EMBRACING EVOLUTION


Nobody likes change, but everyone wants improvement. You may have heard a version of this before (I definitely borrowed it from somewhere). So it’s not an original thought. But it does help frame up where this industry—and PRI in particular—stands to start the new year.

Though the last 10 months felt like an uppercut to the underwear for some, including many race tracks, retail shops, and other consumer-facing businesses, for others the disruption of this previous calendar year brought with it the opportunity to change, to evolve, and yes, even improve. For example, some suppliers (Holley Performance Products, BMR Suspension, etc.) doubled down on winning strategies by continuing to introduce new products at a rapid clip, while companies like Impact Racing and Fleece Performance Engineering identified a need and began producing personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers. To these folks, and many more, we tip our cap.

Here at PRI, we faced existential questions of our own—particularly last fall, when it became clear that our signature event, the PRI Trade Show, couldn’t take place as planned. What were we going to do? Should we go virtual? Maybe shift operations to all-digital? Or pack up the tent altogether and focus on 2021?

The solution came from a simple question: “If we can’t bring the industry to PRI, why not bring PRI to the industry?” And with that, the PRI Road Tour was born. In just a few weeks, Trade Show Director Karin Davidson had marshaled her troops and put together a first-of-its-kind program that would take a van-load of world-class content creators to dozens of racing and performance businesses for an all-out blitz across the US.

The Tour, which started in Indianapolis and ran from early October to mid-December, covered some 4,300 miles across 10 states, finally reaching the finish line at PRI headquarters in Southern California. Besides consuming a year’s worth of Mountain Dew and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, our team captured hundreds of hours of top-quality video and collected enough high-resolution photography to crash a mid-sized tech company’s server room. Simply put, we saw—and documented—a lot of really amazing stuff. Much of it we’ve been sharing across our social channels. And we’ll continue to do so well into the new year, both online and in these pages.

Which brings us to our latest evolution: this all-new version of PRI Magazine!

In short, we’ve elevated the publication to reflect best-in-class content with an entirely fresh look and feel. Senior Art Director Danny Kim and his team have taken modern design cues and reimagined the product, bringing a new level of excitement and engagement to you, the reader.    

On the editorial side, we’ll continue to deliver unparalleled coverage of the motorsports industry, as we have for 35 years. But we’ve also added a number of new items to the menu. Innovative columns like Ask the Experts, Make the Case, Problem Solvers, and Stop Doing That…Do This Instead will provide clever strategies and smart solutions for racing entrepreneurs of all types. Exclusive features and special reports will dive deeper than ever into issues that matter most to you and your business. Product reviews will go beyond the hype to describe real features and benefits. And the list goes on. 

In addition, we’ve incorporated interactive elements into certain stories in the form of QR codes—just point your phone for an enhanced digital experience.      

So whether it’s in print, online, or through some other means that Elon Musk hasn’t invented yet, we hope you continue enjoying PRI. And we certainly look forward to educating, informing, and entertaining you in the months and years ahead.

 

 

 

   

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