Drake Kemper Joins Sick Sideways Racing in the 2015 Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup - Speedway Digest

In a bid to win the 2015 SCCA Pro Racing Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires Championship, Sick Sideways Racing strengthened their driver line-up by signing Drake Kemper from Toluca Lake, California.

After winning the 2014 Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge Championship, Kemper now looks to continue his climb up the Mazda SportsCar Racing Academy in the very series and with the very team that inspired him to race professionally. His #99 MX-5, racing with support from Mazda, and Royal Rugby, and supporting the Wounded Warrior Project, will sport the same Soul Red paint scheme as the other Mazda scholarship winners as well as the factory Mazda SKYACTIV Prototype competing in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

After winning last year’s Skip Barber Mazdaspeed Pro Challenge Championship, Kemper now looks to continue his climb up the Mazdaspeed ladder system in the very series and with the very team that inspired him to race cars professionally.

“I’m extremely excited to be racing in the Mazda MX-5 Cup,” exclaimed Kemper, “I remember seeing it on TV and saying – ‘I want to do that one day’ – and now I’m here!” “In fact, one of the main reasons I was inspired to compete in the MX-5 Cup was after seeing this excited guy with huge sideburns [John Dean] win his first professional race with Sick Sideways.” Kemper continued, “It’s amazing what Sick Sideways does with smaller budgets, consistently running up front each year as title contenders. They are an incredibly hardworking and professional team, yet they still have kept that privateer excitement and life behind them. I intend to carry on that performance and spirit this season.”

“Drake is already fitting in perfectly with our unique team culture,” said team owner/driver, John Dean “he is fast, focused, and serious about his racing, yet has this great humor, excitement, and personality where we are able to have lots of laughs throughout the day.” Dean continued, “We are also excited to have signed a top driver from Mazda’s ladder system. Drake’s speed and performance in testing has shown why he deserves to be here. His addition to the team gives us one of the strongest driver line-ups and hope for great things in 2015. I fully expect he’ll be running towards the sharp end of the grid this season.”

“I’d like to really thank Mazda for this great opportunity to run in the Mazda Mx-5 Cup,” stated Kemper, “without their scholarship and ladder system it wouldn’t be possible to be racing professionally and have such an amazing opportunity at such a low cost. You can literally go from club racing, all the way to racing prototypes if you keep winning. I’ll be looking forward to the chance of following in Kenton Koch’s footsteps; where he also won the Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge, and then went on to win the Mazda MX-5 Cup. Hopefully I can climb the ladder even higher from there. I’ve been preparing for this season since the day last season ended; I’m down almost 50lbs with dieting and a very rigorous workout regimen, I’ve been getting more seat time at more tracks as practice, I’ve been preparing mentally. I really feel that no one is more prepared than I am to see those lights go out and that green flag wave at Sebring. Bring it on.”

The 2015 Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup, Presented by BFGoodrich Tires kicks-off March 18^th at Sick Sideways Racing’s home track, during the 63rd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring event. Sick Sideways has won every year they have visited the venue and Drake Kemper and his team-mates; John Dean, and Nathaniel Sparks, will be looking to continue that trend.

Keep up with Drake Kemper and Sick Sideways Racing at Facebook.com/SickSideways. For inquiries into the team’s services email [email protected]. More information on the Mazda MX-5 Cup can be found at www.mx-5cup.com. Like the series on Facebook at Facebook.com/MazdaMX5Cup, on Twitter @MazdaMX5Cup and Instagram @MazdaMX5Cup.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.