I’ve got some cool news! I will be expanding my driving resume and making my debut in a proper sportscar October 6-8 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the Indianapolis 8-Hour event! I am excited to try my hand at this type of racing. Contrary to the event name, I will be racing in two separate support races during the weekend and not one 8-hour endurance race. I will be driving for AOA Motorsports in a BMW M2 car in two 40-minute races in SRO TC America in their top class, TCX.
While this will be my first time racing in a sportscar, I have been able to test briefly twice. My first test was in early September at IMS in Fast Track Racing’s BMW GT4 M4. This is the top class car, Grand Sport or GS, in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge that raced at IMS last weekend. It was a great experience to get to learn a new car on a track I’m very familiar with. While the GT4 was much different to anything I had driven in the past, it was still a ton of fun. Getting used to driving with traction control and ABS and learning how to get the most out of the car helped prepare me for this upcoming event and future events.
Then, earlier this week, I was able to get some laps at Virginia International Raceway in the AOA BMW M2 I will be racing. It’s been a while since I’ve been at VIR. The last time I raced there was in the F1600 series with Rice Race Prep in 2020. It was a little bit different taking those corners in a sportscar, but it was no less fun! VIR is one of my favorite tracks in the world and I don’t get the opportunity to drive there often. It is a very high commitment fast road course with plenty of elevation change that makes for a very exciting lap. Getting back to one of the coolest tracks I’ve been on was an awesome experience and great preparation.
If you happen to be in Indy Oct. 6-8, let us know. We have some suite ticket options available to anyone who is interested.
Also, I’d like to send a big congratulations out to Aryton Houk and Jack Sullivan on becoming the latest Team USA winners! It’s great to see some fellow Rice Race Prep alumni win. Greg Rice knows how to develop drivers and it shows by the number of past RRP drivers who have gone on to represent the USA. I had a great time in the UK driving for Low Dempsey when I won the scholarship. Congratulations guys!
And finally, we are hard at work putting our stable of partners together for 2024. Believe it or not, the USFPro 2000 season starts soon with early pre-season testing. Things are looking good so far and we are hopeful that we’ll be able to announce a proper, fully funded season before the new year. If you are a current partner, thank you so much for your continued support. You are appreciated more than you know. Stay tuned because we have some great things planned for 2024 and we are looking forward to another great year.
Stay Fast!
Jackson