New MOTORMIA Data Reveals Racing Enthusiasts Are Driving Aftermarket Innovation and Spend Ahead of PRI Show

INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As the global motorsports industry gathers this week for the PRI Show (Performance Racing Industry), the most influential business event in racing, new data from MOTORMIA, the AI-driven platform for planning enthusiast builds and discovering aftermarket parts, reveals that racing enthusiasts are quietly powering a disproportionate share of automotive aftermarket growth and innovation.

Despite representing only 15% of MOTORMIA's user base, this new data shows that across 2025, racing enthusiasts accounted for 23% of total aftermarket value. For research clarity, users defined as "racing enthusiasts" selected "racing" as their goal when creating their build on the MOTORMIA platform, and include drift, drag racing, and track racing.

A Small Segment With Outsized Economic Power

MOTORMIA data highlights a dramatic imbalance in influence:

• Racing users spend 68% more per build.
• They install 26% more parts per build (9.5 vs. 7.5).
• The average component they choose costs 33% more.

Across key categories, their spending per build surges even further:

• 50% more spent on brakes
• 30% more on cooling systems
• 44% more on suspension
• 41% more on ECU and engine management 

"These are not casual modifiers," said Isaac Bunick, CEO of MOTORMIA. "Racing enthusiasts behave like real-world R&D teams. They're engineering, testing, and pushing components to the limit. Their needs accelerate innovation for the entire industry."

Digital Behavior Is Now a Leading Indicator of Industry Trends

One of MOTORMIA's most significant insights is that what enthusiasts build digitally is a leading predictor of real-world buying behavior.

"MOTORMIA doesn't just track purchases, it tracks intent," said Bunick. "We see emerging categories months before they hit the broader market. For manufacturers, this data is becoming as vital as traditional market research."

This shift means manufacturers and suppliers can anticipate demand earlier, tailor products more precisely, and accelerate go-to-market strategies.

What the Entire Aftermarket Can Learn

Even for brands not focused on racing, the behavior of racing enthusiasts holds lessons for the broader industry:

• Performance culture shapes mainstream trends. Innovations developed for racing become standard upgrades in the general market.
• High-intent segments deliver disproportionate revenue. Focused audiences, from racers to EV builders, outperform general audiences.
• Data-driven personalization is the new competitive advantage. Understanding motivations, budgets, and planned builds unlocks smarter product development.
• D2C relationships matter more than ever. Racing users reward brands that provide expertise, specificity, and direct engagement.

As the PRI Show opens and the motorsports community unveils the next wave of performance breakthroughs, MOTORMIA's data highlights how racing enthusiasts, though a minority, are the economic, creative, and engineering engine of the aftermarket.

"They spend more, they innovate faster, and they push the limits of what's possible," Bunick said. "If you want to see the future of this industry, follow the people chasing the next tenth of a second."

About MOTORMIA

Founded in Arizona in 2023, MOTORMIA has quickly become the leading platform for U.S. auto enthusiasts to discover aftermarket parts and build their dream rides. Its AI-driven platform and app help car enthusiasts plan, optimize, and execute their vehicle builds. MOTORMIA technology has powered over one million builds across cars, trucks, bikes, and UTVs - empowering users to explore new ways to design, tune, and perfect their dream machines through AI-assisted discovery. By analyzing enthusiast intent, behavior, and build data, MOTORMIA also provides manufacturers and brands with actionable insights that power the future of automotive innovation.

Try the app for free and learn more at: MOTORMIA

SOURCE MOTORMIA