It is a ridiculously obvious statement to say that motorsports is all about speed. However, over the years as the sport has grown, that ‘speed’ aspect has expanded to include much more than on-track performance and now encompasses every corner of the industry.
“Look at the world 20 years ago,” noted Francisque Savinien, a former professional racer. “We used road maps when travelling, we used telephone books. Today we live in a world of high-speed technology. Technology has changed the way we live, the way we connect with people, the way we do business.”
Recognizing the ever-evolving and expanding technological advances in the realm of motorsports, and the speed at which this technology is progressing, Savinien and a team of business and marketing professionals created the Electronic Performance and Racing Trade (EPARTRADE) online site.
A trade-only, product sourcing platform, EPARTRADE offers 24 hour-a-day connections between performance parts suppliers and the racing tradesmen and professionals.
Savinien along with his co-founders and staff, are all former members of the organizing and promotional team of the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show, the once a year exhibition geared towards the racing professional. Seeing the industry from this unique perspective, the EPARTRADE staff realized that new products and updated technologies arrive on the market every day, requiring better and faster access to the end-users, the professional teams.
This is where EPARTRADE fills a void.
“Motorsports is inherently driven by innovators, generally small businesses, who are continually creating new products. They need a way to showcase these products and ideas to the entire racing marketplace in a timely fashion,” continued Savinien. “We have built a platform for those businesses, but we have also created an interactive community for them, a place where the vendors and buyers can connect in the most time effective manner.”
The EPARTRADE global on-line platform currently boasts over 4,800 racing suppliers with membership increasing daily. These product suppliers span the industry, offering anything from power train, brake components and suspension pieces to safety gear and date acquisition, to every imaginable part that can be bolted on to virtually any racing vehicle from any motorsport discipline.
Among the most recognizable suppliers registered with EPARTRADE are companies such as Eibach, McLaren Applied Technologies, Raybestos, Stand 21 Racewear, SCE Gaskets and Daytona Sensors.
Although part-sourcing is a primary consideration of the EPARTRADE site, a full spectrum of racing related interests are covered, ranging from service and instructional videos to technical downloads. Industry trade and racing news, as well as job postings, can also be accessed and followed in real time on the site.
One welcome side effect of the EPARTRADE site is that it is not simply a sales tool for suppliers, but can also boost marketing awareness, allowing even the smallest of service and parts providers a place to grow.
“Face-to-face interactions are priceless, that is why we will never replace something like the PRI Show,” concluded Savinien. “But once you leave the show, you have to wait for another year before you can see what is new and improved.
“I see EPARTRADE as a tool that was necessary. We had a unique opportunity to offer the industry a new tool to bring this aspect of the sport into the 21st century, and we took it. I believe EPARTRADE will quickly become a major player in the motorsports industry. The racing world is changing and EPARTRADE is changing it.”
With races now won or lost by fractions of a second, the balance of performance is often directly related to the use of the latest and most updated parts and effective management of technological advice and techniques. Any racer or team searching for a winning edge will most certainly benefit from exploring the suppliers and advice on the EPARTRADE website.
Although registration is limited to Trade-Only partners, the EPARTRADE platform can be accessed at www.epartrade.com.
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