SRO America and the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show are partnering to showcase Sim Racing through the inaugural PRI Esports Arena powered by SRO. Through this partnership, SRO America and the PRI Show aim to bring increased visibility to the world of sim racing and the ecosystem surrounding the intricate hardware and software at the heart of the sport. The PRI Show will be held in Indianapolis on December 7th – 9th, 2023.
“Sim racing plays a key role in the motorsports industry from being a low-cost entry point for new racers entering the sport to training at racing’s highest level,” said PRI General Manager Jim Liaw. “This partnership with SRO America supports PRI’s goal of driving innovation and is an important step in the growth of esports at the Show.”
SRO Esports has been a longstanding leader in professional sim racing and highlights brilliant sim-racing and real racing talents across a total of 5 different championships around the globe. Each championship includes 5 rounds, with highly competitive endurance races virtually held at some of the most prestigious tracks in the world. Comparatively, in the auto racing industry, the PRI Show is motorsports’ showcase business event, bringing together 1,000 exhibitors and attracting attendees from all 50 states, further adding to the excitement and magnitude of this partnership as the two join forces.
SRO’s presence in the sim racing industry has brought forward monumental impacts, garnering widespread attention amongst racing and gaming fans both online and in person, with over 200,000 spectators attending on-site across 5 events, in addition to the staggering 87 million global impressions surrounding SRO Esports as a whole.
“Sim Racing is a vital element of the professional motorsports ecosystem. From driver training to professional esports, the use of sims has grown tremendously throughout the years,” said Vice President of SRO Motorsports America, Robbie Montinola. “We are excited to work with our friends at PRI to showcase competitive esports at this year’s PRI Show.”
The ongoing project will see SRO producing live Esports competitions each show day, competing on Assetto Corsa Competizione, the official game of Fanatec GT World Challenge powered by AWS. The feature races will provide 28 invitational slots in two sanctioned classes – Sim Pros and Real World Pros. Drivers are encouraged to register their interest to compete.
The events will be hosted and streamed across both SRO and PRI’s channels, bringing the world of sim racing to larger audiences. The interactive nature of the events will also provide show attendees with the opportunity to jump in the driver’s seat and test drive SRO’s simulators throughout the PRI Show as well.
The interest in SRO Esports is on the rise, and with over 1.1 million social engagements, a 28% increase in global digital viewership, and a reach of 18 million across social platforms, it is evident that it will only continue to grow given its engaged fanbase. As SRO America and PRI present new, innovative ways of bringing drivers and audiences closer to the action, the partnership also serves as a way of bridging the gap between the real world and the digital ecosystem.
About Performance Racing Industry and the PRI Trade Show
Since its inception in 1986, Performance Racing Industry (PRI) has fueled the passion for motorsports by building, promoting, and protecting the worldwide racing community. PRI unites the motorsports industry through a membership program that provides market research, education, and legislative action and advocacy. PRI’s monthly business magazine, Performance Racing Industry, and world premier auto racing trade show, the PRI Show in Indianapolis, Ind., are the racing industry's key source for new technology and trends. For more information, visit PerformanceRacing.com.
The 2023 PRI Show will feature exhibitors showcasing the latest products, services, machinery, simulation, and testing technologies, and trailers for the racing industry in a single location. PRI encompasses all forms of motorsports and attracts attendees from around the country and all over the world, including professional race teams, retail shops, warehouse distributors, engine builders, fabricators, dealers, installers, jobbers, and media. To register, visit PRI2023.com/Attend.