Racing Matters to Us All–Join PRI!
By Chris Kersting
It may seem like yesterday to some of us, but next month will mark the 10th anniversary of the transaction that brought the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) trade show and publications to the SEMA organization. Since then, PRI has expanded its mission to become the leading advocacy organization to help protect and grow racing for the future.
Racing, it should be noted, is important to practically every automotive business, whether directly involved in motorsports or not. Competition motorsports demand commitment and intensive R&D investment, resulting in innovations in function, durability and performance—which eventually lead to innovative products that benefit enthusiasts in a wide array of sectors. Racing also strongly influences styling trends and other forms of personalization that play out far from the racetrack. If there is a common thread through all the various ways enthusiasts enjoy cars and trucks, it’s performance! That’s why protecting racing in all its forms is one of SEMA’s strategic priorities.
The PRI acquisition made possible a long-term strategic partnership with the racing industry, with the intention of supporting PRI as the leading trade show and voice of the racing community while giving it new resources to become something much more and to protect, preserve and grow motorsports.
In the initial years following the transaction, we were able to provide support to the PRI community in the areas of market research, infrastructure upgrades and government affairs. However, with SEMA’s commitment to racing as a strategic priority, the PRI organization has now been positioned to expand on its leadership role through new tools and initiatives designed specifically to support motorsports.
Over the last two years, PRI has launched a series of targeted programs to assist racing businesses and operations impacted by the pandemic. One was PRI’s Ambassador Program—an aggressive campaign aimed at helping racetrack operators navigate local, state and federal rules required to reopen safely.
Another initiative was the PRI Road Tour—an unprecedented cross-country content-generating blitz to support motorsports companies large and small. That content is currently accessible on the PRI website, www.performanceracing.com.
Stories from the PRI Road Tour have generated a huge social-media groundswell. Year to date, PRI social-media channels have generated more than 140,000,000 impressions reaching more than 100 million unique people across all PRI social channels.
PRI video content has been viewed more than 1.1 million times on YouTube alone, while Reels and TikTok edits of that content have generated another 2.5 million views. This work is creating enthusiasm for racing and the industry’s great products, and it’s also introducing those who love racing to the rallying call: It’s time to participate in PRI and especially its government affairs efforts to help protect and grow racing.
A key element in building PRI’s influence is the new PRI Membership program, which enables year-round advocacy, educational seminars, legal support and more. Since the program was announced, thousands of individuals and members have joined and explored new benefits, not to mention discounts and an enhanced experience at the 2021 PRI Trade Show in Indianapolis.
PRI Membership has a business division that provides benefits tailored to racing industry professionals—much like SEMA membership. There is also an Individual Membership division open to everybody, including racers, enthusiasts and fans.
We are excited about the potential of PRI to unite and support those who love racing. Whether you join as a business or as an individual member, or you help other racing enthusiasts to join, you’ll be doing something to unite the entire motorsports community.
I urge you to take that step and join now as we work to preserve and grow the American tradition of motorsports! To find out the details, check out www.performanceracing.com/membership.
