Under the Precision Racing LA w/ PT Autosport banner, the inaugural Aspiring Driver Shootout winner takes his first steps toward a professional racing career
SONOMA, Calif. (10 April 2024) – Precision Racing LA w/ PT Autosport driver Henry Drury claimed a solid Toyota GR Cup debut last weekend at Sonoma Raceway, scoring top 15 finishes in the pair of races with solid passes and race craft skills.
With weather and surface issues resulting from Sonoma’s recent re-pave eliminating the planned test day, Drury, a 24-year-old English born, Tampa, Fla. resident, had to get his No. 88 Precision Racing LA w/ PT Autosport Toyota GR86 Cup Car up to speed quickly. But at the end of the weekend, he was happy with the progress he made in his first Toyota GR Cup weekend.
“It was an intense weekend to say the least!” said Drury. “With the schedule being so condensed we had a lot to learn in an incredibly small window, and we definitely suffered from the lack of practice and experience compared to others. I’d obviously rather have been further up the field, but I’m proud of the battles we had and the progress we made out of such a difficult situation.”
SRO series testing on Wednesday revealed issues with Sonoma’s recent repave, prompting organizers to cancel Thursday testing as they repaved parts of turns 8 and 11. Work continued Friday, with the GR Cup’s first practice backed up to 6:15 p.m. – but Drury put his head and his right foot down, with only 30 minutes to work on setup and get to a qualifying pace. Improving his times with every lap, he set the 11th quickest time – a solid initial performance under difficult circumstances.
Difficult track conditions again greeted the field for qualifying Saturday morning, as Drury headed out on a damp, cold and slick racetrack. Fighting traffic – and a competitor’s sketchy move on his flyer lap – Drury settled for P21 for the afternoon’s race one.
But Drury wouldn’t stay there for long, on the move at the drop of the green flag, making smart, calculated passes through the opening corners to take 15th before a lap two yellow slowed the field. The green flew again on lap 5 and Drury recommenced his press forward, quickly taking 13th. But the battle continued between five cars fighting for position, and Drury found himself shuffled back to 16th midway through the race. But Drury was not going to relent, as he made a switchback move on the inside of turn 7a to take 15th and held the position to the checkered flag.
“That was an absolutely epic race,” said Drury. “So intense compared to what I’ve done before, I never had a moment to breathe. I learned a ton and had some awesome battles, spending the second half of the race under constant pressure. More rubbing and bumping than I’ve ever experienced as well!”
Starting 17th in race two, Drury was determined to retake as many positions as possible, making smart moves and taking P13 mid-race – until he was hit from behind and sent off track. Returning to the race near the back of the pack, he fought back through traffic to take P14 at the checkered flag – which became P12 after post-race penalties.
Though frustrated that he hadn’t finished higher, Drury was pleased with his debut weekend, despite all the obstacles.
“I couldn’t have asked for a crazier induction to my first pro race weekend, “said Drury. “We started off on a really positive note in our practice session, considering that it’s a completely new track to me, but I struggled with confidence and the car in qualifying. We had some awesome battles and I’m proud of where we ended up, but setup struggles and a few mistakes dropped us back further than our pace deserved.
“I’ve been blown away by the work ethic and attention to detail of the Precision Racing LA w/ PT Autosport team and I’m learning faster than ever,” Drury continued. “I’m really happy with how I held my own in the pack and proved that I have what it takes to be here in this series, but we still have a way to go and a lot to learn to catch up to the experience level of some of the drivers here. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity PT Autosport has trusted me with to represent them here in GR Cup and the patience they’ve shown as I learn and build experience. It’s hard to be happy with P15 and P12, but when I step back and think about this being my fifth race weekend ever, I can be proud of my performance and the amount of learning I crammed into such a short weekend. We’ve given ourselves a solid foundation to build on, and I’ll leave no stone unturned in between now and Sebring in pursuit of that top 10 finish. I’m already counting the days!”
Next up for Precision Racing LA w/ PT Autosport will be the doubleheader at Sebring International Raceway, May 3 to 5. The pair of 45-minute races will be broadcast live at www.grcup.com.
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 other 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.
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Twitter: @PtAutosport
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