PT Autosport’s junior driver gains experience in an up-and-down weekend in difficult conditions
SEBRING, Fla. (8 May 2024) – Precision Racing LA w/PT Autosport driver Henry Drury scored his first Toyota GR Cup top 10 finish on Saturday but endured a difficult Sunday, as the junior driver’s learning curve continues.
Drury, a 24-year-old English born, Tampa, Fla. resident and winner of the inaugural PT Autosport Aspiring Driver Shootout, qualified his No. 88 PT Autosport Toyota GR86 Cup Car in second position for Saturday’s race, then battled hard in heat and humidity to take home a 7th place finish. Sunday’s race two saw a late race incident place Drury back in the field, but with plenty of positive takeaways on the weekend.
Coming into just his second professional race weekend, Drury’s goal was clear: keep learning, keep improving, keep moving up the grid. He checked those boxes off among a highly competitive field, starting with the two practice sessions on Friday – setting the 16th fastest time in practice one and the 12th fastest time in practice two. In race one qualifying Saturday morning, Drury posted the ninth-quickest time with his first timed lap and remained in ninth for much of the session – until a blisteringly fast final lap put him on the outside of row one.
Taking the green flag early Saturday afternoon with temperatures in the high 80s, Drury found himself the odd man out on the outside, not able to take the preferred inside line until turn 3 – and after two cars had slid by to put him back to fourth. Aggressive moves by the two cars behind through turn 3 put Drury back in seventh, with extensive use of the curbs and the dirt off track to stay in the mix. Settling in on lap two, Drury stayed with the lead pack to try and make a move. But two lengthy cautions stalled the action, with the race ending under the yellow flag.
“It was so hot, and the track was so slippery that there was no grip on the outside of turn 1,” said Drury. “I had a split second to get to the left and didn’t make it in time, so I got trained into turn 5. Not ideal, but we had the pace to stay with them after that. Top 10 was the goal so I’m happy with that – and with knowing that the potential is there for even more. And it was good to be up front where I can learn from some of the top drivers.”
Drury started 12th race two in hot and humid conditions, with ambient temperatures of 85F and track temps at 111F. On the preferred outside line through the first few corners, Drury grabbed two positions on lap one, then found himself in the middle of a tightly bunched pack fighting for position. As track temps continued to rise, grip began to decrease, with Drury sliding the rear through turn 15 and making a great save to hang onto 12th.
But Drury wasn’t so lucky late in the race, as a competitor hit him from behind in that same turn 15, sending him off track and to the back of the field. A late race yellow stalled his forward progress, and Drury took the checkered flag in 23rd position.
All in all, plenty was added to the education database.
“What a weekend!” said Drury. “I have to say, it’s frustrating to end a second weekend in a row being taken out by the same car, but we have so much to be proud of, especially a top 10 finish and a P2 in qualifying! I can’t wait to carry this momentum forwards and have an even stronger weekend at COTA.”
“The entire Precision Racing LA w/PT Autosport ream (and really, the whole paddock!) were incredibly impressed with Henry’s performance this weekend, especially with that P2 qualifying effort! He’s shown great tenacity and race craft this year, with results much further up the chart than anyone could’ve expected, especially with as limited real-world racing experience Henry has. All in all a great weekend for the team and we are looking forward to Austin!”
Next up for Precision Racing LA with PT Autosport will be the Toyota GR Cup doubleheader at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas May 17-19. The pair of 45-minute races will be broadcast live at www.grcup.com.
PT Autosport would like to thank partners STEAM Sports Foundation, Classic Car Club Manhattan and New Jersey Motorsports Park.
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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