MOTORMIA Data Reveals Racing Enthusiasts Are Driving Automotive Aftermarket Innovation

Just ahead of the PRI Show last week, MOTORMIA, an AI-driven platform for planning enthusiast builds and discovering aftermarket parts, released data revealing that racing enthusiasts are quietly powering a disproportionate share of automotive aftermarket growth and innovation, company officials stated in a press release.

Despite representing only 15% of MOTORMIA’s user base, the company says this new data shows that across 2025, racing enthusiasts accounted for 23% of total aftermarket value. MOTORMIA defines “racing enthusiasts” as users who selected “racing” as their goal when creating their build on the company’s platform, and includes drift, drag racing and track racing.

A Small Segment With Outsized Economic Power

According to MOTORMIA, the 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, racing enthusiasts’ spending per build surges even further:

• 50% more 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 an Indicator of Industry Trends

MOTORMIA says that one of its 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, the company said.

Lessons for the Automotive Aftermarket

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.

MOTORMIA claims its 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 10th of a second.”