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Between the racing press conference and high-tech innovation, everyone at the Indianapolis trade show can find something that suits them.
After almost two years of interruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Saturday marked the end of the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) show in Indianapolis for nearly a week (December 9-11).
More than 1,100 suppliers displayed their products at the Indiana Convention Center, with approximately 70,000 buyers, media, and other people involved in the racing industry on hand.
The last PRI Show was held in 2019 (the time from the end of the show to the start of this year's event was 728 days), and last year's show was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Nevertheless, there is still a lot to see and talk about.
Auto Weekly writers Susan Wade and Jerry Bonkowski walked up and down the aisle, recording miles and watching other exhibitions held at the adjacent Lucas Petroleum Stadium.
From the perspective of vending machines/displays, as well as countless conferences/seminars and press conferences, many things have attracted our collective attention. Here are 10 things that caught our attention:
The increasing importance and development of electronic racing is one of the most concerned topics. As NASCAR and IndyCar will launch hybrid cars for the first time-NASCAR will launch in 2022 a "next generation" car that looks more like a sports car than a traditional stock car, and IndyCar will launch a new model in 2023-electricity is not It's just on the horizon, it's already here.
With the increasing popularity of the Formula E series, and NHRA emphasized that it will soon offer courses for electric/battery-powered vehicles in regional and final national competitions, as well as external influences and emphasis on carbon neutral emissions and climate change, electric It's no surprise that cars and technology are so important.
The PRI "EV Performance Zone" cites an example of how Tesla Model S Plaids "runs 9-second ET routinely on the traction belt". In addition, the electric SUV will participate for the first time in the 2022 Championship Series to be held in Pita, Sweden from February 5th to 6th.
"The PRI Show aims to embrace new technologies and help the industry stay ahead," said Dr. Jamie Meyer, President of PRI. "Electric vehicles are an important emerging trend in the performance and racing industry. Participants of the PRI Show (saw) witnessed the latest EV technology and advanced electric vehicles at the show."
The two more unique electric cars in the performance zone are the EL1 Pro Drift Camaro (pictured above) and the MRE Racing Super Late Model.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Roger Penske stated in the annual kick-off breakfast before the opening of the show that his goal is to make the circuit carbon neutral in the next ten years or so. This is good news for some politicians and activists who want to ban all motorsports (mainly for environmental reasons).
PRI officials used this year's show to promote the revitalized RPM Act (Recognized Motorsports Protection Act, originally introduced in 2016) and information about the plan to save our racing to attendees. According to PRI officials, in September, the US Senate reintroduced the pro-motorsports and pro-business RPM bill to "protect the future of the motorsports and motorsports parts business."
Senato Jon Tester (D-MT) is one of the co-sponsors of the legislation reintroduced by the Senate.
"People in the racing world have always relied on the freedom to modify their vehicles to participate in races," Tester said. "This legislation will codify this freedom into law by preventing unnecessary regulations for racing enthusiasts, allowing amateurs and professionals to comply with the Clean Air Act (originally passed in 1976, but in 2016 Expiry) intentions while maintaining tradition."
To date, parliamentarians have received more than 1.5 million letters, most of which urge Congress to sign the RPM bill into law.
Now and in the future, electric racing is attached great importance, and batteries are increasingly becoming one of the top tasks of racers and teams. One of the more interesting products on display comes from E3 Spark Plugs, which introduces a new series of lithium batteries for current types of racing cars.
Earlier this year, E3 released SuperLite 1600 and the lighter SuperLite 1200 version. These two batteries "provide faster startup, lighter weight and...three times longer life than traditional lead-acid/AGM batteries. In addition, each battery includes a dual-redundant battery management system to prevent overcharging , Over-discharge, short-circuit and over-start-all of these are harmful to the battery."
NASCAR Xfinity series driver Jeremy Clements is an important promoter of the new battery series. In the press release, Clements said: “I like my E3 battery. It increases the speed and volume of my brake fan, which helps reduce the brake temperature, which is crucial in places like Martinsville. Oops, this The battery even helped increase the speed of my helmet blower, which kept me calm when it was most important."
Similarly, VP Racing Fuels has introduced new bio-renewable components that will become part of the company’s current racing fuel product portfolio.
"With increasing attention to the global environment and increasing demand for the transportation of people and goods, government regulators continue to push for stricter regulations on pollutants and carbon dioxide emissions," said Mark Walls, vice president of R&D and fuel technology. "Automotive Manufacturers continue to seek advanced power systems, such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, to solve this problem, but we believe that vehicle fuel can play a role."
VP is currently testing a variety of race fuels with advanced renewable ingredients to meet the renewable fuel requirements of the upcoming series of events, including Formula One and IMSA. Company officials held a seminar at the show on Thursday morning and told attendees that there are now more than 70 proprietary fuel blends in their product portfolio, 23 of which use renewable ingredients.
The old is now new again. This is the perfect way to describe probably the most versatile used cars and classic cars in the history of racing.
Hot Rod magazine launched a highly anticipated and much-hyped new and unique electric car called "Project X", showcasing one of the most iconic cars of the past 75 years-the Chevrolet Bel-Air in 1957-the magazine It has been converted to electricity.
But don't think that this baby has no guts-he has guts and can output 340 horsepower.
The car has been owned by the magazine since 1965 and reportedly sold for only $250. It has been reused many times to test various hot rod trends and technologies.
"Project X has been serving the automotive community through breakthrough technologies...The automotive industry is rapidly turning to electric vehicles. This Project X construction is just the latest achievement in its famous legacy of applying hot rod technology to future powerful technologies. ." said Douglas Glad, Group Content Director of MotorTrend Group.
IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe is expected to announce which team he will participate in in 2022. Although this did not happen, Hinchcliffe still issued another statement, which will greatly help young racers in his hometown of Canada.
Hinchcliffe announced the "2022 Canadian Team Scholarship War", in which six up-and-coming racers will compete in the race. The first two drivers will represent their home countries in the Formula Ford Festival and Walter Haye in England. Trophy.
"I'm really happy to be part of the Canadian team scholarship program," Hinchcliffe said. "Brian (Brian Graham, founder of the Canadian team scholarship) and the team have done great over the years, I think moving forward we can make the program better and really show our presence in Canada Driving talent."
Hinchcliffe joined the racer Robert Wickens, who continued to recover from a terrible car accident in 2018, which left him paraplegic, but still hopes he can walk again.
As for Hinchcliffe's game status in 2022, he has previously stated that he is open to all opportunities. There are rumors that he has joined a smaller team this season, or maybe part-time, or even just playing in the Indianapolis 500. There are also reports that if Hinchcliffe cannot participate in the game, he may participate in NBC's IndyCar TV broadcast, perhaps replacing Paul Tracy, who announced last week that his contract will not be renewed.
Two major announcements were expected, but they never materialized.
First of all, there are rumors that three-time NASCAR champion, Indiana native Tony Stewart (Tony Stewart) recently formed a new NHRA team that will drive a Top Fuel car with his wife Leah in 20222 , Matt Hagen (Matt Hagen) driving a funny car, will announce the manufacturer of this car Hagen will drive (rumors continue to increase, it will be Dodge).
Stewart did make a statement, but it exceeded many people's expectations. Instead, he and Chase Briscoe, a driver of his four-car NASCAR team, announced new sponsors at an event held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
The second major announcement that ultimately proved otherwise was the revelation from the main sponsor of the eight-time NHRA top fuel champion Tony Schumacher that he will return to the full-time competition for the first time since 2018.
Schumacher is the only remaining driver in the powerful Don Schumacher racing organization owned by his father who once owned seven cars, and he is now expected to give his new main sponsor an early Christmas gift, now set for December 21st Announced.
According to reports, the sponsor is a national non-car brand.
One of the biggest news events in the PRI event was the two-time defending NHRA comic car champion Ron Capps (Ron Capps) announced that he had established Ron Capps Motorsports (RCM).
Click here to read the story of Auto Weekly about the Caps announcement.
Like former Don Schumacher racing teammate Antron Brown, he also founded his own team, and Capps has long sought to own his own team-now this dream has become a reality.
Although he will now be the boss, Kapps will still have a close connection with Don Schumacher Racing. Not only will Capps' entire team come back from DSR to join his new venture, but RCM will also be located and operated outside DSR's Brownsburg, Indiana store.
Four-time defending Indianapolis 500 Championship champion Helio Castroneves revealed the ticket design for the 106th Indianapolis 500 Championship to be held on May 29, 2022 (Ironically, that is the late Al Unser His birthday was also a four-time Indy 500 champion. He died on December 9.
According to tradition, the winning driver of the previous year will appear on the ticket.
One of the first interviews of the recently married Tony Stewart and Leah Pruitt appeared on the PRI stage of the NHRA.
The establishment of a new drag racing team, including Pruitt driving top fuel racing cars and Matt Hagen driving funny cars, is one of Stewart’s current main tasks. The Camping World NHRA drag racing season will begin in just two months ( February 17-20 in Pomona, California).
Interestingly, the couple revealed that they are currently living in a motorhome on Tony’s team campus in the suburbs of Charlotte.