Scholarship to Enable Racing Dreams for Drivers in Trans Am, FR Americas, F4 U.S., Ligier JS F4 Series and SVRA
CHARLOTTE (February 18, 2025) – With the 2025 race season set to kick off later this week at Sebring International Raceway, Parella Motorsports Holdings (PMH) has named 14 drivers to its 2025 class for the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship. Fulfilling the company’s purpose of enabling racing dreams, the scholarship will provide assistance to drivers competing in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli, Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas), Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.), Ligier JS F4 Series (JS F4) and Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA).
“We’re excited to help another group of drivers with the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship this season,” said Tony Parella, Founder of PMH. “With the addition of this year’s class, we’ve helped upwards of 30 drivers advance their motorsports careers. We’ve watched several of those drivers not only use the scholarship support to win championships, but also go on to move up the ladder. I say this every year, but I can’t wait to see what this year’s class goes on to achieve in their racing careers.”
In its fifth year, the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship looks to create a more diverse field while empowering drivers from a variety of backgrounds to participate in PMH-owned race series. In addition to providing recipients with benefits such as free entry fees or test days, the program aligns recipients with a team of executives and mentors to assist them in their career development with educational opportunities and training, as well as increasing their exposure through media and fan engagement events.
Included in this year’s class, five Trans Am Series drivers will benefit from the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship, assisting them as they continue their careers in North America’s longest-running professional road racing series. After winning last year’s SGT championship, Kaylee Bryson will move up to the faster, more competitive XGT Class with Sam Pierce Racing. Two-time TA Champion Amy Ruman will mentor several of the younger drivers, as she once again returns to the Trans Am Series’ TA class with her family-owned Ruman Racing team.
In Trans Am’s CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series, Silver Hare Racing’s Rafa Matos will serve as an additional mentor for the younger members of the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship class after winning last year’s TA2 championship. Nitro Motorsports teammates Julian DaCosta and Tyler Gonzalez will both utilize support from the scholarship to fight for more podiums and search for their first wins in the TA2 Series.
After becoming the second woman to podium in FR Americas history, Canadian Nicole Havrda returns to the grid in search of her first-career win. With four third-place finishes and a sixth-place finish in the championship point standings, Havrda will once again join Kiwi Motorsport to make a run at the title.
In F4 U.S., Alex Popow will take advantage of the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship in his bid for the championship. The Venezuelan American made his F4 U.S. debut with MLT Motorsports during the 2024 season finale at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), winning two of the weekend’s three races. Moving up to F4 U.S. after making his JS F4 debut at COTA, Connor Grant will use support from the scholarship to contest for the title with his Scuderia Buell team.
In JS F4, five drivers will benefit from the scholarship, including Ava Hanssen, who joins the JS F4 grid after competing in Formula Race Promotions last season. After earning his first-career podiums last season, Harbir Dass returns to JS F4 for Berg Racing to compete for the championship. Zach Fourie will also return to the series after making his debut at COTA. The South African-born driver joins JENSEN for his first full-time season. Scuderia Buell’s Augusto Paschetta and Champagne Racing’s Gaston Irazu will both benefit from the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship as they embark on their rookie campaigns.
Rounding out the list of scholarship recipients is Amandeep Pothani. Immigrating to the United States from India with his parents, the Arrive Drive Motorsports racer will compete in SVRA’s Group 9 this season.
The 2025 SpeedTour season kicks off this weekend at Sebring International Raceway, where Trans Am Series and SVRA will see their first green flags of the year. FR Americas, F4 U.S. and JS F4 drivers will kick off their race seasons next month at NOLA Motorsports Park, March 28-30. Tickets for all 2025 SpeedTour events can be purchased at SpeedTour.net. Fans at home can tune in to SpeedTour.TV to live stream SpeedTour events anywhere around the world.
About Parella Motorsports Holdings: Parella Motorsports Holdings (PMH) owns several major road racing series and hosts racing festivals across the United States under the SpeedTour brand name. With Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli, Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas), Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.), Ligier JS F4 Series, International GT (IGT) and Prototype Sprint Series Association presented by Hankook (PSSA), events feature a diverse range of cars, including vintage and historic racecars, modern Trans Am vehicles, open wheel and sports cars. Additionally, PMH also holds the long-term commercial rights to SCCA Pro Racing, which sanctions Trans Am, FR Americas, F4 U.S., Formula Race Promotions and Formula 2000. With 24 events on the 2025 schedule, SpeedTour will exceed 6,000 entries. Featuring elements like racing, car shows and concerts, SpeedTour events often attract more than 25,000 spectators. Many events are live streamed at SpeedTour.TV. By blending tradition with innovation, the organization strives to create unparalleled experiences for drivers, teams, sponsors and spectators. For more information about PMH and its SpeedTour events, visit speedtour.net.
Throughout the years, some of the greatest names in motorsports have participated in the Trans Am Series. With five distinct classes (TA/XGT/SGT/GT and TA2), it is the longest-running professional road racing series in North America.
