In 2020, I decided to make the jump from amateur to professional racing. This led to many new challenges throughout the year. At times, it was very tough and it wasn't clear if I was going to have any success. Watch the full video to see how my debut TC America season played out.
Shout out to Flying Lap Media for all the great shots this year.
Earlier this month, I joined one of Impact60's Tech Advancement Program classes at the Marysville, OH Early College High School. I brought along the HPD Turn-key Civic Si and we compared it to a brand new OEM Honda Civic. It was a ton of fun to share my race car with the students and show them some of the differences between a road car and and race car. A special THANK YOU goes out to Honda Marysville for providing a car for the comparison.
I have driven some incredible Honda race cars in my life, but I will remember this day for the rest of my life. The Honda Civic Type R TCR is the top level, most extreme, fastest, factory built Front Wheel Drive race car that Honda has ever built. It comes with 340+ HP, around 2800 lbs with driver, gigantic brakes, splitter and wing straight out of a wind tunnel, paddle shifted sequential transmission, and a widened track that requires massive fender flares. I was very surprised when I was asked to jump in. What a dream come true. Ride along with me around Indy Motor Speedway in my new favorite race car.
TC America rookie Kevin Boehm came into the season with confidence he could contend for wins and podiums, but never expected his 2020 season to play out the way it did. "Just to be here was a dream season," said Boehm after a win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "To start pulling out some wins and then podiums made it even better. And then to be able to pull it together to clinch it one race early. Honestly, it's unreal. I'm an engineer, I took a ton of math classes, and still I almost don't believe the math right now. I'm absolutely thrilled!”
The season started well for the #9 Boehm Racing Honda Civic Si driver, grabbing six 4th places finishes in the first seven races of the season. But then something really clicked at Road America during the season half of the season, where Boehm won his first race, then went on to win five straight, six wins in the last eight races of the season. “It feels overdue! It’s great to finally put it together this weekend. We had a great qualifying run, and luckily we were able to keep it together here today and grab the win!” said Boehm after his first win at Road America.
INDIANAPOLIS (Oct. 6, 2020) – In a season full of highlights, CrowdStrike Racing saved its best for last. Drivers and teams under CrowdStrike closed the 2020 SRO Motorsports America season with four victories, six podiums and two championships at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
What do you get when you combine cool morning temperatures with a turbocharged Honda Racing / HPD Turn-Key Civic Si? Fast laps! Fast enough to start in pole position for the first race at the September 2020 race weekend at COTA. Ride along to see what it takes to start up front in TC America.
AUSTIN, Texas (Sept. 22, 2020) – CrowdStrike Racing came away with another weekend of strong performances as SRO Motorsports America made its second visit of the season to Circuit of The Americas. With momentum clearly in-hand, the program turns its focus to closing out the season in championship form at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. CrowdStrike Racing drivers Kevin Boehm and CJ Moses turned heads with their performances in the TC America category at COTA with each establishing significant momentum ahead of the Indianapolis finale. The duo of George Kurtz and Colin Braun will look to make their return to GT World Challenge America powered by AWS competition in the No. 04 CrowdStrike/AWS/DXDT Mercedes-AMG GT3. The car was withdrawn from the COTA weekend Saturday due to an unforeseen family emergency but will return for the Oct. 2-4 Indianapolis weekend, which will run in conjunction with the Intercontinental GT Challenge’s eight-hour race.
SUNNYVALE, Calif. (Sept. 17, 2020) – Weekends in SRO America are becoming more and more important for CrowdStrike Racing. The next-to-last event of the season takes place this weekend at Circuit of The Americas – the second visit of 2020 for CrowdStrike and its drivers to the ultra-modern circuit just outside Austin, Texas. Momentum and championship points have been coming in large amounts for CrowdStrike in GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS and the TC America series. Three CrowdStrike Racing drivers in two CrowdStrike-sponsored entries are in the thick of their respective championships heading to back to COTA. George Kurtz and Colin Braun share a one-point lead in the GT World Challenge Pro-Am Drivers Championship thanks to two victories and seven top-three finishes in its No. 04 CrowdStrike/AWS/DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. In TC America, Kevin Boehm is coming off a three-win weekend at Road America – including his first victory in the series – and is only three points out of the lead in the TCA Drivers Championship during his rookie season with his No. 9 CrowdStrike/AWS/DXDT Honda Performance Development Civic Si. In addition, CJ Moses is solidly entrenched in the top-five of the TCR Drivers Championship standings in the No. 04 CrowdStrike/AWS/DXDT HPD Civic Type R TCR. In addition to its standing as a championship contender, CrowdStrike continues to display an innovative approach in its commitment to GT World Challenge America as Official Internet & Cloud Security Partner. CrowdStrike will continue to offer exclusive live streams of GT World Challenge America at crowdstrikeracing.com, as well as rewarding drivers in all SRO America series with the CrowdStrike Fastest Lap Award in each race.
There was no shortage of battles on track in Race 3 with TC America at Road America. Ride along as I fight my way to the front. Due to a crash in another class, I had been shuffled back to 6th place and needed to fight my way back into podium position. I finished in P2--and about a week later, was moved to P1 due to a competitor's disqualification.
Qualifying on pole in the rain at at Road America is hard enough--and not being able to see makes it even more interesting. It was the last lap of the session and I had one last chance to finish on top. Watch as the visibility through the windshield gets worse and worse throughout the lap as I work to post the fastest time in the TCA class.
SUNNYVALE, CALIF. (Aug. 27, 2020) – CrowdStrike is upping its commitment to military veterans with plans for long-term support of Operation Motorsport – a key program within racing that aids service members as they transition into the civilian workplace.
A pair of military veterans – Staff Sgt. Chad Failing (Ret.) and Staff Sgt. William Babineau (Ret.) – will be part of the CrowdStrike Racing crew on Kevin Boehm’s No. 9 CrowdStrike/AWS/DXDT Honda Performance Development (HPD) Civic Si effort for the remaining 2020 rounds of the Touring Car America (TCA) class, a companion series to GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS in SRO Motorsports America.
SUNNYVALE, Calif. (Aug. 26, 2020) – Following its most successful weekend as part of SRO America and GT World Challenge powered by AWS, CrowdStrike and the CrowdStrike Racing program head to one of the highlights on the race calendar in hopes of adding not just to its collection of trophies for 2020, but also its advantage in the GT World Challenge America Pro-Am Drivers’ Championship.
Cover image: Brian Cleary
Sonoma Raceway is a tricky track. As we make our way around the circuit, I highlight tips and tracks for going fast. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions and what track you would like me to make a lap guide for next.
Cover picture: Brian Cleary
Sonoma Raceway is a driver's track. With a combination of blind turns and a low grip surface, precision is a must to extract a great lap here. Take a lap with me as I push my Honda Racing HPD Turn-key Civic Si to the limit in Qualifying at the 2020 TC America event.
SUNNYVALE, Calif. (Aug. 4, 2020) – CrowdStrike Racing is gearing up for its biggest weekend of competition in SRO America – its home event at Sonoma Raceway just north of San Francisco. A new-look way of hosting guests in a virtual environment, exclusive online content and other special features will be part of the CrowdStrike experience from August 7–9. All this will be available, virtually, to CrowdStrike and AWS staff, guests, supporters, fans and executive conference attendees throughout the GT World Challenge America Sonoma 2020 Powered by AWS and Sponsored by CrowdStrike. It’s the most advanced experiential program by CrowdStrike at any motorsports event since it became active in SRO America in 2017. “This is the most unique weekend for CrowdStrike that we have ever had,” said CrowdStrike CEO and co-founder George Kurtz, who also drives for CrowdStrike Racing in the premier GT World Challenge series. “Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic forced a break in our racing, we quickly began planning how best we can educate and entertain our clients and supporters in new and interactive ways. I think it’s safe to say that what we have planned sets a new standard in exclusive, interactive content anywhere in SRO’s global platform. We are excited and proud to be associated with this historic weekend at our home track in Sonoma.”
Vrooooom. Get a passenger seat view of some close race car action during July's TC America Race 2 at VIR.
Maintaining precision and control while pushing a car as hard as it can go is a magnificent challenge. Ride along as I attempt to do just that in the July 9th, 2020 qualifying session at VIR with TC America.
ALTON, Va. (July 13, 2020) – CrowdStrike Racing celebrated its return to SRO America competition in the best way possible: its first victory in GT World Challenge Powered by AWS. George Kurtz and Colin Braun claimed a win in Sunday’s 90-minute, two-driver endurance race at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) – the first victory for CrowdStrike with Mercedes-AMG in SRO America’s highest category of racing. Not only did they claim victory in the Pro/Am class, they were overall winners as well against top-level competition. The result capped a fantastic return to racing for CrowdStrike – a competitor in three SRO America categories and the Official Internet & Cloud Security Provider for GT World Challenge. Virginia International Raceway is site of the program’s first motorsports event in more than four months. The SRO weekend will took place with CrowdStrike Racing and all series participants supporting and adhering to strict local, state and federal guidelines on medical screening, social distancing and use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
SUNNYVALE, Calif. (July 7, 2020) – Following the industry-wide pause in its racing schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CrowdStrike Racing returns to competition this week as SRO America and GT World Challenge America powered by AWS. It will be the second of six events on the season with CrowdStrike reaffirming its full-season commitment as an entrant and official sponsor of GT World Challenge. Virginia International Raceway (VIR) is the site of the program’s first motorsports event in more than four months. The SRO weekend will take place with CrowdStrike Racing and all series participants supporting and adhering to strict local, state and federal guidelines on medical screening, social distancing and use of personal protective equipment (PPE). The CrowdStrike Racing effort returns to VIR in force with a trio of race cars in two different SRO America series and three classes. Hopes are high following a stellar opening to the 2020 season at Circuit of The Americas in Austin during early March, when CrowdStrike Racing claimed three podium finishes to start the year. The June 2020 TC America race at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) has been rescheduled for July 9-12. This event will be the first race to take place since the season was temporarily suspended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I am very excited to return to the race track with the Crowdstrike Racing/AWS Civic Si in July," Boehm says. "VIR is one of my favorite race tracks. Extremely grateful for all of the hard work TC America, VIR, and the state of Virginia have done to make sure this event can take place safely." During the temporary suspension of the race season, Boehm has been participating in GT Rivals, a sim racing series organized and managed by SRO America, TC America's governing body. |
KEVIN BOEHMTips, tricks, wins, and learnings. Go behind-the-scenes at the race shop and the track with Boehm Racing. Archives
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