Eric Paradis has spent over 25 years working as a leader in racing, business development, and consulting for high-performance brands and facilities in the automotive and motorsports industries. 

Eric’s career began behind the wheel as a professional driver and team owner, securing funding and managing operations to compete across Canada, the U.S., and Europe in series such as FF1600, Firestone Indy Lights, the VLN and RCN Series, and the KTM X-Bow Battle. His firsthand knowledge of the industry at its most competitive level laid the foundation for his advisory work with OEMs, racing venues, motorsports talent, and investors.

Following his racing career, Eric established his own consulting firm, working with some of the world’s most prestigious brands, including Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo, Lamborghini and Ferrari. During this period, Eric also founded a second venture as an automotive sales broker, specialising in the import of high-end vehicles from the United States into Canada for private clients.

Eric later joined Circuit of The Americas (COTA) as a Senior Executive Business Development consultant. For nearly a decade, he worked closely with leadership teams to grow the circuit’s commercial partnerships, expand programming, and align operations with long-term strategic goals. His work was collaborative and far-reaching—supporting business performance, community engagement, educational initiatives, and charitable outreach.

From 2022 to 2024, Eric served as Executive Management Consultant at Flatrock Entertainment Group, contributing to the early-stage development of a large-scale motorsports venue in Tennessee. His efforts focused on guiding foundational strategy, marketing direction, stakeholder alignment, and facility planning during a critical phase of the project’s evolution.

Today, through Ignition Advisory Group, Eric continues to support clients in the motorsports, motorcycle, and automotive sectors with services ranging from leadership and event strategy to talent development and OEM training solutions. Every engagement is shaped by a desire to deliver meaningful results—not just in business, but in the experiences created for fans, teams, and communities.

Where it all began

The first race I ever attended was when I was ten: the Formula One Grand Prix in Montreal with my mother and her friend (who was from Belgium, where motorsports is ingrained in the culture). That day, I became totally hooked on the idea of becoming an F1 driver. The problem was that I didn’t really know how to make it happen. All I knew was that it would require lots of financial resources. Coming from a humble lower-middle-class family, the odds were against me, but the more I was told it was impossible, the more it gave me the energy to work harder and strengthen my faith that dreams can come true.

I took out a loan which allowed me to join a three-day racing school, which took me three years to repay! But it was the first step into motorsports for me. There was an innocence about this which allowed me to take these chances and go on this difficult and complicated journey.

After many years of competing in the Canadian Pro Formula Ford 1600 series (in addition to testing in F1600 in France, racing the Liberty Challenge in the Indy Pro Racing series as well as the VLN & RCN series at the famous Nordschleife and in the KTM XBow Battle in Hungary) I was struggling financially and depending solely on sponsorship, only earning about $20,000-$22,000 a year. At some point, I visited an Auto Show to connect with automotive manufacturers and sponsors and I saw a Team Principal with a fellow racer at the BMW booth. I didn’t know there was such a thing as pro-drivers who were hired to do driving academies & educational days on behalf of automotive manufacturers. I had a chat and offered myself as a volunteer, and thankfully, they gave me an opportunity. I thought I was initially going in as a volunteer, but instead it turned out I was being hired as a ‘product specialist’ in their Ride and Drive program.

Two weeks later I received my first check which was more than I had made in months! From there I went on to work with Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and Jaguar. I got to travel to Germany and UK for training purposes and became a vital asset for these companies. 

This ultimately led me to get my role at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) after I worked there as a client for Jaguar in 2013. They were impressed by my work on that project and – after some lengthy negotiations – they offered me a job as a consultant in 2014 to overview their commercial department to help build a successful track rental component at COTA. 

I realise now, looking back, that after twenty-plus years of racing and negotiating with sponsors to help fund my early driving career with no outside support, these skills naturally transferred over into the sales and commercial environment I found myself moving into.

My role in 10 words or less

Leading expert-driven strategy and execution for motorsports facility profitability.

Why What I Do is Important

The difference between knowledge and wisdom is this: knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, but wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad. 

I apply this logic, learned over many years, in my current role as Founder & High-Performance Advisor at Ignition Advisory Group. I know what works and doesn’t work. My judgment is not based on estimations or abstract forecasting, but on lived experience: both failure and achievement across every layer of the motorsports business.

Ignition Advisory Group was created to support racing circuits, OEMs, and industry investors with strategies that unlock real value—commercially, operationally, and culturally. We help motorsports venues maximise their assets, attract long-term partners, and align their vision with the expectations of today’s manufacturers, fans, and stakeholders.

Our work isn’t about theory—it’s about executing high-performance strategies that produce results. From early-stage planning to revitalising underperforming properties, we engage with clients at pivotal points in their growth cycle, ensuring they’re equipped with the insight, structure, and partnerships needed to thrive.

My First Race

My very first race was the Montreal F1 GP in 1985 when I was ten years old. Many people expect it to be my Dad who got me into motorsport, but it was actually my Mom and her friend who took me to my first race, and it was this experience that made me realise what I wanted to do: I wanted to race!

My very first race as a competitor was in FF1600 at a local track named Autodrome Saint-Eustache. As an inexperienced driver, I ended up starting in last position but managed to fight my way up to finish 7th and 4th in both my races that weekend.

Eric’s vehicle that day not pictured! Eric’s driving career led to testing a Renault F1 car at Circuit Paul Ricard.

My Most Challenging Moment

Relocating to Austin for my job at COTA, away from friends and family, and having to start a new life in Texas in a completely new environment and new country was definitely one of the biggest decisions I ever had to make. 

To make matters more complicated, initial negotiations weren’t easy as I had a different vision to the (then) senior management team on how I wanted to build this part of the business. I didn’t want to leave everything behind to join an organisation where I had to fight internally in order for the organisation to succeed. I actually turned the first offer down but sometime later they returned with an improved offer – oversight on the circuit activities’ commercial department, reporting only to the CEO and with full control of how I wanted to realise my vision – as long as I helped grow the business. 

So, then I had a big decision to make! Do I start a new life in America or stay in the job I had done for 7/8 years at home in Canada? Ultimately, I decided to go for it, got my visa and made the move to Austin in June 2014. I had nothing when I moved into my apartment in Austin, not even a roll of toilet paper! I remember having to drive to Walmart at 3.30a.m. to get some along with a pillow and blanket. I started completely from scratch. It made me understand the challenges of immigration and the many hurdles people have to face.  

My Proudest Moment

It’s hard to pick just one moment, but if I could be a little more general, what makes me most proud is that I have had the opportunity to give back in my career – both on a professional and human level.

Realising that your work has made a significant impact and contribution to the community that reaches far beyond my professional responsibilities with COTA, is a source of great pride. Through the work we did at COTA we helped creating economic vitality and helping to generate millions of dollars in revenue, sustaining 100’s of jobs in the process. I consider this the greatest victory of my career. 

According to AngelouEconomics, the total economic impact of direct spending by participants, as a result of the track rentals at COTA, equaled on average $45.5 million per year. As this direct spending filters throughout the economy through indirect and induced effects, the total economic contribution of track rentals equaled on average $86.5 million a year. During my spell at COTA consulting from 2014 to 2022, the combined amount came to $543 million, with a total economic impact of $978 million on COTA’s overall operations and events.

On a human level, I am very aware of the importance of being a mentor and giving back. 

Without the support and guidance of people and sponsors in the past, I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today, so this means a lot to me.

Back when I was racing, I remember there being a young driver who came from a modest background and who lacked the confidence to seek sponsorship. As a result, he seemed to lose his spark and passion for racing, which was a real shame. I didn’t have the financial means to support him, but what I did have was a racing car, so I arranged for a test day and offered him to take my car for a spin. It gave him the opportunity to see what car racing was really like and regain his spark. 

I also helped another young driver with limited means while at COTA who was in a similar position. Recently, I found out that he signed a professional deal to race at Daytona in an LMP3 car and at the Nordschleife on the Nürburgring with a professional GT team.

I’ve done this for a few drivers now and seen some of them progress through the ranks as a result. This makes me very happy as I love sharing my passion with people. I always say motorsport is like chocolate: if you have never had a bite, I’ll buy you a chocolate bar and you will immediately want a second bite! It’s so important to give back when you can.

A Motorsport Memory I’ll Never Forget

Realising my childhood dream to drive an F1 Car at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France.

It was a few years ago now, but I had been having discussions with a promoter who was operating a racing school and wanted to work on hosting the school at COTA.

They also operated the Renault F1 experience at the famous Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet.  One day, he called me up to say a customer for the F1 experience had pulled out and was wondering if I wanted to take the slot. Of course, I jumped at the chance and got on the first flight to France! I did three laps, and it truly was a magical experience and one I’ll never forget.

My main thought at the end was how privileged the current Formula 1 drivers are to get paid to do this for a living – I’d do it for free! 

My Next Goal Is

I’ve been blessed with a career born from pure passion—one that began with nothing but a dream and a burning desire to be part of the motorsport world. That journey shaped who I am and fuels everything I do.

Today, as Founder of Ignition Advisory Group, my ambition is to give back what I once received: belief, opportunity, and direction. I want to build enduring value—for our clients, for the industry, and for the next generation—by applying all I’ve learned through trial, success, and perseverance. 

With each new project, my goal is not only to guide motorsports ventures to profitability, but to leave behind something greater than results: purpose, momentum, and pride in what we’ve created together.

How I’ve Worked With SMG

It is always a pleasure to work with SMG. I know I can trust them to be completely professional and fully dedicated to the job at hand.

I’ve known Tom personally for many years now, dating back to when I first started working at COTA. He has (and continues to) supported COTA with its international promotion efforts, and as a result, we often collaborate.

When I decided to come to Tennessee and take on my previous role at Flatrock, I knew that once this venue was in a position to ‘go public’ I wanted to get SMG on board to help raise awareness and tell the story of this ground-breaking motor racing venue being built in the heart of Cumberland County, Tennessee. As such, we were delighted to have SMG support our PR efforts when we officially broke ground at Flatrock in 2022 and had many very good moments working together on promoting the Flatrock experience during my time there.

My Advice To Others Wanting to Get Into Business Development in Sport

For me, passion is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic and faithful, and you will accomplish your objectives. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. Never give up and keep the dream alive!