Moorespeed Driver Riley Dickinson Participates in Porsche Young Driver Academy
Dickinson is one of Four Finalists For the IMSA Hurley Haywood Scholarship for the 2020 Seasoni
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (November 21, 2019) – Moorespeed driver Riley Dickinson’s successful rookie season caught the attention of others n the motorsports world, as evident by his recent invitation to the Porsche Young Driver Academy (PYDA) on the grounds of Barber Motorsports Park, November 17 – 18.
The 17-year-old Dickinson was youngest of four up-and-coming drivers at the eighth annual edition of the invitational event hosted by Porsche Cars North America (PCNA) and Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA). Dickinson was joined by Britt Casey, Jeff Kingsley and Hanna Zellers at the two-day event. The results of the event, which included one day of classroom activity and a second day of on-track sessions, will help determine the 2020 Hurley Haywood Scholarship winner. The annual award provides the selected driver a package of tangible assets for the upcoming IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama season. The award will be presented at the 2020 IMSA Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Dickinson finished third in the 2019 season-long standings, highlighted by a win in the final weekend at Road Atlanta. He began racing karts near his Austin, Texas-area home at the age of seven and claimed numerous championships, including a 2017 SKUSA SuperKarts USA Pro Tour S2 Shifter class national championship.
Not content with just the offerings of the IMSA season, Dickinson also drove for Moorespeed in a partnership with Earl Bamber Motorsport at the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia finale in Shanghai and the Blue Marble Cocktails Radical Cup North America season-ender at COTA, where he won in a Moorespeed-prepped car.
“Our entire team is proud of Riley and we hope what he has learned up to this point in our driver development program helped him put is his best foot forward in this evaluation with Porsche Motorsport,” Moorespeed President David Moore said. “We would be honored for him to receive the Hurley Haywood Scholarship against these three other strong candidates, but we’re just thankful that he has had the opportunity to take another step forward in his career.”
The two-day Academy puts the four drivers through intense classes with the objective to broaden and sharpen talents not only behind the wheel but also out of the cockpit as well. In fact, the first full day is held in the Porsche Track Experience classroom with personality profiles, technical briefings, media training and more without ever touching the steering wheel of a Porsche. The classroom is used to give each participant the tools and understanding to maximize themselves in the variety of situations a professional driver will face throughout his or her career. While tweaked each year, the Young Driver Academy syllabus is founded on the principles and practices of Porsche's European Junior selection process. Originally drafted for this market by Porsche's only North American factory driver, Patrick Long, the core of the program beckons back to when Long himself took part on the selection process.
The comprehensive Academy experience includes classroom exercises, on-camera interview skills with renowned automobile documentary maker J.F. Musial of Tangent Vector, media training with Jamie Howe, TV reporter for IMSA and the National Hot Rod Association and Dave Engelman, PCNA Spokesperson, Motorsports and Brand Heritage and personality evaluations by Founder of the Growth Strategies Research, Education and Consulting Group Christina Kisley. David Brown, Performance Engineer with PMNA provides technical training and constructive critique throughout the process. Brown's decades of experience includes a distinguished tenure with the Porsche GT Team factory 911 RSR program prior to overseeing on-track performance for PMNA's multitude of customer efforts in North America.
“Going into this weekend I didn’t really know what to expect, but in the end it far exceeded my expectations and the Porsche family went above and beyond to make the program a success,” Dickinson said. “Easily, my favorite part was driving with a legend like Hurley Haywood on track in the morning and working with another racing icon, Patrick Long, throughout the day. I learned so much from the program that I will be able to take with me throughout the rest of my motorsports career. I can’t thank everyone involved enough that made this event possible and I appreciate the opportunity to be one of the drivers selected to participate in the event. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience!”
As they have in the past, Porsche racing legend and lead Porsche Sport Driving School instructor Hurley Haywood and Long each took a leading hand in the process. These world-renowned drivers offer not only invaluable experience behind the wheel of Porsche race cars, they each have an intimate understanding of how to be successful in motorsport out of the car as well. “I am very happy that we've been able to officially combine the IMSA Hurley Haywood Scholarship with the Porsche Young Driver Academy,” Haywood, a Porsche Ambassador, said. “The quality of our students never fails to impress me and this year is no different. As we look back, the on and off-track successes speak well for the program as well as the attendees, and I expect this year to be no different.”
About Moorespeed: Based in Austin, Texas, Moorespeed is a full-service automotive company specializing in sales, service, repairs and restoration of luxury sports cars and competition on the track in numerous North American road racing series. Founded in 1991 in Austin by brothers David and Chris Moore, Moorespeed offers comprehensive, turn-key service in which people are just as important as parts and relationships are just as vital as results. David Moore and Winslow Mankin, GM -- Director of Customer Racing, welcome and work with every customer as a member of the Moorespeed family, regardless if they are racing or enjoying their sports car on the open road. Moorespeed's road racing programs are designed for all skill levels, and driver development, both on and off the track, is a Moorespeed specialty. Moorespeed is all about the passion for high-performance automobiles and the people who drive them. A commitment to personal service and performance permeates every corner of the company. Learn more at www.moorespeed.com, and contact us at (512) 474-7223. Look for us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MoorespeedRaceEngineering and Twitter @MoorespeedTX.