PT Autosport to conduct third annual Aspiring Driver Shootout
PT Autosport will once again give an aspiring young racer the chance to make his or her racing dream a reality, as applications open Wednesday, March 13 for the team’s third annual Aspiring Driver Shootout. The Shootout will be held November 11-13, 2024 at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP).
Prospective applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 23, but no prior racing experience is required – or expected.
Prospective applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 23, but no prior racing experience is required – or expected.
PT Autosport remains committed to giving young racers the opportunity to chase their Motorsport dreams, forming an in-house ladder system and fostering an environment focused on learning and development both on and off track.
Team principal Jason Myers emphasized the continued overall mission statement: to help deserving young potential drivers who would otherwise have not had the budget or the opportunity to start their journey up the racing ladder.
“We are extremely excited heading into our third annual Aspiring Driver Shootout,” said Myers. “Coinciding with Alex Sedgwick’s IMSA Porsche Carrera Cup North America season start, we’re giving everyone extra time to apply. We’re hoping for an even larger group of applicants this year – we feel that we’ve cracked a code for identifying real talent and the “complete package” that we’re looking for. (Team owner) Jeph Dais, Alex, and I pour over every single applicant’s written answers, as well as the video interview – but it is well worth it.
“We are extremely excited heading into our third annual Aspiring Driver Shootout,” said Myers. “Coinciding with Alex Sedgwick’s IMSA Porsche Carrera Cup North America season start, we’re giving everyone extra time to apply. We’re hoping for an even larger group of applicants this year – we feel that we’ve cracked a code for identifying real talent and the “complete package” that we’re looking for. (Team owner) Jeph Dais, Alex, and I pour over every single applicant’s written answers, as well as the video interview – but it is well worth it.
“The proof is in the results and so far we’re doing really well with our Shootout winners and runners-up. We’ve got our inaugural Shootout winner (Henry Drury) running in the SRO/Toyota GR Cup after a year of SCCA and PCA racing, and I couldn’t be prouder of the progress he’s made. We’re also putting a similar schedule together for our second Shootout winner (Brenna Schubert) to run in several similar series, including SCCA and PCA in Spec MX-5 and Spec Boxster. All our runners-up have completed Skip Barber racing schools or are scheduled to do so.”
For Sedgwick, who also serves as the team’s driver development director, these two young standouts mark the beginning of a long-term vision for PT Autosport.
“I’m looking forward to the third shootout this coming November,” said Sedgwick. “We have seen the PT development process work, with Henry Drury progressing to the GR Cup, and I’m intrigued to see who stands out and has the right characteristics to follow in his footsteps. I’m hoping for a great pool of candidates to make selections from but be warned: the process is going to be tougher than ever!”
“I’m looking forward to the third shootout this coming November,” said Sedgwick. “We have seen the PT development process work, with Henry Drury progressing to the GR Cup, and I’m intrigued to see who stands out and has the right characteristics to follow in his footsteps. I’m hoping for a great pool of candidates to make selections from but be warned: the process is going to be tougher than ever!”
Applications for the 2024 PT Autosport Aspiring Driver Shootout will open on Wednesday, March 13, with the Shootout taking place November 12 and 13 at NJMP. 888 applications are available, with 88 drivers chosen for a second round evaluation. From those 88, 12 drivers between the age of 18 and 23 will travel to NJMP and participate in a wide-ranging competition measuring their fitness, media, interview, problem-solving, teamwork, coach ability and racecraft skills. They will vie for a driver partnership program with PT Autosport which will provide support of up to $250K ($50K guaranteed) for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, with awards also going to second and third place.
PT Autosport’s top tier program – PT Autosport with JDX Racing – makes its season debut this weekend in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America opener at Sebring International Raceway, as part of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring weekend. Race one takes the green flag Thursday at 4:55 p.m. ET, with race two Friday evening at 7:15 p.m. The races will be broadcast live in the U.S., on IMSA.tv, the NBC Peacock streaming app and PorscheCarreraCup.us.
About PT Autosport — Discover Unique Talent. Develop Champions.
PT Autosport, based at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ, campaigns rising star Alex Sedgwick (UK) in the 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup North America series with JDX Racing, 2022 Aspiring Driver Shootout winner Henry Drury (UK) in the Toyota GR Cup North America series with Precision Racing LA, and 2023 Aspiring Driver Shootout winner Brenna Schubert (USA) in a soon-to-be-announced series for the 2024 season.
PT Autosport is dedicated to providing merit-based motorsport industry opportunities for diverse individuals with high integrity, grit, and coach-ability, achieved through a development program for young aspiring drivers, engineers, mechanics, and professionals. The first step of this process is applying for the annual Aspiring Driver Shootout, in which aspiring drivers aged 18-23 can compete for a team racing partnership with the team.
A rigorous evaluation process of applicants determines the final competitors for the driver shootout. The winner earns financial support of up to $250,000 ($50,000 guaranteed) to pursue their racing career. The review process also provides the team the chance to identify unique talent for other roles in motorsport, including race engineers, mechanics, and professionals.
PT Autosport is building a community that fosters the development of young talent to find a place where they can make an impact in the motorsport community as a career.
For more Industry News, please Click Here
For more Industry News, please Click Here
