Motorsports Passion by James Innes
IPG is based on a passion for motorsports. Not just the way that companies use that term for marketing jargon but in the way that we live and breathe motorsports. Any given week or weekend you will find the IPG crew at the drag strip, road course or even go karting during free moments. It could be testing our race cars or just running our street cars during an open session but whatever it is the passion for motorsports is ingrained in us and that is what leads us to be great at what we do.
For as long as I can remember I was interested in cars. At first it was low rider mini trucks and stereo systems (yes, seriously...that lasted a couple of years) and then the shift to motorsports came and that has been all encompassing since. At the end of the day it doesn't matter what kind or style of car, boat or motorcycle it is if it has an engine and someone is making it go fast it draws me in. I can watch any and all forms of racing on television and appreciate the work and passion that goes into each and everyone one of those teams efforts.
With the passion for motorsports has come a business based off of what we love to do. This has been something special for myself and hopefully for anyone that has worked for / with us. This is a very cut throat industry but with some great relationships and desire to continue forward we have made it over 9 years in business. This would not be possible at all if it weren't for our passion for motorsports. This industry can wear you down and stress you out on a daily basis but the one consistent part for us is the drive to make our motorsports program the best it can be. This works hand in hand with our parts sales. We know what works and what doesn't. We have learned these lessons on our own cars and we are able to give you the real world honest feedback that you deserve to hear. I can't tell you how many sales I have talked IPG out of because a customer is calling to buy a part that is either not needed or junk. Yes, this happens on a weekly basis. While others will just take your money and make a couple of dollars on you I would rather not make a dime and save you the $400 on that part that is not worth your time. This is utterly based on our general passion for motorsports.
This leads me to the wonderful reason for today's blog. This industry is fraught with follow the pack mentality companies. They see what others are doing and try to replicate those motions and ideas. The problem with the companies like this is that they have no basis for what they are selling or why they are selling it. They are just the sheep following the herd and trying to make a dollar or 2 here and there at the expense of the customer and the real businesses within this industry. The passion for motorsports can lead to some great product ideas and solutions to how things are done. The IPG Solid Shifter bushing is one of these idea's. Developed by John Ferguson during the 2005 Race Season in our Sport FWD Honda Civic, John saw the need to eliminate any play in the shift linkage of our race car. He made a rough prototype and to this day that initial prototype is still installed in our SFWD Honda Civic. It took IPG a couple of years to bring the item to the market but we proudly had it made locally by a machine shop and started selling them. Now we can all be honest and realize this is just a piece of CNC'ed aluminum so it is only a matter of time before someone was going to come and knock it off, that was completely expected. What I didn't expect is how it actually made me feel to really think back about why the product was even on the market and how our passion for motorsports brought this unique product to the market to fix an issue in our race car. Looking at the scenario now you can see how motorsports throughout the ranks is a great contributor to product development.
So here is your sales pitch. Buying the IPG Solid Shifter bushing is a vote to supporting direct motorsports product development. Buying the other guys is a vote to support the make a quick buck mentality. I will take this a step farther for you all. As much as the IPG solid shifter bushing is a great product we can take a wild guess and tell I am not making payroll by selling it alone. With that in mind we can use the sales of the Shifter Bushing to the greater good. Starting today, March 1st, 2015 I will donate $10 from the sale of each shifter bushing to the Motorsport Safety Foundation. More times than not the things in life that we become passionate about do not have anything to do with money. Some of us get lucky and are able to make a living off our passion but even in those cases it is the passion that drives the company, not the money and I am the first hand example of that.
