{"id":6205,"date":"2023-07-12T12:14:46","date_gmt":"2023-07-12T16:14:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/?p=6205"},"modified":"2023-10-26T10:12:47","modified_gmt":"2023-10-26T14:12:47","slug":"pt-autosport-announces-finalists-for-the-second-annual-aspiring-driver-shootout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/2023\/07\/12\/pt-autosport-announces-finalists-for-the-second-annual-aspiring-driver-shootout\/","title":{"rendered":"PT Autosport announces finalists for the second annual Aspiring Driver Shootout"},"content":{"rendered":"

12 candidates will vie for a racing partnership with the team\u2019s junior racing program<\/em><\/p>\n

MILLVILLE, NJ (12\u00a0July 2023) \u2013 PT Autosport today announced the final 12 Aspiring Driver Shootout candidates who will compete at New Jersey Motorsport Park in early August for the opportunity to earn a $100,000 racing partnership and to join the team\u2019s junior racing program.<\/p>\n

The team received 137 applications from aspiring drivers located all over the world, spanning three continents, six countries, and 31 different American states. Applications came from a diverse base of gender, ethnicities, education levels and social backgrounds \u2013 including students and graduates from 74 different universities. Those applications were whittled down to 88, who received an intensive second round of scrutiny in order to set the final list of candidates.<\/p>\n

Of the 12 selected candidates, four are returning from the inaugural 2022 Shootout.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe applicants this year were a very strong group, hailing from around the globe and from a wide array of backgrounds,\u201d said team principal Jason Myers. \u201cIt\u2019s really great to see so many diverse groups represented across our applicants. Picking the final 12 \u2013 four from the 2022 shoot out and eight new applicants \u2013 was incredibly tough and resulted in a number of tiebreakers. Ultimately, I think we\u2019re solid with the eight new candidates chosen and will present solid competition to\u00a0the\u00a0four\u00a0veterans.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to running the shootout in a similar, yet slightly different format,\u201d said Myers. \u201cWe debriefed extensively over the past year and saw some areas where we could add some testing\/learning opportunities. We want these kids to have fun but also ignite their fierce competition coupled with solid decision making and judgment – as this is what will win them races and ensure a long, rewarding career in sports car\u00a0racing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Shootout will take place August 1 through 3 at New Jersey Motorsports Park. The candidates will be undergo an extensive series of examinations to decide the winner, including media, driving (including sim work) and fitness testing on the first day, then a full day of driving \u2013 with the evaluation process taking place throughout the day.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll assess the candidates on many different levels,\u201d said PT Autosport driver and director of operations\/driver development Alex Sedgwick. \u201cThey\u2019ll know the areas of assessment, but without much information about what we\u2019re looking for in terms of scoring. It\u2019s open to interpretation, which allows them to be themselves instead of presenting what they think we want to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n

The selection committee\/coaching staff includes drivers Ryan Eversley, Ric Collins (Porsche\/Silverstone driving coach), Will Martin (currently third in Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup NA points), Anton Spires (multi-time junior series champion), and Jessie Gr\u00f6se (longtime driver coach and founder of Von Gr\u00f6se Motorsport). Anthony Crouchelli (master instructor in the health, wellness, and fitness industry) will conduct fitness testing, with Joseph Maggio (health counselor, medical massage practitioner, and licensed acupuncturist) managing health and wellness training.<\/p>\n

PT Autosport is dedicated to increasing the presence of junior drivers in the motorsports industry that come from diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. Paramount to this mission is creating career development opportunities and forming an educational, competitive, and supportive environment for all team members, allowing them to grow and learn.<\/p>\n

The team\u2019s multi-tiered development program begins with the Aspiring Driver Shootout. The winner will receive extensive coaching and racing experience designed to help him or her progress\u00a0to an advanced racing series within the team\u2019s structure, or with one of the team\u2019s operational partners. The 2022 winner, Henry Drury, has begun his racing program, contesting the Finger Lakes Area Porsche Club of America\u2019s Porsche Clash weekend at Watkins Glen International last month.<\/p>\n

The Finalists are:<\/p>\n

Brian Blauman
\nAge: 22
\nFrom: Seaford, N.Y.
\nExperience: sim racing, indoor karting, touring kart, autocross
\nHobbies: ski racing, working out, iRacing
\nNote: degree in automotive engineering from Virginia Tech<\/p>\n

Vince Fortea
\nAge: 23
\nFrom: Charlotte, N.C.
\nBorn: Philippines
\nExperience: autocross
\nNote: degree in electronic media and broadcasting from Appalachian State<\/p>\n

Louis Garland IV
\nAge: 22
\nFrom: Chicago, Ill.
\nExperience: karting, iRacing
\nHobbies: creating content, learning new schools, music
\nNote: former paratrooper in the Army\u2019s 82nd Airborne<\/p>\n

Set Paing Htin
\nAge: 19
\nFrom: San Jose, Calif.
\nExperience: karting
\nHobbies: downhill biking, photography, reading, traveling<\/p>\n

Max Moinfar
\nAge: 22
\nFrom: Potomac, Md.
\nHobbies: creating videos, sim racing, long boarding
\nNote: attends the University of Maryland\u2019s Smith School of Business<\/p>\n

Eric Norman
\nAge: 21
\nFrom: Savannah, Ga.
\nExperience: sim racing, track days
\nHobbies: cars, science, sim racing, food
\nNote: studying mechanical engineering at the University of Georgia<\/p>\n

Anthony Ospino
\nAge: 23
\nFrom: Miami, Fla.
\nBorn: Colombia
\nExperience: karting, touring cars
\nHobbies: working out, sim racing, CAD modeling
\nNote: earned a degree in mechanical engineering<\/p>\n

Bryce Rodriguez
\nAge: 20
\nFrom: Beacon, N.Y.
\nExperience: sim racing, karting
\nHobbies: working out, graphic design, travel<\/p>\n

Henrique Ruozzi
\nAge: 23
\nFrom: Allentown, Pa.
\nBorn: Brazil
\nExperience: karting, sim racing
\nHobbies: sailing, traveling, iRacing, motorcycle riding<\/p>\n

Brenna Schubert
\nAge: 23
\nFrom: Quakertown, Pa.
\nExperience: karting, Lucas Oil School of Racing, Formula SAE (at Penn State University)
\nHobbies: Dancing, golf, swimming<\/p>\n

Alejandro Vielma
\nAge: 18
\nFrom: California
\nExperience: shifter karts, some sports car, sim racing
\nHobbies: running, collecting model cars, music<\/p>\n

Erika Wagner
\nAge: 19
\nFrom: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
\nExperience: karting
\nHobbies: teaches robotics, FIU Formula SAE team
\nNote: studying crime science and disaster management at FIU<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

12 candidates will vie for a racing partnership with the team\u2019s junior racing program MILLVILLE, NJ (12\u00a0July 2023) \u2013 PT Autosport today announced the final 12 [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6206,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,9,65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-feature","category-pt-autosport"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6205"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6205\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6207,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6205\/revisions\/6207"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}