Carson, California. The highlight of the Porsche EBOOST North America Junior Program and Porsche Mobil 1 ® Female Driver Program North America each year since 2021 has been the Porsche Driver Development Workshop. While it has changed in name, format and timing since the launch of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America, the core focus of the program has remained steadfast: to offer Porsche one-make drivers’ knowledge to maximize their careers. All Porsche EBOOST Junior Drivers and Porsche Mobil 1 Female Drivers are invited to attend the official workshop each season. The program provides an opportunity for the drivers to receive a range of educational tools, training and support to take the next step in their career. The 2024 program was held July 18 – 19 at Team Penske headquarters in Mooresville, North Carolina. One year earlier, it had been held at the Porsche Experience Center Atlanta in 2023. All drivers came from either the Porsche Carrera Cup North America or the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama.
While the specifics of the agenda change each year, the basics have remained the same since Porsche first began a similar program in Europe for young prospects. This system was brought to North America in 2012 and ran as the Porsche Young Driver Academy through 2019. It was rebooted in 2021 with the advent of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America and became more focused on drivers currently running in the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid North America.
This year, drivers received a behind-the-scenes look at the highest level of team operations at Team Penske and the Yokohama Development Center, both in Mooresville. Other elements of the Workshop included nutritional advice, media and social media instruction as well as the opportunity to train with the Porsche Penske Motorsport GTP race team. American Porsche factory driver Dane Cameron and former international Porsche one-make champion and current Porsche Penske driver Matt Campbell (Australia) were also on hand to offer key insights on how to navigate a career in sports car racing.
Experts provide valuable insight to the next generation of potential Porsche racers
The early years
While Porsche has chosen full Junior drivers from the Porsche Global Junior Shootout for decades, Porsche Cars North America and Porsche Motorsport North America first implemented its own program to assist the best young drivers in the United States and Canada to the next level of professional motorsport as well. Beginning in 2012 and running through 2019, each year the Porsche Young Driver Academy (PYDA) brought four racers under the age of 24 to a two-day program than included both a classroom day and a track day to hone and display their skills through direction of experts in their fields.
Like today, the Academy put the drivers through intensive classroom activities with the objective to broaden and sharpen talents not only behind the wheel but also out of the cockpit. While education was the hallmark of the by invitation-only event, the PYDA also helped determine the IMSA Hurley Haywood Scholarship recipient. At the time, the scholarship was awarded annually to help provide the selected driver with a package of tangible assets to present to teams in IMSA Porsche one-make racing for the next season. During the span of the program, 33 drivers graduated including future champions like Riley Dickinson, Trent Hindman, Roman De Angelis, Michael De Quesada, Zach Robichon, Elliott Skeer, Madison Snow, Alec Udell and 2022 Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric.
Drivers received a behind-the-scenes look at the highest level of team operations at Team Penske and the Yokohama Development Center
2024 Porsche Driver Development Workshop Attendees
- Paul Bocuse. Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama
- Zachary Vanier. Porsche Carrera Cup North America. Pro class winner: Miami (Race 2)
- Elias De La Torre IV. Porsche Carrera Cup North America.
- Jimmy Llibre. Porsche Carrera Cup North America.
- Loni Unser. Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama. Female Driver Development Program participant.
- Therese Lahlouh. Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama. Female Driver Development Program participant.
- Madeline Stewart. Porsche Carrera Cup North America. Female Driver Development Program participant.
- Caroline Candas. Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama. Female Driver Development Program participant.
- Paige Morales. Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama. Female Driver Development Program participant.
- Sabré Cook. Porsche Carrera Cup North America. Female Driver Development Program participant. Highest finishing female driver in Porsche Carrera Cup North America, to-date – P8, three times in 2024.
