After announcing that they would be competing in the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup North America last month, MDK Motorsports have unveiled their seven driver line-up for the Carrera Cup and the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America series.
“We are proud of the drivers racing under the MDK flag this year and honored to welcome their families and guests for a one-of-a-kind experience,” said team CEO Megan Kvamme.
“This endeavor required a fast and furious year of preparation, and we knew from the outset that we needed to have a diversity in experience and perspective among our drivers in order to be the dynamic team that we set out to be.”
Trenton Estep looks set to be a front-runner for the season ahead, already topping the timesheets in the two-day test at Sebring ahead of the season-opener next week. Estep comes from a Karting background, including competitions such as SKUSA Pro Tour, Florida Winter Tour, US Open, and Rotax Grand Finals in Portugal.
Following his karting career he moved to single seaters where he secured the Formula Ford title twice and then in to sports cars where he took the 2018 Porsche GT3 Cup Challege USA title.
Team owner / driver Mark Kvamme comes from a background of two wheels, running the KTM Supercross factory team for five seasons before switching to Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge and Lamborghini Super Trofeo series.
He has also participated in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and took a podium finish at the 2017 Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Credit: Porsche NA
Tech entrepreneur Zöe Barry, leads the line up for the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America, she has been racing since 2017 in a Mazda MX5 Global Cup Car, taking first in the Resort World Challenge and third at the Queally Mazda Classic in 2020. 2021 saw Barry switch to a Porsche 718 GT4, securing top ten finishes throughout the year.
“I see MDK Motorsports as an opportunity to take my driving and my ideals to the next level. The connections that MDK offers and the values that the team personify hit the sweet spot for me,” said Barry.
“Seeing a woman-run motorsports team on the inside track helps to change the experience for all women drivers, spectators, and the sport as a whole. I am not just getting an affiliation here; it feels more like a community.”
Joining Barry in the Sprint Challenge is Christian Weir, a three-time Autobahn Country Club karting champion. At the age of 14, Weir moved out of karting and into cars, he secured the FRP Pro 4 Championship in his first year, and took wins in the Radical Cup.
As soon as he was eligible to enter the US F4 Championship at the age of 15 he hit the track, finishing in the top ten, taking fastest laps and also the AiM Move of the Year award. Alongside his Porsche programme, he will compete in a full season in the USF2000 in 2022 with Turn 3 Motorsports.
Christian Weir echoed Kvamme’s thoughts, “It is always exciting being able to be part of a new team and expand my racing experience. While this is MDK’s first sports car race season, they spent the last year putting together a great group of people in the program that will bring instant success.
“I look forward to testing and taking my first green flag in the Porsche Sprint Challenge in the GT4 class, but also helping to grow a program from the ground up,”
Joining Barry and Weir in the Sprint Challenge is French doctor turned venture capitalist Jean-Francois Formela who comes from a background of Mazda Global Cup, Jimmy Libre, who was victorious in the 2020 Porsche Sprint Challenge Central Europe, and Terry Olson, who has experience from NASA to IMSA with sedans through prototypes, as well as a stint managing his own race team.
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