If you are looking for a dry and sort of informative intro to the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) show, you have come to the right place. I am attending the show with a group of racers and I realize that a lot of you may not be familiar with PRI. Hence the preview.
What is PRI?
PRI, short for Performance Racing Industry, is the North American trade show for the automotive racing industry at large. Taking place in Indianapolis, Indiana, the show is massive with over 1000 exhibitors and 3000 booths spread over 750,000 square feet. Filling not only the entire Indiana Convention Center but Lucas Oil Stadium as well.
PRI vs SEMA
Where SEMA is a broad stroke focused on style and performance, specifically for show and street, PRI is more niche in scope and that scope is found in the name. Performance Racing Industry. At PRI, the vendors are more specialized. Specialties I will be focused on this year such as:
- 3D Printing
- Alignment Tools
- CAD Design
- Composite Materials
- Cryogenics
- Data Acquisition
- Dynamometers
- Driver Cooling
- Engine Management
- Race Coms
- Trailers and Haulers
- Ultrasonic Cleaning
This is just a sampling. The actual vendor category list is hundreds long, with multiple vendors each. You can explore the list fully as well as the vendors here.
But that’s not to say there isn’t a good deal of overlap between the two shows. For instance, there are still a lot of showpiece cars at PRI. But the difference is the giant water jets and 3d printers on Machine Row will draw much more attention from this crowd. One more thing, SEMA owns PRI so in some sense it is a sister show.
Scope of PRI
But there is more to do than scour the booths in the convention halls at PRI. There are multiple business and tech seminars. Lucas Oil Stadium will be filled with showcase trailers and the finest toy haulers. Instead of a couple of booths spread throughout the show, Sim Racing now has a dedicated area. And finally, there are the events around the event such as the after-parties and hospitality events. And a quick Google search says the show brings an estimated $65 million to Indianapolis over the 3-day show length.
This is just the preview
I will be attending PRI for the first time in several years to check out new products, pick the brains of some of the best engineers in the industry, and maybe run a session or 5 at the infamous Fast Times Indoor Karting complex. ‘Murder Karts’ as we have affectionately coined it. I plan on sharing the experience in a follow-up when I get back. Along with product showcases that caught my eye, notable innovations, a ton of pics, and hopefully some POV of the aforementioned ‘Murder Karts’.
