USF2000: Davis to Make Series Debut at Sebring and St. Pete

Colette Davis will make her Mazda Road to Indy debut piloting a Formula Enterprises car in the National class of the USF2000 Championship

Glass Hammer Racing, LLC, http://www.Beatbyagirl.org and Collete Davis have announced a sponsorship package that will give the talented young racer the opportunity to compete in the opening events of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda.

The Floridian will join the Mazda Road to Indy series at Sebring International Raceway and on the streets of St. Petersburg driving a One Formula Racing prepared Formula Enterprises entry in the National class.

With the ultimate goal of becoming the next female star in the IZOD IndyCar Series, Davis will part of the chase for National class top honors when the 2012 edition of the USF2000 Championship gets underway at Sebring in Mid-March. The 18 year-old former karting star will make the full-time transition to junior formula car competition this season, following a near championship-winning effort in sports cars last season. Piloting a Formula Enterprises entry by class standout One Formula Racing, the Glass Hammer Racing and Beatbyagirl.org backed teenager will also take part in Rounds Three and Four during the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, and ideally secure the funding to run a full campaign.

"Words can’t describe how grateful I am to have this opportunity from Glass Hammer Racing to compete on a national platform against some of the best up-and-coming drivers in the world with the One Formula Racing team. IndyCar is my goal, and I’m excited to take the first steps towards that goal next month at Sebring.”

“GHR is delighted to announce that Collete is the first driver we are supporting in the 2012 season,” said Gregory Gaich, founder and owner of Glass Hammer Racing. “She’s equal parts dedicated racer, stellar student, and tireless advocate for young women. While she hasn’t had as many opportunities to race as many she’ll be competing against, she’s made the most of every experience, and we look forward to seeing her demonstrate her talent in open-wheel racing for the first time.

“Collete instructed the novice class at our GHR Experience karting course in October. She was a natural with the kids, and will be a great addition to our instructor corps,” Gaich added. “She’s also brimming with ideas about how to use racing to enhance the lives of young women, particularly those who have had a tough start in life.”

In addition to her driving and instructing duties, Davis will be responsible for developing a Junior Racer Mentor Program that will match up young girls interested in starting racing with established female racers and role models in their area. It is one of the many great projects that GHR has had on its to-do list, and they are delighted to have Davis move it forward.

“I contacted Glass Hammer Racing last January because I thought what they were doing was really awesome and to offer to help in anyway,” said Davis. “After staying in contact with Greg for the past year, I was given the opportunity to become an official GHR instructor last August, and I am looking forward to representing GHR even further both on and off the race track in 2012 with our new partnership. I had a blast teaching the girls in the GHR Experience Class to drive a kart and race for the first time. Introducing more girls to racing will definitely be a key part of working with GHR. Racing has done so much for me growing up and I hope I can pass that on to other young girls.”

Fueled by her competitive nature, desire to win and passion for the motorsports industry, Davis plans on making 2012 her biggest year yet. After a successful 2011 season racing a Pro Challenge Mustang sponsored by her University, she placed second in the overall Championship, even without being able to compete in all of the races throughout the year due to funding. Her four wins and two poles gave her enough points to secure the spot of championship-runner up.

“Collete has been working extremely hard the past year and a half to put this together, and we're happy to see her run with One Formula Racing,” stated ABK Sports Management's anders Krohn, a former Indy Lights driver and pro F2000 champion. She's gathered experience through SCCA racing the past year, and will now be making a big step up to the Mazda Road to Indy in the USF2000 National class. Collete's hard work and dedication will put her in a good position to improve every single time out, and we look forward to watching her grow throughout the season.Anders Krohn (Grand-Am/Indy Lights Driver, ABK Sports
Management)

In addition to racing and being a full time Mechanical Engineering student, Davis takes an active role in promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) careers in middle school kids. She speaks with many middle schools children, specifically the girls, about futures in STEM careers and how fun and diverse these careers can be.

Davis will be the youngest female driver racing in any rung of IndyCar’s development ladder series in 2012.

“My goal is to race and win on the Mazda Road to Indy to ultimately race in the IZOD IndyCar Series. I’m focused on developing myself as a driver and making the most out of every opportunity to do so. I know the changes from racing the Mustang to an open-wheel race car are going to be huge and I’ll have a lot to learn my first weekend in the car. I can’t wait to work with One Formula Racing and look forward to seeing how much we can learn and adapt over the course of the first race weekend to make the most out of this amazing opportunity with Glass Hammer Racing and the One Formula Racing team.”

The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda season commences on March 15-16, with Rounds One and Two running in conjunction with the 60th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida.

To keep up to date with the 2012 driver line-ups, be sure to regularly visit the eFormulaCarNews.com