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Drury ready for racing debut after Spine Surgery

By 4 June 2023January 4th, 2024No Comments

2022 Shootout winner prepares for first race after spine surgery

 

The 23-year-old PT Autosport Junior driver prepares for his first race at Watkins Glen after undergoing spine-surgery in December. 
Watkins Glen, NY (4 June 2023)
After winning the PT Autosport Aspiring Driver Shootout in November, Henry Drury had no time to rest. Immediately after winning the scholarship that could change his life forever, he flew to Plano, TX, to undergo an Artificial Disc Replacement surgery with the Texas Back Institute.
Now, after a 6-month recovery, Drury will see his first racing action this weekend in the Finger Lakes Area Porsche Club of America’s Porsche Clash weekend at Watkins Glen International. The 22-year-old former competitive figure skater has been raring to go and is feeling better than ever after electing to have surgery late last year – surgery he delayed for more than a month to compete in the PT Autosport Aspiring Driver Shootout. Drury tested his new Spec Boxster at New Jersey Motorsports Park last week, along with several other drivers from last year’s Shootout, and Sedgwick was pleased with the effort.
“The test reconfirmed to all of us why Henry was the first Shootout winner,” said Sedgwick. “He’s very at ease, everything is very natural for him, and he can already identify ways he can improve. He really thinks about what he’s doing but he’s also very instinctive – and very coachable. Those are really important attributes for someone in this program. Waiting has been really hard, but I think it’s been good for him to be there at the Carrera Cup weekends and see what goes into it. I’m excited for him, but we need to remember that this is his first ever race weekend. I’m confident he will exceed expectations.”
“We are really pleased with the level of talent that came out to the test on Wednesday,” said Myers. “What we were able to identify was all great information moving the team forward. Henry tested the new Spec Boxster that he will be running at Watkins Glen this weekend in PCA spec B class, and we also had our 2022 Shootout runners up, as well as a handful of other candidates who have either applied for or been in past Shootouts. It was a great day of getting a lot of varied talent and backgrounds out on track and testing their mettle where the rubber meets the road. It also gave us a great opportunity to see our new Spec Boxster partners PMR Precision Motorsports run the cars, as they will be supporting Henry’s PCA effort for the remainder of this year and potentially beyond. I’m really looking forward to this year’s Shootout, to see what other kind of talent we can discover, develop, and bring into this great sport.”
“Delaying surgery was a difficult one to explain to the doctors!” said Drury. “I was scheduled for the operation just 3 days before the shootout took place, and I had to be there; I had to try. I’d committed so much time and preparation to winning, there was nothing on my mind but winning, throughout the entire application process and build-up to the shootout. I was extremely lucky to be able to put everything else off and focus solely on the shootout, but the doctor’s definitely thought I was a bit nuts!”
Drury, who moved with his family to Tampa, Fla. to further his competitive skating career in the early 2014, has been busy since surgery, spending significant time in rehabilitation and assisting with marketing and social media for the PT Autosport team.
But his return to a race car is now set. Drury tested a Spec Boxster at New Jersey Motorsports Park on June 7, ahead of his debut in the Finger Lakes Area Porsche Club of America’s Porsche Clash weekend at Watkins Glen International June 16 through 18.
“I’ve been counting down the days for some time,” said Drury. “All I feel is pure excitement at this point! My priority this season is just about learning, to build as much experience and race craft as I can, as fast as I can. I’ve had a long time during recovery to prepare for that process and I have to accept that it will be a slow process. But I’m definitely ready to get started!
“I owe a massive thanks to everyone who has gotten me here, from the medical team at Texas Back Institute, Advent Health in Florida, and Centinel Spine for the spine implant. On top of that, they’re probably already sick of it, but I have to say thank you again to the entire PT Autosport team for their guidance and coaching over the past months, as well as their patience while I recovered. I can’t wait to get back on track!
The PT Autosport team has a busy month ahead of them, with their top tier program back in action later this month, immediately after their PCA race weekend with Junior Driver Henry Drury.
Race 1 for Drury will begin at 11:20 a.m EDT on Saturday June 25, with Race 2 following just a few hours later at 15:30 p.m. Live Timing from both races will be available on RaceHero.
Just a week later, the PT Autosport with JDX Racing team contest Round Four of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America. The doubleheader takes place as the undercard of 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.

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