Moorespeed will enter the 2020 IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama with driver Riley Dickinson once again behind the wheel, as the 17-year-old driver will follow a successful rookie season by chasing a Platinum Cup championship in the No. 53 Moorespeed Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
Dickinson finished third in the 2019 season-long standings, highlighted by a win in the final weekend at Road Atlanta. The season was his first behind the wheel of a car after racing karts near his Austin, Texas-area home at the age of seven. Dickinson is a multi-time karting champion, including winning a 2017 Superkarts USA Pro Tour S2 National Championship.
“Riley is a special young man with a bright future,” Moorespeed President David Moore said. “He has grown so much. Everyone on our team is champing on the bit to get back on track to help him achieve his goals. Preparations for 2020 began right after Petit LeMans by racing in Carrera Cup Asia, then back home here at COTA in the Radical Cup. An hour after he won the last race, Riley caught a plane straight to Birmingham to participate in the Porsche Young Driver Academy, all the while keeping his grades up in high school. He’s now spending time at our workshop after school quizzing me how to reach out to companies who may be interested in sponsoring our GT3 Cup driver development program. Riley keeps us on our toes to say the least.
“I have to thank team member Jim Broiles for his tireless help reaching out to potential Partners and sharing his marketing advice. In the meantime, we are seeking a strong teammate to pair with Riley and are talking with a few. In a perfect world, they will push each other harder to both be better prepared for the next steps in their racing careers. We are hopeful to secure additional funding where we can add two more races with Earl Bamber’s team in Asia again in January and February to further prepare for the season opener at St. Petersburg.”
“We grew as a team each time that we were together for race weekends and testing in 2019,” Dickinson said. “From my side, every moment that I was in the car it gave me the opportunity to continue my progression as a driver, and that continued all the way up until the last laps at the season finale at Road Atlanta. I am looking forward to starting off the year having a full season together under our belts. With the exception of St. Petersburg, we have been to all these tracks previously, and I believe that will make a meaningful difference in 2020. Having the ability to review data and notes from the previous year will be a huge help in terms of being able to immediately get to work as soon as we hit the track. I’m looking forward to getting started!”
Dickinson’s work with Moorespeed was noticed by others in the industry, as he was one of four young drivers selected to work with Hurley Haywood and Patrick Long, among other Porsche notables, at the Porsche Young Driver Academy (PYDA) in November. Through his work at the PYDA, Dickinson remains a finalist for the 2020 Hurley Haywood Scholarship. The annual award provides the selected driver a package of tangible assets for the upcoming IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA season.
The 2020 IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama season begins at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, March 13-15 on the street course.