The WSM Rising Star Awards have been provided to up and coming championship caliber racers for over 20 years. This year there were four recipients chosen to test with World Speed Motorsports. Past award recipients have gone on to race in Formula One, win races in NASCAR, win the 24 Hours or Daytona and 12 Hours Sebring, and secure the Indy Lights Championship.
For the sixth consecutive season VMB Driver Development was co-sponsoring the test, and would select one driver to receive a significant scholarship into the 2019 Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear in a GEN2 FormulaSPEED. After a full day at the track, the selection team evaluated all aspects of driving, coach-ability, constant improvement throughout the day, and eagerness to advance in the sport of racing. All of the drivers were strong in certain aspects. The overall scores pointed towards one driver at the end of the day. VMB Driver Development and World Speed Motorsports would like to congratulate 18 year old Jason Pettit from Walnut Creek, CA on securing the 2019 VMB Scholarship.
“All the drivers did incredibly well, as we expected they would,” noted WSM Team Owner Telo Stewart. “It is great that we were able to provide the testing opportunity to these young racers, and help them learn more about working alongside industry professionals. We expect to see great things from this year’s award winners, based on what we have seen from our past selections. We are also excited to add Jason to the team for 2019, and look forward to working with him next season!”
Jason has this to say when he was selected, “It is an amazing feeling to have been chosen as the recipient of the 2019 VMB Scholarship. Meeting all of the very talented drivers and staff at World Speed was an experience of a lifetime. I owe a huge thank you to VMB Driver Development, World Speed, and my Mom and Dad for this amazing opportunity!”
About Jason Pettit:
Jason is a eighteen year old kart racer from Walnut Creek, California. He started racing karts when he was six years old and also simultaneously started training in Tae Kwon Do. After nine years of training, he earned his third degree black belt and decided to focus solely on racing. As he progressed through the ranks of karting, he was able to achieve a total of 6 championship titles. In 2018 Jason competed in the S1 class of the SKUSA Pro Kart Challenge finishing third in the championship.
A Note From VMB President Steve Brisentine:
We had another great group of young race car drivers compete in the VMB Shootout. They made our selection very difficult. However, we are proud to select Jason Pettit as our VMB Driver Development scholarship winner.
We were thrilled when Jason applied again after the shootout last year. His driving and communication skills really impressed the judges this year. We are definitely excited to see Jason’s progress this season. We would like to thank all the drivers that competed in the shootout. We will be following their progress throughout the year.
Thank You,
Steve Brisentine
VMB Driver Development, LLC
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