Welcome to our Dragtime News On Location coverage from the 24th Annual PRI Trade Show, held December 1st - 3rd, 2011 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. What an outstanding time we had. Our entire trip from beginning to end went flawlessly, thanks in great part to the meticulous planning of Performance Racing Industry. We booked our hotel through PRI's own travel desk which resulted in a great rate and convenient location served by the show's own shuttle buses. I've been involved in many major trade shows, and this was a textbook example of a well-run event. We saw a lot of great new products,and made new friends. If you're involved in any aspect of the performance industry you should absolutely put the 2012 PRI Show on your calendar.

The energy level was revved up high all three days as attending buyers packed the exhibits of over 1,000 racing industry suppliers to make their all-important inventory decisions regarding new racing products for 2012. The exhibiting companies went all out in bringing ingenious new racing technology to Orlando.

“It was a very strong show,” said Steve Lewis, PRI Trade Show producer. “We had three big exhibit days with substantial buying in all categories and exhibitors writing orders well into the afternoon. More important than it being a good week for PRI, it was a really good week for the racing industry. What was going on in that building for the those three days will affect people at race tracks and racing businesses around the world."

“We’re here at the PRI Trade Show because most every company we do business with is here, and we’re here to check out the new technology,” said legendary engine builder Ed Pink, of Ed Pink Racing Engines. “There’s a lot of people here and we’ve seen a lot of new vendors here. It’s an excellent show.”

The Red Bull Kart Fight featured famed drivers from diverse series such as NASCAR Cup, X Games, IndyCar, ALMS, Grand-Am and the NASCAR Camping World Truck series. “I got a little lucky with the lapped traffic,” said a modest Heylen, who won the last big kart race held at the PRI Trade Show. “I’ll be back next year.”

“This is a fantastic event,” said Howard. “I’m looking forward to coming back next year.”

We had a great time at last night's festivities, but now it's down to business. This is why we're here: the 2011 Performance Racing Industry trade show floor. Let's take a walk and see what we see...

At the Proform Parts booth, this is Booth Platt proudly holding two of their newest offerings. On the left is Proform's lightweight PERFECT LAUNCH™ differential cover for Dana 60 (#69504). The heavily reinforced construction provides extra strength in extreme torque situations. Each Dana 60 PERFECT LAUNCH™ differential cover includes two bolts to stabilize bearing main caps, increased fluid capacity, one magnetic drain plug, separate filler hole and cover mounting bolts for your application. All covers have a black painted finish, and come with installation instructions.

On the right is Proform's new 1000-pound valve spring compression tool (#66776). This is a precision tool, utilizing a hand turned screw-type spring compressor, and battery operated digital readout, to provide the ultimate in exacting spring tension measurements. This spring compressor is the latest addition to Proform’s expanding line of engine building tools.

For more info visit Proform Parts at www.proformparts.com.

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