HUNTER MCELREA P1 OVERALL IN USF2000 AND 200K SHOOTOUT WINNER

Last week Hunter McElrea etched his name into the Road to Indy Record Books by taking out first position in the USF2000 test and winning the Shootout for the 200,000 USD scholarship.   This will see the young US born Kiwi who currently resides in Australia heading to the big time in the USA next year.

Late last week Hunter put out an email update to his followers and supporters that we here at Velocity Magazine thought was worthy of publishing!  To win the Road to Indy scholarship it wasn’t just all about the on track performance, you have to be media savvy as well and this email shows McElrea is the real deal.  Have a read below on Hunters take on the 2018 year.

“Hi Everyone,

“I have just returned home from an amazing couple of weeks in America, driving in the official USF2000 test at Homestead Miami Speedway, and the Mazda Road to Indy $200,000 Scholarship Shootout.

“Testing at Miami was great, I really enjoyed learning another new track, and loved being back in the Pabst USF2000 car. After 2 days of testing, I was able to finish P1 overall! I was very happy with this, topping both the official tests I have done this year.

“I then flew from Miami to Phoenix, Arizona – for the Shootout. I earned an entry ticket to the Shootout by winning the Australian Formula Ford Championship this year, and I was competing against 19 other Junior Formula Champions from around the world, driving in Formula Mazdas. The Prize for the Shootout, is a 200K USD Scholarship from Mazda, to race in the 2019 USF2000 Championship. 

“The Shootout was something like I have never experienced before, driving against so many talented drivers, in a very high pressure environment for 2 days. It was great to advance to the Top 6 after 14 drivers where eliminated. We then had a simulated Qualifying session, where I was able to qualify on Pole by a decent margin to the next quickest.

“After this we had a 30 minute race run, where the main goal was to demonstrate consistency and no mistakes. I was happy with my race run and felt like I had maximised the session. After this the judges finalised the decision, and…..

“I am very glad to say, that I am the 2018 Mazda Road To Indy USF2000 200K Scholarship Shootout Winner!!!!

“This has been a massive dream come true for me, as getting the chance to go to the Shootout has been a goal of mine for a long time! I am so excited to represent such an iconic name in motorsports, and cannot thank Mazda enough for believing in me, and giving me the opportunity to compete at such a high level next year!

“I also have to thank Cooper Tires, Anderson Promotions, and The Bondurant School of HPD.

“The last few days have been amazing receiving so much support from everyone, more than I would ever have expected. For now, I am just soaking up what an incredible (Perfect) year it has been for me;

– Winning the Australian Formula Ford Championship

– Topping both my overseas USF2000 tests

– Winning the MRTI Shootout

“Thank you to everyone who has supported me this year, I truly appreciated it.

“I will enjoy a few weeks off to let this sink in, but I am going to be making sure 2019 is going to be just as special as this year.

“I’ll keep you posted for some exciting news as I finalise my deal for next year.

“But for now, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

Sincerely, Hunter.

 

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