Team USA Scholarship

Alpha Live Team USA Lunch Interview at the 2023 Walter Hayes (Click to Watch)

Team USA Scholarship Blogs –

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. – Ayrton Houk and Jack Sullivan will follow in some illustrious footsteps during the next few weeks as they fly the distinctive and patriotic red-white-and-blue Team USA Scholarship colors in several prestigious Formula Ford races in the UK.

They are the latest pair of talented young American race car drivers to be selected for the program, joining the likes of Jimmy Vasser and Bryan Herta, who were the first two Team USA Scholarship recipients in 1990 and 1991 respectively, and this year’s Indianapolis 500 champion Josef Newgarden, whose rise to the top of the North American racing ladder as a two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion included claiming a Team USA Scholarship – and a Formula Ford Festival victory – in 2008.

Houk, 20, from McCordsville, Ind., and Sullivan, 17, from Hamilton, Ohio, earned the opportunity following a recent shootout at the Polecat Training Center facility in Lynchburg, Tenn. Both have been leading contenders in this year’s FRP Formula 1600 Championship Series. They were joined at the shootout by Elliott Budzinski, 21, from Ann Arbor, Mich., and Jason Pribyl, 18, from Glenview, Ill.

“Every year our team USA candidates are strong, and it makes the decision making extremely tough,” said 1999 Team USA Scholarship winner Andy Lally, who headed the judging panel alongside 1993 scholarship recipient Jerry Nadeau, accomplished sports car-turned-sprint car racer Sean Rayhall and Polecat Training Center principals Paul Arnold, JR Speight and Rafe Baskin.

“This year, however the lap times were so tight and the sessions so closely fought out in both wet, damp and dry conditions that we had to go deeper and deeper into what potentially separates each of these drivers. We ended up taking into consideration many other factors, and it was still a close and divided vote. I know every single one of the candidates that we tested would do a fine job representing Team USA but in the end we can only pick two. I cannot wait to see how these young drivers perform and I know all four have potentially amazing futures ahead of them.”

Houk and Sullivan recently have begun preparations for an extended stay in England with three days of simulation training with Kelly Jones at RaceCraft1’s impressive new facility at the SILO Auto Club and Conservancy in Indianapolis, Ind., where they were joined for one day by accomplished INDYCAR and sports car driver Ed Jones.

“Having the opportunity to train at RaceCraft1 was extremely helpful in learning the track layouts with the help and coaching provided by Kelly Jones,” said Houk (pronounced “Howk”). “Also, being able to drive with Jack Sullivan as a teammate and noticing each other’s driving tactics was great to learn and will definitely be beneficial for racing as teammates in the near future.”

Houk and Sullivan will head to England later this week to begin on extensive testing program with Ammonite Motorsport in readiness for the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch on October 21/22 and the Walter Hayes Trophy event at Silverstone on November 4/5.

“I am honored to be added to the extremely talented roster of scholarship winners that Team USA has built over the years,” added Houk. “I am also looking forward to traveling overseas for the first time and racing with the level of talent that the UK has to offer while also gaining immense knowledge and valuable experience from this opportunity.”

“I’m deeply honored and extremely grateful to be selected to represent the United States and to join the long list of successful Team USA Scholarship alumni,” said Sullivan. “It’s a truly incredible opportunity to further my racing career and I can’t wait for what lies ahead in the next few weeks.

“This opportunity will bring a lot of learning experiences on and off track and allow me to take a glimpse into what the life of a professional racecar driver looks like. I will get to explore a whole new world of racing, competing at iconic tracks, racing against new competitors, and running for a professional team for the first time. With all of the new connections and international exposure, I will be able to build up my value and enhance my marketing skills to help me step up through the ranks. I would like to thank Jeremy Shaw, all of the judges, and all of the partners and sponsors who make the Team USA Scholarship possible.”

About Team USA Scholarship:
The program has been providing opportunities for talented American race car drivers at an early stage in their careers since 1990. Supporters include AERO ™ Sustainable Paint Technology, Doug Mockett & Company, the Road Racing Drivers Club and SAFEisFAST.com, Chip Ganassi Racing, The Stellrecht Company, Chris Locke, CoForce, Josef Newgarden Racing, Dyson Racing, Polecat Training Academy, PrattMiller, PitFit Training, RaceCraft1, Sparco USA, Speedstar Management and Styled Aesthetic. Previous scholarship winners include Jimmy Vasser, Bryan Herta, Jerry Nadeau, Buddy Rice, Andy Lally, Phil Giebler, A.J. Allmendinger, J.R. Hildebrand, Dane Cameron, Josef Newgarden, Conor Daly, Connor De Phillippi, Spencer Pigot, Trent Hindman, Tristan Nunez, Oliver Askew and Kyle Kirkwood.

Ayrton Houk: Sights Set

Leading former National champion Jordan Dempsey.

BRACKLEY, England – Over the past few weeks, I have been given some amazing opportunities and participated in one of the most historic Formula Ford races in the world, the Formula Ford Festival!

It was my first time at Brands Hatch, and I immediately loved the track. We had three days of testing on the shorter Indy circuit, and a series of 45-minute test sessions resulted in countless laps to get accustomed to the track layout – in a wide variety of weather conditions from heavy rain, damp, drying, and fully dry. I qualified fourth for my heat race and managed to finish third. I was looking to ride my momentum into Sunday; however, a hiccup in the semifinal set me 19th on the grid on Sunday afternoon. A hard-fought race resulted me a 14th-position finish in the final.

The Houks together again for the first time in a while.

Overall, the experience was amazing, and the entire Ammonite crew provided top-notch equipment for me and my teammates. Throughout the week, I improved my race craft tremendously and learned about the importance of consistency, especially in wet conditions. It was also great to see my parents come over for the weekend as well since it had been almost six weeks since I had seen them last!

The iconic Cliffs of Moher on Ireland’s west coast.

After the Festival, I was invited to join the Sullivan family for a quick trip to Ireland! We left the following day and flew into Dublin, then drove west to the Cliffs of Moher. I immediately noticed that many of the roads were much smaller than the roads that I have been accustomed to over in the United States. There were many points where a two-way road only had space for a single car and we found ourselves pulling over quite often to manage traffic. After a few hours we safely made our way out to the coast of Ireland and were met with a gorgeous landscape. I was awestruck by the beauty of the cliffs. The sun was setting and the sky was clear. It was an amazing sight to experience in person.

In the evening, we grabbed some fish and chips at a local pub and stayed in a quaint bed and breakfast before heading out the following morning for the airport.

Ayrton Senna memories aplenty on the MTC Boulevard.

Shortly after returning from Ireland, Jack and I were granted the opportunity to tour the McLaren Formula 1 shop! Driving in and getting to see the amazing facility, I was met with a sense of awe; getting to experience a place that I have grown up wishing to get the opportunity to see. We were welcomed very generously to see many of the influential cars throughout the history of McLaren. I was even able to see Ayrton Senna’s 1988 championship car the MP4/4! Along with multiple Formula 1 cars I observed production cars like the 750LT, the McLaren F1 and even a Speedtail. In addition, we were shown their vast trophy collection holding trophies from the beginning of McLaren Racing. It was an exciting day and a long-time dream of mine to visit the McLaren Technology Center.

A major change of pace with a visit to QPR.

The following day, Jack and I experienced an English Football League Championship match in London at the Queens Park Rangers stadium, Loftus Road. The Rangers were hosting Leicester City. The environment was lively, to put it mildly, and the fans were very passionate. I had a great time as it was the first football game that I have been able to see in person. Leicester City ended up beating QPR 2-1, but the game was tense down to the last minute!

Our hectic schedule saw us on the road again just one day later when we were able to gain the taste of a GB3 car with Ammonite Motorsport at Donington Park. It was stellar. Our day was set up with two sessions each, split with a lunch in between. The car felt like a raging bull! The acceleration was unmatched by any car I have been in before, and with the downforce I felt as if I was glued to the track! The track felt amazing to drive and flowed incredibly well.

Houk and Sullivan gained their first taste of a downforce car.

The second session felt much smoother, as I was starting to feel more at home with the car and learn just how much grip it really had. Taking Old Hairpin at over 115 mph was quite the experience! Not just corner speeds, but the brakes were also incredibly powerful. I remember being thrown into my belts after stabbing the brake pedal. It was a dream come true to drive the GB3 car, and I want to thank Team USA and the Ammonite crew for making it a possibility.

My sights are currently set on the Walter Hayes Trophy coming up this week. Testing begins in just a couple of days’ time, and the weather is looking wet most of the week; however, I am excited for rain! We have been quick in the rain sessions at Brands Hatch, and I look forward to carrying that into Silverstone. With only one and a half weeks left, I have had an amazing experience in the UK so far, and I look forward to capping it off strongly this coming weekend.
– Ayrton

Ayrton Houk: The Trip of a Lifetime

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – For those who may not know me, my name is Ayrton Houk (pronounced “Howk”). I have always had a knack for speed; however, it has not always been on four wheels. I grew up in a suburb of Indianapolis, and being from a city synonymous with racing has definitely played a part in my upbringing, especially my name!

Before I go into my racing background here are a couple of things “non-speedy” about me. I have always loved being outdoors. Yellow is my favorite color and it was the first word I ever said. Beyond racing I enjoy weightlifting, video making (though I am very new to it), cycling, being with friends and family, and food. I am currently a finance student at Purdue University. My thrill for speed stemmed from my father, a competitive off road motorcycle racer who inspired me at a young age to compete. He was an avid Formula 1 fan and named me after Ayrton Senna. From the beginning my father had plans of getting me into a car.

I started off racing off road motorcycles.

Growing up I would beg for a dirt bike; however, my parents, concerned for my safety looked for proof that I was capable. They told me that once I could ride my pedal bike without training wheels, they would purchase a dirt bike for me. That very day I went out and practiced until I could ride my pedal bike around my neighborhood. I was only 3 years old. The following year I began competing on the motorcycle and was fully involved in motorcycle racing until I turned 12 when my career took a change. I had found photos of my father racing shifter karts, and had never wanted to try something more in my life. I truly believed that it was the coolest thing ever. My father told me that if we go down this path, I would have to be 100 percent invested and I told him that I was ready to make that jump. At the start, we competed out of the back of our pickup truck using saw horses for our kart stand and racing almost every weekend at our local tracks, Whiteland Raceway Park and New Castle Motorsports Park. We never competed nationally, though the talent at most of these races was very competitive at the WKA and SKUSA races.

In 2019 I took my first laps in a racecar at Road America and was invited to compete at the Lucas Oil School of Racing Scholarship Shootout for a full season in their championship series. I did not win the scholarship but did learn a ton about how to navigate the ladder of open wheel racing. In 2020, we decided to try out a season in oval racing in the Mel Kenyon Midget series while also taking our first steps into an F1600 with Brad Hayes Racing. Both seasons were cut short due to COVID, but in 2021 we focused on a full Kenyon Midget season and attending the required races to compete in the SCCA Runoffs in Formula Ford (F1600). I ended up with a top 10 in the SCCA Runoffs and winning the Kenyon Midget series, both with Brad Hayes racing.

I also competed in and won the Lucas Oil Scholarship Shootout that year. In 2022, I competed in the Lucas Oil School of Racing championship and completed my first full season in F1600 with Team Pelfrey, accomplishing multiple wins and podiums in each and finishing second in the F1600 Championship Series and third in the Lucas Oil School of Racing championship. In 2023 I competed once again in a F1600 season with Rice Race Prep securing three wins and multiple podiums while also competing part-time in the USSA Kenyon Midget Series (after my father purchased our own car) and winning four of the six races we entered.

Another successful F1600 season with Greg Rice (Yazer Design Studio).

When I was invited to compete in the Team USA Scholarship shootout this year, I was excited to be given the chance to represent my country and be added to such a successful list of winners of the scholarship. This year’s shootout was a fun and complex variety of wet, damp and dry sessions that added a challenging aspect to it. I had a ton of fun at Polecat Training Center learning how those cars like to be driven in the varying conditions and feel well prepared for how to adapt to the new feel of the Ammonite FF1600 cars.

I am very excited to travel overseas, as this will be my first time out of the country! I cannot wait to learn about the lifestyle over there and driving techniques used in the British Formula Fords. Over the past few weeks, I have been gathering up all my gear and clothes as well as receiving some fantastic new gear from Billy Deakins at Sparco USA and sleek Team USA merch from Steve Welk at Styled Aesthetic.

Sim time at Brands Hatch with RaceCraft1.

While preparing for the new tracks and cars, my teammate Jack Sullivan and I were given the opportunity to receive professional sim training from Kelly Jones at RaceCraft1 in downtown Indianapolis. We spent three days training with him and even got a quick run in with former INDYCAR and current IMSA driver, Ed Jones. I believe that the practice and advice Jack and I have received will be extremely beneficial in our transition into the new cars.

I cannot thank everybody behind the Team USA Scholarship, including Jeremy Shaw, Sparco USA, Styled Aesthetic and Kelly Jones at RaceCraft1 enough for getting us here and all of the work they have put in so far in this process of getting over to the UK! I am currently en route to London and looking forward to meeting Andy Low and the Ammonite Motorsport team. We have a busy first week and I will be sure to update everybody along this exciting journey!

Until next time,
Ayrton Houk

Ayrton Houk: In the swing of things

BRACKLEY, United Kingdom – I’ve now had a few weeks under my belt in the UK, and I’ve enjoyed every minute! The time has been packed with racing, exploring and meeting some exceptional individuals. Andy Low, owner of Ammonite Motorsport, has been an amazing host to me and Jack. From picking us up from the airport to finding us housing, it has been great having someone like Andy to help us get our bearings.

‘The other Ayrton’s F1 title-winning McLaren MP4/6 from 1991.

Our adventure began just after landing at Heathrow International, navigating through the airport to find Jack, being picked up, and heading straight to the Ammonite shop to meet the team. Immediately, we were in the cars being fitted for our seats in preparation for our first test at Llandow circuit in southern Wales. The following day I had my first taste of racing in the UK when Jack and I, along with 2022 Team USA Scholarship winner Elliot Budzinski, went to spectate the British Touring Car race at Silverstone. It was a great opportunity to watch a race on the same track we would be competing at in a week for the National Formula Ford Championship. I was even able to tour the Museum and see some amazing vintage Formula One cars! I especially appreciated the opportunity to see the car that Ayrton Senna won his final World Drivers Championship in, the MP 4/6.

It’s been fun fending for ourselves.

Since then I have begun adjusting to life in the UK. Jack and I have been sharing an AirBnB and we are getting along quite nicely. I have had to start thinking about groceries and planning meals as opposed to the strict takeout-and-fast-food diet I followed at Purdue. Something new to me is the supermarket meal deals. I can go in and get a main food, snack and drink for three UK pounds! I had never seen this before, yet it comes in quite handy when I need a quick lunch while we are on the go or at the race shop. When Jack and I aren’t grabbing meal deals, I usually will cook lunch and dinner for us. I have made us various chicken and steak meals over the last week or so, and I am starting to teach Jack a little bit about cooking as well.

Our first race was at iconic Silverstone (Jakob Ebrey).

I got my first taste of a race in the UK on September 30 at Silverstone. We competed on the National layout, the same configuration we will run during the Walter Hayes Trophy. The weekend was full of learning and adjusting to the car. We were given six test sessions on Friday and those came in extremely useful; I need some getting used to the extended slip angle on the Avon tires. Qualifying brought another learning opportunity – the importance of a draft at Silverstone. I had gone out for qualifying and ran alone for it which secured me a P14 starting position for the first of two 20-lap races. I also got to experience my first standing start! The races went relatively smoothly, just still learning how to get this car rotated before the apex of corners to maximize the drive off onto such long straights. Race one brought a P14 finish and race two brought a P11 finish. Overall, I learned a ton about the Ray FF1600 and the Avon tires, and was exposed to the heightened level of competition over here. It was intense.

Jack and I enjoyed an educational evening with fellow American Kim Stevens and her partner.

We had a few days off after the National weekend to get sorted and hang out. Jack and I have purchased bicycles and have been exploring Brackley. I have found a great gym called B3 fitness where I am able to stay on top of my fitness goals, as well as fill up some of my off days. In addition to just hanging out, Jack and I had been given an amazing opportunity to meet with Kim Stevens, the Senior Trackside Aerodynamicist with the Mercedes Formula 1 team. The amount of engineering knowledge that she was able to share with us was astonishing. We had a great dinner at The Red Lion pub and learned so much about how racing cars are designed and how different components affect the car’s handling.

Searching for the limit at Castle Combe (Oliver Read)!

Our next adventure was to another track with a lot of history, Castle Combe, where we have just enjoyed another race weekend to help us prepare for the Formula Ford Festival later this month at Brands Hatch. We started on Thursday with a test day which went very smoothly. We were given a variety of track conditions, starting out wet in the morning and drying up for the rest of the day. I am starting to understand more and more how this tire likes to be driven. I got caught out by a red-flag situation in qualifying and only had a few laps to set a quick time, which resulted in a P7 start for race 1 and a P5 start in race two. Through the duration of both races I was getting more and more comfortable with letting the car slide and rolling more speed through the corners, and I ended up with two P6 finishes. The weekend was a very useful experience to help understand this car before we head to Brands Hatch on the 17th.

The unusual Pulteney Bridge in Bath.

In between the test day and race day at Castle Combe, Jack and I were fortunate enough to go and explore historic city of Bath. We were dropped off at Chippenham where I got to experience my first ever train ride! We took a train to Bath Spa station where we began our exploration. Jack and I quickly made it downtown and had an amazing day exploring some of the history from Bath Abbey to Pulteney Bridge and The Royal Crescent. It is a beautiful city and I enjoyed exploring many of the nooks and crannies.

In the upcoming week we have been invited to visit the Alpine and Haas F1 teams, and Jack and I are also planning a trip to London. I am very excited for all of the adventures to come!
-Ayrton