Speed, Reliability the Name of the Game for CrowdStrike On, Off Track in 2021 Racing Seasons

Speed, Reliability the Name of the Game for CrowdStrike On, Off Track in 2021 Racing Seasons
  • CrowdStrike to continue leading sponsorship and cybersecurity role in SRO America
  • Kurtz, Braun back for championship run in CrowdStrike Mercedes-AMG GT3
  • Full-season run for CJ Moses in new GT America Powered by AWS
  • Kevin Boehm seeking second straight Touring Car title in HPD Civic Type R TC

SUNNYVALE, Calif.– Whether it’s in the realm of cybersecurity or on the racetrack, CrowdStrike is poised to make major impacts in 2021.

CrowdStrike is an award-winning cybersecurity provider that helps companies around the world protect their data and sensitive information. Just as it prides itself on speed and reliability in the core area of its business, CrowdStrike also hopes to do the same on race tracks across North America during the coming year.

A three-class effort and a new level of sponsorship is at the center of CrowdStrike’s activation in the highly influential SRO Motorsports America platform. CrowdStrike will continue to use racing to showcase its line of internet security offerings and products as well as provide high-quality virtual – and eventually, in person – experiences for guests, VIPs and fans at the biggest motorsports events in North America.

On the track, the CrowdStrike will again partner with DXDT Racing to pick up its success in competition where it left off. CrowdStrike CEO and co-founder George Kurtz and pro driver Colin Braun will make another championship run together for CrowdStrike Racing in the premier Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS series, once again in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 race car. In addition, Kevin Boehm will go for his second straight title in TC America in a new CrowdStrike Honda Civic Type R TC. Plus, AWS Deputy CISO and racing driver CJ Moses moves into the new single-driver GT America category, now with a Mercedes-AMG GT3.

CROWDSTRIKE: A COMMERCIAL SUCCESS STORY

For the fourth consecutive season, CrowdStrike will be an integral player in SRO America from commercial and competitive perspectives. CrowdStrike is retaining its title as Official Internet and Cloud Security Provider for SRO’s Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS – a highly coveted position that allows CrowdStrike to promote its suite of security solutions in a highly influential environment.
 
CrowdStrike, a California-based cybersecurity company, supplies its Falcon Platform to all SRO worldwide entities, providing the ultimate in endpoint and cloud-workload security for SRO’s cloud-based resources and assets. Since its inception in 2011, CrowdStrike has received numerous industry awards, including 2020 Best Security Company from SC Media. 
 
CrowdStrike uses its cloud technology alongside Amazon Web Services’ set of tools for technical analysis, cloud data storage and logistics – among others – to give SRO series and competitors a solid 1-2 punch in the field of cloud computing, security and analytics. 
 
In addition to its status as leading technology provider to SRO, CrowdStrike is set to be the event sponsor of SRO America’s weekend at historic Road America in Wisconsin from August 27-29. CrowdStrike also will continue presenting Fastest Race Lap awards for each SRO race.
 
As promising as all that is for CrowdStrike in the commercial realm, things are just as positive on the track.

KURTZ, BRAUN AIMING FOR MORE AFTER STELLAR 2020

Kurtz and long-time teammate Colin Braun are set for their fourth year together and third in Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS. The duo will campaign the familiar No. 04 CrowdStrike/AWS/DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 in 13 rounds of two-driver, 90-minute competition. It comes one season after winning three races in 2020 – including a round of the global Intercontinental GT Challenge at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
 
“The 2020 season was full of challenges but also great accomplishments for everyone at CrowdStrike Racing,” Kurtz said. “Moving into 2021, I'm excited to continue building on what Colin and I accomplished. Our confidence is at an all-time high, which should mean great things for CrowdStrike this season.”
 
Kurtz and Braun placed second in the 2020 Pro-Am Drivers Championship. They were overall winners at Virginia International Raceway and also took victories at Road America and Indianapolis – their first triumphs together in the series. Key to that success was a second year with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 platform, which means expectations are higher for Year Three.
 
Kurtz begins his fifth season in SRO and ninth as a professional driver. Kurtz’ progression is an example of the SRO ladder system, having worked his way up from GT4 Sprint – where he won a championship in 2017 – and SprintX competition to the pinnacle for SRO America. He is also a two-time winner at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill and has experience with a wide array of manufacturers. Kurtz also received honorable mention from Sportscar365.com for Best Bronze Driver in 2020.
 
Braun, one of America’s leading sports car aces, is with Kurtz and CrowdStrike Racing for a fourth straight season. The American is a proven winner in both production-based GT racing as well as at the prototype level. His relationship with Kurtz continues to deepen, which he says can only be a positive for CrowdStrike’s outlook for 2021.
 
“After our successes in 2020, I’m very optimistic about the upcoming season with CrowdStrike Racing and George,” Braun said. “In our third season together, the goal is a championship. With the support of CrowdStrike, AWS and DXDT Racing, there is no reason we can’t achieve this. CrowdStrike’s mantra in business applies here in racing: Every second counts at the track.”

BOEHM MOVING UP IN TC AMERICA

Following a phenomenal rookie season that ended with a TCA Drivers Championship, Kevin Boehm is moving up to the TC class of Touring Car America in 2021. Boehm, a six-time winner and TCA Rookie of the Year in 2020, will pilot the No. 9 CrowdStrike/AWS/DXDT Honda Performance Development Civic Type R TC in the full 14-round championship, made up of 40-minute races.
 
Boehm came to CrowdStrike as a four-time Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) national champion. He also works as a Senior Engineer and test driver at Honda Research and Development, which handles research design and product development for a wide array of Honda vehicles.
 
A second-half run with five straight victories and six wins in eight races sealed the 2020 TCA title for Boehm. A step up in class is a tall order, he says, but is confident that he, CrowdStrike, AWS, and DXDT Racing can contend for race wins straight away.
 
“I’m grateful to be back in Touring Car America and moving up the HPD ladder to the TC category with CrowdStrike and AWS,” Boehm said. “We all learned a tremendous amount in 2020 during our first season at this level. The biggest thing will be taking those lessons and applying them to this new challenge. We definitely are up for it!”

MOSES STEPPING INTO NEW GT AMERICA EFFORT

New to CrowdStrike and SRO is the GT America Powered by AWS category. CJ Moses is one of the early adopters of the platform and will enter the No. 58 CrowdStrike/AWS/DXDT Mercedes-AMG GT3 for a full-season championship push with 14 rounds over seven race weekends.
 
Moses steps up to GT America following a full season in the TCR category in 2020. He finished fifth in the Drivers Championship, highlighted by a runner-up finish at Indianapolis and third-place finishes at Sonoma and Road America. His 2021 program is a return to GT racing, having contested select rounds of the Pirelli GT4 America Sprint and SprintX series in 2019. 
 
Moses is a multi-time SCCA champion as both driver and crew chief, and formerly was a driving instructor at Virginia International Raceway.
 
“When the concept of GT America was first announced, I immediately was interested,” Moses said. “I’m really excited to be part of what I believe to be an incredible platform and opportunity. A single-driver format in some of the best sports cars in the world at the best tracks and events in the country checks all the boxes. This should be an exciting first season for GT America.” 
 
Among the stops for GT America in 2021 is the new Nashville Grand Prix in August, which will run on a street circuit through the Music City. In addition to Moses, a second CrowdStrike Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 will be entered for Kurtz in Nashville.

CROWDSTRIKE AND DXDT

For a third consecutive season, CrowdStrike Racing entries will be prepared and operated by DXDT Racing, a championship-winning outfit in multiple series. The technical alliance helped CrowdStrike post its best collective effort throughout each of the three classes in 2020.

Things are already looking different for DXDT in 2021 with the opening of a 20,000-square-foot headquarters in North Carolina along with the addition of experienced personnel with strong racing backgrounds from the area.
 
"DXDT is very excited to continue our relationship with CrowdStrike in 2021," said DXDT Racing owner and driver David Askew. "We are eager to pick up where we left off and looking forward to more wins and hopefully a championship-winning effort. Our mission is to support client racing, and CrowdStrike being a primary focus of our program. DXDT continues to invest in people and equipment with the goal of helping CrowdStrike Racing to win races and championships."

AWS LINK-UP CONTINUES DRIVING CXO MEETINGS

One of the closest relationships CrowdStrike enjoys in racing and in business is its work with AWS. A presenting sponsor of Fanatec GT World Challenge America, AWS also is elevating its sponsorship exposure as Global Official Cloud Provider, Global Official Machine Learning Provider and Global Technology Provider of SRO Motorsports. 
 
At the heart of SRO competition around the world are AWS’ extensive set of tools for technical analysis, cloud data storage and logistics, among others. They are the same resources that AWS uses to help its business operate in a more efficient and secure manner.
 
On the track, AWS assists in collecting data from all SRO racecars – no matter the continent. In turn, that data is used to calculate and produce things like a Balance of Performance – a method to put all cars on a level playing field – and timing and scoring, among other things. AWS tools also assist the various SRO groups in marketing and consumer data collection, both in-person (before a break in the schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and SRO’s online properties. Among the more popular elements that debuted in 2020 was “Race Vision” powered by AWS. It is a data acquisition feature that displays insights such as top speed, corner speed and other measurements through on-screen graphics for viewers on event live streams and SRO’ CBS Sports Network broadcasts.

CrowdStrike and AWS will continue collaborating on activation programs such as the highly popular Virtual CXO summits, which bring together CrowdStrike guests and Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) to discuss emerging trends in Internet and cloud cybersecurity. It’s a unique, private business-to-business opportunity pioneered by CrowdStrike to enhance the trackside guest experience.

The synergy between AWS and CrowdStrike is further evident with the presence of Moses, who in addition to his racing activities is AWS’ Deputy Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).
 
The COVID-19 pandemic forced CrowdStrike and AWS to move to a virtual environment for its CXO meetings in 2020. Current plans are for the remote summits to continue for the first half of 2021 – the first coming at the Rolex 24 – with hopes of returning to a live format in the second half of the season should safety precautions and protocols allow.
 
CrowdStrike and AWS also will combine to present exclusive live streams and other special pieces of video content on CrowdStrikeRacing.com, along with once-a-month sim racing events.
 
CrowdStrike Racing will open its SRO America campaign March 5-7 at its home track – Sonoma Raceway – with all categories of SRO America competing during the weekend.