Jim Liaw Takes the Wheel at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach 

The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, the longest running major street race in North America, now has a new CEO. Jim Liaw stepped into the role in March with decades of motorsports experience and a vision for the future of the event. His journey to the position, however, began years earlier, as a Southern California teen captivated by car culture.

“It started in high school, even before I could drive,” Liaw said. “I was surrounded by a bunch of people that were already into motorsports and modifying cars. It was kind of the typical Southern California car culture.”

Although his passion for cars continued through college, at the time, Liaw wasn’t seriously considering motorsports as a career. While attending University of California, Los Angeles, he gravitated toward the newly launched Asian American Studies major, a decision he described as deeply personal and eye-opening.

“It was really intriguing to me,” Liaw said. “There was so much history that was never taught and you didn’t get to learn.”

Jim with his father front of their family donut shop.

Liaw's family immigrated to the United States before he started first grade, and he says the coursework helped him better understand history and his own identity.

“You have one foot in your family culture and history and one foot here in American culture and history,” he said. “And because my family didn’t grow up here, Asian American history definitely wasn’t even on the radar growing up.”

As graduation approached, Liaw found himself facing the same uncertainty many college students experience. So he leaned back into the passion that had followed him since high school. He began calling automotive companies, media outlets and parts manufacturers until he landed an internship at a Southern California automotive publishing company.

“I was persistent enough,” he said. “I caught them as they were about to launch the internship and I was kind of first in the door.”

That opportunity opened the gateway into the business side of car culture, from sales and advertising to events and marketing. It also introduced him to the world of motorsports events, including his first visit to the Grand Prix of Long Beach.

“It was really overwhelming,” Liaw recalled. “You walk in and there’s like a city within a city. I was awestruck.”

Although his degree may not seem directly connected to motorsports, Liaw said his major shaped the way he thinks about audiences, communication and community engagement today.

“Understanding demographics, surveying populations, data gathering—all those things are quite relevant,” he said. “Especially in events and media where you’re trying to understand your audience and how to communicate with them.”

Liaw eventually met Ryan Sage. The pair initially started a marketing agency and helped create the first drifting event in the United States in partnership with organizers from Japan.

Although the event went well, the company declined long-term partnership because they wanted to focus on events in Japan. So Liaw and Sage decided to build their own series instead.

“Young and adventurous, and maybe with a lack of fear, we said, ‘Then we’re going to do our own,’” Liaw said.

That decision led to the launch of Formula Drift in 2004. What began with four events eventually evolved into one of the premier drifting series in the world. But Liaw is quick to point out that the journey was far from smooth.

“For the first 10 years, it was always a fight,” he said. “Every month, every week, every day. It was always a struggle to make sure we stayed afloat and kept growing.”

Those years navigating economic downturns, industry changes and even the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately became the foundation for his leadership style today.

“All those stressful moments built a skill set,” he said. “It was like a live education.”

In 2021, Liaw moved to the trade show side of motorsports, joining the team that runs the Performance Racing Industry (PRI). The decision to step away from Formula Drift was hard, but Liaw credits his trade show experience with adding another layer of expertise to his skillset.

Jim with his wife and daughters at the Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Now leading the Grand Prix of Long Beach, Liaw is using his diverse motorsports background to bring fresh energy and ideas to the event while preserving the tradition and community pride that have defined it for decades.

“We want to be very intentional with everything that we do,” he said. “The goal is not to try to change what it is. The goal is really to enhance what is already really good.”

Part of that vision involves finding ways to modernize and strengthen the race’s presence throughout the region. This involves prioritizing community support, whether it’s working with local schools and universities or Long Beach businesses. On top of that, Liaw wants the regional community to feel a sense of pride that this major street race is a thriving local event.

“We are a community and we are going to make a concentrated effort to continue that,” Liaw said. “The Grand Prix is a race that is looked at as a cornerstone of the motorsports world. We want people to take pride in it and come together to support it, to help it continue for decades to come.”