Jim Liaw attended his first major motorsports race nearly 30 years ago \u2014 and it was the Grand Prix of Long Beach.<\/p>\n
He still remembers entering from Seaside Way and hearing how loud it was when the cars raced by at more than 100 mph.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could hear the difference between the engines of the different cars, and the sound bouncing off the pedestrian walkway,\u201d Liaw said. \u201cIt was such a first-time, visceral experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
The experience helped spark a lifelong connection to motorsports \u2014 and a dream to work for a company that was part of the iconic street racing event. And soon, that will happen, as Liaw eill become the next leader of the organization that hosts Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.<\/p>\n
The Grand Prix Association of Long Beach announced on Thursday, Jan. 15, that President and CEO Jim Michaelian will assume a new role in Penske Entertainment, which now owns the organization, effective June 30. Liaw will be Michaelian\u2019s successor.<\/p>\n
Liaw, 50, will assume the temporary title of general manager for the 2026 event, which is scheduled to take place from April 17 to 19. The future leader brings extensive motorsports industry experience and leadership as the former general manager of Performance Racing Industry and cofounder of Formula Drift.<\/p>\n
Liaw is also no stranger to Southern California or the Long Beach community. When he was\u00a0 6 years old, Liaw\u2019s family emigrated from Taiwan and made their home in Diamond Bar. He graduated from UCLA with a bachelor\u2019s degree in Asian American studies.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy love for cars, like any kid, started before I could drive,\u201d Liaw said in a Thursday phone interview. \u201cI saw friends who drove and were modifying cars, and I started to fall in love with cars, but I didn\u2019t think I would have a career in automotive.\u201d<\/p>\n
But an internship with a publishing company in Anaheim changed his mind. The automotive publisher printed magazines about different types of automotive culture, and aftermarket and accessorizing cars, Liaw said. The internship opened doors for him to get into the advertising and publishing space.<\/p>\n
Liaw went on to work at different event companies and eventually started his own marketing agency with his business partner, Ryan Sage. That eventually led the partners in 2003 to cofound Formula Drift \u2014 which they turned into the premier drifting series in the world.<\/p>\n
He and Sage were the first to take the unknown motorsport of drifting out of Japan and introduce it to America, eventually making it the global benchmark for professional drifting. Formula Drift\u2019s invitational \u201cSuper Drift Challenge\u201d has been a fixture at the Grand Prix since 2005. Liaw was president of Formula Drift from 2004 to 2021.<\/p>\n
Then, Liaw had an opportunity to be the general manager of Performance Racing Industry , an organization that supports and advocates for the interests of racers, enthusiasts, builders, tracks, sanctioning bodies and businesses, according to a Grand Prix press release. PRI is also part of the Specialty Equipment Market Association, the largest annual motorsports trade show in the world.<\/p>\n
When he\u2019s not binge-watching historical documentaries or traveling, meanwhile, Liaw enjoys spending time with his wife, Angela, and their two daughters at their home in Orange County. He\u2019s also a Dodgers fan, he said.<\/p>\n
But his journey in the world of motorsports has been different from most, he said: He is, after all, a first-generation car enthusiast, rather than a multi-generational attendee of races or a former race car driver. His extensive experience, though, is what gives him the courage to take on this \u201conce-in-a-career\u201d opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think with something so iconic like the Long Beach Grand Prix, it could be a little bit daunting and overwhelming, right?\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s the longest-running street race in America, a cornerstone of the IndyCar Series, one of the \u2013 if not the \u2014 biggest races on the West Coast. And just so much history, so much heritage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think a big part of it is finding a balance between honoring its history and traditions, but also looking forward and trying new things and growing the race weekend,\u201d Liaw added. \u201cWhile we move forward and grow and try new things, still have one foot in what the heritage, tradition and legacy of the Grand Prix is, and just making sure that we\u2019re always mindful of that balance.\u201d<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s too early to say if there will be any changes or new additions to Long Beach\u2019s race weekend, Liaw said, it\u2019s always a possibility to have something new, while also honoring a race that\u2019s been successful for decades \u2014 as it heads into its 51st iteration this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to make sure that I do as much homework to understand the context of everything that\u2019s done there, and really know how it\u2019s done, why it\u2019s done, before even attempting to interject new ways, new ideas into what is already really successful,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I would say, a balance of anything is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking at how to grow and evolve the Friday and Saturday night concerts the Grand Prix offers could be something that is explored, Liaw said, as well as ensuring the success of partners for on-track events. He wants to continue making sure that everyone, from the young car enthusiast who bought a basic ticket to the corporate partners in the suites, has a valuable experience \u2013 just as he did years ago.<\/p>\n
As for this year\u2019s Grand Prix of Long Beach, Michaelian will continue to guide the event and company through race weekend \u2014 and will work closely with Liaw to ensure a smooth leadership transition.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the things that I was able to do with Formula Drift and really establishing that with a younger audience to my almost five years at PRI, and understanding the business side of the industry, and to be able to connect with people in the racing industry from all different segments and all different racing disciplines,\u201d Liaw said, \u201cI think all (of that has) prepared and put me in a place where, when this opportunity presented itself, it was surprising but not intimidating.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means a lot in so many ways,\u201d he added, \u201cpersonally, professionally.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jim Liaw attended his first major motorsports race nearly 30 years ago \u2014 and it was the Grand…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":135511,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[7,131,28942,133,132,137,100],"class_list":["post-135510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-california","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-grand-prix","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-los-angeles-county","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135510"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135510\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}