First Scholarship Recipient to be Revealed in November During Motul Petit Le Mans Week
The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) today announced that 10 finalists have been selected to vie for the inaugural IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship.
Three of the ten selected have won championships with World Speed Motorsports support. WSM alumni Kyle Loh, Courtney Crone, and Jaden Conwright will contend for the scholarship worth upwards of a quarter million dollars in value toward a full season of competition in either the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge or IMSA Prototype Challenge next year. The inaugural recipient of the IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship will be named during Motul Petit Le Mans week at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Jaden Conwright and Courtney Crone won their championships with support from the VMB Driver Development program. Courtney secured the 2018 FormulaSPEED championship. In 2020 she ran a limited schedule and secured wins in the VMB F4 car. Jaden won the 2014 Formula Car Challenge championship in the FormulaSPEED class, and was 2015 Pro Formula Mazda Vice-Champion. Kyle Loh won the Formula Pro USA F4 winter season championship in 2018, and just won the 2021 Formula Pro USA F3 championship with two races remaining.
“The response we received after announcing the IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship in August was fantastic,” said IMSA President John Doonan. “There were so many talented applicants, and it was extraordinarily difficult to select our 10 finalists. It will be even more difficult to choose one recipient, as all of our finalists have what it takes to succeed long term in IMSA.”
To be eligible for the scholarship that was introduced on Aug. 10, drivers must have a strong desire to compete in IMSA, outstanding previous race results and/or proven on-track potential in junior racing categories and the ability to build a compelling business plan for securing the remaining funding needed to compete in a full season in 2022.
The IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship recipient will receive substantial support from IMSA and partners such as Michelin, VP Racing Fuels, OMP, RECARO and LAT Photo USA in 2022. Some scholarship benefits will extend toward a second season for the recipient in 2023.
More Information:
- Official IMSA PR (includes information on all selected drivers)
- Kyle Loh Official Website
- Jaden Conwright Official Website
- Courtney Crone Official Website
- VMB Driver Development Official Website