Austin Cindric to Drive for Blancpain Racing at Mid-Ohio

Sixteen-year old Austin Cindric, son of Penske Racing President Tim Cindric, will make his GT class debut at the wheel of the Reiter Engineering developed Lamborghini Gallardo R-EX at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington.

Despite his youth, Cindric already boasts considerable experience in motorsport. His racing career began with Bandolero and Legends cars and, in 2013, he competed in USF2000 and historic racing. In 2014, he contested no less than 30 races in five different championships on 17 different race tracks.

At the beginning of the 2015 season, he became the youngest driver ever to race the legendary 12 Hours of Bathurst in Australia and recently had an impressive debut at Iowa Speedway in an ARCA stock car while also competing full time in the IMSA GS class and the Red Bull Global Rallycross Lites Series. In 2015, he already has two victories in GRC Lites and became the youngest ever winner in the IMSA Series (Mosport).

“After my outing in the 12 Hours of Bathurst, I was eager to gather more experience in GT3," explains Cindric. Reiter Engineering and Blancpain Racing is a proven team with great cars and I'm really excited as this came up at just the right time as it is one of the few weekends that doesn't conflict with something else on my schedule."

For Cindric, this is not his first start in the Pirelli World Challenge. In 2014, the driver, who comes from Columbus (Ohio) and lives in Mooresville (North Carolina), made his debut in the smaller GTS class at the same venue. He returns a year later to Mid-Ohio with Blancpain Racing to drive his second GT3 race.

"At Mid-Ohio I plan on learning and taking away as much as possible from the experience," summarizes Austin Cindric of his plan for the Pirelli World Challenge weekend. “Between racing in the GTS class last year and USF2000 in 2013 and 2014 at Mid-Ohio, it is a track I am really comfortable with. I just love this track. It has great history and it has influenced my family in many ways. It is my chance to carry forward some of the tradition." Cindric doesn’t believe that switching between GT racing, stock cars and rallycross will present any problems transitioning to the Pirelli World Challenge with Blancpain Racing: " I make it a point for myself to just focus on the current situation," says the young talent. “The speed and results will follow."