L-R: Houk & Sullivan
This year’s winners of the Team USA Scholarship have been revealed as Ayrton Houk and Jack Sullivan, and later this year they will utilise prize Formula Ford drives in England.
The pair will join Ammonite Motorsport for the FFord Festival at Brands Hatch next month, then remain with the team for the Walter Hayes Trophy event at Silverstone in November.
They gained their scholar status by beating Elliott Budzinki, who usually races for Ammonite in BRSCC National FF1600, and Jason Pribyl – who came second in the SCCA’s Northern Conference for third-generation Spec Racer Ford prototype sportscars – in a shootout test held in mixed conditions at the Polecat Training Center circuit.
The judging panel for the shootout was led by two-time Grand-Am class champion Andy Lally and also included former NASCAR Cup Series racer Jerry Nadeau and Indy Nxt race-winner Sean Rayhall.
Houk was runner-up in the United States’ F1600 Championship Series this year with three wins and two poles, having also finished second in the 2022 standings with five wins, and Sullivan was third in the points with five wins and one pole.
“I’m honored to be added to the extremely talented roster of scholarship winners that Team USA has built over the years,” said the 20-year-old Houk. “I’m also looking forward to traveling overseas for the first time and racing with the level of talent that the UK has to offer while also gaining immense knowledge and valuable experience from this opportunity.”
The 17-year-old Sullivan added: “I’m deeply honored and extremely grateful to be selected to represent the United States and to join the long list of successful Team USA Scholarship alumni. It’s a truly incredible opportunity to further my racing career and I can’t wait for what lies ahead in the next few weeks.”