A host of innovative motorsports products—from intake manifolds and composite connecting rods to gauge panels and head-and-neck restraints—were honored for their global appeal during the 32nd annual Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Now in its second year, PRI’s Global Media Awards program recognizes trade show exhibitors’ products for their likely interest by a worldwide motorsports audience, as determined by an esteemed panel of racing and performance journalists from around the world. Winners were selected from hundreds of entrants in the Trade Show’s Featured Products Showcase, which highlights new and bestselling parts, equipment and technology by top manufacturers and service providers.   

Award recipients were formally honored on Friday, December 13—day two of the three-day Trade Show—during PRI’s International Reception at the Indiana Convention Center.

“The Global Media Awards are an important extension of the PRI Show, where motorsports professionals from all 50 states and all over the world gather to conduct business,” said Karin Davidson, PRI Trade Show director. “It’s an invaluable opportunity for the winners, especially, to gain exposure to key international markets.”

Journalists representing motorsports publications from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, India, Mexico, Peru and the UK took part in the judging for this year’s program. In addition to recognition on-site at the PRI Show, winning products receive added exposure in PRI Magazine, and on PRI’s website and social networks, as well as on the pages of magazines and websites in overseas markets.

The PRI Trade Show serves as the premier platform for motorsports professionals from all over the world to discover new racing products, trends and innovations. With over 1,100 exhibitors and 65,000-plus attendees, industry professionals from around the world consider the PRI Show a can’t-miss event on the racing calendar.

Congratulations to all of this year’s Global Media Awards winners, and to those who participated in PRI 2019. We’ll see you next year!

A complete listing of the judges and winners of this year’s Global Media Awards can be found below.

 

 

Officials from the Sunnen Engine Charity Sweepstakes, one of the many highlights of the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Indianapolis, have announced record funds collected for the 31st annual giveaway.

A staggering $120,000 was raised from online and on-site ticket sales, with buyers vying to win the 762-cubic inch, 1400 horsepower high-performance engine built by Sonny Leonard. Last year, a total of $102,000 was raised, and in 2017, $59,000 was collected.

Jerry Lavender from Layton, Utah, was awarded the naturally-aspirated, hemispherical head EFI build, which included Sonny’s fully in-house ported hemispherical cylinder heads, Sonny’s/Brodix 5.000 B.S. block with 1.000” raised cam, special high-flow water jackets, a Callies billet crank, CP-Carrillo steel billet rods and more. Lavender, who owns a competitive 1952 Willys Jeep Truck, is a truck and tractor pull driver.

All funds raised benefit Victory Junction, a year-round camping facility in Randleman, North Carolina, founded in 2004 by NASCAR’s Petty Family for children ages six to 16 with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses.

For more than 30 years, Sunnen has teamed up with PRI and many well-known companies and engine builders to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities within the racing community.

For more information, visit sunnen.com, sonnysracingengines.com, and victoryjunction.org.

US Representatives Patrick McHenry (R-NC) and Raul Ruiz (D-CA) have introduced H.R. 5434, the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2019 (RPM Act of 2019). The bipartisan RPM Act of 2019 protects Americans’ right to convert street vehicles into dedicated race cars and the motorsports parts industry’s ability to sell products that enable racers to compete. 

SEMA is urging all racing industry members and enthusiasts to contact their members of Congress and ask them to support the bill. To send a letter to your members of Congress (it takes less than 30 seconds), visit sema.org/rpm.

The RPM Act reverses the EPA’s interpretation that the Clean Air Act does not allow a motor vehicle designed for street use—including a car, truck, or motorcycle—to be converted into a dedicated race car. This American tradition was unquestioned for nearly 50 years until 2015, when the EPA took the position that converted vehicles must remain emissions-compliant, even though they are no longer driven on public streets or highways. 

“SEMA looks forward to working with Congress to enact the RPM Act and make permanent the Clean Air Act’s original intention that race vehicle conversions are legal,” said SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting. “We thank Representatives McHenry and Ruiz for introducing a bipartisan bill that will protect racing and the businesses that produce, install, and sell the parts that enable racers to compete."

The RPM Act is well positioned to become law in 2020. The bill cleared several major legislative hurdles in the previous Congress, including passage by the US House Energy and Commerce Committee and hearings in the House and Senate. The bipartisan RPM Act included five other original sponsors: Reps. Richard Hudson (R-NC), Kurt Schrader (D-OR), Bill Posey (R-FL), Gil Cisneros (D-CA), and Michael Burgess (R-TX).

H.R. 5434 is the House counterpart to the Senate’s version of the bill, S. 2602, which was introduced by Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) and currently has 28 bipartisan cosponsors. 

Motorsports competition involves tens of thousands of participants and vehicle owners each year, both amateur and professional. Retail sales of racing products make up a nearly $2 billion market annually. Most of the vehicles raced on the estimated 1,300 race tracks operating across the US are converted vehicles that the EPA considers to be illegal.

For more information, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.

RJS Racing Equipment, a subsidiary of American Safety Products based in Jupiter, Florida, has purchased ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems based in Concord, North Carolina.

RJS Racing Equipment products—including restraints, steering wheels, head and neck restraints, helmet accessories—are now available through ButlerBuilt.

American Safety Products offers seatbelt solutions and custom accessories, while RJS Racing Equipment supplies racer and vehicle safety products. Its other subsidiaries include STT Safety Products, Motivational Tubing (supplier of Jr. Dragsters and parts), as well as South Carolina Motorplex and South Carolina Mudplex.

For more information, visit butlerbuilt.net.

Edelbrock, the manufacturer and distributor of aftermarket performance parts, announced the expansion of its racing line through the company’s growing partnership with Pat Musi Racing at the 2019 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show. A racing-specific product line, known as the Edelbrock Musi Signature collection, will launch in Q1 of 2020 featuring heads, manifolds, and an expansion upon the existing crate engine partnership.

In the future, the two companies plan to expand the line to include carburetors and EFI systems for racing applications.

In Q1, Edelbrock will begin production of the new cylinder heads at its Moorseville, North Carolina, porting shop using the latest Centroid Racing CNC machines. Edelbrock’s Senior Design Engineer Matt Gamble will lead the project as Pat Musi provides specific input based on his vast racing experience.

“We’re extremely excited to advance our line of racing-specific products through this expanded relationship with Pat Musi and his team,” Edelbrock CEO Don Barry said. “We’ve been working with Pat for a number of years and his racing experience is extremely valuable to our product development. The new Edelbrock Musi Signature products are designed to perform at the highest level under even the harshest conditions.”

For more than 15 years, Edelbrock has worked closely with Pat Musi Racing to support product design and development. Musi and his team have tested Edelbrock’s products in some of the most extreme racing applications and conditions. To date, the eight-time Pro Street World Champion has collaborated with the team to develop numerous products including the M3 Nitrous Nozzles, Victor Musi Big-Block Chevy CNC cylinder head, and a line of crate engines including the Edelbrock/Musi 555 and 632.

“Edelbrock has a long history of providing innovative and reliable products to enthusiasts across the board from show cars to our drag cars,” said Pat Musi. “We have really enjoyed working with their team over the years and we’re looking forward to supporting them from a product development standpoint as they produce our new collaborative line.”
 
For more information, visit edelbrock.com.

The Bondurant High Performance Driving School has announced the new F4 open-wheel race car training program, which will give drivers and auto enthusiasts the opportunity to train in a competitive single-seat, open-wheel car.

The equipment package part of the new program will be powered by Honda. There will be multiple different course options for the program, which will feature the Ligier JS F4 race car. The first class is currently scheduled for early March.

“We are very excited to begin our partnership with Bondurant High Performance Driving School,” Ligier Automotive Chief Executive Officer Max Crawford said. “Since we initiated the U.S. F4 Championships in 2016, it has always been a goal of ours to have a program with a driving school.”

Bondurant also has a longstanding partnership with Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), and because of the school’s new F4 training capabilities, it now has the ability to award SCCA PRO licenses to graduates of the class who have met all the required performance standards.

“For over 50 years, the Bondurant School has utilized open-wheel formula race cars in our training programs. Never before have we had the opportunity to bring brand new state-of-the-art open wheel race cars and equipment into our advanced programs,” Bondurant Chief Instructor Mike McGovern said. “This investment, as well as the relationships derived from it, is a direct result of new ownership and their long-term vision and commitment to the school and the industry.”

For more information, visit bondurant.com.

Bill Simpson, who was renowned in global motorsports for his development of groundbreaking safety equipment, died Monday, Dececmber 16, in Indianapolis due to complications from a stroke suffered three days prior. He was 79.

Simpson's work in motorsports safety began in 1958 with a rented sewing machine in a garage. He started Simpson Drag Chutes, pioneering the use of parachutes as braking devices on drag strips that are standard today.

That company later evolved and grew into Simpson Performance Products, which today supplies gloves, helmets, harness systems, drivers' suits, head restraints, shoes, and more. He sold Simpson in 2001 and, two years later, formed Impact Racing, which also offers motorsports driver and vehicle safety products. Simpson sold Impact in 2010.

Earlier, Simpson created the world's first racing suit made of Nomex in 1967. First introduced at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the suit quickly became a safety sensation and is standard equipment for every race driver today. With his Nomex suit and a helmet, Simpson often set himself on fire during demonstrations to prove the suit's effectiveness over the years.

Simpson also competed as a driver in drag racing, sports car racing, and open-wheel formula racing, including in SCCA and USAC Indy-car competition. He made 52 career Indy-car starts between 1968 and 1977. He also secured 11 top-10 finishes, including sixth place in the 1970 Milwaukee 200 and 13th place in the 1974 Indianapolis 500.

His contributions to motorsports safety led to a host of accolades and honors, including enshrinement into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2003 and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 2014.

Simpson chronicled his colorful and substantial life in racing by writing two books, "Racing Safely, Living Dangerously" and its sequel, "Through the Fire."

Simpson is survived by one son. A celebration of his life is being planned for this May at the IMS Museum, with details pending.

For the complete story, visit the INDYCAR website, here.

Photo courtesy of INDYCAR

The 2019 PRI Trade Show finished with a flurry Saturday as exhibit halls and rooms teemed with buyers shopping for the absolute latest in hardcore race parts and technology.

Meanwhile, exhibiting companies numbering more than 1,100 offered overwhelmingly positive feedback over the quality and quantity of attendees at this year's 32nd annual event at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis.

A third day of PRI Education seminars offered added value for attendees, who took full advantage of sessions on maximizing digital partnerships, pricing strategies, motorsports career paths, mastering Facebook, and more.

PRI 2019 guests took the opportunity to experience a pair of all-new Show features—From The IMS Museum Vault and the Mario Andretti Icon Exhibit—as well as hear firsthand breaking news announcements from exhibitors ARCA (sponsorship agreement with Sioux Chief Manufacturing) and Race Winning Brands (acquiring Engine Masters Show from Hot Rod), among others.

Also on Saturday, the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow crowned its 2019 national champions-Team Fluidampr from Eastern Oklahoma County Tech Center-and the grand prize drawing for Sunnen's Engine Charity Sweepstakes benefiting Victory Junction rounded out what will surely go down as one of the best and most memorable editions of the PRI Show.

To view photos from the 32nd annual PRI Show, view the online gallery here.

The 2019 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show continued Friday, beginning with a full schedule of educational sessions that were a part of the largest PRI Education and exhibitor seminar lineup in Show history.

Many seminars, including the fourth annual Opportunities for Women in Motorsports session moderated by Jeanette DesJardins of Car Chix and Crank It Media, were standing-room-only.

Later, tens of thousands of attendees from all 50 states and 70 countries filled the exhibit halls, conducting business and discovering innovative race products from 1,100-plus exhibitors in over 3,300 booths.

PRI exhibitors also used the PRI Show as the backdrop for company announcements, product debuts, and groundbreaking new race organizations.

Also among Friday's highlights were the newly expanded trailer exhibits on the Lucas Oil Stadium field, just adjacent to the Indiana Convention Center.

To view photos of today's PRI Show-related events, view the online gallery here.

The annual Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show is well known for its innovative B2B exhibits of the latest in hardcore motorsports products and technologies, but it’s also a venue for cutting-edge learning. In fact, an expanded education slate for 2019 has seen seminar rooms just as packed and bustling as the Show’s business halls. Moreover, the expanded program made sure there was something for everyone in the industry.

Take for example the tuners, engine builders, and even a transmission specialist, who streamed into one of the Indiana Convention Center (ICC) seminar rooms on Friday, December 13, to learn from the experts at The Tuning Shop. Entitled “Modern Approaches to Complicated Engine Controls,” their presentation featured tuning tips for late model GM, Ford, and Dodge vehicles.

Dodge was of special interest to David Weber of Modern Muscle Extreme in Martinsville, Virginia, who focuses on Hemi power, but he said, “It is also good to learn about the other platforms.”

Bob Morreale presented “Chrysler/Dodge A.N.N. (Artificial Neural Network),” to which Weber said, “To do what they just described for the Chrysler computer, we spent weeks doing. But it’s the only tool that we know right now. That is why we are here.”

Fellow instructors at The Tuning School Tony Gonyon and Brett McClelland covered the Ford and GM segments, respectively. All three brands were of interest to tuner Theo Holt of Hi-Rev Dyno Tuning in Rialto, California. “I did have some general automotive questions that they were able to take care of, so it was worth it,” he said.

Holt added that the benefit to attending this seminar, as well as other PRI Education seminars is, “You are learning new things, and you get a chance to meet the people you see on social media. You get to meet other people who are attending and network and build relationships. It’s always advantageous.”

Weber stressed the importance of continuing education. “It’s an ever-changing industry every day. We just keep pushing these factory cars harder and harder.” He concluded, “You are never too old to learn.”

Meanwhile, several powerful points—remain strong and committed, stay positive even through the bad days, be your authentic self—were raised and reinforced during PRI’s fourth annual Opportunities for Women in Motorsports seminar Friday morning. Playing to a standing-room-only crowd of well over 200 attendees, panelists Leah Pritchett of Don Schumacher Racing, Alex Taylor of Alex Taylor Racing, Lea Ochs of The Lead Sled, and Sarah and Bridget Burgess of BMI Racing shared wisdom and advice for aspiring young racers and others during the session deftly moderated by Jeanette DesJardins of Car Chix and Crank It Media.

Responding to a question on attracting sponsors, Pritchett noted the importance of “being a professional at building your brand and being your value.”

Taylor agreed that racers “do need to have something to offer sponsors.” She added: “Be involved, know your sport and know your car. There’s no substitute for learning what sponsors need and what you can give.”

As the topic turned to social media, Sarah Burgess advised racers to “be aware of your surroundings, and be courteous of the brands you represent,” when posting to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Daughter Bridget also weighed in on the different platforms, noting the importance of tailoring your posts to suit specific audiences and objectives.

Ochs, meantime, cited her popular Snapchat posts on pig hunting in the offseason as evidence that “it’s not only about racing—they want to connect with you as a person, too.”

Attendees were upbeat and energized as the seminar came to a close following a spirited Q&A. “What really resonated with me as a mother and a drag racer was hearing about the other mom driver up there (Sarah Burgess) getting back in the car after being a mom, and even after an accident, getting back in the driver’s seat,” said attendee Loan Prayoonto, who races a 2020 Toyota Supra. “It’s nice being able to relate to the other women up there.”

Similarly, driver Britt Taylor and Neisha Kifer of Renegade Rides told us they appreciated the Show offering a specific event for women in racing. Two questions raised in the seminar—one about femininity and another on motherhood—struck a chord for Taylor. “Those are two very uniquely woman issues,” she said. “The one about motherhood, especially. I definitely want to be a mother at some point in my life…and it was interesting to hear others talk about how your life changes as a racer if you have a child, the kind of conversations that you need to have, and how you worry about both your child’s safety and your own safety on a whole different level.”

She also found value in how panelist Pritchett addressed the issue of femininity. “There’s no one box we all fit into, and everybody approaches it differently,” said Taylor, whose organization is putting together an all-female race team in NHRA Division 1. “A lot of us have been tomboys our whole life, but some of us aren’t. And it’s nice to feel like you’re still part of the team, even if you like pink things or sparkly things, but to be taken no less seriously because you’re still a really good driver.”

There was wisdom available to small business operators as well. Small business expert Barry Moltz led the business-focused session on “Finding/Hiring Qualified Employees,” which included insight into recruiting and retaining top talent in today's full employment economy. Moltz touched on matching company goals to employee goals, hiring with a positive work culture in mind, and consistently maintaining an "employee prospect" list of ideal candidates.

Buyer Adam Olalde was on hand representing his company Xtreme Xperience Driving School, which offers 50-plus supercar driving training events at race tracks nationwide. When asked about the retaining top talent portion of the seminar, Olalde said Moltz reinforced the tactics he already utilizes for his some 500 employees.

"With Barry and a lot of these [PRI Education] speakers, a large portion of [why I'm here] is to make sure I am doing [things] right from guys who have been doing this longer than I have, so checkmark on that," Olalde said, noting he was focusing on educational seminars during his first PRI Show this year, while his team walked the exhibit halls.

(For those who didn’t attend, the seminar was based on Moltz's book "How To Get Unstuck," geared toward small business owners. For more information and resources, visit barrymoltz.com.)

The days' seminar presenters also enjoyed the interactions with their participants. Among them was Corey Perlman, who conducted a seminar titled “Authentically Social” that focused on social media best practices.

“It was all about helping businesses to be more authentic with their social media marketing,” explained Perlman. “One takeaway was prioritizing their platform. Instead of being a jack of all social media sites but master of none, they should do a few but do them really well.”

“They also need to just bring their authentic self,” he added. “This is such a cool industry and there are so many neat things that go on behind the scenes at race events and such. Bringing that to life on social media through video and images is what’s important — not writing content just to put content in there.”

Perlman found his audience extremely receptive. “It was a great group. We had a full room and lots of great questions, and a big mix of people from millennials on up who want to be more effective with their digital marketing,” he said.