Learning = Winning for CrowdStrike Racing at Virginia International Raceway

Learning = Winning for CrowdStrike Racing at Virginia International Raceway
  • CrowdStrike back at scene of first victory in SRO Motorsports America
  • Continued learning leads to race victories, successes
  • Alliances with DXDT Racing, Operation Motorsport fuel CrowdStrike efforts
  • Four CrowdStrike Racing entries set for three days of competition

Sunnyvale, Calif. - CrowdStrike Racing heads back to Virginia International Raceway this weekend, eager to recreate the same race-winning magic that led to its first victory in SRO Motorsports America a year ago. It marked the beginning of a run that saw CrowdStrike Racing entries win nine times in SRO competition.

Learning from past experiences and successes has returned CrowdStrike Racing to the forefront of motorsports competition in 2021. Through two events, CrowdStrike Racing scored six race victories and is in prime championship position in three SRO Motorsports America championships: Fanatec GT World Challenge Powered by AWS, GT America Powered by AWS and TC America Powered by Skip Barber Racing School.

That learning on the racetrack mirrors how CrowdStrike – the Official Internet and Cloud Security Provider of GT World Challenge America – operates in the business world. Constant learning about combatting cybersecurity threats increases the expertise of CrowdStrike team members. In the same way, CrowdStrike Racing drivers – along with DXDT Racing and Operation Motorsport team members – continue to improve their craft on the racetrack.

ALWAYS LEARNING

Just as CrowdStrike’s expertise in cybersecurity pushes its award-winning technology forward, continuous learning by CrowdStrike Racing drivers has pushed the program into the spotlight in SRO Motorsports America.

One of the most obvious examples is George Kurtz, who teams with Colin Braun behind the wheel of the No. 04 CrowdStrike/AWS/DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 in Fanatec GT World Challenge. Kurtz and Braun have won twice already this season, including a thrilling, come-from-behind victory in the last round at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.

Kurtz was a commanding force late in the race, going from third place to the lead with a little less than 30 minutes remaining. The confidence Kurtz displayed can be traced back 12 months to Virginia, where he held on for his first GT World Challenge victory with Braun.

“It’s amazing to look back at the last year to see how we all have continued to progress,” Braun said. “Everyone on this program takes every opportunity to learn. It’s a team effort that continues to pay off with race victories. Last year’s win with George at VIR really set us on a course where we feel like we can win every time out. It shows how the work and effort we put into our racing pays off.”

Heading to VIR, Braun and Kurtz sit second in GT World Challenge America Pro-Am points thanks to their efforts, which includes a victory in Sonoma, California for the SRO America season-opening event.

Given the history of success at VIR – a victory and runner-up finish in the last two years – the pairing is hopeful of more trophies following this weekend.

Kurtz will have the opportunity to continue learning as part of the GT America series with another No. 04 CrowdStrike/AWS/DXDT Mercedes-AMG GT3. He leads the first-year championship with two victories on the season.

Just as he has embraced the chance for more seat time, so has CJ Moses. He will contest the pair of GT America races in his No. 58 CrowdStrike/AWS/DXDT Mercedes-AMG GT3 at VIR – a circuit where he has served as a driving instructor and has raced to victory countless times in the past.

“It’s always great to go racing, but to do it at a place like VIR where I have a lot of experience and background makes the weekend even better,” Moses said. “This event comes at a great place in the schedule where I can focus more on continuing to learn the Mercedes-AMG GT3 and not have to worry about learning the ins and outs of the track.”

Learning a new class and car has been key to the success of CrowdStrike Racing’s Kevin Boehm. He leads the Touring Car category of the TC America championship after four rounds with two victories in his No. 9 CrowdStrike/AWS/DXT Honda Performance Development Civic Type R TC.

Last year’s TCA champion and Rookie of the Year, Boehm is eager to continue his progression and score another win… this time at VIR.

“I’m a little surprised by the success we’ve had so far this year in the TC category,” Boehm said. “But that shows how serious we are about the challenge and level of competition. We take every minute on the track as an opportunity to learn and gather data on the HPD Type R TC. Gaining that knowledge now will put us in a better situation late in the season when the championship is on the line.”

LEARNING BY DOING

DXDT Racing and Operation Motorsport are key cogs in the CrowdStrike Racing program. Together, they all work toward the goal to “Win as One” in SRO America. DXDT, based near Charlotte, prepares and operates three racing entries for CrowdStrike Racing. The 2021 season marks the third year of the CrowdStrike and DXDT partnership, and the combination has proven to be a championship-winning one. A year ago, CrowdStrike/DXDT entries claimed nine victories and one class championship – truly an example of how to “Win As One”.

The VIR event for DXDT provides an exciting opportunity to shine close to home and put on display all the lessons that DXDT and CrowdStrike have experienced together during the last three years. On top of that is the continual support from Operation Motorsport, a not-for-profit organization that provides a chance for veterans to use their skill sets in a variety of areas including paddock operations, car and tire prep, marketing, social media and other key areas that are part of a racing program.

In addition, Operation Motorsports and the USO are hosting a Salute to Service Weekend event at VIR to celebrate all that our soldiers do for our country. Active duty personnel will be granted free entry to the track and a featured PCA and Veterans car corral will be a focus of the fun-filled weekend and Salute to Service. Tickets and car corral entry can be secured on the VIR Event website.    

For the COTA weekend, CrowdStrike Racing hosted four service members as part of its ranks. Staff Sgt. William Babineau (Ret.) and Staff Sgt. Katrina Williams were part of the effort on the No. 04 CrowdStrike/AWS/DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. In TC America, Sgt Cody Reinecker (Ret.) and OpMo newcomer Chief Master Sergeant (Ret.) Craig Neri each helped to crew Boehm’s No. 9 CrowdStrike/AWS/DXDT HPD Civic Type R TC. 

It continued a proud tradition of CrowdStrike supporting veterans and the Operation Motorsport program. Two OpMo beneficiaries were part of Boehm’s TCA championship campaign in 2020. CrowdStrike also is a proud part of American Corporate Partners (ACP), which provides CrowdStrike mentors for service members looking to transition to the private sector. 

In addition, CrowdStrike is a partner with HireMilitary to provide meaningful internship experiences to service members exiting the military via the DoD SkillBridge program.

Taken all together, the lessons and experiences result in faster pit stops, more efficient strategy and the opportunity to “Win as One” on the racetrack. That philosophy also forms a significant part of the CrowdStrike brand – that online protection works best when provider and customer work as one unit. Just as a racing team has drivers, mechanics and engineers – all experts in their field – so does CrowdStrike in the arena of cybersecurity.

TOOLS FOR THE JOB

CrowdStrike’s influence also stretches beyond its own racing activities. As Official Internet and Cloud Security Provider of SRO’s Fanatec GT World Challenge Powered by AWS, CrowdStrike works with SRO Motorsports America to protect scores of proprietary information such as team and driver medical and financial records, technical data, and video and digital content.

The collaboration between CrowdStrike and Amazon Web Services will play a large front-facing role in SRO America. As Global Official Cloud Provider, Global Official Machine Learning Provider and Global Technology Provider of SRO Motorsports, AWS is in a unique position to help SRO with logistics, data collection and cloud storage – the latter a key team-up area for AWS and CrowdStrike.

Among the benefits to fans is the unique “Race Vision” program, powered by AWS. It allows the series to display performance data from cars on the track in the form of informational graphics to fans on SRO America’s event live streams or television broadcasts on CBS Sports Network.

VIRTUAL ACCESS

At select SRO Motorsports America events, CrowdStrike and AWS hold virtual CXO summits that bring together CrowdStrike and AWS leadership with CISOs to discuss emerging trends and threats that will shape the future of Internet and cloud cybersecurity. It’s a unique, private business-to-business opportunity pioneered by CrowdStrike, and this year’s summits continue to build on the successes of previous virtual CXO meetings during the last year.

The virtual experience extends to the track, as well. From Austin, CrowdStrike and AWS again presented an exclusive live stream of the two Fanatec GT World Challenge America races with Boehm adding valuable insight from his experience in the cockpit throughout the weekend. 

CrowdStrike’s library of video content on CrowdStrikeRacing.com continued to expand, along with the once-a-month sim racing events via the CrowdStrike Cup Virtual Racing League.

Watch a live stream of this weekend’s races on June 5 and 6 at CrowdStrikeRacing.com. Follow DXDT Racing's Twitter account for trackside updates, and CrowdStrike Racing's social media accounts for additional race weekend content.