related products on hand to showcase some of the best innovations from down under.

Australian motorsport and component companies with their own stands at the 2018 PRI show included Tighe Cams, Ice Ignition, Yella Terra, Bullet Race Engineering, Pfitzner Performance Gearboxes, ACL Race Bearings and Extreme Clutch, just to mention a few.

Australian motorsport component manufacturers also had strong presences with their local distributors on hand to promote and offer technical advice. These included Weddle Industries, who are the USA distributors for the Albins Engineering trans axle systems. Haltech Engine Management Systems USA, MoTeC USA, Holinger America, Noonan Race Engines, Pedders Suspension and Turbosmart, as well as several other Australian-based brands which had space on local distributors stands.

Leading Australian supplier PWR Performance had a very impressive stand-in size and appearance, with Kees Weel on hand to discuss lots of thermal exchange opportunities.

It was also amazing to catch up with a few great mates, including the largerr than life and well connected Rob Herrod of Herrod Motorsport. Rob was busy doing lots of deals with Ford Performance. Sprintcar guru, J&J Auto Racing’s Jack Ellam, was also on hand showing his latest sprint car chassis, supported by his Australian distributor Dave Challons, who is well known to local sprintcar people.

So, the long and the short of it is the PRI Show is motorsport nirvana for a person like me who has been involved in the industry for a long time, wth some much great stuff in the one place at the one time!

So, if you’re looking for the latest innovation or you want to showcase your brand and products to the motorsport world, then you should get into touch with the team at the PRI Show and investigate getting involved.

But make sure you take plenty of warm clothes as it gets bloody cold in Indianapolis just prior to Christmas!

For further info visit: www.performanceracing.com/tradeshow

Disclosure – Auto Action was a guest of the Performance Racing Industry Show

PRI Global Media Awards program

For the first time as part of the 2018 Performance Racing Industry Show, expert journalists from motorsport industry publications around the world were chosen to be part of the esteemed Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Global Media Awards judges panel.

Auto Action was recognised as a one of the world’s most significant motorsport media outlets and along with other publications and media outlets including Race Tech Motorsport Engineering, Inside Track Motorsport News and Pit Talk Asia participated as judges in the PRI Global Media Awards program.

The motorsport media were asked to identify products entered in the Featured Products Showcase at the PRI Trade Show that could have the greatest international appeal and this selection included some of the hottest new products in the motorsports industry. Each judge was asked to select 10 products they felt would succeed as motorsport industry products in their home country.

Manufacturers of those chosen products received a PRI Global Media Award.

Several Australian manufacturers received Awards, including Bullet Engineering for its aluminium billet 2JZ engine block, Pfitzner Performance Gearboxes for its PPG T56 – MAGNUM – TR-6060, 6 speed, helical synchro gearset, and PE Racing Products for its modular billet brake pedal box assembly, which is also available with a throttle system.

Other great innovations that would be applicable to Australia included the Koolbox ICE electronic helmet cooling System.

With the LS engine family being a significant powerplant option for motorsport across many categories these days, LS engine builders and tuners in Australia will see the potential benefits of a new piston from JE, the “Ultra Series” to suite GM Gen III-IV LS and V LT1.

Another well-engineered product that could save a few headaches is a fuel cell surge tank from Radium Engineering.

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