PT Autosport Gears up for the Glen
MILLVILLE, NJ (____ 2023) – For PT Autosport with JDX Racing driver Alex Sedgwick, the past year has been one of the most extraordinary of his life. Less than a year ago, it appeared that his racing career was over – and now, he lies fourth in points in the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America, looking for his first series victory on one of the legendary American racing circuits.
“Honestly, it makes my brain explode a bit,” said Sedgwick. “It wasn’t even a year ago that I’d walked away from racing entirely. That part of my life was done – and that’s what led me here, in the best position I’ve ever been in.”
The 24-year-old Warwickshire, UK native heads to legendary Watkins Glen International this weekend as he returns behind the wheel of the No. 98 PT Autosport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car. The former karting champion and Ginetta Junior scholarship winner had all but given up his racing career when a chance encounter completely changed the direction of his career – and his life.
Sedgwick’s family didn’t have a racing background, but often traveled to nearby Silverstone Super Bike races, and went to Le Mans with his father, a Peugeot public relations executive. Like so many kids, heading to the karting track for his birthday was a seminal moment – and after winning the British karting championship, secured the 2014 Ginetta Junior scholarship. Earning a fully funded ride the next year.
“Right place, right time, which seems to be a theme in my career!” said Sedgwick. “Racing cars had never been on our radar since we didn’t have that kind of budget. I’d never driven a car before, so it was a big learning curve, but I finished 10th in the championship with really no testing. We’d planned to do a second year but two weeks before the first race, the sponsor pulled out.”
Sedgwick took a racing timeout, finished his school exams, and then embarked on what would end up being several years of scraping together enough sponsorship to do a few races a year in wildly different series, including French Formula 4, Clio Cup, the Dubai 24 hours and earned support to race in the European NASCAR series against drivers like Marc Goossens, Bobby Labonte, Jacques Villeneuve and Lucas Luhr. COVID shut down his chances to continue in 2020, but the chance to do a NASCAR race in the U.S. – an ARCA West Series event – once again showed his mettle.
With no practice and no qualifying, it was straight into the race – starting from the back and coming up through the field to finish 13th. HE was hoping it would lead to more but as the realities of COVID set in, Sedgwick returned to do a few European NASCAR races but at age 23, knew he had to find a more sustainable career.
Sedgwick had been coaching and working at ride and drives, so he and a friend started a track day company for owners’ clubs. They were quite successful – until the UK went back into lockdown, which halted their momentum. A driving tour company offered him a job, first as team member and then as full-time operations manager.
“That forced my hand a bit: now there was no time to go racing. So I thought my career was done.”
Not so fast.
At his first solo event, managing all aspects of the driving tour, Sedgwick met Jason Myers, who had also stepped away from racing after a successful career as a sports car team manager. They got on well and exchanged information, and just as Sedgwick had returned home, he received a message from Myers – who had begun working with Jeph Dais, who’d bought a Porsche Cup Car. Sedgwick got on a Zoom in July of 2022 with the pair and soon discovered that there was a grander vision in place. One week later, he was in New Jersey.
“Jeph already had a vision for what PT Autosport could be. He had a great deal of background in youth mentoring and providing opportunities for deserving young people was important to him. The three of us clicked, bounced around ideas, and set the program.”
Sedgwick competed in the team’s car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in August then returned to New Jersey Motorsports Park for the first PT Autosport Aspiring Driver Shootout, won by fellow Brit Henry Drury. But in order to have a top tier program, they would have to go racing, so Sedgwick tested with JDX Racing in November – and the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America team was set.
The team tested again just before the season opener at Sebring International Raceway and once again, it was jump in and go. And he did: impressing right out of the box, with four top 10 finishes in six races including a podium at the Miami Grand Prix, only his second ever street course event (the previous race weekend at Long Beach having been his first).
“I’ll never forget how fortunate I am to be in this position, it means so much to me that Jeph and Jason gave me this opportunity. Everything happened so fast. So many people want to be involved in racing and talk really big, but Jeph and Jason are good at what they do and very serious about this program.”
“Having Will (Martin) as my teammate is so beneficial. He’s raced these cars for a year so to be able to work with him helps enormously. We had some issues along the way, but mostly with things I just had to relearn – like restarts, tire prep, adapting to how the car changes over a race distance. I’d never driven the Porsche before, but we’ve had some solid results and have progressed every weekend. We tested at Watkins Glen last month and it went well. It’s such a high commitment track and the car moves around quite a bit, which seems to suit me. Our pace was strong, so I think we’re in a really good spot for the rest of the year.”
PT Autosport to feature t-shirt design contest
The team has invited all graphic artists to design a limited-edition t-shirt that will be worn by all attendees of the 2023 Aspiring Driver Shootout, which takes place August 1 to 3 at NJMP. Unique and creative designs are encouraged, though of course, appropriate for all age groups. Submissions will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on June 30, with fans voting for their favorite on the team’s social media channels from July 2 through 7. More info at PT Autosport.com.
2022 Aspiring Driver Shootout winner makes racing debut
Henry Drury had waited a long time for this moment. The former competitive figure skater postponed back surgery to compete in the Shootout and worked hard over the past six months to recuperate and prepare to begin his racing career. The 22-year-old London native-turned Tampa, Fla. resident raced the team’s PMR Precision Motorsports-prepared Spec Boxster in the Finger Lakes Area Porsche Club of America’s Porsche Clash last weekend at Watkins Glen International.
“I was really impressed with Henry on his first race weekend,” said Sedgwick. “Across a few days we had it all: thunderstorms, damp, slicks on a wet track, drying line and then full sun/dry weather. Seasoned drivers can struggle adapting to conditions and he took it all in his stride, whilst building up his racecraft, confidence and pace step by step. We were on for a good finish in the final race to top off the weekend but unfortunately hindered by a mechanical issue. All in all, a great starting point for his program!”
“Like Alex said, Henry did a really great job last weekend across all sorts of challenges and conditions,” said team principal Myers. “He’s got a strong set of the basic skills required to be a great driver, and we’re just helping him build experience through track time and coaching from Alex.
“Having Alex as our in-house pro is a huge benefit to our young drivers. His experience comes from almost two decades of driving across a slew of motorsport disciplines, and he is an invaluable team asset in helping coach these aspiring drivers. We’re looking forward to seeing Henry progress through the club racing ranks as he continues to learn and grow as a driver. We’re on track for a few more races this year, and more as we head into 2024!”
Sedgwick and PT Autosport with JDX Racing are back in action this weekend, as the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America doubleheader joins the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Sahlen’s Six Hours at Watkins Glen International. Race one takes the green flag Friday, June 23 at 1:25 p.m. EDT, with race two Saturday at 12:20 p.m. The race will be broadcast live in the U.S., on IMSA.tv, the NBC Peacock streaming app and PorscheCarreraCup.us.
PT Autosport would like to thank JDX Racing partners Byers/Porsche Columbus, Renier Construction, PDCA Inc., and Revamp Marketing.
About PT Autosport
PT Autosport is a newly formed racing team currently based at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ. The team campaigns rising star Alex Sedgwick (U.K.) in the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America series for the 2023 season with JDX Racing.
PT Autosport is working towards bringing diversity and opportunity to the motorsport industry, hosting their annual Aspiring Driver Shootout, in which aspiring drivers aged 18-23 can compete for a $100,000 racing partnership with the team. Visit PTAutosport.com for more info.
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