I joined PRI's editorial team on Tuesday, April 2, at the Formula DRIFT and Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach media day, and it was the perfect kickoff to two full race weekends in the streets of downtown Long Beach, California.

The media event offered motorsports media members an up-close (and in-seat) experience of the high-octane action of drifting. The drifting demos were intense—watching the pros shred tires never gets old, and neither does sitting in the passenger seat of a run. But just prior to the demos, we had the chance to hear from the top drivers during the press conference, and you could feel the energy building for this weekend's events.

"This weekend, in particular, is special because we will kick off at Long Beach with our first-ever Hall of Fame inductee, who is not a driver (industry photographer Larry Chen)," said Formula DRIFT co-founder Ryan Sage. "And we are announcing where our final round of racing will be. In the past year, we've thought about (the now-closed) Irwindale; it evokes a particular sentiment. So, we will announce the new location during halftime this weekend."

[Editor's note: the final round of the 2025 PRO Championship will take place in the City of Long Beach using large portions of Shoreline Drive. And for the first time, Formula DRIFT will have its own unique and independent street course venue, making the event different from Round 1: Streets of Long Beach, which is based on the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach layout. The "Shoreline Showdown" takes place on October 17-18. Pre-sale tickets are available at formulad.com/lb2.]

"We had a great season last year where we were clawing our way back up after the 2023 season. We were looking for something new [in 2025], so we made a big change. We had five great years with tire maker Nitto, but this year, we went to Kenda. We did some testing, and it feels great. So that brings a revitalized feeling," said three-time Formula DRIFT PRO Champion Fredric Aasbo, who went on to capture the overall win of the weekend. "And going ice drifting over the winter; those things combined help me stay excited about being here, getting back behind the wheel to take on the season."

Meanwhile, four-time and reigning champion James Deane shared his excitement about starting the season in Long Beach. "It's great to be back out here at Long Beach. It's the best way for a season to open," said Deane. "I'm going to just try and enjoy it. It can get very stressful, and you just need to try and remember that I dreamed about doing this when I was a kid. I am very lucky to be in the position that I am, and I remind myself that I don't have to prove anything, and nothing is guaranteed in this sport."

Deane would later find himself competing in the final heat versus Aasbo, where Aasbo would ultimately gain the judges' approval after Deane's Mustang collided momentarily with the concrete wall.

I was lucky to land a seat alongside Deane for the media demos. Riding left-side shotgun with Ireland's Deane was absolutely unreal—he's so calm behind the wheel, even when we're sideways at full throttle. During the tandem run, we were just inches from Aurimas "Odi" Bakchis' car, and the precision between them was insane; it was the very definition of controlled chaos. You could smell the tire smoke, feel every flick of the car, and honestly, it was over way too fast.

All in all, what really stood out was how closely Formula DRIFT and the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach teams are working together to make this 50th-anniversary grand prix a standout year. Organizers shared the history of racing in Long Beach and how they're leveling things up with new cars, fresh tech and an even more fan-focused schedule. There were also updates on the track layout and how everything's coming together behind the scenes.

To summarize, the media day proved that 2025 will be a banner year for racing in Long Beach.

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PRI is not affiliated with, nor does it sell or thoroughly evaluate the products, services, and companies listed. PRI provides this information to PRI members for their evaluation and consideration and does not endorse or sponsor any company, product, or service. PRI takes no responsibility for, and makes no representation, warranty, or assurance as to the accuracy, quality, reliability, or completeness of the products or services offered.

Andretti Global announced today it will convert the former IndyStar Pulliam Production Center in Indianapolis to serve as the headquarters of the Andretti Global INDYCAR, INDY NXT and Formula E teams.

"We are excited to create a state-of-the-art racing and technology center for the Andretti Global teams,'' said Jill Gregory, president of Andretti Global. "The 240,000-sq.-ft. former printing press facility provides a unique opportunity, having both preexisting office and industrial space under one roof, making it uniquely suited to Andretti's needs, while providing exceptional opportunities for employee well-being and competition success.''

With Andretti operations presently less than two miles from the Georgetown facility, the new property has the added benefit of remaining centrally located to the INDYCAR community and vendor network. Renovations will enhance building technology, create custom-built working and fabrication areas and add employee amenities, including a fitness center and pit-stop performance space, employee dining and gathering areas and additional amenities.

For the project, Andretti is partnering with Bradford Allen Development Company, a Chicago-based real estate firm tasked with overseeing the redevelopment of the Georgetown Road facility.

In related team news, Bradford Allen Development has acquired a 130-room hotel property in Fishers, Indiana, near the Cadillac Formula One headquarters. 

"This acquisition expands our portfolio of core brands in well-populated areas near experience-driven venues," Bradford Allen Executive Director of Hospitality Aghfar Arun said in a news release. "It also has a value-add component, another key part of our acquisition strategy. The hotel will benefit from the increased demand we anticipate from the F1 headquarters, as well as the growth of the Indianapolis suburbs and the many new nearby event and entertainment options."

For more information, visit andrettiglobal.com.

President Trump late Wednesday unveiled his reciprocal tariff plans at the White House, imposing via Executive Order (E.O.) a minimum 10% baseline tariff on imports from all countries (in effect on Saturday, April 5) along with reciprocal tariffs on roughly 60 countries that subject the U.S. to tariff and non-tariff trade barriers (in effect on Wednesday, April 9).  

Tariffs are a complicated issue; SEMA and PRI are working to understand this evolving issue and update members with the best and latest information. Please take the survey above (also linked here) to provide valuable information to the D.C. team. If you have any additional questions, contact Eric Snyder in SEMA’s D.C. office at erics@sema.org.  

Here’s what we know so far: 

The E.O. exempts several categories of items that have been recently subject to tariffs, including: 

• Articles subject to 50 USC 1702(b) (IEEPA general exclusions for donations, goods in personal effects/baggage, information transfers, postal and other transactions that do not involve the transfer of anything of value); 
• Steel/aluminum articles and autos/auto parts already subject to Section 232 tariffs; 
• Copper, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and lumber articles; 
• All articles that may become subject to future Section 232 tariffs; 
• Bullion; and 
• Energy and other certain minerals that are not available in the United States.
   

The country-by-country reciprocal rates are assessed at approximately 50% of the Trump Administration's estimate of their combined tariffs/non-tariff barriers and taxes. The minimum tariff is 10%. (We’ve listed the country-by-country reciprocal tariff rates at the bottom of this article.)

The E.O. allows President Trump to either increase reciprocal tariffs if a given country retaliates or decrease the tariffs if a country takes significant steps to remedy non-reciprocal trade elements and aligns with the U.S. on economic and national security matters. 
 

Resources 

• Executive Order: Regulating Imports with a Reciprocal Tariff to Rectify Trade Practices that Contribute to Large and Persistent Annual United States Goods Trade Deficits 
   
• Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Declares National Emergency to Increase our Competitive Edge, Protect our Sovereignty, and Strengthen our National and Economic Security 
   
• Survey: Share How Tariffs Impact Your Business With SEMA/PRI 
   

Additional Action 

The Trump Administration also expanded upon the President’s March 26 E.O., which placed 25% tariffs on automobiles (effective on Thursday, April 3) and auto parts (effective on Saturday, May 3), by providing a listing of Harmonized Tariff Codes (HTS) that are covered by the tariffs. The HTS codes are provided on pages 9-12 here.  

Meanwhile, Automotive News published a list of products it anticipates will be impacted. 

Additionally, President Trump’s Wednesday, April 2, E.O. eliminates the duty-free de minimis treatment of imports from China and Hong Kong (imports under $800 were previously not subject to tariffs).  

• Executive Order: Further Amendment to Duties Addressing the Synthetic Opioid Supply Chain in the People’s Republic of China as Applied to Low-Value Imports 
   
• Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Closes De Minimis Exemptions to Combat China’s Role in America’s Synthetic Opioid Crisis 
   

Individual Country Tariff Rates 

• E.U. - 20% 
• China - 34% 
• Vietnam - 46% 
• Taiwan - 32% 
• Japan - 24% 
• India - 26% 
• Switzerland- 31% 
• South Africa - 30% 
• Brazil - 10% 
• South Korea - 25% 
• Indonesia - 32% 
• Malaysia - 24% 
• Cambodia - 49% 
• United Kingdom - 10% 
• Bangladesh - 37% 
• Singapore - 10% 
• Israel - 17% 
• Philippines - 17% 
• Chile - 10% 
• Australia - 10% 
• Pakistan - 29% 
• Turkey - 10% 
• Sri Lanka - 44% 
• Colombia - 44% 
• Peru - 10% 
• Nicaragua - 18% 
• Norway - 15% 
• Costa Rica - 10% 
• Jordan - 20% 
• Dominican Republic - 10% 
• UAE - 10% 
• New Zealand - 10% 
• Argentina - 10% 
• Ecuador - 10% 
• Guatemala - 10% 
• Honduras - 10% 
• Madagascar - 47% 
• Myanmar (Burma) - 44% 
• Tunisia - 28% 
• Kazakhstan - 27% 
• Serbia - 37% 
• Egypt - 10% 
• Saudi Arabia - 10% 
• El Salvador - 10% 
• Cote d’Ivorie - 21% 
• Laos - 48% 
• Botswana - 37% 
• Trinidad and Tobago - 10% 
• Morocco - 10% 
• Moldova - 31% 
• Angola - 32% 
• Democratic Republic of the Congo - 11% 
• Jamaica - 10% 
• Mozambique - 16% 
• Paraguay - 10% 
• Zambia - 17% 
• Lebanon - 10% 
• Tanzania - 10% 
• Iraq - 39% 
• Georgia - 10% 
• Senegal - 10% 
• Azerbaijan - 10% 
• Cameroon - 11% 
• Uganda - 10% 
• Albania - 10% 
• Armenia - 10% 
• Nepal - 10% 
• Sing Maarten - 10% 
• Falkland Islands - 41% 
• Gabon - 10% 
• Kuwait - 10% 
• Togo - 10% 
• Suriname - 10% 
• Belize - 10% 
• Algeria - 30% 
• Oman - 10% 
• Uruguay - 10% 
• Bahamas - 10% 
• Lesotho - 50% 
• Ukraine - 10% 
• Bahrain - 10% 
• Qatar - 10% 
• Mauritius - 40% 
• Fiji - 32% 
• Iceland - 10% 
• Kenya - 10% 
• Liechtenstein - 37% 
• Guyana - 38% 
• Haiti - 10% 
• Bosnia and Herzegovina - 35% 
• Nigeria - 14% 
• Namibia - 21% 
• Brunei - 24% 
• Bolivia - 10% 
• Panama - 10% 
• Venezuela - 15% 
• North Macedonia - 33% 
• Ethiopia - 10% 
• Ghana - 10%  

Updated on Thursday, April 3.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock

SEMA and PRI have issued the following statement in response to the introduction of Senate and House resolutions to overturn California's Clean Air Act waiver for the state's Advanced Clean Cars II policy:

"LFG."

SEMA and PRI represent the specialty-equipment and motorsports industries, respectively, where many businesses are entirely dependent on products for internal-combustion-engine (ICE) vehicles. Enacting an ICE-vehicle ban through electric-vehicle (EV) mandates would represent a significant hit to the nation's economy by causing irreparable harm to an industry that annually delivers a $337 billion economic impact and supports more than 1.3 million American jobs through domestic manufacturing and sales.

In fact, 33% of the nation’s automotive aftermarket industry is ICE-dependent, representing more than $100 billion in economic impact to the U.S. economy and impacting roughly 330,000 jobs.

SEMA/PRI in January was among the first organizations to call upon federal lawmakers to utilize their authority under the Congressional Review Act to overturn the Clean Air Act waiver granted in the final days of the Biden-Harris administration to authorize the state's Advanced Clean Cars II policy. California's action represents a regulatory land grab that will kill the nation's economy by banning the sale of ICE motors in California and 11 other states.

And just this week, SEMA and a coalition of 335 small businesses from the automotive aftermarket urged House of Representatives and Senate leadership to hold votes to put an immediate stop to the implementation of the Advanced Clean Cars II regulation.

Background

SEMA and PRI are not anti-EV; rather, they champion a technology-neutral approach that fosters innovation and ingenuity. SEMA/PRI will continue efforts to preserve Americans' rights to vehicle choice and the automotive aftermarket industry's ability to design, manufacture, and bring to market products that help solve the emissions challenge.

During the 2024 presidential campaign, SEMA, through its Driving Force Action SuperPAC, educated voters about the damaging impact of EV mandates and the profound importance of empowering the automotive aftermarket to develop innovative solutions to carbon emissions using American ingenuity.

Holley Performance Brands, the provider of automotive aftermarket performance solutions, has announced a strategic collaboration with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES for the 2025 race season. The company will outfit all 30 members of the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team—including physicians, paramedics, firefighters, EMTs and nurses—with top-rated Simpson fire suits designed to ensure the highest standards of protection.

As part of the initiative, there will also be safety training through advanced technology and hands-on programs to advance trackside training and safety protocols across all levels of motorsports.

"At Holley Performance Brands, safety isn't just a priority—it's fundamental," said Matthew Stevenson, president and CEO of Holley Performance Brands. "Through Simpson's leadership in providing innovative safety solutions, this collaboration with IndyCar represents the ultimate proving ground for our products. It's a perfect alignment with our mission to deliver performance, safety, fun, and excitement to automotive enthusiasts, and we're proud to advance that commitment at the highest levels of motorsport."

Holley will work with INDYCAR to develop similar training programs for grassroots markets to enhance safety team education and training nationwide.

Key highlights of this collaboration include:

• Data-Driven Safety Improvements: Helmets equipped with accelerometers measure head movement during driver extraction, allowing safety teams to refine their techniques and minimize injury risk during emergency removal.

• Crash Tub Training Program: A state-of-the-art driver extraction training system using real IndyCar carbon fiber crash tubs to simulate emergency scenarios.

• Advanced Safety Equipment: Outfitting safety teams with Stilo Composite ST5 helmets with eject systems, Simpson 6-point safety harnesses, and HANS devices tailored to IndyCar standards.

For more information, visit holley.com and indycar.com.

Image courtesy of Holley Performance Brands

Jay Frye, the former president of INDYCAR, has joined Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing as team president.

Frye will report directly to team ownership and will oversee operations for the Zionsville, Indiana-based team's involvement in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The team has also parted ways with Steve Eriksen, who held the role of chief operating officer with the team since 2023.

For more information, visit rahal.com.

Mazak, the machinery manufacturer with U.S. operations based in Florence, Kentucky, has named Kevin Bates as its vice president of sales and regional operations.

With more than 30 years of leadership experience in the machine tool industry, Bates will now oversee Mazak's six U.S. regions plus operations in Canada. He will also continue to lead the company's SYNCREX Swiss-style turning machine product group.

Following Bates' promotion, Mazak has also appointed Randy Ragnini as general manager of the Midwest Region.

Mazak has locations in Japan, Asia, the Americas (including Canada, Brazil and Mexico), and Europe (including Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, Grance and more).

For more information, visit mazakusa.com.

LIQUI MOLY, the German lubricant provider, has promoted Ingo Lindner to export director.

Lindner will be responsible for the international business, as well as strategy development and implementation for all countries without a foreign subsidiary, as well as coordinate the company's export activities and identify new business opportunities abroad.

In his 16 years at LIQUI MOLY, Lindner has served as export area manager, director of international trade groups, sales director and, most recently, as deputy export director, a role he has held since 2022.

Lindner takes over the position of from Salvatore Coniglio, who became managing director of LIQUI MOLY last year.

For more information, visit liqui-moly.com.

Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), the racing arm of Honda, is launching a memorabilia business.

The new venture will feature a wide range of authentic memorabilia, including signed merchandise, limited-edition collectibles and rare artifacts from the company's history in motorsport.

To commemorate the new memorabilia business, HRC plans to auction selected parts from the Honda RA100E V10 F1 engine that powered the championship machine driven by Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger in the 1990 F1 season during California's Monterey Car Week in August. Furthermore, HRC is currently selecting heritage machines and parts from the INDYCAR series and significant racing motorcycles for private sales or auctions soon.

For more information, visit hondaracing-us.honda.com.